Snowed In for Christmas by Jaqueline Snowe

Title: Snowed in for Christmas

Author: Jaqueline Snowe

Publisher: Forever 2023

Genre: Holiday Romance

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - The Gym (cheating a bit as I don’t have long romance books, but the MMC is a football coach, so I’m counting it)

Spice Rating: 5

Sorority mom Becca Fairfield is used to guys not taking her seriously. She’s too blond, too quirky, or Just. Too. Much.So she’s ditched dating to focus on her job and a house filled with drama and plenty of tea. Now with the holidays and a major blizzard on her doorstep, Becca has everything she needs to survive the next two weeks on her own. Hot cocoa, plenty of books . . . and the memory of a steamy kiss with a certain sexy, grumposaurus next-door neighbor to keep her warm.

Only Becca’s seriously underestimated this Snowpocalypse. So when the power goes out and Harrison Cooper—football coach, master crank, and the guy who acted mega-awkward after said steamy kiss—offers her shelter, it only makes sense to accept. They’ll just be Blizzard Buddies. Hang out, stay safe, and maybe indulge in a little R-rated cuddling. Becca knows that Harrison isn’t the dating kind, and what happens during the storm lasts only as long as the storm. But are they keeping warm . . . or playing with fire?

Very sweet and a little spicy Christmas romance. I usually hate the miscommunication trope, but this one did not bother me as much. It wasn’t so much miscommunication as no communication. But the main characters fairly quickly sort that out. Plus we get forced proximity and one bed! I do enjoy those tropes a lot. Overall this was a breezy and fun Christmas themed romance for my week.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Role Playing by Cathy Yardley

Title: Role Playing

Author: Cathy Yardley

Publisher: Montlake 2023

Genre: Romance

Pages: 333

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Autumn

Spice Rating: 5

Maggie is an unapologetically grumpy forty-eight-year-old hermit. But when her college-aged son makes her a deal—he’ll be more social if she does the same—she can’t refuse. She joins a new online gaming guild led by a friendly healer named Otter. So that nobody gets the wrong idea, she calls herself Bogwitch.

Otter is Aiden, a fifty-year-old optimist using the guild as an emotional outlet from his family drama caring for his aging mother while his brother plays house with Aiden’s ex-fiancée.

Bogwitch and Otter become fast virtual friends, but there’s a catch. Bogwitch thinks Otter is a college student. Otter assumes Bogwitch is an octogenarian.

When they finally meet face to face—after a rocky, shocking start—the unlikely pair of sunshine and stormy personalities grow tentatively closer. But Maggie’s previous relationships have left her bitter, and Aiden’s got a complicated past of his own.

Everything’s easier online. Can they make it work in real life?

Another contender for Dirty Book Month. While I really enjoyed a story featuring older protagonists, I really really wanted a few more spicy scenes. Those few don’t come until about 70% of the way through the book. If I put that complaint to the side, I really loved following Maggie and Aiden as they navigate life online and in person. We get to see two people who are ostracized from being their shelves by those around them. I rooted for them to to at least be comfortable in themselves by the end of the story. The scenes with Maggie’s ex-hsuband really made me so angry. I was so glad to see Maggie continue to be her honest self. Overall, a really good contemporary romance.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Dragon's Bride by Katee Robert

Title: The Dragon’s Bride (A Deal with a Demon #1)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Trinkets & Tales 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 179

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Haunted House (Monster Romance)

Spice Rating: 6

Briar Rose might have a name out of a storybook, but she learned at a very young age that no prince was coming to save her. She’ll have to save herself. Unfortunately, even that is an impossible task in her current situation—trapped in a terrifying marriage to a dangerous man.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, which is how she finds herself making a deal with a demon. Freedom from her husband…in return for seven years of service.

She expects the service to be backbreaking and harsh. She doesn’t expect to be put on an auction block in a room full of literal monsters and sold to the highest bidder.

To Sol. A dragon.

He might seem kinder than his fearsome looks imply, but she knows better than to trust the way he wants to take care of her, or how invested he is in her pleasure. In her experience, if something seems too good to be true, it certainly is.

Falling for Sol is out of the question. She’s suffered enough, and she has no intention of staying in this realm…even if she leaves her heart behind when she returns to her normal life.

