scoodle42's reviews
758 reviews

Bear (Donovan), and Ren (Renier) are best friends and soul mates. They share everything. And when Kimber comes back to town, they admit that the same girl captured their hearts years ago, and they want to share her too. But will she agree to let them both love her?

I need to apologize for taking so long to read this because I loved it so much. Bear is so focused, protective and intentional the whole way. He doesn't let anyone take him off his path, or pull him from his mission. He knows his purpose is to love and protect Kimber, and get money with his best friends and he does both with a singlemindedness that is so sexy. I swooned over Bear. 

Ren is the impulsive, funny, hotheaded, stubborn mule I hoped he would be, lol. The way he loves is so fraught with urgency, and I loved that he simply got tired of waiting. He knew his destiny and told Kimber she better fall in line, lol. The road to trust and forgiveness with him and Kimber gave the story some solid emotional weight, as did his promises to Bear and their bond. 

Kimber is the needed balance between the two of them. The way she can affirm Bear and calm Ren, the way she commands their attention and demands what she needs from them--very well done. Kimber leaned into the safety and family she found, but she centered them as well; she was soft, but not passive. She stood up for herself, but could admit to her learning curve of having two lovers/ husbands and submit to being protected. I loved her. And she's living my dream, lol.

The rest of the cast rounded out the story in a great way and the subplot gave the story arc lots of intrigue and impact without taking away from the romance. One of my favorites of the year.

This was an okay follow-up to Priest and Satisa's story. I love a surprise wedding and those two still have great magic. The short intro to Prince and Lesha was pretty good too.

Love gets unceremoniously dumped right before her wedding, and meets Aries. Everything feels good, but can he be too good to be true?

I like Aries and Love. I loved the way they interacted with each other. It was effortless, and I like that this author paints the picture of love in that way. The way they explored passion together was done well enough. I like that gave you the vibes but it wasn't too much. I also loved that Love was a firefighter. I will say that the arc stumbled for me in places and when Aries secret was revealed, I saw Love's anger and I was angry too. Because he could have simply said something. I will say he gave off obsessed vibes riding past her house in the beginning, lol. But they were cute enough and I'm happy they worked it out.

Markela is trying to thrive after a tragic childhood and isn't looking for a relationship at all, or to submit to a man in any way. She runs into Symere aka Dinero, literally, and he's a Dom who wants her to bow down and open herself to being at his mercy, first with her body, then with her heart.

Okay, so let's start with what I liked about this book. I loved Ruby. I loved that Symere had an emotional support animal and he doted on his dog. I loved his and Markela's passion. The scenes with them connecting physically were written very well, in terms of details and feeling. I loved that they connected with each other outside of scenes and built a bond where they surrendered their hearts and exposed the darkness they dealt with. I loved the honesty between them.

Given all of that, I am disappointed in the way the story arc developed. First, this book had the barest of content warnings and I think they should have been specific. The beginning pages simply said there was explicit content and to watch your triggers, but I feel like the possible triggers should have been named--there was a lot of trauma of varying degrees in this story, and I think it should have been spelled out.

Second, the book touched on so many tough topics, and this hit me in a couple of different ways: first, it was hard sometimes to see the romance, or even feel the passion in the erotic scenes because of what it was surrounded with, and second: I don't know if I feel like some of the topics were treated as delicately as I wanted them to be. As an example, the author used the word "crazy" all throughout the book to describe people who had diagnosed mental illnesses, which isn't the best word choice anymore. And in terms of the bdsm, the couple had a dominant/submissive relationship, but we never see them talk about their needs, terms, hard and soft limits. She never even picks a safe word. They just start having sex and doing scenes. So things like that took me out of the story when I was trying hard to immerse myself.

Overall, the premise was good, but for me it mis stepped a lot in terms of content and the way it was handled.

Cookie found her "perfect" boyfriend with another woman, and dropped him expeditiously, hoping to soothe her bruised ego fast and move on. In walks Tommy, the man she once loved, who she distanced herself from because of her family's ignorance and her own fears about going against them. But Cookie is tired of denying herself what she really wants and vows if Tommy will give her another chance, she'll take it.

