due Feb18/ Ruthless Protector by clara dunn

  Bksprout

 

I was sent to watch her. Now I’m sleeping down the hall… and daring anyone to touch what’s mine.

The Kozlov Pakhan doesn’t give assignments. He gives verdicts.

Mine is simple: move into Daria Kozlov’s apartment, track her movements, and prove she’s the leak before the feds freeze our accounts.

If she’s guilty, she disappears. Even if she’s family.

I expect designer clothes and a fake smile.
I find a piano teacher in a threadbare cardigan, a fridge that’s almost empty, and a five-year-old who drags me into a tea party like I’m not built for violence.

That first night, I clear the apartment.

A hidden camera is wedged in her daughter’s bedroom.

At that point, I stop watching Daria—and start hunting the man who put it there.
I don’t have his name yet. But I will.

Daria flinches at blocked numbers. She lies like it keeps her alive. And when I catch the bruises she hides under sleeves, something in me goes cold and final.

I came here to catch a traitor.
Instead I’m standing between a mother, her little girl… and the man who’s been terrorizing them for years.

If he comes for either of them, there won’t be negotiations.
There will be a cold body.

Explicit

Novel

Romance mafia romance dark mafia romance russian mafia romance enemies to lovers romance alpha male romance touch her and die forced proximity steamy contemporary romance action and adventure billionaire romance

Hosted by Clara Dunn Review Team

Note from the Author

To my wonderful ARC readers, Thank you so much for reading and reviewing my newest book! It’s part of a series, but it can absolutely be enjoyed as a standalone. You do not need to read the first books to enjoy this one! I’m still finishing up the final round of edits. If you spot anything that needs fixing (typos, formatting hiccups, etc.), please message me directly so I can get it cleaned up fast. Happy reading,
 Clara

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------------------- -------------

My 5 STAR REVIEW TITLED: Daria & Kira are caught in the middle

Pyotr Fedorov is a dangerous Russian who works for Dimitri Koslv his Pakhan. He goes where he is sent and he figures things out. Whatever needs to be done he checks it out and reports back.  He's been sent to figure out if Daria has been leaking information. If so, she's threat to the organization, she will be "eliminated."  He has a limited time to figure it out. He has to have proof if she is innocent or guilty. Time is quickly running out and there is twists, suspense and surprises along the way.

Daria Kozlov divorced her husband, Bodgan but he still calls and threatens her. He was extremely physically abusive and also emotionally abusive too !  They divorced but he still keeps coming at her. She's terrified out of her mind and just wants to keep her daughter , Kira away from Bogdon !  Kira is such an adorable 5 year old and almost instantly attaches herself to this huge scary man Pyotr. Sharing her dinosaurs and her sprinkles !! That made me smile ! Kira is so hilarious at times!

He's scary rightfully so with adults who cause trouble  but so gentle with her.  Daria doesn't open up to Pyotr right away but when she does it happens slowly until it becomes much clearer what she has endured.  She finally trust Pyotr physically and they do have some "hot times" but he was also very caring afterwords with her too ! I loved how he often called her Little Dove in Russian.  They start fiercely working together and want to put Daria's name in the clear and "take care of" her ex. 

 The suspense is tight, the emotions run high, and "JUSTICE" is finally served and Daria, Pyotr and Kira get their happy ever after,  which shows in the Epilogue.    Throughout the story, Daria is worried about her older sister, who is is in a high stress professional job. She's lost touch with her. At the end of story Dmitri shows her some information that shows she just might have reasons to worry about the new man in her sister's life! I want to read that story too !

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Feb 16/ Bksprount/Kindle/ The Don’s Vengeance by Jasmin Song

  Bksprout

 

I fell for my sworn enemy's daughter while plotting to destroy her. 

Isabella Russo walks into the club and gives me the best one-night stand of my life. No names. 

The next day, she shows up across the table from me on the business deal of her lifetime. 

That’s when I realize who she is: the daughter of the man who killed my father. 

I'm his only surviving son, a Don raised in secret, trained for one purpose: vengeance. 

And the principessa just walked into my trap. 

She’s perfect for my plan. So, I seduce her. I make her believe I'm someone she can trust. Every dinner reveals a vulnerability. Every touch, another confession. 

But as I steal her secrets, she steals something too. My own damn heart.  

I’m supposed to destroy her deal and her family’s future. 

If I choose Isabella, my family starts a war, with my dead father rolling in his grave.

If I choose my vendetta, my enemies burn, with Isabella at the center of the blaze. 

