Hit ‘em Hard by Kat Mizera

4 Stars

Hit 'em Hard is Book 3 in the Bang Brothers hockey series.

The Phantoms are back with a vengeance… and the City of Angels will never be the same.

JENSEN:

Chasing my pro hockey dreams in the City of Angels has been a relentless battle. Each season feels like starting over, and being miles away from my family only adds to the struggle. I don’t know what I would do without my online gaming friends. Especially @Empress.

I know nothing about her—not even her real name—but what I do know with certainty is that our chats are my lifeline. I wish she would let me in, but she guards her secrets even more closely than I do.

A chance encounter puts us in the same room together, and the attraction IRL is next level. But before I can make my play, she disappears. I'm desperate to find her again and my meddling, matchmaking mother shows up just in time to help. Can I convince her that I'll be there no matter what she's hiding? Or will we both get hit hard in this real-life game of love?

I loved so many people in this book. Jensen was such a sweetheart and was so sweet with Bailey and her fears. I loved that they slowly built their relationship from friends and gaming buddies to so much more. Mama Bang is amazing and love how she’s trying to help her boys. Sometimes with world sharing they don’t work so well but so far this series is amazing and I’ve loved all of them. Definitely can’t wait to see the rest of the brothers fall.

Book 3 Bang Brothers Hockey

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Unbearable Temptation by R O’Leary

4 Stars

Buried under the weight of his role as Alpha, Nate will do anything to find his missing shifters, even if it means babysitting a sassy eyewitness who has an unhealthy obsession with pink--and sugar.

Everything in Rainy's life is finally going according to plan. Her bakery is flourishing, and there's nothing but blue skies and cupcakes ahead--until she witnesses a feathered half-man, half-monster being kidnapped from the alley behind her shop.

Thrust into a shadowy world of supernatural creatures and curses, all Rainy wants to do is hide in her bakery with a bowl of cake batter. She definitely does NOT want to spend her days drooling over the sexy shifter tasked with her protection... right?

Nate has a lot resting on his shoulders: the safety of his clan, a tiny daughter still learning to use her claws, and a council of bloodthirsty Alphas at his throat--not to mention the mountain of paperwork threatening to bury him alive. The last thing he needs is a feisty blonde forcing him to wear a pink apron and bake tarts. But as clan Alpha, her safety is his responsibility... at least that's what his bear tells him every time she looks in his direction.

The sugar-hating grouch is everything Rainy doesn't want. But there's something about Nate that drives her crazy in all the best ways. Can her heart resist the bear--or will the two of them embrace the temptation?

Loved loved Rainy. She was such a sweety and I loved her non swearing swear words. She was a sweety but she never let Nate get away with anything. He was also such a grump and I loved them together. He’s a dick and he gets his ass handed to him by her so many times and it’s well earned. It has a nice conclusion and yet we are still waiting on the overarching bad guy to make an appearance. So far it’s just little bits here and there which is so fun to read.

Book 2 Raven Falls Curse

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Cover Reveal: Carrie Ann Ryan

LAST CHANCE SEDUCTION (A Montgomery Ink Legacy Novel) releases Sep 5th, 2025!

https://geni.us/LastChanceSedChoice

Lexington Montgomery has a few secrets and it's about time he shared them. Lex starts off the Montgomery Inc Construction saga within the series with a BANG. 

Don't miss out on this neighbors/former friends to lovers, contemporary romantic suspense that begins with tragedy and yet is all about healing, heat, and finally giving in.

LAST CHANCE SEDUCTION will be in eBook, audio, paperback, discreet paperback, and a special illustrated edition featured in the release book boxes from Carrie Ann's store!

https://geni.us/LastChanceSedChoice 

Swipe Right for Monsters by R O’Leary

4 Stars

“Download Monstr and slither into your future mate’s DMs!”

Tequila shots and dating apps don’t mix. Celebrating the end of grad school, Drunk Nicole thought it would be a brilliant idea to find a monster sugar daddy to help her pay off her student loans and help her fix up the rundown house she had inherited.

Surely there was a rich vampire or gold-laden dragon out there who might have a thing for messy brunettes with threadbare sweatpants and a caffeine addiction?

 

But in the light of day (and her crippling hangover) Sober Nicole thinks Drunk Nicole was an idiot. Especially now that her notifications are blowing up and five fanged hotties want to take her to dinner… or eat her for dinner.

It is a dating app for monsters, after all.

I loved this book so much. FMC is looking for sugar daddies basically and it comes to bite her in the butt and she does make it up to the men she falls for. Loved this little twist as it’s normally the guys screwing up. I really hope more books will be written in this world as I really liked the premise.

