WOW! Where have I been? I can't believe it's taken me this long to read this book. This was such a great read, and Jessica deserves a medal of honor for all the patience and mental hoops she went through to understand, empathize, and help her baby boy Dain. The chemistry between these two was spicy, fun, and smart. Her backstory of raising a bunch of boys and being able to deal with them and also understand what they needed really helped her to understand Dain and his whole deal. That monster, beast of a man, was just a big old softie underneath layers and layers of trauma. I thought the prologue of the book really helped paint a picture of his upbringing, his self worth, and his self esteem. I could sit and listen to these to banter/bicker/compliment each other all day.

This was my first Loretta Chase novel and I can't believe i've never read anything from her before. She's great! That character development. Absolutely devoured this one!

2.5/5... So underwhelming.

2.5/5 stars.

Is it just me, or does Helena Hunting do some pretty hardcore slut shaming in this one? Bashing on other women because the guy you're into is talking to them really doesn't work for me at all.

I felt like this was a pretty quick and easy read to get through, and enjoyed the aspect of Ruby being a pet sitter for a ferret and tarantula. Unique animals versus boring old cats and dogs. I am not one for insta-love tropes, so I already started off on a wrong foot with this book, as the main characters met at a party in the beginning of the book and end up making out ~accidentally. This wasn't my favorite HH book, and at times I wanted to DNF the book, but I only had a few chapters left in the book to go so I stuck it out. If you like instalove, long distance sexy phone calls, burlesque, and ferrets, this may be the book for you!

2.5/5 stars.

I was so looking forward to reading about Mack and his love story, and he did not disappoint. He is a feminist I didn't know I needed in my life. Equality for all! You go unapologetically buy your romance novels from the bookstore and not make an excuse that it's for your wife, sister, or girlfriend. I respect it. Liv at times was way too immature and standoffish for my liking, and at times with her victim blaming and just un-empathetic judgements towards others got old really quick. Mack deserved more!

I wanted to DNF this book a few times, especially when the villain in the book started going from an actual horrible person to this cartoon bad guy who falls on his ass and is an idiot. Not sure how else to phrase that besides how he verged on the side of moron and not a true evil human (like he is). I want to read about Noah and Alexis that are the leads in the next book, and endured through this one just for them!

3.5

Loving Sicarius so far!

3.5/5 stars

After reading the first book of this series and getting introduced to Cross, I immediately jumped into this book. I have a soft spot for the introverted and smart hero. I enjoyed Pippa and how she was his perfect fit, and how they both had that reserved, quiet, intelligence going on between them. Her coming to him asking him to be her research assistant was pretty great! I also loved when he called her his little scientist. The scene where he's talking her through her pleasure on the couch was STEAMY as hell. Definitely here for the steam levels. This book didn't feel unique with the tall man & tiny woman trope, but her having spectacles and that being seen as a turn on for Cross was definitely something new!

The gaming hell in the series also is so mysterious, dark, and a bit sexy. I have really been enjoying reading more on it! Definitely going to check out the last two books in this series.