Anti-heroes are my weak point. Even more so, anti-heroes in J.T. Geissinger romance novels are my Achilles’ Heel. Fall Into You’s Cole McCord is a different level of this so-called bad-boy type. He’s very aware that he’s an anti-hero, yet his very actions are heroic to the extreme, in my opinion. He’s a confusing man, and he’s also confused with himself. He wants her; he can’t have her; he must not take her. That’s essentially his over-arcing characterization.
His secret nightly mission, though? Very, very cool. I approve. He’s freakin’ Batman, man.
Shay Sanders, on the other hand, is stubborn, mule-headed, and daring. A curiosity-kills-the-cat type of girl. She dives head first into relationships (even when she proclaims that she’s just having a one-nighter). She’s nuts. A sucker for punishment. But if she wasn’t as headstrong as she is, then we wouldn’t such a kick-ass story.
The ending. Oh lordy. It was a softball pitch that hit me right in the eye. It’s not as twisted as Geissinger’s Perfect Strangers (which is perfect and no one can tell me any different) or Pen Pals (which rates 5,000 out of 5 stars for me), and felt more like a “oops, we need a climax here, so here you go. That’ll do.” Still, though, it’s all the feels.
I’m off now to re-read Liars Like Us. Callum and Emery are still preying on my mind.
Oh, and I wonder why Killian keeps popping up everywhere. Where’s Jules? How’s she doing? God, I miss them. Re-reading Cruel Paradise again for Christmas. Yep, it’s on my list again.
Clearly, I’m in the minority on this. BookTok is a very powerful motivator; it started me with Lauren Asher’s Dreamland Billionaires series. The first book, “Fine Print,” was meh, but I thought, hey, BookTok said that book #2, Terms and Conditions, was better.
It wasn’t. Not to me, at least. Here’s why:
Pros about Terms and Conditions:
Interracial romance. I’m 1000% into this already, especially if it ends in a HEA.
Cons:
It’s boring. Declan’s daddy issues are the same as Rowan’s (from The Fine Print). He pushes out from and pulls Iris into his shit , like she’s nothing. And, the thing that galls me? She keeps letting him do it.
The romance is boring. Zero heat whatsoever. In the first few pages, Declan’s bride-to-be quits 5 minutes before their engagement party begins, and Iris volunteers herself as tribute. Honestly, there’s no heat. Their office romance is…… I have no other word for it, but “boring.” It could be a helluva lot hotter.
He’s a ripe prick. He really is. He needs her, he thinks he owns her, but no, he doesn’t want her, not really. Please. Next.
This is NOT fast-paced at all. It was boring. I repeat, no heat at all. Nothing was happening between the 2 MCs. No sexy times until waaaaaaaayyyyyyyy after the 50% mark. I am of the firm belief that romance should be sparking by the 5% mark, blazing and throbbing by the 50% mark, pissy by the 85% mark (conflict resolution), and joyous by the 99% mark.
Iris’ character is also baffling. She tosses a boyfriend aside, because he dared to propose marriage to her. She has daddy issues herself, with her father being a physical and verbal abuser towards her mother when she was growing up. In fact, her daddy issues led her to avoid serious commitments with her partners, which, in all honesty, is a VERY understandable and extremely faultless reaction/decision. With that being said, she’s attracted to Declan. In fact, she feels comfortable when Declan is a jerk; suspicious, when he’s being nice, which is out of character for him. Declan is an asshole of the highest order; ergo, she has to prove herself to him, as his assistant/subordinate. Poor her, she’s dyslexic, and he was mean to her in the end; he flips his lid on her, says a lot of cruel things, because he is stressed AF. Blah, blah, blah……. GIRL, IF HE’S A MEAN ASSHOLE, WHY DO YOU EVEN LIKE HIM, MUCH LESS, WANT HIM?! I don’t get the appeal at all.
Seriously, somebody should kill off Declan’s daddy dearest.
I stopped with the series. I can’t read Cal’s book. Not now, at least. The Dreamland Billionaire’s daddy is wrecking havoc on his sons’ lives and I’ve had enough of the repetitive drama. Also, Cal is supposed to be super smart, but he’s also lazy, unemployed, cowardly, and boring AF. Why would anyone want that?!
First of all, if you haven’t read J.T. Geissinger’s Beautifully Cruel series and her Queens and Monsters series, then I ask: why?!?!?! Not only are not reading them completely and utterly wrong, but you would HAVE to, in order to enjoy this new series she just started. They’re all interconnected.
Second, I had to go to confession today and fake a sin, because I couldn’t tell my priest that I was thinking too much of a fictional character named Callum McCord. I had to get absolution, but I didn’t want to confess the real reason why. Callum was too hot to talk about with a Catholic priest. He might tell me to check myself into the psychiatric ward for being in love with a crazy, perhaps, even certifiably insane, fictional man. He tattoos her name several times on his body. PERMANENT TATTOOS. He’s weird, incredibly intense, powerful, abnormal…. just…. a lot. One thing he wasn’t, however, was an asshole towards Emery. He made her his queen, even though she didn’t know it. He sounded perfect.
