Rina Kent: Deviant King

 Royal Elite Book 1 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/225088565-deviant-king

Elsa has big plans of making new friends and starting well at her new Elite school she has big goals of getting into the college of her dreams (Cambridge) and right off finds a kindred spirit in a timid girl named Kimberly... only first day in she makes it on the wrong side of Aiden King... the "King" of the school and she has no idea why this is her first day she's never even met him before what could he have against her?  But this encounter sets up for how she's treated the rest of her school days because the leader of the school has made his declaration.  

A few years go by where Elsa and Kimberly are bullied by the popular kids at school and as their final year at school comes around they are both just looking to get through the year with as little problems as possible... only Aiden King has decided to ramp up his attentions... and as much as she dislikes him after all the things he has done and had his minions say about her over the years she can't help but wonder why she feels at a loss whenever his attentions from her are gone.

Aiden is at the top of the schools heirarchy... the other boys want to be him, the girls want to be with him... all except her... he is tired of looking from a distance and has decided to get closer to her than ever this year... As the King he always gets what he wants and she is his even if she doesn't know it yet.  

Elsa has a hidden past that even she doesn't know because she can't remember but the end result was her parents deaths and her moving in with her aunt and uncle now when her nightmares are getting worse the one there to comfort her is the most surprising of all... her bully Aiden how can she feel so comforted by him, she hates him doesn't she?  

*Sports romance (football/soccer) *High school bully  *spice *enemies --> more  *miscommunication/no-communication  *Virgin FMC  *touch her and 💀 *FMC POV  *drama

 *check your trigger warnings there are loads  *repressed memories  *PTSD 

Thoughts: 

This is book 1 of 3 in their story line so we don't get the full story this is only from Elsa's side so we don't really see the story from Aiden's side yet.  

Aiden for no obvious reason on Elsa's first day of school corners her in front of the school and tells her he is going to destroy her.  Aiden is a spoiled rich boy who has no problems using his family name to get whatever he wants when he wants it... he is manipulative and plays a load of mind games with everyone including Elsa.  

I had a harder time with Aiden than with his cousin Levi... Aiden is colder and I couldn't help thinking that he was 16-18 years old just settle down there buddy you arn't going to destroy anyone yet... just play football, study, hang out with your friends and enjoy your youth while you can before it takes 3 months to schedule a lunch date with even 1 friend because everyone is too busy and your schedules don't match up.

Elsa tries to stand up for herself and I did think she was a sweet girl who was struggling with childhood trauma she doesn't remember but I couldn't help thinking Girl!  you keep setting yourself up for failure with running into your bully by going into secluded areas where he can easily confront her without anyone knowing... for as smart as she is she's not thinking clearly with these situations.

There are a few mysteries going on related to Elsa's past that she is starting to remember and our MMC was a complete mystery because you don't know what he's going to do at any given moment he's obsessive and unhinged especially when it comes to Elsa.  While he never officially did anything she didn't want he was definately on the edge of crossing the line so check your trigger warnings before reading this.    

While there were a lot of elements that were not for me it does have a lot of what I want in a book series with drama and mystery it kept me turning pages and I did start to warm up to Aiden more as the book went on I plan to continue the series.  

Haven Blake: Beneath the Silence

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/241452382-beneath-the-silence

Sarah Brennan is a survivor as a teenager she was taken never to be seen again but against all odds she lived and made it her mission to help others who have been in her same situation or similar and she is just brilliant and driven enough to do it and now with her family runs a company that does just that and helps locate people who most thought would never be found.

Sarah is resourceful and a hard worker but after so many years of dealing with the darker side of life she feels a much needed break is in order and when an opportunity presents itself in the form of a Nanny position for a powerful man of business she takes it she could use this time to relax and it doesn't hurt that the twins are adorable.

Benny Silva is a leader he is powerful he is used to people doing what he says and goes after what he wants, Sarah enters his world and things begin to shake up she's not afraid of him or to tell him that maybe things could be done differently and still have the same end results.

While it was supposed to be a short term position the longer Sarah is with him the more he begins to wonder how he could extend her stay... could she maybe stay with him forever?  But with danger closing in from multiple sides and a past closing in on them is anywhere safe?  

*2026  *Indie Author  *Mafia Romance *Nanny  *Single Dad  *dark past history  *Fierce FMC  *Touch her and 💀 *protective MMC *found family  *Danger *PTSD  *Spice

*Trigger Warnings --> check them before reading 

Thoughts:

Sarah is driven and fierce while she loves her family she truly has never been the same since her experience as a teenager and maybe feels like she truly doesn't fit in anywhere.  She is a work-a-holic so her idea of a break involves going to a less stressful job.

Benny is a powerful man he takes being a leader seriously and also wants to keep his work life and his life with his children as seperate as possible... he wants them to have a loving home life and he doesn't want to bring the darkness from his work home to his children when Sarah comes into their lives what starts out as temporary becomes so much more she not only makes his life more vibrant but the children are opening up to her in ways he didn't think were possible.

I loved seeing these two characters let down their walls and let each other in, Sarah has her guards in place for known reasons and Benny for his but he's at heart a protector and I love a protective MMC sign me right up!  

