kellysbookishglamlife's reviews
562 reviews

I broke my rule of not starting multiple books because there was no way I was waiting to start Ravenhurst's Return by Sandra Sookoo until I was done with another.

This is the kind of dark romance I want more of!   It has all the feels, the questionable choices, and revenge, but also has consent and a very different setup for kidnapping than others, so the romantic relationship flow made more sense.

The raw emotions and how they help each other is absolutely perfect. Back and forth, trying to make each other see what they can be and do while fighting what's between them had me cheering and almost yelling like the characters, lol.

The ending definitely had a twist I didn't see coming at all, and I dropped my Kindle in shock from it.

 A rouge turned vicar meets a girl who doesn't care for the rules of society yes, please! I've never read a story with a vicar and boy do I need more spicy vicars after this one. These two are scandalous in all the best ways with their banter and discovering they can be themselves while following their hearts and dreams.

Gigi is quite ahead of her time with how she chooses to live her life scandal and all but she is set on being her own person and not letting others rule her life. She does get a bit aggressive when pushing the limits and challenging Thomas to be himself, but it is exactly what he needs and she grows on you. I can tell she is being torn apart by her family's struggles and her father's health and I think that's what makes her push limits and challenge things because she wants to help without giving up herself.

Thomas left his life as a rouge behind him to become a vicar, but that doesn't mean the ladies of the small country town are going to ignore a single attractive man needing someone to help him raise his nieces. His only focus is to find the right governess for the girls and to be the best vicar he can be, but meeting Gigi challenges what he believes he has to be as a good vicar. I loved seeing him learn he can be a vicar and still be himself so he can follow his heart and not a set of rules that don't really change how he is as a vicar.

There's an instant attraction when they meet, but they are very much opposites in what they want out of life or in a spouse. But that attraction keeps building and one stolen kiss isn't enough and in a small town, it's hard to avoid gossip and scandal when also trying to deny what your heart wants. Sometimes you just have to throw society aside and follow your heart. 

As with all of Sandra's books, she challenges the norm with her characters by showing us some women and men didn't follow society's rules back then. I think she did a great job of showing the struggles that come with being a leader of a church and being a human with urges and a life outside of the church. 

This one definitely goes full into the Sub/Dom dynamic which isn’t my favorite, but I do enjoy some of the elements. I will say Sara did a great in portraying a Dom because he was caring and not just focused on himself and more like a real-life Dom should be. It does take a bit to get to the steamy stuff but is worth it to see their relationship grow and also them grow individually. I am a fan of the we shouldn’t, but we can’t deny what is between us battle they had going on.

Emerson isn’t looking for romance let alone love he just wants to find the perfect Sub, repair his relationship with his son, and make the club a success. He had no idea he’d find what he’s been searching for until he found Charlotte waiting in his office one day. There’s no way he can risk his relationship with his son more by touching her, but she wants to please him, and he needs her more than he knows.

Charlotte stubbled into his life when she needed him the most. Having been treated like trash by many people in the past she thinks she’s not worthy of attention, praise, or love, but Emerson is going to change that if it kills him. She shouldn’t want the things she wants to do with him, but he brings it out in her and she can’t walk away from it.

Praise does a really good job of showing how someone can really enjoy and actually benefit in some cases from being a submissive to someone when treated as they should be. I absolutely loved how things slowly changed and progressed over time between Emerson and Charlotte even though the attraction and curiosity were there from the start. I was holding my breath at many moments because I never knew if they would hold back or not like in the club during the big opening. And boy when they finally do give in to their attractions it’s the ultimate explosion that continues to get stronger (You’ll need a fan and water). There are just so many good scenes that show how they are made for each other.

There wasn’t anything I really struggled with in this book because even though I’m not a fan of the full submissive thing (kneeling, etc) I didn’t struggle with it in this book. I may have wanted a little more back story with her family.

It’s a great book and handles a misunderstood kink pretty well. Now if you aren’t open to that kink then don’t read it because it is a big point of the story and you’ll hate it, but if you are curious and looking for a pretty good example then it’s a good book. It’s definitely a great way to introduce the rest of the series.

