Review: Cruel King by Rina Kent

Cruel King by Rina Kent

Series: Royal Elite #0

Publication date: November 20th, 2019

Pages: 360

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

He's no fairy tale king.

Levi

Here, little princess. I'm your king.

You have three rules.

Bow. Break. Bend the knee.

Fight me all you want, but soon enough, you'll be chanting long live the king.

Astrid

One day I'm Royal Elite School's small fly, the next I'm hunted and left to die.

He doesn't only shred my life to parts, but he's also coming after my heart.

He thinks he broke me, but the new princess will bring the king to his knees.

Cruel King is a complete standalone prequel in the Royal Elite world. No book should be read prior to this.

This is a mature new adult romance and contains dubious situations that some readers might find offensive.

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Review:

Astrid thought she had one more year to make it through her high school experience in the upper crust society and she had managed to navigate it without anyone paying her any mind. But that all changed when she practically crawled all over the King of their school while at a party. She had been out of her mind and when he sent her packing with only the smallest bit of interest lurking in his cold, blue eyes, she thought she was destined to sink back into obscurity. But when she witnessed something she shouldn't have she was chased down, ran over, and left for dead. It was only the help of a good Samaritan that got her the help she needed to not die on the pavement like her mother had. But being almost killed was the least of Astrid's worries when Levi King decides she is worth paying attention to if for no other reason but because she challenges him in a way no other does. He finds her intriguing but has zero plans to keep her longer than a night to sate his appetite. But Astrid is not so easily won over and the King of the school finally has to work for something in his silver spooned life. He also has secrets that Astrid is dying to pry out of him. In a modern day Romeo and Juliet vibe of two feuding families, Astrid and Levi should hate each other, but sometimes the future is more important than the past.

I loved Astrid as a character overall but she did feel very generic in the fact that she was the typical outsider who did her own thing and was never noticed by anyone until one night she gets too intoxicated and makes herself known. You're telling me nobody noticed her at all until then? She never was put in a situation where she was in the same room or party with these guys? And all it took was her suddenly showing Levi interest for him to go all "she's mine"? I know it was meant to provide a reason for why nothing had happened between them before that, but it seemed a little unusual. Even so, I liked that Astrid never changed who she was to win Levi over. She was always the kind-hearted and sassy artist that she began the story being. To that extent Levi only changed towards Astrid. Which is something I am fine with too. As long as the MMC treats the FMC with respect then he can be a jerkface to whoever else he wants.

There was an instance where Levi and Astrid discussed kids and how Levi seemed so gung-ho about it. It felt very much like the high school days when having one's life completely altered by a baby was seen with more wonder and excitement than fear and caution. That part felt very real and I half expected the epilogue to include Astrid barefoot and pregnant with Levi's kid. However when I was reading through the last pages of the book I noticed mention of God of Malice being their kid. I love that the author harkened back to the first couple like that! The entire reason I started this series was because I purchased God of Malice and was told I needed to read the other books first. I am very excited to see where the world takes me.

I found very little fault in the books aside from the odd reasoning for why Astrid was never noticed before that fateful night. The twist at the end I sort of saw coming but I thought the perpetrator was someone else. The author definitely placed some twists and turns in the book that made the read all the more enjoyable. 

Book Blitz with Excerpt + Teasers + Giveaway: Take Me Home for Christmas by Tracy Solheim @TracyKSolheim @XpressoTours

Take Me Home for Christmas by Tracy Solheim

Series: Chances Inlet Contemporary Romance #5

Publication date: December 12th, 2024

Synopsis:

In the quaint coastal town of Chances Inlet, Christmas is a time for rekindling lost connections...

Elinor "Elle" McAlister is on the brink of a big-time promotion that will finally put her on equal footing with her overachieving siblings. The catch? She has to babysit a notoriously prickly war reporter who's late delivering his memoir. As if that weren't enough, her editor banishes them both to Elle's hometown on the Carolina coast to get the job done. Spending the holidays in Chances Inlet might have been fine--if only she hadn't wrecked the most important relationship in her life during her visit last Christmas.

