The Demon's Queen by Katee Robert

Title: The Demon’s Queen (A Deal with a Demon #6)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Trinkets & Tales LLC 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 164

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Paranormal; Cover Lover - Illustrated Scene

Where It Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 7

Eve’s life might not be perfect, but it’s hers. She has money, freedom, and a client list that she’s handpicked over the years. If sometimes she gets a little too attached to those clients? Well, that’s her problem. After a stressful day, she’s looking forward to dinner and a long night with Azazel…until he asks her to sign a contract under the guise of roleplay—and then kidnaps her to another realm.

Azazel has been in love with Eve for years, but he knows his place. The window to offer her a contract has long since closed, so he takes her in the only way he can—as her client. Until one of his enemies realizes exactly how much Eve means to him…forcing him to lie to her to protect her.

Unfortunately for Azazel, Eve isn’t thankful for the protection. She may be stuck in the demon realm with her new captor, but she’s going to make him choke on every moment they spend together.

Too bad her heart is more in the mix than she’d ever admit…

Finally! We finally get Azazel and Eve’s story! I’ve been waiting this entire series for this pairing and it does not disappoint. We get to see a woman who came from nothing and found something like a life who then gets basically kidnapped to the demon realm. But thankfully, her captor is Azazel who, even though he missteps many times, truly cares about Eve. I loved seeing these two characters circle each other before finally professing their feelings. We get great cameos from many other characters in the series. We also get the opposite side of scenes from my of the books adding to the full series story. Sad that this series is at an end, but have really enjoyed the ride.

A Deal with a Demon

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Demon's Bargain by Katee Robert

Title: The Demon’s Bargain (A Deal with a Demon #5)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Trinkets & Tales 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 123

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Quarter of a Century - 2022; She reads Romance - Erotic

Where It Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 7

Lenora made a mistake. She trusted the wrong man, and in a moment of weakness, he stole a family heirloom from her. Her only chance to get it back will be during Samhain, when the Shadow Market opens and magical folk gather for three days to celebrate, and unfortunately she can’t do it alone. She needs a demon.

Ramanu’s entire existence is making bargains. They’re a bargainer demon, after all. They’ve had their eye on Lenora for some time now, so they’re pleased when she summons them to help with her little thief problem…especially because it means spending time in close proximity with her.

Lenora thought she could get away with a bargain that didn’t require seven years of service, but when Ramanu informs her those are the terms, she decides to go it alone…even though the demon wants to tag along to the market. But as the clock ticks down and all Lenora’s attempts to reclaim her amulet fail, making a deal with Ramanu might be the only option she has…

And they might take her heart right along with her soul.

The library finally got this book in circulation, and I finally got it off hold. Thank goodness! I was really hoping that Ramanu would get his own story. This one was a bit different as there wasn’t a bargain made to kick off the story. Instead, we meet a witch who summons a demon to help get back her magical necklace. Lenora is a prickly character, but I appreciate her take charge attitude and Ramona’s soft-boy bodyguard position. The story is super short, but lots of fun and very spicy. Excited to finish out the series with Azazel’s story.

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
#6 The Demon’s Queen

Next up on the TBR pile:

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

Title: Deep End

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Publisher: Berkley 2025

Genre: Romance

Pages: 447

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Sports; Cover Lover - Someone in water

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 6

Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A Junior at Stanford and a student-athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships—at least, that’s what she tells herself.

Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy, Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It’s how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus, with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes.

So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water...

