The past few weeks have been insane in my writerly world which means my reading time was seriously non productive. And that is a very sad thing. But with some edits and tweaks and new words on my projects, I was able to dive back in to my TBR list with Crossing the Line by Nikki Rose.

Giving this review is going to be a tricky one because with a romantic suspense novel, the very last thing you want to do is give away any spoilers. Crossing the Line is chock full of all kinds of “OMG what just happened” kind of twists and turns that make is hard to avoid.

If you’ve read any of my past reviews, you know how much value I put on starting in the right place and with some action and Ms. Rose delivers that in spades. On page one our hero (a term I use kiiiiiiiind of loosely because he is a morally gray/borderline antihero type of character) Hunter is murdering someone. Yep, you read that right. We start smack dab in the middle of serious heavy drama and I loved it!

Our heroine Addy is a bit different. She is a heartbroken girl, new in the big city, and just trying to find her footing and maybe make some new friends. However, on a night out with said new friends, she is the sole witness to a murder. One that isn’t just your average run of the mill murder (yeah, I can’t believe I just said that either), but one that has the calling cards of many others and possibly was done at the hands of a serial killer. All of this means our Addy is shipped off into witness protection and transformed into Emma.

Here’s the thing though, Hunter is cloaked in mystery, but well connected mystery. He is able to find her, even though she’s hidden away in a backwoods town and has traded her art career for waitressing at a small diner. He takes the opportunity to wine and dine “Emma” all the while knowing she is really Addy, the girl who lived in a building across from his in the city where he (creepily at times) would watch her and quickly fell in lust.

Their relationship heralded… well one of the BIG twists that takes place in this story. And because of it, not just their HEA, but their lives are thrown into jeopardy.

A few notes about Crossing the Line, because I am a big believer in the importance of warnings: this has Stockholm Syndrome tones as a major plot point, sexual interaction between the hero and someone NOT the heroine, and several episodes of violence. I believe Ms. Rose handled the violence quite well and even my sensitive self had no issues reading, however I put those points as a warning to potential future readers.

If you enjoy dark romances with a thread of suspense and featuring hot as Hades, but morally gray leading men, grab a copy of Crossing the Line and dive into the world of Hunter and Addy/Emma.

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A small addition to my monthly book theme results in giving you guys TWO book reviews today instead of one! Check out my thoughts on fellow Evernight author Beth D. Carter’s MMF bisexual polyamory story The Song Bird.

I am truly a sucker for romance in (nearly) any form that gives me an HEA I can swoon over, but of course I have my favorite things (yes, you may start singing now) like steamy sex. And unconventional love interests. And a bit of a love/hate beginning. And a super strong female lead. And…

Okay. I’ll stop.

The Song Bird by Beth D. Carter hits nearly every note (pun completely intended) for me. We are introduced to the seemingly puritanical Avilon Chambert when she journeys from her home in New Orleans to the wild west of a small town just outside of San Francisco. When I say seemingly puritanical, you’ve gotta realize that Avilon arrived in Cali courtesy of… nuns. Yep.

But her reason for being here is on the complete opposite spectrum and our heroine starts off her story by auditioning to be a singer in a… shall we say house of ill repute? It’s a casino that also offers the gamblers a happy ending for the right price. Even though Avilon is leery, she auditions anyway because she has a bigger purpose than simply securing a job: she needs to find her sister who sent her a letter of distress six months earlier and hasn’t been heard from again.

She manages to get the job, but the pay isn’t what she expects. One song equals one answered question about her sister. Desperate to find all she can, she accepts the terms. What she doesn’t expect is for the owners of the establishment Jason and Eli, to require she move in and stay on the premises.

That shock is only increased when both men express an interest in her. She can’t fight her attraction, but the surprises keep on rolling for our little Avilon when she attempts to negotiate a slight change in working conditions for the girls that “live upstairs” and Eli will only agree if she makes an acquiescence as well… moving from the storeroom behind the stage and into the bedroom of the home next door. With Eli and Jason.

Each man introduces her to sexual intimacy separately, but when Jason’s life is threatened and Avilon chances upon the two men in a heated embrace, she realizes that it isn’t just her they are interested in, but each other.

After a significant misunderstanding, they find a measure of peace between the three of them both in and out of the bedroom and Avilon begins to fall for both men. But villainous outside forces that are behind Avilon’s sister’s disappearance as well as unexplained crimes happening in the town have their sites set on Eli, Jason, and Avilon and is set on destroying the happily ever after they once thought they’d found.

