I will start off by saying that Caged In Desire by Sadie Winchester is recommended for those eighteen and over. When you read the sexy scenes, you will know why.
Caged In Desire by Sadie Winchester is a story about gods and godesses and I loved it. It has a very pretty cover. We meet Charlee Amoretti, who is better known as Cupid. It’s Valentine’s Day, so she is happily delivering the Double Tap, where two hearts will beat as one. She knows it will never happen for her…When she meets a grouchy Eryx Nightvale, the God of Discord, both their lives will be changed forever.
The story may be a quick read, but it is full of love and laughs. That twist at the end…I love it! Makes me want more of Sadie Winchester’s world of gods and godesses.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Born among the gods and bound for eternity as a matchmaker to the mortals, my life has been dedicated to pairing hearts and souls. But these powers come at a high cost. By bonding couples together, I’ve been robbed of having that same connection with another.
Valentine’s Day has come around, as it always does, filling people with a deep desire to find true love. And just when I think this will be another successful year, I find myself on the doorstep of a man whose heart and life have been cast in darkness.
Eryx Nightvale isn’t just any man—he’s the god of discord, everything I’m not, and he’s determined to break everything I represent.
Now I’m caged, my heart and body trapped behind bars. Will I be able to charm my captor into opening the lock keeping me prisoner? Or will we both be lost to the shattered remains of our own making?
*This book is intended for mature audiences 18+ years. Please check the trigger and content warnings on the author’s website.*
Genre: Enemies To Lovers, Fantasy, Fiction, Mythology, Romance
162 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 2, 2026
ABOUT SADIE WINCHESTER
A dark romance author, Sadie Winchester is looking forward to sharing the stories living in her head rent-free with the rest of the world. She writes across a variety of sub-genres, including mafia romance and paranormal romance.
During her high school years, she fell in love with writing short stories which continued on/off into adulthood. Finally, she decided to pursue her dream in 2023, and the rest is history.
Sadie lives in the Pine Barrens with her husband and son. When she’s not reading and writing, she enjoys spending time outdoors, sipping local brews, and binge-watching her favorite shows.
I couldn’t find any information about Brooke Fast on Goodreads or Amazon. To Cage A Willd Bird is her debut novel and she knocked it out of the park.
Imagine, if you will, that by committing one single crime, you are given a life sentence. Pretty hard to put yourself in that position in this day and age. The prison is not like any prison you can imagine. I’m not sure of how much to share, but seeing it isn’t mentioned in the blurb, I won’t spoil the events that take place in the prison. Think our prisons are brutal…this one takes incarceration to a whole new level.
Raven Thorne is a bounty hunter. I love strong female main characters The romance between Raven and a prison guard develops slowly. It’s not easy to know who to trust. There are plenty of corrupt, lecherous guards who felt they could do whatever they want, but one guard tried to do whatever he could to protect the inmates from them.
I had some minor issues, but for the most part I got hooked from the very beginning. Brooke Fast had some unique and original thoughts for her dystopian novel and I am always on the lookout for a fresh take on a familiar tale.
I want to thank NetGalley and Avon for the opportunity to read and review To Cage A Wild Bird. I can hardly wait to find out what comes next.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Enter the brutal world of Endlock, a prison where the wealthy hunt the inmates for sport. The first novel in an electrifying dystopian romance series, this high-octane debut about forbidden love, found family, and a fight for survival will leave you breathless. In the city of Dividium, the law is simple: commit a crime, and your punishment is a life sentence in Endlock. Raven Thorne is Dividium’s most notorious bounty hunter, living on the edge of society. But when her younger brother, Jed, is sentenced to Endlock, Raven will do anything to save him—even if it means getting herself arrested. Now trapped in a prison where danger lurks around every corner, Raven must use all her cunning and strength to protect Jed—and herself if she is to complete her perilous mission. But there’s one obstacle she never expected: the prison guard who stirs something deep inside her. The man she should hate. The man whose true motives seem impossible to pin down. In a world where trust is a weapon and love is a liability, Raven must decide if she will risk everything to tear down a vicious system,
Genre: Adult, Apocalyptic, Dark Romance, Dystopian, Enemies to Lovers, Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction,
If it’s the pill, I’ll flush them down the toilet. If it’s an IUD, I’ll pull it out with my teeth.
