She just appeared so cool, extravagant, retro and quirky, all at the same time. He'd never seen anything quite like her before.
Audrey by Sean-Paul Thomas
Standalone
Release - May 23, 2021
Genre - Contemporary Fiction/age gap romance
Multiple POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - 1.5 out of 5/sexual themes mentioned
Format/Source - Kindle Purchase
Length - 283 pages
Publisher - Indie
Joe is a plumber and an aspiring writer from Edinburgh who is released from prison after serving five years for a terrible tragedy that ripped his family to pieces. While struggling to adjust to life on the outside it isn't long before he is back on the building sites again while trying desperately to win back the broken trust of his ex-wife and estranged daughter, Sarah.
But then Joe meets Audrey, a bold and brash, heavy drinking, chain-smoking, middle-aged, French film actress while attending the premiere of her new movie in town. After hitting it off they end up spending one crazy, spontaneous night together. But in the early hours, while trying to sneak out of his apartment, Audrey accidentally stumbles across Joe's new screenplay about his life in prison and slyly emails it to herself.
A few weeks later, Joe is still battling to win back his daughter while resisting the temptations of alcohol again when Audrey gets back in touch after running out on him. But Audrey brings good news - she loved his script that she secretly stole and wants him to come to Paris to meet her producer friend who can help make his movie-making dreams come true.
Not wishing to miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Joe throws caution to the wind and embarks on a week-long whirlwind adventure into Audrey's crazy movie star life. But the more time he spends with the enthralling mature beauty - from wild movie parties in the catacombs, karaoke sessions in quirky Parisian clubs, watching her act on movie sets, to encounters with her misogynistic and abusive, movie director ex, who wants full control of Joe's new script no matter the cost - the more Joe begins to fall deeper under Audrey's charming, dazzling, but dangerously addictive spell.
And before things, spiral treacherously out of control, Joe must decide between doing what is morally right by his enchanting movie star paramour or take a dirty, tainted, yet life-changing movie deal instead that could go a long way in reuniting him with his estranged daughter.
Find your copy of Audrey on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2SXBwfS
It's FREE to read with Kindle Unlimited
Audrey was a riot. She was a free spirit who challenged Joe in ways he had never been pushed before. As an introvert, she pulled him out of his shell, put him in crazy situations, and made him happy. So happy that he was able to love. I enjoyed the way the author characterized their relationship. It definitely kept my attention as much as it kept Joe on his toes! While this story doesn't have the typical romantic ending, it did end on a high note and the author's writing made this story a winner, happy ending or not.
With a keen interest in both reading and writing, he was diagnosed with the travelling and writing bugs very early on in life. Now, writing, traveling, reading, cinema, and Scottish football (Supporting the mighty Hibernian FC for his sins) are his main passions in life, along with cooking, yoga, meditation and health, and fitness.
His main inspiration for writing today comes from living in such a beautiful, charming and hauntingly, Gothic city, such as Edinburgh. An awe-inspiring wee city that has given Sean so much amazing inspiration to write the more time he spends there.
Visit https://www.facebook.com/SeanPaulThomasAuthor for more information!
PEACE KEEPER PART TWO by AARON L. SPEER is LIVE!!
Buy Today: http://mybook.to/PeaceKeeper2
Add it to your Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55287585
Peace Keeper: Part Two
Undeadly Secrets series
Release - May 25, 2021
Genre - Paranormal Thriller
Multiple POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - 3.5 out of 5/several scenes
Format/Source - eARC provided by the author
Length - 374 pages
Publisher - Indie
Some secrets should remain buried...
In Sydney, Gavin has used Sovereign's resources to secure what he believes could be the ultimate weapon. But not everyone in the organisation has faith in his plan and a secondary option is deployed. One that might destroy more than vampire kind.
In England, the fall of Tynan Ross has unearthed an enemy the Slades never saw coming. One far more personal, and perhaps more deadly, than even that mad tyrant. It will take more than Alicia has ever had to give to overcome the threat, and the price of victory might be too much to ask.
This story was brilliant! So brilliant in fact that I'm having trouble putting my explosive thoughts together to write a review. My brain is still trying to wrap itself around all that happened.
You know what doesn't help? The fact that I'm still grieving the loss of Dante, which I felt through every part of this story, no matter how much I tried to hide and deny it.