While this isn't my normal kind of read (I don't usually read stuff with darker vibes) I love supporting Indie authors and have been finding a lot of amazing books I wouldn't have found otherwise if I hadn't left my comfort reading zone.  

This had me on a roller coaster of emotions there was suspense/drama/love/darkness/moments of family togetherness. I was proud of Sarah for over coming something truly awful and not only just surviving but thriving and helping other families find the closure they needed she wasn't hiding behind the MMC she was his partner fighting with him.  I loved Benny and how he was cold and powerful but soft for her and his children.

A few additional things I would say about the book is that I wasn't entirely sure how much time had passed in the book at any given time and she was their nanny at one point but then started going back to work at her other job at one point and still living with Benny and his family... so is she still the Nanny?  or is that done with now?  She was working for her families company and she was a Doctor as well taking care of some patients... this girl is doing it all and maybe she's doing a bit too much (?) 

I did enjoy this book and I'm looking forward to the next in the series, which happens to be releasing soon so I finished it just in time!  

Julia Connors: Cross Checked

 Boston Rebels Book 3

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213814340-cross-checked

Alessandra Jones (A.J.) has worked hard her whole life she has been focused and driven to make a name for herself in a mans world and she's done it she's a general manager for the Boston Rebels Hockey (NHL) team and others are seeing all her hard work as evidenced by being up for the GM of the year award... this is everything she could have dreamed of and nothing and no one are going to get in the way of that... maybe

Ronan McCabe is a handsome, hot head hockey player he's up for contract renewal and is tired of being put off... he's the Captain and has worked hard for this team while he's been on it so he doesn't understand why they don't even want to give him even the small raise he's asking for (since he has extra responsibility)... feeling like he's being brushed off by his current teams management he is starting to look for other teams who might want to work with him... maybe he'll move closer to his sister out of state so his daughter can grow up with her cousins.

McCabe has a history with AJ she scouted him when he first started and after an incident on occurred she also got him traded... they didn't even have a conversation about it first he just got the boot.  Unfortunately he has mixed feelings since he had a bit of a crush on her back then and even though he kind of hates that she is now his boss... she's still beautiful, maybe even more so than she was when he originally met her.

After McCabe's nanny flakes on him and he has to bring his baby to the game with him AJ goes above and beyond and takes care of Abby (the baby) so that he can focus on his job and less on worrying about his daughter... in fact AJ really goes above and beyond for all of her team and even helps him find a nany (her younger brother).  Until her brother is available she continues to help provide "nanny" care to his daughter and ends up getting hurt when a fight breaks out in the stands.

McCabe insists on making sure AJ is ok and feels indebted to her since she saved his daughter from being harmed when the doctor insists that she have someone stay with her to help her with her daily activities McCabe takes the job seriously... it also helps that they just found out that they are neighbors... Helping with daily tasks leads to touching, spending more time together, and some definate lines being crossed now feelings are on the line... but can they ever make a true go of things when they don't even know where he is going to be next season?  If he does stay she is still his boss.  

*Hockey Romance *enemies --> More  *Forbidden Romance  *boss FMC  *Reverse Age Gap

*forced proximity *workplace romance  *single dad *Grumpy MMC *secret relationship 

*FMC (infertility complications, divorced, toxic ex, toxic family)  *found family *Slow burn *spice 

*insta lust/love  *State Challenge: Mass 

Thoughts:

I could kind of see the attraction from our MMC's side he didn't like her at the beginning of the book but he had a "thing" for her in the past prior to his trade to his current team. What I really wasn't feeling was AJ's side... she works with lots of hot/handsome hockey guys but since she's been so driven with her job for so long I just don't see her "risking" it all on a spur of the moment unethical fling with one of her players that was grumpy and guarded with her until she became his interim "nanny" even one she did have this past history with but it was never romantic in nature she had been married at the time and he was younger than she was.

McCabe tries to have actual conversations with AJ about where their relationship is going because he would like more but she runs off and avoids him.  The other thing is for a single dad romance his daughter really isn't in the book much.  

Looking over those things their whirlwind romance happened over the course of a very short period of time where he goes from disliking her greatly to "all in" just doesn't seem long enough for that even when they were sharing things with each other and having such a "deep" connection.  

This one was just ok for me I do love hockey romance and there were some moments I enjoyed but unfortunately this one just fell kind of flat for me I actually started this awhile ago (maybe like 6 months ago) got like 30% thru and lost interest because the plot just wasn't plotting for me...I ended up picking the book back up and having to start from the beginning because I really just couldn't remember enough of the story to continue from where I was in the book, and I found the same issues I had the first time the story is a bit repetitive and way longer than it needs to be (460 pages), there is a lot of spice (once it starts) and at points in the story it overpowers the plot. 

Rina Kent: Cruel King

 Royal Elite Book #0 

Astrid is happy to fly under the radar, she's not popular, she spends a lot of her spare time watching her favorite show "Vikings" and creating art.  She's way out of her comfort zone at her school and has been ever since her mum passed away in a car accident and she had to move in with her wealthy, stuffy father. 