I think I have a love/hate/indifference relationship with Ali Hazelwood. Or maybe it’s that they remind me of reality television style plots and characters. Either way, I was so excited to read this one and dove in (haha puns) immediately. But I once again found myself super frustrated with her characters and the pacing. I felt like we sat way too much in the big confusion section of Lukas and Scarlett’s relationship and not enough time in the actually figuring it out stage. And don’t get me started on how many paragraphs are focused on the technical aspects of diving and her practice regime. Seriously, at least 50% of that could have been deleted with no interruption in the story. I felt like Hazelwood got way too in depth with the sport and not enough into the relationship. At the end I was seriously left wanting so much more for the characters and story.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Never King by Nikki St. Crowe

Title: The Never King (Vicious Lost Boys #1)

Author: Nikki St. Crowe

Publisher: Blackwell House 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 192

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Dark; Fairytale Retellings - Peter Pan

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 8

For two centuries, all of the Darling women have disappeared on their 18th birthday. Sometimes they’re gone for only a day, some a week or a month. But they always return broken.

Now, on the afternoon of my 18th birthday, my mother is running around the house making sure all the windows are barred and the doors locked.

But it’s pointless.

Because when night falls, he comes for me. And this time, the Never King and the Lost Boys aren’t willing to let me go.

Finally picked up this series after my interest in darker romance. I am a bit disappointed, but not enough to stop reading the series. Really this is very focused on the steamy scenes as opposed to plot or really characterization. We dive immediately into the world and have to very quickly understand what is happening without a lot of explanation. As the book progresses, we get some little bits, but then we focus on the physical aspect again. Winnie is not my favorite, but I am very interested in all the men involved. I really want to get more backstories and world building in the next book.

Vicious Lost Boys:

#1 The Never King
#2 The Dark One
#3 Their Vicious Darling
#4 The Fae Princes

Next up on the TBR pile:

Throttle Me by Chelle Bliss

Title: Throttle Me (Men of Inked #1)

Author: Chelle Bliss

Publisher: Bliss Ink 2014

Genre: Romance

Pages: 278

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Motorcycle Club; COYER

Where I Got It: Kindle

Spice Rating: 5

Suzy is a control freak and has her life mapped out. She's content with the status quo, but her plan comes to a screeching halt when he enters her life and turns it upside down.

City gave up on love when his heart was crushed in college, but a chance encounter on a dark road makes him question what he had sworn off forever - a relationship.

A night of passion and lust causes them to question everything.

Is the tattooed bad boy her knight in shining armor? Can their relationship survive when a fantasy falls apart and a secret comes out that could change everything?

I needed a Motorcycle romance to finish out the challenge and thankfully I had this collection just sitting on my Kindle app. I dove into expecting not great, but at least some entertaining romance. And it lived up to my expectations. This is certainly more focused on the sex scenes than the characterization and plot. We get a basic alpha male knight-in-shining armor type character showing the innocent women how to live. Okay fine by me. But I did think that City’s alpha crap got a little too much at times. Making a lot of decisions for Suzy was just not my jam. I like more fun banter and give and take instead of just sex talk and demands. There is a whole series, of which I own at least three others (it was in a collection) that I may or may not read.

Men of Inked

#1 Throttle Me
#2 Hook Me
#2.25 Throttled
#2.5 Resisting
#2.75 Rebound
#3 Resist Me
#4 Uncover Me
#5 Without Me
#6 Honor Me
#6.5 Men of Inked Christmas
#7 Worship Me

Next up on the TBR pile:

Savor It by Tarah DeWitt

Title: Savor It

Author: Tarah DeWitt

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 336

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Heroes Who Cook

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 5

Sage Byrd has lived in the coastal town of Spunes, Oregon (not to be confused with Forks, Washington) her entire life. She's learned to love her small world, with the misfit animals on her hobby farm, and her friendships with the town’s inhabitants. But when her 5-year relationship ends and her ex, town-golden-boy Ian, suddenly gets engaged, Sage needs a win―something that will convince everyone to stop pitying her all the time, and to put Ian in his place. The Festival of Spunes, the town’s annual summer competition, would be the perfect opportunity. She just needs a partner.