This was my first time reading a mafia romance so I wasn’t sure if I’d like the violence in it, but thankfully it wasn’t too graphic and it wasn’t a huge part of the story. I did pick this up because it’s inspired by Daemon and Rhaenyra from House of the Dragon (but no blood relation), but being in a modern setting the age gap and the timeframe of when feelings developed did bother me. I did move past all that and started to really enjoy the interactions between them and see that they were meant for each other.

Kristian was banished from the family and lost his right to run the business when he did something stupid after a tragic event. He worked hard for those two years and now he has a plan, make his “niece” fall in love with him, marry her, put his baby in her, and rule the city, but he didn’t plan on his heart reminding him just how much he loved her and make him realize she’s more important than power. When he learns someone is targeting his princess, he won’t rest until he’s made sure they can’t harm her. This man will do anything to make sure his love is safe and that she knows it.

Zenya made her “uncle” promise he would come back, but after two years and not a single word from him she has been carrying the family business and the care of her father and siblings on her own, so when he suddenly appears as a man in black coming to her rescue she demands answers. She’s going to protect her family and make him prove his loyalty to her in every way imaginable and enjoy it. She hates him, loves him, wants him, all at the same time.

Brutal Conquest definitely has House of the Dragon vibes in more ways than the relationship with the family dynamics and I love seeing a family that will stop at nothing to protect. I loved that she was a badass and not some naive girl that wouldn’t question his motives or secrets surrounding things. She pushes back and doesn’t blindly listen to anyone and she can fight when she needs to. There’s a very good balance of their story, the family, and a few surprises you don’t see coming until they are happening. I loved how a few times I thought I knew what happened, but actually didn’t so I got a really good picture of both of them and how they work.

I did struggle with his feelings for her starting when she was around 15, but he did struggle with it himself. I actually wished it had been a bit longer of a story because things really picked up near the end and I would have liked some more details of how things were after everything came to light.

It is very much a taboo book with a man that we should not want, but damn it, you just can’t help yourself. I may pick up the other books in this series to dip my toes into mafia romance more because this was purely for the House of the Dragons and I would like to try something that is just mafia romance.

While I’ve read books with voyeurism in them before, it’s never been to this extent so I got more of a sense of what is behind that kink. I was iffy on this book because of it being a step-sibling romance as that is something I’ve just never been interested in but Sara Cate did a good job of making it work with the age gap and not being around each other when Mia was younger. So there are no questionable motives or anything with the relationship. I actually really fell in love with the romance and it turned out way better than I expected in the end. They had that special something about them.

Garrett has battled manic depression since he was very young which has made him keep to himself and throw himself into making sure the sensual club he runs with a group of friends keeps going. He hasn’t had sex in ten years because his partying days made it meaningless to him so he has turned to getting satisfaction by watching others. That is what leads him to the cam girl where he discovers his stepsister working as one and starts chatting with her under a false name. Having avoided family as much as possible he’s only seen her as the annoying younger stepsister, not a woman. When he goes back home to visit things change between them and turn into more than either one expects.

Mia has always felt like Garrett hated her since their parents married. They’ve battled for years with teasing and pranks when forced to be around each other. But there’s something different when he comes to visit this time. He’s trying to be nice to her like she’s always wished, but she can’t figure out if it’s real or another cruel prank of his.

Eyes on Me is a great book if you want more kink in your reading. Sara Cate does a very good job of handling the kinks of voyeurism and exhibitionism because she does not just throw them in there, she gives reasons behind why they are enjoyed by the characters. That is a tricky job because kinks aren’t a one-size-fits-all kind of thing so they are tailored to each character’s background and life to help you understand them. Another thing she handles well is them being stepsiblings because that can easily be icky if they’ve grown up together or worse if it’s an uneven power dynamic. Having an age gap with them and also not having spent much time together when she was younger made it so no sexual or romantic feelings developed until both were adults.

Each sexual moment is hotter than the last both emotionally and physically. What starts as just some fun quickly gets more intense with each encounter as they realize it’s not just sex and is much more. There were quite a few great scenes in and outside of the club.

I would have liked to have seen more about his struggle with manic depression to get a better understanding of him. It was only hinted at so it wasn’t very clear for a while.

It’s a great book for exploring a new kink and pushing limits without being overwhelmed. I loved it more than I thought I would.