Review: Crowned by Lilith Vincent

Crowned by Lilith Vincent

Series: Pageant #2

Publication date: August 3rd, 2022

Pages: 370

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

A twisted game gone too far. A woman on the run. Three men who won't stop hunting.

The pageant has ended, but for us, the game has only just begun.

Konstantin, Elyah, and Kirill made my life a living hell during the pageant, and now I'm going to return the favor.

They want me and the secret I'm carrying, but they'll have to prove they're worthy before I let them call me their queen. It won't be easy when their pasts come back to haunt us. Pasts that are soaked in blood.

The chase is on, and this time, the prize is more precious than diamonds.

The prize is my heart.

Author's note: Crowned (Pageant, 2) is the final book in a mafia reverse harem duet. The heroes only have hearts, eyes, and dicks for the heroine. It contains dark themes, violence, and a Why Choose romance with ruthlessly possessive men. The story is potentially triggering, so please read responsibly.

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Review:

Lilia has escaped her three captors and is now trying to live a life of her own once more. But as was the first time, Lilia can't catch a break. First she is found by her father who wishes for her to return home and remarry after her former husband's death but there is a small wrench in that matter. Lilia is pregnant and the men who she ran from are hunting her down. When they find her and figure out her secret will they want rid of her just like her father or will they embrace her and love her unborn child completely? 

This book was so focused on Lilia's pregnancy that it didn't have a whole lot of depth to it. Aside from Lilia's father trying to get her back there is no real antagonist anymore. The three antagonists have become the protagonists and so the book read more like a breeding kink homage than an actual romance book. Lilia spent most of the book waffling between trusting the three men and whining about her baby being potentially taken away from her. The baddie from the previous book was no more. She was gone. This woman in her place was unfortunate to watch. I would have liked to watch her stand tall and still willing to fight and do what she needs to do to survive without being weak due to being pregnant. 

That being said my dislike for Lilia was counteracted by my sudden affection for the guys (even Kirill). They all had soften and instead of being complete assholes they were just... moderate assholes. Their mission to capture Lilia again and get back Konstantin's diamonds was derailed when they found out she was pregnant. They were all completely devoted to her and the unborn baby from the moment they laid eyes on her. That is one aspect of the whole pregnancy trope that I love as a woman. When the father finds out and becomes fiercely protective. These three had that going for them in spades.

There was a lot of melodrama. Lots of overthinking and whining about whether the men were going to be good fathers, whether they loved her and why they wouldn't apologize for the pageant. It was creating drama for the book, I know, but it just seemed like Lilia was constantly grasping at straws in her trust for the men. Even when they did everything they could to prove to her that they were being sincere she still was a blubbering mess of nerves. It did get very tedious.

I really wish there was more to the story than just the occasional problem that they solved fairly quickly and then moved on with the relationship stuff. I would have liked there to be a few more driving forces trying to force the couples apart than just their own stubbornness. That being said, it still wasn't a terrible read. It was middle of the road for me. There were some aspects that could have been improved on but it wasn't a hardship to read.

 

Review: Pageant by Lilith Vincent

Pageant by Lilith Vincent

Series: Pageant #1

Publication date: May 11th, 2022

Pages: 311

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

One woman. Three mafia men. A twisted marriage game...

The dangerous life I escaped has seized hold of me again. Three men have snatched my freedom and they're playing a twisted game of power, hearts, and blood.

My captors glitter like diamonds in the dark, each one more handsome and ruthless than the last.

Konstantin, the scarred and heartless ringleader, and mastermind of my fate.

Elyah, the demon from my past who once craved me and now covets my demise.

Kirill, a bloodthirsty maniac with depraved needs who thrives on misery and mayhem.

Sixteen women are forced to compete in their twisted pageant, and one by one we're eliminated until there's only one jewel left.

My captors' desire burns as hard as their cruelty, but the true torment only begins when the pageant ends.

Author's note: Pageant (Pageant, 1) is the first book in a mafia romance duet and ends on a cliffhanger. The heroes only have hearts and eyes for the heroine, and she never has to choose. This book contains captive themes, violence, and ruthlessly possessive men. The story is dark and potentially triggering, so please read responsibly.

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Review:

Lilia thought that she finally was living her own life. She has escaped a loveless marriage and the mafia ties her father and recently passed husband shared. She was a model and exploring the world of independence for herself without a man dictating her obedience at every turn. But then she was captured by three dangerous men from the world she thought she had been free of. And they have a game they want to play. They have gathered sixteen women who will compete in various levels of the competition in the hopes of winning and gaining the hand in marriage of the men's leader, Konstantin. But Lilia knows this world too well and she knows obedience only gets you so far. She will position herself as the person to draw the heat away from the others since one of the men has already signed her death warrant. Lilia's man from the past will be the one to bring about her end but not before she is humiliated and destroyed. Somewhere along the way Lilia starts to feel a modicum of attraction for the men but is it enough to derail her plans to free herself and the women of the pageant? Or will the love that she thought she had once been so close to achieving be her downfall?

