This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

It Ain’t Me Babe is the first book in the Hades Hangman series and I haven’t read much of Tillie Cole, but what I have read I have really enjoyed. But she does write more darker, edgier reads, so fair warning, this book isn’t for you if you prefer lighthearted romances, its packed with some serious issues and I am thrilled that this author addressed these issues. Because I don’t think I have ever seen an author address “religious cults” before so I am really glad that Tillie Cole touched on this topic.

Our story begins with Styx and Mae who meet when Mae is 8 years old and Styx is 11. Styx is out working with his father and while in the forest, when he stumbles across a fenceline and see a girl who is crying and afraid. He is compelled by her beautiful “wolf” eyes and even though he can’t talk, he manages to speak to Mae just to know her true name. Now Styx and Mae are grown and their lives are very different from each other. Styx has taken over as the President of the Hades Hangmen MC and his lack of speaking hasn’t prevented him from being a good leader to the men he calls brothers.

Mae, however, has lived a life of fear, pain and humiliation most of her life. She grew up in a religious cult, and the men of the cult have raped her since she was eight years old. But when she finds her sister dying from wounds inflicted on it, she knows that everything she has been taught has been wrong. She manages to barely escape with a severe leg wound and finds herself being found by Styx and brought into their clubhouse to help her recover. But when Styx realizes that Mae is the girl that he saw all those years ago, he can’t let her go….and desires to protect her.

“I have only ever liked one boy in my life. I have only wanted one man to have as my own. I have only ever had one dream since I was eight. Styx, the dream is you. You stole my heart fifteen years ago and you still haven’t given it back.”

In “It Ain’t Me, Babe” is a dark and compelling romance that only Tillie Cole delivers and boy I had such a thrilling time reading this book. Now this book has some dark background elements, especially in the religious cult theme here. Now it also involves a MC, which offers its own dark like elements but in this book we see such a beautiful love story unravel. We see the horrible abuse that Mae has suffered and how she had to leave her sisters behind and how she awakens with her freedom and how she learns so much about herself and really grows into a strong and capable woman. I love how devoted Styx and Mae are to each other, of course, their relationship does have some bumps across the road but I love seeing them overcome those struggles and claim the love they have for each other and what they are willing to do for it.

Overall I found It Aint Me Babe to be a vibrant and edgy romance that delivers in every ways!!! A STUNNING TALE!

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

The Kiss Thief is my first book that I have read by this author and what a book!!! Now I won’t say its as amazing as I was expecting, and I think that is partly because this is my first book by Shen and I haven’t read a book this angsty in a very long time and it took a while to adapt to the angst levels, you definitely need to be in the right mood for this type of story. I truly enjoyed the epic feel to this story though.

The Kiss Thief involves two characters that do NOT like each other at all. Our heroine, Francesca, grew up in a home where her father runs a crime mob. But she has always been sheltered and she has always known that she won’t have much choice in who she marries, but there is one man that she wants….Angelo. But at a official dinner, she meets with Angelo and she knows that she does care for him and is thrilled to begin her life with him. But then she meets Wolfe, a senator, one who is gorgeous but rude and views her as a spoiled rich girl. But then she finds herself engaged to him after that night when he stole a kiss from her. Her father has made an agreement with Wolfe and even though she hates him, she doesn’t know what to do. She has always been so sheltered and being Wolfe’s wife will offer many advantages even if she doesn’t like him much although she finds the sexual response to be overpowering whenever she is near him. But there is more to their marriage than Francesca realizes and that there is a man she can love once she gets beneath Wolfe’s tough exterior.

This is one of the best enemies to lovers romances I have read in a very long time. In this book, I found the angst to be very overpowering at times. Now about half way through, is where it really takes a back seat for the most part and we see some great development in their relationship. I really liked both of these characters, they both have explosive personalities so that brings some powerful fireworks that erupt between these two. We see how driven Francesca is, that she wants to go to college (which her father refused to let her do) and to make something of herself and does have a kind and sweet personality when you don’t rile her too much.

Wolfe, however, is full of anger and hate. He despises her father, and is out for revenge. But he never thought that he would love Francesca, the daughter of the man that destroyed his family. But Wolfe is driven to succeed and plans to eventually become President of the United States. So he has dreams to serve his country and help others. But what I loved most was seeing the softer side to his personality, he can be so rough around the edges so seeing more depth to his character was so rewarding as a reader. Seeing his hopes and dreams for life and that he has so much to give in a relationship.

