Spet 18-Bksprt/ Claimed by the Don's Architect by Ivy Lenox

  Bksprt  

 Moretti Dynasty Series 195 pages

Framed for stealing from Chicago’s most lethal syndicate, my only shelter is their ruthless architect. Climbing into his bed is the most dangerous choice I’ve ever made.

Vincenzo Moretti is cold, controlling, and the only man who believes I’m innocent. When an intruder breaks into my apartment, he puts himself between us and beats him bloody.

I’m used to managing weddings and banquets. Now armed guards watch every door while secrets hide inside the walls of my hotel.

He listens like my words matter, holds my clipboard while I command a ballroom, and stays when my family falls apart. Somewhere between midnight confessions and touches that destroy my judgment, he becomes the man I never meant to trust.

By the time I realize I love him, the danger surrounding his family has found mine. His secrets lead to a criminal network that has put my mother and sister in its sights.

If I can’t stop them, I’ll bury my mother and my sister because I fell for a Moretti.

Explicit

195 pages

English

Contemporary Romance Dark Romance Dark Mafia Romance Italian Mafia Romance Chicago Mafia Romance Enemies to Lovers Romance Forced Proximity Romance Forbidden Mafia Romance Touch Her and Die Protective Alpha Hero Strong Independent Heroine Morally Gray Hero

Hosted by Ivy Lenox's ARC team

Note from the Author

I’m so excited to return to the Moretti Dynasty Series with Claimed by the Don’s Architect! Although it’s part of the series, it’s a complete standalone, so you can enjoy Vincenzo and Riley’s story without reading the previous books. Thank you so much for joining my ARC team. I hope you love their story! ❤️

Review on at least 1:

Amazon

Goodreads

Bookbub

 My 4 Star Review TITLED: Interesting Romance Story

Riley is great at her job but someone is setting her up for a fall. Curtis Bell is her boss and he bails on her during an important event. The he just disappears.  That's something that she learns later and she's worried about him.  Things aren't making any sense. However, at the event her assistant, Nina helps her take care of everything for the event.  She's very capable. During this event, Vincenzo has been watching her from the balcony and can't stop watching her !

They begin a very intense relationship that gets VERY heated ! I liked the two of them together. At one point he takes her to dinner at his mother's house. That dinner has 8 family members there, some small dinner, lol.  A very unusual but interesting interactions with them and his mother likes her right away ! Vincenzo has his trusted man, Gil watching over her sister, Paige.  Which creates some interesting push and pull between the two of them.

Riley, meets a very charming man ,  Mr. Avery at an event with Vincenzo but Vincenzo warns her away from him.  Jealousy? Yes a bit but he knows more than he tells her at first. This man is dangerous and they find he has been behind the scenes for some time. What else has he been doing?  

Paige and Riley's mother are something else that is good.  I really liked them both.  The surveillance by the enemy intensify as do the dangers.  Plenty of twists and turns. Some really bad secrets are revealed before the dramatic but good ending.

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

ARC SEPT 10 Bksprt/ KNIGHT: A Forbidden Boss, Friends with Benefits, Secret Wedding Mafia Romance by Hannah Rio

  Bksprt  

 Book 4 of Shattered Pieces Mafia Romance Series 

 The Bishop fell from grace. Santino Rivas shed his collar, claimed Pia Moretti, and stepped into the shadows as his family's blade. But the war he survived left a fracture no confession could seal — a cracked white marble Knight, delivered to his doorstep like a death sentence. A message from the Marchese syndicate. A dead king's pact demanding blood. And the brother who must answer for it is Romeo.

Every king falls. Every bishop bleeds. Now the Knight plays — and the stakes are everything. The saga continues.

*****************************************************************************************************

 A Jaded Mafia Heir. A Forbidden Boss. A Friends-with-Benefits Deal from The Wrong Side of the Tracks that Ignites the Moment He Touches Me.

 Romeo Rivas. Reckless. Volatile. Wears a grin loaded like a gun.

I'm Nova. His dancer. Stripping to survive.

The woman who bit his lip and made him bleed before the ink dried on the deal.

 I leave his office with bruises on my hips and his name branded into my skin.

This man pins me to his office door, hand on my throat, body buried inside mine, and growls, "You're mine," before he even says the terms. 

Romeo wants my body. I want his money.

His fingers slide beneath my clothes.

"Who's in charge?" he asks.

But I pull him closer and watch him unravel. 

Every rule shatters with his mouth between my thighs, and I stop pretending

I don't want to drown in him.

He whispers my name like it's sacred. I whisper his like a death wish.

He worships me slowly, then takes me hard, like war. 

We marry in secret, defying a dead father's pact demanding marriage to a rival's daughter. War unleashes.

Now I'm his wife. Rags to riches wrapped in a secret wedding.

But the truth rotting beneath his charm is soaked in blood.

And the enemies circling us will use it to destroy the Rivas Dynasty — and the only woman he's come to love. 

The confession he's choking on could shatter everything I married him to protect.

And the secret growing inside me could change what we're fighting for.