Unlike yesterday’s 3 star book, I liked this one much more. But I still ended up coming to the end of this book with a general air of meh. We first meet the demon bargainer in another one of Robert’s book. I was intrigued but the setup of the auction of the various women in exchange for a favor. I’m glad to read about one of those women’s story in this book. Briar has so much trauma and I really connected to her anxiety and trepidation about getting involved in someone else. Sol creates a safe space for Briar to heal. All of those parts, I really enjoyed. The actual romance I enjoyed less. The sex scenes are often very strange. I don’t mean the monster-human pairing, I’m referring to the tone. The tone is often very weird and I wasn’t quite buying into the sexual attraction. Oh well. Maybe the next one will be more my style.

A Deal with a Demon

• #1 The Dragon’s Bride

• #2 The Kraken’s Sacrifice

• #3 The Gargoyle’s Captive

• #4 The Succubus’s Prize

• #5 The Demon’s Bargain

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Prince and the Apocalypse by Kara McDowell

Title: The Prince and the Apocalypse

Author: Kara McDowell

Publisher: Wednesday Books 2023

Genre: YA Romance

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Beau Boulevard (Read a young adult book of your choice)

Spice Rating: 3

Wren Wheeler has flown five thousand miles across the ocean to discover she’s the worst kind of traveler: the kind who just wants to go home. Her senior-year trip to London was supposed to be life-changing, but by the last day, Wren’s perfectly-planned itinerary is in tatters. There's only one item left to check off: breakfast at The World’s End restaurant. The one thing she can still get right.

The restaurant is closed for renovations—of course—but there's a boy there, too. A very cute boy with a posh British accent who looks remarkably like the errant Prince Theo, on the run from the palace and his controlling mother. When Wren helps him escape a pack of tourists, the Prince scribbles down his number and offers her one favor in return. She doesn’t plan to take him up on it—until she gets to the airport and sees cancelled flights and chaos. A comet is approaching Earth, and the world is ending in eight days. Suddenly, that favor could be her only chance to get home to her family before the end of the world.

Wren strikes a bargain with the runaway prince: if she’ll be his bodyguard from London to his family’s compound in Santorini, he can charter her a private jet home in time to say goodbye. Traveling through Europe by boat, train, and accidentally stolen automobile, Wren finds herself drawn to the dryly sarcastic, surprisingly vulnerable Theo. But the Prince has his own agenda, one that could derail both their plans. When life as they know it will be over in days, is it possible to find a happy ending?

I don’t remember where I saw this recommended, but I do love an apocalypse story so I grabbed it from the library. This was very cute with a great meet-cute and fast-paced storyline. This is YA, but more like New Adult with protagonists that have graduated from high school. I was more okay with that given that the characters were still young adults, but not super whiny. As for the storyline, I enjoyed following Wren and Theo through Europe. It moves quickly without many lulls. This isn’t a deep book, but fun for the week.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Twice Tempted by Jeaniene Frost

Title: Twice Tempted (Night Prince #2)

Author: Jeaniene Frost

Publisher: Avon 2013

Genre: Romance

Pages: 360

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series; Romanceopoly - Fated Folly

Spice Rating: 5

Dating the Prince of Darkness has its challenges . . .

Leila's psychic abilities have been failing her,and now she isn't sure what the future holds. If that weren't enough, her lover Vlad has been acting distant. Though Leila is a mere mortal, she's also a modern woman who refuses to accept the cold shoulder treatment forever--especially from the darkly handsome vampire who still won't admit that he loves her.

Like choosing between eternal love and a loveless eternity . . .

Soon circumstances send Leila back to the carnival circuit, where tragedy strikes. And when she finds herself in the crosshairs of a killer who may be closer than she realizes, Leila must decide who to trust--the fiery vampire who arouses her passions like no other, or the tortured knight who longs to be more than a friend? With danger stalking her every step of the way, all it takes is one wrong move to damn her for eternity . . .

Oh yes! This was exactly what I wanted from this series! The first book had me very frustrated by both Vlad and Leila’s behavior. Thankfully this book starts to break their behavior down and we actually see some growth from our characters. And while we don’t get a happy ending (there are two more books in this series), we get shades of happiness sprinkled in throughout the obstacles and pain. The big mystery really amps up in this volume and I cannot wait to see where this all goes.

Night Prince

• #1 Once Burned

• #2 Twice Tempted

• #3 Bound by Flames

• #4 Into the Fire

Next up on the TBR pile:

Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian

Title: Unmasked by the Marquess (Regency Imposters #1)

Author: Cat Sebastian

Publisher: Avon 2018

Genre: Romance

Pages: 304

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Courtship Row; Finishing the Series

Spice Rating: 5

The one you love…

Robert Selby is determined to see his sister make an advantageous match. But he has two problems: the Selbys have no connections or money and Robert is really a housemaid named Charity Church. She’s enjoyed every minute of her masquerade over the past six years, but she knows her pretense is nearing an end. Charity needs to see her beloved friend married well and then Robert Selby will disappear…forever.

