Review: King of Lies (Whitney G.)

King of Lies
Series: Empire of Lies, #1
Author: Whitney G.
Publication Date: January 30, 2020
Publisher: WGW Books, LLC
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

The man I fell in love with is a f*cking liar…
I don’t have much time to reveal all the details, but I will say this: The “Woman disappears after wedding” and “Woman flees before honeymoon” headlines are lying.
I’m not missing.
I didn’t run away after my wedding.
I would’ve never run away right before our scheduled honeymoon.
My husband has taken me.
No, correction: He’s kidnapped me because he claims that “it’s what’s best”. That I’m a mere pawn in his twisted game of chess.
Despite the fact that my heart is still tethered to his, or the fact that he’s still the most gorgeous and beautiful man I’ve ever met in my life (he can still make me wet with a single sentence), I have to focus on getting away from him.
I have to accept that he’s no longer the man I fell in love with.
He’s the king of lies


After the opening of King of Lies, all I could think was, “Oh, wow.” I was so curious about how Meredith ended up in the situation she was in with her husband holding her captive. As the story went on and revelations started coming, the more hooked I became to the story. It was truly fascinating. This romance isn’t something I’m used to reading from Whitney G. It’s her addictive romantic writing style, but it was also slightly erotic and all sorts of twisty thriller-ish. I loved it. I can’t wait to read the next installment, Queen of Lies.

Mini Reviews: Boss Man Bridegroom (Quinn) & Riven Knight (Perry)

Boss Man Bridegroom
Author: Meghan Quinn
Publication Date: January 23, 2020
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

My thoughts:

Boss Man Bridegroom was absolutely adorable. It had the humor and romance I have come to expect from Meghan Quinn. Rath was uptight, but also super sweet. Charlie was extra in the best way. I loved every minute of them falling in love. If you love fake relationships that turn real or office romances, this book is for you. If you’re unfamiliar with Meghan Quinn’s writing, but love a good romantic comedy, you could start with this book. Or you could do yourself a favor and start with Diary of a Bad Boy and then read The Secret to Dating Your Best Friend’s Sister before reading this one. Each book is a ton of fun and they feature three male best friends finding love.

Riven Knight
Series: Tin Gypsies, #2
Author: Devney Perry
Publication Date: January 21, 2020
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

My thoughts:

I liked Riven Knight even more than Gypsy King. It started out much quicker for me and I immediately bonded with the characters. Genevieve and Isaiah’s story was kind of a slow burn filled with all sorts of sexual tension. I loved how they navigated their new situation. I liked the mystery aspect of things. The only thing I wasn’t a fan of was probably one of the biggest twists because I didn’t think it needed to go there…but that’s my personal opinion. Overall, a great addition to this new series.

Review: Cowboy Villain Damsel Duel (Ginger Zcott)

Cowboy Villain Damsel Duel
Author: Ginger Scott
Publication Date: January 30, 2020
Genre: Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary
Note: This review is for an ARC provided by WordSmith Publicity and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

RIVERDALE meets INCEPTION in this twisty and unique YA coming-of-age romance.

Quarterback.
Class president.
Burnout.
We all have our identities.
Most of the time, they come from our circumstances. They’re made by others—shoes for us to walk in whether they fit or not.
But what if?
What if we could take off those shoes.
What if we could wear a different pair?
What if those boxes we put ourselves in are better…worse?
And what if, when we do…we’re trapped there for good?
They all call me Cowboy.
She’s the damsel who doesn’t need to be rescued.
And him…he’s the villain.
This is our story. And this is how we want it to be told.


I don’t know where to start with Cowboy Villain Damsel Duel. I have so much to say about it…that I can’t say about it because I would spoil the entire thing for you. What I will say is that it’s unlike anything Ginger Scott’s ever written and maybe even unlike anything else I’ve read before. It truly was “A Ginger Scott Experience“.

How did I feel about Cowboy Villain Damsel Duel? Short answer: I was mind blown. Long answer: I started out thinking things would go one way. Then there was a twist and I thought things were going another way. Repeat that scenario a bunch and I was so confused, but in a good way. I don’t think I truly figured out where this incredibly addictive, utterly unique story was taking me up until almost the very end. I’m going to be thinking about this book for a long time. It’s just… WOW.