  **Knight is the fourth book in the Shattered Pieces Mafia Romance Series—a dark, full-length novel of obsession, betrayal, and unrelenting passion. It is the twisted love story of Romeo and Nova, bound by money, an arranged marriage, deception, secrets, revenge, and a crown forged in ruin ---with scorching heat, devastating twists, and an undeniable HEA

 **SERIES DESCRIPTION

Across this six-book saga, the Rivas family is torn apart by power, secrets, and betrayal—but also remade through the dangerous bonds of love. Here, dominance and rebellion collide, surrender burns into obsession, and the heat is scorching, raw, and unforgettable. And yes—through every shadow and every betrayal, an undeniable happily-ever-after waits.

**WHO’S IT FOR

For readers craving a dark, high‑stakes romance that blends forbidden desire with a moody, thriller‑infused atmosphere, where obsession and betrayal pulse through every sinful confession.

 Explicit

457 pages

English

Contemporary Romance Romantic Suspense Dark Romance MAFIA HEIR SECRET BABY OFF-LIMITS BOSS RAGS TO RICHES FRIENDS TO LOVERS WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS ALPHA HERO ENEMIES TO LOVERS DARK MAFIA ROMANCE SPICY MAFIA BOSS

Hosted by Hannah Rio Romance

Must review on:

Amazon

My 5 Star Review TITLED: Family Battles   What a great story this is. I read the books out of order. But it still was a winner to me.  Romeo just wanted to be wanted for himself. His dead father never saw him as worthy and even after dead and buried still wanted to  use him ! Romeo hated the idea of the marriage deal with Valentia; a woman he's never met. But after meeting Nova, he became obsessed with her . After all, she got in his face , not scared of him at all and told him his manager was a crook and that Romeo had failed at handling things ! Wow, no one had ever done that before. She was different. They struck a lovers deal  that she adds some conditions to.  No connection with her siblings. Her 13 year old sister, Marisol and 10 year old brother Tomas. Well, that didn't last long and she she became his secret wife..for now.  Romeo  lies to himself that he only married her to kill the deal with Valentia's family. Nova marries him because she sees that he needs her !He knew that it meant war but also put targets on his new family ! There was fire between Romeo and Nova, ice on Marisol's part towards Romeo and idol worship on Tomas's face. Now, the intensity ramps up, putting Romeo's brothers and the rest of the family in the danger zone.  I loved every minute of it.    I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

 

 

 

 

Sept 10-ARC-BKSPRT/ LORENZO: An Age Gap Surprise Pregnancy Mafia Romance By Claire Kirby

  Bksprt 

 Book 3 of The Conti Cousins 

 I was hired to clear a Conti son of murder.

I never planned to fall into his father’s bed.

Lorenzo Conti walks into my barely open PI office, needing discretion.

A dead woman.
A framed son.
A hotel timestamp that lies.

He's a ruthless silver fox who watches every exit like danger owes him money.

I should keep it professional.
I don’t sleep with clients.

And I definitely don’t melt when a mafia widower growls my name in Italian and decides my safety is his problem.

But the deeper I dig, the darker the setup gets.

Someone breaks into my office.
Someone searches my home.
Someone knows I’m getting too close.

Now Lorenzo wants me under his roof.

Under his protection.

Under him.

And I’m about to learn the only thing more dangerous than saving a Conti…
is getting pregnant with one.

LORENZO is a dark, addictive mafia romance filled with power, obsession, and explosive chemistry—perfect for readers who crave controlling alpha heroes and high-stakes passion and intrigue.

While characters may reappear, every Conti Cousins and Conti Family book is a standalone romance that can be read independently.

Mature

761 pages

English

Contemporary Romance Dark Romance age gap surprise pregnancy mafia dark romance mafia romance family saga

Hosted by ARC Team

Must review on:

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My 5 Star Review TITLED: A Delightful Surprise !

Lorenzo was the first delightful surprise. He's around 50 years old and his son, Alessio is 24 years old.   Alessio is the charming, funny one of the family who is always there with a grin and laughter. He's not laughing now ! In fact, he's devastated at the death of Genevieve Sorel. They had one night and he really liked her. He planned on seeing her the next day. He's angry at himself that he didn't stay with her that night but he had an early "duty" with his family. And he had to  be there ! Marco, the Don of the family, loves them all but duty is duty. The family attorney, Julian helps but they need more, so he knows and recommends Donna Costa as a great PI. 

Donna Costas is a great Private Investigator and quickly spots something that the family's people missed !  They have an enemy that just won't quit. Well, Donna also has a great side kick that I enjoyed so much ! His name is Mocha. He's a large German Shepard that she has trained to an inch of his life. Mocha adores Donna and is a Major help to her as she investigates. I liked how they worked together at the office, on the road and at home. 

Their enemy is intense, but Donna and Lorenzo develop their own intense, hot relationship. I loved their banter and how tender Lorenzo could be with Donna. When she let him. The family later pulls Donna and Mocha in. And it's a large Italian family !  There is quite the interesting twist about the death of Genevieve and it kept me all in !

Great chase scene towards the end with a wonderful, sweet ending. 

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

Sept 9-Bksprout/The Autumn He Stayed Book 2 of Pelican Harbor by Sophia Vale

  Bksprout 

 

She came to sell a cottage left by a father she never knew.
He came to make sure she couldn't.

Jade Ellis doesn't do grief. She does plans. And her plan is simple — fix the crumbling cottage she's inherited from a father she never knew, list it, and go back to her real life.

Sawyer Kane has other ideas.