May not be who you think…

Alistair, Marquess of Pembroke, has spent years repairing the estate ruined by his wastrel father, and nothing is more important than protecting his fortune and name. He shouldn’t be so beguiled by the charming young man who shows up on his doorstep asking for favors. And he certainly shouldn’t be thinking of all the disreputable things he’d like to do to the impertinent scamp.

But is who you need…

When Charity’s true nature is revealed, Alistair knows he can’t marry a scandalous woman in breeches, and Charity isn’t about to lace herself into a corset and play a respectable miss. Can these stubborn souls learn to sacrifice what they’ve always wanted for a love that is more than they could have imagined?

I’m a bit disappointed by this one. I had heard great things and wanted to explore a queer romance. This one just didn’t quite land for me and I’m not exactly certain why. Robin/Charity/Robert was a complicated character and I didn’t quite buy their entire motivation. I totally get their identification and nonbinary. I don’t really get their motivation when it came to the Duke and such. Or maybe it was because I didn’t buy the Duke and Robin together. They still seemed mismatched by the end of the book. I wanted a bit more conversation and connection… But I will be reading on in the series as many have said that the second one is better.

Regency Imposters

• #1 Unmasked by the Marquess

• #2 A Duke in Disguise

• #3 A Delicate Deception

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles

Title: The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen (Doomsday Books #1)

Author: KJ Charles

Publisher: Sourcebooks 2023

Genre: Romance

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Rainbow Row; Finishing the Series

Spice Rating: 5

Abandoned by his father, Gareth Inglis grew up lonely, prickly, and well-used to disappointment. Still, he longs for a connection. When he meets a charming stranger, he falls head over heels—until everything goes wrong and he's left alone again. Then Gareth's father dies, turning the shabby London clerk into Sir Gareth, with a grand house on the remote Romney Marsh and a family he doesn't know.

The Marsh is another world, a strange, empty place notorious for its ruthless gangs of smugglers. And one of them is dangerously familiar...

Joss Doomsday has run the Doomsday smuggling clan since he was a boy. When the new baronet—his old lover—agrees to testify against Joss's sister, Joss acts fast to stop him. Their reunion is anything but happy, yet after the dust settles, neither can stay away. Soon, all Joss and Gareth want is the chance to be together. But the bleak, bare Marsh holds deadly secrets. And when Gareth finds himself threatened from every side, the gentleman and the smuggler must trust one another not just with their hearts, but with their lives.

A random recommendation from a library list and it was a good one. We get a great romance between two seemingly opposite character and a big mystery. Sometimes I really enjoy a romance book that has a mystery or an action plot attached to it. We get a little something to propel the storyline forward while exploring a romance. This one was a good mix of the two. We get to meet Gareth and Joss and watch them attempt to find common ground out on the marsh. The setting really was another character in this book. I could definitely picture the surrounding area and the plants and insects that inhabit it. it made for a fun aspect to this historical romance.

The Doomsday Books

• #1 The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen

• #2 A Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

Title: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

Author: Sandu Mandanna

Publisher: Berkley 2022

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 318

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Books on the Cover; Romanceopoly - Journey’s End

As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don’t mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she’s used to being alone and she follows the rules...with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos "pretending" to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously.
 
But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and…Jamie. The handsome and prickly librarian of Nowhere House would do anything to protect the children, and as far as he’s concerned, a stranger like Mika is a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat.
 
As Mika begins to find her place at Nowhere House, the thought of belonging somewhere begins to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn't the only danger in the world, and when peril comes knocking at their door, Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect a found family she didn’t know she was looking for....

Our book club pick for August and it was a delightfully warm hug. We enter into a world full of secret witches and oddball characters all looking for a home. Thankfully they find their home, albeit after a few trials and some periods of self-doubt. I fell for every single one of the characters but I think Rosetta was my favorite. All the characters created their own space and place within the family. We get to see how they all fit together into a beautiful tapestry. I’m looking forward to reading the next book from Mandanna.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton

Title: The Secret Service of Tea and Treason (Dangerous Damsels #3)

Author: India Holton

Publisher: Berkley Books 2023

Genre: Historical romance Fantasy

Pages: 368

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Post Office (Set in a different country)

Spice Rating: 4

Known as Agent A, Alice is the top operative within the Agency of Undercover Note Takers, a secret government intelligence group that is fortunately better at espionage than at naming itself. From managing deceptive witches to bored aristocratic ladies, nothing is beyond Alice’s capabilities. She has a steely composure and a plan always up her sleeve (alongside a dagger and an embroidered handkerchief). So when rumors of an assassination plot begin to circulate, she’s immediately assigned to the case. 

