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Dark Sexy Knight by Katy Regnery

Loosely inspired by the legend of Camelot, Dark Sexy Knight tells the story of dinner theater knight Colt Lane, who meets down-on-her-luck Verity Gwynn on the worst day of her life. Evicted from their home, Verity and her special-needs brother, Ryan, must find jobs or risk being separated. Colt, who is the furthest-possible thing from a white knight in real life, comes to their unlikely rescue, quickly cementing his place in Verity's heart.

Colt has dark, deeply buried secrets that keep his smile hidden and his eyes down, which has kept people away . . . until he meets Verity, who seems immune to his gruff manners and taciturn ways. The more time Colt spends with her, the more he longs for her sweetness in his life and yearns to be the knight in shining armor she so desperately needs. Certain he will lose her if she learns the truth about his past, he must decide if he can trust her with his yesterday in order to build a beautiful tomorrow.



I'm a huge fan of unique meet-cutes and the one that happened between Colt and Verity was definitely original.

When he saved the damsel-in-distress not once, not twice, not even three times, but four times... I knew he was going to be a swoon-worthy hero.


Both had what they viewed as baggage: Colt had IED and a special needs cousin that he was devoted to; Verity had a special needs brother that she was devoted to; and so, with all they had in common and all of the hopeful and warm feelings in the air, there was no resisting the pull of each other.

The author injected just the right amount of drama and angst to push the plot forward and I found it to be quite the emotional read.


My Notes: I took issue with the legal part of the story. It was a bit far-fetched and while I'm not an expert on the law of each state or the courts of each state (because I practice law in Canada), it seemed inaccurate.


New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katy Regnery started her writing career by enrolling in a short story class in January 2012. One year later, she signed her first contract, and Katy’s first novel was published in September 2013.

Several dozen books and three RITA® nominations later, Katy claims authorship of the multititled Blueberry Lane series, the A Modern Fairytale collection, the Summerhaven series, the Odds Are Good collection, the Arranged duo, and several other stand-alone romances, including the critically acclaimed mainstream fiction novel Unloved, a love story.

Visit https://www.katyregnery.com for more information

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Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas

Goodreads * Amazon (FREE with KU)

JORDAN

He took me in when I had nowhere else to go. He doesn’t use me, hurt me, or forget about me. He listens to me, protects me, and sees me. I can feel his eyes on me over the breakfast table, and my heart pumps so hard when I hear him pull in the driveway after work.

I have to stop this. It can’t happen.

My sister once told me there are no good men, and if you find one, he’s probably unavailable. Only Pike Lawson isn’t the unavailable one.
I am.

PIKE

I took her in, because I thought I was helping. As the days go by, though, it’s becoming anything but easy. I have to stop my mind from drifting to her and stop holding my breath every time I bump into her in the house. I can’t touch her, and I shouldn’t want to.

But we’re not free to give into this. She’s nineteen, and I’m thirty-eight.

And her boyfriend’s father.

Unfortunately, they both just moved into my house.



This story was as messy as I expected it to be.
I enjoyed the meet-cute between Jordan and Pike. They realized right away how compatible and easy things were between them. Too bad she's his son's girlfriend. And when they're practically forced to move in with him, the tension... the angst...Next level, my friends.

Pike was definitely swoon-worthy. He did everything in his power to resist the pull of all that was Jordan. He had the patience of a saint when she threw tantrums or generally acted her age. He loved the heck out of his loser son. He was a great friend, boss, dad, etc. He was awesome!

And this story...

I'll admit, it left me feeling a bit dirty, which is good because it is a taboo read. But I kept thinking to myself, "Am I supposed to forget she was banging his son?" and "Does the comparison between son and father, at least sexually, ever come up?" and then, overall, I've got "Ewww."

All together, it worked. It was full of angst, the push and pull to be expected of a forbidden relationship, the bits of romance sprinkled in inappropriate ways, and the ick. It worked and I'd gladly recommend it to those who love love, in all of its forms.


Penelope Douglas is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Their books have been translated into nineteen languages and include The Fall Away Series, The Devil’s Night Series, and the stand-alones, Misconduct, Punk 57, Birthday Girl, Credence, and Tryst Six Venom.

From Penelope Douglas's website:

Hi! My name is Penelope Douglas, and I write romance. New adult, erotica, a little contemporary… Really whatever is calling me at the moment. I believe a good writer can spin any story in a way with which you’ll connect, and I endeavor to do just that with every book I write. Not many topics are too taboo for me. I love breaking rules, and I love taking myself out of my comfort zone.

Visit https://pendouglas.com for more information

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One by Jewel E. Ann

Lake Jones is a cover girl for cutting-edge prosthetic legs, a binge-watcher of Netflix, known to spy on her neighbor through her door’s peephole, and fond of laser games with her hairless cat. She’s also a bit sexually-frustrated.

