#BookReview: No More Secrets (Blue Moon #1) by Lucy Score

AMAZON

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

#1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lucy Score brings to life the "nosiest small town in upstate New York," Blue Moon Bend, in a charming and compelling, sexy romantic comedy with an intriguing loner on the slow path to healing and an ambitious out-of-towner who just keeps slipping past his defenses.

In the small town of Blue Moon Bend, where everybody is a matchmaker, Carter Pierce just wants to be left alone to tend the family farm. After returning from Afghanistan with scars, his only goal is recovery. He doesn't need any distractions, and definitely not a journalist with tons of good questions and super sharp observational powers.

Summer Lentz is a journalist from the city sent to interview Carter and his family. She's out of place in the small town, with her designer wardrobe and workaholic lifestyle. She asks too many questions and doesn't take no for an answer, threatening to destroy the peace and balance that Carter has been working towards. She thwarts every attempt Carter makes to retreat back inside himself, somehow bringing him closer to being whole again.

Summer has secrets of her own, but she never planned to open up to anyone - let alone the scowling, secretive farm owner whose story she's after. But as she gets drawn into the community, she starts to realize that she can't stay closed off forever.

And what's more, she doesn't want to.

As Carter and Summer grow closer, will they be able to push past the secrets that are holding both of them back?

Content warnings: PTSD, cancer

#BookReview: If the Sun Never Sets (If Love #2) by Ana Huang @Read_Bloom

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ABOUT THIS BOOK:

Five years ago, he broke her heart. Now, he’ll do anything to win her back.

FARRAH

When Farrah walked into her lunch meeting, she didn’t expect to see him.

Blake Ryan.
Her first love.
Her first heartbreak.
And now, her first client as a freelance interior designer.

It’s been five years, but she’ll never forget the way he shattered her.
He whispers pretty words, but she’ll never believe him.
Her body craves his, but she’ll never give him her heart.

Not again.
Not ever.

BLAKE

Money. Looks. A booming sports bar empire.
On the surface, Blake has it all.

But inside, he's haunted—both by nightmares of a tragic loss, and dreams of the girl he once betrayed.

When fate reunites them, he sees it as a sign:
It’s time to get the love of his life back.
No matter what it takes.


If the Sun Never Sets is book two of the If Love duet. It's a steamy, angsty second chance romance with plenty of groveling and an HEA. 

Recommended for 18+ due to profanity and explicit content.

#BookReview: Bespelled (Bewitched #2) by @LauraThalassa @Read_Bloom

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ABOUT THIS BOOK:

“Neither magic, nor time, can keep us apart. We are like the stars. Eternal.”

No one told witch Selene Bowers having a soul mate would be so difficult. Nor did they warn her that he might be a vengeful, ancient sorcerer who would frame her for murder, force her to remember a past life he swears she lived, and then coerce her into an unbreakable marriage pact. But that’s exactly what happens the night of the Samhain Ball, when Selene finds herself in a jail cell. 

After waking from enchanted sleep, Memnon swore to discover why Selene betrayed him long ago. But when his soul mate’s memories return, the truth reveals something else entirely. Horrified by his own actions and desperate to make amends, Memnon offers Selene the unthinkable: a magic bond that will give her full control over his will. And Selene is desperate enough to accept it. 

But other enemies still haunt Henbane Coven, Selene’s magical academy, and they’ve taken a keen interest in her. If she wants to stop them, she’ll need Memnon’s help. But partnering with the sorcerer is a tricky business, especially when he’s dead set on winning her heart. And that can’t happen…because the bond controlling him will break the moment she falls in love with him.

#BookReview: Half-Blood (Covenant #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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ABOUT THIS BOOK:

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi pure bloods have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals--well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.

Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is.

If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.

#BookReview: If the Sun Never Sets (If Love, #2) by Ana Huang

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

Five years ago, he broke her heart. Now, he’ll do anything to win her back.

When Farrah walked into her lunch meeting, she didn’t expect to see him. Blake Ryan. Her first love, her first heartbreak, and now, her first client as a freelance interior designer.
It’s been five years, but she’ll never forget the way he shattered her. He whispers pretty words, but she’ll never believe him. Her body craves his, but she’ll never give him her heart.
Not again. Not ever.

***
Money. Looks. A booming sports bar empire. On the surface, Blake has it all, but inside, he's haunted—both by nightmares of a tragic loss and dreams of the girl he once betrayed.

When fate reunites them, he sees it as a sign: it’s time to get the love of his life back. 

No matter what it takes.

If the Sun Never Sets is book two of the If Love duet. It's a steamy second chance romance with plenty of groveling. 

Recommended for 18+ due to profanity and explicit content.

#BookReview: If We Were Perfect (If Love, #4) by Ana Huang @Read_Bloom

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

Two exes, one house. What could go wrong?

Olivia had a plan: MBA, Wall Street VP by thirty-two, marriage and two children (preferably twins because #efficiency).

Not in her plan? Losing half her belongings in an apartment flood and being forced to turn to her ex for help.

Definitely not in her plan? Moving into said ex’s house and watching him walk around shirtless, bake her cupcakes, and look at her with those smoldering—

Wait, what was she talking about again?

***

Between his bakery and meddling family, Sammy had enough on his plate without bringing the ex he’d never been able to forget into the mix. 

But when Olivia asks for his help, he couldn’t say no. He could, however, make her regret breaking his heart—as long as he doesn’t do anything foolish, like sneak into her room and kiss her senseless… 

As passion slowly replaces their dislike for each other, Sammy and Olivia discover their past isn’t what it seems and their future is anything but certain. Can they overcome their pride and give love a second chance, or is history doomed to repeat itself?

If We Were Perfect is a steamy second chance/roommate romance. It's book four of the If Love series but can be read as a complete standalone.

Recommended for 18+ due to explicit content and adult language.

#BookReview: If We Ever Meet Again (If Love, #1) by Ana Huang

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

One year is all it takes for strangers to become lovers...

19-year-old Farrah Lin is going to fall in love for the first time during her year abroad in Shanghai. She's sure of it.

The only problem? Her would-be leading man is her new friend’s boyfriend.

There’s nothing worse than being in love with someone you can’t have...or at least, she thinks it’s love.

But if that’s true, why can’t she stop fantasizing about someone else, specifically the cocky blond athlete with the world’s biggest ego (and greatest dimples)?


***
Blake Ryan is—was—a college football star who shocked the sports world when he quit after his third national championship. Instead of dealing with the fallout, he escapes to Shanghai, where he vows to keep life simple.

No football. No commitments. No romance.

But no matter how hard he tries, he can’t keep a certain beautiful brunette off his mind...or out of his heart. 

What starts as a physical attraction develops into something much deeper as Blake and Farrah get swept up in the magic of Shanghai—and each other. But they only have one year, and there are forces outside their control that threaten to rip them apart.

Can their relationship survive the test...or was it just not meant to be?

WARNING: This is the first book in a duet. It's a full-length novel with no sudden cliffhangers, but Blake and Farrah’s story concludes in book two, If the Sun Never Sets, which takes place five years later. 

If We Ever Meet Again is a steamy strangers to friends to lovers romance. Recommended for 18+ due to adult language and explicit content.

#BookReview: Say You Swear (Boys of Avix, 1) by Meagan Brandy @Read_Bloom

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

From USA Today bestselling author Meagan Brandy comes the viral TikTok sensation Say You Swear. When Arianna starts college, she's hopeful this will finally be the year she wins the heart of her brother's best friend. But things don't quite go as planned...and that's when she meets football star Noah.

Her brother's best friend broke her heart, but what happens when his new teammate wants to put it back together?

Arianna Johnson has been dreaming of what college life might bring, and it’s finally coming over the horizon as she and her friends plan one last beachside summer together. So much has changed over the years, but there’s always been one constant. The boy her heart returns to no matter where her imagination runs: her brother’s best friend, Chase.

This is the summer she’ll finally tell him how she feels. That it’s him. It’s always been him.

Until suddenly, it isn’t.

Ari’s heart is in splinters when she meets star quarterback Noah Riley. His friendship is exactly what she needs after Chase’s rejection, but from the start, Noah wants more. Even when their path is blurry, even when tragedy strikes, even when Ari doesn’t know her own heart, Noah will fight for the feelings he knows they both have…no matter what it might cost them.

They say first love lasts forever. Ari is about to find out if that’s really true.

#BookReview: If Love Had a Price (If Love, #3) by Ana Huang @Read_Bloom

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

Every heart has a price. 

She offered him $10,000 to seduce her father’s gold-digging fiancée.

He countered with $15,000 and a kiss—from her. At any time he chose.

Kris should’ve said no, but she was desperate to get rid of her stepmother-to-be, and the gorgeous actor with the wicked grin was perfect for the job.

So she agreed to his terms—not knowing that doing so would cost her a lot more than money and a kiss...

—

He did it for the money, which he desperately needed.

The kiss was just a bonus, or so he told himself.

Melting an ice princess like Kris started as a challenge, but by the time Nate realized there was more to Kris than meets the eye, it was too late: he had fallen.

But they’re not just from opposite sides of the track—they’re from different worlds. And when those worlds collide, Kris and Nate must decide whether they’re willing to give up what they have for what could be…

If Love Had a Price is book three in the If Love series but can be read as a complete standalone. It takes place between books one (If We Ever Meet Again) and two (If the Sun Never Sets). No cliffhanger! 

Recommended for 18+ due to adult language and explicit content.

#BookReview: Minx by Sophie Lark @Read_Bloom

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

Ramses Howell is a self-made man. He’s proven he can get what he wants, and from the moment Blake Abbot catches his eye, she becomes his top priority. Blake wonders what took Ramses so long — she knew who he was years before. They strike a deal to play a very specific game. Ramses created the game for Blake. Blake adds rules that Ramses has no intention of following. As fantasy invades reality, the arrangement consumes them both. Blake and Ramses cross lines they swore they never would, and each begins to question what they thought they always wanted.


Lark Notes :
I often write about super-achievers because I’m fascinated by extreme personality types. What drives someone to become a billionaire? The back-and-forth between Blake and Ramses is my favorite. It’s like a fencing match where they can’t stop taking slashes at each other just to see how well the other person parries the strike. They’re on fire because they finally found someone worth fighting but they don’t understand partnership, they only know how to win. – Sophie

"Minx" is a dark contemporary romance and a complete standalone. It is intended for mature readers and contains spicy scenes not suitable for all.

#BookReview: A Photo Finish (Gold Rush Ranch #2) by @AuthorElsie @Read_Bloom

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

I’ve seen every square inch of Violet Eaton’s delectable body and she has no idea who I am.

Until now.

What happened between us online, in our chats, was meant to stay anonymous and in the past.

Until it didn’t.

It’s a small world, but Ruby Creek is even smaller. When I move to the tiny town, the grumpy facade I’ve created slips when we’re forced to live under the same roof.

Every flush of her cheeks, every time her eyes flare with heat, every time she begs me not to stop, the ice I’ve encased myself in melts. She has me wanting things I can’t want. Things I’ve been dreaming about since I first laid eyes on her two years ago—things I don’t deserve.

But my invisible wounds have the power to ruin us both. As a former soldier, I should have the discipline to walk away, but the more I open up to Violet, the more I want to keep her.

I came back from the war a different man, but my scars are older and deeper than anyone knows—and I planned to keep it that way. I planned to keep my secrets hidden.

Until her.

#BookReview: How Does It Feel? (Infatuated Fae #1) by Jeneane O'Riley @Read_Bloom

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

BOOK ONE OF THE INFATUATED FAE SERIES

A forbidden obsession
Unyielding family allegiance
Three deadly challenges

THE HUMAN.
    When a trip into the forest to collect a rare mushroom goes horribly wrong, I find myself falling through a fairy portal and straight into the arms of the Unseelie Fae prince. The dangerously unhinged and handsome Unseelie Fae prince.
   What could be more horrible than that? He thinks I'm an assassin sent by the humans to kill him, not a biologist.
   Determined to kill me first, and rid himself of the human he has unwillingly grown obsessed with, yet also needing to entertain his people, the villain challenges me to three deadly trials.
          If I survive, I gain my freedom. But if not...
The Fae.
    I've never felt anything but hate and loathing until my eyes found hers--the vile human assassin's. She is a parasite that has mercilessly latched onto my mind and won't let me free.
    My hand itches to be ungloved and feel her smooth skin, even though I would never. The Unseelie Fae royals would rather burn than touch a repulsive human.
     I fear that if I do not destroy the girl soon, she may be the only thing that's capable of truly destroying me.

#BookReview: A Strange Hymn (The Bargainer #2) by Laura Thalassa

Synopsis: From bestselling indie author Laura Thalassa comes the newly revised and edited second book in her smash-hit dark fantasy romance between a siren and the "bargainer" she owes countless favors to.

She survived the mad king...but the nightmare isn't over.

Siren Callypso Lillis still wears the physical reminders of her time as Karnon's captive, even after reuniting with soulmate Desmond Flynn, the King of Night. Not only that, but mounting evidence suggests the Thief of Souls, the being responsible for the disappearance of countless fae warriors, is still out there. 

Invited to an annual Solstice celebration, Callie and Des journey to the Kingdom of Flora to continue their investigation. But under the bright lights and striking blooms of the realm, new complications arise, ones that no amount of bargaining can undo. Soldiers begin to go missing from the gathering, and some of the fae begin to suspect Des is the man behind it all. To Callie, one thing is no one is who they appear to be. Not even her soulmate.

Fairies play dangerous games. Some want love, some want vengeance, some want flesh, and some want horrors too unspeakable to name. Something is stirring in the Land of All that Grows, and if Callie isn't careful, it will claim everything she loves—and her along with it.

#BookReview: Gild (The Plated Prisoner #1) by Raven Kennedy

Synopsis: From internationally bestselling author and TikTok phenom Raven Kennedy comes the first book in a stunning new fantasy series inspired by the myth of King Midas, perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas and Jennifer L Armentrout.

The fae abandoned this world to us. And the ones with power rule.

Gold.

Gold floors, gold walls, gold furniture, gold clothes. In Highbell, in the castle built into the frozen mountains, everything is made of gold.

Even me.

King Midas rescued me. Dug me out of the slums and placed me on a pedestal. I’m called his precious. His favored. I’m the woman he Gold-Touched to show everyone that I belong to him. To show how powerful he is. He gave me protection, and I gave him my heart. And even though I don’t leave the confines of the palace, I’m safe.

Until war comes to the kingdom and a deal is struck.

Suddenly, my trust is broken. My love is challenged. And I realize that everything I thought I knew about Midas might be wrong.

Because these bars I’m kept in, no matter how gilded, are still just a cage. But the monsters on the other side might make me wish I’d never left.

Content warnings: Human trafficking, rape/sexual assault on page, sexual harassment, alcohol consumption, infertility, fantasy violence, kidnapping/captivity, emotional manipulation, psychological abuse.

#BookReview: Girl Abroad by @ElleKennedy

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

New York Times bestselling author Elle Kennedy brings her signature angst, drama, and humour to a new standalone romance.

When nineteen-year-old Abbey Bly gets the opportunity to study abroad for a year in London, it's the perfect chance to finally slip out from under the thumb of her beloved but overbearing retired rock star father. She's ready to be free, to discover herself - but first off, to meet the girls she's rooming with. That is, until she arrives at her gorgeous new flat to discover those roommates are actually all boys. Charming, funny, insufferably attractive boys. And off-limits, with a rule against fraternizing between housemates after unwanted drama with the previous girl.

Abbey has never considered herself a rulebreaker. But soon, she's lying to her father about her living situation and falling for not one, but two men she can't have: her rugby-player roommate and a broody musician with a girlfriend. Not to mention, her research for school has gotten her tangled in a deeply hidden scandal of a high nobility family, surrounding her in secrets on all sides.

If there's any hope of Abbey finding love, answers, or a future in London, she'll have to decide which rules - and hearts - might be worth breaking . . .