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bee_thebibliophile's reviews
1952 reviews
Blame it on the Champagne by Fiona Cole
4.0
Blame it on the Champagne is stuffed full of some of my favorite romance novel tropes - marriage of convenience, workplace romance, age gap and enemies to lovers. With all of those things together, how could it be anything other than entertaining?
Vera has always known she'd end up in a marriage of convenience to help the family business, but she could have never predicted how terribly it would end up playing out and how little she would get out of the arrangement. She's smart and motivated to be so much more than just a pawn in her father's game, so she takes it on herself to prove her worth and to take control of an insane situation.
Enter Nico...talk about all the alphahole goodness rolled up in one man! He's bossy, arrogant, driven and cunning but still manages to be protective and caring underneath it all. Vera and Nico together were so entertaining - their banter, flirtation, attraction and, at times, hatred for each other was palpable and kept me wanting more. Even after all the twists and turns they go through, persistent and charming Nico figures out all of the right buttons to push on stubborn Vera to make her finally give in to more than just their surface-level arrangement.
Vera, Raelynn and Nova together are a force to be reckoned with. I loved how close they were and their willingness to stand up for each other to ensure they were getting exactly what they deserved. After all the crap Vera has to put up with with her family, it was nice to see that she had people in her corner, fighting for her and her happiness.
While I was sad to see the Voyeur series come to an end, this series is shaping up to be everything I've come to expect from Fiona Cole! It's such a good balance of fun, sassy, playful and steamy that I keep coming back for it time and time again.
Anxiously awaiting the release of Blame it on the Tequila - can't wait to see Naughty Nova in action! I can already tell this girl gang is going to keep us on our toes in the rest of this series...bring it on!
Vera has always known she'd end up in a marriage of convenience to help the family business, but she could have never predicted how terribly it would end up playing out and how little she would get out of the arrangement. She's smart and motivated to be so much more than just a pawn in her father's game, so she takes it on herself to prove her worth and to take control of an insane situation.
Enter Nico...talk about all the alphahole goodness rolled up in one man! He's bossy, arrogant, driven and cunning but still manages to be protective and caring underneath it all. Vera and Nico together were so entertaining - their banter, flirtation, attraction and, at times, hatred for each other was palpable and kept me wanting more. Even after all the twists and turns they go through, persistent and charming Nico figures out all of the right buttons to push on stubborn Vera to make her finally give in to more than just their surface-level arrangement.
Vera, Raelynn and Nova together are a force to be reckoned with. I loved how close they were and their willingness to stand up for each other to ensure they were getting exactly what they deserved. After all the crap Vera has to put up with with her family, it was nice to see that she had people in her corner, fighting for her and her happiness.
While I was sad to see the Voyeur series come to an end, this series is shaping up to be everything I've come to expect from Fiona Cole! It's such a good balance of fun, sassy, playful and steamy that I keep coming back for it time and time again.
Anxiously awaiting the release of Blame it on the Tequila - can't wait to see Naughty Nova in action! I can already tell this girl gang is going to keep us on our toes in the rest of this series...bring it on!
Deliverance by Garrett Leigh
4.0
Deliverance is the second book in the Darkest Skies series and is right up there with [b:Redemption|53904933|Redemption (Darkest Skies, #1)|Garrett Leigh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1591644463l/53904933._SX50_.jpg|84255123] in the dark, angst-y romance department.
Benito Martell used to run with Luis (from Redemption)’s brothers gang and after things went sideways, he’s forced to leave London to protect not only himself but his mom and sister as well. Driving Uber and trying to convince himself he can go straight while also doing some shady side deals to pay his way out of the bounty on his head, he’s burning the candle at both ends trying to keep everyone safe.
Mickey is a recovering addict who ran from his gang days years ago because of his addition. He currently works as a housing agent for DOSHA and has tried to turn his life around, focusing on doing the best he can for his clients while also keeping himself out of trouble for his health and his ongoing recovery. He doesn’t mix business with pleasure (at least he doesn’t think he does), but when Mickey and Beni meet, they’re both in for a big surprise when their paths continue to cross over and over again.
Beni and Mickey together are explosive, powerful and unexpectedly endearing. Their pasts and experiences are so similar that they understand each other on a different level and can read each other better than anyone else can. They’re gritty and unapologetic about who they are and where they’ve been and it plays out as a simultaneously sweet and heartbreaking romance. I loved seeing these two seemingly alpha males fall for each other, hard, while trying to maintain their distance due to the things happening in their past and present.
Like with most Garrett Leigh books, I felt myself devouring the pages to see how everything would play out. Never would I have predicted all of the events that happened in the last 30%, but it was so much better than I imagined. Beni and Mickey had so much to overcome personally and in their relationship that I couldn’t see how it would come together and that added to my surprise and delight when it finally did.