Explicit

Novel

Romance mafia enemies to lovers one night stand forbidden forced proximity revenge

Hosted by Jasmin Song

Note from the Author

Please enjoy and leave your honest review when the book goes live on Amazon.

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-------My  4 Star Review TITLED:  Deceitful Seduction/Romance   ---

Isabella Russo is the lawyer of her mob family. Her father is the Don; the head of this Italian family. She's brilliant, beautiful and she tries to stay on the legitimate side of the business. Oh, she knows that they are but she's trying to get things cleaner. She has a vision, a dream on how to go about that.  Her Uncle Marco is always trying to control her. Always putting her down and trying to make her "less". To thwart her. I didn't like him from the start.  It amazed me with how much her father put up with that. UNTIL, some hard truths come out MUCH later in the story.  That one night stand with fake names is going to cost her !  Her friend Mia is the only one who really has her back. Although she has a brother Leo who does show up. He's not in the "business" but loves her. She also has a sister who stays way far away from the family business and doesn't really show up in the story. 

It surprises Stephan Hale when Isabella Russo shows up in a meeting for competing for a contract and he soon discovers that although she is 13 years younger than him; she's sharp. Still beautiful but clever and skilled.  Wow,  the painful secrets that he is holding and his NEED for revenge is STRONG.  He's been training and been trained for years to exact the downfall of Isabella's father, Don Enrico Russo.  He's so attracted to her but if bringing her down publicly is the price of winning, he's going to do it ! And to him seducing her was not a problem at all ! Be warned though the scenes are explicit. He does end up having remorse so he isn't a psychopath ! Just ruthless !

Stephanos Petrakos and his mother Maria were the only survivors of the attack on their home in Greece . It happened  he was 13 years old. His father and older brother, Dimitris were both murdered.  Other people have hidden them, Nikos has been his main trainer on physical combat and how to stay alive. His mother entered into an American arranged marriage for her son's sake and the professor, Robert Hale adores her ! And he was thrilled to help by adopting and helped raise her son. Robert was very good and loving toward Stepahnos.  But Stephan was also becoming a brilliant lawyer as well !

All the painful lies come out of course with everything coming to a stunning confrontation between the two families and finally a well deserved HEA for the couple.  

 I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

jan27/HOOPLA/Wreck the Halls /A Novel Tessa Bailey

   HOOPLA eBOOK

 Amazon link

 368 pages 2023  HarperCollins 

 #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey delivers a sexy, hilarious standalone holiday rom-com about the adult children of two former rock stars who team up to convince their estranged mothers to play a Christmas Eve concert...

Melody Gallard may be the daughter of music royalty, but her world is far from glamorous. She spends her days restoring old books and avoiding the limelight (one awkward tabloid photo was enough, thanks). But when a producer offers her a lot of money to reunite her mother's band on live tv, Mel begins to wonder if it's time to rattle the cage, shake up her quiet life... and see him again. The only other person who could wrangle the rock and roll divas.

Beat Dawkins, the lead singer's son, is Melody's opposite, the camera loves him, he could charm the pants off anyone, and his mom is not a potential cult leader. Still, they might have been best friends if not for the legendary feud that broke up the band. When they met as teenagers, Mel felt an instant spark, but it's nothing compared to the wild, intense attraction that builds as they embark on a madcap mission to convince their mothers to perform one last show.

While dealing with rock star shenanigans, a 24-hour film crew, brawling Santas, and mobs of adoring fans, Mel starts to step out of her comfort zone. With Beat by her side, cheering her on, she's never felt so understood. But Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and a decades-old scandal is poised to wreck everything, the Steel Birds reunion, their relationships with their mothers, and their newfound love.

 ---My 5 STAR REVIEW TITLED: Melody stole the show Book 15 of The Mafia Don Series

The story opens with them at 16 years old.    The stuff she went through when she was younger was just so harsh !  I felt so sorry for her.  Her mother was absent, living the more hippy lifestyle now only showing up at certain times of the year. Beat was such a handsome, social guy that everyone loved from the start.  When they were younger, the few times that they met Beat became her hero because he did what he could to protect her feelings.  She had a MAJOR crush on him and still kinda does.  

Beat is torn about that Reunion between the mothers. He doesn't think that it will work but he's being blackmailed and has to try.  I felt bad that his mother  was absent most of his life. She had to be center stage all the time. With Melody at his side, he just might do it. He has a deep dark secret that he is hiding from Mel. It seems to be of a sexual nature too ! That kept me wondering as well. 