Until …

God bestows a breath of mercy upon her in the form of Minnesota’s NFL starting quarterback. But this gift is no stranger. Lake met Cage Monaghan three years earlier.

It was one day.
One moment.
One kiss that resurrected her dreams of finding love.

His dimpled smile distracts from his imperfections, which include: a love for country music, fishing, and a feline-hating girlfriend.

When life finally gives them their chance, it’s a humorous and heart-wrenching journey to find their place in the world.



I loved this book so much and my only issue is that I can't give it more stars!

With how much I absolutely adored the Jack & Jill series, I was hoping that this story would have a huge impact on me. And it did!!

Not only was I gifted with an incredible heroine in Lake, but I was blessed with one heck of a new book boyfriend in all that was amazing in Cage. After a chance encounter years ago, time and circumstance bring them back into each other's orbits and they didn't let this opportunity go to waste.


I starting loving this story from the start and at 17% I said to myself, you know what would make this story perfect? Cage's perspective. And do you know what happened?

I GOT CAGE'S PERSPECTIVE!!

It's like the author predicted my wants and needs and delivered them in the next instant. And that happened every. Single. Time!

When Cage and Lake got into a dispute and I wanted it resolved a certain way... the author delivered. When Cage or Lake became overwhelmed with emotion, almost sabotaging the magic that they shared, and I wanted it to stop... the author delivered. She delivered and delivered and created a story of beauty, simplicity and wonder.


These characters were human. They made mistakes, acted restless, exhibited immaturity, and created drama for drama's sake. Their story was full of tragedy, grief, understanding, compassion, and so much love. Seriously, people would give up just about anything for an ounce of the feelings that were shown here. We all want to be loved in all the ways that Cage and Lake loved each other. All the ugly, crazy, silly, and beautiful ways. And let's not forget the laughs. I laughed so much during this read. SO. MUCH!

My Notes: I'm so happy that I already read Flint's book, Look the Part, which I loved, and was able to see him in a different light. I adore him harder now! And is it weird that I want a book for the genius known as Thaddeus? Is there a book out there for him?


Jewel is a Wall Street Journal & USA Today best selling author with a quirky sense of humor.

When she's not saving the planet one tree at a time, you can find her role modeling questionable behavior to her three boys, walking her doodle, binge-watching Netflix with her husband, and writing mind-bending romance.

Visit http://www.jeweleann.com for more information

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Feyness by E.S. Carter

I don't see dead people.
I see you.
I see every incarnation of you.
I see the history of your soul.
I can see your aura soaked in the blood of your previous lives.
Most people are inherently good or evil.
Some flit between darkness and light.
Few can change the fabric of their essence; it's a fight that most are too weak to win.
He was once darkness.
An evil so pure that his very soul is black and yet I am drawn to him like a moth to a flame.
Some days, I feel like I am drowning, the waves of my feelings stealing the very air from my lungs.
Other days, I feel nothing at all.
I'm unsure which is worse; gasping for air or dying from this thirst.
Can you learn to breathe underwater when you find someone worth drowning for?



Faye always knew that she was worth no more than a pawn in her father's dangerous game of human trafficking, torture and enslavement. A decades-long feud lands her in the hands of the man who should be her enemy. Could her new captor also be her savior?


I wasn't sure what to think of Cole. Aside from participating in tons of brutality, there was a kernel of a heart buried deep inside of him. His darkness and hints of light made him a delicious character to read.


I don't really care about the side characters (I'm looking at you, Luke and Grim), however, I think the author could change my mind. It's just that I don't feel like Cole's story is over. The ending wasn't much of an end and I would like to see some sort of conclusive resolution.

Ah well. Cole conquered Faye, she conquered him in return, and the story seems to continue. I'm still not sure what to make of Faye's ESP. I guess it was added to make Cole's history and his reasons for being the way he is part of the story. To make sense. Hopefully it continues to make some sort of sense. We'll see.


USA Today Bestselling Author, ES Carter, lives in Cardiff, South Wales—the home of castles, dragons, and folklore.

Her family joke that she was born with a book in her hand, and the urge to write stories soon followed.
At eleven, she won her school's literary prize. At ages fourteen to sixteen - her poetry phase after falling in love with Dylan Thomas and e.e. cummings - she had a few poems published, but life, love, and family overtook her dreams, and she was in her thirties when she began the scary journey of self-publishing.
Her debut and internationally best-selling series, 'Love by Numbers', are a set of interconnected stand-alone romances, all with varying themes of love. From second-chance to romantic comedy and M/M romance. These stories do not need to be read in order (apart from the opening duet Nineteen/Twenty One), in fact, she is often guilty of advising readers to start at the last book and work their way back through.
Contemporary romance is not the only genre she writes, her second series, 'The Red Order', is as dark and twisted as you can get, but there is beauty there too if you can open your eyes and look.

Visit https://www.escarter.com for more information