Review: Queen of Anarchy by Eva Ashwood

Queen of Anarchy by Eva Ashwood

Series: Dirty Broken Savages #2

Publication date: September 24th, 2021

Pages:393

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

Queen of Anarchy is the heart-pounding second installment in the Dirty Broken Savages series.

Note: The blurb below contains spoilers for the first book, so I'd highly recommend not reading it until you've finished reading book one, Kings of Chaos. You've been warned!

***

I was a good girl once. But bad bitches get shit done.

My list is finished. Every name has been crossed off. I should be sipping cocktails on a beach somewhere, breathing easy for the first time in years.

But I'm not.

Because that asshole Ivan St. James refuses to stay at the bottom of the river where Knox put him.

Because someone dragged his body up from the depths and laid it out as a very public, very gruesome warning.

Because I swear it was Hannah's eyes I saw behind that mask.

Nothing makes sense anymore, and if I thought I might find some peace in knowing that the men who hurt us are dead, I was wrong.

The game isn't over yet. The original deal I struck with the Kings of Chaos is null and void, and despite my plan to walk away from them when this was all done, there's no way I can do that now.

Our fates are entwined, at least until we sort out this mess.

Honestly, I don't know how to feel about that. Because as much as I refuse to let my walls down for anyone, I'm starting to think these four brutal, dangerous men...

Might be the only ones I can trust.

Queen of Anarchy 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, so please read at your own discretion. It is book 2 of 4.

Available at:

Review:

The mission was a success, River got the man she needed to kill checked off her list and now it was time to return to life as she knew it before. But did she ever know a single moment of peace? After she was held hostage with her sister and she was released from captivity after watching her sister die she had become focused on revenge and making the men who hurt them pay. She accomplished that goal but didn't feel fulfilled by it. Maybe that was why she was suddenly seeing her sister at the same party that the last man she killed turned up in pieces as a twisted art piece up for auction. It seems that River would not be returning to her life of solitude just yet. Her and the Kings of Chaos need to get to the bottom of who resurrected their disposed of victim and maybe along the way they can help River find out what truly happened to her sister and whether she was alive still or not. Can River find a way to save her sister who may not be as dead as she originally thought, find out who knew about her kills and was willing to expose her, and also the growing feelings she was developing for each of the Kings?

I loved almost every aspect of this book. There was very little that I found an issue with. River is just as sassy as ever but I liked watching her start to show a little more of her heart. She started to slowly let herself feel something for each of the men in a variety of degrees as well as showing how deeply she cares for her sister. The mystery behind who left the body on display for the group to see is still one I am curious about. I have not really had any idea who could be behind it. That fascinates me because I can usually figure out a mystery very easily in books. The romance was scorching hot and heartwarming in its depravity. None of them are really the sweet love making type. But that doesn't mean that their heart isn't in the experiences themselves. I liked watching them bring River out of her shell and force her walls down.

The only downside I had was a quick one and one that I didn't quite see as necessary for the overall story. It was something that just gave me the ick and put me off the book for a little while to recover from the shocking revelation. I won't spoil it but Julian is one sick man and crosses a line I would not have expected in a million years. It made me grimace and set the book aside with an 'ew' which is a lot since I read Lauren Biel's mayonnaise scene in Captured and was perfectly fine. 

Overall I liked the progress the series is taking and I am anxious to see what happens next. But if Ms. Ashwood could please refrain from ripping out my heart in the last few pages of the next installment, I would greatly appreciate it! 

Release Blitz with Teaser: His Bride by Bella J. @BellaJ_Author @EJBookPromos

His Bride by Bella J.

Series: Dark Sovereign #2

Publication date: September 30th, 2024

Cover Design: Deranged Doctor Designs

Synopsis:

I never wanted this life, this marriage.

But Caelian carried me down the aisle, and a corrupt priest declared us husband and wife, ignoring the thousand no's I screamed at our wedding.

What began as a battle of wills has turned into an obsession. We were forced into a marriage of convenience, but somewhere between the hate and the heat, we found something more. Something dark and irresistible, something that binds us together even as it threatens to tear us apart.

Now, tragedy has struck the Del Rossa family, and they all blame me. I see it in their eyes, hear it in their whispers. Even Caelian looks at me as if I'm the reason everything is falling apart.

In our imperfect marriage, love isn't a fairy tale... it's a war.

Available at:

BELLA J. is an International and Amazon top 100 bestselling author.

Writing DARK ROMANCE with twists, Bella has an affinity for the ruthless men of the MAFIA world and weaves tales that will leave you breathless and questioning your own moral compass.

When she's not busy creating worlds where danger and romance dance a tango, you can find Bella soaking up the sun in the vibrant city of Cape Town, South Africa. Her writing lair is occasionally invaded by her husband, two kids, and a basset hound who reigns supreme.

A firm believer that laughter is the best medicine, Bella infuses her fictional dark worlds with some wit and humor that peppers her novels.

So buckle up for a thrilling ride through the shadows of romance where happily ever afters have a dark side.

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Review: Kings of Chaos by Eva Ashwood

Kings of Chaos by Eva Ashwood

Series: Dirty Broken Savages #1

Publication date: June 18th, 2021

Pages: 484

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

I was a good girl once, but now I dance with devils.

Some people wear their heart on their sleeve. I wear vengeance like a suit of armor.

I've got a list with six names on it. Six people who wronged me, who hurt me, who took everything from me. Six people who turned me into the monster I am now.

And I've crossed off every name but one.

One more name. One more death. Should be simple, right?

Yeah, you'd think so. But it turns out revenge is a messy business, and when I end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, I royally piss off four brutal, twisted, gorgeous men.

Gage, Priest, Ash, and Knox.

Lucky for me, the last name on my list is someone they've got their own grudge against, so instead of killing me, they offer me a deal. They'll give me a chance to exact my vengeance, and in exchange, all they want is...

Me.

I'm not stupid. I've played this game before. Even though they've agreed to help me, I know they want to punish me too. They want to toy with me. To let their demons loose on me.

But maybe these Kings of Chaos have let my pretty face fool them.

Because I'm just as vicious as they are. And I've got demons of my own.

Kings of Chaos is a full length dark new adult romance with enemies-to-lovers/love-hate themes, featuring a slightly psycho heroine and four even more psychotic men. What happens between these pages will be dirty, dark, and delicious, so read at your own discretion.

Available at:

Review:

River is out for blood and has already collected 5 bodies worth for her troubles. She has a list and only one name remains, but finding a way to pin down the slippery snake to add him to her collection proves to be tough. When her latest lead turns up to be a dead end she is frustrated enough to track down the person who sold her the misinformation and kill him so he wouldn't make the mistake of double crossing someone again. It was in that alleyway with blood on her hands that she encounters the Kings of Chaos. They could kill her outright for daring to kill another outside of their club but they're intrigued by her and want to know if she was leaving the body there as a calling card for a rival gang. Determined to know her motives they take her captive until she tells them who her true mark is. They decide that she is best kept under their roof and within their line of sight as she carries out her path to vengeance so it doesn't fall back on them some how. But along the way they start to realize that the psycho woman with the silver hair and the smart mouth is a bit more than meets the eye. Her monster calls to their monsters and maybe there is more to this motley crew of misfits than just a single deal.

I absolutely loved every second of this book to the point where I decided to trudge my way through a sleepless night to read it from start to finish. Well worth it in my opinion. The dynamic between River and the Kings of Chaos reminded me a lot of the Harlequin Crew of Caroline Peckham's creation. Their attitudes and the way they interacted seemed very similar. This was a good thing for me because that series is definitely one of my all-time favorites. I almost didn't read this book because I could have sworn I had already read it before. But, luckily, I had not so I was able to add another 5-star read to my yearly tally.

I found River's tough-as-nails personality to be refreshing from all the weepy whimsical wimps that a lot of the female protagonists are. If she were captured and tortured like so many series usually have the heroine go through so the men can white knight for her, River would get free and massacre her captors before the Kings even realized she was missing. I loved her brand of crazy and while sometimes I really wish she would get out of her own way, she still was adorably endearing.

With any harem I always have to have a favorite and Priest is mine. He is cold but not because he just enjoys being an asshole. He's cold because he suffered a huge loss and doesn't know how to cope with it. He shuts down and removes all emotion because he doesn't want to feel any emotional pain and so he takes all the happiness out of the equation too. I loved watching River slowly chip away at his exterior.

I am dying to read the next one to the point i had to PHYSICALLY remove the book from my presence in order to write this review. If you are looking for a reverse harem story with a kickass female and some hot angry men then this is the book for you. Eva Ashwood outdid herself and I can't wait to keep reading!

Review: Come Out Swinging by Sam Hall

Come Out Swinging by Sam Hall

Series: Reach for the Moon Trilogy #2

Publication date: April 24th, 2021

Pages: 372

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

DNF Percentage: 53% (185 pages)

Synopsis:

They struck me down.

They tried to end me.

But I'm about to come out swinging.

Available at:

Review:

Paige woke to a pounding headache and a dark realization from the town coroner. Paige's father did not die of a stroke but of foul play. Now she is on a mission to find out who killed her dad and who hurt her while also trying to organize the fights for the Alpha position that she had set about to avoid choosing someone herself. Along the way she starts to explore what it means to be a nix and what power that may hold. When she touches on something bigger than her understanding with her men she finds out that she is the catalyst for change within the shifter world. But can she stay alive to fill that role?

I don't DNF a book easily. There is always that voice in the back of my head that tells me that if I quit now that there may be a time when I wonder what happened and have to start the series all over again. The question I asked myself when I find a grumble in my internal monologue as I reach for my ereader to start my reading time. If I am that against picking up that book and reading, should I even be reading it? There are so many books out there in the world and there is no way I will be able to read them all in my lifetime. So I need to make sure the time I spend reading I am devoting it to books I enjoy the stories of. This one was not for me. 

Once the plot line twisted from Paige being simple a alternative version of a wolf shifter to something greater that involved what they essentially saw as shifter gods, it was done for me. I was enjoying watching Paige explore her identity and the mystery of her father's death but when they started hyping her up to be this all powerful being, I wanted to read no more. I have read too many books that turn that way over time and I always found them boring. A key to characters is making sure they have equal or more weaknesses to their strengths. I feel making the character essentially a goddess may be a little too strong. 

I think if the book lost a bit of the extra fluff within it then it would be an interesting premise. But at 53% I tapped out.