Amazon 

Show ‘em How by Jami Davenport

4 Stars

JAKOB:
I'm a professional hockey player and a single dad with two rambunctious five-year-olds. My boys have driven away every nanny that's stepped foot in our house--except one--the one I don't want to keep, but they do. Tatted and pierced Gardenia Bliss is everything I dislike in a nanny and woman. She's a mouthy whirlwind, an obsessive recycler, a buyer of organic only food, and a lover of loud music. She's disrupted my household and destroyed my comfortable routine with her spontaneity. I want her gone, but I also want her naked, which is all kinds of messed up.

My plans to send her packing are thwarted by a road trip and no other options available. By the time I return, she's completely entrenched herself in my house, my life, and my dirty thoughts. She has to go, but I haven't found a way to extract the boys from her clutches. They adore her.

Then my meddling, matchmaking mom shows up for the holidays and enlists Gardenia to help her find the perfect woman for me. The two of them are forces of nature I'm powerless to combat. They'll never know the truth--I don't want those other women. I want Gardenia, but I can't have her. She's all wrong for my boys and me, but tell that to my stupid heart.

Loved the characters in this book. Jakob is trying to keep from making the same mistakes he’s made in the past and protect his boys so he is fighting the attraction for Gardenia throughout this book. He finally caves and allows himself to fall. The getting to accepting was an amazing read and I loved the whole thing. Still Love Jakob’s mom and her meddling. Can’t wait for the rest of the books.

Book 2 Bang Brothers

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Furbidden Attraction by R O’Leary

4 Stars

Rules are for humans... and he's definitely not human.

Louisa moved to Raven Falls to start over. But her new life is seeming more like a mistake with each passing minute. Her apartment looks nothing like the pictures, her evil boss might actually be possessed, and the sweet, injured dog she brought home isn't actually a dog.

Not that the exceedingly attractive naked man in her bed isn't a step in the right direction--but it would be nice if she knew who he was.

Knee-deep in a dangerous investigation, memories missing, and a bullet wound in his shoulder, Jack is running out of time to figure out who is hunting shifters. In spite of the danger, Louisa's dark curls and warm vanilla scent tempt the beast inside of him far too much.

But Jack doesn't have time to dawdle with the sassy brunette... unless he takes her with him.

Kidnapped and pissed off, Louisa wants nothing to do with the sexy shifter and even less to do with his secret world of monsters. But the longer she spends with Jack, the less she can deny the odd pull between them... even if it is forbidden.

Loved this book so much. It was different but so good. FMC rolls with the new world view she is given finding out about shifters. She was amazing even when she was kidnapped. I loved how she fought for people she didn’t need to and could have walked away at any point but chose to stay…even when MMC was a dick and tried pushing her away. Definitely one of the best reads of the year.

Book 1 Raven Falls Curse

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Queen of Spades by Jillian West

 

4 Stars

Annika Knowles knows better than to get involved with powerful men. She nearly became collateral damage in a war once before, but she ran, making a new life for herself in the seedy underbelly of Las Vegas.

The High Roller Club offers someone with her skill set the chance to make her own way, and she’s mostly managed to keep her head down. Well, if you don’t count how she keeps falling into bed with one of the club’s security specialists. Or how she accidentally caught the eye of one of the most dangerous men in Vegas. And we won’t even get started on the way his ruthless enforcer watches her every time she enters a room…

Actually, she’s terrible at lying low.

But all of these problems are easily managed.

What isn't? Severing the ties to her old life.

Can Annika’s new allies keep her safe? Or will she have to cut and run again, losing everything she's built for herself in the process?

I really enjoyed this one and I desperately want Ranger’s story. I loved all the subterfuge from the guys to Anni. They were trying to protect her and she was all about protecting herself. She was strong and rolled with the truths that came her way. Several amazing lines from this book.

Part of the High Roller Omegas

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Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs

 

3 Stars

In the supernatural realms, there are creatures who belong to winter. I am not one of them. But like the coyote I can become at will, I am adaptable.

My name is Mercy Thompson Hauptman, and my mate, Adam, is the werewolf who leads the Columbia Basin Pack, the pack charged with keeping the people who live and work in the Tri-Cities of Washington State safe. It’s a hard job, and it doesn’t leave much room for side quests. Which is why when I needed to travel to Montana to help my brother, I intended to go by myself.

But I’m not alone anymore.

Together, Adam and I find ourselves trapped with strangers in a lodge in the heart of the wilderness, in the teeth of a storm of legendary power, only to discover my brother’s issues are a tiny part of a problem much bigger than we could have imagined. Arcane and ancient magics are at work that could, unless we are very careful, bring about the end of the world. . . .

