This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨


First Impressions
A Reckless Match is the first book in the "Ruthless Rivals" series and this has been an author that I have been wanting to get to. She has really become pretty hyped in the last year and I was curious to see how her books would be for me especially with so many influencers raving about her writing. And this writing was fun to read and I do plan on reading her more for sure. The dialogue has a slight hint of modernisms though so keep that in mind if you are curious about this one. But I had a fun time with the banter, and it didn't feel too modern as a whole and I still enjoyed it. It was far from a perfect read but it was delightful and a great diversion type of read and I can see why many enjoy this author if her other books are written like this one is.

First Line
It Started With a Pig

The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Earl of Powys, Gryff Davies
War hero, oldest of the Davies group and his father recently has passed and the Earldom has fallen to him.

The Heroine:Madeline Montgomery
Interests in Archaeology, devoted daughter and strong and with a touch of sassiness to her

Summary
Maddie and Gryff grew up hating each other and playing tricks on one another as children due to the family feud that has existed between their families for centuries. When they do their yearly meet on the bridge that combines their families lands, something more sparks between them and they share a kiss that rattles them both. Through a course of events, they stumble across a smuggling plot in their area, they work together to bring it down and in the process start to fall in love with each other despite how much they try to fight their feelings for each other. But is there any way for them to find a happy ending when their families have hated each other for years?

What I Loved
As family feud romances go, this story wasn't the worst and it had some delicious banter to go along with the story. I was really intrigued by their relationship because even though there was a sense of animosity there was also a sense of respect for each other. I really enjoyed how these two have a dialogue with each other and it was different than I was expecting. It had a twist of animosity, laughter and respect. It was really delightful to see how these two interact with one another. They both have some chemistry that builds between them. I wouldn't necessarily call this a spicy romance lol its definitely more of a slow burn which is what you will normally have when dealing with a family feud situation. There was a sense that their match would be slightly forbidden, but that aspect wasn't heavy at all so it was kinda confusing that their families would just fall in line with them being together. I did enjoy seeing our hero fight for the heroine and the relationship. The smuggling plot was really fascinating and the author did very well with that aspect and I appreciated it dearly. I loved the sense of enemies to friends to lovers that this story turned into. And this type of story is the style of enemies to lovers that I enjoy. There isn't really a true hate between them, you can sense how much they admire each other even from the beginning and the chemistry starts very early on and I was engaged easily with this story and I really flew through it.

What I Struggled With
So I have read quite a few of family feuds and to be honest they are one of my favorite types of enemies to lovers dynamics you can see in a romance. However, I wasn't a fan of how this was resolved in the end to be honest. And the ending just felt rushed. I would have liked to see a bit more of a reaction to the family when they decide to get married. But it was basically they tell each other they love each other and then want to get married and then there was the epilogue lol It just didn't feel that satisfying to me and I would have liked the last stretch of the story to be a bit more fleshed out. Also the heroine running away in the third act because she loves the hero, that didn't make any sense to me. She was all for the hero and then just goes cold with him, no wonder he was confused lol I would have liked to see her be willing to fight for their relationship like he was willing to. It just felt a bit one sided in some aspects.

Overall View
A Reckless Match was a delightful twist of supsense, heated rivalry and slow built tension that was delicious and engaging! A TRUE DELIGHT!

Favorite Quote(s)
Love and hate just were two sides of a very thin coin, after all. Combining them might prove truly spectacular

For her part, she had the sneaking suspicion that what they’d shared would have a lasting effect on her, just like the lightning. Only instead of scars upon her arm, Gryff Davies would leave an indelible mark upon her heart.

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Historical Romance, Regency Era
Character Types: Military, Archaelogy
Themes: Angst, Childhood Ties, Slow Burn, Family Feud
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers

Book Perspective
3rd POV

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
A Mix of both

Song This Book Inspires
Love Me Like You Do by Ellie Goulding

Recommendation For Reading Order
Yes

Steam/Spice Explanations

Warmin' by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
 

 

 This was quite an interesting story and I definitely was thrilled to have been able to read Lianne's story as I was intrigued by her character in the previous book. The premise for our couple was quite fascinating and I did enjoy the element of a character being falsely accused of rape as I do think that is a serious issue and hardly gets addressed in our society. We really see the psychological effects that it has on the hero and how he could lose everything over being falsely accused. You really feel for the hero and his situation. I did enjoy that the heroine doesn't freak out over the truth and works on helping him get to the truth of the matter. I found the romance to be endearing at times but didn't quite work for me, I just wasn't able to connect like I wanted to and definitely had a HFN ending to it. But I can see some readers really love this series. 