Fisher Lange was a hotshot chef in New York City until the loss of his sister left him numb, grieving, and responsible for his teenage niece Indy. When Fisher loses his Michelin star along with his love of cooking, his boss sends him and Indy to Spunes on a much-needed summer sabbatical to consult on a restaurant opening. But when clashes with the townspeople threaten his last chance to redeem himself and a kiss with his new neighbor Sage leads to dating rumors, a strategic alliance might just be the best way to turn things around.

A deal is struck. Sage will improve Fisher’s image in the eyes of the town and remove the roadblocks he is facing with the restaurant, and Fisher will be Sage’s partner for the competition. But as their pact quickly turns into steamy rendezvous, emotional wounds begin to heal, and the pair tries to savor every moment, they start to realize that summer is racing by much faster than they would like...

What a surprise! I went into this book expecting a light-hearted romcom style romance. On one side, this does have a light-hearted romance in it, but it also has a much more serious story of two people finding each other amidst all of their life obstacles and obligations.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Best Cowboy Christmas Ever by June Faver

Title: The Best Cowboy Christmas Ever (Garrett Family Saga #1)

Author: June Faver

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 2020

Genre: Romance

Pages: 352

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Holiday Reads; She Reads Romance - Cowboy Who Loves His Hat

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 4

When handsome town sheriff Derrick Shelton meets Angelique Guillory and her young daughter at the Garrett ranch, he is immediately drawn to the woman who seems to desperately need a true family Christmas. Determined to erase the shadows from her eyes, he decides to give her the best holiday she's ever had.

Angelique Guillory is a woman with a past, haunted by violence and searching for the family she never knew. When she and her little daughter find their way to the Garrett family and meet Derrick, she hopes to have finally found a safe haven.

But Angelique is still looking over her shoulder. Despite her doubts, with a little Christmas magic and the warmth of the Garretts, Angelique may find more love and acceptance than she ever thought possible.

Ooof! What casual misogyny hell is this? But before we get that, my first complaint is that this is apparently the first of a series but also this series is a continuation of a series already published. There is very odd references to the backstories of all the other couples in the story. Even if I had read the previous series, I still think that I would have been annoyed by the constant weird references. And then we get the super weird repetitious scenes of Alphonse back in New Orleans. Instead of increasing the suspense, I was just like “please come to Texas already and attempt to take Gabrielle.” Really the tension just didn’t increase, it pulled me out of the story every time it happened. And finally we get to the casual misogny. I enjoy strong male characters, but these took the “protector” identity to a new disturbing level. The worst part was one one of the wives wants to have a baby and the husband responds that as soon as she can quit her job, they can have a baby. Ugh. I just could not deal with any of it.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Demon's Guide to Wooing a Witch by Sarah Hawley

Title: A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch (Glimmer Falls #2)

Author: Sarah Hawley

Publisher: Berkley 2023

Genre: Romance

Pages: 432

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Enemies; Spooky Reading Season - D

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Meter: 5

Calladia Cunnington knows she’s rough around the edges, despite being the heir to one of small-town Glimmer Falls’ founding witch families. While her gym obsession is a great outlet for her anxieties and anger, her hot temper still gets the best of her and manifests in bar brawls. When Calladia saves someone from a demon attack one night, though, she’s happy to put her magic and rage to good use . . . until she realizes the man she saved is none other than Astaroth, the ruthless demon who orchestrated a soul bargain on her best friend.

Astaroth is a legendary soul bargainer and one of the nine members of the demon high council—except he can’t remember any of this. Suffering from amnesia after being banished to the mortal plane, Astaroth doesn’t know why a demon named Moloch is after him, nor why the muscular, angry, hot-in-a-terrifying-way witch who saved him hates him so much.

Unable to leave anyone in such a vulnerable state—even the most despicable demon—Calladia grudgingly decides to help him. (Besides, punching an amnesiac would be in poor taste.) The two set out on an uneasy road trip to find the witch who might be able to restore Astaroth’s memory so they can learn how to defeat Moloch. Calladia vows that once Astaroth is cured, she’ll kick his ass, but the more time she spends with the snarky yet utterly charming demon, the more she realizes she likes this new, improved Astaroth . . . and maybe she doesn’t want him to recover his memories, after all.