The epilogue is really sweet and continues to reinforce the ties between all of the characters in this series. It also sets things up for the next book in the series...I have to say I didn’t see it coming but I’m really curious to see where Garrett Leigh is going to take us next!
Benito Martell used to run with Luis (from Redemption)’s brothers gang and after things went sideways, he’s forced to leave London to protect not only himself but his mom and sister as well. Driving Uber and trying to convince himself he can go straight while also doing some shady side deals to pay his way out of the bounty on his head, he’s burning the candle at both ends trying to keep everyone safe.
Mickey is a recovering addict who ran from his gang days years ago because of his addition. He currently works as a housing agent for DOSHA and has tried to turn his life around, focusing on doing the best he can for his clients while also keeping himself out of trouble for his health and his ongoing recovery. He doesn’t mix business with pleasure (at least he doesn’t think he does), but when Mickey and Beni meet, they’re both in for a big surprise when their paths continue to cross over and over again.
Beni and Mickey together are explosive, powerful and unexpectedly endearing. Their pasts and experiences are so similar that they understand each other on a different level and can read each other better than anyone else can. They’re gritty and unapologetic about who they are and where they’ve been and it plays out as a simultaneously sweet and heartbreaking romance. I loved seeing these two seemingly alpha males fall for each other, hard, while trying to maintain their distance due to the things happening in their past and present.
Like with most Garrett Leigh books, I felt myself devouring the pages to see how everything would play out. Never would I have predicted all of the events that happened in the last 30%, but it was so much better than I imagined. Beni and Mickey had so much to overcome personally and in their relationship that I couldn’t see how it would come together and that added to my surprise and delight when it finally did.
The epilogue is really sweet and continues to reinforce the ties between all of the characters in this series. It also sets things up for the next book in the series...I have to say I didn’t see it coming but I’m really curious to see where Garrett Leigh is going to take us next!
There Are No Saints by Sophie Lark
4.0
There Are No Saints is a completely different type of story than we’re used to from Sophie Lark.
Cole Blackwell is a well-known sculptor in San Francisco to the public eye, but he’s so much more than that when he’s on his own. He’s cold, calculating and disconnected and uses his art to showcase his thoughts and talents. His biggest rival (in more ways than one) is Alastor Shaw - the two of them are constantly aware of each other’s moves, in the art world and in their more dark and sinister lives outside of it.
Mara Eldritch is a starving artist (sometimes literally), working multiple jobs to keep her dream of being a full-time artist alive. She’s been through a lot and gets overwhelmed easily by sound or light, but manages to push all that down to create beautiful artwork inspired by her experiences. She catches Cole’s attention in more ways than one and he promises to make her his protege, helping her to refine her craft and getting to spend more time together exploring their dark connection.
This story is twisted, disturbing, intriguing and a little kinky...it’s unlike anything I’ve read before. Cole and Mara’s relationship is complex, with a lot of layers that Mara herself doesn’t even understand yet. Mara makes Cole feel things for the first time in a long time and Cole is shocked to discover that someone has that kind of power over him.
I had a little trouble getting into the story. The characters are stubborn and their behaviors are so outside of the norm that I didn’t really relate. Cole’s behavior, especially his stalker tendencies when it comes to Mara, left me feeling uncomfortable. I know Cole is meant to be an anti-hero, but sometimes it went a little too far for me.
I’m anxiously awaiting the second book in this duet - can’t wait to see where Sophie takes us next and how things end up playing out for Cole, Mara and Shaw.
Cole Blackwell is a well-known sculptor in San Francisco to the public eye, but he’s so much more than that when he’s on his own. He’s cold, calculating and disconnected and uses his art to showcase his thoughts and talents. His biggest rival (in more ways than one) is Alastor Shaw - the two of them are constantly aware of each other’s moves, in the art world and in their more dark and sinister lives outside of it.
Mara Eldritch is a starving artist (sometimes literally), working multiple jobs to keep her dream of being a full-time artist alive. She’s been through a lot and gets overwhelmed easily by sound or light, but manages to push all that down to create beautiful artwork inspired by her experiences. She catches Cole’s attention in more ways than one and he promises to make her his protege, helping her to refine her craft and getting to spend more time together exploring their dark connection.
This story is twisted, disturbing, intriguing and a little kinky...it’s unlike anything I’ve read before. Cole and Mara’s relationship is complex, with a lot of layers that Mara herself doesn’t even understand yet. Mara makes Cole feel things for the first time in a long time and Cole is shocked to discover that someone has that kind of power over him.
I had a little trouble getting into the story. The characters are stubborn and their behaviors are so outside of the norm that I didn’t really relate. Cole’s behavior, especially his stalker tendencies when it comes to Mara, left me feeling uncomfortable. I know Cole is meant to be an anti-hero, but sometimes it went a little too far for me.
I’m anxiously awaiting the second book in this duet - can’t wait to see where Sophie takes us next and how things end up playing out for Cole, Mara and Shaw.