 

 

I am DNFing this one due to the heroine. She is really driving me nuts and I think this is the last Summers I am reading. Not a fan of using these sisters for the men left in the group, not a fan of any of these women. *shrugs*

 

 So somehow this is missing a review and I am pretty sure I wrote one but I swear Goodreads loses my reviews sometimes.

So Last Words was a very interesting installment and to be honest I know it didn't quite pack the punch I was hoping for but I honestly don't even remember my issues other than this one had problems in it that just didn't quite work for me. I really wasn't a fan of the ending especially with our main couple in the series and I didn't really like how Vince's girl lied to him and never ended up being honest with him. It was actually very blurred in the background and her actions are a pretty big deal so I honestly wasn't a fan because the TRUTH always comes out eventually. And I really felt for Vince not being able to be a part of his child's life at all. That was super heartbreaking for me to see. And just wasn't a fan of some actions by Mia in this one especially in how she responds to the reveals in the first 1/3 of the story. This one just didn't quite satisfy me in the end. It had some fun moments of course and really thrilled me but at the end of the day, it just didn't quite work for me like I had hoped. But I am still intrigued by this family and the series even if the finale with this main couple didn't quite work for me in the end. 

 This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖📖
Narration:🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨.5


First Impressions
Royals of Italy is the third installment in the "Fausti Family" and after how the second book ended, I was very intrigued to see where this couple woulld go in this book as this book features their "Newlywed" stage of their relationship and I also knew that there would Fausti's introduced to this book and I was really curious to see how this would be developed and this book was just as rich and captivating as the previous two books and I fell even harder for this couple and what they face. This isn't your average mafia romance and I really love that. There is a style to how this series is being built that really pulls you in so quickly into the story. And I absolutely adored the setting of Italy that is so vividly descripted. I really respect an author that will do the research to set the right tone and setting for the story.

First Line
We were already on the verge of darkness, the water choppy, and I knew from experience that visibility was going to be slim.

Summary
In this installment of Brando and Scarlett, they are both adjusting to married life and trying to adapt with Brando being gone half the time working on the diving and rig jobs. Scarlett is trying to adjust to having her husband gone all the time, and is starting to get distant from Brando. Brando is at a loss as to what to do with the situation and wonders where her loyalties lay. And even though Scarlett, wants to be honest with Brando, she holds back from him. She is lonely and wanted to give something to Brando, but she ends up caught up in snares she has no comprehension of. When the truths are revealed, Brando and Scarlett will have to realize the value of trust in their relationship or the Fausti's will tear them apart. They are just starting to work their way through the weave of complexities that make up the powerful royals of Italy, and only together will they survive the onslaught...

What I Loved
This story was utterly powerful and I couldn't get enough of it. I was so drawn into this one here. I do recommend the audio if you can get it, the narration really brings out the lyrical side of the writing super strongly and I wish the rest of the series was in audio but I am too impatient for that haha but I will say the first three books are in audio and recommend grabbing those if possible.

What is so beautiful about this story is seeing how this couple has some learning lessons and I hope they LEARN them and these mistakes aren't being repeated in future books. Even though I had some issues with the heroine in the first half of the book, thankfully, its not dragged out and gets resolved early on because there is some outer conflict that they will both have to face and its not going to be an easy road for either of them. First off, what I loved truly, was the setting. It was so captivatingly described for Italy that I wish I had a villa to live in for the summer because I could practically feel that warm sun on my skin. That is how well this author vividly writes her stories to captivate her readers.

