Stroke of Midnight by K. Webster

Title: Stroke of Midnight

Author: K Webster  

Series: A Cinderella Novel

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Dangerous Press

Release Date: Oct 27 2020

Edition/Formats: 1^st Edition ~ eBook & Print

Blurb/Synopsis:

Money can buy anything. And anyone. As the head of the Constantine family, I’m used to people bowing to my will. Cruel, rigid, unyielding—I’m all those things. When I discover the one woman who doesn’t wither under my gaze, but instead smiles right back at me, I’m intrigued.

Ash Elliott needs cash, and I make her trade in crudeness and degradation for it. I crave her tears, her moans. I pay for each one. And every time, she comes back for more. When she challenges me with an offer of her own, I have to decide if I’m willing to give her far more than cold hard cash.

But love can have deadly consequences when it comes from a Constantine. At the stroke of midnight, that choice may be lost for both of us.

I enjoyed this book. The scenes between Ash and Winston were filled with a lot of back and forth chemistry. Their interactions certainly got steamier as the book continued. Winston isn't a good guy, though, he does show a few chinks. The book was fast paced, but does end on a cliffhanger. I'm not a fan of cliffhangers and this one seemed more abrupt than the others, even seeing how and why the author would do this. For a hot steamy read with an alpha male, this is that book. I'm looking forward to more character development of these character and where that will lead them.  

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A Heart Back Home By Andrew Grey

Title: A Heart Back Home

Author: Andrew Grey

Series: Standalone

Genre: Gay Romance/LGTBQ/MM

Publisher: Self Published

Date: Oct 13 2020

Blurb/Synopsis:

Clay Kartwell loses his job and gets a call from his estranged father asking for his help back on the family farm, all on the same day. Clay knows he has to return home, even though it’s the last thing he wants to do. Some things back home are best left unremembered.

Dell Warrington was Clay’s unrequited high school crush and the man he least wants to see. He’s everything Clay remembered and more, including the father of four-year-old Archie. But Dell hasn’t had it easy either, and not everything is as it seems.

Clay sets out to save the farm and bring in the crops with Dell’s help. Old assumptions fall to the side as the two men reconnect, and the second chance that Clay never knew he wanted seems within his grasp. But Clay left the farm for a reason, and reconciliation with his stoic father won’t be easy. When his city life offers a new opportunity, he must decide whether to accept what he knows, or follow his heart.. 

Heartless by Jade West

Title: Heartless

Author: Jade West

Series: Starcrossed Lovers Trilogy Book 1

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Self Published

Release Date: Sept 13 2020

Edition/Formats: 1^st Edition ~ eBook & Print

Blurb/Synopsis:

In a single moment, she becomes my obsession…

Elaine Constantine will be mine.

And her destruction is only my beginning.

I’ve known all my life that the Constantines deserved to be Wiped from the face of the earth, only a smoking crater left where their Mansion once stood. That’s my plan until I see her, the woman in gold with the Sinful curves and the blonde curls. My will to dominate her runs as deep as the Hate I have for her last name.

 No matter how beautifully she bends beneath my hands, I’ll Leave her shattered, a broken toy for her cruel family.

Going into this book, I had no idea what to expect. Lucian is a pretty heartless guy. Ruthless even, until Elaine. I really liked the way these two played off each other. They are both deeply flawed and broken individuals, but when they come together, they work so well as one. This book held a lot of dark themes and actions. The writing was quick with just the right amount of description. The bread crumb trails of the families and their past is interesting and keeps the intrigue up. Looking forward to the next book.

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Jade has increasingly little to say about herself as time goes on, Other than the fact she is an author, but she’s plenty happy with this. Living In imaginary realities and having a legitimate excuse for it is really all She’s ever wanted.

Jade is as dirty as you’d expect from her novels, and Talking smut makes her smile.

She lives in the Herefordshire countryside with a couple of Hounds and a guy who’s able to cope with her inherent weirdness.

She has a red living room, decorated with far more zebra Print than most people could bear, and fights a constant battle with her Addiction to Coca-Cola.

Author Links

❧  Amazon Author Page

❧  Facebook

❧ Facebook Group Jade West’s Dirty Readers 

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Gold Mine by Skye Warren

Title: Gold Mine

Author: Skye Warren 

Series: The Diamond Trilogy Book 2

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Self Published 

Release Date: Sept 15 2020

Edition/Formats: 1st Edition ~ eBook & Print

Blurb/Synopsis: 

I'm stepping off a nine hour flight when it happens. A white van. A dark hood. Every woman's worst nightmare. Now I'm trapped in an abandoned church. The man who took me says I won't be hurt. The man in the cell next to me says that's a lie. I'll fight with every ounce of strength, but there are secrets in these walls. I'll need every single one of them to survive.

DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH is a new dark romance from New York Times bestselling author Skye Warren. Finding yourself has never been so dangerous....

Fire and Diamond by Andrew Grey

Title: Fire and Diamond
Author: Andrew Grey
Series: Carlisle Deputies #6
Genre:  M/M Contemporary Romance/Law Enforcement
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: Aug 8, 2020
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
A Carlisle Deputies Novel
When Deputy Nick Senaster chastises a bunch of college kids at a bar, he doesn’t think anything of it, even if their leader is gorgeous. The guy is too young and way too cocky, and soon Nick has an emergency foster placement to focus on. His first job is ensuring ten-year-old Ethan knows someone cares for him. But Nick doesn’t realize Ethan is a package deal.
When Alexander finds out his abusive stepfather, Dieter, has lost custody of his half brother, he’s torn between relief and dread. Alexander can’t get custody until he can provide a home for his tiny family. In the meantime, at least Ethan’s foster father will let Alexander visit.
So of course the man turns out to be the cute but dour cop who gave Alexander a hard time.
Soon Nick and Alexander discover they misjudged each other. Nick is more than an authoritarian automaton, and Alexander has a drive and a maturity that belie their first meeting. But between a campaign of intimidation from Dieter, their own insecurities, and the logistics of dating with Ethan’s fragile sense of stability hanging in the balance, they have their work cut out for them if they want to build a future.

Sparks fly as soon as Nick and Alexander meet for the first time and those sparks certainly kindle a fire when they meet again. The author does a fantastic job of bringing the men together through Ethan while having the feeling of doom hanging over their heads. There was so much to uncover with motives it was interesting to see what would happen next. I enjoyed how they fell for each other and how they wanted to become a family. The few twists and turns kept the pace up.

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Diamond in the Rough by Skye Warren

Title: Diamond in the Rough

Author: Skye Warren

Series: The Diamond Trilogy Book 1

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Self Published

Release Date: July 7 2020

Edition/Formats: 1^st Edition ~ Audio, eBook & Print

Blurb/Synopsis:

I'm stepping off a nine hour flight when it happens. A white van. A dark hood. Every woman's worst nightmare. Now I'm trapped in an abandoned church. The man who took me says I won't be hurt. The man in the cell next to me says that's a lie. I'll fight with every ounce of strength, but there are secrets in these walls. I'll need every single one of them to survive.

DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH is a new dark romance from New York Times bestselling author Skye Warren. Finding yourself has never been so dangerous....

I really enjoyed Holly and Elijah. There is a lot of history between these two characters. Their love story started out years before and Holly really is everything to Elijah. The way the author brings these two back together is dark, but it works very well for them. Through actions, the reader is able to connect to the characters. There are several moments of WTF, yet it works. The love story intertwined with the suspense and darkness was prefect and kept the pacing fast. I liked the descriptions, which made me really feel for Holly. The author really uses Holly as an author speak to who she is and it's something I am looking forward to as this story continues.

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Prey for Love by Dirk Greyson

Title: Prey for Love

Author: Dirk Greyson

Series: Standalone

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Gay Romance, LGTBQ, M/M

Publisher: DreamSpinner Press

Release Date: July 7 2020

Edition/Formats: 1^st Edition/ Audio, Digital, Print

Blurb/Synopsis:

The last three guys Phillip dated are dead. Is he next?

When successful businessman Phillip Barone attends a lover’s funeral and discovers he was just the latest of Phillip’s partners to die, Phillip knows he’s in trouble.

He also knows just the man he needs.

Former Marine Barry Malone would love a second chance with Phillip—he just wishes the romance could be rekindled under better circumstances. But Phillip’s stalker is escalating, and if Barry cannot solve the mystery of who wants Phillip dead and why, he might lose him for good. Barry’s determined, but the investigation struggles against the wit of a crafty killer—one who is closer to Phillip than they could have realized.

Luckily Barry is even closer, and he’ll do whatever it takes to protect the man he’s falling in love with all over again.

Getting Back To It

I, like the rest of the world, have disappeared. Really, I just couldn't deal with all the news and had a hard time escaping into a book. So instead, I escaped into a video game. Being a Dark Elf and battling a world of monsters was a much nicer place to be. In fact, just fishing and enjoying the scenery was nice and relaxing.

But, I did finally find my feet and found some books to read that pulled me into the pages and didn't want to let me go. I dread across the board. Fantasy, romance, some other genre that I don't want to go look up and it was fantastic.

I was off work for a bit and got gaming and reading done. I mean what else was there to do? So many things were on a list and yet I looked at it and shrugged. When life gets back to normal, then maybe I'll revisit the list. Granted I got to break out my sewing skills and made a few masks for myself. Now, I'm stylish. But alas no book related fabric has fallen into my lap. Tea cups and coffee beans on the other hand have been great.

But I will be talking books again. I have several to post about and review. I'll need to make a list or something. But I'm super excited to be back to it.

Ghostland by Duncan Ralston

So I've been reading a tiny bit of horror as of late. I've read Stephen King over the years and I've read other horror books over the years. Recently, I've been reading Carver Pike. I'll have to do a post on the books I've read at another time. He's the reason that Ghostland even ended up on my radar. He mentioned the book on Facebook and the cover along with the title was very interesting. Then I read the description and was like, I need this book. Added to wishlist and then fa bit later I got it. (Don't forget my TBR pile is very long.) Anyway, I had finished up something I was reading and decided to give this book a go.

Damn, did it start out great. Here's a pretty link via the cover:

There were several times when I had to tell myself that this book was in fact fiction. Why? Because the author did such a great job of writing believable characters with Ben and Lilian. As well as writing awesome description. Something else that really brought this book to life was the map in the beginning because this is a "theme park" with ghosts. The footnotes which could be expanded to read about the people and places in Ghostland as the characters explored the park was great. Being able to interact with the book was something different and interesting.

I did get a 13 Ghosts (new version) and Pulse vibe as I read this book, but only because of what was happening inside the theme park. The concept of the book was definitely different and unlike anything else I've read. Having ghosts on display is a scary concept especially when these are killers and just not sane ghosts. I mean what could go wrong? Famous last words to any horror story in my experience. I loved Ben and his knowledge of the horror author that inspired the park. And Lilian's flaws helped the character grow as the story unfolded.

There are plenty of gruesome scenes which are well thought out on the page. Getting to know the ghosts was very interesting with how the story was written. I mean no way in hell would I ever want to go to this theme park, I would rather go to a zoo without cages before stepping foot into a giant cage aka the theme park of dangerous ghosts.

That being said, this book was worth the read and since it was left open for another follow up book, I can't wait to see what's in store for the story line.

Books and Obsessions (aka coffee)

So, I haven't been reading nearly as much as I would have liked this year. Have I read a few books? Yes. Did it take me a long time? Also yes. Am I amped up on coffee this morning? Yup. (I've lost track of the cup number. *shrug*) Anyway, This past Tuesday I read a book I'd been waiting for from one of my favorite authors. CM Genovese. (He's got a couple of names leading to various genres of romance.) See this book below.... Yes that book right there was read in basically one sitting. I say basically cause of drinks, food, pets, and other things that had to be done in the day.

I really loved this book. I started out laughing. The dialogue and the characters just lend(ed)* cause I hate grammar right now and it sounds better in my head* to a fun light hearted (maybe, maybe not) humor. Cassie is such a sweet girl, until later. *cough, cough* Rain is well, he's a badass motherfucker that survived have his throat slit in prison. (Yes, this is the couple you are rooting for.) They are the cutest together once they come together. *mind out of gutter people* Then BAM action happens. There's murder, kidnappings, and ax throwing. *I wanna throw axes. Wait I can barely throw darts and hit the board. So no throwing axes for me. That would be dangerous and I don't live dangerously.* Okay, so if any of these factors are something you enjoy, go for it and read his other work. Do, it!

Anyway, I have two main vices in my life. Books clearly and coffee. *We won't tell my video game.* I do love a good tea, but I live on coffee. My Facebook even has figured it out. I need to stop clicking on the yummy looking coffee ads. Never. I might have a cabinet filled with bags of coffee that I'm slowly going through and I drink it every day. I have a small counter nook dedicated to coffee with pictures and other things. There may be a picture one day. That would involve making it look presentable and well, I'm not there yet.

Well, anyway. This was a fantastic book that kept me entertained *cursing the author.* It's also part of a multi author series. I haven't read any of the other books, but I have several I want to read because of other favorite authors. If I do, I'll try very hard to write something up.

Until next time.

Drink tea ***COFFEE*** and read!

Fire and Onyx by Andrew Grey

Title: Fire and Onyx

Author: Andrew Grey

Series: Carlisle Deputies #5

Genre:  M/M Contemporary Romance/Law Enforcement

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Release Date: Jan 14, 2020

Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print

Blurb/Synopsis:

A Carlisle Deputies Novel

Undercover sheriff’s deputy Evan Whittaker is close to infiltrating a vicious local gang. He just needs to find an opening. Instead, he finds Wes Douglas, a web designer who is raising his irresponsible brother’s son. Wes agrees to help with a stakeout, but he pays the price when his home is destroyed in a shootout.

Evan’s always been a loner, but when he invites Wes into his home, living together feels right, and the two men only grow closer as they adapt to each other’s lives and rhythms. A future as a family looks brighter by the day, but all of that could collapse when Wes’s brother—and his connection to the drug dealers—crashes into the life they’re carefully building.