This story spoke to me on a deeper level. it was fast paced, and pretty steady. Easy, the way I liked, because Cookie and Tommy were ready to move forward. But it was still an emotional journey. I love the way Cookie grew into herself, the way she found her voice over and over. I love that Tommy was ready to protect, but also ready to let her walk her own path. Tommy was sweet and funny and so very affectionate. You just wanted the best for him, and I was glad Cookie was ready to give it to him. The way they locked in, like puzzle pieces that fit, showed their inevitability, and I was very happy Cookie got out of her own way. She was a quick learner, and I appreciated that. The way they explored passion really pulled me in. I love that Cookie was awkward but still focused on Tommy's satisfaction and how it intertwined with her own. Great story. And it had funny moments too.

Rasheed is newly divorced and on his way hone after 25 years. He has two main objectives: open his new tutoring and activity center for his hometown, and get his first love Percy, to forgive him for leaving and not coming back.

This story was steady. It was easy. I love that. Percy was right not to trust Rasheed, but he also forgave and was ready to show his trust could be earned. Rasheed was a bonehead about some things, but he was teachable and corrected his course. I love how his brother, parents, and even Annabelle called him to the carpet when it was necessary. The homophobia of a small town and the couple's run ins with the bigots gave the story heft, let you know it was bigger than two people falling in love. Rasheed and Percy were sexy and free with each other. They were passionate and I really liked this story. And the way Rasheed learned to apologize and stand up to wrong.

In this follow up to Dance For You, Xavier, Javario's right hand man, finds himself falling for Mercedes, his sister-in-law. 

I like the way this story explored moving on after grief. Mercedes was young and deserved to live her life. I like how everyone encouraged her. Her journey was emotional and gave the story some depth, and her character some needed layers. Xavier was ready and willing, and the perfect person to step up for Mercedes. He was patient and compassionate, but focused on her and her daughter. He was focused and about his business and when that included Mercedes, he acted accordingly and stepped up. I also loved the way he told Row and didn't back down. This was a great story.

The follow-up to Twenty-Four Three finds Carter Reed bulldozing back into McKenna's life, but sooner than he expected. He'd always intended to come for her, but now instead of claiming her because the threat is gone, he has to claim her because the threat knows who she is--and it's coming for her.

I was so happy to see these characters again, lol. Carter is focused, okay? He needs to keep McKenna safe and while he can't blow off what he feels for her, he's trying to remain detached until he solves the problem. I loved seeing him in his element and hunting down answers. I also appreciated his aligning himself in a way he might not have otherwise to give McKenna extra assurance.. I found myself loving when he let his walls down though. Seeing him invested in her happiness and not just her safety was a great transition. The intrigue surrounding his family history was deep enough to keep you guessing but not so much it weighed you down. It showed great balance. McKenna was her same tough self, demanding no less than the world from the man she knew could give it to her. She was afraid to be all in, as she should have been, but she wasn't afraid of Carter and that distinction made for great writing.

The two of them were passionate and in tune with each other in so many ways. I loved her bestie and her parents and the lightheartedness they brought to a tense story. And the love was evident, even when they weren't saying it. Amazing read.

Carter takes over McKenna's house and forces her to help him recover from an injury. Mistaken identity leads to three days in close proximity with a dangerous man. He promises to leave her physically unharmed, but what about the rest of her?

This was a heavy and suspenseful short that kept me engaged. Carter Reed is the best at what he does, snatching souls with his g*n and his d*ck and it's so captivating. McKenna held her ground and gave as good as she got. And she made an addict out of him too. I knew there was nowhere for the two of them to go, but I was still sad about it. And even with the ending, it was satisfying as hell.  

Noel and Christian meet up again after being apart. Christmas brings them both back to town and as they rebuild their friendship, they start to wonder if it can be more.

The backdrop of Christmas and friends becoming lovers is something I usually enjoy. I liked the family dynamics and the holiday activities. I like the idea of Noel and Christian trying to rebuild a friendship, although the reason they needed to left me a bit put off. This story had a good amount of emotional journey for the characters, but I didn't really feel the emotion completely. Noel rebuilding was a good bit that gave layers to her character and Christian's past with his father was a good bit for him too. But I don't know if I felt it. I also wasn't too sure on their chemistry; that stumbled a bit for me. But it was good for what it was.