Review: Frenemies (Emma Hart)

Frenemies
Author: Emma Hart
Publication Date: January 28, 2020
Publisher: Emma Hart
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

There are some things you just have to deal with. Like your hot as hell college booty call moving in next door with his adorable daughter. The only time we’ve ever gotten along is under the sheets. Old habits die hard because two minutes on my front porch is how long it takes us to bicker. Not that a little fact like that bothers my healthy, eighty-year-old grandmother and roommate who’s determined to see me married before she bites the dust. Unfortunately for me, she’s got her eye set on Mason Black. She’s barking up the wrong tree. He’s not The One, no matter how much I swoon when I see him with his daughter. I have no intentions of rekindling anything with him—until a rubber spider in my mailbox starts off the mother of all neighborhood prank wars, just like the ones we had in college, and throws me right into his path. One that leads right to his bedroom…


Frenemies did in 160 pages what some books can’t do in 400. It told a complete love story filled with just the right amount of banter and hilarious hi-jinks. I loved Mason and his daughter Maya. I adored Imogen and her crazy Grandma Jen. I was invested in the romance from the beginning until the very end. There wasn’t really any angst or drama. This novella was just a fun filled read. It’s great for anyone looking for a quick, light romantic read.

Review: Heartland (Sarina Bowen)

Heartland
Series: True North, #7
Author: Sarina Bowen
Publication Date: January 28, 2020
Publisher: Tuxbury Publishing LLC
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Synopsis:

An emotional friends to lovers romance full of risky secrets and late-night lessons in seduction.


Dylan is my best friend, and the only person in my life who understands me. He doesn’t mind my social awkwardness or my weird history. The only glitch? He doesn’t know that I’ve been hopelessly, desperately in love with him since the first day we picked apples together in his family’s orchard.
But I know better than to confess.
Now that we’re both in college together, I’m seeing a new side of him. College Dylan drinks and has a lot of sex. None of it with me.
Until the night I foolishly ask him to tutor me in more than algebra…and he actually says yes.
But the cool morning light shows me how badly I’ve endangered our friendship. And I don’t know if anything will be the same again.


From the moment I opened Heartland, I felt like I was back where I needed to be. Reading a True North novel is like coming home. Well, all of Sarina Bowen’s books feel like coming home to me, but especially this series. There’s just something about small farm town Vermont that makes me feel all warm and gooey inside.

I normally start out a review with what I love about a book, but with Heartland I’m going to start with the one and only thing that drove me a little nuts. If you’re a fan of this series, then you know Dylan Shipley is a man who likes the ladies. He’s a commitment-phobe. There’s some other woman drama in the beginning of this book that made me cringe. It wasn’t so much that it made me want to stop reading. It did make me question Chastity’s sanity a bit.  BUT, as a diehard Bowen fan, I knew she had a path in this romance that would lead me to happiness, and it did.

Despite Dylan’s wild woman ways, I still loved his character. Mrs. Shipley only raises the best of children, and Dylan was a guy who really cared about people — especially Chastity. (She’s the girl who ran away from the cult and is now neighbors with the Shipleys.) He had some stuff to work out in this book, but I loved how it all came together for him.

Chastity was a breath of fresh air when it comes to sheltered, virginal young women characters. I loved how she challenged the beliefs she was raised with and came to terms with how she viewed sex and relationships. This book was sex positive in ways I wasn’t expecting and loved.

Dylan and Chastity’s romance is one of those book romances where you can’t wait for them to get together because you’re already invested in them as characters from previous books. It wasn’t an easy road to romance, but it was one that was appreciated because of all the prior knowledge I had of them, their families, and the town they grew up in. That’s not to say you couldn’t enjoy it without reading the previous six books, it was just more fun having had the knowledge to understand and love the characters despite their flaws.

As for the rest of the Shipleys and friends… All of my old favorites were around to spend some time with Dylan and Chastity. I love how they were woven into the story. There were also a couple of newer characters that I loved meeting. I’m pretty sure Sarina Bowen gave us some hints at what’s next in the True North series, and I honestly can’t wait!

