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REVIEW – Blood Diamond: A Dark Cartel Romance, El Mundo de Sangre #4, by Lana Sky

#CartelRomance #DarkRomance #RomanticSuspense

Blurb

When it comes to family, there’s little Lupita Sanchez won’t do—even if it means throwing herself in the path of a man as feral as his predatory namesake.

Julian “Jaguar” Domingas has carved out a violent reputation as one of the most powerful and dangerous drug lords alive. He’s exactly the kind of beast Lupita has learned the hard way to run far, far away from—but desperate times call for insane measures.

Jaded and cynical, Jaguar has seen it all when it comes to the multitude of schemers and spies eager for even a taste of his power—and convincing him to help her won’t be easy.

Protecting her heart, however, will be child’s play—or so she thinks.

After all, what can a man like Jaguar want more than her body? Certainly not her soul…

And definitely not her love.

El Mundo de Sangre is a world of linked dark romance trilogies. Diamante de Sangre continues where Dinero de Sangre ends. Each trilogy can be read as a standalone, but will be better enjoyed if read in order. The first two books in each trilogy end in cliffhangers which will be resolved in book three.

My Review

Heady cocktail of desire, danger and deceit! 5 stars

Blood Diamond is the first book in a new trilogy by Lana Sky, and I LOVED IT! It is a heady cocktail of danger and desire as Lupita, having nowhere else to turn to seeks the help of Jaguar Domingas, the most ruthless cartel kingpin of all. Jaguar was featured in earlier books in the El Mundo de Sangre world, and I have been longing to learn more about him since he first appeared as he truly is a bête noire type of villain, a man to be reviled and feared, with no hope of redemption.

My sympathies were well and truly with Lupita, a woman who is desperate, a little crazy and traumatised by a past where she had a lucky escape from a man such as Jaguar. She thinks she knows exactly what she risks yet is nevertheless prepared to sacrifice herself for the sake of another. What she is not prepared for is Jaguar’s level of ruthlessness as he seeks to peel back her layers and reveal her secrets and the true woman beneath.

The sexual tension between the couple is electric. Jaguar finds Lupita a challenge as she is so unlike the women he is used to and in return for his help and protection he demands everything, including her soul… after he has had a taste will he decide to keep her, or will he destroy her and spit her out? Can she trust him to keep his side of the bargain?

I hugely enjoyed this multi-layered read which is awash with danger, tension, and deceit and full of unexpected twists and turns. I also enjoyed the side characters who are part of this world. I love that this author’s work is never predictable, neither the reader nor the characters never quite know what is around the corner for them. The book ends on a cliffhanger which left me begging for more and the next instalment, Blood Debt, cannot come soon enough!

Please note I received a copy of this book from the author and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

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August 12, 2022 by Tina Williams

REVIEW – Sinners and Saints (Sinners and Saints #1), by Lana Sky and Molly Doyle

#Dark #MCRomance

Blurb

Traumatized by a family tragedy, Frances “Frey” Heywood resorts to committing the unthinkable—only to be saved at the eleventh hour by a man more troubled than even she can comprehend.

Daze Keaton is bad news. A criminal and a drug dealer, he’s a far cry from the safe harbor Frey craves, but all her doubts pale in the face of the way he numbs that cold, broken place inside her.

If only for a little while.

Though Daze’s comfort is a welcome gift, his true motives are far darker than she can ever fathom. While he might have saved her life, her future is in far more danger with him in it.

Not that her head will listen. Or her heart…

A brand-new dark romance collaboration from authors Lana Sky and Molly Doyle full of mystery, suspense, angst, and spice.

My Review

Crazy and intense dark MC read – 5 stars

Sinners and Saints is the first book of a trilogy and I found it to be one crazy ass ride from start to finish. I am a huge fan of Lana Sky’s writing, and I really enjoyed this collaboration with Molly Doyle, an author who is new to me.

After Daze, a mysterious stranger prevents Frey, grief stricken and traumatised after her brother’s death, from ending it all, her life becomes entwined with his and she begins to question everything about herself and those close to her.

The couple are polar opposites, and I relished the contrast and the constant push/pull between them: Daze is a dangerous criminal, involved in drugs and God knows what else, and Frey the innocent and closeted daughter of an influential man who heads up the religious organisation the Covenant.

