Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Standalone - Hunter Legends #2
Release - October 13, 2002
Genre - Paranormal Romance/vampires & demons
Primarily Dual POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - 3.5 out of 5
Format/Source - paperback purchase from Amazon
Length - 324 pages
Publisher - St. Martin's Paperbacks

Find Night Pleasures on Amazon: https://amzn.to/35hIEXG

Kyrian's story was heartbreaking. Over two thousand years ago, he was the general of the Grecian army, holding back the invasion of the Romans. He was also a prince, destined to inherit a grand kingdom. He was also a human being who was feeling the flush of young love. He was so in love with his wife that he ignored the warnings of his father and his friends. So blindly in love that he didn't see the truth of who he was in love with until he was tortured to death while staring into her cold eyes.

When Kyrian died so long ago, he gave up his soul to become a Dark Hunter in Artemis's army against evil. He had condemned himself to a lonely existence. However, when the most powerful daimon ties him to Amanda, a seemingly ordinary human who belongs to a family of extraordinary humans, Kyrian starts to question everything he knows. He feels connected to her in a way he's never felt before and she feels emotions for him that are unexplained. It's almost like they were fated, although there was no mention of this.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the creation of vampires mythos that the author illustrated, I did feel like I was dumped in the middle of a story. Quite a few characters were introduced that I'm guessing have had or will have their own story and I'm interested enough to want to read them. I liked learning about the other hunters, the types of hunters, the goddess they serve (and what's the story between her and Acheron?), and how getting their souls is different for each individual.

Kyrian was blessed that Amanda, despite the fact that she continued to refer to him as a vampire after learning he wasn't one, loved him the way he deserved to be loved.

New York Times and international bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon is a regular at the #1 spot. With legions of fans known as Paladins (thousands of whom proudly sport tattoos from her series and who travel from all over the world to attend her appearances), her books are always snatched up as soon as they appear on store shelves. Since 2004, she had placed more than 80 novels on the New York Times list in all formats including manga and graphic novels. Her current series are: Dark-Hunters, Chronicles of Nick and The League, and her books are available in over 100 countries where eager fans impatiently wait for the next release. Her Chronicles of Nick and Dark-Hunter series are soon to be major motion pictures while Dark-Hunter is also being developed as a television series.

Her mouth tasted like everything I'd always imagined it would. Sweet, cherry, and mine.

Quit Bein' Ugly by Lani Lynn Vale

Standalone - The Southern Gentleman Series #3
Release - April 20, 2021
Genre - Contemporary Romance
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat Level - 4 out of 5/a couple of scenes
Format/Source - eARC provided by the author
Length - 181 pages
Publisher - Indie

There’s a crush, and then there are the type of feelings that Croft Cruisie evokes from a person.

He’s everything that any straight woman would want: tall, handsome, charismatic, muscular, and sweet.

At least, Carmichael thought he was sweet, until he brings another woman to the gym she owns with her brother, on the night that’s to be their first date, and lets her know in a quick and painful, non-verbal way that her feelings are not reciprocated.

Fast forward six months, and she’s still trying to move on from the rejection.

It doesn’t help that the jerk moves in next door to her, and that she has to see him workout shirtless every single day.
How can a woman get over a silly crush when that silly crush won’t so much as give her room to breathe?

***

Croft doesn’t know what happened.

One day he was supposed to go on a date with the girl that wouldn’t leave his thoughts for even a second, and the next she’s avoiding him like the plague.

No matter how hard he tries—and admittedly, it isn’t all that hard due to the biggest case of his career taking over his life—he can’t get her to tell him what he did wrong. She refuses to give him a second chance.

At least, not until he’s nearly killed in front of the courthouse, that is.

The moment he sees his chance, he pounces. Or, more literally, he limps.

But the limping is what draws Carmichael in. The Southern charm that was instilled in him since birth will be what gets her to stay.

That’s his plan, anyway.

Funny thing about plans… they never seem to work out how you expect them to.

This was a slow burn type of read and these characters had my heart in palpitations. Misunderstandings and assumptions are never my cup of tea, but when Croft brought another woman to Carmichael's gym, on the night of their much anticipated first date, I got where she was coming from. I'd probably arrive at the same conclusion too. However, I wouldn't wait SIX MONTHS to get answers!!

Once these two had things sorted, their relationship evolved into something beautiful. Croft was all strength and intelligence and dominance, but Carmichael was no slouch. She gave as good as she got, she loved just as hard, and together they built something that could last.

I loved getting to see all of the other characters again and how they played a role in this romance, even a small one. I'm definitely looking forward to Shultz's story, which comes next year, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that these people will be making another appearance.

I'm a huge fan of this author's work and every story is a winner for me!

───── ❝ but... ❞ ─────

Aside from how much I enjoyed this story, it didn't get five stars because I had some issues with it, such as:
☆ Here's the thing, I practice law so when a story has a lawyer or some other legal professional in it, I can immediately spot discrepancies. I may no longer work in criminal law, however, when I did, I never went up against another criminal law firm in court or during any kind of proceedings except for instances in which they provided co-counsel or were counsel for co-defendents. So the idea that a rival firm would plant people at a high school and at another firm to get... something... sounds utterly ridiculous. So while it made for good drama, it wasn't realistic and had me giving a look of bafflement more than amusement.

Lani Lynn Vale is married to the love of her life that she met in high school. She fell in love with him because he was wearing baseball pants. Ten years later they have three perfectly crazy children and a cat named Demon who likes to wake her up at ungodly times in the night. They live in the greatest state in the world, Texas. She writes contemporary and romantic suspense, and has a love for all things romance. You can find Lani in front of her computer writing away in her fictional characters world...that is until her husband and kids demand sustenance in the form of food and drink.

Step Into My Web by Cynthia Eden

Standalone - Death and Moonlight #1
Release - October 27, 2020
Genre - Romantic Suspense/Thriller
Dual POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - 3.5 out of 5/a couple of scenes
Format/Source - Kindle purchase
Length - 417 pages
Publisher - Hocus Pocus Publishing, Inc.

Step into my web…and you’ll never get out.

Chloe Hastings doesn’t like rules, and she doesn’t exactly play well with others. But she does have one amazing talent—she can get into the mind of killers like no one else. A police consultant and profiler, Chloe is definitely not like anyone that Joel Landry has ever encountered. From the moment they meet—in the middle of a bank robbery—she throws him off balance and pulls him under spell. She seems to have no fear, she plots constantly, and…Joel quickly finds himself trapped in her web.

She needs a new partner…and he’s just the man for the job.

There’s a sadistic killer hunting in the streets of New Orleans, and Chloe plans to catch him. First, though she needs a partner she can trust, and she’s decided that Dr. Joel Landry is the best fit for the job. Sure, he has a dark past. The doctor was attacked by a serial killer, but Joel survived while his attacker did not. Now the ruggedly handsome doctor has turned to the shadows. He’s learned how to hunt, how to fight, how to kill in a thousand brutal ways—in short, he’s acquired all of the skills that Chloe absolutely adores in a man.

He’s exactly what she wants. She could become the only thing he needs.

Together, they should be a perfect fit. She knows the minds of criminals better than anyone else, and Joel can protect her from any threat that comes their way. They’ll have one hell of a time tracking down the bad guys, provided Chloe and Joel don’t kill each other first. Another unanticipated twist for the new partners? Their attraction to each other is explosive, their desire uncontrollable. One reckless kiss seals their fate, and their need won’t be denied.

And neither will the killer who waits for his moment to attack.

Once you step into a spider’s web, there is no going back.

Author’s Note: Chloe Hastings always has a plan in play. Her investigations are unusual, her friends are generally on the shady side, and her social skills? Well, those are pretty much non-existent. But Chloe solves every case that crosses her path, and she never, ever backs down. When she teams up with her new partner, all bets are off. Joel is gorgeous, sinful, and about to break through every wall that Chloe possesses. He’ll fight for her, she’ll fight for him, and the criminals in their path had better get ready. There is a new crime-solving team in town.

Find your copy of Step Into My Web here:
Amazon * iBooks * Nook * Kobo

And this is why I will never ever question why Cynthia Eden is on my one-click list! Step Into My Web was on the right side of creepy (if creepy could be right) and gave me the thrilling story I was looking for.

After surviving an attack by a serial killer, Dr. Joel Landry was trying to get by. Surviving but not really living. He was scarred both physically and emotionally and Chloe Hastings believed she could offer him a way back. Be her partner. Help her catch a killer. Fall in love. No biggie.


There was so much to love about this story:
⭐ Chloe's mind, her secrets,her insights
⭐ Joel's strength and determination, his fight, his integrity, his endurance
⭐ the side characters that made their team — I hope to see more of them
⭐ the killings. I was seriously caught up in trying to find connections and didn't quite figure out whodunit until it was shown to me. I love to be kept guessing!

My only issue was the part about Chloe's ex, Morgan, who seemed to warrant more of an explanation. However, knowing that there will be another book, I'm hoping it will provide all that I found missing. I will definitely be one-clicking Save Me From the Dark when it releases in April.

"You're changing me. I feel like I've been sleeping. Or, hell, maybe I just haven't been living. Ever since that bastard put me in the ground, I haven't been the same. Nothing mattered. I dug myself out of the grave, but I felt like I was still buried. The days just passed and passed..."

"We should go —"

"Then I met you. You matter, Chloe. You matter." She'd changed everything for him.

She was searching his eyes. Searching —

"Joel?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"Please touch me again."

Please. A fucking magic word. He slid his hand under her chin.

"Lean toward me.

He leaned close.

Her lips pressed to his. A soft, tender kiss. "You matter, too."

Award-winning author Cynthia Eden writes sexy tales of contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and paranormal romance. She is a New York Times, USA Today, Digital Book World, and IndieReader best-seller. Since she began writing full-time in 2005, Cynthia has written over one hundred novels and novellas.

Cynthia lives along the Alabama Gulf Coast. She loves romance novels, horror movies, and chocolate. Her favorite hobbies including hiking in the mountains (searching for waterfalls) and spelunking.

Wicked Cravings by Suzanne Wright

Standalone - The Phoenix Pack #2
Release - April 16, 2013
Genre - Paranormal Romance/childhood crush
Dual POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - 4 out of 5/frequent scenes
Format/Source - borrowed from Kindle Unlimited
Length - 395 pages
Publisher - Montlake Romance

Despite having been besotted with Dante Garcea since she was a child, wolf shifter Jaime Farrow figures that it’s time to move past the crush. If he wanted her, he wouldn’t have ignored her flirtatious behavior, right? Hiding her intense attraction to him isn’t easy – especially now that they're part of the same pack again – but with bigger issues to worry about and with the submissive wolf act to maintain, Jaime is resolute on moving forward. Now if only the workaholic control-freak would let her…

As the pack Beta, Dante doesn't have the space or time in his life for a relationship. As such, he ignores his intense hunger for the willful – and sometimes crazy – Jaime. Yet when her flirtations abruptly end, Dante finds that he doesn’t like losing her attention. He finds something else too – Jaime's hiding something. Determined to uncover her secret, he sets out to break through her defenses, even though being around her intensifies his cravings for her. What he finds is a problem that Jaime is convinced not even a powerful Beta can solve.

After reading Feral Sins, I had to know what was going on with the rest of the pack. I was dying to see Trey again, see what other crazy things Taryn would find to say, and just spend time with these people who had become so familiar to me.

I was told to wait. Step away from the series and dive back in later, but I needed to do it NOW!

I should have waited.

I absolutely loved Dante, but I already knew I would because I already caught feelings for him in the first book. As Beta for the Phoenix pack, he took his job seriously. In Wicked Cravings, I finally found out what made this male tick. After falling in love and half-mating, he was ultimately betrayed and swore off lasting relationships. That's why Jaime's ridiculous crush on him was so irritating. At least it was until he lost her attentions.

It was a classic case of wanting, being pushed away, and then the chase. It was extremely entertaining. Actually, I found the entire story enjoyable. From Dante's hesitance to have something real to Jaime's battle with her traumatized wolf to the push and pull and fight for dominance between them. Even the side characters had me smiling.

So why should I have waited before reading this book?

Jaime was a heavily diluted version of Taryn. I don't care what anyone says to defend it because it's true. While there were many outrageous things Taryn did that I might have cringed at in real life, she got away with it. Jaime... not so much. She came off as rude and obnoxious and not nearly as funny. She was my least favorite character so far. It's not that I didn't like her. I just felt that she was doing too much.

My issues:
⭐ Dante compromised WAY too much. Where was this guy's head at? What the heck happened to this Beta? He was going to stand against Trey??? His funeral.
⭐ I was disturbed by the lack of consequences for Jaime. She constantly bucked orders, although she was new to the pack, hadn't earned a place, and was LYING to everyone, and she had NO PROBLEM being disrespectful and out of order.
⭐ Jaime basically challenged her Alpha and NOTHING happened. What kind of pack were they running???
⭐ the lies... I was so tired of the lies. Lies are what turn me off every time.

Will I continue with the series? Absolutely! Aside from my above issues, I really liked this story and its characters. While Dante and Jaime weren't as hot as Trey and Taryn, they still had amazing chemistry and their story had a uniqueness all its own.

Half an hour and a lot of cursing, growls, and cries later, they heard Taryn declare, "I can't do this! Just leave her in there. She'll be fine."

"You're doing really well," Lydia assured her.

"No, I'm done! I'm tired, I'm sweaty, I'm in agony, and why do I feel like I need to shit?"

"It's totally natural to feel that way," said Gracein a placatory, calming voice. "Some women even have one during labor."

"What?" The word dripped with horror. "Women can shit when they're in labor? Tell me that won't happen to me! Don't you let me shit, Grace!" A loud, lengthy cry signaled that she was having another contraction.

Trey's voice was soft and encouraging. "Just breathe, baby."

"I am fucking breathing! And why does this gas and air make me sound like Darth Vader?"

"Here, how about I move it out the way for —"

Don't you touch it," she growled at him. "It's mine. Understand? Mine."

"Okay, okay, you keep it, it's yours."

"Wanna try it?"

"No thanks, baby." His smile could be heard in his voice. The only time his tone ever softened that way was when he was talking about, or talking to, his mate. It was a tone totally reserved for her.

A loud groan. "God, here comes another one."

"You're doing so well, Taryn," praised Shaya. "I think you've only broken one of my fingers."

"I think I've had a shit, Shaya." The poor woman sounded distressed and mortified. "Have I, Grace? Don't lie to me."

"No, you haven't."

"I have, you're lying. Is she lying, Lydia?"

"No," Lydia quickly said, "you haven't, I promise."

"Shaya, why does it feel like the bed's floating?" Tarryn asked in a very loud whisper, though Jaime was sure that Taryn thought she was being quiet.

"Maybe we should take the gas and air from her," suggested Trey.

"Fucking try it."

"Stop gowling at me," he whined.

"I'm not fucking growling! You need a fucking hearing aid!" More cries of pain as another contraction hit. "Grace... I think I can feel the head."

"It is the head, Taryn," confirmed Grace. "On the next contraction, I need you to push for me, okay." A long pause. "Ready? Go."

"Push," encouraged Trey.

"I am pushing, doofus." A few moments later, there was a sob. "Why isn't anything happening?"

"I know you're tired, baby, but —"

"Don't you touch me, Flintstone, this is your fault! Don't think we're playing Hiding Pedro ever again!"

Shaya sounded stern yet amused. "Now, Taryn, that wasn't nice."

"Cut it out of me!" Presumably Taryn was totally ignored, because she growled, "Fine. Give me a knife, I'll do it!"

"One more, Taryn, and it'll be over, I promise. I need you to push really, really hard this time."

"What do you think I've been doing all along?"

In her words...

I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing something, whether it was stories, poems, or even songs – though I can’t carry a tune. I only have one rule when I’m writing a book which is that it has to have a happy ending. Other than that, pretty much anything goes. I write stories that I would enjoy reading and then I just hope that others will enjoy them too.

I was born and raised in England where I live with my husband (a person who doesn’t judge me for hearing voices in my head – how often do you come across people like that?), and my two demanding children.

RYAN
She was perfect:
Sweet, smart, awkwardly adorable, and beautiful as hell.
The only problem was:
she was terrified to leave her apartment.
And, apparently, she had somehow gotten herself wrapped up with some pretty bad guys to boot.

DUSTY
He was perfect:
He was a living, breathing, walking, talking statue come to life.
But when would a man like that ever want to be with a woman who was too anxious to even walk into the hallway? Let alone go on a date with him. Or meet the family he was so close with.
That being said, he seemed interested for some reason.
So obviously, he was just as crazy as I was.
On top of that whole confusion situation, something was going on with my business partners. And things were about to go straight to hell…

Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33863726-ryan

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You murder a man, and all of a sudden people are scared of you.

Slate Solis went from being a guy that people went to in times of need to an ex-con that people crossed the street to avoid being too close to.

He knows he’s done wrong, but out of all of his sins, only one really bothers him—coveting thy neighbor’s wife.

Harleigh Belle—the cute little lady that never gives him a second glance.

After seeing her for the first time while he was in prison, she’s stayed on his mind for three long years. Each time she comes in to visit with her friend on family day, he can’t help but stare.

Then the day comes that he’s set free, and he’s almost disappointed that he’ll never see her again.

Except fate has different plans.

He hasn’t been back in his house for more than three hours when he sees her.

Harleigh Belle in all her glory…oh, and her husband that is everything Slate isn’t.

He tells himself that her being fifty feet away from him, all day every day, is a complete coincidence. One that he shouldn’t take advantage of. The more time passes, the harder it gets to stay away. Until one day, and one very ill-timed thunderstorm, ruin everything.

Who knew that baby-making-weather was a real thing?

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When I slap the handcuffs on her
I’ll be taking her to bed, not jail.

Getting involved with the wrong woman can destroy your life.
I had to move back home and lose my position as Detective to get away from one.
The last thing I need is to repeat my mistake.
I finally have what I want.
Deputy in my home town, surrounded by family and friends—
Life is good.

Then she crashes—literally crashes—into my world.

Adelle Harrington is a pain in my ass.
She’s way too high maintenance for my tastes.
She’s sassy, opinionated, and stubborn as hell.
She’s also the Mayor’s only daughter.
Which means she should be completely off limits.
When she forces my hand and breaks the law, all bets are off.
She picked the wrong cop to tangle with.
I’ve got her in my sites, she’s not getting away
And I’m definitely not shooting blanks.

Tyler Cree has never been good at the whole look and don’t touch thing.

From the moment he was old enough to walk on his own two feet, he’s been looking for trouble.

Trouble comes in many forms…quite a few of those forms being the female persuasion.

Tyler knows what girls want—a bad boy. And he has the bad boy image down pat.

Ex-military—check.

Hot cop—double check.

A bike between his legs and a devil may care attitude—oh, yeah.

All the girls want him, yet none of them will have him—at least not all of him, anyway. A certain appendage they can have all they want. His heart, however, is not up for grabs. The useless organ inside his chest was broken and battered, mutilated by the one woman he thought would keep it safe.

Spoiler alert: she ripped it to shreds and set fire to the pieces.

To protect himself, Tyler keeps everyone at arm’s length, and never lets anyone get too close.

I did something I had never done before.

I had a one-night stand.

Then in true me fashion, I left my phone at his house during my desperate venture to escape.

I tried hard to ignore the texts sent to my best friend’s phone...

Amethyst: Sup, these selfies are cute as shit, but your lips looked better wrapped around my…

I did NOT text him back.

I DID vow to never speak of him, or that night again...

I’m Amethyst Lily Tatum, and up until this point, I’d managed to maintain a fairly low-key life. I’m what you would call a socially unacceptable hot mess. Instead of partying, I’m skating, flipping ollie’s over guys who loved to underestimate me. Then I started college, met a wild girl who I would soon call my best-friend, had my first drunk one-night stand, left my phone at his house, and then, when I finally managed to meet my mom’s new boyfriend, I found out that my one-night stand, was now my new stepbrother.

*this is a standalone novel*

Goodreads | Amazon

Get it today! https://amzn.to/2HRGPqX

JIMMY
Over the past year, I’ve been called a lot of things. Slacker. Troublemaker. Party animal.
I thought I was on top of the world. Turns out, I was pretty close to rock bottom.
Now I have a new title: college dropout.
Talk about a reality check.
But I’ve got a chance to redeem myself. One summer to turn things around. Two months to prove I’m not a complete f*ck-up.
It’s time to change.
I want to get back to being one of the good guys.

MACKENNA
I have everything I need to live out my dream of being a reclusive songwriter—my guitar, my notebook, and blissful silence.
At least, I did until Jimmy moved in next door.
With tattoos, piercings, and mischievous green eyes, he’s got bad news written all over him. And last time I got with a bad boy, it ended horribly.
Jimmy makes me feel things I shouldn’t feel. Want things I shouldn’t want. He’s a hazard to my carefully laid plans.
But he’s only here for two months.
I can resist him...right?