Tag: Romance Reads

🎧 Audiobook Review Hooked: By Emily McIntire

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

🌢🌢🌢🌢/5

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πŸ’« π‘†π‘’π‘π‘œπ‘›π‘‘ π‘ π‘‘π‘Žπ‘Ÿ π‘‘π‘œ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘Ÿπ‘–π‘”β„Žπ‘‘οΌŒπ‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘ π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘–π‘”β„Žπ‘‘ π‘œπ‘› 𝑑𝑖𝑙𝑙 π‘šπ‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘›π‘–π‘›π‘” ✨

Hooked is the first book in Never After Series of retellings/reimagining. I picked this up awhile ago thinking it was a straight up retelling of Peter Pan, which is one of my all-time favorite books and my very favorite Disney movie. I put it to the side when I realized that it was a dark romance reimagining. I wasn’t in the headspace for something dark at the time. Recently, I ended up listening to this as an audiobook.

McIntire did a great job creating a villain I was actually rooting for. Yes he might be a murderer and monster, but he’s also extremely loyal to his friends and those close to him. It seems like everyone close to James has disappointed him or betrayed him at some point. Even at the very end. It was really cool how she intertwined Easter eggs from the original Peter Pan book and the movies.

The twists were phenomenal! There was one I feel like I should have expected but didn’t see coming. Another of the twists I had a nagging feeling about through most of the book and it proved to be right.

This is definitely a red hot read with many a spicy scene. Reader be warned this book is a dark one. I’m off to read a cozy or two and maybe a rom com before I’m reading for book 2.

Hooked is out now, and BONUS, it’s on Kindle Unlimited for the ebook and the audiobook! Get a copy here.

RED HOT READ ALERT: this book is hot hot hot. A very spicy 4 peppers (maybe even 5). There are lots of sexy scenes along with some messed up ones. Please check out the author’s website here for the trigger warnings.

Find the rest of the Never After Series and stay tuned for reviews!

King of Wrath by Ana Huang

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5

🌢🌢🌢🌢/5

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I was late to the game discovering Ana Huang, but thanks to TikTok, I’m now better informed and all caught up. I devoured the Twisted Series way too quickly, so imagine my delight when Damon made his appearnce in the debut of the Kings of Sin series.

And I have good news and bad new about the series. The good news: This book is amazing, unputdownable (is that a word? If not, it should be) and is one of seven based off of the Seven Deadly Sins. The bad news: This is the only book out in the series so far. Womp womp. So we’re going to have to wait.

If you’ve read the Twisted Series, you’ll remember Damon from the debacle with the painting and some other quick cameos. It seems like this book overlaps some of the last book of Twisted and we get some cameos by those characters which I love. Damon is blackmailed by Vivian Lau’s father into marrying her to cement the family’s social standing. It seems Damon’s brother Luca has gotten himself mixed up with a forbidden mafia princess, and Mr. Lau has decided this is the perfect way to marry off his daughter and escalate the family into the upper echelon of society. Too bad Damon and Vivian mix about as well as oil and water.

“Missed me?” Amusement lengthened his drawl. “As much as a sailor misses scurvy.”

This is my favorite quote from the book, because it sums up Vivian in one quick comeback. She’s smart, savvy and witty. However, she’s tethered to her overprotective and somewhat abusive parents who only value Vivian for what she can bring to the table from a monetary stand point.

As per usual, the twist is great, and we get our hard fought HEA. I absolutely cannot wait to read the rest of the series. I actually preordered book number 2, which is something I rarely do. So I’ll be over here, patiently waiting until April.

Tropes hit: Arranged Marriage, Enemies to Lovers, Billionaire Romance

RED HOT READ ALERT: this book is sexy sexy in typical Ana Huang style. Not quite the full five ghost peppers, but don’t be fooled this one will leave you blushing.

Click here to get your copy of King of Wrath

Click here to preorder your copy of Kings of Sin (Luca’s story!)

Click here to order your copy of the Twisted Series

The Wrong Bride by Catharina Maura

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

🌢🌢🌢🌢/5

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For the love of all that is Jerry Springer, Maury Who’s The Daddy, Sally Jessy Raphael I’m really not sure what I just read. All I know is that I freaking couldn’t put it down! Holy Smokes!

OK let me back up. This whole year has been one big, long, extended reading slump for me. I catch a spurt, then my fire goes out. I blame growing a human at the old ass age of 36, but whatever. ANYWAY, I was bored in the doctor’s office, scrolling through the book of face, and an advertisement for this book came up. Pretty cover. Intriguing blurb. In KU. Add to list. And then I read it all in one sitting.

Raven has been in love with Ares Windsor since, well forever. He’s her best friend’s older brother and she’s very much been ingrained in their family. The Windor’s have an old tradition of arranged marriages, and originally the plan was for Raven and Ares to be married. Too bad he’s always loved her older, perfect, sister Hannah. Are’s Grandmother, the matriarch of the Windsor bunch agrees to let Ares and Hannah have their love match. UNTIL EVERYTHING FALLS APART AND GOES BANANAS!

I’m not going to give much away because this book is chock full of twists, turns and surprises. I literally could not put it down, all the while muttering wtfffffff over and over again. Just when you think everything is hunky dory, Maura manages to rip the carpet out from under you. I’m so excited for the rest of the series, which promises 6 more books, one for each of the Windor siblings. Up next is Luca and Valentina, but I’m really excited for Sierra (Raven’s best friend) and Xavier. You guys, she sends him a fish bomb! (I’m going to need to hear more about this and how exactly one makes a fish bomb….) Their story promises to be an excellent Enemies to Lovers book, one of my favorite tropes. It also looks like this is a spin off from Catharina’s other series, Off Limits. Silas and Alanna are two of Raven’s friends, and it appears the already have their own book.

So, I’ll BRB while I go devour the Off Limits Series

BONUS: All the books are in Kindle Unlimited!

One sale now, you can grab your copy here. You can also preorder the next book in the series Luca & Valentina’s story here.

Tropes hit: Forbidden Romance, Arranged Marriage, Friends to Lovers, Billionaire Romance, Sister’s Best Friend, Best Friend’s Brother

RED HOT READ ALERT: this book is sexy sexy. Don’t be fooled by the pretty cover this book is a scorcher.