coz-en (kuz-uhn)
verb
1. trick or deceive.
• obtain by deception.

She was named most appropriately.

Cozen Taylor has more than earned her place as one of North America’s most successful thieves. Her name is whispered amongst criminal elite as the go-to thief when someone needs a heist.

She has never failed.

A call from the Miami-based Astor family could change all that with a job that seems almost impossible to complete. The mark should be simple—a stolen family heirloom, the man who has kept it hidden for over twenty years, and six months to return the piece to its rightful owners.

Nothing is ever that easy.

Three-hundred million for a successful heist. No smart thief would turn the offer down. Cozen didn’t expect a complication like him to put a kink in her plans, though. Sargon Makri—tall, dark, gorgeous, and entirely dangerous. For her life, her heart, and for the success of the heist.

The last thing Cozen needs to be thinking about is Sargon, and how she can get him into her bed … especially when he just happens to be her mark’s bodyguard. The thrill of the job has never been more addicting to Cozen, and she will risk everything to make the heist a success.

But at what cost?

***

From author Bethany-Kris comes a whole new world. A North American network full of criminals battling to stay on top, and painting the streets red in war as they dabble in the game of betrayal. Malicious, cunning, forbidden, and violent—welcome to The Empires and Badlands.

Amazon | Goodreads

My Review

I think this will be the simplest review I’ve ever written for a book I’ve read by Bethany-Kris. If you haven’t read anything of hers before, this is a perfect example of her exemplary prose and a wise choice to get your feet wet with. And if you’re a mega fan like me, you’ll love how seemingly flawless her segue from mafia romance to plain old romantic suspense is.

Cozen is a thief looking for her last job and it happens to land in her lap at just the right time. Her skills are highly sought after because she doesn’t just steal what you’re looking for. There’s no smash-and-grab. She has the unique ability to insert herself into her target’s life, identify the mark, take the mark, and exit without anyone being the wiser. Perfect. And her tactics should have worked just as effortlessly as ever before except for one snag - an irresistible man named Sargon. While trying to seduce her target, she was also seducing him, and from first sight, she was seduced by him. And it was sexy, incredibly hot, and absolutely beautiful.

I loved so much about this story and I wish it didn’t have to end. I loved Sargon’s frustration over Cozen’s pretense. I loved how Cozen couldn’t help herself when it came to Sargon. And I loved the twists and turns that this author fed me right up until the end. I admit that I was pleasantly surprised that I was intentionally left in the dark about so much and yet I felt that the surprises only validated how much I loved these characters.

Trapped.
Beaten.
Broken.
Adam destroyed himself to save me. At first, I doubt if I have the strength to go on. But with every second that passes, I seethe and curse the Prophet. My time as a Maiden is over. I refuse to be a toy in his game any longer. But there’s always more ways for the Prophet to get to me, to use me, and to keep me under his influence. Will I be strong enough to break free?

Join here: www.jointhecloister.com

Author's Note: If you have a trigger, this book will pull it. The Maiden is the first book of The Cloister Series. The Prophet will release in May, and the conclusion to the series, The Church, will release in June.

Find it here:
Amazon | Goodreads

FREE in KU

“What do you do when you meet your soul mate? No wait…that’s too easy. What do you do when you meet your soul mate and have to spend a lifetime loving him in secret?
I’ll tell you what you do.
You lie.”

REN

Ren was eight when he learned that love doesn’t exist—that the one person who was supposed to adore him only cared how much he was worth.
His mother sold him and for two years, he lived in terror.
But then…he ran.
He thought he’d run on his own. Turned out, he took something of theirs by accident and it became the one thing he never wanted and the only thing he ever needed.

DELLA

I was young when I fell in love with him, when he switched from my world to my everything.
My parents bought him for cheap labour, just like they had with many other kids, and he had the scars to prove it.
At the start, he hated me, and I could understand why.
For years he was my worst enemy, fiercest protector, and dearest friend.
But by the end…he loved me.
The only problem was, he loved me in an entirely different way to the way I loved him.
And slowly, my secret drove us apart.

Izabel and Naeva find themselves right where they wanted to be in Mexico: captured and held in the slave compounds owned by the Ruiz family. But the two are soon separated and forced into very different—but equally dangerous—situations. Izabel spends the next three weeks playing a role she never expected she would get the opportunity to play, but her luck runs out when Naeva’s life hangs in the balance, and only Izabel can save her. But at a terrible cost. If Izabel chooses to help Naeva, it will expose a lie she has been carrying on her shoulders since she met Victor Faust. A lie that will not only potentially make everyone in Victor’s Order distrust her going forward, but one that will also blow her carefully constructed cover In Mexico, and that could get her killed.

Fredrik, still looking for his serial killer, does not have to look long—the killer finds him. And Niklas’s past catches up to him when an old enemy comes back for revenge. But it will be Victor’s actions that shake up those left in his Order, and ultimately, be its downfall.

Amazon | Goodreads

To catch a thief…or fall for one?

All Nick Norton wants is to stay on the straight and narrow…and never get caught stealing again. Then he lays eyes on her: Stella Peretti—100 percent sexy and absolutely irresistible. Especially when he sees her smooth moves lifting a two-karat diamond. Nick realizes he’s found the sparkling woman of his dreams—one so perfect for him it’s almost criminal.

The Shimmy Shimmy Bangs are master jewel thieves who are planning the heist of the century. And Shimmy leader, Stella, isn’t about to let anyone—even if he is a hunky, tatted-up studmuffin—get in her way. But when two of her girls are put out of commission, Stella realizes that Nick isn’t just a red-hot distraction. He might be the answer to her pilfering prayers.

Now, Nick and Stella are putting everything on the line for one last job. But when two thieves have this much chemistry, it’s only a matter of time before somebody’s heart gets stolen.

Amazon | Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Nick was fresh out of prison and looking forward to starting over and living his life well. Then he catches a glimpse of heaven through the window of a jewelry store. He can’t look away. And thoughts of moving forward without her are no longer possible. He walks into that store and takes in the full picture that is Stella. She’s not only physically gorgeous, but she had a personality to match. Everything about her sang to him. Every part of her called to him. And when he sees her pull off a sleight of hand befitting a pro, he knows that he’s not letting her go. Who makes the perfect match for a jewel thief? Another jewel thief.

I’ve read quite a few books by Nicola Rendell, but this was by far my favorite of the bunch. It was fresh, unique, and increasingly entertaining as the story progressed. I loved the plot, its characters, and the way this author played on my emotions. The dynamic between Nick and Stella was not only incredibly hot, it was sweet, fun, and found a way to lift my spirits. I had an absolute blast reading about these two and I’m pretty sad to see them go. However, with a fantastic supporting cast of characters, such as Ruth and Roxie, I’m holding out hope that I’ll see them again.

New York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones returns with the second book in her electrifying series featuring Lilah Love, an FBI profiler who doesn’t fight her dark side—she embraces it.

It’s Lilah Love’s job to inhabit a killer’s mind. The unapologetically tough FBI profiler is very comfortable there. But her latest case is making her head spin. It’s a string of brutal assassinations carried out across the country, each tied to a mysterious tattoo. Body by body, she’s followed the clues all the way back to her hometown. And every step of the way, the killer has been following her.

Here, beneath the glamour of the privileged Hamptons community, is a secret long buried but never forgotten. It’s bigger than Lilah. It’s powerful enough to escape the reach of the FBI. And it’s more personal than anyone can imagine. Because it’s hiding in Lilah’s own past. To fight it, she’s forced to turn to her lethally tempting ex, Kane Mendez.

He’s an expert at bringing out Lilah’s darkest impulses. If she plans to survive, she’s going to need them.

Amazon | Goodreads

Betrayal and rage, a festering sting.
Monster vs Master. Who will be king?

Damaged and desperate, a solution they must find, To bring back the dolly who is one of a kind.

Disloyalty and failure will not be forgiven.
Seeking revenge, the monster is driven.

Hungry for his affection, our master has waited. These broken dollies lives have already been fated.

The storm is upon us, the chaos raining down, Now that the big players have come to town.

Who will come out breathing with their prize by their side? And who will be collateral damage along for the ride?

Prelude in the American Gods series.

Young. Wealthy. Elite. Attractive. The gentlemen’s secret society at Yale was filled with them.

And Nathaniel Radcliffe, the bane of my existence, was one of them.

As the right hand of the American Gods, he was conceited and arrogant. A dangerously handsome man in a tailored custom suit and shiny black oxford loafers.

The classroom was our battlefield. We made a sport out of arguing and debating, ready to do anything in order to win over the other.

Deadly opponents, deadlier minds.

I'd sworn I'd never give him the upper hand, until...

The secret I’ve been hiding for the last three years?

He just discovered it… and now he has all the power.

Add to your TBR: Goodreads

MY REVIEW

First of all... that cover!! I am so sorry for the objectification, but...


Not sorry!! Hmmmm... Nathan(iel)

What is it about stories that revolve around characters that seem to hate each other that I love so much? In Filthy Gods, Juliette and Nathaniel gave me the push-and-pull, the resistance, and the undeniable chemistry that I was looking for.

Young. Elite. Wealthy. The American Gods ruled. Today it may be Yale, but one day they would control the world. Men wanted to be them and women wanted to be owned by them. Is it any wonder that they believed they could have anything and anyone they wanted? Juliette didn't stand a chance against Nathaniel.

Whether it was through Juliette’s memories of their ferocious debates or the present tension-filled circumstances, the inevitability of these two had me all tingly. The disparity between the characters, such as wealth, social status and background, only served to make their union that much sweeter.

It seems that no matter the sub-genre, R. Scarlett is an accomplished master of words. She won my devotion with her paranormal Blackest Gold world series and this foray into the contemporary romance scene was nothing short of a success. I only wish this story was longer. Rebecca, you are not allowed to write standalone novellas anymore. I need more of your words and I would have loved to get more of Juliette and Nathaniel’s story.

I can’t save myself from the Cloister, and maybe I never could.
The Prophet grows more dangerous by the day.
His delusions are steeped in blood, and if I’m not careful, that blood will be my own.
Despite the growing risk, I still continue the search for the truth, no matter if the thorny path eventually twists back to Adam, guilt in his dark eyes.
I’ve seen glimpses of his soul, and I know there is more to him than the monster, but it’s so hard to reach him. I knew when I came here that I’d have to fight, I just didn’t realize the war would be waged on so many fronts.

Author's Note: If you have a trigger, this book will pull it. The Maiden is the first book of The Cloister Series. The Prophet will release in May, and the conclusion to the series, The Church, will release in June.

Siena Calabrese is no longer the prized daughter of la famiglia. Her transgressions against her brothers and family have stained more than just her reputation. Her best chance at keeping breath in her lungs would be to sit down and shut up like she was taught to do. She definitely shouldn't be feeding information to her family's enemies. And yet, she is still willing to risk it all for a chance at forever with Johnathan Marcello. After everything, how could she not?

The disgraced one …

Johnathan Marcello’s life and secrets have now been put on display for everyone to see. There's no hiding the things he's tried to keep hidden, but maybe that's the best thing that could have happened. Now he's about to walk straight into a war between rival mafia families, and he's got choices to make. His love is on one side, he's on the other, and everybody is playing for keeps. He'll play the game just as dirty as anyone else to get what he wants, even to the detriment of himself. For her, how could he not?

The shamed one …

It's time that the forgotten king takes back his throne. It's already been too long since it was taken from him.

But when has anything in this life been easy?

This Mafia Romance is available now! https://amzn.to/2qult7B

She’s in a white dress that dances around her ankles, and her hair tumbles in a long sheet of curls down her back. A veil covers her beautiful eyes, and she smiles directly at him. Janie is everything Rafe’s ever imagined she would be on her wedding day.

Breathtaking. Gorgeous. Perfect.

The moment he sees her walking down the aisle towards him, he knows that she’s the one.

Then she passes him, making her way to the man she’s to marry.

A man that wasn’t him.

A man that he knows with one hundred percent certainty isn’t good enough for her.

It seems that her father isn’t the only one who’s having a hard time giving her away. Rafe only wishes he knew why.

Everything about Janie sparks protective instincts he doesn’t feel for anyone, not even his own fiancé.

What he feels for the bride, however, isn’t merely a simple attraction. He knows that something is there just beneath the surface…if only he could reach it.

It has to be something huge, too, otherwise he wouldn’t be drinking whiskey straight from the flask in a church pew and wondering how many years he would do in prison if he shot the groom in front of about a hundred witnesses—half of those being cops.

He was good…but not that good.

A near-death experience cost Rafe almost six months of his memory, but right now he can’t help but feel like a huge mistake is being made on both of their parts. One that’s going to cost him everything.

Then she says I do.

I joined the Cloister to find the truth.
But I've discovered so much more, and the darkness here is seducing me, pulling me down until all I can think of is him.
Adam Monroe, the Prophet's son, a dark prince to an empire that grows by the day.
He is tasked with keeping me safe from the wolves of the outside world.
But the longer I stay at the Cloister, the more I realize the wolves are already inside and under the Prophet's control.
If Adam discovers the real reason I'm here, he'll bay for my blood with the rest of them.
Until then, I will be Delilah, an obedient servant of the Prophet during the day and Adam's Maiden at night.

Author's Note: If you have a trigger, this book will pull it. The Maiden is the first book of The Cloister Series. The Prophet will release in May, and the conclusion to the series, The Church, will release in June.

One-click today for ONLY 99c! https://amzn.to/2H43yMQ

Greyson Ratcliffe. I met him at sixteen, the hot new guy sitting on my jetty, an aspiring artist just passing through. He was my first kiss and my first love. I wanted forever with him. I didn’t even get a year.

Five years later, I’m a budding writer who scripts stories of love and struggle, the good and the bad and the ups and the downs. He’s a star on the rise; his wicked talent and crazy good looks have his face plastered on countless magazines. We move in two different worlds and still our paths cross again. We’re older and wiser and as crazy about each other as we had been as teenagers.

My medium is words and my imagination is limitless, but not even I could have written the incredible journey we traveled to our happily-ever-after. Life isn't like fiction, and the greatest love stories don’t follow a script.

One-click today! https://amzn.to/2pErFu7

There are three things you need to know about Kat Tanner (aka Kathleen Tyson. . . and yes, she is *that* Kathleen Tyson): 1) She’s determined to make good decisions, 2) She must get married ASAP, and 3) She knows how to knit.
Being a billionaire heiress isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, it sucks. Determined to live a quiet life, Kat Tanner changed her identity years ago and eschewed her family’s legacy. But now, Kat’s silver spoon past has finally caught up with her, and so have her youthful mistakes. To avoid imminent disaster, she must marry immediately; it is essential that the person she chooses have no romantic feelings for her whatsoever and be completely trustworthy.
Fortunately, she knows exactly who to ask. Dan O’Malley checks all the boxes: single, romantically indifferent to her, completely trustworthy. Sure, she might have a wee little crush on Dan the Security Man, but with clear rules, expectations, and a legally binding contract, Kat is certain she can make it through this debacle with her sanity—and heart—all in one piece.
Except, what happens when Dan O’Malley isn’t as indifferent—or as trustworthy—as she thought?

Get this awesome romcom today! https://amzn.to/2DQsMuT

They wanted this.
To strip us of our humanity. Devolve us back to our most basic forms.
They used our love for each other as the trigger.
Now, they’ve succeeded. They’ve turned us into something else.
Into creatures willing to spill all their blood, end-all their lives, in the hopes of finally being freed.
Even if we die in our attempt to escape, Noah and I are determined to take as many of them down with us as we can.
Before it’s all over, we will all bleed for their sins.
All of us.

WARNING: This story isn't for everyone. Please read with caution. Contains graphic violence and explicit situations some might find disturbing. Read at your own risk.

Find it here: http://amzn.to/2pv8SBt

BRIELLE
Technically, I’m not a stripper. As a cage dancer, I don’t take all my clothes off and no one gets to touch me. I’m just the eye candy.
And I can feel their eyes on me. I know they’re watching, but I don’t do this for them.
This is my time.
My life may not have turned out the way I thought it would, but I’m not complaining. From 9pm to 1am several days a week I get paid to feel sexy, to feel desired, to do what I love.
I always knew I wanted to be a dancer—I just didn’t realize I’d be doing it in a cage.

COLTON
Erectile dysfunction—two words that can cause a collective cringe from men everywhere. The doctors can call it ‘performance anxiety’ all they want, but that’s just a fancy way of saying my dick doesn’t work.
Just when I start to think there’s no hope for me, I see her. She’s gorgeous, sexy, and goofy as f*ck. She also looks really familiar but I can’t put my finger on it.
When I find out who she really is, my world is turned upside down and everything seems to fall into place.
She’s not gonna make it easy for me, but I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge. She’s convinced I won’t stick around.
I’ll prove her wrong.
I’ll show her I’m one of the good guys.

Get it today! http://amzn.to/2GqNep8

REVIEW

If you read Trucker, you know that Colton is having some problems downstairs - erectile dysfunction. How does that happen to a guy as young as he is? He’s got performance anxiety and it’s messing with his head and his emotions. He feels there’s no hope. He might as well start taking that little blue pill, right? But then he sees her. The most beautiful girl he’s ever seen is dancing in a cage. And something other than his attention starts to perk up. Desperate to know this girl, to explore this unexplainable connection, he starts haunting her workplace. And then realizes that something about her is strangely familiar. Brielle doesn’t suffer the same confusion. She knows exactly who Colton is. The boy she used to know. The boy she used to love. Now these two are getting another chance at love, but can Colton break down her walls and convince her that he’s her forever?

Dancer was just as sweet, if not sweeter, than I expected. Colton was a real upstanding man that any girl would be lucky to have in her corner. He wanted to stand by Brielle through every moment of her life, to support her and to love her. This best friends to lovers romance was cute, sexy and heart warming. I love it when the good guy doesn’t finish last ;)

ANGEL
I know what you're whispering in the car as you pass me by.
Hitchhiker.
When you see me walking along the side of the road with my thumb out, you'll probably keep driving without giving me a second glance. You probably think I'm foolish. Naïve.
You might assume I've made some bad decisions.
You might think I'm too young to be on my own.
You might be right.

TRAVIS
I love my job, but driving an eighteen-wheeler comes with a certain stereotype. When you hear I’m a trucker, a specific image might come to mind. Uneducated. Dirty. Perverted. Rough around the edges and a little bit dangerous.
But the truth is, I’m not any of those things. In fact, I’m pretty far from it.
You’d be surprised to find out I’m one of the good guys.

Get it today! http://amzn.to/2GmX9vL

REVIEW

This new-to-me author gave me a real feel good book. I loved it. If I didn’t already know that good guys exist (though they do seem to be rare, right?), this book would be enough to convince me. Travis was just so freaking sweet. He was honest, endearing, wasn’t afraid of being vulnerable, oh and bonus… he was a virgin. I think it worked well with the cute as all heck heroine, Angel, who was also a virgin. Her life wasn’t so easy and hitch hiking wasn’t the smartest decision she ever made, but it did lead her to her happily ever after, so I’m not really complaining ;)

As sweet as this story was it did have a little bit of drama. An ex who wasn’t really ever an ex liked to stir the pot and caused some trouble for our young lovers. You know the one, the girl who wanted the guy who never really wanted her and then he meets the girl he wants and the stalker girl doesn’t like it. Luckily their newfound love was strong enough to endure her immaturity. With a complete cast of incredible side characters that I can’t wait to really meet, this was a cute yet steamy romance with a little kick to it. Now I’m off to read Colton’s story and find out more about his impotence!