Unusual, Emotional, Quirky Story and I adored the NOW, hilarious Melody. She didn't even know why people loved her now. They think her honesty is funny and welcome. 

 I read this story through my HOOPLA Library App and I'm glad that I did. 

-------------NOT ADDED TO REVIEW- some spoilers-----

I loved how Beat calls her "Peaches".  Joseph the cameraman who follows them around as part of his job was a hoot. So was his non romance with the live stream producer who is hot for her. 

The Mothers are a hoot ! So different, so mad when they find out what's been happening AGAINST their kids and their romance ! They out the drummer on stage and he gets booted out again ! The show is a smash and their "kids" get their HEA

bkfunnel/ Cuffing His Bride (Glamorous Brides# 1)by Cassi Hart

  amazon

For any other questions, please contact:
Cassi Hart <cassi@cassihartromance.com>

 Amelia 

I’m having the worst day ever. My fiancé, a guy I didn’t even like to begin with, has left me at the altar. The only reason I was marrying him was to secure a trust fund from my late grandfather, and now he’s completely ruined my plans. Of course, I probably could have reacted better; assault and destruction of property are ill-advised, even on the worst of days. Now I’m being dragged away from my own wedding in the arms of the biggest, nicest-smelling cop I’ve ever met. I’m totally screwed. How am I going to buy my mom’s flower shop back now?

Hunter 

I’ve been on the force long enough to think I’ve seen it all, but some things still manage to surprise me. When I got the call about an altercation happening at the church down the street, I was expecting a real bride-zilla. Instead, I end up with Amelia, and she takes my breath away. I can’t help relishing how she feels against me as I drag her off her fiancé. I don’t know what’s going on, but I know she’s too good for a man like him. How did she end up with a jackass like him? 

------------My 4 Star Review TITLED: Swift, Funny, sweet and some Hotness 

I loved how sweet, desperate, 21 year old Amelia flies into a "smart" rage on her fink of a groom when Charles very publicly dumps her at the altar.  It's funny how this tiny usually sweet woman is trying to tear Charles hair out. She's got the wimp trapped ! Lol. 

Hunter is a by the book policeman saddled with a baby faced rookie who doesn't have a clue. Hunter usually works alone and he likes it that way !  He is fascinated when he sees Amelia refusing to loose her grip on her fiancee.  What he sees in his point of view is a tiny beauty; an enraged angel.

Hunter knows he shouldn't get involved with her personally. He's 10 years older than her.   But things do escalate pretty quickly between them and come to really good HEA. 

Review by Feb 21, 2026Bksprout/ ROBERTO: An Off-limits Surprise Pregnancy Mafia Romance BY Claire Kirby

  Booksprout

 amazon

I took my dream job in an Atlantic City casino—then discovered my boss is a mafia attorney whose baby I now carry.

When my college roommate hires me as Marketing Manager at Conti Enterprises, I see it as my ticket to the top.

What I don't expect is her uncle Roberto—the mysterious executive whose dark eyes strip me bare and whose quiet authority slowly exposes a raw hunger I didn’t know existed within me.

At forty-four, the widowed attorney is everything I shouldn’t want.

Grumpy. Closed off. Lethally magnetic.

Late nights revitalizing our marketing campaign blur into something far more primal as I’m introduced to soft restraints and whispered commands.

He touches me as if I already belong to him and unlocks something deep inside me, as I realize I have fallen for this enigmatic man.

Then I find it—evidence of money laundering buried deep in files I review daily. My hands shake. My world tilts.

 The man I'm falling for is a criminal.

The family that embraced me could destroy everything I've built.

Roberto's confession shatters me—they're the notorious Conti crime family, and he's their legal weapon.

I'm planning my escape when twoSo pink lines appear.

Now I'm trapped between the safe life I left behind and a dangerous man whose baby is growing inside me—in a world I never knew existed.

Mature

Novel

Romance surprise pregnancy mafia romance age gap romance off-limits romance office romance best friend's uncle

Hosted by ARC Team

Note from the Author

This is the third stand-alone in The Conti Family Series. Both the first and second books were #1 Best Sellers with stellar reviews. The books can be read in any order, and you will not need to have read books one and two before enjoying ROBERTO.

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----MY REVIEW NOTES TITLED:  Olivia gets tired of so many Lies and Secrets 

It starts out slow, building a good foundation with plenty of descriptive scenes of locations and systems.  And some of the people like Caterina Conti who is not only her college friend but also now her exacting but good boss. It got into too much information for my comfort when it came to setting things up  for the casino. But Caterina is keeping secrets !