This one pains me so much. I loved the core story a lot but it is a short story not a complete long story. There are these breaks to show what the pack is doing while Mercy and Adam are gone. It doesn’t add to the core story at all so it just took me out of the story. All of that led to a meh book.

Book 14 Mercy Thompson

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Make My Heart Race by Grace McGinty

4 Star

Tally Palmer had always wanted to drive fast and kick ass, in that order. She’d earned her place as a NASCAR driver. She followed the rules, paid her dues, and didn’t make any mistakes.

Except one. She fell in love with a boy.

In the blink of an eye, Tally’s dreams went up in smoke. The fallout from that moment reverberated through her life but eventually her name was forgotten and the next ‘big thing’ took her place.

Six months later, Tally was in trouble again, but this time, the consequences would last forever, or at least eighteen years. She needed a nest egg ASAP and she was only good at one thing: driving recklessly fast.

At a late-night illegal street race, her life would once again change. Running into an old crush was unexpected, and the lifeline that he threw her even more so. A lifeline that would once again put her in touching distance of her dreams. Sure, it would be different, and would come with three extremely sexy distractions, but there was hope.

But the past never stays where it belongs, and soon enough it’s more than just her dreams of driving that are under threat.

This is a motorsports romance, including F1 and IndyCar. Our pregnant FMC has more than one love interest and doesn't have to choose in the end.

I loved this story. The Tally is pregnant through most of this book. She is just trying to survive when she finds her men. There is some tragedy but it just reads like a feel good story. Loved FMC for being strong and I loved the MMCs with their different personalities. Definitely worth reading.

Amazon 

Not Satisfied Dragon by Colette Rhodes

4 Stars

Once upon a time, there was a gold dragon who would have given her life in exchange for her revenge.

The conclusion we needed. I loved how Shira’s mates are willing to change to nor lose her. They are completely different mates from books one. Such a good conclusion.

Book 2 Deadly Dragons Duet

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Not Cursed Dragon by Colette Rhodes

 

4 Stars

I am a dragon who hates dragons.

The dragons murdered my family. The dragons stole me. The fae purchased me. My mates saved me.

My mates imprisoned me.

They think they're keeping me safe. They think they know what I need. What all delicate, feminine, gold dragons need. A comfortable den. A well-stocked pantry. Twenty children.

That's not what this gold dragon needs. This gold dragon needs blood. This gold dragon needs revenge.

I loved the premise of this book. Shira has had a crappy life because of dragons and she wants revenge. Her mates rescue her just to keep her locked up … for her own good. She finds a way out to get her revenge in the best way possible. I loved how she does it. It does end on the cliff but book 2 is already out. I do want more world building but still loved it.

Book 1 Deadly Dragons Duet

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Everything He Couldn’t by Harlow James

 

4 Stars

One of my favorite songs growing up was Jessie’s Girl by Rick Springfield.

Ironically enough, I never realized I’d be living out those lyrics in my own life when I fell for my best friend’s girl—and then my best friend, John Schmitt, died.

Add on the fact that she was pregnant with his child and that I’d been harboring feelings for Evelyn months before all of this happened, and well, now?

Now the lyrics to that song don’t sound so bad anymore.

The worst part is, I’m the one to blame for his death which made facing her an even harder pill to swallow, so what did I do? Pretend like she didn’t exist anymore, even though it was virtually impossible because she was everywhere in our small town of Newberry Springs.

Flashforward six months and suddenly Evelyn finds herself in a legal battle she never saw coming, and I can’t just stand by any longer and pretend like my heart isn’t in shambles.

So I suggest the unthinkable.

I offer to marry her, help her prove that she’s a fit mother and her daughter is being raised well despite John not being in the picture.

But Evelyn doesn’t know that being near her gets my blood pumping, even more so after avoiding her for months.

She doesn’t understand that doing this favor for her is a way for me to gain retribution for John’s death and take a chance to find out if she can reciprocate my feelings.

And she doesn’t get that by being there for her and loving her and her daughter that I’m doing everything that my best friend couldn’t.

This one I loved so much. I loved Walker and Evelyn. They both have so much guilt and are working through it when custody is threatened. I enjoyed watching them work through the guilt and finding their happily ever after. There is a bit of a pacing issue but I enjoyed getting there.

Book 2 Newberry Springs

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Cherry Pie; Sweet Clementine; Peaches and Cream; All My Love by Daisy Jane

 

3 Stars

Cherry Pie – One day he's my father and the next, a stranger.

My guardian and his two sons ignore me for years...

Until I turn eighteen, and they present me with information

Answering questions from my past, changing my perception

And making me fall

For all three of them

And to my surprise, they like to share

Sweet Clementine – When her daddy, racecar driver Perry "Praise" Clark, passes away in a race, Clementine Clark is left to her lonesome.

That is until her daddy's three-man pit crew comes to her rescue.

All those men in her house have sweet Clem the Southern belle feeling real naughty.

And before too long, that pit crew is takin' care of her in ways her daddy couldn't.

Peaches and Cream – His sweet Peach.His beautiful, juicy Peach.

Theodore Henry Charles, an older business man, proposes a marriage of convenience to a twenty-two year old waitress Peach St. Clair.

He needs a young wife to impress the new young men who have taken over his company. Arm candy, respect. That's all he needs.

Peach St. Clair fits the bill. Broke and beautiful, and not too prideful.

She agrees, wanting nothing more than to get outta town.

A year or two. That's all he needs.

What she doesn't know when she agrees?

Theodore Henry Charles has an agenda, an evil plan.

Another thing she doesn't know?

He has three sons.

Three very attractive sons.

Her... step-sons.

All My Love – Love is the human condition. Without it, life is devoid of meaning.

Thankfully, I have a man whom I love with every fiber of my being. He is my world, and with his son, we will have a glorious, perfect, beautiful life together.

He just doesn't know it yet.

There are some bumps in the road on my way to him, but all great love stories have hurdles.

Romeo and Juliet fought against a familial feud.

Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy had to sort out his views of her family.

Noah and Allie face timing and an ever changing world.

But I know we'll have it easier. When I come clean, he'll accept me, because our love is written in the stars; Hudson Gray is my fate.

He'll see that everything I've done is to prove that I'm his, through and through. That he has me, all of me, and all my love.

Forever.

Doing all of these books as one review. They are all similar ish. Taboo premise- step relationship leads to a sexual relationship. They are all short and spicy well written erotica. If you are looking for this kind of read Daisy Jane does an amazingly good job writing interesting books.

Cherry Pie 

Sweet Clementine 

Peaches and Cream

All My Love 

Love and Tequila Makes Her Crazy by Brittanee Nicole

 

3 Stars

Nate Pearson was my first everything.

My first friend, first love, and first heartbreak. Now he's just my ex-husband.

It’s been three years. It’s time to let go of the past. When a man covered in tattoos walks into the bar where I work, with a guitar case slung over his back and a determined swagger, I think I’m finally ready to move on…until I see his guitar. I’d recognize it anywhere. It was the last gift Nate ever received from his father.

The man holding the guitar is different than the one I left behind in Nashville, but one thing remains the same, Nate Pearson will always be the love of my life.

The reasons why I asked for a divorce haven't changed. Only problem is, Nate Pearson says he still loves me, and this time he's playing for keeps.

I enjoyed this second chance romance. I felt Amelia got the short end of this story. Everyone is pushing her to forgive Nate and that she’s the only one who can save Nate. That is not her job at all but everyone makes it her job. With the flashbacks to their childhood it slows the book down. They weren’t necessary. I started skipping them. Once everything comes out Nate doesn’t do anything to fix the problem but it was still interesting to read.

Book 1 Bristol Bay

Amazon 

Promo: Carrie Ann Ryan

SECOND CHANCE HUSBAND RELEASE

Coming MONDAY! This is the final book in the series. Meaning it's all about binge reading! 

Link: https://geni.us/SecondHusbandChoice 

The First Time series concludes with an enemies to lovers romance that has been a long time coming. August and Paisley finally figure out what they’ve been missing.

The first time I got married, I watched the man I love walk away from me.

The second time around, I’m the one signing the dotted line first—this one a man who I realized I never loved.

Once burned, twice broken, I’m done looking for love.

Only my first ex-husband seems to be everywhere I turn—at my work, with my friends, and eventually…in my bed.

I didn’t mean for it to happen.

Twice.

But I know if I don’t protect my heart, there will be nothing left of me if he walks away again without telling me why he did so in the first place.

I don’t know if I can trust this new version of ourselves or if it’s merely the heat between us striking hot.

After all, second chances only exist in my dreams.

And there’s no such thing as a second chance husband.

Caught in a Pickle by CM Kane

3.5 Stars

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas...until it doesn't.

Hailey Truitt prides herself on her good decisions. A former foster kid, she's pulled herself up by her bootstraps, made a success of her life, and is happy with who she is and what she's done. At least until she got drunk, got married, and ended up in bed with a sexy stranger...

Star baseball player Alejandro de la Garza isn't about to let some stranger swindle him out of his hard-earned money. He thought he knew how to avoid bullpen bunnies, but a drunken Vegas decision threatens to ruin the safety he's secured for his family.

Both Hailey and Alej think they want an annulment. The problem? A fan posted a video of their wedding online, and now that his ailing Abuelita knows, he has to face the consequences of ending this -- both in the press, and in his private life.

I loved this book. The title is what drew me in and I stayed for the rest of it. Loved Alejandro and Hailey. I don’t normally go for a book where strangers marry and stay together but this one worked for me. It would have been a solid 4 but I need some strings tied up. Hailey has issues at her school and it’s a plot point but we have zero idea what happens to the people who caused her so many issues. Alej’s mom was a dick and they storm off but it’s never mentioned if there is a reconciliation. Overall, going to read all of her books.

Book 2 New Orleans Magicians

Amazon 

Promo: Yve Vale

👻 Trick or treat yourself to a bewitching read this Halloween! 🎃

Fall into the Bewitching Monsters series by Yve Vale, where things go bump in the night... and into your heart! 💘

Follow Jade, a 40-year-old romance author, as she stumbles into a world of supernatural hotties and heart-pounding adventure. With a werewolf, gargoyle, phoenix, demon, and incubus ghost on her trail, she's in for one he|| of a ride! 🐺🗿🔥😈👻

Dare to meet the creatures of the night in Bewitching Her Monsters:

https://books2read.com/bewitchingmonsters1

Continue the spell with book two Charming Her Monsters:

https://books2read.com/bewitchingmonsters2

Devour Enchanting Her Monsters the final Bewitching Monsters book this spooky season!

https://books2read.com/bewitchingmonsters3

Perfect for fans of: 

✨ Fated mates 

✨ Grown-A$$ FMCs 

✨ Protective alphas (both growly AND cinnamon roll!) 

✨ Fancy “equipment”

✨ Enemies-to-lovers 

✨ Mysterious ghosts 

✨ Steamy MM action

✨ Dark Rom-Com humor 

This completed why-choose paranormal series is the perfect treat to curl up with on a chilly autumn night. No tricks, just pure reading magic! 🔮📚

#Yvevale #BewitchingHerMonsters #CharmingHerMonsters #EnchantingHerMonsters #completeseries #paranormalromance #whychoose #whychooseromance #paranormalromanceseries #shifterromance #demonromance #ghostromance #witchromance #bookboyfriend #fatedmates #monsterromance #rhromance #reverseharem #kindleunlimited #availablenow

Queen of Hearts by Sara Blue

 

4 Stars

With her father, the head of the Amante family dead, Elena knows it’s only a matter of time before her brother tries to trade her off to the first mob family looking for an alliance.

Yet, all she wants is a choice in her future pack, and she refuses to be a bargaining chip at the hands of powerful men. She won't settle for anything less than true love.

Running away and taking a job at the exclusive, high-end, Omega club, the High Roller, seems like the only way she can find some freedom.

But when a striking man steals her attention on her first night working at the club, everything flips upside down. What starts off as an exclusivity contract turns into so much more. The pack she was running from might just be the one she falls for, or winds up destroying.

Sometimes freedom is an illusion… and sometimes a cage turns out to be the escape you were always looking for.

Loved this book. It mixes mafia with omegaverse. Super spicy with so much drama. Never read a Sara Blue book but this one makes me want to pick up more. I liked the characters and the give and take between the characters. Elena’s brother gets what’s coming to him. Would love to see more with these characters.

Part of the High Roller Omegaverse Series

Amazon

Midnight of Ashes by Tessa Hale

4 Stars

One moment changed everything. A split-second decision to try to save one of my five dragon mates nearly cost my life. And now nothing is the same.

Knox, Cáel, and Cillian treat me like I’ll break at any moment, while Maddox keeps a careful distance. And Easton won’t look at me at all.

We’re supposed to be fated by the stars, but we’re falling apart. Enemies still lurk around every corner, but the guys vow we’ll be ready when they come.

But evil has a way of striking when you least expect it. And none of us are ready for who might be pulling the strings…

Starts right where the first one ended. Some secrets are revealed, and more are introduced. The building of relationships was nice and I loved the connection between mates. The give and take was also nice to read. It does end on another cliffhanger. Not a bad thing but something I’ve noticed with all of Tessa Hale’s books is the FMC is always in danger at the end of the book until the final book. It’s not bad but it is something I’ve noticed she does.

Book 2 Dragons of Ember Hollow

Amazon