He's been keeping that cottage alive for eight months. He knows every secret it holds. And there's one buried under the floorboards that her father left specifically for her — one Sawyer has been guarding since the day she arrived.

He tells himself he's waiting for the right moment.

He's lying.

The longer Jade stays — learning her father through a town that loved him, falling for a man who shows up at nine o'clock at night to fix a flickering light because it was flickering and that was reason enough — the harder it gets to remember why leaving ever made sense.

He has loved her for eight years without saying a word.

Pelican Harbor has placed its bets.

And this town is never wrong.

Mature

200 pages

English

Contemporary Romance Young Adult / New Adult Romance Small Town Romance Small town Age Gap Forbidden Desire Off limits Best friends brother One bed only Second chance Forced proxmity grumpy/sunshine Spicy

Hosted by Sophia Vales Romance Team

Review on at least 1:

Amazon

File(s) available:

EPUB (Send via email & download) 

 

My 5 Star Review TITLED:  The Mother kept them apart for Years!

Jade Ellis only met her father, Frank once in her life. It was brief and it was painful. She never went back until she got the notice from his attorney.  On the outside, the cottage looks like a wreck. But when she goes inside she makes plans on how to better it so that she can sell it quickly.  Her nearest neighbor of 22 years, greeted her and said that Frank talked about her. Odd.  Much later, we learn that here cruel mother ASKED Frank to stay away, so he loved Jade from afar. I hated that her mother did that. She stole years from Jade and Frank.

Sawyer wasn't cruel; he was patient, quiet and a man who greeted her gruffly with few words for a long time.  Jade didn't know that Sawyer had been left by so many people. That is until he showed up at 19 years old and Frank "quietly" drew him in.  She also didn't know that for 8 years Sawyer had quietly loved her  from a far as well.  He had never left there because he hoped that she would return and they might have a chance together.  Frank's love for the both of them was so special !!

 I loved the quiet friendships that developed for Jade and the special one between Tessa, who became her trusted sounding board.  Later Tessa and her husband Reid come to dinner together, making it even more special. 

A HUGE business opportunity comes up for Jade and now she has a very serious decision to make. I loved the sweet ending of this story as well.

 

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

Bkfunnel/ The Frenzy at the Faire by L.L. Gray

 amazon

 info@llgray.com

Harper Sullivan thought Havenwood’s Renaissance Faire would mean harmless medieval fun, turkey legs, and jousting matches. Instead, the newly crowned Faire queen collapses after a single sip of mead and the town festival suddenly becomes the scene of a deadly mystery.

With the queen’s life hanging by a thread—and a rogue spell cutting Harper off from the friends she usually relies on—she must untangle a web of secrets hiding behind colorful tents, costumed performers, and suspicious merchants before time runs out.

Can Harper unmask the culprit before the Faire’s grand finale turns fatal?

My 4 Star Review:  It couldn't have been wilder !

 Harper Sullivan is human but not totally. She has a connection to the trees in the area and a not often used magic of being able to connect with anything metal.  She thinks she's not good enough for this magical community. But she really has quite a few people  who love her.  Even Nathaniel Silverthorne, who is a well liked lawyer, is her boyfriend and finds her extraordinary ! Interesting because "Nate" is a vampire ! This Connecticut community is wild and usually pulls together to help each other.  His family is also his mother, a brother and a sister who also work the faire.  Harper has only been there for a year but finds she loves it and the Spellbooks shop that she now owns.  Cassandra is her only employee . Harper's best friend is Bella who is quite a support for her.  

It's Harper's idea to include humans and to invite other magical people from outside their community. There's a bit of a pushback about that but she wins.  She knows what it feels like to not feel like she fits in anywhere and doesn't want for anyone else to feel that!

Luna, the moon rabbit from an earlier book and spreads her own brand of chaos and helps unwittingly. There are plenty of interesting "people" in this story as well. 

 The story is fun, charming, intense at times and a really surprising, whirlwind of an ending. 

I received this story free from the author and I enjoyed it.  

-------

HOWEVER I DON'T WANT TO READ ANY MORE OF THIS SERIES.  

Bksprout/ ROOK by Hannah Rio

   Bksprout

 Book 5 of Shattered Pieces Mafia Romance Series 

 

The Knight made his move. Romeo Rivas married in secret, defied a dead king's blood pact, and set the dynasty ablaze. But the war he ignited didn't strike the Knight—it struck the youngest son. Dante Rivas. Taken. Chained. Held by a ghost the family doesn't know exists. A dead king's system still executing from the grave, and a Mole rotting inside the empire's walls.

The weapon sent to break Dante is the woman who will either deliver him home—or destroy everything the Rivas name was built to protect.

----------

 

Usually, the mafia prince takes the captive. Not this time. I hold the chains.

ISADORA
I was hired to execute the youngest Rivas heir. Instead, I chained him to a chair.

Twenty years ago, his father punished me with annihilation. Giovanni Rivas erased my identity, relocated me, and rebuilt me into a lethal, unfeeling weapon. I have spent two decades surviving among mafia men who used the weapon and never cared if the woman beneath it existed.

My instructions were simple: end Giovanni’s bloodline. Revenge was supposed to be clean.

But Dante Rivas isn't a terrified boy. He is a nineteen-year-old lethal instrument who wears the same brutal training I do. He doesn't flinch. He watches me. He reads the twenty years of trauma hiding beneath my armor.