That is the ultimatum that Saverio delivers to Lucia, his soon to be bride. She will be his and she will bear his child. No matter how she struggles against him, she cannot deny him.
Saverio is going to kill me, Brooklyn, her date, and mine. Then he’ll probably kill himself so he can kick all of our asses in the afterlife…
There are plenty of light and loving moments amongst the danger and death that surrounds Lucia and Saverio. Two families, that are mortal enemies, but Lucia felt that hers and Saverio’s lives had always, and will be always, intertwined.
There will be plenty of blood shed before the story is told and some smokin’ hot sex. So, brace yourself and dive into the world of the Terlizzis.
Thanks Cora, for the opportunity to read and review Wicked Desires.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Marked by vengeance, branded as mine—Lucia Terlizzi will be the key to my revenge.
Dante Terlizzi has to pay. Two years ago, he broke his betrothal to my sister. Two months ago, his brother stole the bride meant for my best hitman. There’s an unwritten rule about family members and children… But f*ck the rules.
Lucia is the baby of the Terlizzi family. Now I’m going to put my baby in her. We’ll see how Dante likes it when I take what’s his. I’ll dress his pretty little sister in the finest clothes. I’ll shower her in diamonds and jewels. I’ll make Dante regret ever double crossing me. And in the process, I will make my heir.
All I need is a bouquet of roses, a bottle of bourbon, and a good girl to bend to my will.
Tropes: Mafia Boss, Birth Control T*mpering, Arranged Marriage, Soul Mates, My Wife, Older Man, Possessive Hero
Wicked Desires is Saverio and Lucia’s story. This novel features dark themes, steamy scenes, and mature content. Please read the first chapter for a full list of TWs.
Each book in The Terlizzis series can be read as a standalone novel.
Genre: Dark Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Erotica, Fiction, Mafia, Romance
316 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 19, 2024
Series: The Terlizzis #2
ABOUT CORA KENT
Cora Kent fell for her first villain before she even knew what romance was. Ever since Scar was denied a happily ever after, she’s been on a mission to give all the dark, dangerous anti-heroes the endings they deserve. If the Big Bad Wolf had swept Little Red off her feet, it might have saved the fairy tale—so that’s exactly what Cora does in her novels: grants her bad boys redemption through passion, power, and the women who can handle them.
When she’s not spinning tales of morally gray heroes and forbidden desires, you’ll find her snuggled up with her cat, sipping a margarita, and watching Grey’s Anatomy.
It’s wonderful to be back In Jane Blythe’s world with Prey Security and the Artemis Team in Lacey’s Fight. Lacey had been kidnapped when she was just a baby. Her blood family had died in a fire and her mother had committed suicide. Lacey’s bubbly, happy, full of smiles personality covers the pain. The Master had kidnapped her and her sisters and trained them to be assassins. Why does he need his own army, no matter how small? We find out in Lacey’s Fight and I have been waiting for The Master to be exposed.
There’s not much that can scare Lacey, but she is not a fan of water. That does not mean she won’t jump in the ocean to save a girl that had been tossed overboard. Isn’t that the meaning of courage? Facing your fears and doing what needs to be done.
That is when she comes face to face with Benjamin “Rabbit” Blanchett. If it wasn’t for him, she would not have survived. Lacey uses sex as a coping mechanism. She is game for one night stands, but no commitments…Until Ben. But, Ben had his own baggage and felt he had nothing to give.
Ben and Lacey are posing as husband and wife, when they go undercover to save some girls being sold off at auction. Lacey believes that The Master may be there and she is determined to take him down.
Jane, Jane, Jane. You sure do put your characters through life altering situations….and I love it! I can’t get enough of it. This quick, engrossing, fast paced thriller had me reading at a frantic pace. Every time I thought I could take a breath, wham, bam, thank you ma’am, something else would happen. I love a book that keeps on giving.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Behind her bubbly, flirty smile hides a world of hidden pain.