I loved how Frey is equally drawn and repelled by Daze throughout. There are some hot scenes between them which I lapped up, yet the read is also full of twists and turns in a book which has a solid and engrossing plot line.

Indeed, the story kept me on toes throughout, taking Frey and reader to unexpected places, physically and emotionally. I appreciated how the evolving plot drip feeds the reader small details, revealing secrets which build up a picture of their shared past and present, increasing the level of suspense, tension and danger. As their lives begin to overlap who can Frey trust? I found myself constantly asking myself whether Daze will be Frey’s saviour or the agent of her destruction.

This addictive read ends on a cliffhanger, and I cannot wait for the next instalment.

Please note, a copy of this book was given to me by the authors, and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

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August 1, 2022 by Tina Williams

REVIEW – Brutal Limits (The Limit Book 2), by Marissa Farrar and S. R. Jones

#reverseharem #darkromance

Blurb

Limits are blurred, boundaries are broken, and now the game is real.

When I took the job on the island retreat known as The Limit, I hadn’t expected to be mistaken for someone else.

Someone who wanted to be chased, to be caught, to be corrupted.

It was a mistake that would lead four men to take my innocence. Brody, Wilder, Rafferty, and Asher. They each have their own secrets and pain, and I’d started to think I was cracking through their armor.

But the connections we’d made vanished the moment they discovered my lie.

Now everything changes.

What began as a game has become something else entirely. Something sinister and dangerous. Now there are no rules. No limits. No get out clause.

No escape.

I ran from one threat right into the arms of another and now I don’t know if I’ll ever be free.

My Review – Fast-paced, scorching and suspenseful

The gloves are off in this, the second book in The Limit series. The four men who run the retreat are furious at Honor’s deceit and are determined to make her pay by reprising the games but this time without rules or limits.

It is once again a fast paced and scorching read – my heart was in my mouth throughout as I did not know how far the men would go in their quest to punish Honor and how she would react – cue some uber hot scenes exploring control and submission. Each of the men react to Honor’s deceit in a different way and this influences how they interact with her and ultimately each other.

I enjoyed how the book explored the changing dynamics between the men, specifically the impact Honor had upon the bond they have forged due to their shared past, a bond Honor is testing. We certainly go a lot deeper into their back story and Honor’s past in this book, a past that is still haunting her.

The read ends on an absolute doozy of a cliffhanger, setting the scene for what promises to be cracking final instalment to the trilogy.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

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Marissa Farrar

S.R. Jones

July 21, 2022 by Tina Williams

REVIEW – The Assassin’s Wife, by Nikita Slater

#darkromance #captiveromance

Blurb

A standalone dark captive romance novel by USA Today Bestselling Author Nikita Slater.

With this ring…

With a career as a prima ballerina and married to the man of her dreams, Natasha’s life was a fairytale. Then she witnessed something she shouldn’t have. Now she’s on the run, fleeing the one person she thought she’d love forever. Her husband.

To love and to cherish.

He should’ve seen her following him, should have known that curiosity would get the better of her. Now she’s gone and he’s on the hunt. He’ll find his wayward wife, and when he does, he’ll show her the monster she thought to escape.

For better or worse.

Trapped with a man obsessed with revenge, Natasha must weather the storm and hope that he’ll remember their once fierce love before he does something they’ll both regret.

Until death do us part.

The Assassin’s Wife is a standalone dark captive romance novel. It contains themes of violence and sexual content that some readers may find offensive.

My Review

Dark Captive Romance – 5 stars

This is a dark and emotionally complex read from start to finish. David is very much the anti-hero, devoid of morals and empathy and initially there was little if anything to make me warm to him. Natasha, a young ballerina is his polar opposite and his obsession. I found it terrifying how he casually ‘acquires’ Natasha, after becoming obsessed with her when he witnesses her on stage, taking her away from pursuing her dreams. That said, I was hooked, wanting to find out how their relationship would develop, what motivates David and if there was any hope for his redemption.

My heart was in my mouth when he finally caught up with Natasha after her escape – it’s a heated and visceral scene. The author does an excellent job of creating ongoing suspense and conflict between the couple as the plot develops. Will Natasha keep her life and her sanity with such a violent and controlling man? What will he do if she once again steps out of line? How can she reconcile her complex feelings for him when her freedom is at stake? The sex scenes between them sizzle but the trigger warning contained in the blurb relating to violence and sexual content is there for a reason.