I adored the first book in this series and liked this one. My main problem with the book is Calladia. She’s a tough one to love and I just never got over her prickly exterior. I loved seeing Astaroth in a different light and watch him grow and change throughout the book. Calladia just seemed to blindly punch her way through the storyline until the very end. It was a bit frustrating. Add in the extremely shortened timeline of this plot and it just wasn’t my favorite. I am very intrigued to read book three about Ben the werewolf.

Gimmer Falls

#1 A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon
#2 A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch
#3 A Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing a Vampire

Next up on the TBR pile:

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss #2)

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Publisher: Dutton 2014

Genre: YA Romance

Pages: 339

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - YA Romance; In Case You Missed It - 2014

Where I Got It: Library

From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren't always forever. Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.

And that was pretty much trash… I had mostly enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy even if they were young adult. I am a completionism and dove into this book hoping for some more yearning glances across a courtyard and sweet young love. Instead, we get a depiction of a pretty toxic relationship. All the things that the main characters think are sweet and amazing as in fact very toxic behaviors. The amount of mistrust and jealously all over these pages was immediately off-putting. Through in the absolutely refusal to see the world from anything beyond their own perspective, and I hated it. Added to all that, the sex scenes were super cringe and not just because it was two 18 year olds. They were just very badly described. That book was pretty much a waste of my time.

Anna and the French Kiss

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Next up on the TBR pile:

Illicit Temptations by Katee Robert

Title: Illicit Temptations (Make Me #1)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Harlequin Feature 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 320

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Faking It with the Boss

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 5

What if the one person you shouldn’t want is the one you can’t resist?

Make Me Yours
Becka Baudin gets what she wants, and she wants Aaron Livingston—but only for a quick affair. Weeks later, her coveted freedom starts to disappear thanks to a plus sign on a pregnancy test. Aaron insists she move in to his penthouse and commit to a relationship, but Becka demands he give her space without pushing for more. They are total opposites—with different jobs, interests, lives. But their chemistry keeps pushing them together…for better or for worse?

Make Me Need
Trish Livingston desperately needs her new job. Which means putting up with the world’s grumpiest boss—who is also her brother’s best friend and business partner, Cameron O’Clery. The way he looks at her is pure disdain…but when he touches her, it’s pure fire. With family and business ties at stake, they are not supposed to be together. There’s a fine line between hate and lust, and they are going to cross it…but at what cost?

I got super excited when a new Katee Robert book popped up in the library catalog. I did not realize that this is a repacked, reissue of two novellas she wrote years ago. And so this is two boiler plate romances featuring very traditional cis hetero main characters. I could predict every beat of these stories from the beginning. They aren’t bad, but then again, they aren’t really anything special. Not really my cup of tea anymore. I want something a bit deeper and definitely more intriguing.

Make Me

#1 Illicit Temptations (Includes Make Me Yours and Make Me Needs)
#2 Forbidden Games (Includes Make Me Want and Make Me Crave)

Next up on the TBR pile:

Desperate Measures by Katee Robert

Title: Desperate Measures (Wicked Villains #1)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairytale Retellings; She Reads Romance - Guardian

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 6

Once upon a time, I was a sheltered princess. Now he owns me, body and soul.

One night, and my entire life went up in flames. All because of him. Jafar. As my world burned around me, he offered me a choice: walk away with nothing but my freedom…or rise to his challenge and win my fortune back.

I bargained.

I lost.

Now Jafar owns me, and even as my mind rails against him, my body loves the delicious punishments he deals out. It's almost enough to believe he cares. But a gilded cage is still a prison, and I'll do anything to obtain my freedom.

Even betray the man who captured my heart.