Now I have to say that after reading my frst LJ Shen novel I will definitely be picking her up again for sure. The angst level is high (which I am assuming is what she has in most of her books) so fair warning, and the heroine does smoke in this book (so if that bothers you, fair waring on that---it’s not my favorite thing to see in a romance since its a turn off for me personally, but I was alright with it in this book).

Overall I found the Kiss Thief to be a stunning portrayal of angsty romance that makes you laugh and cry and the delivery of such empowering emotions is shown in such a unique and dynamic way that stuns the reader delightfully!







 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

Lord's Fall is the fifth book in the Elder Races series and I have been looking forward to this book and for some reason, it took me forever to finally get to this book considering I have had this book on my TBR for like 6 years!! And boy this book was fantastic and I can't say enough about this book here. There is something so unique about Dragos and Pia, I will never get enough of them and I adored seeing this book come together and it truly beat all my expectations.

Dragos and Pia have been together for seven months, they are fully mated, and Pia is newly pregnant with a white dragon baby but there are reparations to make with the Fae. The treaty was broken between the Wyr and the Fae when Dragos and Pia first met, and Pia is the only one that will be able to be the voice of reason between the two and bring peace. Even though Dragos so doesn't want Pia to leave, he also knows that it needs to be done. Pia is going to meet with the Fae leaders, who also knew her mother, she is with a new guard team and even though things aren't great, Pia wins their hearts and as she enters the Fae territory, there is something afoul going on and she and her team plan on finding out what is going on. And soon they will face one of the greatest enemies that they have ever faced and only with Dragos and Pia working together will they bring down an enemy that wishes to destroy them all.

The Lord's Fall is such a beautiful story and seeing the continuation of Dragos and Pia was so worth the wait. I loved their first book"Dragon Bound" and I had a blast seeing them in their happy ever after, dealing with Wyr politics, and handling a new addition to their family and all the dramatics that comes in a Thea Harrison novel and boy this book kicks booty...I love the strong wills of Dragos and Pia, the development of the villain's plan and the unique fae culture and of course their wedding and even the birth of their son and I loved every moment of this book. There is so much adventure, mystery, and passion to fully tug at the reader's attention and keep you entertained till sundown!! TRULY MAGNIFICENT!

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

Under Her Skin is the first book in her Black Canvas trilogy. I have had this trilogy on my TBR for the longest time, and even have books 2 and 3 on my kindle but realized when wanting to read this trilogy this year, that I didn't have book 1 but my library had it so I just grabbed this up in Audio. Lately, I have been obsessed with Audiobooks and I had a fun time with this treasure trove. I am not sure what exactly I was expecting, but I knew that I was in for a treat since I have heard so many good things about these books over the past couple of years. And first I want to mention that this book was fantastic and I had a fun time with this story.

Uma, our heroine, is on the run from her ex. She is hiding some secrets, and all she dreams of is to be free but knowing that she might be on the run most of her life.  She has come to this town to hide in for a time when she hears of a clinic that can help erase the painful scars of her past, scars that haunt her to the point where she covers her body up and hides from herself. Uma finds a job as a companion for an elderly woman who may be bitter and crotchety at times, but she is endearing at times and a champion when Uma needs one. But when Uma meets her next door neighbor, she wishes that she could be free from her past and live as she wishes but she knows that she will have to move on after she finishes what she came there to do.

Ivan has his own demons that he battles with. He is a honed fighter, helps teach MMA and self-defense classes for women and runs a wood and blacksmith shop. He grew up poor and had to learn to survive with only the essentials. Ivan, spent time in prison when trying to protect his sister from her abusive husband. Now, he lives a quiet life, working in his shop and taking care of his menagerie of animals. But he is intrigued by Uma, she is so different and he knows that she is haunted and only wishes to protect her but once he learns the truth, Ivan will need to prove his trust and love to Uma, one that fights his instincts to protect.

Under Her Skin is a provocative romance that stuns you with powerful emotions and depicts some trauma that Uma deals with that you normally don't see in characters that have suffered abuse. Your heart will ache for Uma though, she is a fighter and she has such courage and resilience and I love her determination to not let what her ex has done to her keep her from living her life. But her ex is powerful so she has some fears and wants to make a life away from him. We see how she hides in the shadows at the beginning of the story though and even tries to hide from herself. Now when you find out what her ex does to her, then you begin to understand her goals and what she is wanting. There is powerful chemistry that we see form between Uma and Ivan and the intimacy that we see build between these two is electric.