If you like unique historical romances heavy on the salacious side with a swoon worthy HEA and just a tinge of suspense and fear in the middle, you’d love The Song Bird by Beth D. Carter.

Available now:

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As I’ve mentioned, March is Women’s History month so with that idea in mind, I went in search of feminist romances. And when I say I went in search I mean that I went to Goodreads, typed in “feminist romance” and was given a list. Yes, I am legitimately that lazy. I was giddy when I saw several Courtney Milan books listed because I am not only a fan of hers as a reader, but also as an author. She is transparent and witty and brassy and I may or may not want to be her when I grow up.

However, hero worship aside, the first recommendation on that list for Ms. Milan (yes, several of her books were listed) was The Duchess War and… I am sad to say I hadn’t read it. I’ve been very aware of it, especially in light of recent events, but I had never read. So I took this as a sign, one-clicked, and my journey began.

Minnie is our female lead and what. a. lead! She is strong and very contrary to her generation. She has thoughts! Opinions! Shocking, right? This is the beauty of reading a historical because I can sit here with all my rights to vote, work, and drive a car while… this wasn’t always true for women. And real life humans like our darling Minnie are the reason I’m afforded these privileges.

So now that we’ve established that Minnie is badass, let’s move along to the darling Duke Robert, shall we? This man is book boyfriend material. He is a strong proponent of social justice to a degree that makes him radical for his time. Unlike many aristocrats of the era, (let’s be honest, of any era) he is able to clearly see the pain people less fortunate than he deal with daily and he feels for them on a deep level that will absolutely make you swoon.

It’s this empath-esque nature of his that makes him the perfect man for Minnie, even if she doesn’t realize it nor think it possible at first. Because you see, folks, our dear Minnie harbors a secret. She’s been able to experience both sides of the coin and sees the stark contrast between the freedoms men are afforded vs women better than any other person at the time possibly could.

But I have to be honest, one of my favorite things about this book was that the sex was NOT all fireworks and screaming ecstasy the first time and every time. There was awkward. There was fumbling. There were mistakes. And. It. Was. Okay!

To me, The Duchess War was a very female empowering story that took a classic trope (rich aristocrat and a poor, mousy love interest) and gave it an entirely new take. I am honored and thrilled to have The Duchess War be the first book for my Women’s History Month inspired readings.

Reading every new book by H.R. Reve consumes twenty-four-year-old stylist Sydney Bordelon’s free time. After the latest installment, her inebriated self thinks emailing him—hiding behind username RedLace24—detailing the effect of his words on her libido is a good idea.

Being a forty-two-year-old English professor at a private university and writing erotica makes Harrison Winslow guard his identity closely, never interacting with fans. Until RedLace24.

Flirtatious emails and steamy sexting culminate in a weekend of hedonistic sex and surprising intimacy. Harrison struggles to keep the truth from Red, especially when she discloses her name and opens up to him, revealing that she’s an aspiring author.

When fate intervenes and his truth is exposed, Harrison must channel the romance of his alter ego if wants to retain the woman who excites his body and challenges his mind.

Excerpt:

The object of his obsessive thoughts laid a hand on his arm, halting his movement. “My bag is still in my car. Just let me run out and—”

“No.” A single word. One syllable. But it exploded from his mouth with more force than a volcanic eruption, ruining his attempt at playing the cool, seasoned one-night-stand kind of guy. He cleared his throat and commanded his voice under control. “No, you don’t need to. I can have an attendant send someone to retrieve it and bring it to our room.” Manners, chivalry, and all the all-too-real possibility that for all her flirting she may be looking for a way out filtered through him. “That is if you still want to…”

She reached up behind his neck, grasping at the short strands of hair clustered at the nape. Her tongue darted out, running along the full bottom lip that had taunted him all through dinner, begging for him to take a taste. Without a word, she lifted onto her toes, kissing him hesitantly at first. Fire ignited at the site of their joined mouths and swept through his body. Never before had a brief contact created such an intense reaction.

His fingers landed on her hips, pulling her closer. The groan from the back of her throat as she came in contact with the proof of his desperate need urged him to deepen the kiss. His hands itched to travel, to feel the full ass he’d unabashedly stared at as he’d intentionally walked half a pace behind her. But the infinitesimal part of his brain that still spoke logic through the haze of lust reminded him of their very public location in the hotel lobby.