Olivia Romano thrives in chaos so she can bring order. Roberto is farther in that category. He's an annoyingly controlling, neat nick who MUST have order and Quiet times to function.  His housekeeper knows what to do..coffee and food in the morning to keep his edge calm. Who is Maria and why does he keep shutting thoughts about her? It was a question that I kept thinking until it got cleared up. 

However, things got more interesting to me when Roberto and Olivia get stuck in an elevator when everyone has already gone home. She gets panicked.  Shes not good in an elevator on her good day according to her.  Things get incredibly sexually tense and includes rough play. 

I liked when the family members were included in more depth and it was shown that his brother, Antonio was the "charmer" of the group. Danger happens to a CLOSE family member but it does get "resolved."  The family pulls together and Olivia gets a closer look, a different view to this dangerous family. 

 Happy ending for Roberto and Olivia does earn a sigh and smile from me on how it all ends for them. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

bfunnel/ *Negotiating Love* by Nomaya Jax /?sample?

  For any other questions, please contact:
Nomaya Jax <Nomayajaxauthor@nomayajax.com>

I don’t make mistakes in business. Ever.

When my wife betrayed me to leak company secrets, I handled it like I would any hostile takeover—calculated, strategic, ruthless.

Then I met Amira.

Single mom. Beautiful. Tangled up with the wrong man.

I only meant to warn her. I didn't plan on hiring her. I didn’t plan on touching her—or kissing her—or imagining how she’d sound moaning my name. But I did.

Now the lines are blurred. She’s in my life, my bed… and somehow, always on my mind when I should be focused on anything else.

And the man she trusted before me? He’s not done causing trouble.

I thought I had everything under control… until protecting her becomes the only thing that matters.

-----MY REVIEW NOTES- This is just a cliffhanger sample

A good intro to the story that can be bought from the author for $2.99 But to be honest, this is just a taste ending on a cliffhanger. Too bad thought because it was starting to get interesting when it ended.

 Julian Carr and his friend and business associate Ryan are on a personal plane discussing Julian's business and Julian's unfaithful wife Sienna.  She has no idea that she has been caught cheating and there is proof. She thinks she's safe. No idea what's coming for her.  Brent Walker is her co-cheater.  And his beautiful girlfriend Amira Sterling has no idea either.   I love that name Amira.  She has a 3 year old daughter named Emma with this nasty guy and it's going to break their hearts.  Both of them are sweet and I'm not sure who Julian's going to fall in love with first but the daughter definitely looks good for it !

ARC/Mignon Mystery (The Good Chef Mysteries) by Elsie Grey

  amazon

 Book 7 of 8: The Good Chef Mysteries 

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0GK56MVJ7

A61 pages

Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 11, 2026

A tender cut. A small-town secret. And a mystery that won’t stay off the menu.

When a respected local figure is found dead, the quiet rhythm of Pine Grove is thrown off just as Lily Good is settling into life as a chef once again. Between running her restaurant and nurturing the community she’s come to love, Lily hoped the past was finally behind her.

But old instincts don’t fade easily.

As whispers ripple through town and loyalties are tested, Lily finds herself drawn back into an investigation where nothing is as carefully trimmed as it appears. With the help of familiar faces—and a few carefully prepared dishes—she begins to uncover a truth that someone is desperate to keep hidden.

Warm kitchens, small-town charm, and a mystery simmering just beneath the surface, Mignon Mystery is a cozy culinary novella perfect for readers who love comfort food, clever clues, and a heroine who follows her intuition—both in the kitchen and beyond.

Each title in The Good Chef Mysteries is a binge-friendly cozy novella, ideal for curling up with one delicious mystery at a time.

------------ 

My 4 star Review TITLED: Wait for the Twist !

I liked the short dedication at the beginning of her book that was to her sisters and her readers. Nice touch. And this is a sweet, good, clean mystery. 

An unwilling group gathering meet at Lily's restaurant to eat and they aren't a happy group of relatives.   They are there to humor their mother/ grandmother  to appear as a getting along group. They actually can't stand each other. Lily and her boyfriend Detective Lance Philips are working together again and are clever as usual.  People lie but wait for the twist it's a good one.

Several good recipes are added at the end of the book.  I enjoyed this shorter story that I was given as an ARC.  It's mentioned that Lily's next adventure continues in "Kipper Killer."