Despite her dark childhood Lacey Smith believes in looking for moments of joy wherever you can find them. But when a seriously hot SEAL saves her life and then turns her down when she asks him out she begins to rethink everything. Going undercover with a man who doesn’t like her isn’t ideal but that doesn’t mean that the danger won’t have sparks igniting between them.
Most days Navy SEAL Benjamin Blanchett is so mired in grief and guilt that he doesn’t even want to move forward. So when a bubbly, sassy, ball of energy asks him out of course he says no. He thought that was it but now they’re going undercover together as husband and wife. Lines are blurred, feelings emerge, but by the time he realizes what he wants it might be too late.
Genre: Enemies To Lovers, Military Fiction, Romance, Suspense, Thriller
286 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 12, 2023
Series: Prey Security: Artemis Team #3
ABOUT JANE BLYTHE
USA Today bestselling author Jane Blythe writes action-packed romantic suspense and military romance featuring protective heroes and heroines who are survivors. One of Jane’s most popular series includes Saving SEALs, part of Susan Stoker’s OPERATION ALPHA world! Writing in that world alongside authors such as Janie Crouch and Riley Edwards has been a blast, and she looks forward to bringing more books to this genre, both within and outside of Stoker’s world. When Jane isn’t binge-reading she’s counting down to Christmas and adding to her 200+ teddy bear collection!
M C Frank’s books have some eye catching covers and Rejected is no exception.
As Josephine St Claire and her two sisters grow older, her sisters leave the next. Josephine is fine right where she is, but she also knows that her best friend, Theodore Lawrence, will leave her too. She spends a lot of time feeling sorry for herself…and I think she is in denial.
Sometimes what we want is right in front of us, we just aren’t able to see it.
I have been enjoying the Rakes and Ruin series, but Rejected is not one of my favorites. That’s okay, it as still worth the reading to find out more about Josephine and what she wants out of life.
The POVs switch from her writing letters to her deceased sister, Beth, and current events. Sometimes I felt her despair and other times I just wanted to tell her to get over herself. The pages ooze angst, and I guess, if you think of the times, it may be more realistic than I originally thought. At least Josephine was able to live her life the way she wanted, not being forced into a marriage she didn’t want. Love is messy and it takes her the entire book to figure it out. I’m glad Rejected was a quick read, because it lacked the depth of plot that I love so much, yet I was satisfied with the end result.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
“Everyone I love will leave me,” Josephine St. Claire whispered to herself.
“Wrong,” an annoying voice said behind her ear. “ I won’t leave you.”
She turned around to behold the unbearably handsome yet immensely irritating face of Theodore Lawrence, Lord Lowry, or ‘Teddy’ to his long-suffering friends.
“You don’t count, Teddy—wait, is your mouth full?”
“Indeed it is,” Teddy replied, with said mouth spitting crumbs of cake. “And, may I ask, why do I not count?”
Josephine sighed. “Because you are my best friend.”
He was wrong; she’d been right. He did leave her. But not before he had ruined everything by kissing her.
Josephine St. Claire prefers to be called ‘Jo’.
Unruly, with more interest in books, writing, and swordfights than in corsets and slippers, she is struggling to find her place in Regency London’s marriage mart. Her one comfort in life, her three sisters and one roguish brother, are slowly slipping away into adulthood, leaving her behind. And she, at nineteen, is horrified by the idea of looming romance and marriage.
At least she still has her best friend, Laurie. Or, as he now likes to be called, ‘Teddy’. She can rely on him not to succumb to any silly romantic ideas.
Theodore Lawrence, Lord Lowry, used to be called ‘Laurie’ when he was a child.
He is not a child any longer. He is about to step into his title and his responsibilities, and leave away the comfort of his early boyhood for good. Orphaned at infancy, he has been blessed with a found the St. Claires. Four sisters and a boy slightly older than him were the ones who saved his life when he was lost and alone. And his friendship with Jo has continued to save him, every day since.