When I examine his bruised ribs, the tension in the room snaps. His green eyes burn through my defenses, and he hardens against my touch. When he pulls me in, he doesn't feel like a captive. He feels like a master. His mouth devours me, his hands finding places I’ve kept numb for two decades. I shatter against the concrete, making sounds I haven’t made in years.

I was the weapon. Dante made me the woman again.

But the man stripping me bare is the son of the king who destroyed my life. If I let him live, I betray my employers. If I let him touch me again, I betray myself.

Every king falls. Every bishop bleeds. Every knight wages war. Now the Rook moves—and the board will never be the same.

(ROOK is a dark, gritty, high-heat mafia romance featuring forced proximity, an older female captor, a lethal younger male captive, and a devastating enemies-to-lovers forbidden romance. It is the next installment in the Shattered Pieces series.)

=========================================================================

**SERIES DESCRIPTION

Across this six-book saga, the Rivas family is torn apart by power, secrets, and betrayal—but also remade through the dangerous bonds of love. Here, dominance and rebellion collide, surrender burns into obsession, and the heat is scorching, raw, and unforgettable. And yes—through every shadow and every betrayal, an undeniable happily-ever-after waits.

 **WHO’S IT FOR

For readers craving a dark, high‑stakes romance that blends forbidden desire with a moody, thriller‑infused atmosphere, where obsession and betrayal pulse through every sinful confession.

Explicit

310 pages

English

Contemporary Romance Romantic Suspense Dark Romance dark mafia romance spicy forced proximity age gap enemies to lovers forbidden love crime fiction organized crime revenge romance action thriller 

Hosted by Hannah Rio Romance

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My Review 5 Star Notes TITLED:  He's the Brilliant Brain 

Interesting Prologue !  Isadora hates Giovanni Rivas with an icy passion.  All she did was say, No, to him using her and then he did what he said he would. He erased her ! Not dead but now she was a ghost who killed for others; not him ! Dante was the Trained Brain cruelly  trained from young to notice things and he does.  He hardly never really notices that though.  Isadora was trained to notice things also because she HAD to in order to survive ! No one has every rattled to her before Dante. And she's got  job to do and she's studied her prey for quite a while.  A man, outside her assignment has been watching her and helping her at time. He said to watch the young man. He was an interesting addition to the story, Anyway, when Isadora and Dante first meet, he's bolted in a chair with injuries. He's only 19 years old and she's 40 years old but when he looks at her? He sees her. No man as ever seen her as a person; just a weapon or being the one who killed them. He sees another person like him; another brain, someone like him. Never happened before ! He begins to see just how cruel his father was to him and his other 3 brothers. 

He was also more dangerous when hurt. I liked that thought.  Look out  Isadora ! I loved the reverse age difference in this dark romance with her being the older one. 

In the beginning I did have one problem having never read any other other books. It took me a while to find the rhythm to know who was speaking.  However, I fell in love with Isadora and Dante. In fact, the whole family was awesome ! Romeo, Nora and her 13 year old sister, Marisol and 10 year old Tomas were especially interesting in their interactions and their expressions of love ! Now, I wish I had read her story; sounds interesting as well. The rest of the brothers, have their own skills and their own stories. 

There are many levels of dangers and a very BIG Mole.  It gets really intense !

I love the fact that it is said by several from time to time that although the men are dangerous? The women in this family are more so. And that is proved time and again in the story.  Isadora is no different. She's really different but also very dangerous too ! 

 There are many levels of betrayal and most get destroyed. But there are several circles of hell that haven't been destroyed.  Yet ! That battle continues in the next story of another brother, called The Pawn and I know that's going to be VERY interesting as well. 

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

Netgalley- Feb 24 2026/ Blood Relay by Devon Mihesuah

  Netgalley 

 General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers 

 In this richly layered debut thriller reminiscent of the real issue of missing and murdered Indigenous people, a badass Choctaw detective discovers an insidious plot against her reservation while investigating the disappearance of a beloved champion athlete.

Choctaw Detective Perry Antelope has been with her partner, Sophia Burns, for only six months. Perry is a seasoned investigator while the ex-Olympian shot putter Sophia is a former street-smart police officer. Together, they are an intrepid pair with an established record of success. But when Perry and Sophia are called to investigate the disappearance of Dels Billy, a beloved women’s Indian Horse Relay rider, they quickly realize that it’s not as cut-and-dry as anything they’ve faced before.

Piece by piece, they uncover unsettling connections between Dels’s disappearance and a series of unsolved abductions of women from Oklahoma reservations. But the perpetrator always seems to be one step ahead, and Perry soon finds herself—and her family—in the crosshairs of a ruthless killer. Despite her husband’s pleas for her to drop the case, Perry is determined to prevent Dels from becoming another statistic.

As the investigation deepens, Perry and Sophia follow a tangled web of clues that point to a close-to-home plot more chilling than they could have imagined. Torn between her family’s safety and her duty to her community, Perry must race against the clock, and across tribal Nations, to find Dels before her murderous abductor can carry out their sinister plan. 

