When ballerina Talia agrees to not only take the principal role but also the apartment of her company's star dancer, she isn't expecting to find a bald, bearded hunk barging into the joint in the middle of the night.

Turns out Talia is now in the middle of what was supposed to be a drug-bust, and she has nowhere to live. But sexy DEA agent Reed Bishop, gruff, grumpy, and apparently unable to resist Talia's charms, offers up his bed (he'll sleep on the couch) while they figure out the case.

Of course, Talia and Reed find they won't mind sharing the bed after all.

A classic forced proximity romance with sparkling characters, hot sex scenes, and overall just super fun. Not heavy, very White for being set in NYC, but a fun time!

I especially enjoyed Talia. She's bratty, smart, and takes what she wants, even as Reed grumbles about it. The break between these two felt realistic, and the grovel at the end was A+! I'll definitely be reading more Rebecca Brooks.

I received a free copy in exchange for a fair review. Thank you Netgalley!

So many content warnings for this book (and I wouldn't recommend reading unless you've read the others in this series). Also this review is entirely spoiler-y so stop here if you don't want to know.
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Still with me? Okay! Oh, my poor Uilleam MacRieve. "Will" is a Lykae who was repeatedly raped and sexually abused by a Succubus starting before he was 1o years old. When his parents and brother found out, about five years later, both of his parents are killed by another enthralled lover of the Succubus when they go to end her life.

900 or so years later, Will and his brother Munro are living in Novia Scotia, helping to raise orphaned Lykae. They've fought bravely in the wars between the varying factions of the lore and Will may just finally be coming to terms with his past. Just. And then he's kidnapped by The Order and tortured, vivisected, and when he finally escapes he's hunted by a pack of Succubi.

So when word gets out that the daughter of the man resonsible for his capture and torture, and the torture of so many others, is up for auction, Will believes he can finally get revenge and find Webb. But Chloe is actually his fated mate. Oh boy.

Chloe has been afraid she's been changing, and now her father is missing. And oh, it seems her father is leading an entire other life, a life that has now caused her to become bait in the Lore's revenge schemes.

Thankfully a wickedly beautiful and haunted man, a Lykae, has taken her away. He claims she's his, and Chloe is starting to get into it, when she turns. Into a Succubus. During sex with Macrieve.

What follows is a battle for Macrieve's instinct and soul to come to terms with the fact his mate may be the same type of immortal as the woman he harmed him, but that doesn't make her the same person at all.

I really liked this story, but felt so terrible for Chloe. She's into Macrieve and her hurts her very badly. But I cannot be angry at Macrieve, because he is also so hurt. I think that is what kept me from adoring it as I didn't know who needed to grovel more, if anyone really should be groveling?

ALSO that ending!!! Macrieve and Chloe get their HEA, but Munro finally finds his fated mate after they are both captured by the Order, a mate who he has desperately wanted for ages. And she's human. Well, until he's forced to turn her for The Order. Against her wishes. She tells him she hates him and will for eternity. And that's the end. AHHHHH. I can't imagine how I'd feel if I didn't know Munro's book is coming this year.

Shh, don't tell anyone but this was actually my first Cat Sebastian, but it absolutely will not be my last!

"Friends to lovers" is not my trope of choice for many reasons, but mostly because I just prefer the push and pull of enemies to lovers or the spark of new when strangers meet cute. That said, Sebastian pulls this FTL romance with aplomb. I adored Ash's struggle to keep from starting at Verity too long, to keep from touching her. He aches to do both, but treasures her friendship and his place as her found family too much to risk it. Until he is at risk of losing her anyway when he finds out his parentage.

Verity was absolutely amazing. I everything about her, from her business savvy, her love of her brother who I too wanted to throttle and send to America, her inky hands, her work ethic. She's bisexual and not afraid to hide it from her family. I love how she too aches to touch Ash. Gosh the longing.

I can't not mention the historical details, the joy Sebastian takes in including things about printing, about the political turmoil of the times, the worries.

Watching these two friends become so much more was an absolute delight!

I received a free copy in exchange for a fair review

Nate knows what he wants and he knows how to get it. He's straightforward with the women he's with, he never remembers their names. He's DTF as long as he gets his fix, and he knows he'll be the best they've ever had.

But Nate gets a hit of his own brand of bad medicine when he encounters "Stealth" at a dance club. She struts up to him, let's him have a taste, and she throws him under the bus. He's hurt her friend and Stealth is out to make him pay.

But Nate can see she's more affected by what he can offer than she's comfortable with him knowing. Game on.

I picked this one up for a fun Christmas read (why not, treat yo'self) based on a Twitter recommendation about Romance and about letting us all enjoy our smut. And yes, this is delightfully dirty smut. But then it will cold-cock (haha) you right in the face with emotions. There is a ton going on in this novella and I love when an erotic romance can take you to such an emotional place.