 Her best friend Dan (who is on the football team) talks her into going to a party after school with the popular kids and pretty much immediately ditches her to go find some ladies... on her own she ends up drinking unknowingly at that point something had been dropped into the drink and she runs into one of the "King's" of the school --> Levi King is wealthy, entitled, he's the football captain and he is used to getting his way with anyone he wants and he sets his sites on Astrid... only to find out her last name this is where we find out there is some beef between his Uncle and her Father (they were both told to stay away from each other)... Astrid ends up in trouble when she is locked out of the house on the run from some unknown Pursuer(s) it's dark she's in the woods and lost she ends up getting hit by a car.

After several months of Rehab we find our FMC back in school and continuing to run into this "Cruel King" but the longer she spends time with him she realizes that he has reasons for coming off as cold and calculated even though he tells her to drop the case she wants justice and to find out who hit her... the doctor's think she'll get her memory back but she has a block when it comes to that night.

Astrid has to deal with troubles at home with her evil step mother and step sister, her dad always takes their side... her mom would never have done that, and now she is finding it harder and harder to fly under the radar since being in line of site of the "King" and he doesn't want to let her go... she is his even if she doesn't know it yet.  Thankfully her best friend Dan is still there for her when she needs him.  

Will they ever be able to have a true relationship if there are dark secrets surrounding their whole relationship?  Will Astrid ever remember what happened the nights of the accidents (hers and the MVA she was in with her mum)?  Will the truth destroy the fragile relationship they have built and would their families even be ok with them being together?  

*High School *Bully  *Virgin FMC  *Spice  *trigger warnings  *family drama  *rich/elite life

*dark secrets  *sports romance (Football/Soccer) MMC  *touch her and 💀 *enemies --> More

*Posessive MMC  *loss of parents (for both MMC and FMC) *mystery *forbidden romance

Thoughts:

I really felt for Astrid she was still grieving over the loss of her mum and learning how to deal in a world she's not from with her stuffy new family who goes out of their way to make her feel uncomfortable (wicked step mom/step sister vibes).  Levi had been through a lot he was tired of being under his Uncle's thumb and was often acting out against his uncle to try to take control of his own life... mainly he would like the opportunity to go pro if given the option that would be a great option for him.

The story was often cringy they were all teenagers but Levi being possessive and trying to assert dominance over everyone on his team and Astrid felt more on the ridiculous side, he's a young man I kind of just wanted to give him a hug and tell him that things would be ok.  

That being said... for whatever reason I couldn't put it down, it was dramatic, there was a few mysteries going on, they had a hot/cold on again off again... wtf is happening with their relationship situationship going on and I wondered throughout if Levi was still playing head games with our girl or what... He's the hot, badboy I totally would have had a crush on in high school but would have never approached.  

I wouldn't recommend this to everyone but if you enjoy bully romance you might enjoy this one, there were definately some things going on throughout this book that weren't usually my type of reads... but I had to find out where this was going and I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series.  

Kathleen Ayers: Despite the Duke

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/247552478

Alexander the Duke of Roxboro has a tragic history his father was attacked and left to die in the street with his mother on the run she is desperate for help, in an unknown (to her) area of the city (London) and very pregnant the ones that attacked her carriage and her husband are still after her but she manages to get to the midwife's home sadly she dies shortly after giving birth. ... there are some other things that happen here but don't want to give away more of this part of the story. 

Many years later our Duke is all grown up after being raised by his Uncle (father's younger brother) and he is known around for being a notorious Rake very handsome and has taken advantage of this on many occasions he is also known to drink in excess and gamble too much... thankfully he can afford it... his life is about to change drastically and he doesn't even remember what happened.

While out on the town with his best friend they go to many places but the night gets murkier as he has had too much to drink (again) and when he wakes up with a pounding headache in his own bed he is surprised to hear his Uncle is at his home along with a Lord Canterbell and his daughter (not even the beautiful one) they are after one thing... they want him to do the right thing after compromising her the night before in the gardens of the ball he has no recollection of even attending... or did he?  

Sophia has no filter she often speaks before thinking and has no desire to placate or bow to a man...even a Duke she has had enough of being compared to and found lacking when her older, beautiful, perfect sister is present and she is tired of parading around Ton events when she is well aware she isn't up to par with many other ladies her age... and even though she knows it's too good to be true she's had a few glasses of wine to get through the night she finds herself flattered when the Duke of Roxboro approaches her and leads her out to the gardens... very much alone only now other people have seen them together they shared a very unmemorable sloppy kiss and he deserted her after whispering sweetly about wanting to court her properly then just ditched her and there is gossip about her scheming to be a Duchess... now in the light of day he is claiming it wasn't him! The Audacity!...  In fact she would rather join a convent then marry this rogue.  

Our couple exchanges barbs all the while actually getting to know each other better and now being thrown together (whether they like it or not) since the Duke's Uncle has political aspirations and Sophia's father is high up in Parlament their wedding continues.  