Aaron gave us a treat with this book, aside with a missing character. I got the chance to check in with those I've come to love and those I'm really starting to hate. And I went through some serious emotions, especially when it came to my red-eyed baby love. Why people wanna give my Lee such a hard time? So what if he's a homicidal psychopath with the humor of frat boy? He's hot, he's strong, he's MINE!!
I want Alicia to take several seats for many different reasons, which I'll get to.
So let's get to the check-ins:
✦ Sovereign - these mofos are working on two different ways to take out all vamps. I really hope they fail (obviously) and I want the kitsune to kill them all!
✦ Melina - so lost without Dante, feeling bad about being the one to take him out, and kinda desperate to figure out her place in her new reality. She still bothered me because Dante wasn't even hers in the end.
✦ Michelle - also lost but I found I didn't care. I hope she gets so lost that she can't be found. ✦ Alex - oh, she's lost too. She has to find her new purpose, understand her powers, and a new threat seems to be on the horizon. I hope she learns quick.
✦ Matt - looks like hunter life isn't all it's cracked up to be. Why is he virtually homeless?
✦ Clive and Lauren - still together and still hilarious, although their story has changed in a huge way and I'm wondering if Clive will get the chance to tell her. How will they navigate their new dynamic?
✦ Nick - other than Lee, he's my boobear! He's still a sweetheart and he really struggled in this book. He's an Alpha who put his mother in charge and she treats him with kid gloves, all in an attempt to keep him safe. Like he's not the true Alpha or something. He's tenth gen. He should be the one doing the protecting. With the Connolly problem, I have no clue which way his story is going to turn. How will everything effect him, Nicole and their son? I must say... Nicole did absolutely nothing for me.
✦ Alicia - I think saying she frustrated me is the more tactful approach. She was as arrogant as ever. I was surprised and yet unsurprised by many of her actions and words. I'm interested to see what will happen to the relationship between her and Talia. Will they cement their mother/daughter bond? And will Alicia finally let Lee in?
✦ Haruto - I was surprised to see this guy still kicking around, holding onto his love for the kitsune.
✦ Lee Nightingale - seriously, what I can I say about this guy? I love him. I don't care how much gore and horror Aaron attaches to this man's actions... he just really does it for me. I still don't know anything about him. I don't know when I'll ever really learn about him, but I'm going to keep reading for every glimpse I'm lucky to have. I'm wondering why the non-violence spell didn't work on him, where he comes from, how was he created, and why is he virtually invincible?
✦ Oh and let me not forget to mention the awkward conversation between Alex and Michelle about the night that shall not be mentioned. YUCK!!
I'm really hoping my following points don't spoil this for anyone. I'll try to keep it as vague as possible, but I'm left with so many questions and I need to get them out there.
✮ I know that Dante never slept with Michelle. At least that's what I've been led to believe up until now. It was explained that although she was his blood donor and she wanted sexual intimacy with him, he never took that step with her. That's why I was so upset with his vision of the future with Alex including Michelle. It was completely out of left field. So why, in this book, is it being intimated that there was a sexual relationship between them?
✮ What the heck is going on with this Kane guy? Did biting Alex give him some of her power? Is he now strong enough to go toe-to-toe with Lee? This dude needs to be put down!
✮ OMG, what is Solomon thinking? Let's stop being a cop and go work for the bad guys at Sovereign? I get it. He wants answers and I'm sure this will lead to something in the future story to be told, but I'm pissed!
✮ With Kane forcing Clive to work for him, I can't even begin to imagine where this part of the story is going. With everyone treating my sweet honey Lee like a monster, even after he saved EVERYBODY, all I'm saying is this... HE BETTER NOT DIE!!
I'm desperately looking forward to the next instalment of this story!
Check out my reviews for the other books from this series:
Book One - Night Walker
Book Two - Day Dreamer
Book Three - Shadow Chaser
Book Four - Pack Master
Book Five - Peace Keeper: Part One
Book Two - Day Dreamer
Book Three - Shadow Chaser
Book Four - Pack Master
Book Five - Peace Keeper: Part One
Excerpted from Peace Keeper: Part Two (Undeadly Secrets, #6)
Copyright © 2021 Aaron L Speer
Clive crossed the street, hurrying to avoid traffic. Thursday was shopping night, no matter where he found himself. He only had to cook for himself, though. His girlfriend, if he could call her that, only ate one thing. Thankfully, he had all the supply she needed.
That didn’t stop him from cursing himself as he hurried to get to the supermarket, fifteen minutes before they closed. His time management sucked lately.
Passing an alleyway, he heard the sounds of a bottle breaking, muffled screams and scurrying feet. To the untrained ear, those noises might not even register. And they might be nothing. But, as someone who had served the undead for as long as he had, Clive looked into the almost pitch-black space, immediately alert. If he went on his merry way—and they were as he suspected: bait—an unsuspecting, kind-hearted person could wind up dinner.
Clive walked into the alley as he drew a serrated knife from his side sheath and pulled out his phone to shine a light ahead. He had no doubt that whoever had made the noise to draw him in had no problem seeing in the dark, so he wasn’t giving his position away.
That knowledge didn’t slow his heart rate, though, which he could feel thumping in his head.
A slight crunch behind him saw Clive whirling around to shine the torch left and right. He knew someone was there. Watching him. Hunting him. But he couldn’t see anything.
The chill of fear crept up his spine as he felt a presence close in, circling him. He forced himself to loosen his grip on the knife, sure that if he held it any tighter his palm would begin to bleed.
Keep calm... keep calm, he told himself. He turned the blade in his hand, faced it up towards his elbow, swallowed and lunged forward.
His arm was caught.
A hand he couldn’t see gripped him by the throat and lifted him, slamming him into a nearby garage door. Before he could utter a sound, the vampire had pressed into his body and its fangs had pierced his throat. It drank quickly, taking two gulps in mere seconds.
Clive tried to fight, but he was at fate’s mercy. Death’s door. Whatever you called it.
The vampire held him in place with one hand as the second snaked down to his groin and ripped his zipper open, almost tearing it, then gripped his cock with a power that both frightened and excited him.
He was so hard that the act of freeing his cock from behind his pants saved him pain.
The vampire let go of him, leaning back and moaning at the taste of him. “A knife... really?”
Clive was breathless as he replied, “Vampire hunter. I thought it would be cool. Just... trying to play the part.”
“Lackey, you’re so weird,” Lauren whispered, pressing herself into him again, this time using her mouth on his. “I’ve bitten you... what are you going to do? Just let me get away with it?” she taunted.
Tasting his own blood fuelled an adrenaline charge that had him hiking her short skirt up, his hands cupping her arse and kneading her as he kissed her harder.
Clive lifted her as he turned and pushed her into the same garage door she had thrown him against, then lifted one of her legs and held it at his waist.
“Oh please, mister hunter, don’t hurt me—” She stopped speaking suddenly when Clive pressed the head of his cock directly against her clit, thrusting inwards. She looked at him, mouth slightly open, the blood still wet on her face. “Well, this just got a hell of a lot more interesting. Thought you weren’t ready for sex?”
“I’m not. But you’re still going to cum. Now, shut up,” Clive growled, gripping Lauren by the hair and leaning her head to the side so he could kiss her again. Deeper. Feeling the vibrations caused by her soft moans as he continued to jerk his hips back and forth, he let go of her leg to hold his cock in place.
Lauren began to move with him, wrapping her arms around him as she moved her lips to his neck again. This time she didn’t bite him. She offered tiny kisses, licks and nibbles over the goosebumps that were present.
“Don’t stop...” he pleaded as she held him.
He felt her knees shaking from the constant back and forth pressure on her clit, felt her come, then felt the slickness on her upper thighs. It wasn’t long before his own pleasure also ran down her legs, and slumping into her, he buried his face in her chest as his breathing calmed.
“Good boy,” she sighed, patting his hair. “Lie down with me.”
“What, here?” he asked, indicating the alley.
“Yes, here. It’s cool and it’s dark. Don’t worry,” she said, giving him a soft kiss on the lips. “I’ll protect you.”
“I suppose I did take you to a graveyard on our first date,” Clive admitted, lying down next to Lauren.
“I knew it!” Lauren said, her head on Clive’s chest after biting her fingertip and gently wiping it along the bite marks she had left on him, healing them with her own blood. “You totally thought that was a date. You were so into me.”
“And, as luck would have it, we were interrupted by a ghoul clawing its way out of its own grave. Which we then killed.”
“I killed, thank you very much.”
“I helped.”
“You got a hard-on when spooning me on the ground.”
Clive shrugged. “You... have a really soft arse.”
Copyright © 2021 Aaron L Speer
Clive crossed the street, hurrying to avoid traffic. Thursday was shopping night, no matter where he found himself. He only had to cook for himself, though. His girlfriend, if he could call her that, only ate one thing. Thankfully, he had all the supply she needed.
That didn’t stop him from cursing himself as he hurried to get to the supermarket, fifteen minutes before they closed. His time management sucked lately.
Passing an alleyway, he heard the sounds of a bottle breaking, muffled screams and scurrying feet. To the untrained ear, those noises might not even register. And they might be nothing. But, as someone who had served the undead for as long as he had, Clive looked into the almost pitch-black space, immediately alert. If he went on his merry way—and they were as he suspected: bait—an unsuspecting, kind-hearted person could wind up dinner.
Clive walked into the alley as he drew a serrated knife from his side sheath and pulled out his phone to shine a light ahead. He had no doubt that whoever had made the noise to draw him in had no problem seeing in the dark, so he wasn’t giving his position away.
That knowledge didn’t slow his heart rate, though, which he could feel thumping in his head.
A slight crunch behind him saw Clive whirling around to shine the torch left and right. He knew someone was there. Watching him. Hunting him. But he couldn’t see anything.
The chill of fear crept up his spine as he felt a presence close in, circling him. He forced himself to loosen his grip on the knife, sure that if he held it any tighter his palm would begin to bleed.
Keep calm... keep calm, he told himself. He turned the blade in his hand, faced it up towards his elbow, swallowed and lunged forward.
His arm was caught.
A hand he couldn’t see gripped him by the throat and lifted him, slamming him into a nearby garage door. Before he could utter a sound, the vampire had pressed into his body and its fangs had pierced his throat. It drank quickly, taking two gulps in mere seconds.
Clive tried to fight, but he was at fate’s mercy. Death’s door. Whatever you called it.
The vampire held him in place with one hand as the second snaked down to his groin and ripped his zipper open, almost tearing it, then gripped his cock with a power that both frightened and excited him.
He was so hard that the act of freeing his cock from behind his pants saved him pain.
The vampire let go of him, leaning back and moaning at the taste of him. “A knife... really?”
Clive was breathless as he replied, “Vampire hunter. I thought it would be cool. Just... trying to play the part.”
“Lackey, you’re so weird,” Lauren whispered, pressing herself into him again, this time using her mouth on his. “I’ve bitten you... what are you going to do? Just let me get away with it?” she taunted.
Tasting his own blood fuelled an adrenaline charge that had him hiking her short skirt up, his hands cupping her arse and kneading her as he kissed her harder.
Clive lifted her as he turned and pushed her into the same garage door she had thrown him against, then lifted one of her legs and held it at his waist.
“Oh please, mister hunter, don’t hurt me—” She stopped speaking suddenly when Clive pressed the head of his cock directly against her clit, thrusting inwards. She looked at him, mouth slightly open, the blood still wet on her face. “Well, this just got a hell of a lot more interesting. Thought you weren’t ready for sex?”
“I’m not. But you’re still going to cum. Now, shut up,” Clive growled, gripping Lauren by the hair and leaning her head to the side so he could kiss her again. Deeper. Feeling the vibrations caused by her soft moans as he continued to jerk his hips back and forth, he let go of her leg to hold his cock in place.
Lauren began to move with him, wrapping her arms around him as she moved her lips to his neck again. This time she didn’t bite him. She offered tiny kisses, licks and nibbles over the goosebumps that were present.
“Don’t stop...” he pleaded as she held him.
He felt her knees shaking from the constant back and forth pressure on her clit, felt her come, then felt the slickness on her upper thighs. It wasn’t long before his own pleasure also ran down her legs, and slumping into her, he buried his face in her chest as his breathing calmed.
“Good boy,” she sighed, patting his hair. “Lie down with me.”
“What, here?” he asked, indicating the alley.
“Yes, here. It’s cool and it’s dark. Don’t worry,” she said, giving him a soft kiss on the lips. “I’ll protect you.”
“I suppose I did take you to a graveyard on our first date,” Clive admitted, lying down next to Lauren.
“I knew it!” Lauren said, her head on Clive’s chest after biting her fingertip and gently wiping it along the bite marks she had left on him, healing them with her own blood. “You totally thought that was a date. You were so into me.”
“And, as luck would have it, we were interrupted by a ghoul clawing its way out of its own grave. Which we then killed.”
“I killed, thank you very much.”
“I helped.”
“You got a hard-on when spooning me on the ground.”
Clive shrugged. “You... have a really soft arse.”
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I did tell you that I'm terrible at doing this right? I created this blog with the intention of keeping track of my reading, setting goals, making friends, sharing book love, etc. But doing a recap... I never remember to do one! So here's my attempt at creating one for April. I know, we're about to be in June, but all too soon I'll be posting May's recap and I didn't want to do that without acknowledging the books I read in April.
A Battle of Blood and Stone by Sawyer Bennett was the fourth book of the Chronicles of the Stone Veil. If you're into Urban Fantasy, I highly recommend this series. Hissy Fit by Lani Lynn Vale is the first book of her Southern Gentleman series and one I'm glad I went back to read. Royally Screwed by Emma Chase has been sitting on my tbr for forever and I'm so happy to have finally dived in. I can't wait to read the next book of the series. Rebellious by Kristy Marie is another book of the second generation of the Commander in Brief people. So good!
The other books I read were:
★ Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann - 3 stars
★ Jailbait by Lani Lynn Vale - 4 stars
★ Vampire by Rebecca Zanetti - 4 stars
★ Blood to Dust by L.J. Shen - 3 stars
★ The Genome Project by Aaron Hodges - 4 stars
★ Quit Bein' Ugly by Lani Lynn Vale - 4 stars
★ Finding Gray by K.L. Kreig - no rating
★ Fighting Destiny by Amelia Hutchins - 1 star
I think I'm still doing a pretty great job of reading what I have instead of buying more that I will never get too. And those paperbacks... I can't recommend that series enough. If your a PNR fan, you'll love 'em!
Not too bad. At least I didn't go crazy this month.
I read 12 books, 3006 pages this month, and 7 of those 12 books have been knocked off of my TBR. YAY ME!! So here's how I did overall this month:
I didn't do anything extra this month. I'm still trying to find books I love and hoping that I won't fall into a slump again. I was supposed to do a reading challenge... I didn't. I wanted to read 20 books this month... I didn't. Maybe I'll do better in May.
Thanks for sticking around until the end :D I'm still looking for book recs, so if you have one you think I'll love, please let me know. I'm looking for extremely sexy Fantasy or Paranormal. And when I say sexy, I do mean descriptive to explicit scenes please. I'm grown and I don't need my sex to be watered down.
What are you looking forward to for May? I hope it's as amazing for us as we want it to be!
Talk soon,
The Best Book(s) of April
A Battle of Blood and Stone by Sawyer Bennett was the fourth book of the Chronicles of the Stone Veil. If you're into Urban Fantasy, I highly recommend this series. Hissy Fit by Lani Lynn Vale is the first book of her Southern Gentleman series and one I'm glad I went back to read. Royally Screwed by Emma Chase has been sitting on my tbr for forever and I'm so happy to have finally dived in. I can't wait to read the next book of the series. Rebellious by Kristy Marie is another book of the second generation of the Commander in Brief people. So good!
The other books I read were:
★ Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann - 3 stars
★ Jailbait by Lani Lynn Vale - 4 stars
★ Vampire by Rebecca Zanetti - 4 stars
★ Blood to Dust by L.J. Shen - 3 stars
★ The Genome Project by Aaron Hodges - 4 stars
★ Quit Bein' Ugly by Lani Lynn Vale - 4 stars
★ Finding Gray by K.L. Kreig - no rating
★ Fighting Destiny by Amelia Hutchins - 1 star
Book Haul
Ebook:
Paperback:
I think I'm still doing a pretty great job of reading what I have instead of buying more that I will never get too. And those paperbacks... I can't recommend that series enough. If your a PNR fan, you'll love 'em!
Added to my TBR
Vengeful Queen by Lili St. Germain (which I already own and have no intention of reading until the next book is out)
Violent Reign by Lili St. Germain
Beautiful Things Evil People Do by Kailee Reese Samuels
Violent Reign by Lili St. Germain
Beautiful Things Evil People Do by Kailee Reese Samuels
Not too bad. At least I didn't go crazy this month.