Deputy Sheriff Hayden Lovell has known Elle was his person ever since she swiped his purple crayon back in kindergarten. Through every twist and setback, her steady friendship has been his anchor, especially after he returned from combat with wounds that run deep. But everything changed last New Year's Eve when Elle surprised him with a kiss, stirring feelings he didn't realize he had. Now that she's back in town and keeping her distance, Hayden wonders if that moment meant as much to her as it did to him.

Chances Inlet has a knack for bringing people together. With Christmas around the corner, can Elle and Hayden rewrite their story before the holiday spirit fades? Join them in a heartwarming tale of love, friendship, and the magic of second chances in a town that knows how to celebrate Christmas like no other.

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Excerpt

A miniature Christmas tree sat front and center on the round kitchen table. It was decorated with photos of holidays from years past. Many of them were of Elle and Hayden sitting on Santa's lap. Hayden's grandfather, the town's postmaster, had played the part of Santa for a quarter of a century.

Elle pulled her arm free to get a closer look. She fingered the photos, many of them worn with age.

"I've never seen these," she whispered.

He made a rough sound with his throat. "My grandmother kept them."

"Such precious photos."

Tears suddenly stung the back of her eyes. The man behind her had played a role in so many of her memories--good and bad. It hurt to think that part of her life could be over.

"How did we get so messed up?" she asked, not bothering to turn around.

He was silent behind her for so long, she thought he'd left her again. But when she worked up the courage to face him, it was to see him looking as wrecked as she felt. It pained her to take a breath.

"I don't want to lose you, Hayden."

With a slight shake of his head, he stalked across the room to her. They stood facing each other, less than an inch separating them for what felt like hours until... She wasn't sure who kissed who first, but it didn't matter. Teeth and tongues clashed as they tried to get as close to one another as possible.

Hayden's hands were suddenly everywhere. In her hair. Along her back. Burning a path along her skin beneath her fleece. When his mouth moved to explore the curve of her neck, she tilted her head to give him better access.

Elle wasn't going to let the opportunity to explore the body she'd been fantasizing about all week go to waste. She tugged his Henley free of his jeans and slipped her fingers beneath it. He nipped at her jaw when her fingers made contact with his ridiculously flat abs. His thumb brushed over one of her nipples, already sensitive and aroused, and her knees almost buckled. He groaned when her fingers tangled up in the happy trail of hair leading below the waistline of his jeans.

"Either tell me to stop, or tell me you want this, Elle." His teeth grazed her ear. "But you have to decide. Now."

USA Today bestselling author TRACY SOLHEIM writes books with shirtless men on the cover. Some of them are actually best-sellers. The books, not the men. When she's not writing, she's practicing her curling... bottles of wine, that is. She's been known to cook dinner but no more than two nights in a row. Most days, she'd rather be reading, which to her is just necessary research. She lives in the suburbs of Atlanta with her husband and a neurotic Labrador retriever. Her two adult children visit but not often enough. (See the note above about cooking.) Check out her romantic suspense series featuring the Men of the Secret Service--shirtless, of course! See what she's up to on her website.

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Book Blitz with Excerpt + Teasers + Giveaway: A Christmas Dream by Shanna Hatfield @ShannaHatfield @XpressoTours

A Christmas Dream by Shanna Hatfield

Series: Hudson House Holiday #1

Publication date: November 14th, 2024

Synopsis:

He came to build the house of his dreams, but found a home for his heart.

After an extensive search for the ideal location to build a house he's spent years designing. Brant Hudson knows he's found the perfect site the moment he sets foot on the land near Silver Bluff, Oregon. However, frustrating delays leave him laboring alongside the very crew he hired to finish the house in time for Christmas. His work leads the woman who catches his eye to believe he's a carpenter rather than the owner of the grand manor.