Seeing these two overcome their pasts and open their hearts to each other has an almost cleansing feel for the reader/listener, we see what drives these two people and the dynamics of their characters and their relationship is heartfelt in all the right ways. These two really come together when its right for them both and we find that they are so right for each other, they truly understand pain in different ways but their different outlooks on their pasts are what connects them.

Under Her Skin is a powerful read, that makes you think and feel some powerful emotions....a romance that provokes the readers in an endearing manner and makes you want more from this stunning author....BRILLIANTLY DONE!

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

No Earls Allowed is the second book in the Survivors series by Shana Galen. I have been a fan of this author for years, but I will be honest in that I did struggle with the heroine quite a bit. The story starts off with our heroine who helps run an boys home in a very unsafe part of town, and she is part of the Ton. Her father enlists the help of a son of a family friend, to try to get Juliana to see reason. He doesn't like that she lives and breathes the boys home and doesn't fully understand her passion for the boys that she cares for. Neil is a military man, and even though at first he is just doing a favor, he begins to understand and respect Juliana's invovlement in the boys home and begins entrenched in the goings on with the home.

Now there were some great things for this story, I liked the set up of the boys home and the pacing of the story is pretty well done and I had no problem staying engaged with the story and I loved how true and loyal our hero is and even though he is a commitment phobe he still stays by Juliana's side through thick and thin. But Juliana, quite frankly, was naive and makes foolish decisions. So she did drive me crazy so many times throughout the story....I definitely rolled my eyes more often than not because of her rash actions. But the rest of the story was superb. I loved the romance, the sensuality was right on point, and the charming relationship with the boys was so enchanting.

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

Souls Unfractured is a book I have been really excited for ever since we are introduced to Maddie and Flame in book one. I have really come to admire this series quite a bit and Tillie Cole has done wonders with these books although I will warn you there are some triggers in these books because this author does deal with some tough situations that won’t be for everyone, but I love how realistic these books feel and really give a voice to those whom many don’t know about.

 “What are words? Sometimes the flick of a pair of eyes or the flush of skin reveals everything you need to know. Words can wound. Silence can heal.” 

Soul’s Unfractured is the third book in the Hades Hangmen series and is packed with so much emotion. In begins with seeing their first meeting and then skips to the present. Flame has recently recovered from a bullet wound, and is back to protecting Maddie outside her cabin. Both Flame and Maddie crave each other and want what their friends have with each other, however there is one problem they both have a hard time with touch.

Maddie was raised in a religious cult where she was abused, demeaned and raped most of her life. Flame wasn’t treated any better. (we aren’t sure the details of his condition but I am guessing it was close to being Autistic)

I know I'm different. I know I don't see the world like everyone else does. But I want to see your world, Maddie. Even if it's the only one I'll ever understand

His father believed him to be mad and possessed and Flame was tortured and raped by his own father and lived in a cellar when he was only seven years old. He was eventually rescued by the Hades Hangmen MC and he became one of them. He and Maddie really want each other but there is also something that is keeping them from being together, their own fears of their past. But there is a strong connection between them and as Maddie is the only one that can calm down the beast that rages inside of Flame, Flame is the only one that makes Maddie feel alive after all the years of abuse...Flame and Maddie are able to help heal each other’s wounds and find a beautiful love together….

Flame, you saved me from him. From that life… from never knowing what it was like to hold hands. To kiss and to make such sweet love that it still feels like a dream. You have no idea how special you are to me.” Maddie held up our joined hands and said, “Even now, looking at these hands, I am terrified this is all in my head, that being here with you, is just another fantasy that will never be realized. That I am sitting at my window, sketching a future I pray will happen, before I blink and discover it is all in my head, that I must be content to simply watch you from afar

I adores Soul’s Unfractured and I think Its a tie with book one, although better than book one. I adored Flame and Maddie’s book although this is a beautiful story and displays so much strong emotion that I just fell in love with it. This book really tore my heart out though just because of how emotional their romance gets here. My heart broke for these two but I adored seeing their bond grow and the way that these two work past their fears and overcome that keeps them from having a relationship together. Tillie Cole did a wonderful job with this story and boy I became so emotionally invested in this book and wanted them to find some closure and really find what they need to heal and build a good life together. We see their ups and their down and seeing how strong these two are and how courageous they are to overcome their traumatic pasts and take a leap of faith in each other.

Seeing their journey isn't easy for the reader, there are some really tough topics that we see our characters struggle through, but they do get through it....and they do it together. What really impacted me in this book was the teamwork that these two put in. Because it takes them both learning the value of trust and honesty that really brings them the closure that they need.

I used to wonder how two people—one broken girl, and one broken boy—could ever move on from their dark and tortured pasts. But now I know. Together, that’s how. They fight their way through… together.

They have a beautiful connection that speaks to the soul and you can feel it from the beginning but seeing them grow in their relationship and seeing them take that important step in wanting more than just looks between each other, this is the monumental turn for the both of them and we see so much emotional growth that forms and seeing this journey that these both go on is breathtaking and so heartfelt in so many different ways. A MAGNIFICENT LOVE TALE!

Trackers End is the second book in the Wind Dragonns MC Series by Fernando. I fell in love with Tracker’s End. We see glimpses of their romance in book 2, Arrow’s Hell. So I would definitely recommend reading book two first before this one so that you can see those imporant glimpses and get a better understanding although its not completely necessary to do that though. Just what I would recommend to get a more satisfying feeling for Trackers End.

Tracker’s End features our beloved Tracker and his girl Lana. Tracker has been in an on and off relationship with a woman that isn’t old lady material. Tracker isn’t able to fully let go of her – (Allie) but he is now ready. Their relationship has become so messed up and he wants something more than one where they just use each other and Allie isn’t the type of woman he wants as his old lady. But there is one woman that would be the perfect old lady, Lana. Lana is sweet but quiet. But when she takes a job as a nanny to his President’s daughter, he begins to see her much more and this is where he wants to make his move and get to know this quiet but strong woman that he wants in his life. Lana has always felt a connection to Tracker, but knew he was with Allie and wouldn’t touch that even though she felt jealous at times. But Tracker is determined to show Lana how genuine his feeling are for her.

Tracker’s End was a charming romance and I really had a fun time with finally seeinng Tracker and Lana get together. Lana is full of surprises and I love seeing her inner strength. She may be quiet but she has a spine of steel and will fight when she needs to. Lana discovers something beautiful with Tracker, and wants him now more than ever but is scared too but she is afraid that she won’t ever be enough for Tracker and would want him to be faithful and knows that he wasn’t ever faithful to Allie. But as their relationship develops through the story we see how devoted Tracker is to Lana and seeing him prove himself and become a bit humble was truly satisfying. Tracker though is one of the best members of the MC, he is a good man through and through and we see what a loyal man he is and how sincere he is with Lana since he has been half in love with her for over a year and makes his moves. Tracker’s End is a beautiful love story that gives the reader some laughs, some hot smexy times and a story to fight for!! A BLAST OF A READ!

Rake’s Redemption is a story I have been pretty excited for and boy I love it when we see the playboy of the group get taken by love and this book was a lot more angsty than I was expecting but ironically this angst was really well done, one of the best enemies to lovers romances I have read in a long while and really enjoyed the explosive chemistry that is introduced into this story.

Rake’s Redemption features our hero: Rake and our Heroine:Bailey. Bailey and Rake were high school sweethearts and then something happened, a huge misunderstanding occured between the two, Rake making a horrid assumption and Bailey not willing to tell him the full truth or not trying hard enough to have Rake know the real truth about what happened the one night that broke them apart after four years of being together. And for seven years Bailey has kept that secret from Rake. She has a six year old daughter that she has raised all on her own when the father turned out to be a dead beat dad and wanted her to abort it and Bailey refused. Now she is back in Rake’s territory and Rake is NOT happy. He believe that Bailey cheated on him but he can’t deny that he has never fallen out of love for her and even though he hates her on some level he still loves her too and it doesn’t bring out the best reactions in him. But when Bailey’s life is put in danger because of her connection to him, the truth becomes revealed and Rake takes the burden of what happened to Bailey and the guilt of never trusting her like he should have.

Rake’s Redemption ironically is my favorite of the series so far, I just loved seeing these two come together and figuring out what the secret is. Now once you learn the truth and see Rake’s horrid reaction you see why Bailey never told him, she also knew it wasn’t Rake’s fault and never wanted him to bear the burden of it. We see the guilt that Rake begins to feel though when he learns the truth but this is where their relationship really blossoms in such a monumental way that is inspiring. I love seeing them work together to overcome their painful mistakes and judgments and try to make a go of it and learn each other again. Rake’s Redemption is a story that is so well written and I adored seeing them connect in such a wonderful way and yeah the sex is pretty hot both of them are insatiable and have seven years of catching up to do and Rake is a bit kinky in the bedroom and Bailey is up for that because she trust Rake more than anyone. I love seeing the bond that Rake has with Bailey’s daughter, its not overdone but brings a sweet tone to the story. Rake’s Redemption is a endearing romance that gives you all the feels!!! SATISFYING FROM BEGINNING TO END!