Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Review: Reign of Wrath by Eva Ashwood

Reign of Wrath by Eva Ashwood
Series: Dirty Broken Savages #3
Publication date: December 10th, 2021
Pages: 383
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:
Reign of Wrath is the thrilling third installment in the Dirty Broken Savages series.

Note: The blurb below contains spoilers, so I'd highly recommend not reading it until you're caught up on the series, starting with book one, Kings of Chaos. You've been warned!

***

I was a good girl once. But now they've unleashed the devil in me.

My sister is gone. I held her in my arms while she took her last breath, and now I don't feel like I can breathe.

Once, I had a list with six names on it.

Now there's only one name that whispers through my mind like a siren call to my demons.

Julian fucking Maduro.

He took her from me. So I'm going to take everything from him. With the Kings of Chaos by my side, I'm going to dismantle his life piece by piece.

He's powerful, but we'll be stronger.

He's vicious, but we'll be more cruel.

He's cunning, but we'll be more devious.

And when all of this is over...

He'll be dead, and we'll be dancing on his ashes.

Reign of Wrath is a full length mafia/gang new adult romance featuring a slightly psycho heroine and four even more psychotic men. This book contains dark themes and possible triggers, so please read at your own discretion. It is book 3 of 4.


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Review:
Julian took away the one person that meant the most to River and now she wants to make him pay. River had finally thought that her life was becoming something of value. The person she thought was long gone returns and she thought if she got them free of their situation that they could live a happy life. But that was not in the cards. She really should have known with the history of just out of reach peace that seemed to always befall her. She thought once she completed her list of vengeance that she could move on with her life but her Kings dragged her back into their orbit and now want nothing more than for her to stay there. They are willing to do anything to keep her happy even if it means plotting vengeance to the extent River never would have dreamed of. She would destroy Julian and make him feel as lost and worthless as he made others feel and then she would kill him just like she did his father before him. But what if there is another evil lurking in the shadows that is watching and waiting to see just how things play out with her and Julian? Will she and her men make it out alive?

I will admit that this book sort of dragged for me. There is a situation in which I find myself waffling back and forth on, and that is when a book series should continue and when the author has found a good place to stop and wrap the story. In this series there felt like there was just one situation and one enemy after the other to the point where it felt like the characters just couldn't catch a break. I wanted to see him experience at least a little downtime and a little relaxation to let their relationships grow but they were just constantly inundated with stress and the press for time that I am not sure how they are achieved anything past raunchy sex and comradery. I feel as if the series should have been cut to a trilogy or lengthened to include a few more books. There are quite a few loose ends and a new big baddie to deal with in the next installment that I can't imagine it wrapping up neatly at the end of the final book. 

Out of all the guys I loved watching Priest's growth the best. He went from closed off, stoic ice lord to a warm and protective man. He was not afraid to show River affection as well as give her the strong foundation that she needed when she needed it. River and he seemed to have an almost cosmic level of understanding between them over their mutual losses and struggles with vengeance. They both seemed t have an indifference to whether they lived or died and that made them almost reckless but River was wild and fiery while Priest was calculated and chill. They were the strongest couple I saw between all of them. 

That is not to say the others didn't fill roles for each other either. River gave Gage submission and he took control from her so she didn't need to carry it all the time. Knox and River bonded over their mutual appreciation for sadomasochism making it acceptable to be the psycho they both believed themselves to be. And Ash was the joy that River never allowed herself to experience. 

I appreciate the series overall but this installment felt a little... stunted to me. Sure, they wanted to destroy Julian for what he did to River and what he took from her. But it felt like most chapters began with "and so they waited". It makes me wonder just how long it took to get the vengeance they wanted and it caused me to look at the stack of books and consider a deviation just to get something a little fresher to read. I am curious of this downward trend for the series I absolutely loved at the beginning will continue or if it will shoot back up with the conclusion.



Book Blitz with Quotes + Giveaway: Barristers & Bones by J.L. Brannick @XpressoTours

Barristers & Bones by J.L. Brannick
Series: Las Vegas House of Spades
Publication date: October 15th, 2024

Synopsis:
A hot, morally gray mentor out for revenge. A sprawling funeral home. Torture, mayhem, and a Las Vegas wedding she can't remember.

