The First Dryad 2 by Teshelle Combs
Review | ARC ~ January 29th - February 3rd 2024
So originally I didn't make a full review so bare with me. The First Dryad 2 picks up where The First Dryad ended. And I devoured this book. It took me a little longer to read but I had stuff going on at the time as you'll notice is the theme with most of the books from this month. The First Dryad 2 is a great book. I was on the edge of my seat and we got a happy ending with Aia and the prince. We learn a lot in this book. And I mean a lot. We learned a lot about Aia's new powers and just a lot in general. This is a great duology and it is also a part of The First Collection.
Blurb:
On the run from his murderous brother, Willen must find the courage to love who Aia has become—a creature the Realm could never dream of. A Dryad. Aia must battle a world of fantastical monsters—Dragons. Wyverns. Dwarves. Princes and Princesses—while she fights for the heart of her Second Prince. Forbidden love has never been so tantalizing. And yes…it is still ruin.
Read the final installment of The First Dryad Duology.
—
An excerpt from The First Dryad Book 2
Willen laughed, but it was not happy. “I want you now more than ever before. I think you have driven me to madness.”
“There is no right side to madness, Willen. Or have you forgotten?”
He licked his lips as though they were dry. “I remember.”
“If you are so angry with me and I am so angry with me, you should stomp away. To prove your point. Or perhaps I should, to prove mine.”
He traced his fingers along the knitting scars on my arms. “I want to take your clothes off.”
My cheeks heated, and I counted myself blessed that he was not looking to see me blush. “But….”
Stormy eyes flicked up at me and then back down in an instant. He saw me after all. “Did you know…that your color changes when you want me to touch you?”
I gasped. “It does not. You are making things up now.”
He brought my hand to his lips and kissed each of my fingers. “I may not listen but I certainly do not lie.” He came closer to me so his arms rested on the bed on either side of me, his chest pressing against my knees. “Are you too cross with me to let me have you?”
“I…am very cross with you.”
“You did not answer my question.”
“I…I always want you. You are the one who does not seem to desire me as much as I—”
He raised himself up to kiss me. Lips on lips, and then the heat of his breath on my neck. I tried not to think of whether it was strange for him to taste someone half covered in regrowth of bark or whether my constant changing alarmed or allured him.
“How do you do it?” he whispered into my ear, his hands cupping me, his Wonder dissolving the very fabric of my dress. “How do you hold all my attention like this?”
When I pulled his shirt over his head, I saw within his chest the throbbing Seed I had placed there. I touched it, watching as it lit beneath my fingers, and Willen groaned.
“Is…it painful?”
“Only when you are in pain, I think.”
I frowned. “But I am always in pain.”
“And I will always know when you are.”
I brought him closer to me, wrapping my legs around his waist. “Then you know I can endure anything.”
“That,” he said, running his hands over the smoothness of my thighs and down to the roughness of my calves, only to find his way higher once more, “is what I am afraid of. That you think you can endure anything. And that you will try to prove it.”
Enjoy the other standalone books in The First Collection, inspired by The First Dryad 1 & 2, each telling a new story of love and fantasy:
The First Stone
The First Nymph
The First Flame
Corrupting Cupid by Effie Campbell
Review | ARC ~ February 3rd, 2024
So this was a spicy, short novella. I wouldn't fully call it a Dark Romance but it was still good and if you've read any of Effie Campbell's books you will love this novella. I read it in one night and it was really good. This was my first book from Effie Campbell and I loved every bit of it. Definitely full of spice. I rated it 5/5 stars, and it was definitely a 5/5 for spice as well.
Blurb:
EVA
Being back in the small town of Coal's Lake was the last thing I wanted. My plan was simple, run my grandfather's bar long enough to pay off it's debts, then sell it and head back to London.
It was a good plan. Until he walked through the door. Tall, dark and extremely odd. Making a deal to teach the adonis how to please a woman leaves me weak at the knees. He's hiding secrets will tear us apart.
AMOR
After eons in Olympus, I'm over it. My fascination with the mortals has reached an all time high and I strike a bargain to hang up my arrows and become human for a vacation.
Bumping in to the angry woman who runs the bar leaves me reeling. My obsession with her leads to her teaching me the art of pleasure, little does she know that there's only one woman for me. Our time together is limited, but she doesn't know the real reason why; despite my inexperience, I'm the god of passion.
Fourteen Shades of Red: Day 10
Corrupting Cupid is a spicy valentines romance. It is part of the Fourteen Shades of Red limited edition Valentine’s Day romance collection, including stories by:
Maia Terry
Bella Leigh Michaels
Eliza Anne
Dani Elias
Amanda Bentley
Elliot Ason
Luna Knight
Kelsey Woods
K.M. Gillis
Effie Campbell
Valerie Pepper
J.L. Quick
Irene Bahrd
and Lexi Gray
Dark Corruption by Effie Campbell
Review | ARC ~ February 4th, 2024
I devoured this book! This is the book that has officially gotten me into mafia dark romance. I absolutely loved it. I can't wait to read the rest of them. I love that these books can be read as standalones. The romance, the spice in this book was just *chef's kiss* this is my second book of Effie's and I'm so glad I was picked for her ARC Team because I love them! If you like mafia dark romance with lots of spice then this is for you!
Blurb:
Cora
Filling in for my sister was not my idea. She breaks her leg and needs me, as her twin, to stand in as a performer at The Loft, a club for deviants. The biggest problem--how can I entertain them when I've never even been touched?
Ewen McGowan, the club's owner, makes me feel things I've always wanted to keep hidden. He draws my tears from me with the most exquisite care, makes my body crave more and more. I shouldn't want his pain.
Ewen
It's been so long since I've felt anything. Until she walks into my club. What starts as figuring out what was different about my employee turns into a dangerous game of obsession. Being away from her makes me burn, and I'll do anything to get close to her. Whether she's aware of it or not.
The deeper my obsession with my little liar grows, the more I'll do to make her mine. Beneath the shadows, other danger lurks, threatening my club, family, and Cora. I need to find out who's threatening my organization before I lose more than just my heart.
Dark Corruption is the final book in the McGowan Mafia Series, and can be read as a standalone. It's high spice, dark mafia romance with an obsessed, morally grey hero.
Until the Stars Fall by Vanessa Rasanen
Review | ARC ~ February 4th - February 10th, 2024
This was an amazing book! If you love any of the tropes listed you NEED to read this book! It captivated me from the beginning. Here are the tropes: Forced Proximity, Slow Burn, Fake Betrothed, Fated Mates, Enemies to Lovers, and Who Did This To You. Best Romantasy I've read in a while! Go check it out!
Blurb:
The last time a fae royal took a human bride it started a war.
This time it could prevent one.
I have been a loyal servant to the fae crown my whole life–an arrangement that has kept me safe from the violence between our two races…until I kill a fae noble.
Sentenced to death I beg the king for mercy and am shocked when it comes from the eldest prince who hates me.
But there’s a catch…
Now thrust into the role of my growly protector’s bride-to-be, I have to choose between playing along with this fake engagement or following my own heart to protect my people.
Until the Stars Fall is the first in a new fantasy romance collection of interconnected stand-alones set in a magical war-torn world, where love is weakness and danger lurks around every corner. Loosely inspired by the classic movie, Sabrina, this slow-burn fated mates tale with a fake engagement brings you a growly, yet noble fae prince and the sunshine human who just might be the death of him…if he doesn’t fall for her first.
Suckered by Teshelle Combs
Review | ARC ~ February 17th, 2024
This was a cute Valentine's Novella! I also loved that we got a Jack Frost cameo! (If you haven't read Frosted you don't necessarily have to read this first because it briefly mentions Jack. All of the Holiday Haters are standalone novellas.) This little novella follows Alexei, a vampire who works in a corporate office. Alexei is very charming and funny. I loved the banter between him and the girl who is trying to shut down his work.
Blurb:
Alexei Vladel is…the worst. Worse than that, really, since even the vamps don’t want him. As the Prince of Vampires, he was supposed to choose a life mate but decided love isn’t real instead. As punishment he’s been banished and forced to work in the human resources department of LoveBubble—a dating app for people who want long term relationships. Will one of his coworkers make Alexei believe in love at last?
A short story from the Holiday Haters Collection. From the world of Jack Frost’s Frosted. If you love romantic comedies, vamps, and a twisty plot, this short story is for you!
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