Another romance novel that explores the idea of consent. I was warned off of this book years ago by a friend. I understand her hesitations over this book. The opening chapters are brutal. We are not eased into this story. We have to immediately confront the brutality that Jafar brings to the situation. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read this one, but noticed that this version includes Robert’s footnotes and commentary. I was intrigued, so I dove in. I actually ended up enjoying this novel. We get a progression on a relationship that I wouldn’t want to be in, but plays itself out on the pages for the reader. I enjoyed seeing the communication and boundary lines solidified as the pages pass. Yasmina is such a sheltered character that it hurt to read her reactions in many of the chapters. Once she started to grow, I started to really root for her as a character. The ending was absolutely perfect for these two characters. And Robert’s footnotes add great commentary to the story and her writing process and growth. I hope that the rest of the series will be released in the same way.

Wicked Villains

#1 Desperate Measures
#2 Learn My Lesson
#3 A Worthy Opponent
#4 The Beast
#5 The Sea Witch
#6 Queen Takes Rose

Next up on the TBR pile:

By the Book by Jasmine Guillory

Title: By the Book (Meant to Be #2)

Author: Jasmine Guillory

Publisher: Hyperion Avenue 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 320

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Romance Author (actually works in book industry) Finds Romance; Fairytale Retelling - Beauty and the Beast

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 4

Sometimes to truly know a person, you have to read between the lines.

Isabelle is completely lost. When she first began her career in publishing after college, she did not expect to be twenty-five, still living at home, and one of the few Black employees at her publishing house. Overworked and underpaid, constantly torn between speaking up or stifling herself, Izzy thinks there must be more to this publishing life. So when she overhears her boss complaining about a beastly high-profile author who has failed to deliver his long-awaited manuscript, Isabelle sees an opportunity to finally get the promotion she deserves.

All she has to do is go to the author’s Santa Barbara mansion and give him a pep talk or three. How hard could it be?

But Izzy quickly finds out she is in over her head. Beau Towers is not some celebrity lightweight writing a tell-all memoir. He is jaded and withdrawn and―it turns out―just as lost as Izzy. But despite his standoffishness, Izzy needs Beau to deliver, and with her encouragement, his story begins to spill onto the page. They soon discover they have more in common than either of them expected, and as their deadline nears, Izzy and Beau begin to realize there may be something there that wasn't there before.

Ooof. I think I am not a fan of Jasmine Guillory. I desperately want to like her books, but the two that I have read have just not intrigued me. For this one, the characters seem way too young to be the actual ages they are supposed to be. I found Izzy to be way too naive and grating as a character. I found her to be too much at times. Usually I like the grump and sunshine trope, but this one really fell flat for me. Izzy is too much and Beau gives us nothing. In fact, I was super annoyed the revelation late in the book that Beau had been keeping a secret journal this whole time in which he expressed his love for Izzy very early on. I just could not with that part of the book.

Meant to Be:

#1 If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy
#2 By the Book by Jasmine Guillory
#3 Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Córdova
#4 Tangled Up in You by Christina Lauren
#5 Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Next up on the TBR pile:

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming

Title: That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon (Mead Mishaps #1)

Author: Kimberly Lemming

Publisher: Orbit Books 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 288

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Social Media Rec; In Case You Missed It - 2022

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 6

Spice trader Cinnamon’s quiet life is turned upside down when she ends up on a quest with a fiery demon, in this irreverently quirky rom-com fantasy that is sweet, steamy, and funny as hell.

All she wanted to do was live her life in peace—maybe get a cat, expand the family spice farm. Really, anything that didn’t involve going on an adventure where an orc might rip her face off. But they say the goddess has favorites, and if so, Cin is clearly not one of them.