Alexander is still foggy on that night but knows that he wouldn't attend that ball the lady hosting it hates him... this can all be cleared up when his friend returns he will help him remember the night only he hasn't left any word as to where he's gone.  Sophia now getting closer to the Duke than ever before notices that there are several differences in this man versus the man who led her into temptation in the garden... but if it wasn't Alexander... who was it?  Who would impersonate a Duke?

Classic enemies to more where they both can't stand each other and you watch the couple have a battle of wits and come to find that maybe they don't hate each other as much as they once thought... could this be in fact love?  When Alex finds himself on death's door the person who is there for him is the one he wanted to kick to the curb just recently.  Sophia can't let Alex die... she needs to tell him all the reasons she can't stand him the leading reason at this point being that maybe she can't live without him.

  *Netgalley *Arc read *enemies à More *Forced marriage *Rake  *Strong FMC

*mistaken identity *historical Romance *spice *slow burn *handsome Duke  *scandal 

*Ends on a Cliffhanger

Likes: 

Classic enemies to more where they both can't stand each other and you watch the couple have a battle of wits and come to find that maybe they don't hate each other as much as they once thought... could this be in fact love?  When Alex finds himself on death's door the person who is there for him is the one he wanted to kick to the curb just recently.  Sophia can't let Alex die... she needs to tell him all the reasons she can't stand him the leading reason at this point being that maybe she can't live without him.

I loved seeing Alex and Sophia turn softer towards each other once they let their guards down their passion was fireworks.  Sophia broke out of her shell of feeling insecure around her sister with her mother always putting her down and her steady, calm, intelligent nature served her well in an emergency situation.  She was a perfect match for the brooding, galavanting Duke and in turn he actually wanted to be a better person for her.  

Great start to this new series and I look forward to the next book.   

Dislikes:

I enjoyed the banter between our couple but did find some of it to be over the line and more into bullying and it happened maybe too frequently throughout the book I would have liked more of a getting to know you period for the couple and if there had been more time spent on the actual mystery of who was impersonating the Duke and what was going on with other shady dealings throughout the book.  But understand that we will likely get the remainder of this information in future books from this series.

Ruby Tosemito: In My Veins

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243461029-in-my-veins

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0GMQM4VHW/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title

Book Blurb:  

After experiencing traumatic events as a Navy medic, Luca Evans sells all his possessions and leaves his old life behind, ending up in a small town in Oregon. His only goals are to survive and live under everyone’s radar, mainly his family. During the day, everything seems fine, but every night, he suffers immensely, battling the demons inside his head.

He lives like this for almost three years until on a rainy, cold night, he figuratively stumbles upon a woman with long, black, wavy hair. Her name is Alexandra Vega. He finds her in a ditch, injured, barely conscious, and carries her back home to tend to her wounds.

In the days that follow, Luca finds out that she is very stubborn, feisty, at times bratty and those are the reasons why she is injured. She finds out that he is broody, grumpy and not very talkative, wanting nothing more than to be left alone. However, he does leave his peaceful home and goes back to the big city, because of Alexandra.
Being from two different worlds, will Luca and Alexandra keep clashing or will they fall for one another? And most importantly, will they be able to heal each other?

*Indie Author *Grumpy x Sunshine *small town  *Forced proximity *Hero

*Opposites attract *Fiery outspoken FMC

*Artist FMC  *Ex-Military MMC (Navy medic) *strangers à more  *Slow Burn

*State Challenge: Oregon  *PTSD 

--> my review: 

This story begins when Alexandra crash lands her way into Luca’s life, he finds her in a ditch near his isolated home barely clinging to life but as he had been trained as a medic for the military those skills will serve him well now as he rushes her home to tend to her wounds.

He has been struggling with past trauma and PTSD that led him to feel like he needed to leave the world he knew and his family and live a solitary, minimalistic life and he has been surviving like that for several years until this passionate, opinionated firecracker comes into his home and rearranges his life the longer she stays with him while she heals he can feel her warmth reaching through his layers and holding on strong. 

Once he brings her back home he continues to stay with her to help her heal and also concerned those responsible for the attack will come back to harm her… he can’t let that happen he knows she is special and she is helping him with his struggles (even if he isn’t able to admit it yet). 

Luca and Alexandra face many challenges together over the course of this book, this was an emotional read that really had me rooting for our couple to find a way to stay together, I also wanted to find out more about what happened that led to Alexandra’s situation at the beginning of the book. 

If you enjoy stories where 2 people come together and truly help mend each other’s souls you will enjoy the tenderness of this Novella.  

Dove Soleil: Flight Risk

  Birdie (FMC) goes about her business as regular when she picks up a pigeon covered in glitter... or he picks her up since he walks into her crate she puts him into her van next thing you know Gray shifts into a full grown, very handsome, man over 6 feet tall and now he is injured since the cage wires got him when he transformed.

Birdie brings home Gray and stitches him up... Birdie is having quite the day which gets more interesting when he tells her that she is his mate.  

Birdie at first resists Gray's attentions (this does not last long)... very soon after meeting Birdie is giving Gray lessons on Human etiquette and bedroom activities and Gray is happy to please Birdie in every way possible.  

Birdie plans to just help Gray settle in for a short while but the longer she's with Gray the more she can't help but think maybe he's right and her "mate" might just be this man who was very recently a pigeon... and they will be spending a lot more time with him since she accidently told her family that he is her boyfriend and he is now her date to her sister's upcoming wedding.

When Gray's past comes into the picture will this break them apart or bring them closer together?  

*2026  *Shifter Romance  *Pigeon MMC Shifter *Golden Retriever MMC  *animal technician FMC

*curvy FMC  *Green Flags MMC  *spice *fated mates  *fake dating  *strangers --> more 

*Insta lust/love 

Thoughts:

This is a unique take on the shifter romance genre where the MMC is a Pigeon Shifter.

Gray is a super sweet, Green flag MMC you can't help but fall for him and his is set on making sure Birdie (FMC) is comfortable at all times with everything going on.  Birdie teaches Gray how to be more human all while coming to terms that maybe her true love is in fact someone who was a Pigeon covered in glitter recently.

This has some comedic elements and I did find myself laughing throughout several parts of this book.  

Dislikes:

The story really pulls on the "insta Love" trope Birdie tries to "Evade" the fact that they are fated mates for a few minutes... but begins giving him lessons in the bed room the first day they meet and throughout the rest of the book... there is so much spice you don't get to know either character that well.

While I wasn't expecting a super in depth plot I was hoping to get a bit more back story on Gray and we just don't get much on his life before meeting Birdie.. instead we get a bunch of human lessons on etiquette and lessons on the bump and grind.

Ultimately I thought this story was just ok for me there really wasn't much in the way of plot and the spice over powered the story that was there... the part of the story with Gray's past catching up with him just fizzled out before it even started.  

I would recommend if you want something super light, fast paced and fluffy with some humor.

Mila Olsen: A Girl, Unbroken

 **There will be spoilers from the first book in this review so read that blog post first and if you are interested the book before proceeding with this-->

https://elbyslibrary.blogspot.com/2025/08/mila-olsen-princess-stolen.html

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/235073863-a-girl-unbroken

To start with talking about this book that I just finished A Girl unbroken I have to talk about the first in the series:  A Princess Stolen  in that book we have Willa a sheltered daughter of a billionaire  …

There is a scene in the beginning where she is a child living on their estate in Louisiana and runs off with a young boy walking by who she has become friends with through their fence he shows her the world outside of her home and she gets a taste of freedom… she keeps a bracelet he made her

Willa has been living a lavish lifestyle (there are lots of mentions of how much her food and even her underwear cost) at her birthday party she receives a phone call that she needs to leave her party lose her phone and come outside to a certain point or her father will be killed… she does as she’s told she loves her father and doesn’t want any harm to come to him or any of the other guests at her party and this alters her life forever.

She goes from the penthouse in New York to being held captive on a ship in the middle of the ocean where she is scared, starving, and sometimes attacked (check your trigger warnings).  Over time she gets to know the crew better and you can see that some of these guys are not actual “bad guys” she is even starting to fall for their leader, these guys are desperate and believe that her father is the root cause of all of their pain and suffering in order to get to him they have taken the one thing that he truly cares about… only her father isn’t meeting the terms of her release conditions.

You wonder what is going on with her dad she is having flash backs to the day of her mother’s death and find that Willa has always felt so guilty since her father saved her and couldn’t save her mother too… The dad never should have put that kind of guilt trip on a young child she was 5…

This first book ends on a cliffhanger and while this type of book isn’t my usual read I like the light and fluffier romance it was intriguing enough to push me towards needing to know what happened in the next book since she was still held captive… only now she was the “less bad” Bad guys if that makes sense while they were all running from the other half of their team away from the clipper ship they had been staying on.

The Second book starts out with them in the Bayou’s of Louisiana and to be honest the book kind of lost me here… there was a lot of descriptions of the swamps and living conditions they were in like half the book at least is nothing but swamp living while they are hiding and living in broken down houses… at any time Shrek could have come forward and told them to get out of his swamp.  Jokes aside this is a book dealing with some serious issues

Some things happen leading to Willa and her captors to being found she is then taken by the bad bad guys and unspeakably terrible things are done to her daily while she finds out that everything she new about her father could possibly be wrong.

This book is about survival, there is a mystery since we don’t know throughout the book if what the captives are telling her is true and she is still trying to dive into her memories for the truth of what happened the day her mother died.  There is a romance still going on with her morally grey man that she has developed feelings for.  When she finds out more than she wants to know while she knew her life would never be the same… it has now shattered her whole world and she doesn’t know if she can pick the pieces back up. 

I honestly probably would not have read this book if I hadn't read the first one I think that a lot of the overly descriptive areas of swamp life could have been edited down and this could have been in 1 book instead of 2 parts.  I had to take breaks from it due to the content but I did want to find out if Willa was going to get out of her terrible situation and what was truly going on with her dad… I don’t think these books will be for everyone but if you like  the tropes below 👇 you might enjoy this series.

*Revenge *Forced Proximity *Enemies to Lovers *Trauma

*Survival *Morally gray characters *Slow burn *2026  *State Challenge Louisiana 

*Lots of trigger warnings check those (your mental health matters!)  *dark secrets revealed

*Wealthy FMC x Poor MMC  *hidden past *spice 

*if you read the first book you know that the young boy that she's thought of all those years and kept his bracelet is the leader that she is falling for now.  

A.D. Drew: Lucky

 ARC Read 2026

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/245796989-lucky

Lucky Vale is looking for peace and quiet she has been in the middle of chaos for so long that she doesn't even know how to relax but she wants to try and she has started to find peace at her lake house in Cedar Lake Falls... she just needs to hide her identity a bit nothing like a box of hair dye to get rid of her pink locks everyone knows and even though it's the middle of summer she can cover her tattoos with long sleeves. 

Lucky, a rock star who had been at the top of the world finds her life spiraling out of control she's tired of just being a product told what to do, where to go, and there is something darker in her past that comes up at the worst times she has PTSD from her encounter with a stalker years ago she's just trying to find out who she is away from the fame.  

Ethan Maddox is the quiet, handsome, lumberjack next door, single father, ex-military with a past he doesn't like talking about but meeting Lucky he finds himself opening up more and more and she's beginning to know parts of him that he's kept hidden for a long time.  

Just when Lucky feels that she can let her guard down and relax the past that she was trying to run from catches up in the worst possible way... can she trust Ethan enough to let him help her, she's felt so alone and pushed people away for so long this is what she knows... but just maybe she can trust Ethan to help her with her problems... and maybe even her heart? 

*Rockstar FMC  *Ex Military MMC  *Single father *slow burn *spice *hidden pasts

*touch her and 💀 *MH representation (PTSD/Anxiety/panic attacks)  *British MMC  

*Trigger warnings (stalker)  *Small town romance  *Indie Author  *Debut book

Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this story Lucky is a Rockstar but you get to know her underneath the persona and you really feel for her and her situation she's been under a microscope for so long that she is barely holding herself together on a daily basis... she is in desperate need for a vacation/break from her world and everything else she is running from.

Once meeting Ethan and his daughter Lily you fall in love with both of them as well Ethan is at first gruff on the exterior but he's just a regular guy trying to take care of his daughter the best way he knows how while living with his own regrets about his past.  Once Lucky and Ethan come together they help each other heal and you can see their feelings grow throughout the book it's truly beautiful even when Lucky tries to push Ethan away before he leaves her like she feels everyone else in her life does he understands she's going thru a lot and just stays with her as the strong steady presence she needs.  

Once her past comes back without warning Lucky finds that Ethan is exactly who she needs behind her and he is truly a force to be reckoned with... no one harms what is his and he has claimed Lucky as his  *Swoon*

The only thing that I felt got a bit in the way of the story was all the spicy times... while I don't mind spice in a book I felt that if they were on high alert worrying about things the last thing they should have been doing was making themselves vulnerable with spicy times all over both of their homes.  

This was a great first book from this Indie author and I can't wait to read more from this author!  

K.M. Gillis: O Goalie Night

 2026

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217162052

Beth Michaels is looking forward to her new job in a new city it's a great opportunity to prove to her family and most importantly herself that she's capable of doing things on her own and it will also be a good opportunity to spend more time with her brother Ben (who is an NHL star) in fact he's going to pick her up from the airport... only when she gets there her brother isn't waiting for her, who is there is Foster James the handsome hockey goalie for her brother's team... and her brother's best friend but what is he doing here?  

Foster has a problem saying no to his friend Ben... and that includes when he says he can't pick up his sister from the airport due to needing to go meet his girlfriend of a few weeks and could he pick her up and make sure she gets to her new apartment safely... ok fine he can do that.  Only when they get to the apartment it turns out there is a problem and she's not able to move in... before he even knows what he's saying he tells her she can stay with him while she looks for suitable lodgings.  

Foster hasn't had a family in a long time after a falling out with his brother, he doesn't let himself get attached easily but he finds it hard not to like his new room mate she's cute, sweet, charming and what starts out as texting to ask about her new job (teacher) quickly blooms into more, he knows that Ben won't like this since he said he didn't want his team mates near his sister but can't seem to stop feelings that have already started. 

Beth knows that Foster as a professional athlete could be with anyone he's so different from how she originally thought he would be he's caring/considerate, he makes her feel safe and taken care of he's so thoughtful and when she finds out the crush that's growing bigger isn't one sided she wants that opportunity to see where their relationship could go... only she's concerned what her brother and family would think and doesn't want to ruin Foster's relationship with her brother either that could mess up the team dynamics.

Naturally their hidden relationship comes to the surface will they ever be able to be happy together when Beth's family isn't happy about this development?  Foster knows what it's like to not have family connection and he doesn't want to be the cause of friction between Beth and her family.

*Hockey romance  *Goalie MMC  *School Teacher FMC  *Brother's best friend  *Strangers to more

*friends to more  *forced proximity  *Room mates  *family drama  *some spice  *Hallmark vibes

*cheesy scenes  *cozy read *rom-com *insta love vibes *shy/brooding MMC *Dual pov  

*no 3rd act break up

Thoughts:

Likes:

This book has been on my TBR for a bit I felt it was a cozy hockey romance with likeable lead characters.  

Funny moments I really liked how Beth finally started standing up for herself more as the book went on and there is a funny scene where she interacts with her brother's girlfriends friend who was being snooty... yes stand up for yourself this led to her being more verbal with her family as well and telling them how she felt.

I liked the book well enough it gave off some cheesy hallmark vibes at times like the plot it might turn some people off from the book but I didn't mind it even had the brooding guy doesn't have the Christmas spirit until she comes along so he has the house decorated for her.  

Foster's side story 💖

If you are looking for a quick holiday(ish) hockey romance next holiday season you might enjoy this one.  

Dislikes:

Beth wanted to start fresh in a new city and be more self sufficient but after the housing mishap she turns down offers from her brother to set her up somewhere and instead takes Foster up on his offer to let her stay with him... they don't know each other and at no point was rent discussed so she's essentially moved into a strangers home and is now using his vehicle to get to work too while not paying any rent... seems out of character for the brooding goalie who seems to be a bit of a loaner. 

Ben the brother has a volatile relationship with a supermodel throughout this book, he drops everything to be with this woman he barely knows including not spending enough/any time with his sister... he's pretty unlikeable in this book so hopefully he will be able to redeem himself in his own book... but the fact that the lead couple were tiptoeing around with their relationship because her brother might not like it was a bit much... they are all adults just tell him and let him deal with it.  

Felt it was unfair that in the family whatever Ben said went and everyone wanted to baby Beth... that should have ended awhile ago, her family was a bit irritating if they care about her they should care about her feelings about things and not just whatever Ben says goes.  

Emily Blackwood: Prince of Sins and Shadows

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62229268-prince-of-sins-and-shadows

Fae of Rewyth Book 2

This book picks up right where the first book left off Jade has been trying to just survive among the Fae after marrying the Prince but with someone still after her and not knowing who she can trust things get a little more difficult when she and her new husband are told (by the King, her new father-in-law) they need to go to live in the Human territory where they are not a fan of Fae and not a fan of her either now that she is married to one.

While in the human territory Jade and Malachi begin to learn more about Malachi's mother who is now in the picture and how Jade is now part of a bigger plan, she could potentially be the key to everything but since she is new to all of this this is the first time she's hearing of any of it.

When they are summoned into enemy territory more dangers lurk... and that includes the danger of falling for her husband.  Will Jade and Malachi ever be safe?  Will she be able to live up to his mother's expectations?  Who can they trust in enemy territory?  

Honestly this book doesn't really have much that clarifies anything in this magical world, we don't get to really know our couple better and they don't get to know each other better either.  

*Fae prince X Human female  *magical world  *Romantasy  *age gap (haha) *family secrets/drama

*touch her and 💀 *enemies to more  *strangers to more *young adult  *need to read in order

Thoughts:

The first book lacked some world building and explanations for any of their magic systems and I overlooked most of that during the first book due to it being a series of 5 books with time for more explanations.  This book had potential to be good the thoughts were started... I think of it like ordering a grilled cheese sandwich but when you get it they didn't grill the bread and the cheese is not melted so it's just a cheese sandwich if the sandwich was actually grilled (story better developed) it could still be an amazing sandwich.  

The plot was thin, the author has added a possible second love interest for our FMC... but she clearly doesn't feel that way for him, we don't get to know our main characters better and our MMC spends a good portion of the book avoiding our FMC but they are somehow "in love"... not sure how that happened when they  haven't had a true conversation throughout most of the book.

The MMC's mom believes Jade to be part of this prophecy where she will help unite the lands and create peace she knows "certain things" will happen but she doesn't share any of it with the class so we are still in the dark about all that stuff.  

I'll probably continue the series for now while knowing that the rest of the series will probably continue with the same types of elements as this one.  Time will tell.  Not much really happened in this book until everything was happening too quickly considering the slow pace of the book... was like going 0-60 in the last few chapters.  

Book 1 blog post:  https://elbyslibrary.blogspot.com/2026/01/emily-blackwood-house-of-lies-and-sorrow.html

S.G. Castell: Resonance Of Souls

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/244808720-resonance-of-souls

Princess Aelorea (Solennea) has been raised to believe that certain emotions are sinful and need to be hidden... thinking for oneself and standing up for a woman's rights for anything is unheard of and most recently she has been told that she is to marry a stranger from Vardania... where she is basically from a religious culture anyone raised in Vardania is taught that violence/brutality is the answer to everything... unfortunately women in their culture are also subservient and expected to bend to a mans every want, truly Aelorea is in a bad spot any way you look at things.

Aelorea and Commander Rhyven must marry whether they want to or not because while there is magic in their world... they have a supply shortage and in order to keep a trade agreement between these two cultures their marriage must continue.

While Rhyven has been raised for combat he also doesn't want to be the brute that everyone thinks he is and when he meets his bride to be he is expecting a timid/meek/mild maid instead he gets a passionate woman who even when she's afraid still speaks her mind and he doesn't want her to lose that fire... he also knows that while they are still around Solennea it's dangerous for her to voice her opinions or she will end up in a chamber where women go in but when they leave they are never the same again the "cleansing" kills their souls, he doesn't want a woman whose spirit is broken... he wants her whole.

Bound to each other through a magical bond our couple learns more about each other than they ever have about anyone else and love slowly grows over time, unfortunately... there are outside forces from everywhere that want their relationship to fail and the trade agreement to be null & void.  There is so much corruption with the system that you wonder if there is anyone trustworthy in this world. 

To be honest I am just starting my romantasy journey and haven't read many... but I am so glad I found this book it has everything you would want for your epic romantasy -->  passion/love, drama, shady black market magic trades, tension, villains (who are truly unlikeable) and heroes, a unique magical system that you learn more about throughout the book, a fierce warrior prince who is brutal but tender only for her... yes please!  It has you wondering if our couple will ever have a happy ever after when so many people want to pull them apart.  

The Epilogue left me wanting the next book now... like seriously when is it coming out?  

*arranged marriage  *dark romantasy *spice  *slow burn  *enemies --> more  *strangers --> more

*Magical world  *political drama  *trigger warnings --> read your triggers  *forced proximity

*touch her and 💀 *some miscommunication/no communication *Indie Author 

Meg Riley: The Fall Line

 The Heartwood Series book 4

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/244050974-the-fall-line

Poppy recently inherited her aunts café it has been her dream to continue running it and her aunts will has given her ownership of the business where she works and has an apartment above.  When the lawyer visits her to discuss transferring of the deed the worst thing happens... there is an old fashioned clause due to the café being in a historical building where if a woman is to own the building they need to be married... oh and she has like 2 months to find a husband, how is this ever going to work?  She's never even had a boyfriend and now she needs to find a husband... she might as well just give up now.

Not one to lose hope easily she is a fighter, she has been struggling with her chronic illness but doesn't let it define her as a person and doesn't like feeling defeated she joins some online dating services and looks to see who could potentially be her future husband... and how is she going to find someone willing to move so quickly?

Jett Landry had a minor setback in his competitive skiing career when he suffered a knee injury but he is back in top form... only problem is that in order to compete at the world tournament (his dream) he needs a sponsor and the only one that hasn't dumped him after a series of bad publicity is a super strict company that goes against all of his party boy/play boy ways... when the latest bad publicity has hit the news this company is willing to drop him too unless he can clean up his image... and quickly.

Jett meeting with his family around the holidays learns that his childhood friend Poppy is looking for a husband in order to save her business... giving it very little thought what could clean up his image faster than showing that he is a one woman man and has changed his womanizing ways, he agrees to marry Poppy win/win for both of them... since they have such different lifestyles no one will get hurt at the end of their relationship.

Poppy uses the opportunity to ask her "husband" for help with learning how to be in a relationship so she will have some experience to fall back on when this ends and she looks for "the right guy" at first opposed to the idea Jett quickly warms up to being her tutor.  

Only the more time they spend together lines blur between fake and real on both sides and the harder it becomes to imagine going separate ways.  When a scandal occurs will they be able to hold on to what they have or will this break the bond they have been building?  

*ARC Read  *Sports romance (skiing)  *childhood friends --> more  *fake relationship  

*Marriage of convenience  *Playboy MMC  *Virgin FMC  *small town romance  *forced proximity

*chronic illness representation  *spicy lessons *slow burn *goodgirl/badboy *opposites attract

*part of a series but can be read as a standalone  *whirlwind romance 

Thoughts:

Even though Poppy and Jett grew up together and their families were friends this couple really didn't know each other all that well and got to know each other throughout their time together after their marriage.  

Likeable lead characters and side characters even though Jett was a party boy you could see that he truly cared about his family and friends and it was sweet to see the softer side of him when he was taking care of Poppy.  

Poppy was so innocent but after even a few lessons from her hot new husband the wild cat came out. 

I liked how sweet Jett was with Poppy especially when he knew that her arthritis was flaring up he made sure that she was as comfortable as possible.  

Easy to follow even though I didn't read the first 3 books I didn't really feel lost with the story.  

I thank the author for this arc read and thought it was a cute story I will probably check out the remainder of the series at some point.  

Dislikes: 

While this was a cute cozy read with sweet moments I found myself needing breaks from the book and going to other books there were a lot of parts of the story that just dragged on many repetitive thoughts about how they were starting to feel "more" towards each other and   surrounding Poppy and her never being kissed... or anything else... yes we get that lets get our couple together! 

I felt the book could have been edited down so it wasn't over 400 pages with the story still being just as good (or better) as said before there was a lot of filler with repetitive thoughts and some scenes that didn't really push the story forward in a meaningful way for our couple, I was also not sure what our time frame was at any point due to random time jumps it could be a day or a week or so when is the competition?  I don't know.

I would have liked to have gotten to know a bit more than surface level about our couple... it really felt like maybe some of the relationship causing the "spark" between them was off the pages, because I wasn't seeing all that much of one on pages that would cause their relationship to progress so quickly especially since they didn't really seem to know each other that well.