Third, I love Emery. She’s my hero.
Fourth, I don’t got one. I just want to know who the other MCs are for the other Morally Gray books. Oh, and I also want to know how the first meeting went between Emery and Callum’s mother and his other brother. Finally, I wonder who the other Thirteen members are.
Buy your own copy now on Amazon. Hurry. You need this! Check out what my fellow Geissinger fans are saying about Liars Like Us on Goodreads and on Instagram, too. Oooooh, and the author has a playlist!
*This review based on an ARC received from the author, in exchange for an honest review.
Whenever I think I’ve got J.T. Geissinger’s “pattern” down pat, she turns a corner and leaves me in the dust. I really, really thought that Diego would be the next anti-hero in this series. Instead, poor Diego is relegated to that clichéd Latino boy who’s trying to turn over a new leaf: he became a line cook at his sister’s taquería. Or something like that. He’s conveniently lost his memory (pretending), and he’s not a book hero. Ms. Geissinger has even gone so far as to write to us readers, just to say, “I don’t see Diego having his own book.” I gasped.
Never mind that, though. “Savage Hearts” brought me back to life!
Malek and Riley are new characters in the series. Riley is Sloane’s sister, it turns out. They were never close, so that’s why she never appeared in Sloane’s book. Sloane’s depicted as an epically bad sister in “Savage Hearts,” but that’s on-brand for this character. She never pretended to be Princess Aurora, and she never will be, seeing as she’s hooked up with Declan. She tries to mend fences with Riley, though, and thus, Riley’s adventures begin.
And, oh boy, what adventures she’s having.
Malek is, as expected, another one of Ms. Geissinger’s best creations. I swear, she could make any mafia/drug lord that she dreamt up sound hot.
This blog has seriously been lacking in content for the past year. It’s been depressing, peeps, I ain’t gonna lie. I’m waaaaay behind in my reading list (check my Goodreads profile), not because I haven’t been reading anything at all. No, no, no. I’ve been reading, all right. But I’ve just…. been bored out of my fucking mind.
Enter J.T. Geissinger. She’s the only author, I think, that can get me out of a schlump. My other go-to authors? Well, their books are still on my TBR shelf, but they’ve lost their appeal. At least, for me. Am I picky? No. I always want to like the books I buy. I BOUGHT THEM, for crying out loud. But, when I end up getting pissed, or bored, I just feel… cheated.
Okay, sorry. Rant over. On with the review.
“Carnal Urges” (otherwise typed as “CU” in the succeeding sentences) is unapologetically sexy. I’m talking hard-core BDSM stuff. And, yet, it’s sweet. It showcases a tough as nails heroine, who needs no man to save her, and who also collects men as if they’re just accessories. She doesn’t feel sorry for herself; “Practical” is her middle name. She’s aggravating, like nails on a chalkboard, and she’s human. I read a Goodreads review earlier this week (BTW, CU only releases today, June 30th), and it was passive-aggressive as shit. The “reviewer” wrote that she didn’t like Sloane in the first book of this series, but since she likes Geissinger, she’s hoping that Geissinger would change her mind when she finally reads CU. That’s the gist of her review. Now, I usually don’t diss fellow reviewers, but……. jeez. Get a life, girl. Don’t leave a vague and passive-aggressive review like that for one of your supposed favorite authors. That’s just mean. Sloane is ATYPICAL of a romance novel heroine. She’s not sweet and certainly doesn’t have a “oh woah is me” attitude. She’s the real gangster in my book. Her reactions and responses are SO abnormally good, I pray that I would be as level-headed and batshit-crazy as this fictional character was in times of adversity and extreme challenges.
Declan, on the other hand? Well, I’ve been fantasizing about him since Geissinger first introduced him in “Beautifully Cruel.” So, it’s a no-brainer when it comes to what I think of him.
That ending. God freaking damn. I’m hooked, man. Just stick a fork in me, until Diego’s book comes out.
Carnal (adjective): 1) Relating to the pleasures of the body 2) Given to sensual indulgence 3) The man who kidnapped me
Carnal Urges, an all-new standalone mafia romance from J.T. Geissinger, is coming June 30th and we have the steamy cover!
The devil has blue eyes, an Irish accent, and a hatred for me that runs deep.
He blames me for starting a war. Consorting with his enemies. Getting his men killed. Though I’m innocent on all charges, he wants his pound of flesh. With an eye on revenge, he makes me his captive.
But as we’ll both soon discover, there are more powerful urges than that for revenge.
When the devil meets his match but she’s his sworn enemy, that’s when the real war begins.
Pre-order your copy today! Amazon: https://amzn.to/3alNXbg Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/carnalurges
Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3tvJsT2
About J.T. Geissinger
J.T. Geissinger is a #1 internationally bestselling author of emotionally charged romance and women’s fiction. Ranging from funny, feisty romcoms to intense, edgy suspense, her books have sold millions of copies and been translated into several languages, including German, Hebrew, French, Czech, and Japanese. The film & TV rights to her Night Prowler series have been optioned by the BAFTA-winning studio that created VFX for movies such as Avatar, X-Men, and The Avengers.
She is a three-time finalist in both contemporary and paranormal romance for the RITA® Award, the highest distinction in romance fiction from the Romance Writers of America®. She is also a recipient of the Prism Award for Best First Book and the Golden Quill Award for Best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy.
She’s a Southern California native currently living in Nevada with her husband and rescue kitty, Zoe.
Book 1 of Chronicles of the Stone Veil left us hanging. So, I quickly cracked “A Discovery of Secrets and Fate” open to find out what happens next.
I was super eager to find out how Finley and Carrick would ultimately get together. Ms. Bennett, however, took that eagerness and held on really tight on her reins. Character development is the name of this game, ladies. And, honestly, I’m sorta getting into it. Finley and Carrick have a doomsday prophecy to… maybe, break, or thwart. I don’t know exactly what they’re supposed to do, but they’re the MCs in the said prophecy. “Discovery” is like Harry Potter met Percy Jackson in the land of ACOTAR. Dark and light faeries, mischievous gods, daemons, prophecies, magical and mysterious creatures all blended together. One will get to know these, while we all wait for Finley and Carrick’s love story finally starts.
I’m not gonna lie, ladies. The buildup almost killed me, but when I got to the semi-romantic parts, I had to dance a l’il jig. FINALLY! Something’s happening!!!!!
….and ends with a cliffhanger.
Lordy. Three weeks ’til book 3. Seriously. 2021 and Sawyer Bennett are making me count the days 🙂
★★★ NEW FROM SAWYER BENNETT ★★★ This epic journey continues as the dangers grow, the questions mount, and the attraction builds.
Life as I knew it ended the day I accepted my fate.
In its place is an existence even the wildest imagination could never fathom. Strange creatures walk among us, plotting our demise, and I’ve come to find that the fate of our world rests squarely on my shoulders. We’re all in danger and I’m trying to figure out how to make it through each day.
The key to my survival is a man I can’t figure out. As dangerous as the darkest fae, I have no choice but to work with him to stop the prophecy that’s foretold to be the ruination of mankind.
Carrick Byrne continues to be my only source of information, but he doles it out as he sees fit. He intrigues and scares me in equal measure, yet I can’t help but be attracted to him. And the more I discover about him, the more it becomes clear he feels the same.
As we travel to Faere in search of answers, we find that every piece of information leads to more questions, that every question leads to a new piece of the puzzle, and that, most importantly, no one can be trusted.
The more secrets we uncover, one thing is certain— if we have any chance of saving the world, we have to do it together.
A Discovery of Secrets and Fate is book two of the Chronicles of the Stone Veil series and is best enjoyed if read in series order. ————————
About the author:
New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Sawyer Bennett uses real life experience to create relatable stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From contemporary romance, fantasy romance, and both women’s and general fiction, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.
A former trial lawyer from North Carolina, when she is not bringing fiction to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to her very adorable daughter, as well as full-time servant to her wonderfully naughty dogs.
Penny Reid does not disappoint. She’s also unpredictable. Killing off… (insert: checks to see if the blurb says who got offed. Nope. The official blurb’s pretty vague. See it below.) that person was incredibly unexpected. I thought “Marriage and Murder” (henceforth to be known as ‘M&M’) was going to be something quirky like the chickens-related plot in the first book. Man, how wrong I was. I started reading “M&M” at 8pm last night (March 1st, my time). It’s almost 7pm (March 2nd) now, and I’m already yawning. I HAD to finish it to know whodunit.
Speaking of which…………. who did it was. Seriously. I’m still reeling.
Can I just say one teeny, tiny thing, though?
Jennifer’s gotta stop being victimized. I swear. This fictional girl’s got nine thousand six hundred twenty two lives. I’d like to see her be a badass in the next book. Hopefully.
In any case, Cletus and Jenn’s second mysteries book was EPIC. I seriously can’t wait for the next.
The Devil is in the details . . .
Marriage and Murder, an-all new quirky and witty cozy mystery and second book in the Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries from New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid is available now!
Cletus Byron Winston wishes to marry Jennifer Anne Donner-Sylvester (aka The Banana Cake Queen) posthaste! He’s spent the last year wanting nothing more than for the celebrations to be brief, libations flowing, and BYOB (bring your own blueberries). His future mother-in-law has other plans, plans his intended has been willing to indulge, much to Cletus’s chagrin. Therefore, so must he. To a point. But truth be told, he wouldn’t mind if the meddlesome matriarch disappeared, at least until the nuptials are over.
On the night of Cletus and Jenn’s long-awaited engagement party, just when the surly schemer is of a mind to take matters into his own hands, a shocking event upends everyone’s best laid plans and sends the small hamlet of Green Valley into complete disarray. The final months leading up to Cletus and Jenn’s matrimonial bliss are plagued with chaos and uncertainty. Will Cletus and Jenn finally make it to the altar? Or will murder and mayhem derail their happily-ever-after?
And most importantly, who done it?
‘Marriage and Murder’ is the second book in the cozy mystery series Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries. It is best read after Winston Brothers #3, ‘Beard Science’ (which can be read as a standalone) and Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries #1, ‘Engagement and Espionage.’
Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Selling Author of the Winston Brothers, Knitting in the City, Rugby, and Hypothesis series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.
What is it about fictional alpha-type men who have dirty mouths, sexy bodies, and dangerous AF jobs? My reality is 180-degrees away from JT Geissinger’s Lake Tahoe/Manhattan mafia world, and it’s making me feel topsy-turvy. I’m glad to report: I couldn’t be happier! I was glued to my e-book reader for the past 24 hours, but found myself constantly putting the device down, because I was going too fast. Hahahahahaha! I didn’t it to end too early.
“Feminist” is my middle name, but holy macaroni, Kage Porter, please come in and turn my world around in secret. JT warned us in her previous social media posts that he’s got a dirtier mouth than all her other alpha-heroes, but, JT, I. DID. NOT. MIND. She released a NSFW teaser. I read it at work. Guilty as charged! No regrets. After the marathon, red-eyed-but-still-blinking read, Kage is now, in fact, starring in a lot of dirty fantasies. In mine, and I bet in other J.T. ARC reviewers. We thank you, J.T.! Valentine’s Day just got more exciting this year.
Ms. Geissinger has written a two-book series using the mafia-romance tome. This is the first time, though, that the book hero remained to be the head honcho in an organized mob family after he finds his HEA. It’ll be interesting to see what their future would look like. Maybe, perhaps, hopefully, book 2 would reveal their post-HEA a bit more.
Speaking of which, aaaaauuuuughghghghghghgh! Book 2. Sloane and dot dot dot. The next book hero is one we’ve ALL been waiting for. “All,” meaning J.T.’s fan base. Aren’t you one yet? Don’t worry. You can start right here.
From New York Times Bestselling Author Sawyer Bennett comes the Chronicles of the Stone Veil, a five book urban fantasy/paranormal romance series. A departure from contemporary romance, the Chronicles of the Stone Veil is a return to fantasy/paranormal romance, where Sawyer started her fiction publishing journey. Readers can expect to find all the elements they love from Sawyer’s books—strong heroines, alpha heroes, and an epic romance—with a fantastical element to add to their reading experience. You can get the first book in the series, The Revelation of Light and Dark, now!
Details for the Chronicles of the Stone Veil series are below:
From a young age, my mind has been plagued with things only I could see. Some hauntingly beautiful, others completely terrifying. Never knowing if these visions were real or just hallucinations, I learned how to lock them down and ignore them. I learned to take solace in the relative anonymity of city life and find peace in the rainy days my city of Seattle is known for.
But just when I think my life is getting on track and my dreams are achievable, a moment of weakness causes me to learn a hard and fast lesson.
My entire existence has been a lie.
Now I’m faced with a new reality that’s as implausible as it is fantastical. Filled with realms and veils, light and dark, fae and daemons, gods and angels—things I don’t understand but am forced to acknowledge. It doesn’t help that the man teaching me about my unique gifts is the gorgeously handsome Carrick Byrne, one of Seattle’s richest and most powerful men.He intimidates, annoys, and intrigues me all at the same time. I don’t trust him and yet there’s no one else to help me.
No longer certain who to put my faith in, what to believe, or how I fit into it all, one revelation is clear…
The world as I know it will never be the same again.
The Revelation of Light and Dark is book one of the Chronicles of the Stone Veil series and is best enjoyed if read in series order.
The Revelation of Light and Dark is available now:
Sawyer Bennett is giving away a Kindle Paperwhite, a $50 Amazon Gift Card, and a signed hardcover to one lucky reader. Fill out the form to enter to win.
New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Sawyer Bennett uses real life experience to create relatable stories that appeal to a wide array of readers.From contemporary romance, fantasy romance, and both women’s and general fiction, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.
A former trial lawyer from North Carolina, when she is not bringing fiction to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to her very adorable daughter, as well as full-time servant to her wonderfully naughty dogs.
If you’d like to receive a notification when Sawyer releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter (sawyerbennett.com/signup).
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