After Cin saves the demon Fallon in a wine-drunk stupor, Fallon reveals that all he really wants to do is kill an evil witch enslaving his people. And who can blame him? But now he’s dragging Cinnamon along for the ride whether she likes it or not. On the bright side, at least he keeps burning off his shirt.…

This book had been on my radar but kept getting pushed down. Thankfully I grabbed it from the library as it was the perfect read for me this week. I took a little teensy break from the spooky to enjoy some fantasy romance adventure. This is a great mix of genres that reminded me of the movie Romancing the Stone. We get an unlikely pairing on a quest to find (in this case destroy) artifacts. I loved the humor and banter between Fallon and Cinnamon as they enter uncharted territory. The action sequences were great fun and fast-paced. The romance was swoony and very cute. I loved very page of this novel and cannot wait to grab the second one.

Mead Mishaps

#1 That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon
#1.5 Mistlefoe
#2 That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf
#2.5 A Bump in Boohail
#3 That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Succubus's Prize by Katee Robert

Title: The Succubus’s Prize (A Deal with a Demon #4)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Trinkets & Tales 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 182

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Paranormal Romance; Spooky Season - S

Where It Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 6

Belladonna was born wrong. At least that’s what her parents, religious community, and even her beloved sister believe. Walking away from the church hasn’t helped her come to terms with her purpose in life, and when her sister is diagnosed with cancer, Belladonna has nowhere to turn…until a demon offers her a deal.

After agreeing, nothing is like she expects. There’s no fiery hell to speak of. Her soul seems to still be her own. All she’s required to do is serve. When she’s auctioned off to Rusalka, a powerful and ruthless succubus, her confusion only grows. Rusalka surprises her at every turn, even refusing to allow Belladonna to bear a child that would benefit the entirety of their territory.

Rusalka has sacrificed everything for their people. There are no lengths they won’t go to as leader…but they see something of themself in Belladonna, a familiarity that tempts beyond anything they could have dreamed. They want to keep her.

But if Belladonna can’t release her shame and step into a future where she’s living for herself instead of in service to others… Things may be over even before they begin.

Ooof this one was a hard one! Belladonna is full of religious trauma and shame. There were times that I wanted to put this book down because it was hard to read. It feels like one big therapy session. I enjoyed Belladonna’s side of the story. I enjoyed seeing her grown and come into her own identity. I enjoyed seeing her stand up to Rusalka and the bargainer demons. I didn’t love Rusalka’s side of the story. She just didn’t really have much of a background to build off of. I would have like to see more from the community and her interactions with other members of the court. I am interested in this series to see what Robert tackles next, but I don’t love this series.

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
#6 The Demon’s Queen

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dark Restraint by Katee Robert

Title: Dark Restraint (Dark Olympus #7)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Sourcebooks 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 320

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; She Reads Romance - Male Virgin Hero

Spice Rating: 6

Ariadne Vitalis is in trouble. She's betrayed her father—and his dangerous benefactor—and now she's left to rely on Olympus' questionable mercy. But in this city, mercy comes with a price. For Ariadne, that means a sham marriage to Dionysus. She has no choice but to agree, even if there's only one man she's ever wanted—a man she fears just as much as she desires.

The Minotaur never had any illusions about Minos's plans. He was willing to get his hands dirty as long as the old man kept his word—at the end of their bloody work, the Minotaur would be given Ariadne as a reward. She's meant for him, and he intends to have her, no matter the cost.

Ariadne knows better than to encourage the Minotaur—she's all too aware of how hot a passion like theirs can burn. Besides, she can never forgive him for the terrible things he's done, and he can never change. But when his hands are on her body and his wicked words are whispered in her ear, she might just be willing to let all of Olympus burn…

I’m really not have any luck with my reads this week. I adore Katee Robert and usually find her books, even the ones I don’t absolutely love, to be engaging and interesting. I appreciate how she explores different types of people and relationships. But this one really missed the mark for me. I just couldn’t get over how incredibly controlling and “alpha” The Minotaur was throughout. The sex scenes didn’t demonstrate enthusiastic consent or even mutual respect. I never did buy Asterion and Ariadne as a couple. Really, I kept reading this one for the background storyline about the coming war between Circe and Olympus. Those sections kept me from putting this one down and walking.