Too bad he is about to utterly wreck it.
Because Laurie has a he has been in love with his best friend for years. And if he doesn’t do something about it soon, he is going to lose his mind.
Laurie is about to propose to Jo.
It is going to be a resounding disaster.
And that, by far, is not the worst thing that’s about to happen.
Rejected is a Jo and Laurie rewriting. This story is not a retelling of the book in its Just of the Jo and Laurie part. We are going to remake their story into a Regency era swoon-fest. And we are going to get it right this time.
Or not.
Bring tissues
……
This short and dark Regency retelling of Jo and Laurie’s story is for everyone who has shipped them so hard, they wished for a better ending. Do you think we might get it with this story?
Rejected is a quick, short read, but don’t let its length fool It’s packed with drama, romance, heat, darkness and light, and it will make you cry and swoon, and then cry again.
This one is for the Jo and Laurie endgame fans.
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, Fiction, Regency Romance, Romance
257 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 11, 2025
Series: Rakes And Ruin
ABOUT M C FRANK
Welcome to the world of M.C. FRANK’s books, where characters aren’t going to have an easy time of it: They will find themselves in icy-cold dystopian worlds where kissing is forbidden (among other things), or in green forests ruled by evil Sheriffs. If they’re in Jane Austen’s England, they have to be running away from a traumatic childhood, or if they are in our contemporary world, they’re scared they’ll die before they have finished high school. That sort of thing. Don’t worry, though, she knows we all need a little hope and joy in our lives, so there’s a good dose of those as well in everything she writes. M.C. Frank (writer, reader, designer, physicist and teacher, to name a few) has been living in a world of stories ever since she can remember (that’s before she knew how to write). She started writing them down when she could no longer stand the characters in her head screaming at her to give them life, and while those first scribblings weren’t exactly good (nor were they books, although she insisted on calling them that), they were enough for her to discover her passion in life. She got her university degree in physics a few years ago (yes, she’s like Sheldon, only a bit crazier!) and is now free to pursue her love of reading and writing, as well her free-lance job as editor-in-chief. She lives with her ‘dude’ in a home filled with candles, laptops and notebooks, where she rearranges her overflowing bookshelves every time she feels stressed. Which is often, since (as you might have noticed) she doesn’t pick the easiest subjects for her novels. Learn more about her and her New Adult, Young Adult, scifi, Greek mythology and historical novels at mcfrankauthor.com
I first became acquainted with Hollie Smurthwaite when I read her The Psychic Colors Series. I loved the trilogy, so she is on my radar. When I saw the opportunity to read It’s Raining Men, how could I possible resist. I mean, the author, the title, the blurb, and the cover made me have to have it.
The first man fell from the sky.
With a start like that, I am off and running.
“I’ve got cobwebs in my hoo-ha. They make me cranky.”
It’s Raining Men by Holliesmurthwaite was everything I anticipated. The action begins from the opening pages and never lets up. Sahara is a fabulous character with a big heart. She opens her home and the hunkalicious men keep coming. We have a paranormal curse that she is determined to remove to give the men she comes to care for their freedom. There are many laughable moments that put a smile on my face.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of It’s Raining Men by Holliesmurthwaite.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Male-storm Warning in Effect!
A woman stumbles into a witches’ spell and finds the “perfect guy” she never wanted. Sahara’s life is a broke, betrayed, and roasting in a record-breaking heatwave—with no air conditioning. But when her dog bolts into Willowbark Retreat, things go from bad to bizarre.
Turns out, the quirky commune ladies are actually witches who’ve conjured perfect gorgeous, obedient, and magically programmed to fulfill their every sexual whim.
When one of these creations imprints on Sahara, she’s stuck with Cortland—frustratingly stubborn, shamelessly seductive, and relentless in his pursuit of sex. She wants him just as much, but giving in while he’s bespelled would mean betraying principles she refuses to compromise.
While Sahara scrambles to break the spell, and her libido battling her better judgment, she reluctantly leans on a group of magical heroes desperate to escape their own enchantments.
They raid her fridge, clutter her space, and—slowly but surely—Sahara must decide if she’s ready to stop just surviving and start fighting for the love and family she never thought she deserved.
Enemies-to-lovers, found family, and magical mayhem collide in this steamy paranormal rom-com where the storms are freaky, the men are maddening, and love is the ultimate magic
Genre: Comedy, Fiction, Humor, Romance
360 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 11, 2025
ABOUT HOLLIE SMURTHWAITE
Hollie Smurthwaite is a paranormal romantic suspense author of The Color of Trauma and The Color of Betrayal. The Color of Trauma was the winner of the 2020 Soon to Be Famous Illinois Author Project in adult fiction. She lives in Chicago with her husband, son, and too few pets. In past lives, she’s been a checkout clerk, massage therapist, office manager, recruiter, magazine staff writer, pepper spray hawker, and belly dancer.
I was introduced to M C Frank’s writing when I grabbed a copy of Seduced and it blew me away. I couldn’t stop reading once I started. She also creates some gorgeous covers and I am a sucker for a book with a fabulous cover. I don’t read a lot of pop and rock star novels, but, because I find M C Frank’s writing off the charts, I will read anything she writes.
Haunt Me is one of the most angsty books I have ever read. M C Frank knows how to wring out every emotion, and tissues may be required.
Two lost souls. Eden had been kidnapped when just a few months old, so she was really lost. She has been kept isolated and doesn’t know that the life she is living is not normal. Now, the whole world knows her story. Isaiah is the pop star who became famous because he lost the love of his life, Eden.
I will warn you, the romance is dark, yet clean, but there are a lot of triggers…dealing with mental issues, kidnapping, rape, substance abuse and more.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Haunt Me by M C Frank and I will be checking my ereader to see is I have any other books hanging around.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
The crowd is roaring my name.
Their cries drown out the gorgeous music as I slowly sink back to my knees, where I belong.
Utterly, desperately, completely alone.
“I hope I haunt you!” I shout at her retreating back from the stage.
“I hope you do,” she shouts back.
But I am the one who will be haunted.
If anyone is the heartbreaker here, it’s me, not her. I broke my own heart, and hers. And I have no idea how to put what I broke back together.
I can’t seem to get back up on my feet. All these people are waiting for me, and I can’t open my mouth. I can have pretty much anything I want in the whole world, except for her. She is the one thing I want and the one thing I can’t have.
Is it too late to start believing in hope?
I hope it’s not. Because right now, at this moment when I have zero reasons to start believing and even less reasons to start hoping—this is when I freaking start.
And this time, I’m all in.
There was once a girl who was lost.
And she met a boy who was lost, and they tried to save each other. And they did save each other, for a little while.
But then they got lost again, and even they lost each other.
I was the lost boy and Eden was the lost girl—but she wasn’t lost in the same sense I was. She wasn’t just sad and bruised by life. She wasn’t just alone like me. No.
She was literally lost.
Her family had been searching for her since she was a few months old.
Eden – the poet
The whole country knows my story. It’s tragic, it’s sad, it’s bad. It’s famous. But that was years ago. Now, I am just a girl trying to survive the trauma. Trying to relearn how to live.
And forget that somehow, in the middle of it all, I fell in love with the biggest pop idol on the planet.
Who now hates me for ruining his life.
But my love for him still haunts me, it won’t let me move on. I am stuck in a ghost of a life. I am a ghost of a girl.
I have broken into a million pieces and I don’t know how to be whole again. Love can do miracles, they say. But what love would ever be strong enough to heal me?
Isaiah – the pop idol
I have been writing all my songs about her since the very beginning. These songs have made me a superstar, but my heart is still haunted by her. Still empty. Still bleeding.
The day I lost her, I lost everything. I lost myself.
The years passed, but my heart kept breaking. She pierced my heart, and a man does not recover from a love like that. From a girl like her–even if he is a pop idol.
The minute I meet her again, I know I am hers. There is no denying I never stopped loving her. Pretending to hate her was a waste of time and now, I have ruined everything. She doesn’t want me.
Is it too late to hope?
Is it too late to win her back?
Is it too late for us?
Haunt Me is a second-chance angsty romance about a pop idol and the girl who destroyed him. Prepare the tissues. The darkness will be off the charts with this one -but so will the hope. So will the heat. So will the love.
Genre: Dark Romance, Fiction, Second Chance
487 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 10, 2025
ABOUT M C FRANK
Welcome to the world of M.C. FRANK’s books, where characters aren’t going to have an easy time of it: They will find themselves in icy-cold dystopian worlds where kissing is forbidden (among other things), or in green forests ruled by evil Sheriffs. If they’re in Jane Austen’s England, they have to be running away from a traumatic childhood, or if they are in our contemporary world, they’re scared they’ll die before they have finished high school. That sort of thing. Don’t worry, though, she knows we all need a little hope and joy in our lives, so there’s a good dose of those as well in everything she writes. M.C. Frank (writer, reader, designer, physicist and teacher, to name a few) has been living in a world of stories ever since she can remember (that’s before she knew how to write). She started writing them down when she could no longer stand the characters in her head screaming at her to give them life, and while those first scribblings weren’t exactly good (nor were they books, although she insisted on calling them that), they were enough for her to discover her passion in life. She got her university degree in physics a few years ago (yes, she’s like Sheldon, only a bit crazier!) and is now free to pursue her love of reading and writing, as well her free-lance job as editor-in-chief. She lives with her ‘dude’ in a home filled with candles, laptops and notebooks, where she rearranges her overflowing bookshelves every time she feels stressed. Which is often, since (as you might have noticed) she doesn’t pick the easiest subjects for her novels. Learn more about her and her New Adult, Young Adult, scifi, Greek mythology and historical novels at mcfrankauthor.com
She walked into the room…the boxing gym…and it would change their lives forever.
Lucas’ mother had done everything she could to keep him free of the mafia that surrounds him, but he will sacrifice everything for Serafina. His father remains a mystery, but I had a pretty good idea
I wondered how things would work out for Lucas, but he is quick on his feet and determined to sever the ties that bind him, since he traded his freedom to be near Serafina. The machinations he goes through while striving for a happy ever after are life threatening. After all, the mafia has a saying, ‘once you’re in you’re never out.
Serafina has her doubts about Lucas, but she cannot quash the love she has for him, no matter how many times he lets her down.
There was much that was predictable in The Mafioso’s Promise, but it, also, had it’s share of mystery. I felt for Lucas, the choices he would have to make and the price he would pay to have Serafina. We do have a mafia war going on, but Jade Styles does not go in depth with the bloody details, though many bodies will fall. She concentrates more on the romance and everything Lucas and Serafina will have to go through to be together.
The Mafioso’s Promise by Jade Styles is the first book in The Fallen Angel series, so I foresee more problems popping up in the future for Lucas and Serafina.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
The moment the seductive mafia princess stepped into my boxing gym, I knew I was done for.
The closer we got, the deeper I fell under her spell.
And when she confessed her desire to leave her sinister life behind, I vowed to protect her at all costs.
Even if it meant trading in my boxing gloves for a gun.
Even if it meant putting everything I held dear on the line.
Even if it meant breaking the promise I made to my dying mother and unleashing the darkness within me.
She never expected me to keep her in the dark for as long as I did.
I never expected her to hate me for it.
But every lie and secret was worth it.
Because for Serafina, I would do anything – even descending into the depths of hell itself.
Now, as she stands before me as my arranged bride-to-be, will she ever forgive me for the monster I’ve become?
Publisher’s Note: The Mafioso’s Promise is the first book in the Fallen Angels Alliance series. Each book is a standalone with no cheating, no cliffhangers and a satisfying happy ever after. Expect the following tropes in this
spicy dark mafiaenemies to loversoff-limitsarranged marriagemulticulturalsportssecond chance romance This story features a beautiful curvy FMC and a grumpy possessive MMC. Violent scenes and lots of angst are included. Please buy this book only if you are comfortable with such content.
286 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 16, 2024
ABOUT JADE STYLES (from Amazon)
Jade Styles is a contemporary romance author specializing in the following tropes:
* Multicultural
* Billionaire
* Enemies to Lovers
* Mafia
Jade loves to dream up billionaire bad boys who only kneel to their ambitious and passionate beauties.
Her stories are full of heat and unexpected turns, and a happily-ever-after is guaranteed every time.
She currently resides in Seattle, Washington, and when she is not dreaming up the latest romance she can be found either nursing her tropical plants or traveling with her green-eyed husband.
I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT SEDUCED by M C Frank. The beautiful cover, because of the butterfly, makes me think of my mother. She loves butterflies. The title made me think there would be some hot lovin’, but the seduction was so much different than I thought it would be and I am always up for something different, when it works well. The blurb, I want to read anything about the Lord of Hell. It made me think of Lucifer, the TV series. It was the same….but different and I read until the early hours of the morning because I had to know how it would end.
The cruelty of Poppy’s hypocritical, vicar brother is beyond comprehension. He has browbeat Poppy to submission, to believing that she is undeserving…of anything good in her life.
I love the part about Poppy’s period. I don’t often read a novel where it goes into that much detail and Hades reaction was sweet.
I love when Poppy says, “You do realize that I am right here.” There was a time when she would never have commented, where she felt that anything she had to say was worthless.
It was fabulous watching all the characters grow and change, becoming more than they were before Poppy came into their lives and how they affected Poppy herself, allowing her to become the person she was meant to be.
Of course, if we have Hades, we need God to make an appearance, at least in thought.
The only downside to the story was the ending, which had me urging Hades and Wilder to dig faster, seemed rushed and we don’t find out what happened to Nicholas. But, hey, that’s a story for another day.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Seduced by M C Frank.
5 Stars
GOOREADS BLURB
Poppy and Lord Hades
Lord Hades owns a gaming hell that sprawls underneath the city of London like the underworld. It is no the Hell Club is notorious all over Europe. Peers and millionaires travel from Vienna and Paris to enjoy the Turkish baths or play cards with the great political leaders of other countries.
Money and power exchange hands nightly underneath the sparkling ballrooms and gentlemen’s clubs, and no one knows. Until Hades discovers a boy sent to spy on him. But the boy is not a boy.
And she will pay.
Seduced is a dark and sparkling romantic story inspired by Greek myths, folklore and fairytales, as well as by the glittering world and the roguish gentlemen of Regency London.
It might look like a quick, fun read, but don’t be this story is going to break your heart into a million pieces.
Information on this
Seduced, a dark Regency romance retelling of Hades and Persephone is part of the Retold fairytale retellings collection. It is the third of the three stories included in that book, but here you can read the story by itself. It is a shorter book and a standalone. It is being published separately due to popular demand.
If you prefer, you can find Seduced as well as two more dark fairytale retellings included in one volume Retold.
*Important This book has already been published as part of the A Regency Fairytale Retellings Collection (Rakes and Ruin) book. This is a separate sole book release of the same book that is included in that collection, with no changes.
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, Fiction, Retellings, Romance
315 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2024
Series: Rakes and Ruin, #2
ABOUT M C FRANK
Welcome to the world of M.C. FRANK’s books, where characters aren’t going to have an easy time of it: They will find themselves in icy-cold dystopian worlds where kissing is forbidden (among other things), or in green forests ruled by evil Sheriffs. If they’re in Jane Austen’s England, they have to be running away from a traumatic childhood, or if they are in our contemporary world, they’re scared they’ll die before they have finished high school. That sort of thing. Don’t worry, though, she knows we all need a little hope and joy in our lives, so there’s a good dose of those as well in everything she writes. M.C. Frank (writer, reader, designer, physicist and teacher, to name a few) has been living in a world of stories ever since she can remember (that’s before she knew how to write). She started writing them down when she could no longer stand the characters in her head screaming at her to give them life, and while those first scribblings weren’t exactly good (nor were they books, although she insisted on calling them that), they were enough for her to discover her passion in life. She got her university degree in physics a few years ago (yes, she’s like Sheldon, only a bit crazier!) and is now free to pursue her love of reading and writing, as well her free-lance job as editor-in-chief. She lives with her ‘dude’ in a home filled with candles, laptops and notebooks, where she rearranges her overflowing bookshelves every time she feels stressed. Which is often, since (as you might have noticed) she doesn’t pick the easiest subjects for her novels. Learn more about her and her New Adult, Young Adult, scifi, Greek mythology and historical novels at mcfrankauthor.com
He calls me Lady Death. I am his weapon to wield as he pleases, sharpened like the fatal point of a wooden stake. In the ring, I am nothing but blood, bone, and fury.
I love the soft colors and sweet look of the cover for Blood Champion by Kay Widow. It hides the viciousness and savagery of the cage fights inside.
Monique feels a debt of gratitude to her master, Felix Fee, never questioning his demands. Because of her, his destiny as the heir to the Fee dynasty has never been questioned. He had saved her life, giving her everything she now has. But what exactly is that?
Now, he has given her a task that could end up costing her her life. She is not the only one given this task, and it will lead to changes she never could have anticipated. When she meets Noah, she is awakened to possibilities.
Noah, a werewolf, is in New York City, given the task to obtain the Book of Lilu from Lord Blackwood, the vampire hosting the games that Monique will participating in. I think we can all see what is on the horizon, but the journey will not be an easy one.
Noah is bold, determined, walking a very dangerous path by putting himself amongst the vampires, hiding behind cologne and the humans sprinkled throughout. He ends up playing a part in the fights that could be the end of him. He is not one to go down without a fight, but how can a werewolf survive being caged with a vampire, surrounded by other vampires.
The quotes below, at 20%, made me sit up and pay attention. The descriptions Kay Widow created are powerful and something I have not read before:
I hate crowded places. Most of my kind do…we remember just how much louder and brighter and more intense this world is now that we’re monsters. A simple breath of laughter becomes a shrieking whine to our ears, often accompanied by the stench of stomach bile or curdled coffee and cream. The muted glow from a chandelier becomes painfully blinding, overloading our senses with out mercy.
The never ending thirst hits at the peak of it all. Razor sharp claws raking down your throat. The ripping and shredding of your gums as you fight to keep your fangs at bay. That wild, primal part of you that seeks to satisfy those discomforts by orchestrating a bloodbath.
Amongst all the debauchery and violence, we do have our moments of lightness and laughter. I do like that the ‘love’ is not an immediate hop in the sack and, as Monique’s feelings for Noah develop, so does she. Possibilities….
Blood Champion is the third in the series, and, by far the best. Monique is a character that quickly became someone I couldn’t turn away from. She is challenged at every turn and I loved that she didn’t turn away from the hard questions, but opened herself up to the chance of a new life…and freedom. I want more.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
I’ve lived a warrior’s life defined by death, cage fights, and submission to my vampire master.So when commanded to infiltrate the underground fighting pits of Manhattan and retrieve a coveted tome, my mission takes priority.But that resolve is tested upon crossing paths with an infuriating werewolf who seeks the artifact for his own pack’s survival.Though we are sworn enemies, an electric attraction sparks between us that I find difficulty resisting.Noah’s defiant spirit and the thrilling risk of our affair make me feel alive in ways I’ve never experienced.Compelled into a shaky alliance by our common goal, we fight through sadistic opponents while confronting vampire lords at every turn.Both grappling between loyalty and our dangerous liaison that should not be.Dare I continue falling for a man from the enemy werewolf pack?Something or someone will break.Plunge into the seductive, gritty underworld of a vampire-shifter romance fused with lethal action today!
Kay Widow is a paranormal romance author. She writes page-turning romances that readers consume faster than she can produce. If you love spicy romances with protective and dominant alphas who fall for sassy curvy women, then you might just love Kay’s novels. Kay lives in Kansas with her husband, Irish twins, and all her book boyfriends.