Luna needs to complete an internship to graduate, but staying alive suddenly takes priority when she's paired with the cold, starkly handsome attorney from hell. Roman Fowler is an infamous partner at the most notorious law firm in Las Vegas, and he's harboring deadly secrets and searching for retribution. And when he forces her hand, their chemistry explodes.

But she's not a helpless, scared child anymore. The House of Spades--her adopted family--is a powerful, violent, oddly close-knit clan that has a hands-on, DIY approach to taking care of "life's little problems." They're still deciding if Roman is a problem when Luna's dark past threatens.

Can they fight the danger and menace together? Or will the monsters win again?



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Quotes

"There's nothing like preparing a dead body in a dark mortuary to get my mind off my nightmares."

The embalming room looked like something out of a horror movie, except Luna wore cheery, blood-splattered, yellow polka-dot rubber boots.

"We'll definitely need our rubber boots today, I don't want his urine and blood getting into my shoes." We left Lionel screaming and rocking on the gurney as I tugged on my yellow polka dot rubber boots, and Sylvie put on her glittery pink ones.

"We could also cut off his testicles, pour alcohol over the wound, and then kill him if that makes you feel better."

"This area of the mortuary gives me the creeps. Some people don't like abandoned houses, graveyards, or sewer grates with red balloons. Those places don't have anything on embalming rooms."

A generic hospital room in Las Vegas had never been one of my wedding venue choices.

"I thought the nightmare would be the worst part of that Monday, but... I realized I'd grossly underestimated the amount of feculence one day could hold."

"You're the most mouthy, disrespectful intern I've ever met."
"When you wouldn't release me from this internship, I tried to warn you."

Fenn scoffed. "Don't insult us. We have a better clean-up crew and our own crematory. This isn't our first rodeo--or body."

"With a father like yours, it explains why you think Roman Fowler can be nice."

"Tasers are legal in Nevada, but this one might not be entirely legal."

"Hey, Lulu." He stopped when he spotted Roman. "Why the fuck would you bring Roman Fowler to Thanksgiving dinner? You're not that hard-up, are you?"
Roman raised his eyebrow. "Hello Fennick. Happy Thanksgiving."
Fenn set the plates down and handed me the silverware. "It was, until about ten seconds ago."

"There's nowhere you can go that I won't find you. I'm obsessed with your sweetness and razor-sharp mind. You've become my addiction and salvation, and I don't give one single fuck that you're too good for me. I'm not letting you go, and my black heart is yours."

"You were right, I could've protected you without marrying you, but I saw a chance and I fucking took it. We belong together. I would burn down the world for you, and I'll eliminate anyone who tries to hurt you."

He smirked and walked over, wrapping his arms around me. "Why do I feel there's no right answer here?"
My lips quirked. "Because you're smart, but you never listen."
He bent down and sniffed my neck. "I do listen to you, especially when you're making those sexy little whimpers while I'm--"
I put my hand over his mouth. "If you start with the dirty talk, we'll never make it to Ezra's house for dinner."

Pulling my fingers out slowly, a string of her saliva came with them. I ran my wet fingers down her cheek and wiped them off on her heaving chest.

I gently wrapped my hand around her neck where my collar lay and kissed the side of her uninjured cheek. "You like being spanked and fucked, and told when to come. We'll have to explore that, won't we?"


J.L. BRANNICK lives in the desert with her family and fur babies. She works as an attorney, and detoxes by taking long hikes and exploring old Western ghost towns while plotting her novels. She graduated from law school in Las Vegas, Nevada where she quickly realized that truth can be stranger than fiction.







Release Blitz with Teasers: Wild Heart by A.K. Evans @authorakevans @GiveMeBooksPR

Wild Heart by A.K. Evans
Series: The Westwoods #3
Publication date: October 15th, 2024

Synopsis:
There's no place like home.

Especially not for Ava Carson. She's traveled the world, and always comes back to Landing.