Heartland was a great trip “home” to Vermont. Despite a few reservations at first, I ended up truly loving Dylan and Chastity’s romance. It was sweet with moments of humor and a couple of tears. If you’re a fan of this series, you will love finding out how they get their HEA.

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten of My Favorite Book Covers

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is:

Book Cover Freebie (choose what kind(s) of covers you want to talk about: prettiest, most unique, most misleading, weirdest, most memorable, creepiest, ugliest, etc.)

I’m going with:

Ten of My Favorite Book Covers
1. Marrow
Author: Tarryn Fisher

Why: There’s a woman and if you look closer hair and clothes are made up of the setting of the story. It’s just so cool.

2. This Adventure Ends
Author: Emma Mills

Why: All of Emma Mills’s covers are gorgeous like this. It’s even prettier in person. The colors and movement pop.

3. Beard Science
Author: Penny Reid

Why: The whole cross-stitched cover of a bearded man fits so well with this quirky romance.

4. Fallen Crest Forever
Author: Tijan

Why: Beautiful butterflies and a grassy meadow with one of my favorite couples. What’s not to love?

5. Bad Mommy (AKA: I Can Be A Better You)
Author: Tarryn Fisher

Why: A woman who looks almost dead in a fancy dress falling onto train tracks made me wonder what’s going on in this story. I also just loved the image.

6. Ryan’s Bed
Author: Tijan

Why: It’s just pretty.

7. Left Drowning
Author: Jessica Park

Why: There’s something so simple and understated about a girl sitting in water and then a title of Left Drowning. You can feel her despair.

8. Ten Tiny Breaths
Author: K.A. Tucker

Why: I love the contrast of the blue water, white dress, and red hair. Gorgeous.

9. Next Year in Havana
Author: Chanel Cleeton

Why: It’s just the subtle beauty of it and the colors pop.

10. The Guy on the Right
Author: Kate Stewart

Why: It’s just so funny and perfect for the title.

Review: Marriage on Madison Avenue (Lauren Layne)

Marriage on Madison Avenue
Series: Central Park Pact, #3
Author: Lauren Layne
Publication Date: January 28, 2020
Publisher: Gallery Books
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Synopsis:

From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Layne, the “queen of witty dialogue” (Rachel Van Dyken, New York Times bestselling author), comes the final installment of the Central Park Pact series, a heartfelt and laugh-out-loud romantic comedy that’s perfect for fans of Sally Thorne and Christina Lauren.

Can guys and girls ever be just friends? According to Audrey Tate and Clarke West, absolutely. After all, they’ve been best friends since childhood without a single romantic entanglement. Clarke is the charming playboy Audrey can always count on, and he knows that the ever-loyal Audrey will never not play along with his strategy for dodging his matchmaking mother—announcing he’s already engaged…to Audrey.

But what starts out as a playful game between two best friends turns into something infinitely more complicated, as just-for-show kisses begin to stir up forbidden feelings. As the faux wedding date looms closer, Audrey and Clarke realize that they can never go back to the way things were, but deep down, do they really want to?


Lauren Layne ended her popular Central Park Pact series on a high note with Marriage on Madison Avenue. Audrey and Clark’s romance was other readers might have been wanting since the very beginning on the series, but it was one I didn’t know I needed until I read it. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good friends to lovers romance. I also know Lauren Layne excels at that type of story. I just didn’t pick up romance vibes between Audrey and Clark prior to reading this book.

That’s actually a cool statement because Audrey and Clark didn’t feel the vibes until Marriage on Madison Avenue either. Nothing like a little fake engagement between best friends to put things in perspective. I loved the way they navigated their new feelings for each other and how their relationship changed with this engagement. The only thing that would have made it better for me was if the book had been in first person instead of third. I would have connected to it even more than I already did.

Marriage on Madison Avenue was a very sweet fake relationship romance between best friends. I wouldn’t have expected anything less from Lauren Layne. I can’t wait to read what she’s got coming next!