But she’s not working alone. Daniel Bixby, otherwise known as Agent B and Alice's greatest rival, is given the most challenging undercover assignment of his life— pretending to be Alice’s husband. Together they will assume the identity of a married couple, infiltrate a pirate house party, and foil their unpatriotic plans. 

Determined to remain consummate professionals, Alice and Daniel must ignore the growing attraction between them, especially since acting on it might prove more dangerous than their target.

The third in this delightful witty series snuck under the radar for me. I didn’t even realize that there was another in the series until another blogger randomly posted about it. I jumped on adding the book to my library holds. In this volume, we revisit two characters that previously appeared in other volumes. Alice and Daniel were intriguing small side characters in those books and I was excited to see them get their own romance story. The romance itself is very stilted at times, but only because we get to see two very different types of people than th usual romance leads. At many times, I really felt for Alice’s inability to understand the people around her. I loved getting the glimpse into her own thought patterns as we see her wrestle with the case and her complicated feelings toward Agent B. I sped through the volume loving every single page of it. I only wish that we had a bit more spice and maybe some more banter.

Dangerous Damsels

• #1 The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels

• #2 The League of Gentlemen Witches

• #3 The Secret Service of Tea and Treason

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Fine Print by Lauren Asher

Title: The Fine Print (Dreamland Billionaires #1)

Author: Lauren Asher

Publisher: Lauren Asher 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 448

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - The Office (Characters meet at work)

Spice Rating: 5

Rowan
I’m in the business of creating fairy tales.
Theme parks. Production companies. Five-star hotels.
Everything could be all mine if I renovated Dreamland.
My initial idea of hiring Zahra was good in theory, but then I kissed her.
Things spiraled out of control once I texted her using an alias.
By the time I realized where I went wrong, it was too late.
People like me don’t get happy endings.
Not when we’re destined to ruin them.

Zahra
After submitting a drunk proposal criticizing Dreamland’s most expensive ride, I should have been fired.
Instead, Rowan Kane offered me a dream job.
The catch? I had to work for the most difficult boss I’d ever met.
Rowan was rude and completely off-limits, but my heart didn’t care.
At least not until I discovered his secret.
It was time to teach the billionaire that money couldn’t fix everything.
Especially not us

I picked this up after it appeared on a ton of spicy romance lists. Well… it’s not that spicy, but it was a decent contemporary romance. We get an enemies to lovers romance set a Disneyworld-like amusement park. I liked the extra discussions of family and banter-filled workplace scenes. Rowan was a great male lead character. Of course I wanted to see him open up to Zahra and everyone else around him. That part of the storyline was my favorite part of the plot. The romance itself was much more sweet than spicy. The book followed the usual format of no steamy scenes until about 60-70% of the way through. I will probably continue reading this series but not rushing out right this second.

Dreamland Billionaires

• #1 The Fine Print

• #2 Terms and Conditions

• #3 Final Offer

Next up on the TBR pile:

When in Rome by Sarah Adams

Title: When in Rome

Author: Sarah Adams

Publisher: Dell 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Burger Joint (Main character is in the food industry)

Spice Rating: 3

Amelia Rose, known as Rae Rose to her adoring fans, is burned-out from years of maintaining her “princess of pop” image. Inspired by her favorite Audrey Hepburn film, Roman Holiday, she drives off in the middle of the night for a break in Rome . . . Rome, Kentucky, that is. 

When Noah Walker finds Amelia on his front lawn in her broken-down car, he makes it clear he doesn’t have the time or patience for celebrity problems. He’s too busy running the pie shop his grandmother left him and reminding his nosy but lovable neighbors to mind their own damn business. Despite his better judgment, he lets her stay in his guest room—but only until her car is fixed—then she’s on her own. 

Then Noah starts to see a different side of Rae Rose—she’s Amelia: kindhearted and goofy, yet lonely from years in the public eye. He can’t help but get close to her. Soon she’ll have to return to her glamorous life on tour, but until then, Noah will show Amelia all the charming small-town experiences she’s been missing, and she’ll help him open his heart to more. 

Amelia can’t resist falling for the cozy town and her grumpy tour guide, but even Audrey had to leave Rome eventually.