My 5 Star Review TITLED: Filled with mysteries, and Histories and Love

The Prologue was stunning !!!  I just had to keep reading ! I adored Perry Antelope and her stubborn, relentless to find Dels, rescue her  and get the answers for her and everyone else ! She'll fight to the end and she does. I didn't like her Comanche husband, Troy at first. He was a nag.  They do have two children together a 16 year old daughter, Olyve and a younger son, Nico.  Her partner, Sophia Barnes is excellent at her job but also knows when to push Perry and when to just shut up and let it go.  She knows Perry takes meds for migraines when she pushes for too long and too hard. But there is just no stopping her. Sophia is married to linebacker named Mike. We don't get real deep into her marriage but they seem to be a pretty good fit. Turns out Troy and Perry loved each other deeply but she had a hard time expressing it. Their "language" was different. I ended up no longer disliking Troy.  The kids were great !

This is a REALLY intense story, with plenty of dangers, twists and surprises that kept me on the edge of my seat.  I loved that a lot of Native American history was included some of it I knew about and some I didn't!

Great ending; intense to the end.  And at the end, the author's blog was included as was the link to Facebook for the real "Fort Hall Relay Association". It had more information about the relays. I found both interesting.

 The author's blog can be found here:  https://devonmihesuah.ku.edu/

She has a lot more books that I want to explore now.

 I received a complimentary ebook ARC from publisher Bantam and NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview this book. By the way, a great cover for this eBook. It really caught my attention !

ARC Sept 5-Bksprout/ "Savage Don's Undercover Wife" by Vira Black

  Bksprout    Amazon 

 Part of: Empire of Savages (4 books)

 I spent three years undercover inside his empire. Then he blew my cover and made me his wife.

I poured years of my life into one cover identity, one empire, one target.

Damiano Vescari was supposed to stay a name in a case file. 

Untouchable. Off-limits. 

Until he crossed a room full of Chicago's most dangerous men and laid every one of my secrets bare.

Then he found out who I really am. Instead of handing me over to his men, he put a ring on my finger.

A fake marriage. Four walls I can't escape and a man who fills every inch of his suit pants like a felony I can't afford.

One moment he's Chicago's most feared Don. The next he's wiping his son's tears and looking at me like I'm the missing piece.

Somewhere between the lies I told and the truth he showed me, I fall. Hard.

One night the walls I built come down and I give him every part of me.

Now there's a baby growing inside me that he doesn't know about.

Then the truth surfaces. My father wasn't killed by the mob. He was killed by my own bureau. And now they're coming for me.

If they get to me before Damiano does, it won't just be my secret they bury... but our child too.

Explicit

294 pages

English

Contemporary Romance Romantic Suspense Dark Romance secret pregnancy fake marriage enemies to lovers forced proximity off-limits/forbidden love office/boss romance mistaken identity single dad oil tycoon protector

Hosted by Vira Black Romance

Note from the Author

Please read, enjoy, and review Savage Don's Undercover Wife. And don't forget to leave your review on launch day Saturday, September 5th. Thank you! :)

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 My 5 star review TITLED: He surprised me !

 The opener was a great shock and a wonderful start to the story ! Orina Sinclair is the undercover FBI agent that has been the accountant embedded in Damiano Vescari's financial department. And she's good at what she does. She's sharp, beautiful and thinks that she's been unnoticed. Nope. Other than Damiano's man, Corrado who is built suspicious. She knows he's been watching her every move. Orina's last name is really, Belucci and her dead father, Daniel worked as an FBI agent before he was murdered. Her FBI handler is, Cruz and he is a good man. I never dou

bted it for a minute ! He's just doing his job not knowing the full picture..yet !Damiano is more hip to what is going on with her than she ever had imagined. He could have killed her for what he knows. But he doesn't. Surprise for me #1.  He has a changing 7 year old son, Elio. She tries so hard to not be captivated by him but she softens a bit when she sees his innocent, welcoming face in dinosaur pajamas.  Damiano notices. He notices a lot but gives her space which was another surprise for me. He knows things about her father and will know even more as time goes on. He truly can be that Savage Don when people he cares about are targeted.  And people do get hurt. There isn't any grotesque violence, which I liked. Orina begins to see how tender Damiano is with people especially his son. 

There is a quiet intensity about this story, along with some heated moments between the MC's. But it's time to catch the true culprits behind her father's murder and other "hidden" felonies on the part of the FBI.  It's going to be a long battle with everyone caught. But there is one string out there that will probably need another book. But I don't consider it a cliffhanger because the parts I cared about come to a great end with a wonderful Epilogue.  

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

Sept 3, ARC Bksprt/ Built To Burn" By Gianna Vonnie

  Bksprt    Amazon

 He didn't come to love her.

He came to destroy everything she had left.

Adriano Vale does not make mistakes.

He makes plans. Long, patient, devastatingly precise plans.

For years, he has prepared for one thing: revenge against the Caine family.

Now he is walking straight into their world with a peace offering in one hand and their destruction already mapped out in the other.

Get close.

Earn their trust.

Tear apart everything they built.

Then he meets Celia Caine.

Celia has spent her life surrounded by secrets no one will explain and a family that expects loyalty without ever giving her the truth.

Adriano should be another man she knows better than to trust.

Controlled. Watchful. Dangerous.

Instead, he becomes the one person who seems to see her clearly.

She doesn't know that every step he takes toward her family is part of a plan.

He doesn't know that every step he takes toward her is pulling him away from it.

He came to destroy the Caines.

Falling for Celia was never supposed to be part of the revenge.

And by the time she begins uncovering the truth, Adriano is already facing the one choice he never planned for:

Finish the vengeance that has shaped his entire life...

or protect the woman standing in the middle of everything he came to burn.

Some things are built to last.

Some things are built to destroy.

Adriano built his life to burn the Caine family to the ground.

He never expected Celia to be the one thing he couldn't watch burn.

Explicit

400 pages

English

Contemporary Romance Young Adult / New Adult Romance Dark Romance Mafia Romance Age gap Dark mafia Enemies-to-Lovers Betrayal & Angst Morally Gray Hero Hidden Identity He Falls First Forbidden Love Mafia Boss x Innocent Heroine

Hosted by Gianna Vonnie

Note from the Author

Please enjoy and leave your honest review when the book go live. Thank you.

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Amazon

My 5 Star Review TITLED: Everyone watches !

 

Adriano Vale seeks vengeance on  Gerald Caine and he's waited for years after finding his eighteen year old brother, Enzo left dead on a dark highway.  Enzo was full of life, joy and laughter! He cared about people and it was real; people felt it. The Vale family was meant to find Enzo's body and it almost destroyed his family.  But Reid is not only Adriano's right hand man, but also loved Enzo like a brother. Reid and Adriano were step in step when it came to bringing the Caine family down !

Adriano knows just about everything about the Caine family. Thinking he knows everything that he needs to know to bring them down. Gerald has a  loud, proud, 31 year old son, named Theo.  He is proud, eager and wants to be seen. He still doesn't know how to read a room. Nora is 28 years olds and Adriano knows she's going to be a problem.  She does know how to read a room and he knows quickly that she is already reading him !She's sharp and calculating.  What he hadn't counted on was the youngest daughter Celia being a problem. She knows how to read a room and people and although being quieter, she's not stupid! Gerald is a cold,domineering bully ! Charming on the surface but cold underneath. 

Nora loved Celia in her own kind of hard way, barely showing it at times but they have both been trying to survive that house ! They love each other and know each other's tells. Their dead mother is the only one that truly understood and loved Celia unconditionally. They were a lot a like.

 Such an emotional, intense story with plenty of surprises and a few "happy times" between Adriano and Celia before it looks like it's all going to fall apart.

Perfect ending and even better Epilogue ! P.S. I loved the eBook cover !

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

 

ARC Bkfunnel-AUG 20/ Forced Marriage to the CEO by Brenna Cole

 

  hello@brennafiction.com

amazon 

Apparently, my life choices now include a fake marriage, billionaire roommate, and falling for the man my father wants destroyed.

My father gave me two choices — lose my nonprofit or marry Boston’s coldest billionaire CEO.

I picked the one that ruined my life in the best possible way.

Jonathan Atwell is arrogant, controlling, and so gorgeous it should be illegal in a boardroom.

One signature, one cohabitation clause, and suddenly I’m living with a man who makes my pulse do things I did not authorize.

Then he kisses me like the paperwork never existed.

I start wanting the version of him who only softens for me.

Somewhere between our fake vows and his bed, I stop pretending my heart isn't involved.

I fall for my husband. Hard. Inconveniently. Completely.

Then I find the paper trail proving my own father is the one trying to destroy him.

If I can’t stop this, I won’t just lose the only man I’ve ever trusted.

I’ll become the reason his entire world unravels.

 My 5 Star Review TITLED:  The Battles hit fast and hard

Jessica Shaw goes to  galas, she hates going to them  but when her controlling father Gerald practically demands she go, she does. After all he has some  serious strings over her non-profit. I hated him on sight! He had that false charm of warmth but always with a greedy motive underneath. Gerald is the one who introduces Jessica to Jonathan. I loved how when they first saw each other before that, they both were stunned, unable to move at first. Gerald watched it all with hidden glee. He knows a lot of things that he shouldn't be able to access.   I really liked hardworking Jessica Shaw. Her passion for her work and her integrity. She's been lied to by men in her life before. Given all and found herself them being coldly shut out at the end. She's no pushover. We find out that Jonathan has had a similar experience, so he is wary also. But they can't stop thinking of each other. So when the clause comes up about marriage that his grandfather Henry set up years ago to protect him comes up?  The trustees give him a list of candidates to consider to marry.  Woah and behold, her name is on it. She's a tough negotiator and along with her lawyer's help drafts her conditions. Jonathan feels it's all fair and they sign and marry.

I really liked Jonathan Atwell, his love for the work he is doing with his company that no one except his grandfather wanted him to start. He had a tough woman Elizabeth who rarely smiled but was passionate about the job as well.  No romantic interest in Jonathan but knows that he wants her to take over the business when he steps down.  His grandfather Henry is a doll who loves Jonathan fiercely. Jonathan's father does show up towards the end of the story and he's no bundle of joy either ! Another controlling man with no frill at all.  Direct and demanding with no charm over all of it. 

Then the PRESSURES on this newlywed couple start almost immediately.  they had just started into a comfortable living together  rhythm along with some "just spicy times" . That's when the dangerous hits start coming. It just wasn't fair !!!

I loved the intensity but also the sweet moments in the story and also the over throwing of all the  nasty plans. So worth the read. And the Epilogue that follows? The best.  

I really liked the eBook cover and it really fit the story so well. I like when that happens. 

I received an ARC from the author and these are my honest thoughts. 

Arc Bksprout- Aug 25/ The Favorite Mistake by Juliett Key

   Bksprout 

I swore I'd never fall for my enemy…then I discover he's the billionaire who's been secretly saving my bar.

Thatcher Duvall is arrogant, impossible, and somehow turns arguing with me into his favorite hobby.

Every time he strolls into my dive bar, I remind myself he's the last man I'd ever fall for.

Until I find myself with him in the back room.

That lie gets harder to believe every time he steps between me and danger. 

He catches me before I fall, and looks at me like I'm already his.

Just when I finally admit I've fallen for my enemy, I uncover the truth.

Thatcher isn't just another customer.

He's my silent partner.

 One reckless night turns insults into forbidden kisses... and leaves me staring at two pink lines.

Now the man hunting Thatcher's empire is coming after everything he loves.

If I can't trust the only man who's ever fought for me first, I'll lose my family, my bar  and the only future I've ever wanted.

Mature

2000 pages

English

Contemporary Romance Romantic Suspense Forced Proximity Opposites Attract Hidden Billionaire He Falls First Enemies To Lovers Revenge Love Forbidden Love Surprise Baby Alpha Male

Hosted by Juliett Key's Romance Lovers

Must review on:

Amazon

MY 5 STAR Review TITLED: He thought he could manage her

 

I loved feisty  Raisa  Tilling who doesn't take any guff off of anyone. Hey, she can't afford to. She has as struggling bar, bills barking at her door and she's supporting her grandmother who needs her medicine and a growing, teenage brother named Lucas ! So is she impressed with Thatcher shows up in her bar? Not a bit. I loved that she looks at his expensive shoes and comments often that they found their way into the wrong place ! But he keeps coming back, for her cheap beer, and her insults !  He became the man "with the shoes!" I loved how he always over tips and uses the same stool at the bar when he comes back. Almost like it has his name printed on it ! Raisa refuses to be "managed" in the guise of help because that's come back to bite so many times in her life. 

Dominic is an evil piece of work, who years ago helped found the Media company with Thatcher.  But now he's primed to kick out and dismantle the company and rake in the profits. Even poking into Thatcher personal life to help him get there. Jerk. 

Cole Merritt is a reporter, friend of Raisa's and has shown up at her bar for several years.  He's in love with her, and she knows it but he doesn't stand a chance especially when Thatcher shows up. Still he helps but also waits for verification of truths ! He's an honest reporter !

Thatcher has a great assistant that helps him so much and is a straight shooter and doesn't put up with his nonsense. She helps him so much with Raisa too !  Thatcher slowly learns not to try to manage Raisa. It's funny but also heart warming !

It gets really intense almost down to the minute but has a great outcome! I loved the eBook cover and the name of the bar.  

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

Bksprt Aug 25,26/ Falling for Miss Fortune Again: Small Town, Second Chance, Secret Identity Sweet Romance by Katy Lee Hart

  Bksprt 

 Note from the Author

Clean and wholesome romance, no real references to the occult in this "fake fortune teller" story. 

 I had one dream: get on TV.

Preferably as a serious news anchor.
But I would have settled for weather or traffic.
Even standing beside a prize pumpkin with a microphone.
Instead, my agent got me a gig as Madame Miss Fortune at a traveling fair.

What can I say. I had to pay the rent.
So I made up funny fortunes, hid behind a black wig and veil, and tried not to think about how far this was from my big break.

Then the fair came to my hometown.
And Reed walked into my booth.
My ex. The man who broke my heart. The man I never quite got over.

One viral video later, my fake act became a real TV opportunity.
But the more my dream came true, the more my lies tangled around Reed.

Now my future depends on telling the truth, before Miss Fortune costs me everything.

General

386 pages

English

Contemporary Romance Rom-Com Small Town Romance rom-com small town romance clean and wholesome romance sweet romance closed-door romance second chance romance secret identity

Hosted by Katy Lee Hart Romance

Note from the Author

Clean and wholesome romance, no real references to the occult in this "fake fortune teller" story.

Must review on:

Amazon

File(s) available:

EPUB (Send via email & download) 

 

My 5 STAR Review: TITLED:  Unusual & Special !

I fell in loved with this quirky, emotional story ! Lucy was a hoot ! And the story started 5 years earlier with Lucy and Reed being in love. But he was charming and he got careless with Lucy and her love !  She got tired of the excuses and they had a huge fight ! He retaliated by saying he never knew what Lucy he was talking too. His pride kept her from calling her back until the next afternoon. And just like that they were over !

Fast forward now to current times ; which where the story stays. 

The job that Lucy took to pay her rent was hilarious! And she was good at it. Dottie and Earl who hired her fell in love with how good she was at it ! They also cared about her. 

The dialogue between Lucy and Reed was off the charts great' Humorous much of the time but also painful when the truth begins to come out. I kept wondering throughout her Carney Act  ..just when was it all going to blow up? And of course it does, in the most painful, dramatic way. After all, why not Lucy has always been accused of being dramatic ! 

I loved how the story came to an emotional end. I also thought the eBook cover was an excellent choice that fit nicely with the story !

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

Aug 23/Bksprout ARC/betrayed by the brotherhood by Carmella Knight

   Booksprout 

 

I saw too much at a biker murder scene—and now I’m hiding with the man everyone thinks did it.

Ronan Vale is the kind of man I should run from.

Dangerous. Bloody. Accused of murdering one of his own brothers.

I’m just the crime-scene cleaner who noticed the evidence didn’t add up. Now I may be his only chance to prove he’s innocent—and stay alive.

He doesn’t trust me.

I don’t trust him.

Then bullets start flying, his club puts a death sentence on his head, and suddenly the safest place in the world is behind the man everyone calls a killer.

He shields me with his body.

He touches me like I’m something precious.

He looks at me like trusting me hurts worse than any wound.

And God help me, somewhere between cheap motel rooms, whispered truths, and running for our lives, I fall for the fugitive I’m supposed to fear.

But the real killer knows what I saw.

And Ronan may be innocent of murder…

But he’s guilty of something that could destroy us both.

Explicit

212 pages

English

Contemporary Romance Romantic Suspense Young Adult / New Adult Romance biker alfa male enemies to lovers romantic suspense forced proximity Protector Romance Wrongfully Accused Hero Forbidden / Dangerous Love Witness in Danger Ride-or-Die Love

Hosted by Carmella Knight

Note from the Author

I hope you love reading it as much as I loved writing it !

Review on at least 1:

Amazon

File(s) available:

EPUB (Send via email & download) 

 

My 4 Star Review TITLED: Relentless  

There is an intense start to this story when Mara Quinn, the crime scene cleaner finds a young man named Eli Mercer dead in a warehouse. Some things just don't look right and things start going REALLY bad from there on. Decan is the middleman who hired Mara for the job and he's clearly not 100% n the up and up.  Turns out Eli is the youngest son of the prince of the Iron Titans Motorcycle Club. 

Ronan Vale is the enforcer for the Titans and has done some really bad things for them. He's bled for the Titans and he's covered for them for years too.  Jax is the father-like leader of the Titans and the father of Eli.  A kill order goes out and there are relentless chases to kill not only Ronan but also the witness Mara. I loved the two of them together and how Mara has been clever and although scared, she was also brave. Ronan and Mara do have some spicy times but there is no over the top violence in the story. That's something that I liked too !

Jax has definitely underestimated Mara, and I really liked how she wasn't shy on saying I really hate that man !!!

 Great ending ! 

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

-----not included in Review Silas was a smooth talking evil main high up in the Titans----

Aug22ARC Bksprout/ The Bratva King by Clara Dunn

  Bksprt 

 I ran from the Italian mafia with its heir. Then the Bratva king of Las Vegas found us.

I was eighteen when I married a monster.

A year later, I watched him burn.

I took his secret and ran.

For five years, I’ve been nobody. A dyed blonde. A casino uniform. A quiet life built around one thing: keeping my autistic son safe in a city that never sleeps.

Then Nikolai Sokolov noticed us.

I know what his tattoos mean. He belongs to the same world I escaped.

But Luke doesn’t fear him.

My son doesn’t trust easily. Nikolai learns his routines, understands his silences, and never once asks him to be different.

I know better than to trust a man like that.

I trusted one once.

But the past I buried is clawing its way back, and Nikolai may be the only man who can stand between my son and what’s coming.

The problem is, he has no intention of letting either of us go.

I escaped one monster.

I’m not sure I’ll survive falling for another.

Explicit

450 pages

English

Contemporary Romance Romantic Suspense Dark Romance dark mafia romance Russian mafia romance Bratva romance age gap romance alpha male romance single mom romance neurodivergent romance touch her and die possessive alpha male kidnapping romance

Hosted by Clara Dunn Review Team

Note from the Author

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review my newest release. It truly means the world to me. If you have any questions or happen to spot any grammatical errors, please feel free to message me directly. I’d love the opportunity to correct anything before my release on August 22. Much love, Clara

Review on at least 1:

Amazon

Goodreads

My 5+Star Review TITLED:  I loved every bit of it !! 10 Stars

Matteo Castellano is the one who burned up in a car bomb and then a pregnant Gabby ran. She had turned information into the FBI that caused many of those mafia people in the family to go to prison. Their memories are long!  Gabby went into WITSEC for long years with her son Luke.  Greg is her handler who cares about them both a and helps them a lot even after she left the program.  Gabby feels she has to stop running for her son's sake because he is different and needs routine and stability.  So now she is hiding in plain sight in Vegas. No way she's going back to New York!  

Nikolai turns out to be one of the best surprises too. He lets very few people in other than family and his best friend, trusted right hand man, Pasha who is like a brother to him. And see things that others often miss. I adored both of them and the Sokolov family. The men's father had been a monster, they don't miss him and don't know the half of what Nikolai endured when the man was alive. When Nik meets Luke, he recognizes what the boy needs and they bond quickly !!! He begins to love him like a real son. So sweet !

Things keep cropping up. The Castellano Mafia family is messing with Nik's new project.  But things start coming at Gabby as well. White Roses in a large vase show up several times triggering  painful memories of Matteo always sent them to her after being especially cruel to her.  I kept thinking, "Girl, when are you going to 'fess up to who you really are?" 

I loved the tension, the tenderness, the sometimes misunderstanding between Gabby and Nikolai and the bedroom scenes between them were well done. He explains he's not good with words and she understands he's kind of like Luke. His actions speak louder than his words. He does our step his protection a few times and she sets him straight. 

The ending is awesome as is the Epilogue.  

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