Books A-Brewin'

Monday, February 27, 2023

Review: The Lie by Belle Harper

The Lie by Belle Harper

Series: Rebels of Ridgecrest High #2

Publication date: September 20th, 2022

Pages: 272

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

The Pact is Over.

And the lies keep building.

Hunter:

The Pact is over.

I'm going to make Mila mine.

She will know how much I love her. Everyday.

Jace:

I predicted this when I was ten.

Mila Hart destroyed everything.

But I will get it all back... anyway I can.

Roman:

I couldn't protect her.

I almost lost her.

I will never be the man she needs.

Mila:

Everything's changed.

But I will do anything for them.

I will lie... to protect the ones I love.

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Review:

Mila has definitely shaken things up since her reappearance. Now, Jace is sequestered away from the group, Roman gets himself in hotter water trying to protect her, and Hunter must come to terms with the fact that Mila will never be a one-man girl. Between lies, betrayal, secrets, and Roman's dangerous lifestyle the group have a lot they have to deal with on top of trying to find some common ground in their romances. Mila will do anything for the men in her life but when Jace pushes her too far she wonders if he may be a lost cause after all. Their pact is broken and now Mila has to find a way to keep her boys together despite it.

This book seemed very geared towards Roman and his troubles. I felt that was a wise choice because there was no way that the author would have been able to make the drama of Mila's return stretch through a multiple book series. There had to be more. Now she still had the Jace drama which I felt was a bit of a stretch as well but it was a way to keep Jace out of the mix while Mila focused more on Roman. She had already won over Hunter at this point without much effort at all.

Roman got to be such a martyr. I know he was trying to push Mila away to spare her from the dangerous aspects of his life. However, when Mila refused to give up on him or be deterred by his cold-shoulder, that would have been the ideal time for him to get closer to her if for no other reason but to keep her safe. After her accident which he fully took the blame for I can understand him pulling away. The men who are bent on destroying him due to his dad's drug debt were willing to harm those he cared for to get what they wanted from him. I felt terrible for the life Roman was forced to live and wish that he could have been taken out of that environment so much sooner.

The book series holds promise and there is just enough details and plot twists that make me keep reading. The romance is slow burn and not your typical smutty book. There is heat but it is a simmer heat not a raging fire. So if you're looking for a reverse harem that pulls out all the taboo stops, this isn't for you. If you want a romance that grows over time? It's worth a read.

Release Blitz with Teasers: At First Meet by Carrie Ann Ryan @CarrieAnnRyan @GiveMeBooksPR

At First Meet by Carrie Ann Ryan

Series: Montgomery Ink Legacy #2

Publication date: February 27th, 2023

Synopsis:

NYT Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan continues the Montgomery Ink Legacy series with an emotional, friends-to-lovers romance where second chances begin with a promise.

I fell in love with the wrong man and learned the hard way to ask for help.

I don't plan on falling again and have no intention of trying.

But when I get invited to a high-powered CEO retreat, I know I can't say no.

And I can't go alone.

When my frenemy, Nick, invites himself as my escort, I should walk away.

But there's no stopping the connection we've both ignored for far too long.

Only Nick's past is far darker than he lets the world know, and the shell he encased himself in is stronger than my own. And when the pain from my past comes back with a force, I'm afraid that walking away will be the only choice--even if it breaks us both.

Available at:

Bittersweet Promises by Carrie Ann Ryan (Montgomery Ink Legacy #1) -

Releasing March 14th, 2023:

Happily Ever Never by Carrie Ann Ryan (Montgomery Ink Legacy #2.5) -

GOODREADS | AMAZON

Releasing July 3rd, 2023:

Longtime Crush by Carrie Ann Ryan (Montgomery Ink Legacy #3) -

GOODREADS | AMAZON | B&N | KOBO | APPLE BOOKS

Releasing October 30th, 2023:

Best Friend Temptation by Carrie Ann Ryan (Montgomery Ink Legacy #4) -

GOODREADS | AMAZON | B&N | KOBO | APPLE BOOKS

CARRIE ANN RYAN is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary, paranormal, and young adult romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Redwood Pack, Fractured Connections, and Elements of Five series, which have sold over 3.0 million books worldwide. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn't stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over seventy-five novels and novellas with more in the works. When she's not losing herself in her emotional and action-packed worlds, she's reading as much as she can while wrangling her clowder of cats who have more followers than she does.

WEBSITE | NEWSLETTER | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

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Review: The Pact by Belle Harper

The Pact by Belle Harper

Series: Rebels of Ridgecrest High #1

Publication date: February 1st, 2023

Pages: 292

Spice: 🔥🔥

Synopsis:

When we were ten we made a pact.

When we were twelve she moved away.

Now she's sixteen and returned home.

Hunter:

We made the pact when we were ten.

It would be the end of our friendships, we said.

We all agreed. Mila was off limits.

I broke the pact when I was twelve...

I won't break it again.

Jace:

Mila was my best friend, my neighbor and first crush.

But she wasn't just mine.

We made a pact to save our friendships.

Only I broke that pact the day she left.

I won't make that mistake again.

Roman:

Mila was my sunshine, my fighter... my heart.

I broke the pact and she still left.

She destroyed me with that first and last kiss.

Now I fight the monsters alone.

I won't let her in again.

Mila:

Jace, Hunter and Roman.

The four of us were best of friends growing up.

The last time I saw them all, I kissed them goodbye.

I broke their pact before I left, thinking I would never return.

All three believe they were my first kiss.

But I will never kiss and tell.

They have made one thing very clear.

The pact still stands.

Available at:

Review:

Mila returns from her 4-year hiatus with her vindictive and neglectful mother once her mother replaces her with a new baby. Mila couldn't be happier with the outcome as she has missed her friends and her father dearly. When she returns she hopes that her longtime friends would greet her with open arms, what she didn't expect was the cold chill that wafted her way when they looked at her. She knew that she had cut them out of her life when she moved away not being able to bear hearing them have a good life without her but she had hoped once she was free of her mother's clutches that everything would return to normal.

But their opinion of her isn't the only thing that changed. She left three scrawny twelve-year-old boys four years ago and returns to three sixteen-year-old Adonises. The comfortable connection they once had was changing and Mila could only embrace it and hope that eventually they would let her back in. However, they have all changed and now there may no longer be space in their lives for their once great love to just prance back into their lives.

Mila has to convince them that now that she is back they can trust her once more, but what is if there is no going back?

The main crux of the story is that Mila moved away because her mother was a vindictive shrew who wanted to take the one thing Mila's dad loved most away from him: Mila. She kept her away from him for four years until all the joy of sticking it to Mila's dad wore off and she threw her back at him wanting to embark on a new life with her new husband and new family. Of course, Mila is more than happy to return to people who actually care about her so it works out well. Now, if the boys knew she didn't have a choice in moving all they can really be salty over is the fact that she ghosted them. Which, fair, that can be frustrating, but to the point where they act as if they hate her? That seems a bit much. It works for the story plotline but seems a bit farfetched to be completely believable.

As with any reverse harem, I always have my favorite. That lies in Roman for this series. He has such a troubled life and I like that Mila is his knight in shining armor. It's a nice change to see the female protagonist willing to fight for one of the males to protect them. Roman seems almost to have an autistic vibe with his aversion to being touched and not being very verbal. Although that could simply be from trauma of an abusive home life. I honestly would love if it were the former though. I feel like autism is kind of under-represented in books and especially in romance books. Which... just kind of endears Roman even more to me.

This book was fairly middle of the road for me though. The antagonistic events felt a little forced as if they were made to be bigger deals than they should have. I felt the jealousy was very short lived when it was the main focus of the whole plot. And, I also felt that Mila's time in a neglectful environment where she was so depressed she turned to sex, drugs, and alcohol, should have effected her more. She should have come back weary not hopeful and happy. There were holes in the story and the characters that made it hard to really pour myself into the pages like I like to do but it wasn't an unpleasant read overall.

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Release Blitz with Teasers: Viciously Mine by Nikki Landis @landisnikkiauth @GiveMeBooksPR

Viciously Mine by Nikki Landis

Series: Royal Bastards MC: Tonopah, NV #14

Publication date: February 26th, 2023

Synopsis:

A dual perspective mc romance from twin brothers Rael & Chrome.

Chrome:

Everything is finally falling into place.

I've reunited with my twin. The woman I love has become my wife.

And to top it off? I'm not patched into the RBMC in Tonopah.

With my ol' lady Cameron, I move to Nevada to start our new life together.

But the past never fully dies, and when the ones I love are threatened, the monster inside me awakens.

I've been hunted since the moment I left Michigan. My enemies are coming for me, but I'm not alone anymore.

The Reaper is bringing the entire club to confront the man who started this path of carnage, the Russian who gave Solonik orders and ripped me from my family.

No one messes with me and mine. I'll protect the ones I love viciously.

No matter the cost.

Rael:

I've finally found peace.

The monster inside has grown silent, content with my woman and the upcoming birth of my twin sons. The brother I never knew existed has moved to Nevada, filling the last space of emptiness in my heart.

And that's why I've become vigilant.

I'd kill to protect Nylah, my unborn children, my brother, and my club.

I thought I knew everything about Solonik and the Russians who worked with Rancid to kill my sister.

They took Noah from me too.

Now I learn they've returned.

The beast inside roars to life, promising retribution.

There will be pain. There will be blood.

I can promise when it's all over, my brother and I will be the ones left standing. We'll unleash hell and reap every soul in our path of vengeance.

Let the carnage begin...

For best enjoyment, the series should be read in order. It is highly recommended that Ridin' for Hell, Hell's Fury, Devil's Ride, & Twisted Devil are read before Viciously Mine.

This book includes steamy scenes, biker slang, cursing, violence, dark content, a paranormal REAPER twist, and, of course, an HEA. If you like twisted tales, alpha males, and bad boy bikers, this story is for you!

Available at:

Releasing July 25th, 2023:

Jigsaw's Blayde by Nikki Landis (Royal Bastards MC: Tonopah, NV #15) -

GOODREADS | AMAZON

NIKKI LANDIS is the USA Today & International Bestselling, Multi-Award-Winning Author of over 50 romance novels in the MC, reverse harem, paranormal, dystopian, and science fiction genres. Her books feature deadly reapers, dark alpha heroes, protective shifters, and seductive vampires along with the feisty, independent women they love. There's heart-throbbing action on every page as well as fated mates and soul bonds deep enough to fulfill every desire.

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