Such a cute little gentle romcom style romance. This was just what I needed to cleanse my palate a bit after a few heavier reads. I sped through this cute little romance rooting for Noah and Amelia right from the beginning. I love meeting the various people in Rome, especially Noah’s sisters. We get a delightful collection of characters to round out the world within the book. I would have liked a little more discussion of the issues Amelia had with Susan and her mom, but the book chose to focus on her romance. The biggest reason that I took off a star was because this one was a bit too Hallmark style for me. I wanted a little bit of steam included. We know that Noah and Amelia have sex, but it’s very quick fade to black the few times it’s brought up. Still a cute little novel.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews

Title: The Siren of Sussex (Belles of London #1)

Author: Mimi Matthews

Publisher: Berkley 2022

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages: 400

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - City or Country in Title; Romanceopoly - Past Eaves (Read the historical romance that catches your interest)

Spice Rating: 2

Evelyn Maltravers understands exactly how little she's worth on the marriage mart. As an incurable bluestocking from a family tumbling swiftly toward ruin, she knows she'll never make a match in a ballroom. Her only hope is to distinguish herself by making the biggest splash in the one sphere she excels: on horseback. In haute couture. But to truly capture London's attention she'll need a habit-maker who's not afraid to take risks with his designs—and with his heart.

Half-Indian tailor Ahmad Malik has always had a talent for making women beautiful, inching his way toward recognition by designing riding habits for Rotten Row's infamous Pretty Horsebreakers—but no one compares to Evelyn. Her unbridled spirit enchants him, awakening a depth of feeling he never thought possible.

But pushing boundaries comes at a cost and not everyone is pleased to welcome Evelyn and Ahmad into fashionable society. With obstacles spanning between them, the indomitable pair must decide which hurdles they can jump and what matters most: making their mark or following their hearts?

I went into this book expecting a story like The Heiress Gets a Duke or Bringing Down the Duke. Unfortunately, we get a very staid book that dragged throughout the entire story veering off onto tangents about the exact details of habit making and horse breeding. Initially I was excited about the main characters and their individual back stories. But somehow, the characters never really connected to me or to each other. Weirdly, I felt like the was a second book in the series. Ahmad’s constant dropping of hints at an entire backstory was teasing. I thought I had accidentally picked up a second in a series book instead of a first. But alas, I was just annoyed about this great backstory that we never got to really hear about. I could have dealt with most of this, but then, we get absolutely no steamy scenes. Seriously, this was a 2 on my scale. Not even a fade to black for us. Not a series that I want to continue.

Belles of London

• #1 The Siren of Sussex

• #2 The Belle of Belgrave Square

• #3 The Lily of Legate Hill

• #4 The Muse of Maiden Lane

Next up on the TBR pile:

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

Title: Part of Your World

Author: Abby Jimenez

Publisher: Forever 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 400

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR; Romanceopoly - Spring (Has an animal on the cover)

Spice Meter: 4

After a wild bet, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich, and cuddle with a baby goat, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s ten years younger than her and as casual as they come—the complete opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis. And yet their chemistry is undeniable.

While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of world-renowned surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. She’s fine with being a “mere” ER doctor. And every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important. Yet letting their relationship become anything more than a short-term fling would mean turning her back on her family and giving up the opportunity to help thousands of people.

Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can’t just give up the joy she’s found with him either. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his?

CW: Domestic Violence, Abuse

Look at that Content Warning. Usually I immediately put a book down if it deals with those topics, and yet I wanted to read this one. I think my ability to attempt it is due to previous success with Jimenez’s books. She deftly handles very difficult topics within her contemporary romance books. In this one, we meet two very different people that eventually realize just what they are missing in life. Alexis is a great character, but Daniel is the real favorite of the couple. I loved his commitment to his town and the people within his life. Seriously, so attractive! There’s a happy ending, but it definitely takes a while for our characters to get there. Along the way, we get very serious events and discussions. I found myself working through the some of my past. Strange cathartic book for me. It’s not super steamy, but a very satisfying contemporary romance.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair

Title: A Touch of Darkness (Hades X Persephone #1)

Author: Scarlett St. Clair

Publisher: Scarlett St. Clair 2019

Genre: Romance

Pages: 353

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR; Romanceopoly - Coffee Shop (Read a book that has been recommended to you!)

Spice Meter: 5

"Let me worship you," he said.

She remembered the words she had whispered to him in the back of the limo after La Rose. "You will worship me, and I won't even have to order you." His request felt sinful and devious, and she reveled in it.

She answered, "Yes."

Persephone is the Goddess of Spring in title only. Since she was a little girl, flowers have only shriveled at her touch. After moving to New Athens, she hoped to lead an unassuming life disguised as a mortal journalist. All of that changes when she sits down in a forbidden nightclub to play a hand of cards with a hypnotic and mysterious stranger.

Hades, God of the Dead, has built a gambling empire in the mortal world and his favorite bets are rumored to be impossible. But nothing has ever intrigued him as much as the goddess offering him a bargain he can't resist.

After her encounter with Hades, Persephone finds herself in a contract with the God of the Dead, and his terms are impossible: Persephone must create life in the Underworld or lose her freedom forever. The bet does more than expose Persephone's failure as a goddess, however. As she struggles to sow the seeds of her freedom, love for the God of the Dead grows—a love that is both captivating and forbidden.

I’m a bit conflicted about this book. I really loved Greek mythology retelling stories and the overall concept of this one really got me. I loved the work that was created with the gods coming down to the mortal world and revealing themselves. How fun! I loved the various gods that we meet throughout the story, especially Hades and Hermes. All of those parts of the book made me want to give this 5 stars. But then we get to Persephone herself and I just couldn’t with her. She constantly tells everyone how strong she is, but turns around at every situation and allows others to decide her actions. She’s just so spineless throughout most of the book that I could not really root for her. And her constant ignorance of how the gods operate really got me. Like I understand that your mom kept you sequestered, but you’ve been out in the world for a few years now. Did you learn anything? Clearly the answer is no. Even her interactions with Hades made it so that I couldn’t really root for her. I will probably keep reading this series, but I’m not the biggest fan of Persephone at this point.

Hades X Persephone

• #1 A Touch of Darkness

• #2 A Touch of Ruuin

• #3 A Touch of Malice

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Dark King by Gina L. Maxwell

Title: The Dark King (Deviant Kings #1)

Author: Gina L. Maxwell

Publisher: Entangled: Amara 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 339

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR; Romanceopoly - Action Avenue (Read a fantasy from your TBR)

Spice Meter: 6

CW: Sexual Assault (off page), BDSM

For Bryn Meara, a free trip to the exclusive and ultra-luxe Nightfall hotel and casino in Vegas should’ve been the perfect way to escape the debris of her crumbling career. But waking up from a martini-and-lust-fueled night to find herself married to Caiden Verran, the reclusive billionaire who owns the hotel and most of the city, isn’t the jackpot one would think. It seems her dark and sexy new husband is actual royalty—the fae king of the Night Court—and there’s an entire world beneath the veil of Vegas.

Whether light or shadow, the fae are a far cry from fairy tales, and now they’ve made Bryn a pawn in their dark games for power. And Caiden is the most dangerous of all—an intoxicating cocktail of sin and raw, insatiable hunger. She should run. But every night of passion pulls Bryn deeper into his strange and sinister world, until she’s no longer certain she wants to leave…even if she could.

I grabbed this one off of the library’s new books shelf. I probably should have at least looked into a review or two before diving in. This story and these characters really didn’t connect for me. I finished the book and had a bit of trouble figuring out just why I was disappointed. After some reflection, I was very disappointed in the power dynamics and lack of communication in the main relationship. I get the Beauty and the Beast-like setup. I okay with the BDSM sex scenes. But the real problem is how much Caiden keeps Bryn in the dark. She never has the upper hand or the dominant position in the relationship until the very very end of the story. I want to see more of a partnership between my main characters. I was also upset that the sex scenes did not being with proper communication. I’m okay with lots of behaviors in the bedroom if both (or more) parties are on the same page. We do not see that here at Bryn. Not a fan.

Deviant Kings

• #1 The Dark King

• #2 The Rebel King

Next up on the TBR pile:

Radiant Sin by Katee Robert

Title: Radiant Sin (Dark Olympus #4)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 2023

Genre: Romance

Pages: 345

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR; Romanceopoly - Killer Crescent (Mystery/Thriller of choice)

Spice Rating: 5

As a disgraced member of a fallen house, Cassandra Gataki has seen firsthand what comes from trusting the venomous Thirteen. But when the maddeningly gorgeous and kind Apollo asks her to go undercover as his plus-one at a week-long party hosted by a dangerous new power player…Cassandra reluctantly agrees to have his back.

On one condition: when it's all over, and Apollo has the ammunition he needs to protect Olympus, she and her sister will be allowed to leave. For good.

Apollo may be the city's official spymaster, but it's his ability to inspire others that keeps him at the top. Despite what the rest of Olympus says, there's no one he trusts more than Cassandra. Yet even as their fake relationship takes a wicked turn for the scaldingly hot, a very real danger surfaces… threatening not only Cassandra and Apollo, but the very heart of Olympus itself.

Another decent volume in this series. I do love returning to the Dark Olympus world and revisiting some of the characters. I wish that we would have had more appearances from past characters, but this one was much more of a limited cast list. Apollo and Cassandra are fun characters and I loved how the relationship between the two grew over the course of the book. We get some great quiet moments between them and some great steamy scenes. I would have liked more steamy scenes, but the ones included were good enough. The locked room mystery was an extra fun angle to the series. And now Robert has announced two more books int he series. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Dark Olympus

• #1 Neon Gods

• #2 Electric Idol

• #3 Wicked Beauty

• #4 Radiant Sun

• #5 Cruel Seduction

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Score by Elle Kennedy

Title: The Score (Off Campus #3)

Author:Elle Kennedy

Publisher: Createspace 2016

Genre: Romance

Pages: 354

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR; Romanceopoly - Library

Spice Meter: 5

He knows how to score, on and off the ice
Allie Hayes is in crisis mode. With graduation looming, she still doesn’t have the first clue about what she's going to do after college. To make matters worse, she’s nursing a broken heart thanks to the end of her longtime relationship. Wild rebound sex is definitely not the solution to her problems, but gorgeous hockey star Dean Di Laurentis is impossible to resist. Just once, though, because even if her future is uncertain, it sure as heck won’t include the king of one-night stands.

It’ll take more than flashy moves to win her over
Dean always gets what he wants. Girls, grades, girls, recognition, girls…he’s a ladies man, all right, and he’s yet to meet a woman who’s immune to his charms. Until Allie. For one night, the feisty blonde rocked his entire world—and now she wants to be friends? Nope. It’s not over until he says it’s over. Dean is in full-on pursuit, but when life-rocking changes strike, he starts to wonder if maybe it’s time to stop focusing on scoring…and shoot for love.

Enjoyed this volume much more than the number two in the series. I had wondered about Dean’s story since he first appeared in The Deal and was excited to finally dive into his own deal. Paired with Allie, whom we met at Hannah’s roommate and happily together with another man, we get a great storyline. This one involves rebound to lover, along with manipulation (not from Dean or Allie, but Allie’s ex-boyfriend), and lots of talk about what to do next in life. Once Dean really started opening up, I was totally hooked on him. Loved seeing all the layers being peeled back. Throughout this entire series, I feel like I’ve liked the MMCs much more than the FMCs. Kennedy writes the men as much more interesting and layered characters. Even though I thoroughly disliked Sabrina when she’s appeared before, I will have to read the next book to get her and Tucker’s story.

Off Campus

• #1 The Deal

• #2 The Mistake

• #2.5 The Pact

• #3 The Score

• #3.5 The Incident

• #4 The Goal

• #5 The Legacy

Next up on the TBR pile:

My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey

Title: My Killer Vacation

Author: Tessa Bailey

Publisher: Avon 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 290

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Sleuth Street (Thriller/Mystery where main character is a detective or PI)

It was supposed to be a relaxing vacation in sweet, sunny Cape Cod—just Taylor and her beloved brother—but discovering a corpse in their rental house has really thrown a wrench into their tanning schedule. Now a rude, crude bounty hunter has arrived on the back of his motorcycle to catch the killer and refuses to believe Taylor can be helpful, despite the countlesshours she's spent listening to true crime podcasts. Not to mention her fulfilling teaching career of wrangling second graders.

A brash bounty hunter and an energetic elementary school teacher: the murder-solving team no one asked for, but thanks to these pesky attempts on Taylor's life, they're stuck together, come hell or high tide.

Myles is just there to do a job, not babysit an amateur sleuth. Although…it is becoming less and less of a hardship to have Taylor around. Sure, she’s stubborn, distracting and can’t stay out of harm’s way. She’s also brave and beautiful and reminds him of the home he left behind three years ago. In other words, the insatiable hunger and protectiveness she is awakening is a threat to his peace of mind. Before Myles sinks any deeper into this dangerous attraction, he needs to solve this murder and get back on the road.

But will fate take her from him before Myles realize the road has been leading to her all along?

Another Tessa Bailey book that I actually enjoyed! Imagine that! This was breezy and light full of fun banter and interactions between the main character and crazy steamy scenes. There’s not much to this book, but it really helped me recover from reading multiple serious books in a row. I needed something that didn’t make me think a lot, but that I enjoyed reading and wanted to keep picking up This is the book. Taylor is a bit of a mess, but a non-annoying mess. I loved her interactions with her brother, but it was the madcap murder mystery that keep me with her character. And Myles is just so darn smoking hot with his surliness and sunglasses. I immediately fell for him! Nothing too ground-breaking, but a great little quick read.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey

Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker (It Happened One Summer #2)

Author: Tessa Bailey

Publisher: Avon 2022

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 353

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Starts with “H”; Romanceopoly - BFF’s House (Friends to Lovers)

Spice Rating: 5

King crab fisherman Fox Thornton has a reputation as a sexy, carefree flirt. Everyone knows he’s a guaranteed good time—in bed and out—and that’s exactly how he prefers it. Until he meets Hannah Bellinger. She’s immune to his charm and looks, but she seems to enjoy his… personality? And wants to be friends? Bizarre. But he likes her too much to risk a fling, so platonic pals it is.

Now, Hannah's in town for work, crashing in Fox’s spare bedroom. She knows he’s a notorious ladies’ man, but they’re definitely just friends. In fact, she's nursing a hopeless crush on a colleague and Fox is just the person to help with her lackluster love life. Armed with a few tips from Westport’s resident Casanova, Hannah sets out to catch her coworker’s eye… yet the more time she spends with Fox, the more she wants him instead. As the line between friendship and flirtation begins to blur, Hannah can't deny she loves everything about Fox, but she refuses to be another notch on his bedpost. 

Living with his best friend should have been easy. Except now she’s walking around in a towel, sleeping right across the hall, and Fox is fantasizing about waking up next to her for the rest of his life and… and… man overboard! He’s fallen for her, hook, line, and sinker. Helping her flirt with another guy is pure torture, but maybe if Fox can tackle his inner demons and show Hannah he’s all in, she'll choose him instead?

Surprisingly, I have really enjoyed this duology. After my first two attempts at Tessa Bailey books failed miserably. Thankfully, I connected with this series and these characters. Fox was an intriguing character in the first book and I’m so glad we finally get to dive into all his layers. Hannah was a slightly less interesting characters. I think I’ve decided that I really enjoy Tessa Bailey’s male characters and her female characters less so. Fox was such a great layered characters. I felt so much with him as he started to acknowledge his own feelings, fears, and desires. The journey was my favorite part of the book. I must say that the steamy scenes weren’t my favorite, but they did their job. With this duology, I may just be open for new Tessa Bailey books.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Come as You Are by Jess K. Hardy

Title: Come as You Are (Bluebird Basin #1)

Author: Jess K. Hardy

Publisher: Pinkity Publishing 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 318

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Set in a Workplace; Romanceopoly - Flirts Corner (Contemporary by an author you haven’t tried before)

Ashley Cooke will do just about anything to save her struggling ski hill. When she hires the men from a local sober living home for the season to cut costs, even she thinks she’s gone too far. With her credit cards maxed, her cheating ex-husband intent on buying the mountain out from under her, and record-breaking snow in the forecast, she can’t afford to be distracted by the six-foot-tall bearded and tattooed sober living home owner moving onto her mountain.

Recovering addict and ex-grunge rocker Matthew Madigan has devoted every minute of the last decade to the men residing at his sober living home. When he meets tightly wound and adorably flustered Ashley, desires he’s put on the back burner for years start to simmer. Immune to his infamous albeit rusty charm, Ashley presents a challenge he can’t resist. When she offers to give him skiing lessons in exchange for his help training her St. Bernard rescue dog, he jumps at the chance to ride next to her on the chairlift despite his debilitating fear of heights.

During bunny hill shenanigans, chairlift confessions, and steamy cabin serenades, Madigan teaches Ashley that a person’s past doesn’t define them, and Ashley shows Madigan that the men he helps aren’t the only people who deserve a second chance. When sabotage threatens both the men and the mountain, Ashley and Madigan will have to decide if they’re only having a winter fling, or if the mountain isn’t the only thing worth fighting for.

Such a beautiful contemporary romance. I am completely head over heels for this one. We get mature protagonists, true communication, very hot sexy scenes, past mistakes and redemption, and some great side relationships and family issues. I picked this one for our book club’s Dirty Book Month in the hopes of a great steamy romance with some substance to it. Thank goodness it delivered. I related so much to Ashley and her insecurities and hang-ups. I literally wrote down a ton of quotes just on that point. I wanted to see her understand her walls and start to break them down with a very sexy man. And then we get to Madigan. I loved his own redemption story and the ways in which he tries to be the best person for everyone around him. He was so easy to love. Mostly I loved how they opened up to each other and the people around them. So many great conversations and true conflict resolution modeled in this book. I also loved how we got to see Ashley and Madigan interact with other people at the resort. The side characters were relatable and definitely set up some sequels for the future. I can’t wait to discuss this with book club next week!

Next up on the TBR pile: