marylouereads's reviews
324 reviews

Merry H*-Mas : A forbidden Christmas Novella by Cindy Dawson

fast-paced

5.0

Ohhhhh hell yesssss!!! 

I devoured this novella. Could. Not. Put. It. Down! 

 

Who would’ve thought Dakota’s end game? 😮‍💨🤤, I really didn’t see that coming. 

Love the banter between Dakota and Cole. 

 

If you are looking for a finger-licking good holiday novella, look no further! Cindy Dawson hooks you up! 

 

definitely recommend reading one million percent 💥

Lost Love Found by Cristina Santos

medium-paced

5.0

The narrators chosen for LLF were perfect! Elisabeth Leigh and Conor McGee are amazing and what I pictured Elaina and Adam sounding like. 

Elaina and Adam are FOREVER! First off, Adam has the same birthday as my husband so that’s a win in my book lol The banter in this book is great! Love how the story was built up and loved the ending. If you love friends to lovers and found family then you should give this book a try! No spoilers! 

Go give it a listen! 
Audio releasing 11/26/2024

Eternal by Eva Simmons

dark hopeful medium-paced

4.75

Mrs. Eva Simmons how are these broken boys sooooo hot and mean and we still love them?! 

 

Declan grew up and had it ingrained in him to HATE anyone with the last name Donovan, including Teal, his childhood friend. Everything was great, they were close friends until they were not. Declan bullied Teal any chance he got. 

 

Teal was misunderstood and had to hide away all emotions. Many lies were fed to her by her father until they were discovered by the one and only Declan. He made sure our little shattered Teal was no longer broken. He was her savior. 

 

“You and I are something more. Something bigger. And what you do to me is greater than any good or evil. You are the only thing eternal for me, Teal.” 

The Gift Rarely Given by Ambar Cordova

4.5

Alex is the real MVP! He’s your new book boyfriend! 
The way he loves is just perfection! He takes in every piece and just admires 
Livie.

I loved how he stood up to Livie’s mother, ugh that lady needed to be put her place! 

Overall, this quick read is a great holiday read! Loved every bit of it!
it also had the perfect amount of spice 🫠😮‍💨

Thank you Ambar Cordova for giving me the opportunity to read in advance 

A Deal for a Kiss by Willow Winters

4.5

This prequel sucked me right in. This is a new to me author and I am definitely looking forward to reading more. 

 

The spice was devine 

 

Idk what I would do if I forgot TLOML but somehow Ivy needs to step up her game and remember Carlisle.

December Midnights by Victoria Wilder

ALC review 

 

Narration was on point! Both Tor Thom and Savannah Peachwood were perfect for both Gray and Aurora. 

 

The grumpy former baseball player wasn’t even looking for anything in little ole’ town of Wild Tide until there was Aurora and he felt that electricity and that instant attraction! 

 

This novella was everything! I loved the MC’s. Gray and Aurora were fated in the stars! True love! 

 

They both got their HEA! 

 

Devoured this novella! 

Its a must read!! 

If you're looking for a good/short holiday spice then this one is for you!

Burning Ivy: A Dark Mafia Romance (The KORT Series Book 1) by Brandy Hynes

5.0

OMGGGG!!!! Who doesn’t love a mafia, marriage of convenience romance?? 

DEVOURED THIS BOOK!!! 
I love how obsessed Gavin is with Ivy! 
HE. IS. HOT!!!! 

The spice was delicious! 

THEN THE FREAKING BONE Brandy Hynes threw in! WHATTTTT!!! Ma’am I was unwell!! I was second guessing my life! Was I really reading this correctly or I was dreaming. IYKYK! 

Definitely reading the rest of the series!

Lodged: A second chance, small town, billionaire romance. by Liss Montoya

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted

This book is a bit different from what Liss Montoya has put out. Different in a good way! 

First, the forbidden trope, teacher/student ❤️‍🔥. Professor Bianchi becomes the student….aka spice lessons 🫠 

 

Ruin and Gio tried very hard to not like each other but the universe had other plans for them. 

Everything goes well in life until there’s a big hiccup and amnesia happens and Gio doesn’t stop at any lengths to try to get his girl to fall in love again. 

 

He crosses many bridges for her. That man will be your new book boyfriend.

Lotus by Jennifer Hartmann

5.0

That damn twists!!! 

Jennifer Hartmann makes you stop reading arcs to dive deep into her books!!! I’m hooked! New fave author! 

Braving the Storm by Elliott Rose

5.0

UNCLE 👏🏼 STÔRMAND👏🏼IS 👏🏼 HOTTTTT👏🏼 

That’s all! J/k 

 

After dealing with a chaotic life back in the city, Briar finds herself heading to her inherited cabin  until she runs into her uncle, who learns he has an unexpected guest. 

 

Storm and Briar try to fight the inevitable but that forbidden force was too strong. 

 

You get to see the REAL, rawness of Storm’s true feelings and Briar’s family’s skeletons in the closet. 

 

Definitely recommend reading one million percent! 

 

Book rating: PERFECTION!!! 

Spice: CALIENTEEEEEE 

 

Thank you to Luna Literary Management and Elliot Rose for giving me the opportunity to read Braving the Storm in advance.