Bonus points for featuring a Southern good boy falling for a Black woman, with all aknowledging that yes, Nate's ancestors may have been slave owners, consensual fun times, and so much cunnilingus.

A woman left by her new husband immediately after their wedding sets out to seduce him eight ugh ears later disguised as a courtesan. She desperately needs a legitimate heir and it is time for the Duke to provide whether he realizes it or not.

Damn, I wasn't sure if I could get over all the crappy things these two do to each other, but I had a hell of a time letting Shupe convince me!

James Bond meets Indiana Jones in this fantastically delicious enemies-to-lovers historical romance! My FAVORITE Lenora Bell title to date.

I received a free copy in exchange for a fair review, thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss!

Daniel Bonds, the Duke of Ravenwood was Lady India Rochester's best friend. The boy who embraced her desire to dig in the dirt, the boy she was supposed to marry and spend the rest of her life adventuring with.

Now "Raven" is India's arch-nemesis and embodies everything she stands against-a spoiled noble who only cares about treasure hunting, not for finding and securing artifacts for museums.

But Raven has a secret. He is still in love with India, but he cannot have her. He is intent on honoring his father's dying wish, that he continue on the family's tradition of spying for the crown. His persona as an indolent, over-sexed, and greedy noble is the perfect cover, but also the perfect way to drive Lady India away.

But, fifteen years after leaving India once and for all, they are driven back together by a mission to secure an important stolen artifact and Raven's may not be able to withstand his desire to finally make Lady India his, once and for all, mission be damned.

AH! This was so wonderfully steamy and funny and fun! Super highly recommend.

Finally a print copy! I've eagerly awaited this compilation of first issues, as I am really not into reading my comics digitally. The wait was worth it, and I hope Fresh Romance will continue to put out a trade volume as they are able. I especially liked how each comic was distinctly different from the the others - an Archie-esque High School story with a magical twist, a Regency romance, a coffee shop witch, and a lovely re-telling of Beauty and the Beast with gorgeous stained-glass inspired illustrations. All left me wanting more.

Highly recommend.

While I applaud E.L. James making bank and for finally breaking away from the 50 Shades world, this was rough.

I read all three 50 Shades books and liked them okay. This, I could barely made it through. The Mister is very long, over 500 pages, and it is just...boring? I didn't care about the characters, I didn't believe their chemistry, and frankly I skimmed through most of it. The sex scenes were few and far between, super tame, and choppy.

Also, there is so much going on, but nothing that really matters to the overall story. She's a synesthete, a piano prodigy. Okay, why besides having it be a character trait that helps win over the hero? He's a playboy, a philanderer, a sex fiend, a pianist, a composer, a flippin' DJ (gross), and now he has to run his family's estate after his brother's death.

There were some ominous statements made at the end that make me think James will do a sequel, so who knows.

Well this was just absolutely delightful, from the narration, to the romance, to the lush descriptions of food, clothing, and architecture. Also, the sexy-times were A+ hot. I absolutely adored watching cranky reformed rake West Ravenel fall head over heels for Phoebe, Lady Clare.

I especially enjoyed that Phoebe, as a widow, desperately loved her husband, misses him, and did not have to spend anytime worrying about West being jealous of her late husband. Also, I was glad that the "villain" in this story wasn't just a gross caricature. He very well could have been Phoebe's next husband, and he wasn't a terrible person, just not a great person. Or right for her. I loved too that Phoebe was allowed to revel in her choices. She could be fancy, she could be a bit uptight, she could mother. She could also want to take the reins of her son's estate and make the man she wants her husband. Go girl.

And oh West, you are a sexy beast and I love you the more for it. You are dumb for not marrying Phoebe forthwith, but whatever. You figured it out.

Bonus points for sexy shaving times, early morning rendezvous, mid-morning rendezvous in glass-houses, up against the wall rendezvous. Did I mention the sexy-times were A+?

I have not even come close to having read most of Kleypas's work, and for a while I was bit overwhelmed with characters from other stories, but it all worked out in the end. So, if read Sebastian's story at the minimum, and Pandora's if you can, but other than that I was fine.

I must also say the narrator for this story is superb. Will definitely seek out more of her work.

I needed a "non-fiction book about technology" for my Book Riot Read Harder Challenge and was hard pressed to find something modern I cared to learn about in this dumpster fire we call 2017, so I instead turned to the Victorians and the advent of the telegraph.

Super illuminating and refreshing to see that new technology causes greatness and horribleness no matter the era. I was not aware the first telegraphs were visual, using long arms to gesture codes atop large hills (creepy) nor realized how horrid it must have been to try and lay cable across the Atlantic. on a boat. Yikes.

A highly readable micro-history!