Dark Olympus

#0.5 Stone Heart
#1 Neon Gods
#1.5 Hades and Hades
#2 Electric Idol
#2.5 Zeus and Hera
#3 Wicked Beauty
#4 Radiant Sun
#5 Cruel Seduction
#6 Midnight Ruin
#7 Dark Restraint
#8 Sweet Obsession
#9 Untitled
#10 Untitled

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dark Succession by Katee Robert

Title: Dark Succession (previously published as The Marriage Contract) (The O’Malleys #1)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Forever 2015

Genre: Romance

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER; She Reads Romance - Mafia Romance

Spice Rating: 5

Teague O'Malley hates pretty much everything associated with his family's name. And when his father orders him to marry Callista Sheridan to create a "business" alliance, Teague's ready to tell his dad exactly where he can stuff his millions. But then Teague actually meets his new fiancée, sees the bruises on her neck and the fight still left in her big blue eyes, and vows he will do everything in his power to protect her.

Everyone knows the O'Malleys have a dangerous reputation. But Callie wasn't aware just what that meant until she saw Teague, the embodiment of lethal grace and coiled power. His slightest touch sizzles through her. But the closer they get, the more trouble they're in. Because Callie's keeping a dark secret-and what Teague doesn't know could get him killed.

I finally started reading one of Robert’s earlier series. This is contemporary mafia romance is it not my usual genre. Still, I will try anything Robert writes. Overall we get a good spicy enemies to lovers romance with added suspense and action. I enjoyed getting to know the O’Malleys although I mustt say that Teague isn’t my favorite so far. I did enjoy Teague and Callie’s dynamic as they navigate their families. I think this will be one of those series that doesn’t stay with me forever, but is entertaining to read in between other books.

The O’Malleys

#1 The Marriage Contract / Dark Succession
#2 The Wedding Pact / Heated Rivals
#3 An Indencent Proposal / Twisted Secrets
#4 Forbidden Promises / Beautiful Vengeance
#5 Undercover Attraction / Lovely Corruption
#6 The Bastard’s Bargain / Ruthless Redemption

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Book of Scandal by Julia London

Title: The Book of Scandal

Author: Julia London

Publisher: Pocket Books 2008

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages: 360

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; She Reads Romance - Second Chance

Spice Rating: 4

Nathan Grey, the Earl of Lindsey, is infamously known as the Libertine of Lindsey for his scandalous ways with women. But when he hears gossip that his estranged wife, Evelyn, is about to be named in The Book of Scandal, he has no choice but to remove her from London to protect her and himself from charges of treason -- even if it calls for abduction! While Evelyn has no legal recourse against the man who broke her heart years ago but is still considered her lord and master, she is no longer the immature girl Nathan married. Her enforced homecoming quickly turns into a battle of wills that tears down her husband's defenses and lays bare the passion that still burns between them. Before it is too late, Nathan must confront powerful adversaries as he convinces Evelyn that she is not only his wife, but the one woman he will love for all time.

Another absolute dud of a book for me. This has been sitting on my Unread Shelf for a few years. I finally dive and absolutely hate it. This is a second chance romance that I could have gotten behind if not for how the infidelity was handled. Now cheating is one of my deal breakers. The setup of why it was introduced in this story I understood. It was the reconciliation that I hated. Evelyn thinks about maybe cheating with a man and spends the rest of the book begging and pleading Nathan for forgiveness. Nathan actually has sex with multiple women and absolutely nothing. It’s just swept under the rug because apparently not having an emotional connection with those women makes it okay and you know “men have needs.” Nope nope nope. I am very much out of this series. Removing the other two from my unread shelf. Done.

The Scandalous Series

#1 The Book of Scandal
#2 Highland Scandal
#3 A Courtesan’s Scandal

Next up on the TBR pile:

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

Title: Just for the Summer (Part of Your World #3)

Author: Abby Jimenez

Publisher: Forever 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 432

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; She Reads Romance - Romantic Comedy

Spice Rating: 4

Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it's now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They'll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work.

