I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
I went into this Willing Prey not knowing much about the storyline, but ended up devouring this book! I read a majority of it in one sitting. It was right on the border of contemporary/dark romance, but actually so much fun!
SYNOPSIS
An exhilarating, primal summer fling reveals an intensely sexy, edgy romance, where anything goes in the woods—just remember your safe word.
Post-divorce and buried in student loan debt, Claire Collins eagerly enters a spicy business agreement with an acquaintance who wants to explore his primal desires. The deal is simple—thirty days as his sexual prey, $30,000 in her bank account. All she has to do is give Shane Underwood the hunt of his life.
Claire’s a physical education teacher and perfectly happy to spend her summer having wild, kinky sex instead of working her usual serving job. But once they cross the tree line, she realizes how little she knows about the corporate lawyer paying her to be his prey.
Shane is different in the woods. Brutal. Devastating. Feral.
That’s okay with Claire—she is, too. And she’s sinking her teeth a little deeper into Shane’s heart every time he catches her.
REVIEW
What you can expect to find in Willing Prey -spicy scenes -dual pov -primal play -he falls first -fast paced
Claire needs some extra cash and she needs it now. Being a teacher doesn’t give her a lot of grace to pay off her student loans. And after a messy divorce – she’s left with a lot of debt. So when she receives an offer that she really can’t refuse – she accepts.
The offer in question? A grand a day to stay at Shane Underwood’s residence and be his prey for 30 days. If Claire makes it to the end of her contract she’s guaranteed 30 grand. Only problem? She doesn’t know Shane Underwood (the mutual acquaintance that works with her ex) well – only that he’s interested in her and specifically hunting her down in his woods. When Claire and Shane’s inevitably start to get to know each other and their hearts get involved, will they be able to walk away after 30 days?
I did not know what to expect when I started reading Willing Prey and I went in not knowing anything about this book. Once I started reading, I could not stop. I loved the chemistry between Claire and Shane. This book was spicy – right from the get go. But the interactions between Claire and Shane never felt forced. I enjoyed all of the secondary characters as well and hope we get more books from this universe.
If you’re looking for a fast paced, spicy romance I highly recommend Willing Prey.
The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Series: Dearly Beloathed #1
Heat Level: 🔥
Release Date: July 8, 2025
Publisher: Berkley / Ace books
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
I read an ARC of this book a few months ago and have been so obsessed! This book quirky, funny and yet full of so much angst and longing. I CANNOT wait for the next book in the series!
SYNOPSIS
The first in a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romantasy duology featuring a scholarly healer and a gentleman assassin, set in an exquisite fantasy world, perfect for fans of The Love Hypothesis and Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries.
Osric Mordaunt, member of the Fyren Order of assassins, is in dire need of healing. Naturally – such is the grim comedy of fate – the only healer who can help is Aurienne Fairhrim, preeminent scientist, bastion of moral good, and member of an enemy Order.
Aurienne is desperate for funding to heal the sick – so desperate that, when Osric bribes her to help him, she accepts, even if she detests him and everything he stands for.
A forced collaboration ensues: the brilliant Woman in STEM is coerced into working with the PhD in Murders, much to Aurienne’s disgust. As Osric and Aurienne work together to heal his illness and investigate the mysterious reoccurrence of a deadly pox, they find themselves ardently denying their attraction, which only fuels the heat between them.
Romance tropes Enemies to lovers High interaction slow burn Hypercompetent idiots He falls first and harder Evisceration as a love language
REVIEW
I am O B S E S S E D with The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy…literally obsessed. This Dramione inspired romantasy has everything I love in a book: -witty banter -slow burn -he falls first 😮💨 -so funny -STEM (she’s a healer) -morally gray mmc (he verges in the darker shades of gray)
Osric Mordaunt has a bit of a problem – he’s kind of dying – whoops! And there’s only one person who can try to heal him…Aurienne Fairhrim. You see Osric and Aurienne are kind of enemies. Osric is an assasain and Aurienne is a healer…therefore these two shouldn’t really be spending any time together. But Osric finagles his way into her life by offering her something she can’t refuse – enough money to help with funding for the sick children Aurienne’s order is helping heal.
Soon these two are on unique missions to help solve Osric’s illness. The more time they spend together the less…they want to stab one another 🤭 Over time they seem to rely more and more on one another. Even though they’re growing closer to solving Osric’s illness and helping one another when other dire situations arise – how could they possibly even be together when he’s an assasain and she’s a healer?
Gah! I just finished this book and I literally don’t know what to do with myself. I loved everything about The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy. The humor, the wit, the way these two were so obviously drawn to one another but tried to fight it so hard.
The last 1/3 of the book went by way too quickly for me. I wasn’t ready for the book to end. Osric and Aurienne are my new fave couple and I cannot wait to read the next book! If you’re considering this book I highly recommend you add it to your tbr. July can’t come fast enough so I can add a physical copy of The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy to my shelves!
I am excited to read an enemies-to-lovers romantasyfrom Karina Halle!! Bonus – there’s dragons! I’ve been in my Romantasy Era for a while yet and the synopsis of Realm of Thieves sounds so good!
SYNOPSIS
Two thieves vie for dominance in the illegal dragon egg trade, putting both their lives and their hearts on the line in this scorching romantasy from New York Times bestselling author Karina Halle.
For Brynla Aihr, crime and survival have always gone hand in hand. Ever since she escaped the fanatical dragon-worshipping cult that controls her homeland, she’s had to carve out a life doing the unthinkable: stealing dragon eggs. Egg theft is illegal and, in most cases, fatal. To breach a dragon’s nest means a harrowing journey through the ancient wards spelled to keep the monstrous beasts confined. Dragons can’t get out and only those with a death wish can get in.
Despite the risks, dragon eggs are highly coveted for their magic. An illegal trade flourishes under competing criminal empires, and Brynla’s loyalty has always been to the highest bidder. Until she finds herself kidnapped and blackmailed by Lord Andor, a formidable lieutenant of House Kolbeck, and thrust into the dangerous political games of rivaling dynasties.
Brynla and Andor clash at every turn, sparking heat in ways Brynla’s never felt before. But in a world that’s prophesized to return to the dragons, and rife with betrayal and secrets at every turn…how close to the flames is she willing to stand?
EXCERPT
REALM OF THIEVES by Karina Halle
Ace Trade Original | June 10, 2025
Excerpt
Brynla
“This is as far as I’ll take you,” the man says. His voice is as gnarled and rough as his hands that grip the oars.
I stare at his pockmarked face for a moment, my stomach pinching with unease at the thought of this mission going even remotely wrong.
“This wasn’t what we agreed upon,” I say. Beside me Lemi shifts on his haunches, casting a wary eye at the boatsman.
“I said I’d take you to Fjallen Rock,” the man says, and nods past me at the hazy shape of land shrouded by smoke in the distance, backlit by the orange glow of the Midland volcanoes. “That’s it right there.”
I give him a tight smile. I don’t want to start arguing with my only ride back to Esland and a stranger at that. “You know I meant past the wards.”
“You should have been more specific, then, girl,” he says, eyes narrowing. “Because that’s not what you said. There’s no law against coming this far. There is a law against going through the wards and to the Midlands.”
“The last boatsman-” I begin.
“Your last boatsman is no more,” he says, flashing me a smile of missing teeth. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be using me now, would ya?” His salt-crusted lips curl into a smirk.
I live more in each second of the day than you’ll ever live in your lifetime, I think as I try not to scowl at him. It’s hard for me to rein in my temper, but tonight I don’t have the luxury of letting it loose. I’m about to be dropped off at the most dangerous place in the world and I’m counting on this asshole here to pick me up. If he doesn’t, my dog and I are as good as dead.
“Also, most boatsmen wouldn’t allow a hound on the vessel,” he says, eyeing Lemi, who eyes him right back. “You’re fortunate I’m such an animal lover.”
I roll my eyes at that. On the two-hour boat journey he’s done nothing but try to spear every turtle, dolphin, and whale that’s come in passing distance.
I take in a deep breath to quell my mounting frustration, hoping I can reason with him. “But if you don’t go through the wards and bring the boat to shore, how am I supposed to come back with the egg?”
“That sounds like a you problem, not a me problem,” he huffs and sits back, crossing his arms until I get the point.
I sigh. It is my problem, and I don’t have the luxury of trying to figure out a solution with him. My plan was to be dropped off at the rock and, if I was lucky, I’d find an elderdrage nest. If not I’d head farther in to the other islands. But elderdrage eggs are at least three feet tall and they weigh a ton. It’s hard enough to carry them back across the rugged land and then swim them over to the boat, even with Lemi’s help.
Which means that now I’ll have to find either sycledrage or blooddrage eggs, and both are significantly smaller and harder to find in an unattended nest, let alone any nest at all.
But going back to the Banished Land empty-handed isn’t an option either. I need to come back home with something or I might be paying for it with my own blood. I’ve been too sick over the last few moons to come to the Midlands, so I already owe Sorland’s syndikat, and they aren’t the types to let a few absences go. Not only that, but the faster I get my coin, the faster I can hire a healer so that my monthly pains don’t continue to take me out of the game. I swear every month, every year, the pain gets worse, like it’s some punishment for being both a woman and alive. Even surgery from the discredited doctors in the Dark City costs more than I have saved so far.
Lemi lets out a whumpf of air through his nose, bringing my focus back to him. Of course more money would pay for more food for him and for my aunt Ellestra.
Staying alive is infinitely expensive.
“Fine,” I say to the boatsman, hating how right he is. My last boatsman disappeared while I’d been recuperating. People disappear all the time in Esland, especially those who have dealings with the Freelanders-the exiled such as myself-and the more likely you are to visit the Banished Land, the more likely it is that you are an unsavory character to begin with. My last boatsman might have been knifed during a card game gone wrong, or he might have been captured by the Black Guard and taken to the capital for execution. If it was the latter, they would know he’d been helping a Freelander steal dragon eggs to sell to House Dalgaard, Sorland’s syndikat, which means they’d be looking for me.
But they’ve been looking for me for the last nine years, ever since I escaped the convent. And, somehow, I’m still here.
“Promise me you’ll be here when I get back,” I implore the new boatsman. It’s awful having to put your trust in someone you don’t even know.
“I’ll have to be if I want my egg,” he says casually, splaying his calloused hands.
I swallow hard, still unsure if I’m making the right choice. I always pay handsomely for the services I render, often based on what eggs I end up stealing. If I don’t, I’ll be left behind. Another reason I can’t come back to the mainland empty-handed tonight.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be,” I tell him, glancing up at the dark sky. It’s the cycle of the pink moon, the crescent shape barely visible through the smoke from the volcanoes. Pink moon dragon eggs are mellower than the others, much like humans born under it, but beggars can’t be choosers in this case. Some people prefer the softer side effects that come with consumption of pink moon eggs, though the Sjef, the head of the syndikat, Ruunon Dalgaard, would scoff at that. The syndikat is the opposite of soft.
“You bring me the finest and the strongest eggs,” Ruunon had said to me the one and only time I’d met him. It had been a heavily guarded clandestine meeting on the blackened lava fields outside the Dark City. “You do this consistently, and we will have a fine partnership.”
So much was implied with what he didn’t say. That if I didn’t, then he’d kill me, Lemi, my aunt, and anyone else I knew. That was the way the syndikats worked. I had never met any of the other houses from Vesland or Norland and their crime families, despite how regularly their hired thieves pilfered the Midlands, but I imagined they all operated in the same way. With ruthlessness and violence and aversion to mercy.
But at that moment, when Ruunon offered me the job, I felt the first taste of hope since my father had died. It was dangerous to work for such men, but the promise that came along with it, the promise of a better life, sealed the deal.
“I’ll leave at dawn,” the boatsman says gruffly. “I’ll be here until then. You don’t show, I’ll assume you’re dead and you’ll be left in my wake. And no, I won’t give the dog a ride back even if he makes it.”
I try not to narrow my eyes at him. “I’ll see you before dawn,” I tell him before I say the wrong thing. Then I look to Lemi. “You okay with a night swim?” I ask him as I gather my empty bags and tie them to the holsters and straps around my leathered armor.
Lemi just wags his tail eagerly, knowing his fun is about to begin.
“Now don’t go disappearing on me. You’ll be towing me to shore,” I warn my dog, adjusting my two swords on my back, thankful that they’re made from ash glass forged in the depths of the Banished Land, weapons as light as they are strong.
Lemi seems to frown at that, his fluffy brows furrowing over his warm brown eyes.
I stand up, the boat rocking back and forth from my weight, and give the man one last glance, willing him to be here until dawn and not either chicken out or sell me out. Then I take a deep breath, preparing myself for the half-mile swim, and swan dive overboard.
Despite my armor and swords, I barely make a splash, the dark, frigid water engulfing me. I take in a harsh gasp of air as I surface, just as Lemi lands in the water beside me. Shivering already, I manage to swim over to him, grabbing ahold of his harness with stiff fingers. I hear the man on the boat chuckle behind me but I don’t bother paying him any attention now. All I can do is hope he’ll be there when I get back. Focus on getting the goods and getting back before the sun rises.
Lemi pulls me through the water with ease, though I can tell he just wants to shift himself onto the shore already. “Easy, boy,” I warn him. He’s shifted before while I’ve been holding on to him and it’s most unpleasant. Even though I don’t end up traveling with him, there is a bone-rattling shock as I’m left behind and he shifts elsewhere.
Thankfully the wards are close now. They’re nearly invisible to the naked eye, save for the faint glimmer of rainbows when you look at them from your peripheral vision. In the dark they’re harder to see but you still feel them, the faint hum and vibration of energy they give off, eons of magic condensed, a warning to those who may have strayed off path. A warning that would work on anyone else except for me and any other egg thieves.
The wards are magicked walls that extend to the bottom of the ocean and high into the farthest reaches of the sky. In the Old Text of Dragemor, the First Sorcerer-Magni-said it was akin to a dome, one that would prevent any dragon from escaping, whether they swam to the inky depths or tried to soar into the stars above.
I have been loving reading fantasy romance lately and when I saw the Crowns of Nyaxia series all over social media, I decided to pick up these books. It helps that the entire series is available on Kindle Unlimited. This series had the perfect amount of suspense, angst, romance and a thread of grief woven throughout. I am so happy to have discovered this author and can’t wait to read more of her books!
Potential spoilers if you continue to read the reviews.
Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize the purchase.
Read this duet if you like: -drama & suspense -a snarky hero & heroine -touch her and I’ll unalive you -prophecies -vampire + human romance
**perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas and Jennifer L Armentrout
Oraya is the adopted daughter of the vampire King, Vincent. It has been her fathers greatest desire for Oraya to truly become his daughter, not in name but also in blood. The only way for Oraya to achieve this is to enter the Kejari so that when she wins she can ask the goddess Nyaxia to bond herself to her father.
Oraya is determined to win the competition, but her competitors are fierce. No one as fierce as Raihn Ashraj. Oraya and Raihn ultimately form a tentative relationship. They will become allies for the duration of the competition. They both know that if they were to end up the only two left to battle – one of them will have to die.
But what happens when they start to get close…and their feelings for one another become muddled. Both Oraya and Raihn must face some hard truths and determine which one of them will be left the victor of the competition.
Gah, how I loooooved this book! Raihn and Oraya together were perfect! I loved their banter, their chemistry and how these two ended up caring so much for one another. The Serpent and the Wings of Night is a slooooooooooow, but Carissa Broadbent knows how to bring the heat!
One of my favorite parts of this book was Oraya’s relationship with her father Vincent. They didn’t always have an easy relationship, but Vincent’s love for Oraya is present throughout the entire book if you’re looking close enough.
This book made me laugh, had my heart racing during the competition and also shedding so many tears into my pillow. If you’re looking for a book that you won’t be able to put down once you pick it up – grab The Serpent and the Wings of Night.
After reading the first book in the series The Serpent and the Wings of Night, I immediately moved on to The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King. Both of these books are *chefs kiss* perfect!
Expect to find: -angst (so much angst) -themes of grief -enemies to lovers/second chance -political intrigue
**spoilers** . . . . . One of the main themes in the second book in the Crowns of Nyaxia duet is grief. Grief for humanity, grief of a loved one, grief for not knowing things about yourself until it was too late.
Oraya is grieving the death of her father, while being kept prisoner in her own home. Raihn is now the king after Oraya asked Nyaxia to make it so he won the Kejari. He doesn’t want anything to do with the kingdom, but his people are relying on him. Oraya and Raihn are often left at a crossroads. They are both the heir to the crown; and their armies are fighting on opposite sides of one another. How could they ever move past this?
The angst, the longing, the grief…I seriously had tears in my eyes sooo many times while reading The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King. Carissa Broadbent has such a beautiful way with prose and I was always left feeling too much on behalf of these characters. I felt what Oraya was going through, but also Raihn’s anguish at having to hurt Oraya. These two are not perfect and I love that they never pretend to be.
Once again The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King was a very slow burn and I loved ever moment of it. Oraya and Raihn never stopped caring for one another, no matter what obstacles were thrown their way. And Raihn – gah! he’s definitely my newest favorite book boyfriend.
This series is up there as one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year for sure! I highly highly recommend you pick up this duet! I can’t wait to read more from Carissa Broadbent.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
SYNOPSIS
A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.
Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t.
They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.
Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.
Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week…in front of those who know you best?
REVIEW
In Happy Place you can expect to find: -angst…so much angst and longing 🥹 -found family -evolution of friendships -fake relationship (kinda)
This book, ugh. I’m pretty sure I had tears in my eyes at like 10% of the book, but I wouldn’t expect anything less with Emily Henry. After being together for 8 years, Wyn and Harriet have decided to end their relationship and simultaneously call of their engagement. It’s been a hard 5 months since their breakup, but Harriet is set on moving on. Only one problem – neither Harriet or Wyn have told their core group of friends that their relationship is over. When Harriet realizes that Wyn will also be at the summer house in Maine that they vacation at every year, with their entire group of friends in the same spot, it gets super messy super fast. Wyn and Harriet decide to pretend like they’re still in their relationship for the sake of their friends. How long will these two be able to fake still being in love before they end up hurting each other again?
I LOVE a second chance romance and the angstier the better. Emily Henry definitely delivered with Happy Place 🥲. I loved the back and forth timeline with when Harriet met Wyn and their eventual pulling apart as a couple. The giddiness and butterflies you feel when a relationship first starts vs the bitterness and hurt when one ends – I felt both of these emotions so acutely 😭 I had tears streaming down my face so many times while reading this book.
I also loved the core group of friends and their relationships with one another. While they started off so carefree and fun (typically how it is in college), they got more complex as lives got busier, messier and took these friends to different parts of the country as well as different parts of their lives. This happens so often in real life – when you’re friends with someone and think you know them so well only to drift apart and think how well do I really know this person now?
Emily Henry has a way with words and so many sentences of Happy Place are highlighted on my tablet. I already can’t wait to go back and reread this lovely book 🥰
If angsty, swoony, second chance romance is your thing – add Happy Place to your tbr.
Ranking Emily Henry books (they’re all 5 stars) 1. People We Meet on Vacation 2. Book Lovers 3. Happy Place 4. Beach Read *subject to change at any moment
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
SYNOPSIS
Beach Read meets The Flatshare in this warmly funny and delightfully sharp debut rom-com about a down-on-her-luck young woman who turns an innocent mix-up between a dating app and a roommate app into a new chance at love.
After getting passed over for an overdue—and much needed—promotion, Sadie Green is in desperate need of three things: a stiff drink, a new place to live, and a one-night-stand. When one drink turns into one too many, Sadie mixes up a long-ignored dating app for a roommate-finding app and finds herself on the doorstep of Jack Thomas’s gorgeous Brooklyn brownstone. Too bad she’s more attracted to his impressive real estate than she is to the man himself.
Jack, still grieving the unexpected death of his parents, has learned to find comfort in video games and movie marathons instead of friends. So while he doesn’t know just what to make of the vivaciously verbose Sadie, he’s willing to offer her his spare bedroom while she gets back on her feet. And with the rent unbeatably low, Sadie can finally pursue her floristry side hustle full-time. The two are polar opposites, but as Sadie’s presence begins to turn the brownstone into a home, they both start to realize they may have just made the deal of a lifetime.
REVIEW
When Sadie Green gets passed up for the promotion she has been working so hard for – she lets it all out and is unfortunately fired from her job. Sadie is unsure what to do, but she has a great group of friends that rally behind her and lift up her spirits. When a swipe right that was supposed to be for a potential online date actually turns out to be a swipe right on a roommate, Sadie ends up meeting Jack. The owner of an impressive brownstone in Brooklyn.
Sadie and Jack agree to the terms and Sadie decides to turn her life around and attempt floristry. Something she’s always been interested in. Jack lays low and hasn’t really had a lot of friends/relationships since the death of his parents a few years ago. He’s still grieving and Sadie gives him all the space that he needs.
But soon the forced proximity of living together has these two looking at each other in a different light. Will they be able to make a relationship work, when both of them are trying to work out their own issues?
Oh how I loved Lease on Love. The writing by Falon Ballard was funny, heartfelt and I couldn’t stop reading this book once I started. Sadie and Jack were both characters that had so many layers to them. Not just them as individuals, but their backstories, their friendships and what made them the way that they are.
Although Lease on Love was a slow, slow, slow burn I never felt that it was going too slow. Sadie and Jack truly started off as roommates that progressed to friends and then to something more. Their relationship took a natural course and I was never bored or willing them to go faster.
One aspect of books with so many side characters is that sometimes it’s too many people and voices. But in this case I loved Sadie’s group of friends. The text messages, the ribbing, the way they loved each other unconditionally was so perfect. Found families in books can be hit and miss, but it was a total hit in the case with Lease on Love
Overall I truly enjoyed Lease on Love. I wasn’t completely sold on the final conflict in the story, but still loved the story enough to round up my rating to five stars!. I can’t wait to read what Falon Ballard writes next!
CW: grief, parental death (off page), parental verbal abuse/abandonment
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
SYNOPSIS
Diana Quincy returns with the second novel in the Clandestine Affairs series with a steamy romance about a London bonesetter of Arab descent who is dangerously attracted to her viscount client.
A seduction that could ruin everything…
Hanna Zaydan has fought to become London’s finest bonesetter, but her darkly appealing new patient threatens to destroy everything she’s worked so hard for. With each appointment, the daughter of foreign merchants is slowly seduced by the mysterious former soldier. She’s smart enough to know Griff is after more than he’ll reveal, but whatever it is, the bonesetter’s growing desire for the man just might tempt her to give it to him.
An attraction that cannot be denied…
Rumors that he killed his own parents have followed Thomas Ellis, Viscount Griffin, practically since he was a boy. More than a decade after the tragedy, Griff receives a tip about his parents’ killer… one that takes him straight to a beautiful bonesetter. Griff is convinced Hanna is a fraud, but she stirs genuine feelings in him that he thought had perished along with his family.
Hanna has a gift for fixing fractured people, but can she also mend a broken heart? More importantly, will Griff let her?
REVIEW
Hanna Zaydan has a profession that most do not value – bonesetter. She learned from the best – her father – and would like the profession to get the recognition that it deserves. But physicians and those that do not believe in bonesetters are making it harder for Hanna.
Viscount Griffin absolutely does not believe in Hanna’s art the first time they meet. But when she heals the wounds he has been suffering through for years, he can deny it no longer. Not only is Hanna an amazing bonesetter, but Griff has started to fall for her. Only nothing can ever be so easy – Griff believes that Hanna may know information about the death of his parents. Can Hanna trust Griff and will Griff allow her to help him find out more about his past?
The Viscount Made Me Do It started off really strong for me. I love how fierce and independent Hanna is. Not only is she a woman, but she is also an Arab woman doing a job that threatens so my physicians. People are so rude to her and she takes it all in stride. I loved her relationship with her community and how it really showcased not only how strong she was, but also how sweet and caring she was.
The subplot about the mystery/death of Griffin’s parents didn’t really hold that much interest for me. And I could spot the “villain” immediately. I also wanted to feel more of an attraction between Griff and Hanna. While I did enjoy the scenes that they shared, their chemistry felt a bit lacking for me.
While this was my first book by Diana Quincy, I am interested in reading her backlist and the first book in the Clandestine Affairs series!
EXCERPT
“You are the only woman I can see.”
Her face softened. “You shouldn’t say such things.”
“And I am not dallying with you. For you to even suggest it is an insult to us both.” He barely contained the anger in his voice. How dare she believe that of him? Of herself. “You are not a woman a man trifles with. You are the kind of woman a man never wants to leave.”
She stared at him. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Why?” He stepped closer, his pulse bounding strong and hard at the base of his neck.
“Because there can be nothing real between us.”
“This feels very real to me.”
“I am a laboring girl. A bonesetter. The daughter of foreign merchants. You are a viscount born into privilege. We could not be further apart. Oh!”
He swept her into his arms before she could finish her sentence. “What are you doing?” she asked breathlessly.
“Unless you tell me to stop, I am going to kiss you.”
A brave woman on the run from her abusive violent husband lands herself a job as a personal assistant to a Hollywood director. Sarah is willing to change names, create a fake ID and land a job as a personal assistant to Hollywood director Mick Talford. Will that be enough to keep her estranged husband away? And when Mick decides to help Sarah – will they brave the danger together and come out stronger? Read on for an excerpt of this thrilling romance!
SYNOPSIS
A brave woman on the run from her vindictive husband faces a dangerous path in the thrilling new romantic suspense novel from Oscar-nominated actress Meg Tilly.
Sarah Rainsford has been on the run for more than three years. She’s changed identities yet again in hopes of throwing her violent estranged husband, a police lieutenant, off her trail. Since she’s still legally married to him, and he is willing to bend any laws to get his hands on her inheritance, he’ll stop at nothing to locate her.
With a new name and fake ID papers, she lands a job as a personal assistant to none other than Hollywood’s golden boy director Mick Talford. He’s a difficult client but she senses hidden depths to him. Once Mick and Sarah combine forces in a desperate attempt to keep Sarah out of harm’s way, they build a strong bond . . . but with danger trailing them, is it enough to keep them both alive?
EXCERPT
“Rachel . . .” The woman at the employment agency glanced down at the form on her clipboard.
“Jones?”
Sarah got to her feet. “Yes,” she said. “That would be me.”
“I’m Ellen Davis. This way, please.”
Sarah followed the woman into her office, mouth dry.
Ms. Davis flipped to the next page on her clipboard. Sarah could see over her shoulder that the woman was now reading the fake CV and reference letters Sarah had typed and printed at the public library that morning.
“Have a seat.” Ms. Davis gestured to a chair in front of her desk as she rounded it and sat down.
As Sarah sat, she surreptitiously slid her palms down along her thighs so the black dress pants could erase the slight dampness before clasping her hands in her lap.
The woman flipped to the last page, scanned it, then placed the clipboard on the desk in front of her. “Everything seems in order,” she said. “Your scores on the technical skills test were quite impressive. I don’t foresee a problem getting you placed. What sort of hours are you interested in working?”
“I’m pretty flexible. And it doesn’t have to be office work. Basically, I’ll take whatever job you have available.”
“Nights? Weekends? Long hours okay?”
“Sure.”
“Huh . . . Interesting. Actually-” Ms. Davis’s fingers rapped a quick staccato on the desk as if she were playing descending scales on the piano.
“But I’m not interested in stripping or escort work or anything like that,” Sarah hastily added.
This was Hollywood after all. Best to make sure the woman hadn’t gotten the wrong idea.
Ms. Davis didn’t look up, her fingers flying over her keyboard. “Of course. Not to worry. We don’t handle that kind of ‘work placement.'” Then she swiveled slightly in her chair, eyes narrowing as she leaned forward, focused on her computer screen. “Ah! Here we go.” A huff of air that could have been laughter escaped her lips. “Well . . . it’s worth a try,” she murmured.
“Lord knows, he’s burned his way through all my other options.” Her birdlike gaze moved away from the screen to settle on Sarah’s face, taking in the dark-rimmed glasses. Luckily, the woman’s perusal didn’t linger on the mousy brown hair Sarah had re-dyed in the bathroom sink of the motel room last night.
Sarah looked back, keeping her expression a blank, calm canvas, a polite smile on her face, determined not to let her nerves peek through.
“Plain. Practical. No-nonsense. Might be just what the doctor ordered.” Ms. Davis nodded as her gaze traveled down the conservative cream blouse Sarah had steamed in the shower. She took in the black slacks, the sensible black pumps; then her gaze slid back up to Sarah’s face. “This position requires gumption, backbone, plenty of grit. No running for the hills just because the client has a few rough edges.”
“No, ma’am.” Sarah forced her hands to lie still in her lap. “I understand.”
The woman’s fingers rapped on the desk again. “Most of the specifications fit.” Her unblinking eyes narrowed to a laser-like focus. Suddenly she shrugged and then relaxed in her chair. “The job pays twenty-four dollars an hour. It’s live-in. Is that a problem?”
A problem? A heaven-sent gift from God was more like it. Sarah’s mind flashed to handing over her last hundred-dollar bill to pay for the motel last night. The eleven o’clock checkout meant returning to the motel after her visit to the library and packing all her belongings in the trunk of her car. She would have preferred for Charlie to have the run of the motel room, as he was not a fan of car travel. It wasn’t ideal, but she’d had to leave him in the car with the windows cracked open during this interview, yowling in his carrier bag as if he were being murdered. Didn’t have enough to cover another night, $56.95 to her name. “Live-in is fine. Preferable, actually.”
“Wonderful. When can you start?”
Sarah released the breath she’d been holding. “Whenever,” she said, as if she wasn’t in dire financial straits and planning on sleeping in her car tonight. “I could start today if you like?”
“Even better.” Ms. Davis scribbled something on a slip of paper. “Here’s the name and address. Mick Talford. Hopefully, Rachel, you’ll last longer than the previous assistants I’ve sent.”
Rachel? For a split second Sarah’s mind blanked. Oh yes! Rachel.
“I’ll do my best.” Sarah smiled in a reassuring manner even though her heart had skipped a beat.
Ms. Davis stood, rounded the desk, and handed the paper to Sarah. “The client is a talented director. Good luck,” she said, shaking Sarah’s hand. “You’ll need it.”
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton
Genre: Historical Romance / Fantasy
Series: Dangerous Damsels #1
Release Date: June 15, 2021
Publisher: Berkley
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton combines historical romance with magical fantasy for an unbelievable story! I am currently reading this book right now and it’s already had me laughing out loud and wondering what will be happening next!
SYNOPSIS
A prim and proper lady thief must save her aunt from a crazed pirate and his dangerously charming henchman in this fantastical historical romance.
Cecilia Bassingwaite is the ideal Victorian lady. She’s also a thief. Like the other members of the Wisteria Society crime sorority, she flies around England drinking tea, blackmailing friends, and acquiring treasure by interesting means. Sure, she has a dark and traumatic past and an overbearing aunt, but all things considered, it’s a pleasant existence. Until the men show up.
Ned Lightbourne is a sometimes assassin who is smitten with Cecilia from the moment they meet. Unfortunately, that happens to be while he’s under direct orders to kill her. His employer, Captain Morvath, who possesses a gothic abbey bristling with cannons and an unbridled hate for the world, intends to rid England of all its presumptuous women, starting with the Wisteria Society. Ned has plans of his own. But both men have made one grave mistake. Never underestimate a woman.
When Morvath imperils the Wisteria Society, Cecilia is forced to team up with her handsome would-be assassin to save the women who raised her–hopefully proving, once and for all, that she’s as much of a scoundrel as the rest of them.
EXCERPT
There was no possibility of walking to the library that day. Morning rain had blanched the air, and Miss Darlington feared that if Cecilia ventured out she would develop a cough and be dead within the week. Therefore Cecilia was at home, sitting with her aunt in a room ten degrees colder than the streets of London, and reading aloud The Song of Hiawatha by “that American rogue, Mr. Longfellow,” when the strange gentleman knocked at their door.
As the sound barged through the house, interrupting Cecilia’s recitation mid-rhyme, she looked inquiringly at her aunt. But Miss Darlington’s own gaze went to the mantel clock, which was ticking sedately toward a quarter to one. The old lady frowned.
“It is an abomination the way people these days knock at any wild, unseemly hour,” she said in much the same tone the prime minister had used in Parliament recently to decry the London rioters. “I do declare—!”
Cecilia waited, but Miss Darlington’s only declaration came in the form of sipping her tea pointedly, by which Cecilia understood that the abominable caller was to be ignored. She returned to Hiawatha and had just begun proceeding “toward the land of the Pearl-Feather” when the knocking came again with increased force, silencing her and causing Miss Darlington to set her teacup into its saucer with a clink. Tea splashed, and Cecilia hastily laid down the poetry book before things really got out of hand.
“I shall see who it is,” she said, smoothing her dress as she rose and touching the red-gold hair at her temples, although there was no crease in the muslin nor a single strand out of place in her coiffure.
“Do be careful, dear,” Miss Darlington admonished. “Anyone attempting to visit at this time of day is obviously some kind of hooligan.”
“Fear not, Aunty.” Cecilia took up a bone-handled letter opener from the small table beside her chair. “They will not trouble me.”
Miss Darlington harrumphed. “We are buying no subscriptions today,” she called out as Cecilia left the room.
In fact they had never bought subscriptions, so this was an unnecessary injunction, although typical of Miss Darlington, who persisted in seeing her ward as the reckless tomboy who had entered her care ten years before: prone to climbing trees, fashioning cloaks from tablecloths, and making unauthorized doorstep purchases whenever the fancy took her. But a decade’s proper education had wrought wonders, and now Cecilia walked the hall quite calmly, her French heels tapping against the polished marble floor, her intentions aimed in no way toward the taking of a subscription. She opened the door.
“Yes?” she asked.
“Good afternoon,” said the man on the step. “May I interest you in a brochure on the plight of the endangered North Atlantic auk?”
Cecilia blinked from his pleasant smile to the brochure he was holding out in a black-gloved hand. She noticed at once the scandalous lack of hat upon his blond hair and the embroidery trimming his black frock coat. He wore neither sideburns nor mustache, his boots were tall and buckled, and a silver hoop hung from one ear. She looked again at his smile, which quirked in response.
“No,” she said, and closed the door.
And bolted it.
Ned remained for a moment longer with the brochure extended as his brain waited for his body to catch up with events. He considered what he had seen of the woman who had stood so briefly in the shadows of the doorway, but he could not recall the exact color of the sash that waisted her soft white dress, nor whether it had been pearls or stars in her hair, nor even how deeply winter dreamed in her lovely eyes. He held only a general impression of “beauty so rare and face so fair”—and implacability so terrifying in such a young woman.
And then his body made pace, and he grinned.
Miss Darlington was pouring herself another cup of tea when Cecilia returned to the parlor. “Who was it?” she asked without looking up.
“A pirate, I believe,” Cecilia said as she sat and, taking the little book of poetry, began sliding a finger down a page to relocate the line at which she’d been interrupted.
Miss Darlington set the teapot down. With a delicate pair of tongs fashioned like a sea monster, she began loading sugar cubes into her cup. “What made you think that?”
Cecilia was quiet a moment as she recollected the man. He had been handsome in a rather dangerous way, despite the ridiculous coat. A light in his eyes had suggested he’d known his brochure would not fool her, but he’d entertained himself with the pose anyway. She predicted his hair would fall over his brow if a breeze went through it, and that the slight bulge in his trousers had been in case she was not happy to see him—a dagger, or perhaps a gun.
“Well?” her aunt prompted, and Cecilia blinked herself back into focus.
“He had a tattoo of an anchor on his wrist,” she said. “Part of it was visible from beneath his sleeve. But he did not offer me a secret handshake, nor invite himself in for tea, as anyone of decent piratic society would have done, so I took him for a rogue and shut him out.”
“A rogue pirate! At our door!” Miss Darlington made a small, disapproving noise behind pursed lips. “How reprehensible. Think of the germs he might have had. I wonder what he was after.”
Cecilia shrugged. Had Hiawatha confronted the magician yet? She could not remember. Her finger, three-quarters of the way down the page, moved up again. “The Scope diamond, perhaps,” she said. “Or Lady Askew’s necklace.”
Miss Darlington clanked a teaspoon around her cup in a manner that made Cecilia wince. “Imagine if you had been out as you planned, Cecilia dear. What would I have done, had he broken in?”
“Shot him?” Cecilia suggested.
Miss Darlington arched two vehemently plucked eyebrows toward the ringlets on her brow. “Good heavens, child, what do you take me for, a maniac? Think of the damage a ricocheting bullet would do in this room.”
“Stabbed him, then?”
“And get blood all over the rug? It’s a sixteenth-century Persian antique, you know, part of the royal collection. It took a great deal of effort to acquire.”
“Steal,” Cecilia murmured.
“Obtain by private means.”
“Well,” Cecilia said, abandoning a losing battle in favor of the original topic of conversation. “It was indeed fortunate I was here. ‘The level moon stared at him—’ ”
“The moon? Is it up already?” Miss Darlington glared at the wall as if she might see through its swarm of framed pictures, its wallpaper and wood, to the celestial orb beyond, and therefore convey her disgust at its diurnal shenanigans.
“No, it stared at Hiawatha,” Cecilia explained. “In the poem.”
“Oh. Carry on, then.”
“ ‘In his face stared pale and haggard—’ ”
“Repetitive fellow, isn’t he?”
“Poets do tend to—”
Miss Darlington waved a hand irritably. “I don’t mean the poet, girl. The pirate. Look, he’s now trying to climb in the window.”
Jessica Trent has traveled all the ways to Paris to specifically see Sebastian Ballister, Marquess of Dain. Jess’s brother has been cast under the spell of Dain and Jess is here to negotiate with the scoundrel. Dain doesn’t really care much for Jessica’s brother, but he’s willing to play the game just to aggravate Jess. When both of them are caught in a compromising position, Dain must do the honorable (maybe? he’s not always so honorable) thing and marry Jess. Will they survive their marriage before trying to wreak havoc on one another?
So many friends recommended that I read Lord of Scoundrels, and I can’t believe it took me so long to pick up this book!! I understand why it’s a classic and why it’s so beloved. I will admit that it took me a bit before I got into it. The prologue was quite long and didn’t really make much sense – but eventually I’m glad because it tied the whole story nicely.
The fiestiness of both Jess and Dain was so much fun to read! Dain was something else, but I loved how Jess was bold and strong and not letting Dain run roughshod over her. She brought out so much good in him. Jessica and Dain at times were curt, rude and did some bonkers stuff to one another, and yet I was still rooting for these two to get their HEA!
I did listen to the audiobook while concurrently reading the book and I enjoyed the narration by Kate Reading. She did an amazing job with both characters, especially when Dain was speaking in Italian.
Overall I throughly enjoyed Lord of Scoundrels!!!
A few favorite quotes:
“I don’t see how matters could become worse,” he muttered. “I am already besotted with a needle-tongued, conceited, provoking ape leader of a lady.”
You made me want you, he told her in his mother’s language. You’ve made me heartsick, lonely. You’ve made me crave what I vowed I would never need, never seek
“Oh, Dain, I do believe I shall swoon.” “Not now,” he said crossly. “I haven’t got time to pick you up. Get off me, Jess.”
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