Holland Drake grew up on a farm, but she aspires to secure a position as a housemaid at Hudson House. While delivering lunch to her brother at the worksite, the door opens to a job when Holland encounters a strikingly handsome carpenter whose charm captivates her. Soon, Holland discovers the enchanting man is none other than the owner of the house and her new employer.

As the holiday season arrives amid a flurry of excitement and possibilities, Holland and Brant face choices that could change their lives forever. Will fear hold them back from stepping into the future together, or will their Christmas dreams of love come true?

A Christmas Dream is the first book in the Hudson House Holiday series of wholesome, heartwarming Christmas romances full of the joy of the season.

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Excerpt

Another thirty minutes passed, during which time Brant envisioned thick slices of smoky ham encased between fluffy biscuits hot from the oven as he worked. He was just about to suggest to Remington they take a break for the noon meal when a woman as pretty as any Brant had ever encountered breezed into the room carrying a large basket covered with a blue-checkered cloth.

"Denver! I thought I'd never find you in this colossus of a house. I saw Colin outside, and he said you were in the library, but so much has changed since the last time I was in here. I thought I might wander around lost until you starved to death." The woman's gaze shifted from the carpenter on the second floor, taking in Brant and Remington as they hastily stood. "Oh, hello."

Denver scrambled down the ladder where he'd been working on the trim at the top of a bookcase. Brant was surprised he didn't fall and break his neck the way he skipped the last four rungs, using just his hands on the sides of the ladder to slide to the floor. It was a trick Brant intended to have Denver teach him another day.

"Holland, I didn't know you were coming today. I would have met you outside." Denver glanced nervously from the young woman to Brant, and then back to the fetching female as he raced down the spiral staircase.

The woman shrugged. "We wanted to surprise you."

Did Denver have a wife and children awaiting him at home in Silver Bluff? In the three years of Hudson House's construction, Brant had gotten to know the names of every worker and thought he had a thorough mental list of those who were married and those who were not. How had he overlooked Denver's family? Especially when the man had such an attractive wife?

Shiny brown hair she wore pulled back from her face, fastened with a ribbon at the nape of her graceful neck, fell in glorious waves to her waist. Freckles splattered a narrow, upturned nose. Her bottom lip, fuller than the top, rested in a natural pout that was most alluring. Her brown eyes snapped with intelligence and interest when they landed on Brant again. Her features were delicate and decidedly feminine, and she owned such a happy countenance, it made Brant want to smile just being in the same room with her.

Denver Drake was a most fortunate man if the woman holding a basket from which delicious aromas emanated was, indeed, his wife.

"Who might this be, Denver?" Brant asked, taking a step closer to the couple, curious and oddly interested in the answer.

"Holland Drake," Denver said, taking the basket from the woman and giving her a slight nudge forward.

A wave of disappointment washed over Brant. So, she was married to Denver.

"My sister," Denver continued.

The desire to raise his fist and cheer was almost more than Brant could contain, but he managed to tamp down his victorious feeling and school his features into what he hoped was a welcoming expression. The lovely woman was not married, at least not to Denver.

"Miss Drake," Brant said, closing the distance between them and taking her hand in his. He raised his slender fingers to his mouth, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand while holding her gaze.

Her eyes widened slightly, he could see curiosity lingering there, and she quickly pulled her hand away. "I haven't seen you working around the house before. Are you new?"

It was on the tip of Brant's tongue to tell her the truth. To say he was the one who would eventually live in the house that had once been a dream scattered across multiple sheets of paper. Instead he decided he wanted to get to know this woman, not as the owner of a fancy home, but as one of the many men helping to build it.

"I'm not new, but help was needed in the library today." That wasn't a lie, but the stark truth. He and Remington would likely contribute countless hours of physical labor if the house was to get finished by his own self-imposed deadline prior to his sister's holiday arrival.

"Mister..." Denver started to speak up, but Brant gave him a brief shake of his head along with a warning look. The young man swallowed hard and nodded once in understanding. "Mr. Hudson is hoping to be able to use the library soon. It will also serve as his office, and he'd like it to be the first room completely finished. That's why we're all working so hard to make that happen."

USA Today Bestselling Author SHANNA HATFIELD writes sweet romances rich with relatable characters, small town settings that feel like home, humor, and hope.

Her historical westerns have been described as "reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian" while her contemporary works have been called "laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way."

When this farm girl isn't writing or indulging in rich, decadent chocolate, Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller. She also experiments with recipes, snaps photos of her adorable nephew, and caters to the whims of a cranky cat named Drooley.

To learn more about Shanna or the books she writes, visit her website or find out more about her on her other socials.

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Book Blitz with Excerpt + Teasers + Giveaway: Inked in Blood and Memory by Allison Ivy @MsAllisonIvy @XpressoTours

Inked in Blood and Memory by Allison Ivy

Publication date: December 3rd, 2024

Synopsis:

Recluse Sophie Vanguard's winter cabin retreat turns ominous when blue flowers mysteriously appear. They're everywhere. On her front porch, in kitchen cabinets, and even on her pillow. It isn't long before chilling whispers echo in the halls, and her journal repeats seven unsettling entries.

Enter the bloodied and beautifully eccentric Ly Thi Ren. Though Ren seems familiar, Sophie refuses to believe the girl's insistence that they are trapped inside a book.

In a land of fiction, truth and lies blur together, clear decisions are marred by doubt, and shared family trauma lurks just below the surface.

Can Ren and Sophie make it out alive? Or will they end up nothing more than words inked in blood and memory?

With elements of gothic horror, splatterpunk, romance, and fantasy, Inked in Blood and Memory is a self-aware LGBTQ+ horror that wraps its clutches around the reader and doesn't let go.

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Excerpt

Did that just happen? Did I just take on a dozen crazed and bloodthirsty teddy bears with a golf club? I never had the knack for golf, but maybe I should look into some batting cages. Look at that, Dad. I'm not entirely uncoordinated. And I have to admit: the soft thuds of their tiny, evil bodies had been extremely satisfying. Therapeutic even.

I'm a mixture of pride, shock, fear, and adrenaline by the time I can finally rest. I lay my head back on the rough wall and work on bringing my breathing back to normal. One corner of Ren's mouth curves up in amusement, and annoyance flashes through me and pushes out every other emotion.

She's laughing at me. I know I'm out of shape and a muddy mess on top of that, but does she have to rub it in?

"What?" I ask, an edge to my voice as I toss my long brown hair out of my face and adjust my glasses. And now, Ren's shaking her head and chuckling. Actually chuckling.

The nerve of this girl.

I just saved her life. She called out for me, and I came to her rescue. And she's laughing at me?

I'm wavering between walking away and demanding Ren tells me what's so funny when she plucks a piece of stuffing from my hair, flicks it away, and says, "They should name a hurricane after you."

That... was not what I was expecting to come out of her mouth. A snippy remark paired with a "tiny" seemed a more appropriate response for her. What she'd actually shown was... respect? Awe? Pride? No one has ever looked at me the way she is now. Like I've impressed her.

I've impressed myself, if I'm being completely honest. I've never been the one to come to someone's rescue. Not since third grade, anyway. And there was nothing incredible about saying a couple sentences to some bullies.

I've always been the damsel in distress, so to actually succeed at something like this? This is huge for me. I'm not the girl withering away in Everling, waiting for a hero. I'm not completely helpless. What a revelation.

ALLISON IVY writes under a pen name and grew up reading a book a day. She graduated from Penn State with a B.A. in English and a Creative Writing certificate. She currently lives in Connecticut and listens to far too many show tunes and DVD commentaries. The Dragon and the Double-Edged Sword is her first novel.

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