The second half of the story was a whirlwind of intrigue and mystery and familial complexity. We get introduced to the Fausti family and they get involved with Brando and Scarlett. There is also family politics that we get to see and we are charmed by the head of the family. I absolutely adored him so much. The relationship that Scarlett and he formed was so endearing and heartfelt. The courage that we see both Brando and Scarlett brave in this book just is evidence of their love and what they are both willing to sacrifice for each other. I was so captivated by the later half of the story but we see their strength and what they are capable of as a team. And I want to see this teamwork throughout the rest of the series and really hope that the author develops their relationship of growth and not repeating the same mistakes over and over.

What I Struggled With
So what I really struggled with is the actions from Scarlett in the first half of the book. I do not understand why she wasn't honest with Brando. It just didn't make sense to me. Why she was hiding so much from him especially when she knew his family and connections were in Italy and they both were at risk. But even when she had the suspicion that he was under the impression she might be having an affair, she still didn't come clean. She wasn't even willing to be honest until he made her face up to it and she had to repair their relationship. He shouldn't have had to face her in that way for her to treat him as she should have. So her actions in this book ruined some enjoyment from the story and I knocked off half a star for her actions here. Lets hope she and Brando are honest with each other from now on. But we shall see what this author does. So far all THREE books have had inner relationship drama.

Narration
The narration was perfectly portrayed and honestly it brought out the lyrical writing so much stronger within the audio. Its a DUO narration too so I really enjoyed that so much. And I really enjoyed the moments in which the story was crafted so brilliantly. I just couldn't put down this audio and that's rare. So if you want a beautiful narration to listen to, you can trust with this author.

Overall View
Royals of Italy is a sensual and passionate installment that takes you to the beauty and elegance of Italy, showcases the power of trust and the ability to overcome in the critical moments and portrays an enigmatic powerful epic love to draw you deeper into this captivating world of danger and passion...

Favorite Quote(s)
Without you, I’d lose the best part of me. You changed me that night out in the snow. Instead of my path leading me here, it led me to you first. No matter what I do or become, I still have you. I’m safe in your love no matter what.

Marriage isn’t about me. It’s not about you. It’s about us. Neither of us comes before what we have.

You listen without having to stare. You understand without requesting constant clarification. You give counsel in secret. You are a wife, a lifelong mate, the beat behind a man’s heart, and the honor in his veins.

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense
Character Types: Mafia, Blue Collar, Ballerina
Themes: Married Couple Pairing, Family Saga, Danger
Tropes: Epic Love

Book Perspective
Duo POV

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
A Mix of Both

Song This Book Inspires
When You Say Nothing At All by Ronan Keating

Recommendation For Reading Order
Yes! You need to read this series in order

Steam/Spice Explanations

Warmin' by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.

Narrators:
Antonio Arnato, Verla Bond 

 

Eagle is the second book in this series, and I did enjoy this one a bit more than the first book. Its not Jennifer Ryan type of story, but it was enjoyable and had some charm to it that really worked for me. I loved the mystery and the secrets that the heroine had. And it was interesting how they were revealed. Some ways I was on board with, but others I wish it had been better developed for those reveals. I did enjoy how the suspense aspects were revealed in the end. I really enjoyed the romance though, the single parent aspect and how these two were able to resolve their issues from the past. I really enjoy this author, she isn't a five star author, but these books are solid fun and love seeing them have a suspense focus as I think romantic suspense is making a comeback. There is a solid friendships being showcased and I really enjoy how this author crafts the suspense plots in some ways. Very interested in the next book as there were ties in this book for it.

 

 Forever After All is a marriage of convenience standalone. I was really intrigued by this due to the setup of the story and this trope is my catnip. And even though I love this author, something that drive me bonkers is the way she handles the grovels. I am SO not a fan of how she drags it out and the heroines treat the hero's so awful in their grovel. It really rubs me the wrong way. So this story was solid for the most part. I enjoyed the angst, I enjoyed the whole hero is so emotionally constipated and the heroine trying to make her husband fall in love with her. So the first 2/3 of the story I really enjoyed. But then we get to the third act where the heroine breaks it off with the hero but when the hero tries to show how much he loves her, she spurns him completely and even has him dragged out by security and it just doesn't make sense. Throughout the whole book she wants him to love her, and when he finally is open with her and admits his feelings, she treats him like a criminal for it and his whole family acts like he is the enemy when there is obvious reasons why he doesn't open his heart easily. Basically, we just get to see the heroine emasculate the hero (which is not sexy) and it just wasn't super enjoyable when the rest of the book was so solid. 

 

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖📖
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨✨


First Impressions
Dom is book three in the "Alliance" series by S.J. Tilly. This story completely blew me away. The series hasn't exactly wowed me as of yet until I read Dom and I had heard mixed things about Dom and it was utterly delightful. I am wondering at the mental capacity of anyone that rated this below 4 stars at the moment, because this book was perfect in every way. Just every aspect that comes into this story felt so right and I was in sync with just about every aspect of this from the character development, to the plot, to the swoons and feels, it was top notch. And the way this author managed the conflict was perfection. I always worry about these type of conflicts because many authors don't always handle it too well. However, this story was just right for me and I soaked it up like a sponge.

First Line
It seems strange that so many people, even when they aren't talking, can make so much noise.

The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Dom
-Head of the Chicago Mafia
-Latino Heritage
-Family Focused
-Protective Alpha with possessive tendancies

The Heroine: (Heroine's Name)
-Reserved
-Curvy
-Shy
-Suffers from self esteem issues

Summary
Val growing up didn't have the perfect childhood, but her father was her loving figure even if he was gone. She was shocked when he died to learn that she wasn't his only family, and that she was the dirty secret to hide under the rug. She has never truly felt accepted or love by anyone in her young life. She is now 26, who travels for her work. Even though she has a good amount of money, she wants to be productive. While at the airport, traveling for one of her jobs, she meets Dom, who is sexy and a protector and there is instant chemistry between them. They both have a connection they don't want to let go of. And when they end up in Vegas, some decisions are made and before she knows it Val is placed in a situation she never expected that could tear her apart if she lets it and it will come down to the love she holds for Val or the acceptance she dreams of with her family and she will have to find her own strength to be the partner that Val needs as head of the Chicago mafia but the road they will go on will take them on a journey of growth, love and connection...

What I Loved
There was so much to love about this story. So first I want to discuss our characters. So our delicious hero, Dom. Dom is a hero you can die on a hill for. He is alpha in that he likes control, he is protective, but tender and caring in close quarters with those he loves, but he does get a bit possessive at times and will take control over situations when necessary. He always has a backup plan to his primary plan and his focus is family. I absolutely adored Dom in every way. The way he is with his family and especially how he cares for Val just warmed my heart. Yes he can be controlling in certain areas, he is a pure alpha male, but at the same time he will fight for her in ways that no one else will and my heart just fell hard for this man. Then we have Val. Now Val is a girl I could so relate to, at least my younger self can especially. In all honesty, I tend to really enjoy the heroines that this author writes. But Val was a heroine that wasn't happy. She had been hurt constantly by those that should have loved her and even the way that her siblings treat her, I wanted to pound in the ground myself haha. The struggles that she battles emotions, she had my heart breaking for her because I saw so much of the emotional struggles I personally had when I was younger and still sometimes face. I know some readers won't like it but I admired her because she was working with a therapist, she understood her struggles and was slowly on trying to be better on handling her issues and facing up to them and accepting her flaws. She has a tender sweet soul that deserved the protection and love that Dom is willing to give to her if she can learn to trust in him.

The romance that develops between Dom and Val is not easy. Quickly they build a strong connection, they have great chemistry but also they can make each other blush and laugh and just enjoy the sweet moments that they have together. The little texts that they send to each other were so adorable. The heroine is such a weirdo but a cute one. I love her personality and Dom is drawn to her like a moth to a flame. I love how he just loves the woman that she is and embraces her quirkiness. There is some conflict in the story (Spoiler Zone) as the hero isn't being honest about all of his intentions. His family is being targeted and he will do whatever it takes to protect them. He needs to be part of the alliance and the only way he sees a way to get in with Nero and King not trusting him, is to find a way to get Val to marry him. He literally drugs her and gets them married and the truth is revealed when they visit Val's brother and the truth comes out. But her brother at the time doesn't fight for her and knows her only home now is with Dom despite how much he has betrayed her. But she takes it in stride, she stands on her own but not in a spiteful way, just reacting in a way that she is hurt. But it soon becomes clear on the motivations on why Dom deceived her, and she understands it but it does take some time for her to forgive him. I actually loved how this conflict was address actually. It was done so delicately and I want to applaud the author for handling this aspect so so well. I also was endeared by how "cute" these two are together. When things are solid with them, their interactions just swept me away and I just was smiling the whole time. They were simply adorable and I couldn't get enough. And 500 pages was NOT enough for me haha I honestly want more of this couple.