I loved the fire that Lilia had. Even when you thought she was falling into her feelings for the men she was calculated in the things she did. She never let her fear show and wasn't afraid to die if the cost of her death meant the other women survived. She had grown up around evil men so what were three more? She was by far one of my favorite baddie female characters. Even when she was letting herself lust after the men she never let her morals sway away from what was right and what was wrong.

Out of the men I don't know if I truly like any of them. I think Elyah is the gentlest even when he hated Lilia on sight. But Kirill never hid who he was or played mind games. He was unapologetically unhinged and you had to just accept it. At least there was no deception there like with the other two who were quick to play mind games. 

I feel the story was captivating and it had an interesting unique-ness to it. I hadn't read anything even remotely similar in all my time as a reader but I would have thought after kidnapping the women for the purpose of finding a bride that the trials they went through would have been a little more difficult. It did just feel like a very aggressive interview with a bunch of sobbing drama queens. But it helped the main character to stand out which was the main purpose. I enjoyed the read. It was something new which is always a plus.

Book Blitz with Excerpt + Teasers + Giveaway: Castelon by Alyssa Roat @alyssawrote @XpressoTours

Castelon by Alyssa Roat

Series: The Wraithwood Trilogy #3

Publication date: March 15th, 2023

Synopsis:

Fifteen hundred years of Arthurian legend come to a head in the final installment of The Wraithwood Trilogy.

The sword of legend, ancient magic, and a dead man's secrets-together they could save Brinnie's world or end it forever.

Brinnie barely escaped Mordizan with her life. Battered and broken in body and soul, she knows she's running out of time. And though she has discovered the identity of Mordred's bane, no one knows where to find the legendary weapon.

To discover the truth, she and Marcus must journey to Castelon and seek the aid of the Council. However, their actions at Mordizan brand them as enemies and war criminals. Between Mordred's armies engaged in full-scale war and the political machinations of the Council, Brinnie struggles to balance the battlefield and the courtroom while estates fall before Mordred's wrath.

As magic ravages her own body, threatening her survival, the allure of ancient, forbidden power grows brighter. And only one man holds the knowledge of the weapon that could destroy Mordred once and for all-a man they buried in the gardens of Wraithwood.

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Excerpt

Nathan blazed a trail to a pair of carved wood doors and turned the brass handle on the left, pushing the door inward. "After you."

She stepped inside, the smell of leather and old books wrapping around her. In the center of the room, an ostentatious solid wood desk shone in front of a massive hearth, over which hung a painted portrait of what appeared to be Scott Castelius and family, his children with their spouses and children. Shelves lined the walls, with free-standing bookcases making up a couple of rows on either side, most of the books beautifully bound, many accepted with what appeared to be gold leaf.

She spun slowly. "These are beautiful, but they don't strike me as books about dark magic."

"Oh, these aren't." He strode past her, heading for the wide stone hearth behind the desk. He walked right in, ducking only slightly, turned to the right, and was gone.

Brinnie's eyebrows shot up. She followed, peeking around the corner of the fireplace. Beyond the initial line of stones, a tunnel led back several feet.

They emerged from the tunnel into what felt more like an archive than the display library in front. Old books and scrolls were carefully labeled on well-organized shelves.

Nathan headed straight to the back of the room and gestured to one of the bookshelves that housed both scrolls and tomes. "These might help."

She gathered her skirts to better navigate the narrow rows. She leaned toward the shelf he had suggested, squinting at the labels, all in the ancient language.

She took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes. If magic allowed her to speak and understand the language, it should help her read it as well.

She opened her eyes and squinted at the lettering. Mental translation felt unwieldy, like reading her high school Spanish books, but she could understand enough.

One word stood out--dywledrith. Dark magic.

"Thank you, Nathan. These should be quite helpful."

The one type of magic even Mordred wouldn't touch. Which meant he would be powerless against it.

In the end, you were right, Keilrie.

She could almost hear the old woman's cackle.

ALYSSA ROAT has worked in a wide variety of roles within the publishing industry as an agent, editor, writer, and publicist. She is the managing editor at Mountain Brook Fire. She has held positions as the publicity manager for publisher Mountain Brook Ink, an associate literary agent at Cyle Young Literary Elite, an editor with Sherpa Editing Services, and a freelance writer with hundreds of bylines in local, national, and international publications. She holds a B.S. in Professional Writing Taylor University. She would love to connect to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as well.

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Book Blitz with Excerpt + Teasers + Giveaway: Hearthstone Queen by A.C. Melody @AuthorACMelody @XpressoTours

Hearthstone Queen by A.C. Melody

Series: Midgard Ulfrinn #2

Publication date: March 15th, 2023

Synopsis:

Corbyn's worst fears come true when they strike at his mate from the one place he never saw coming. Fearing for Reyna's life, he rushes her to the Elders, only to end up on their healing table next. After back-to-back horrors, Reyna knows she has to make a crucial decision that will change their lives forever... and possibly save them.

But fate immediately puts that to the test, drawing them right into enemy territory, where Reyna finally learns what's become of Jesse and gets an unexpected audience with Ulfrinn Royalty. Just when they've found hope, their world gets shaken by a terrifying homecoming of bloodshed and betrayal. As their face off with the evidence of Fenrisulfr's return--and a living Nightmare--they can no longer deny the truth.

War has already begun.

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Excerpt

"Corbyn Bruschard, you get your ass back in here."

"Sorry, babe, can't do that right this second," he called back.

Oooh, he sounds so freaking smug!

Glaring holes into the wall between them, Reyna crawled off the bed and found that her thigh muscles were attached to the weakness keeping her miserably needy. She'd just had an explosive, albeit interesting, orgasm. So, why did her body feel like it was still hanging on the brink?

Reyna chalked it up to lingering effects that would eventually fade and began searching for her clothes. She ground her teeth every time she moved wrong and sent more tingling pulses of yearning through her core.

Once she slipped her panties on, she felt a little better. Then, she slid into Corbyn's dress shirt and buried her nose in the collar for a deep inhale as she left the room.

Wandering into the kitchen, she pushed on one of the refrigerated drawers and smiled when it turned out to be the right one. Bypassing the beer, Reyna grabbed a bottle of water, impressed to find it was glass rather than plastic. Corbyn was an Eco-conscience architect. The man never stopped surprising her, and she was beginning to look forward to that.

Reyna turned and jumped to find him standing at the end of the island counter watching her, his hands tucked into the pockets of gray, drawstring pajama pants.

"Do you have to do that?" she complained with a hand over her racing heart.

Her gaze traced Corbyn's inked muscles and the mouthwatering cut of his hips that disappeared into the low ride of his pants. The only hair on his torso was the faint dusting of dark gold starting just under his navel, and her mouth flooded because she knew precisely where it led. The ache between her legs intensified. He was so damn yummy.

"Yes," he answered, a slight smile playing at the corners of his sexy mouth.

Her observation had been a quick sweep. Corbyn's gaze seduced her. That was the only way to describe the slow, nearly tangible study he took of her entire body. Reyna's skin shivered, and her nipples beaded under the crisp fabric of his shirt.

"Enjoying yourself?" she asked, attempting haughtiness.

"Immensely." He smiled. "I'm certainly enjoying the way you look in my shirt. Then again, I doubt there's anything you couldn't make appear inappropriate. Like it came from a sex shop instead of a tailor."

Reyna's neck and cheeks heated. Damn him.

Corbyn stepped closer, invading her space while daring her to move away.

"Ever been inside of a sex shop, Reyna?"

Her face blushed even brighter.

Fold girl, give up. You're no match.

"No."

His hands remained in his pockets, yet she felt the tease of him, nonetheless. "They're remarkably enlightening."

"I bet." 

Corbyn grinned, running his bottom lip through his teeth as he studied her with something close to smugness in his eyes.

"How are you feeling?"

Reyna shouldn't have been surprised to hear him admit to leaving her needy on purpose, but she almost narrowed her eyes and demanded that he fix it. Instead, she shrugged, not wanting to give him the satisfaction.

"Fine," she lied, taking a sip of her water. Reyna tilted the bottle toward him since he'd watched her movements. "Thirsty?"

Accepting it, Corbyn downed half the contents without taking his eyes off her.

"Mmm, thanks," he said, licking and sucking on his lips as if it had been liquid ambrosia instead. Handing it back to Reyna, he kissed her on the forehead. "I'm starving."

Reyna's vision blurred as he stalked past her. She imagined strangling him and kissing him, but not necessarily in that order.

"Hungry?" he asked.

Yes. "Not really."

The hollow ache between her legs was almost unbearable, causing her thigh muscles to flex. If she could just squeeze her legs together really tight... Reyna almost gave in to that idea until she realized how ridiculous it would look, on top of giving Corbyn exactly what he was watching for. And he was watching.

I'm going to kill him. Wait, I'll jump him first, then I'll kill him.

The thought brought a smile to her face.

"Something you'd like to share?"

"Nope." She quirked a brow at him in amusement, and that's when she noticed what he was dishing up. "Ooh, ice cream?"

"You said you weren't hungry--"

"I'm always hungry for ice cream," she cut him off, her tone mildly chastising as if he should already know that.

With a chuckle, he shook his head. "So, I heard," he said, moving to the cupboard to get another bowl. "Though, we should discuss your habit of stealing others--"

"Thanks." She flashed a sweet smile over her shoulder as she left the kitchen with the bowl he'd already dished up for himself.

Reyna had to swallow her laughter at his shocked expression as he looked from her to the counter where his bowl had just been.

A.C. MELODY is an author of all things Erotic Romance who doesn't believe in skimping on the dirty details. A mass consumer of coffee and books, she prefers one a little darker than the other. She has a weakness for hard ass Alphas and the strong women who capture their hearts, without damaging their rough edges.

Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, A.C. is the mother of two young men, and honorary mom for more young adults than she can count. Outside of writing, she enjoys gaming, binge-watching Netflix, and pretending she has a green thumb.

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