Emma hadn't planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.

It's supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected--including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?

Another satisfying contemporary romance. Abby Jimenez is one of my go-tos for the simple fact that she writes real people. I feel like I could go and get coffee with any of her characters and it would feel real. I thoroughly enjoyed the romance between Emma and Justin. They are an effortless couple when together. I loved seeing them connect and then work through the hard parts. I loved Sloane’s friendship with Maddy and seeing them grow as friends. I absolutely hated the way that Emm’a mother treated her throughout her life. Truly not a good person at all. I had to take off a point for the absolutely bonkers twist/connection to other books. I thought it was very clunky. Still, I’ll try another Jimenez publishes.

Part of Your World

#1 Part of Your World
#2 Yours Truly
#3 Just for the Summer

Next up on the TBR pile:

Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

Title: Butcher and Blackbird (Ruinous Love #1)

Author: Brynne Weaver

Publisher: Slowburn 2023

Genre: Romance

Pages: 360

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; She Reads Romance - Romantic Suspense

Spice Rating: 5 1/2 (due to all the murder)

When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, they find something elusive—the friendship of two like-minded, pitch-black souls who just happen to enjoy killing otherserial killers.

From small-town West Virginia to upscale California, and from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country.

But as their friendship develops into something more, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than just their newfound love.

Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves?
Or have they finally met their match?

A friend chatted with me about this book thinking that I had recommended it to her. In fact, she just recommended it to me! This book is not for everyone. It is a blend of spicy romance and murder on the page. Read the summary above; that’s what you get. Rowan and Sloane hunt and kill serial killers. They are killers. They find fulfillment and success in life from taking out the worst people they can find. Along the way, they fall in love. I absolutely loved this one. We get great banter and sexual tension. We get a guy who falls first and has to convince the girl he’s worth it. We get a strong independent woman who is only with the guy because she wants him around. And oh boy, we get glimpses into the lives of Rowan’s brothers. I finished this one and immediately went and bought it and the sequel.

Ruinous Love

#1 Butcher and Blackbird
#2 Leather and Lark
#3 Scythe and Sparrow

Next up on the TBR pile:

Bookshop Cinderella by Laura Lee Guhrke

Title: Bookshop Cinderella (Scandal at the Savoy #1)

Author: Laura Lee Guhrke

Publisher: Forever 2023

Genre: Romance

Pages: 323

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Chosen by Its Cover; Fairytales - Cinderella

Spice Rating: 4.5

Evie Harlow runs a quaint little bookshop in London, which is the biggest adventure an unmarried woman with no prospects could hope for. Until Maximillian Shaw, Duke of Westbourne, saunters into her shop with a proposition: to win a bet with his friends, he’ll turn her into the diamond of the season. The duke might be devilishly attractive, but Evie has no intention of accepting his ludicrous offer. When disaster strikes her shop, however, she’s left with little choice but to let herself be whisked into his high-society world.

Always happy to help a lady in distress, Max thinks he’s saving Evie from her dull spinster’s life. He’ll help her find a husband and congratulate himself on a job well done. But as shy Evie becomes the shining star he always knew she could be, she somehow steals his heart. And when her reputation is threatened, can Max convince her to choose a glittering, aristocratic life with him over the cozy comfort of her bookshop?

I needed a Cinderella retelling and just loved this cover so much (Check out that dress) that I had to check it out. Thankfully this was a good historical romance for the week. Evie is a great foil for the Duke and his high and mightyness. There's a lot of fun back and forth in this story with some great banter. The actual romance bits came a bit too late for my tastes, but were decent. I just wish we would have gotten more of Evie and Max after they start a relationship.

Scandal at the Savoy

#1 Bookshop Cinderella
#2 Lady Scandal

Next up on the TBR pile: