This is my first time with Anna Zabo and while Reverb is the third book in the Twisted Wishes series, the story definitely stands alone. However, after finishing Reverb I now need to immediately read the first two books in the series, so if you haven't yet you definitely have a little time to tackle them while waiting for Reverb's release on May 6, 2019.

There are a few content warnings, which are noted behind the spoiler at the bottom of this review.

Reverb is a classic rock star and body guard romance with a deliciously queer and sexy cast of characters and I loved it!

When David Altet is hired on as a bodyguard for the band Twisted Wishes after its bassist and rock queen Mish is assaulted by a dangerously over-zealous fan, he finds himself falling in love with both the band's found family and Mish herself, a feeling which threatens his own sense of security in being able to get the job done.

Mish is also falling for the handsome and delicious security expert and wants him in her bed and her life more than she wants his protection. Mish knows how to take care of herself, but as the threats grow these two will need to figure out how their two completely separate worlds can ever be combined.

What I adored the best about this story is that while David is a trans-man, his gender is not the driving point of the plot. I'm a White, cis-het woman so I'm not an expert in this own-voices book, but I thought the way David told Mish his story was beautiful and total relationship goals. I loved how Zabo has Mish, a queer woman with many lovers of many different genders, easily accept David for exactly who he is and love him completely while also allowing her to discuss with David the best way to do so, both mentally and physically.

I also adored the secondary characters who obviously have their own books, and can't wait to read more about them!

Content warnings I noticed are behind the spoiler. I do believe the author may have noted some on their own page as well.

Spoiler

Mish is physically assaulted by a stalker. Stalking. On-page violence involving fighting and a stab wound. Discussion of a past attempt of sexual assault of a minor. Discussion of past physical harm to other characters. Disturbing emails written by Mish's stalker with controlling and homophobic language. Those are the things that stood out to me.

What a delight!

When Delilah Swanpool, the Countess of Derring's husband falls dead, she's in for the surprise of her life. Their marriage was tolerable at best and cold at worst and now his secret gambling debts have left Delilah with nothing but a dilapidated building and his mistress.

Joining forces with Angelique who is in just as much of a lurch as Delilah without even the grace of a title, the two women sell their last remaining possessions to turn the building into a boarding house.

Delilah is determined to never depend on a man again, but when a dashing, tall, and gruff specimen of one turns up on her boarding house's doorstep, she can't help but be a bit intrigued. What Delilah doesn't know is that Captain Tristan Hardy is on the hunt for a smuggling ring and that her new home may be the epicenter of it all.

Battle weary and looking to finally buy his own merchant ship, Captain Hardy always gets his man and is ready for this to be his last mission for the Crown. But Lady Derring is a beautiful distraction, with her kindness and her strength.

What starts as a seduction for information turns into an affair of the heart, but will Delilah be able to forgive Captain Hardy's deception as he circles in on the true criminals?

SO SWOONY. I marked so many passages, and for a man who claims to be "no poet," well Captain Hardy, you sure sound like one to me! Also, this story has THE BEST grovel. My word. Captain Hardy lied, he got caught, and he needed to really crawl through it to gain Delilah's forgiveness. Well, you convinced me Captain!

I received a free copy in exchange for a fair review.

Some spoilers:

One bit that irked me was after Captain Hardy prevents a man from raping Delilah, she and the Captain have sex for the first time almost immediately after the incident. I always side-eye this a bit, and I guess I feel I wouldn't want to get it on after something so scary? But, it was a blip in an otherwise sparkling story. The grovel included a POEM which was the best poem.

Oh my gosh, Jamie and Marcus are going to melt your hearts (and give you major pants-feelings)!

I have a soft spot for Jamie because I got to name him! Tessa Bailey hosted a contest on her FB group and I thought Jamie was the perfect choice for a sensitive, strong, glasses wearing, and loyal brother, and I guess so did she! 😊

Jamie is leery of the growing feelings between himself and Marcus, a man who is only beginning to figure out his sexuality. Jamie doesn't want to ever hide who is again.

The sheer yearning and heat between these two is amazing, and there's a scene at the end...wow. That's all I'll say for now 😘🍆🔐

My gosh, this series. Kate Clayborn is on my auto-buy list now.

I basically ignored my family all morning so I could absorb myself in Greer and Alex's romance. The way Clayborn can build tension is just masterful. I couldn't put it down. I mean, a scene involving a basically chaste photography lesson with a ladybug gave me real pants-feelings to borrow a fab phrase from Greer.

Alex is a dreamboat and I loved seeing his mental health journey which is kicked off by Greer's urging but isn't solved by their relationship. And wow, I wish I could have a Patricia for my therapist!

The relationship between the three women is also just standout and exemplary. I'm also blessed with a core crew of women who are my own Zoe and Kit.

Can't recommend these books enough!

I listened to Best of Luck on audio, and I am officially in love with both narrators, Carly Robinson and Will Dameron, and I will definitely be searching out other books with their voices. Kate Clayborn is a master at making you ache for that first touch, that first kiss, that first time. What an enchanting way to spend my commute and I cannot wait for more from this author!

I received a free copy in exchange for a fair review!

I really appreciated this contemporary erotic romance as it a showcases a married couple trying to find their sexual spark, a couple who is into exploring their desires openly with each other, a couple that has real roadblocks preventing them from doing so at all times, i.e. jobs, children, and other obligations. This isn't a fantasy, this isn't a billionaire sweeping a poor, younger person off their feet. This is also a wonderful depiction of a woman finding her power in bed, a man coming to terms with his submissive desires, and a couple who ultimately love each other through the ups and downs of their exploration of said desires.

If you are just looking for some erotica, this won't be one for you. There are some real moments of hurt between Samantha and Brady, including a scene where Samantha pushes Brady too far when they invite another person in their bed.

If you are looking for a tender, hot, and real romance, please give this one a try!

I just finished Let it Shine by Alyssa Cole and wow. All the stars!

I listened to the entire story today (around 3.5 hours) because I could not wait to see how this couple, who faced so many challenges, would get their HEA.

Set in the 1960s during the lunch counter sit-ins, Let it Shine is a childhood friends to adult lovers interracial romance between a Black Christian university student and a White Jewish Boxer who reconnect during a non-violent protest training.

While their story is fraught with unflinching portrayals of racism and violence, Cole makes you believe these two deserve their hard won HEA.
Highly recommend!!!

Content Warning - there's a lot of stuff going on in this story, and if you haven't read or discussed IAD, I'd not start here.

Okay, still with me?

I loved this book! I'm a sucker for books where fate or a curse drags lovers apart, but I also crave knowing there will be a HEA at the end of the road so my poor little heart can take the wild ride.

We've met Regin the Radiant in many of the other IAD books, and as a huge fan of the Valkyrie in general, I've been eager to get her story. As far as I knew up to this point Regin is kickass, she exudes a beautiful glow, is thousands of years old, and has a fated mate who has been tracking her across the centuries in different reincarnations. Catnip for me.

We meet Regin as a 12yo, having just left Valhalla to help her sister Lucia defeat the evil Cruach (read more about this in [b:Pleasure of a Dark Prince|6337006|Pleasure of a Dark Prince (Immortals After Dark, #9)|Kresley Cole|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1357612049s/6337006.jpg|6522883]). Hungry and looking for some shelter, she stumbles upon Aidan the Conqueror's court. He's 30ish, a "Berserker," beautiful, and a total womanizer. Until he sees Regin and recognizes her as his fated mate.

Yes, this is gross. Regin is a child, but I didn't feel Aidan sexualized her at this point. He simply realized who she was and offered her, albeit in a condescending way, a place to stay, a place to learn. So, yeesh, but I guess Stephanie Meyer already desensitized me to this (also yikes, but whatevs).

Eventually Regin grows into a beautiful, powerful warrior, reconnects with Aidan, who promises he will make her fall in love with him after two months. He resists allowing her to fight, keeping her in bed chamber as he tries to achieve Ohalla (immortality granted from the Norse Gods). SEven months in she hasn't yet fallen in love with him, but they've been doing all the bed stuff besides penetration. Lots of lust between them. Alas, when they finally complete the act while Aidan is in a BeserkRage (sp??), he is murdered immediately after they finish. Yikes.

Turns out Regin is cursed to find the reincarnation of Aidan through the years. When she kisses him, he'll remember Aidan, and then he immediately dies after they have sex for the first time.

We again meet up with Regin as she is kidnapped by the Magister, Declan Chase, who we hate from [b:Demon from the Dark|7098304|Demon from the Dark (Immortals After Dark, #10)|Kresley Cole|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1357611692s/7098304.jpg|7355830]. She recognizes him as Aidan, and thinks she can help herself and the other Lore who are trapped with her on Torture Island escape by kissing him, by making him have sex with her.

But, as it plays out, Regin was never truly in love with Aidan or any of the other reincarnates. She, through some very clever and hard won machinations from Kresley Cole, falls in love with Declan. Despite his torturing of the Lore, the vivisection, her capture, her own torture. He's an addict, he's tortured himself, he's imperfect, but he turns out to be perfect for her.

I had a really hard time with the vivisection parts, especially when Declan has to hold Regin as she is repaired from the hack job done to her. SO GROSS. I'm so squicky about this stuff. Ugh. I didn't think I could ever forgive him. And while I did want him to crawl even more than he did, I did believe in their HEA.

This is such a great book, and it is so long, and I was intrigued to know this is ultimately a huge prolouge for Lothaire, which is NEXT. OMG.

Lothaire was hilarious in this book, along with the rest of the cast of characters. I'm eager to read more about poor teen baby Thad, he of the back pack of beer, condoms, and cologne. Dead.

Loving the Fated Mates Podcast!

Consensus of the book club was that while we all finished reading the story, we weren't captivated by this character study of a British family who end up quarantined together during Christmas. I personally thought too hard about medical details, including WHY someone would ever be allowed to quarantine at home with family members. I don't care if it is Christmas, no way!

We did have fun making water-less snow globes though!

I'd suggest reading Maggie Shipstead's Seating Arrangements for a book that tackles a multi-POV family dramedy story with far more elan.

Well, that ended quite abruptly! The setup and build up of this excellent age-gap romance between a dance instructor and her all grown up ex-pupil was so good, and then after they weather their first conflict, exchange their first "I love you's," and agree to go public, the story ends with a shocking health revelation for Bina's mom and the arrival of a brand new character. What!

I am assuming we'll get to see a bit more of Bina and Mo in the next novella which is why this is four stars instead of three. There's so much good here, the consent between Bina and Mo, his taking Bina's initial rejection and backing off when he first flirts with her, the way Ellis deftly handles what could be sort of squicky (age-gap is a hard trope to do right and she does it with aplomb). I also wish there were scenes showing Bina and Mo dancing! There's talk about dancing, but we never see them dance on page, together or apart.

A content warning is behind the spoiler:

Spoiler

Bina's beloved mother and owner of the failing dance studio has been hiding Stage 3 cancer treatments from her daughter. We don't find this out until the end and it is quite shocking.

Content warning behind spoiler

suicide of a secondary character discussed, death of a secondary character by cancer happens on page, rape of minor children discussed

For an erotic romance ostensibly about man having all the sex with a young woman on the verge of becoming a nun, this is so very much more.

Sean Bell, who was briefly mentioned in Priest and brother to the now ex-Father Bell, has lost his faith after his sister's suicide, a sister who was hurt by a priest. Sean focuses on the here and now, making money no matter who he hurts, having sex but never falling in love.

When he meets a beautiful young woman at a party, everything changes. Especially since the young woman is Zenny, his best friend's sister. A woman about to take her vows. A woman who begs him to show her what she'll miss after she does.

Helpless to resist and helplessly falling in love even though Sean knows he'll only have Zenny for one month, this sinner has finally found his savior.

Holy crap did this book make me feel. So many feelings. All the feelings. Sensual, erotic, religious, and just fucking beautiful. Wow. While Priest kind of made me a little more uncomfortable (see my review for that one), I found Sinner's exploration of sex, faith, and love to just be exquisite. While we are soley in Sean's POV, I still felt like I knew Zenny and understood her motivations. I appreciated her world view and loved her views on sex and faith, and not considering sex to be sinful. Her superior mother was also A+.

One of my best reads so far in 2019!

See below for my thoughts on a spoiler-y part:

I thought how Sierra Simone handled the death of Sean's mother was wonderfully done and was so emotional for me. My father died of glioblastoma last year and I, like Sean, was able to be with him when he died so this scene in the book wrecked me but also made me feel at peace. That is the true beauty of this genre as I knew in the end Sean would get his HEA so i could process my emotions about the other heavy content without also worrying about the rest.