Hating every centimeter, he slowly pulled away, breaking the kiss before offering one last swipe of his mouth against hers. Harrison closed his eyes that were hungrily fixated on her heaving chest, pressing his forehead to hers. “As much as I would love to continue this right here and right now, we need to at least go to our room before we get kicked out for indecent exposure.”

A seductive smile curled her swollen lips and she peeled his hand from her hip, lacing her fingers through his. “Then I think we better get upstairs.”

If he thought she’d outdone his flirting capabilities at dinner, he was sadly mistaken. The agonizingly long elevator ride was a testimony to her ability to torture him covertly. Standing in front of him, she offered an elderly lady hair styling tips—at least he learned her profession—and regaled her with client stories. The entire time, her hand softly stroked up and down the ever-hardening length of him with feather-light touches.

With as much control as he could muster, he graciously bid the older woman a good evening and tried his best not to drag Red to the room. He was thankful the key card slid into the lock and worked easily on the first try.

Two steps into the room were as far as he was able to make it before the need to touch her—to really touch her—the way he’d been craving all night took over. He pressed her against the door, grabbing her partially exposed left thigh and lifting it over his hip, rubbing the erection she had made sure to bring to an aching need against her core. When she tilted her head back against the wooden surface and moaned, he couldn’t help but smirk. “Is that what you wanted, Red?”

“Yes!” She pulled at his neck, bringing his mouth to hers once again, this time with a frantic desperation.

He slid his hand along her thigh, pushing her skirt up with the movement before reaching one ass cheek he was delighted to find exposed. Red whimpered as his fingers sank into her flesh.

Harrison ignored the protests of his body as he broke their kiss. Weeks of build-up on top of his lackluster sex life before her meant their encounter would be over far sooner than he liked if he didn’t rein in his libido.

He released his grip on her and took a few backward steps into the sitting room of the suite. Resting against the arm of the sofa, he crossed his ankles and slid his jacket off, tossing it aside. His gaze raked over her once then again at a much slower speed, taking in every inch of her golden, tan body. “I love that you wore my color but … take that off, Red.”

She pushed off the door, her hips swaying as she walked toward him at a leisurely, deliberate pace. Her arms crossed in front of her and she reached for the hem, pulling the dress over her head and tossing it across the room in one smooth motion. She stopped just out of his reach, clad only in a crimson lace thong and gold heels. “Better?”

Self-control be damned, he grabbed her around the waist, lifting her off her feet and holding her tight against his body. A squeak escaped her lips as her legs wrapped tightly around him. An all-consuming need drove him to carry her into the bedroom and deposit her on the bed. He hovered over her for a moment before giving in to the screaming need of his body to touch and taste every inch of her.

His lips made a trail down her jaw to her neck, nipping at the juncture where it met her shoulder. He continued down to the full, rich globes that had teased him awake in the middle of the night more than once with the throbbing effects just the sight of them had left on his body. He suckled on the dark chocolate bud on the right while his hand wandered farther down, diving beneath the scarlet material she had worn for him. Just for him.

Available for purchase today!

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Lie To Me is a YA Urban fantasy that contains some dark twists and turns you may never see coming.

I’ll admit that this was a new genre for me. I’ve read YA (and loved it) and I’ve read Urban Fantasy (and loved it), but I’ve never had the two mesh so this was an exploration for me!

Now, our MC Tevy… oh poor Tevy. Her creator was absolutely awful to her. There were multiple times as I was reading I stopped and thought, “Holy crap, how much more can this poor girl handle?” Her parents died tragically before the book begins, but it plays a HUGE factor in everything our Tevy goes through. It’s the inciting event for her PTSD diagnosis which leads to being admitted to a shady-as-hell mental institution and forced to undergo barbaric “therapeutic” treatments, abusive staff, and medicine that makes her zombie-fied. All because she claims to see angels battling in the sky.

Tevy, however, is so bright and clever she discovers the best way to escape the hell she lives in on a daily basis is to lie to all the medical professionals and assure them she no longer sees the angels that are still very present in her life.

But her release isn’t all it’s cracked up to be when she returns to her home to find her aunt has exorcised every remnant of her parents. From the furniture to their pictures, everything is gone. The only thing more devastating is the fact her best friend won’t acknowledge her existence.

Her biggest ally comes in the form of the awkward boy next door Dylan who has been rather socially ostracized himself, but remembers the kindness Tevy showed him before she was taken away and puts in the effort to renew their bond. Most importantly, he doesn’t make her feel crazy.

Lie To Me takes a million twists and turns that would easily make this a three thousand word review, but you really need to experience the unique tale of Tevy and the angels who chose her for yourself.

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