What I Struggled With
The only thing is that every heroine this author writes is curvy. Not sure if thats just what this author does or if its this series but would have liked to see different body types for heroines but it could be this is the type she wants to focus on. Not a bad thing at all, just would like some balance as women come in all types.

Overall View
Dom is a brilliantly mastered romance that feeds the heart with warm feels, plenty of laughs, and a poignant relationship that strikes deep to the soul of the reader...ABSOLUTELY A STUNNING JEWEL OF A READ!

Favorite Quote(s)
“I need a taste of you, Angel. A taste of whatever you’ll give me.”

When you do things with purpose, you have nothing to apologize for.

'' Something about this man tells me he doesn't write his name on his luggage. He probably narrows his eyes at his suitcase, daring it to get lost''

My dad is a liar. My mom is a liar. I think I have siblings. But I think they hate me. And I don’t want to be hated. I just want to be loved.

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Contemporary Romance, Dark Romance
Character Types: Alpha Hero, Mafia, Shy Heroine, Curvy Heroine
Themes: Lots of Laughs, Danger Elements, Meet Cute, Las Vegas Wedding
Tropes: Marriage of Convenience, Instant Love Connection

Book Perspective
Duo POV

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
A Mix of both

Song This Book Inspires
Diamonds by Rhianna

Recommendation For Reading Order
You can read as a standalone, but reading in order is better for interconnecting character relationships.

Steam/Spice Explanations

Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.

 

 Rating 4 Stars

So this story was so intriguing and I flew so quickly threw it. Sara Ney is a delight to read especially if you are looking for a laugh-out-loud NA romance to delight in. The setup of this story was really interesting and their dynamic was fun. It wasn't a perfect read but it was intriguing and fun. Sara Ney is an author who can write some really interesting romances for NA with the typical drama that you can expect from an NA romance. Not always a fan of how her third acts are implemented but she normally can get some delightful happenings going on. The premise of the story literally made me laugh so I knew I was in for quite an adventure. I also really enjoyed the elements that the author bring to this story here. It was also intriguing because we get introduced to the brothers which we will see much more of for this series. And if you are a football fan as I am, then there is enough focus on the sport to really keep you interested. I did like that the author didn't just disregard it. We have aspects of how strong athletes need to be mentally to play the game and it's not all about the fame and glory and I appreciate that element being brought to attention. Even though I wasn't a fan of the third-act conflict, I did really enjoy that our characters BOTH take accountability of the issue and we can see the human element of making mistakes and owning those mistakes and working on improving yourself which is why this third act wasn't horrible because the author spun the human element so authentic within the story which I truly appreciated.

Overall I had a blast with this one, and I am eager to see what she delivers with this family because they were a blast and these covers SO SO GORGEOUS! 

 So I am going to keep this review short. There are other reviews that have the spoilers if you want those. I really enjoyed this book. The happenings in this story was completely crazy but I am really loving Mia finally. Earlier in the series she was a bit frustrating, but this book she really shined for me. Mateo is your typical anti hero that you can't help but loving. Then we have Meg, I wanted to love her in this book, but she was so annoying in this book and I just want her to go away and leave haha I really have enjoyed her character in the past, but its obvious she just doesn't have even close to the connection to Mateo that Mia has to him. And I really didn't care for Vince or Rafe in this book. I know Vince has a good ending, so I am really curious to see how that develops in the next book. But this one is hard to see for our trio and seeing the truths revealed about their relationship. I really feel for the children caught up in between these adults. I am curious to see how everything gets resolved in the finale though. I am glad to be getting caught up on this family and eager to get more of the Vegas Morelli's as well. The complexity to these books are mind blowing and really test your boundaries and while it was rough reading this at times, it also delivered on the heart that I love to see with these characters. This author is definitely a complex world builder and she can craft a series so beautifully. Overall this one was a solid installment and eager for this family to get everything resolved.