Maybe it's the weather, the small town, or the people that make her feel that way. Or perhaps it's just one person and his family.

Tate Westwood.

Best friends with his sister, Tate's family has become hers. That's why she knows she'll never be able to have him the way she wants. She's nothing more than an annoying little sister to him.

But she promised herself if she could have him for just one night, she'd move on.

As the head of marketing and product development at the Westwood Company, nobody questions Tate's driven mindset.

Burying himself in work isn't just about being a workaholic. The truth is, he's spent years ignoring Ava's flirtation. He'd never stand in the way of her chasing her dreams.

But when Ava attempts to seduce him on the dancefloor at his oldest brother's wedding, tempting him with her gorgeous body and the promise of a single night, Tate is powerless to resist her.

But with just one taste, Tate knows there's no turning back. The problem is going to be convincing her that she's all he's ever wanted.


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Naughty Heart by A.K. Evans (The Westwoods Prequel) -

Stubborn Heart by A.K. Evans (The Westwoods #1) -

Broken Heart by A.K. Evans (The Westwoods #2) -


Releasing January 7th, 2025:

Lonely Heart by A.K. Evans (The Westwoods #4) - 


A.K. EVANS is a contemporary romance author of over forty published novels. While she enjoys writing a good romantic suspense novel, Andrea's favorite books to write have been her extreme sports romances. That might have something to do with the fact that she, along with her husband and two sons, can't get enough of extreme sports.

Before becoming a writer, Andrea did a brief stint in the insurance and financial services industry and managed her husband's performance automotive business. That love of extreme sports? She used to drive race cars!

When Andrea isn't writing, she can be found homeschooling her two sons, doing yoga, snowboarding, reading, or traveling with her family. She and her husband are currently taking road trips throughout the country to visit all 50 states with their boys.


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Release Blitz with Teasers: Chance by Lynn Raye Harris @LynnRayeHarris @GiveMeBooksPR

Chance by Lynn Raye Harris
Series: Ghost Ops #2
Publication date: October 15th, 2024

Synopsis:
Dead to their pasts. Ghosts. No family ties. No connections.

Six men with a top-secret mission to a small town where they have to navigate local life, protect their secret, and, above all, stay single.

Aurora Harper doesn't like Chance Hughes. He's too handsome, too charismatic, and he's a player. She's had enough of players in her life after her fiance left her for a bridesmaid three weeks before the wedding.

Been there, done that, not doing it again. But Rory let down her guard.

She and Chance spent two hot weeks together after Rory nearly died at the hands of a madman. Chance was part of the team that found her, and he stayed by her side from the moment she was freed until she kicked him out of her house when she came to her senses.

That should have been the end of it... until one line on a plastic stick changes her life forever.

Thanks to a tragic childhood, Ghost Ops soldier Chance doesn't believe in the kind of love that lasts. There's always been something about Rory that drew him to her, but they're like oil and water. It's not meant to be and it's not worth fighting for.

But then Chance learns Rory's pregnant at the same time someone starts sabotaging her home and business. There's not a force on this earth that can stop Chance from unleashing the warrior inside and ending the threat to his woman and child. 

Because they are his. And he's going to prove it to her, even if it takes his very last breath to do so...

A small town, enemies to lovers, surprise pregnancy, military protector romance from NYT bestselling author Lynn Raye Harris.


Available at:









Blaze by Lynn Raye Harris (Ghost Ops #1) - 


LYNN RAYE HARRIS is a Southern girl, military wife, wannabe cat lady, and horse lover. She's also the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the HOSTILE OPERATIONS TEAM ® SERIES of military romances, and 20 books about sexy billionaires for Harlequin.

A former finalist for the Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart Award and the National Readers Choice Award, Lynn lives in Alabama with her handsome former-military husband, one fluffy princess of a cat, and a very spoiled American Saddlebred horse who enjoys bucking at random in order to keep Lynn on her toes.

Lynn's books have been called "exceptional and emotional," "intense," and "sizzling" - and have sold in excess of 4.5 million copies worldwide.

To sign up for Lynn's VIP Reader List - where you'll be kept up to date about all of Lynn's books - go to her website.


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