My Reading Stats
I read 12 books, 3006 pages this month, and 7 of those 12 books have been knocked off of my TBR. YAY ME!! So here's how I did overall this month:
What Else?
I didn't do anything extra this month. I'm still trying to find books I love and hoping that I won't fall into a slump again. I was supposed to do a reading challenge... I didn't. I wanted to read 20 books this month... I didn't. Maybe I'll do better in May.
Thanks for sticking around until the end :D I'm still looking for book recs, so if you have one you think I'll love, please let me know. I'm looking for extremely sexy Fantasy or Paranormal. And when I say sexy, I do mean descriptive to explicit scenes please. I'm grown and I don't need my sex to be watered down.
What are you looking forward to for May? I hope it's as amazing for us as we want it to be!
Talk soon,
xo, Natalie
He listened to me. He thought about what I said and found value in it. I think this man might be a unicorn.
The Rivals by Dylan Allen
Rivers Wilde #1-3.4
Release - December 14, 2020
Genre - Contemporary Romance
Format/Source - Kindle purchase
Length - 1353 pages
Publisher - Gold Coast Girl Publishing
THE LEGACY
Heir to a fortune, Hayes Rivers has been raised to lead.
Just as he finally claims his legacy, he falls in love with a woman who is the opposite of everything he should want.
Family secrets call everything he believes into question - and put him and his new love on opposite sides of a lawsuit.
Can he salvage his family’s name and his new relationship?
THE LEGEND
At the same time a scandal turns his family upside down, Remington Wilde’s first love comes back into his life.
He wants a second chance to get things right,
But can he convince her to trust him again?
And can he forgive her when he finds out the real reason she’s back?
THE JEZEBEL
The last time he saw her, loving Regan Wilde had been an impossible dream for Stone Rivers.
When a chance encounter brings them together again, their complicated past and messy family connections threaten to put her out of his reach again.
This time, Stone won’t stop until he can claim her as his own.
THE GATHERING
After their obstacle defying happily ever afters, our favorite couples are ready to tackle their biggest challenge yet- Getting this family of rivals together for a holiday meal.
Plans are made, invitations are sent, and decorations are hung.
But as the evening approaches, surprise guests and announcements are as plentiful as the good cheer.
Will it take a holiday miracle to make- and keep - this season bright? Or are these rivals destined to remain that way?
Find your copy of The Rivals by Dylan Allen on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3wG13sI
You can also read it for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
The Legacy by Dylan Allen
4 stars
Rivers Wilde #1
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat Level - 4 out of 5
He's my river. I am drowning in him. And I don't want to be rescued.
Hayes was sexyyyy! Rich, arrogant, with a heart of gold. Confidency was also sexy. She was a warrior for social justice who had a huge chip on her shoulder. They meet and it's lust at first sight. Then hate because of a little misunderstanding. Then straight back into lust again. I guess that's what hanging off a cliff ledge will do to you. Their lust quickly grew into love and it was beautiful...
Until it wasn't...
This was shaping up to be a five star read. But when Confidence had Hayes humbling himself a step too far, I wasn't having it. I'm all for a good grovel when a man has done his woman wrong. But Hayes wasn't completely to blame and Confidence needed to get off of her cross. Can a man get a moment to explain? Especially for thinking and saying stuff before he even knew you? When a man consistently shows and proves his love and devotion, can you maybe throw him a bone and not throw it back in his face? Maybe don't be unnecessarily disrespectful and rude. I get feeling hurt, but if there's love in your heart, which there obviously although she tried to hide it, you should never be so cruel.
Whew! Glad I got that off my chest! Overall, it was a great read.
The Legend by Dylan Allen
5 stars
Rivers Wilde #2
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat Level - 4.5 out of 5/several explicit scenes
All legends are lies. Make your own truth.
The Rivers and the Wildes are supposed to be enemies. That's hard to maintain when the two heirs of those kingdoms, Hayes and Remi, are not only best friends, but connected through secrets. And that's just one small piece of this story.
Remi's life was always planned for him and he finally took it upon himself to start making his own decisions. Constantly forced to measure up to the ghost of his father, when his family's secrets are exposed, he's left shattered. The only person who could possibly reach him, heal him, and lead him back to the light was the one person who was always just out of his grasp... Kalilah.
Remi always finds a way to take something terrible and reshape it into something beautiful.
This second chance romance was full of drama, angst and feels. Dylan Allen took me on a roller coaster of emotions. From the wistful optimism for young love, the anger and betrayal of deceit and lies, to the never-ending hope for reconciliation, I was utterly swept away by the journey Remi and Kal were on to be with one another.
I only had one real hangup with this story. Here's the thing... Remi is half-Jamaican and half-Irish. What a coinkidink! I'm also Jamaican and Irish. I'm not in touch with most of my family on the Irish side, but I was raised by a single Jamaican mother. I got her values. I got her culture. I was immersed in it. I know what it is to be a Jamaican. Our food, our words, our every whim is unique. So I know when it isn't exact. And while this book came close, it did have mistakes, which I won't list out because really I'm the only one who cares. Some of the patois was off and for the life of me... I've never heard of curry stew. I've made curry goat, curry chicken, curry cow foot, curry chicken foot, even curry duck, curry meatballs, curry soya, curry about everything... but no curry stew.
The Jezebel by Dylan Allen
5 stars
Rivers Wilde #3
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat Level - 4.5/several explicit scenes
"Just because you're not like everyone else, doesn't mean there's a single thing wrong with you. You're perfectly made." - Regan
I think Regan was the character I was able to identify with most. Similar backgrounds (aside from the wealth, obviously) and the way she deals with her emotions (or doesn't) made it easy for me to draw parallels. So here's what I took away from this book:
☆ She's got 3c hair and I'm between a 3b and 3c. Her hair care was a little off considering, but I enjoyed that little touch
☆ Her first year of college, the whole experience of trying to find and understand her identity... who hasn't gone through that, especially when you're mixed. I too joined both the Jamaican and Irish associations at university
☆ I loved the evolution of her relationship with her mother. All of the lies and secrets have been exposed and all they're left with is the truth. It's humbling and both mother and daughter showed a lot of growth
Regan was an easy woman to love and respect. I admired her loyalty and integrity when it came to those she loved. As a mother, even when she doubted herself, she was incredible. Allen did an amazing job with building this character.
Then there's Stone... this man was flipping awesome! Hot, intelligent, compassionate, passionate, honorable... He was extremely swoon-worthy.
"I water you, you water me. Together, we're going to grow."
And Tina... mama bear... matriarch of the Wilde clan... she blew me away with the levels of her development. Once a cold, hard queen, by the end she was a different woman. I was finally able to see the love and care she had for her children. I was finally able to sympathize with her suffering. She became beautiful to me and her words to her daughter...
"New rule — romanticize yourself. You are the stuff of fairytales, my Reggae Queen, and it's time you started living like it."
Yes mum!
Again, there were some discrepancies that I made note of, such as some of the Jamaican cuisine, culture and patois, of what it is to be mixed race and the challenges one faces, and some of the French (question structure). Again, there was nothing that could detract from how much I was able to enjoy and be entertained by this story.
The Gathering by Dylan Allen
4 stars
Rivers Wilde #3.4
Multiple POV - 1st person
Heat Level - 4 out of 5
The highlights: everyone's leaving! Just kidding, but not really.
I loved getting a glimpse into where the Rivers and the Wildes are right now. Everyone's still very much in love and while what was happening between Kal and Remi was a bit annoying (once again she was being selfish and I didn't like that he encouraged it), I still liked seeing where they all were at.
Surprise of all surprises... Tina's got her groove back and I loved it!!
There was even a teaser for what will be Tyson Wilde's story. He hasn't featured in any significant way so far, but if he's anything like the rest of his family, his story is sure to be lovely.
A self-proclaimed happily ever junkie, she loves creating stories where her characters find a love worth fighting for. When she isn’t writing or reading, eating, or cooking, Dylan indulges her wanderlust by planning her next globe-trotting adventure.
Dylan was born in Accra, Ghana (West Africa) but was raised in Houston, Texas. Dylan is a proud graduate of Tufts University, Howard University School of Law and the London School of economics. After twenty years of adventure and wild oat sowing, Dylan, her amazing husband and two incredible children returned to Houston where they now make their home.
Visit https://www.dylanallenbooks.com/ for more information
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