I enjoyed how Natasha’s actions continue to test her captor and how her emotional strength and resilience grows. This young woman has had so much thrown at her by David and I silently applauded her each time she stood her ground. David’s character also undergoes some change – there are a number of heart wrenching points where his icy exterior cracks, but I still felt he was a monster at the end – just Natasha’s monster. He is nevertheless one of the most memorable anti-heroes I have read in the genre.

Recommended for readers of dark romance.

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April 26, 2022 by Tina Williams

REVIEW- Blurred Limits, by Marissa Farrar and S R Jones

#reverseharem

Blurb

For them it’s all a game, but to me it’s survival.

When an opportunity to work at the exclusive island resort called The Limit comes up, I can’t say no. I’ll only be a maid, but at least it’ll get me off the streets and offer me somewhere to hide out from my stepfather.

But a case of mistaken identity changes everything.

The men who own this place—Brody, Wilder, Rafferty, and Asher—think I am someone else, and when an offer of winning a million dollars is put in front of me, how can I tell them the truth?

These men are all different, but they all have one thing in common, they’re all broken, and now they want to break me.

The game involves a hunt across the island. If I win, I get my heart’s desire. If they win, they get to do whatever they want to me.

But as the days pass, limits get blurred and boundaries are broken, and as my secrets bubble to the surface, the danger only increases.

What will happen when they discover my lie?

My Review

Dark, Twisted and Smoking Hot! 5 stars

Oh my heart! This is one smoking hot dark and twisted capture fantasy from start to finish. Once I bought into the premise of the book I was hooked – when Honor reports for duty for employment as a maid at an exclusive island resort she is mistaken for another. She decides to go along with the offer of allowing herself to be hunted by the four uber alpha owners, Brody, Wilder, Rafferty, and Asher. With one million dollars up for grabs it would be rude not to and Honor can use the money to ensure her future safety.

Honor’s backstory which prompts her to deceive the men added an interesting layer to the story and made me feel for her. I also loved that the men in question, all so very different, are bound together by their own dark experiences (not to mention their various depravities which come to light).

I enjoyed the various hunt scenes Honor is subjected to and how the tension, stakes and the level of kink ratchet ever higher. Honor learns just what a devious and deviant group of men she has become in involved with.

Can Honor survive each of the hunts without falling prey to their desires and leave the island richer or will she find herself captured and subject to their whims? What of her self-worth in engaging in such activity and can she keep her emotions distant from what she endures? Has she discovered a side of herself she did not know existed? Also, what if the men discover she is not who she pretends to be?

This is a compulsive read which I could not put it down – literally shooing my family away until I had finished it. I can’t wait for next instalment – without giving anything away the way the book ends is killing me – in a good way!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Reviewed by Tina Williams

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November 27, 2021 by Tina Williams

RELEASE BLITZ & REVIEW – Mended Crown: A Dark Mafia Romance: War of Roses Universe: (Mice and Men Book 4), by Lana Sky

#Dark #MafiaRomance

Blurb

A broken engagement should signal the end of the feud blazing between the Stepanovs and Vanicis—barring one small hitch no one foresaw: a surprise pregnancy that could turn this petty misunderstanding into outright war.

For Donatello, this new baby is a shred of hope after nearly a decade of misery—one he won’t forfeit without a fight.

For Willow, this ordeal is a glaring reminder of her own conflicted loyalty, leading to a choice she will have to live with for the rest of her life…

Salvaging this union will be the hardest, bloodiest war Donatello has fought yet. But, as the danger looming above the city reaches a breaking point, will they outlast the violence with their lives—and hearts—intact?

Mice and Men is a new standalone series in the War of Roses Universe.

My Review – 5 stars

Intense and dramatic conclusion – an all-nighter!

After the revelations at the end of the last book, I virtually inhaled this, the final book in the series. It’s another intense and emotional read from this author who certainly knows how to put her characters through the mill and back. It contains a number of plot twists including one biggie and is a wild ride!

In it, secrets and hidden agendas are revealed from all angles as Willow and Donatello decide if they are to have a future together whilst danger from an unknown and powerful adversary threatens all they hold dear. The battle of wills between Donatello and Willow is still as big as ever, except this time there is more to consider than their own future.

Their relationship is as complex as they come. Donatello in particular continues to be one crazy tortured and guilt-ridden character and I enjoyed the push/ pull of his relationship with Willow, who really comes into her own in this instalment, growing in confidence.

Haunted by their tragic past, involving trauma and deceit, can they possibly come together to forge a future together? I was really rooting for their HEA as the suspense and danger came to a head.
I also enjoyed the battle of wills between Evgeni and Briar and how the author has woven their increasingly complex relationship into the book.

A copy of this book was given to me by the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Reviwed by Tina Williams

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October 30, 2021 by Tina Williams

RELEASE BLITZ – Blood Bound (Dinero de Sangre #3), by Lana Sky

#DarkRomance #CartelRomance #MafiaRomance

Release Date: October 30^th

BLURB

In this twisted dark cartel romance, revenge and hate collide with the past…

Hunted by a dangerous enemy, Ada Pavalos is forced to place her faith—and her life—in the hands of the man who has been holding her captive in his own twisted bid for revenge.

But the truce they’ve forged between them is fragile, impeded by Ada’s struggle to trust where Domino’s loyalties lie—because what if the deadliest threat isn’t Jaguar after all?

What if it’s Domino who will destroy her in the end?

All Retailers ➜ https://books2read.com/DDS-BloodBound

Read Book One: All Retailers ➜ https://books2read.com/BloodMoney

#NewRelease #DarkCartelRomance #NewSeries #LanaSky #TwistedRomance #RevengeAndHate #NeedToReadItNow #ReadMoreRomance #Bookstagram #RomanceBookAddict #Romancelandia #BookWorm #BookObsessed #RomanceBooks #SteamyReads⁠ #DarkRomance

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October 30, 2021 by Tina Williams

REVIEW – Blood Bound, Dinero de Sangre book 3, by Lana Sky

#DarkRomance #CartelRomance #MafiaRomance

Blurb

In this twisted dark cartel romance, revenge and hate collide with the past…

Hunted by a dangerous enemy, Ada Pavalos is forced to place her faith—and her life—in the hands of the man who has been holding her captive in his own twisted bid for revenge.

But the truce they’ve forged between them is fragile, impeded by Ada’s struggle to trust where Domino’s loyalties lie—because what if the deadliest threat isn’t Jaguar after all?

What if it’s Domino who will destroy her in the end?

My Review

Dark and Gripping – 5 DARK stars!

After reeling from events at the end of the previous book Blood Ties, I was so pleased to get my hands on this instalment. Once again, Lana Sky has penned a fast-paced, intensely dark and emotional read full of nail-biting suspense, violence and sizzling sex scenes. It is though, essential to read the series in order to appreciate the complex plot and characters.

In Blood Bound, Ada Maria and Domino are on the run, having escaped Jaguar. Yet has Ada rejected one monster only to be in the clutches of another, Domino, a man who she thought she once knew but has been far from a knight in shining armour? Caught between two dangerous and deadly men, just who can Ada Maria trust? The world she finds herself in is so far removed from the lap of luxury she was used to before she was so cruelly taken from it and she has been reduced to a commodity. The couple are up against enemies at every turn and trust is a moot point.

I enjoyed how secrets from Ada’s past concerning her parents, Domino’s sister and Domino himself are slowly revealed to Ada and the reader. The author’s skills at plotting an addictive read are showcased to full in this novel which is full of unexpected twists and turns. The complex plotline was always at least one step ahead of the reader and I could not guess where the story was going. Also, for much of the book I could not fathom whether Domino would be Ada’s saviour or play a role in her eventual destruction, once his own goals were reached. Only Domino, the master manipulator, seemed to be ahead of the game and even he, at times, was struggling against his many adversaries.

Although Ada Maria is as vulnerable as ever in this book, I loved how she is determined to hold her own with Domino and admired how she held up against all that she endures. Many questions are answered during the read, including the true motivations behind Domino’s actions. I was hugely entertained throughout this thrilling read and am pleased that there are more books to come in the same world.

The book and the series is a perfect fit for lovers of dark romance, particularly those who enjoy reads set in the world of organised crime.

Reviewed by Tina Williams

Please note, a copy of this book was given to me by the author and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.