hillaryp48's reviews
187 reviews

Matched to the Mafia by Jenika Snow

4.0

Enzo is the head of the family for the mafia in LA. He is used to getting anything he wants and doesn’t have to conform to anyone’s rules. His mother keeps pressuring him into finding a wife but he hasn’t met anyone that interests him until Bianca. Bianca works as a receptionist at a matchmaking service. She has met Enzo once, briefly, and it has taken all her self will to not ask about him. She knows he is a very powerful man and owes a stake in the business she works for but not much else. One random day Enzo shows up and asks Biance out on a date. The thing is, Bianca doesn’t feel like he really asked, more like he demanded. She says yes anyways and her life changes forever. This is a quick mafia novella romance with some spicy scenes. I was looking for a quick smutty read and this one delivered. I say every time I write a review for a Jenika Snow book that she writes stories the EXACT way I love. Very little conflict and lots and lots of spice. I can’t wait for my next read by Jenika!

Blame it on the Tequila by Fiona Cole

4.0

Nova has been running from her past for so long now that she feels like she has gotten over it. When her best friend gets a chance to video chat with a rock star and shows Nova dancing away at a wedding, Nova notices that it isn’t just any rock star but her ex step-brother and childhood love. Parker is the lead singer and guitarist for a very popular up incoming rock band. He got his start by just playing with his best friends and writing music with his then step-sister. Nova had no idea how incredible she was or how he affected everyone around her. When Parker’s lifetime dream was given to him, Nova told him to go, that she would be fine, but when he was finally able to make it back she was gone. Parker hasn’t seen Nova in over 5 years so when he happens to choose a fan to video chat and sees her dancing he will do anything to see her again. Will Nova give Parker the chance they both have always wanted and will Nova finally stop running from her past? This is a step-sibling romance with a bit of voyeurism mixed in. I really enjoyed this book and found Parker to be such an amazing match for Nova. By the end of the book, I was a bit annoyed with Nova and how she deals with her past and conflict. It is the second in a series but each book is a standalone focusing on different main characters. The scene in the hotel bedroom with Ash was soooo hot!

Lovely Bad Things by Trisha Wolfe

5.0

Halen is a smart and capable woman who loves her career as a consultant for the FBI. She is a profiler and is damn good at it. She is working a case and is convinced that a professor from the university is the killer. Kallum is a philosophy professor and is very wrapped up in the ideas of secret societies. He is sentenced to a mental hospital after his trial for murder and all he can think about is the profiler who sent him there. When Halen gets assigned another occult seeming killer she gets the FBI to let Kallum out to help assist. He is the only one that can think like the killer and hopefully bring home the missing victims. Will Halen succeed in finding the missing people or will Kallum get his evil claws into her? This is a dark romance with an enemies-to-lovers trope. I could not stop reading this book and loved all of the twists and turns that happened. It does end on a bit of a cliffhanger and I can’t wait to see what happens next. I didn’t think the spice was that hot but some scenes were better than others. Overall, I can’t wait for the next book and see where the story goes.

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

3.0

Vivienne is a witch, but not a witch that really likes to do magic. One summer after getting her heart broken, her and her cousin put a curse on the man that broke her heart. They didn’t think anything of it since neither of them are very powerful witches, plus they made it up! Rhys is headed back to the small town his family founded in the States to charge the ley lines for the local witches. He hasn’t been back since Vivienne broke things off with him. As soon as he crosses into the towns lines, Rhys’ luck seems to plummet. He feels like he might be cursed even though a Penhallow couldn’t possibly be cursed. This is a paranormal romance and pretty tame when it comes to the spice level of the book. I found the book to be cute and fun but not really my style. It is a great introductory book for someone starting in the romance genre.

Heartless Heathens by Santana Knox

4.0

Romina knows that living in a bell tower isn’t normal yet she doesn’t know any different. Father Frollo is the only other person she has ever interacted with and he isn’t very nice to her. When the new school year is about to begin, 3 heathens move into the chapel and change everything. Once Romina has been discovered her entire life changes. Feliz and Corvin are identical twins and their chosen brother Sonny is being groomed to take over the Satanic Temple. How will these 3 men influence Romina and what will become of her soul? This is a why choose gothic romance with lots of trigger warnings. I found Romina to be so endearing. Usually a very naive FMC annoys me but the way Santana wrote Romina was more curious and naive. The story between the 3 men and how their lives are all interconnected was also very interesting. I loved the twist in the book and didn’t see it coming at all.

The Dragon's Bride by Katee Robert

4.0

Briar finds herself stuck between an abusive husband and making a deal with a demon. She decides serving 7 years of servitude to a demon is better than dealing with her husband. Once the demon takes care of her husband, Briar is swept away and finds herself being auctioned off as a bride in a supernatural world. Briar is picked by a half dragon half male human hybrid named Sol. She is told that she will be his wife for the next 7 years BUT will never have to do anything she doesn’t agree to. Briar thinks that will be easy but Sol is a lot more charming and sweet than Briar has never dealt with before. The one thing standing in her way is Sol wants a child and Briar wants to leave when her 7 years is up. What will Briar choose to do? This is a fantasy romance with some extra spicy scenes. If you are familiar with Katee Robert, it is set up very similar to others I have read by her. There is lots of spice with little conflict which I love. To sum it up is the word TWO!

Barbarian Alien by Ruby Dixon

4.0

This is book 2 in the Ice Planet Barbarians Series and focuses on Liz and Raahosh. Liz was a part of the original set of women that were kept in cages on the spaceship. She is a feisty, stubborn, and independent woman who doesn’t want to take in the life saving organism and doesn’t want to be tied down to any alien. Raahosh hasn’t had an easy childhood and has always felt like an outsider within the tribe. He has always longed for a mate and a family but never thought it would ever happen. When he starts to resonate for one of the human women, he doesn’t care what the rules are and runs away with Liz. The story focuses on how they navigate their new relationship and what the consequences are for Raahosh for deliberately disobeying his chief. I found book 2 to be fun and entertaining but also a bit frustrating. I didn’t care for everything that happened regarding the punishment for Raahosh. Liz as a character grew on me and I ended up really liking her by the end. I liked how the main female character was a lot more resourceful and didn’t rely on her alien as much as in book 1. Overall it was a fun book with some nice spicy scenes.

Dark Notes by Pam Godwin

5.0

WOW, WOW, WOW! This book was nothing like I was expecting. Ivory is a senior in high school and has a traumatic past 4 years. All of her focus is on graduating high school and getting into the top conservatory in the country. When a new piano teacher is hired she is worried that they won’t like her and her dreams will be dashed. Emeric is starting over after a devastating betrayal by his ex-girlfriend which caused him to be fired from the last school he worked at. He is direct, stern, and requires strict obedience. On the first day, he thinks a teacher walks in who takes his breath away, turns out that it’s not a teacher, but a student, Ivory. Will Ivory’s past come back to kill her dreams and will Emeric cause another hurdle for her? This is a dark forbidden romance with a teacher-student relationship and some graphics scenes so trigger warning should be checked. This book was so captivating that I could not put it down. Anytime I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it. The way Pam Godwin makes you fall deeply in love with the main characters is so unique and wonderful. I found myself falling for Emeric before Ivory even did. The balance Ivory brings to Emeric and vice versa is beautiful. The love story itself is very intoxicating and enchanting that I found my emotions flowing right along with the Ivory. This was my first novel by Pam Godwin and I can not wait to read another!

Dirty Crazy Bad: Book Two by Siobhan Davis

4.0

Ashley is now fully immersed in the secret society as well as everyone she loves. Her and Jase are set to be married, Ares is set to marry Bree, and Chad is locked up with Rhett Carter’s wife. The four of them are determined to rescue Chad and then figure out how they are going to stop Rhett from taking over the secret society. Ashley’s relationships with Jase, Chad, and now Ares is also a factor and is something to sort out. Will they be able to rescue Chad and stop Rhett? This is the 2nd book in the series and is wonderful. It is a dark mystery, why choose romance. It has a lot of explaining in the beginning which made me slow down of finishing, but as the book progressed so did the plot. I have never read a why choose plot where one of the guys doesn’t want to share and I thought that was a more realistic plot line. I enjoyed this book a lot once the plot started to pick up and enjoyed the ending. I haven’t read a book by Siobhan in a while and I forgot how beautifully she writes!

Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon

5.0

Georgie wakes up in a cage full of other women and is confused how she got there and what is going on. Turns out, they were all abducted by aliens and are flying through space. There is one girl in the cage that was given a translator and is able to tell everyone what the aliens are saying which helps them to survive. The ship crashes onto an icy planet and Gerogie is the one that volunteers to go out and see if she can find food and water. She finds way more than that, she finds her soulmate Vektal. Georgie is determined to make it back to the crash site and rescue the other girls. This is my first science fiction romance and it was amazing! I loved the world that Ruby created and how she explains everything. The spice in this book is hot as hell too!!! Loved this book and can’t wait to read more in the series.