ljamison01's reviews
1168 reviews

Brutal Legacy by Mila Kane

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

This is the second book in the Original Sin series. I have wanted to read the first book since it came out but never did. I will soon rectify that. This book is about Elio and Georgia who have a long and twisted history together. Elio as a young man worked for Georgia’s father. He was told to stay away from her but of course he didn’t. The attraction between them was intense. When Elio tried to get permission to marry Georgia things went downhill fast. Now years later Elio is working as the enforcer for the mafia and he must rescue Georgia (who is in danger) who is a widow and bring her to the head of the mafia that will arrange a marriage for her. Elio and Georgia now hate each other because of so much miscommunication. Elio was in the military and lives by his training he appears so aloof and unapproachable. Georgia life has been difficult lately because of her marriage. This book had great angst, spice and of course tension. Great story with amazing characters. 

Undeniably Enemies by J. Saman

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This is the fifth book in the Boston’s Irresistible Billionaire series. I have read and enjoyed them all and this one included. Jack is Wren’s brother’s best friend and he’s ten years older than her. These two meet up at a masked Halloween party where they flirt, kiss and indulge in some grown up behavior until they realize who the other person is. Jack is distraught not only because he’s older than her and she’s his best friend’s younger sister and a virgin. Wren is upset because she always had an attraction to Jack and she felt he belittled her and made her feel bad. These two then avoided each other for years until she working as a medical student under him. The banter between these two is great and although it’s listed as enemies to lovers, I wouldn’t call them true enemies. It’s more like frustration because they can’t get out of their own way to admit they have feelings for each other. I enjoyed this spicy, interesting book. 

Addicted to You by Kimberly Knight

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is the sixth book in the Forbidden series and I have read most of the books so far. I have really enjoyed each book and this a great MM series. In this book we have Silas a young drummer whose band has just made it big and they are about to tour. During a break before tour he goes home for the holidays and meets his sister’s boyfriend Cash who is a sober companion. Cash and Silas’s sister have both moved to Boston and although Cash was reluctant to leave Texas but,he thought that him and Brit had something special. While on tour Silas is still partying and unfortunately overdoses and goes into rehab, but to go back on tour he needs a sober coach and he wants Cash. Cash and Silas have an easy working relationship. Cash is reliable and supportive. When Silas stays with Cash and his sister he realizes they don’t have much of a relationship and rarely see each other. This a forced proximity romance because they spend a lot of time on tour buses and in hotel. As the tour continues feelings begin to grow between two men who considered themselves heterosexual. So this a dual bi awakening story and it is very hot and spicy. The relationship aspect between Cash and Silas take a while to happen but when it does it’s great. This was another amazing book in this series. 

Alpha & Omega by Courtney W. Dixon

emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is the fourth book in the Alpha’s rejects series. This is the only book in the series I have read. The other books really should be read prior to this book because the other couples are all featured in this book. Alpha (Kingston) owns a bar and takes care of his makeshift family of rejects. Alpha takes care of and assumes responsibility for all of them. Now Omega (Harley) is a chef and restaurant owner with a teenage son. Omega and Alpha meet up on an app and begin to talk and later agree to meet. The attraction is instant and amazing. Their personalities mesh and they complement each other. It’s a big shock when they realize their places of business are right next door to each other. Alpha is thrown by this because before Omega’s restaurant opened his bar was doing fairly well. This story is very interesting and not a slow burn but a middle sizzle. The relationship between the two men is genuine and grows slowly. The spice is hot but the story really focuses on Alpha and his need to always take care of others. As I didn’t read the other stories I was left feeling as his rejects were just people who constantly took advantage of him and there was no sense of self reliance or independence or the need to take control of one’s own life. I loved Alpha and Omega and these two characters were meant to be together and the story shows us the love and support they had for each other in difficult situations. This was an amazing story of love and acceptance. Please check your trigger warnings and read the author’s note at the beginning of the story. 

Kingdom by W.S. Greer

dark emotional informative mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is my second book by this author. After I read the first I was surprised that it was a black male author. He has the unique ability to actually write women with all their insecurities and nuances that make us who we are. This book focuses on Alina a photographer who is in a terrible relationship with a journalist who works at the same paper as her. As they get closer to a year she feels the need to share her deepest dark secrets and her boyfriend is horrified. Alina has a favorite author who writes about the BDSM lifestyle and that is what she wants to explore. Through luck Alina gets to meet her favorite author Nathan and there’s an instant connection and he asks her out. Now as things progress between them it gets incredibly hot and spicy. Alina is suddenly feeling free to allow her demons out but is she really sure about what she wants? This book is told predominantly from Alina’s point of view so we (the reader) have to make assumptions about Nathan (Nas) is he genuine, does he really care for her, what is his end goal. I absolutely adored this book. I loved how he was able to explain so many things concerning BDSM that I didn’t know. This felt like a how to. I can see why this book achieved so much success years ago. Some books last through time. This isn’t a book you should sleep on if the dynamics of a BDSM Dom/sub relationship interest you. I read the special edition which contained an additional seven chapters from the original book which I hadn’t read. 

Someone To Love: A Small Town Romance by Michelle Major, Michelle Major

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted slow-paced

3.5

Sadie and her book club ladies are such a great community. These women are friends who support and rely on each other. When Sadie who owns a boarding kennel talks about her younger sister who is getting married to a man her age and how she sacrificed so much to help raise her. Sadie is a thirty something woman who is still a virgin and really hasn’t lived. When a friend confesses that she has cancer each friend decides that they must make a bucket list and cross off an item, Sadie decides it’s time to do something for herself. Now she has recently gotten a new neighbor who in her mind has created some dungeon in his basement because he keeps receiving these boxes and she never sees him. Ian is a ex football player who is trying to find anonymity and bought a house in a small town to raise and co parent his preteen daughter. The story is sweet, it moved a little slow for me. Sadie and Ian propose this fake relationship so that she can have a boyfriend for her sister’s wedding. As they spend time together the town begins to see them as a couple and then Ian and Sadie start to realize that they have to put themselves first for once. 

These Jagged Edges by Tuesday James

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This is a new author to me and I must say I really enjoyed the story and the author’s writing. This story revolves around Evie and Maddox. Evie has run away from a horrific and dangerous situation. She was abused and ran before she knew she was pregnant. Now six years later she is the mother of twin boys (Bash and Charlie) and has settled in a small town, but she is always looking over her shoulder waiting for the demon to find her. Maddox her neighbor who is so gruff and grumpy he scares the heck out of her. He has yelled at her son for climbing on his roof and his abrasive behavior makes her avoid him. But like Evie, Maddox has also suffered through trauma. Maddox encourages Evie to come to his gym often where she can be taught survival skills. Evie and her sons are very friendly with Maddox’s brother Mercy which annoys him slightly. This is a sad story that may make you tear up. It’s about two people finding love and happiness and dealing with their traumas. There may be some things that are triggering so please check the trigger warning. I loved the strong family aspect of this book and the side characters certainly made the story more entertaining and I’m hoping this is the beginning of a new series and we get to see more of Mercy, Louisiana and Henry. 

Altair University: The Bleak Beginning by Amber Vant

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I’m an avid fan of dark romance, secret societies, family rivalries and sorts of things that will have cause tense interactions and loads of angst. This book fits that description to the T. This is also a bully romance. There were four founding fathers and one of the families betrayed the others and now the daughter of the “bad guy” is attending school with the three sons of the other families. Alex attends this school not sure of her reception but it is quickly evident that she is not welcomed. Yet Alex is determined to attend do her work, keep her head down and graduate. Alex is also interested in finding out the secrets of the university and her family. These three men Camden, Bishop, and Sly don’t want her there and they want to make her pay. This was a definite slow burn for me. The book is really intense with explaining the background and history and laying the groundwork for the next book. The story of Alex and these guys is interesting and I enjoyed the multiple point of views that give us some insight into what others are thinking and feeling. But, this book is very dark so please check the trigger warnings and it does end of a cliffhanger. 

Power Forward by Jodi Oliver

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is the fourth book in the Chicago Thunder series. I have only read two books in the series. I would suggest reading the books in order because the other couples are mentioned in this book. This book is about Jackson and Hayden who were hockey players on the same team and then partners for a year or two until Jackson was transferred to another team and Hayden had a career ending injury. Now fourteen years later both men have married and divorced women and Jackson is the father of two young kids. Their break up was difficult with Hayden telling Jackson he didn’t think he loved him. But, Hayden lied. I don’t want to spoil the story because the reason why they broke up and the difficulty they have trying to reconnect as friends all center around Hayden and his issues. I appreciate the author for discussing and explaining the problems a person who suffers from osteoarthritis. The debilitating pain that is a constant and the thoughts and worries concerning surgery and having injections. I truly sympathize with this because I understand firsthand how hard it is to try to pretend everything is okay when it isn’t. But, this story is about more than Hayden’s physical ailments and a lot to do with his mental health. This book had minimum angst, great spice and a terrific story of two mature men getting a second chance with the love of their life. 

Mountain Boss by S.J. Tilly

emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

If you enjoy strong, big sexy mountain men, well this is the book for you. Courtney our MFC has had a tough life. She shows up to Black Lodge to assume the new maintenance position however her boss Sterling has no idea that she is a woman. Courtney desperately needs this job, she has 200 dollars to her name and all her belongings in her jeep. Although this is a three month position she’s hoping to save money and hopes that maybe it will last longer. Sterling is immediately attracted to this curvy woman. He’s attracted to her figure and crazy about the two braids she keeps her hair in. At the beginning this was a lot of miscommunication between the two because she was afraid of being fired so she said nothing. But, once they begin to communicate all the walls come down. This is a very spicy age gap, boss employee, close proximity romance. If you read anything by S.J Tilly you know what to expect and she doesn’t disappoint. This is the first book of her new mountain men series.