Review: King of the Causeway (T.M. Frazier)

King of the Causeway
Series: King, #9.5
Author: T.M. Frazier
Publication Date: January 9, 2020
Publisher: Frazier Publishing
Genre: Dark Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, New Adult

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

A massive hurricane looms off the coast of Florida while a different kind of storm is brewing in Logan’s beach.
A mysterious newcomer is vying for the title of King of the Causeway. He’ll do anything to steal the crown, including bringing someone back from King’s past who will threaten a lot more than the title King has spent his lifetime earning.
A hurricane is coming.
And it could destroy everything.
(This novella features King & Ray from King & Tyrant)


King of the Causeway was a fun return to the King series. I loved being back in King and Ray’s relationship. It was also fun to get glimpses of other beloved characters from this series. I do wish it would have been a full-length novel because there was a lot going on that could have had more attention placed on it and some things happened so quickly it was almost unbelievable, but overall, it didn’t really matter. This was still a good addition to the series.

Note: King of the Causeway MUST be read after the first 9 books in this series, or you WILL be spoiled. Each series within this series has some great revelations that you wouldn’t want to miss out on.

Review: Whatever It Takes (Krista & Becca Ritchie)

Whatever It Takes
Series: Bad Reputation Duet, #1
Authors: Krista & Becca Ritchie
Publication Date: January 21, 2020
Publisher: K.B. Ritchie
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Call me what you want: Bad Boy Next Door. Trouble. That Kid Who Can’t Do Anything Right.

When Willow moves into my neighborhood, nothing should have happened. She’s geeky. Shy. A true wallflower.

Willow is a good girl.
Too good for me.

And how the hell was I supposed to know that she’s related to Loren Hale—yeah, that douchebag celebrity that lives on my street. The same guy I’ve been pranking by spray painting vulgar words on his mailbox and worse. Much worse.

Don’t ask me why I do the things I do.
Don’t ask me why it had to be her.

I’m cursed. Simple as that. But here’s the thing about people who are cursed—they break everything they touch.

And yet. . .I still want to touch her. ​

Whatever It Takes is the first book in the Bad Reputation Duet and can be read and enjoyed without reading any of Krista & Becca’s other novels.

My thoughts:

Today, I’m reviewing the first book in Krista & Becca Ritchie’s Bad Reputation Duet. The Bad Reputation Duet is a spin-off of the Addicted/Calloway Sisters series. Technically, you can read this duet without having read the first series. There are some minor spoilers, but not anything too staggering. That said, I would highly recommend you read the Addicted/Calloway Sisters series first because 1. it’s amazing and 2. it enhances the experience reading this series.

Whatever It Takes was a home run for fans of the Addicted/Calloway Sisters series. We finally got the start to Willow and Garrison’s story. Even though I already knew some of the outcomes, there were so many new things to learn about them. My heart broke in different ways for each of them, but I loved their connection. I also loved being back in the time period of the original series and seeing all my old favorites. Like I said before, this can totally be read without reading the first series, but I fear it might lack some of the special feelings you get from reading it without. This book made my heart both heavy and light at the same time. I can’t wait for the next book!

Review: Great and Precious Things (Rebecca Yarros)

Great and Precious Things
Author: Rebecca Yarros
Publication Date: February 25, 2020
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Synopsis:

How do you define yourself when others have already decided who you are?

Six years ago, when Camden Daniels came back from war without his younger brother, no one in the small town of Alba, Colorado, would forgive him—especially his father. He left, swearing never to return.

But a desperate message from his father brings it all back. The betrayal. The pain. And the need to go home again. But home is where the one person he still loves is waiting. Willow. The one woman he can never have. Because there are secrets buried in Alba that are best left in the dark.

If only he could tell his heart to stay locked away when she whispers she’s always loved him, and always will…

Great and Precious Things is a heart-wrenching story about family, betrayal, and ultimately how far we’re willing to go on behalf of those who need us most.


Last year, I found Rebecca Yarros’s books. This year, I’m trying to catch up and read everything she’s written including her newest release, Great and Precious Things.

Great and Precious Things is a romance at heart, but it explores some greater social, moral, familial, and community themes. It hits those themes hard and is unrelenting in its challenges to both the reader and the characters. Perry did an outstanding job tackling all the issues she did, while adding a hint of surprise.

As for the romance, I adored Willow and Cam. I was constantly frustrated on their behalf, but so happy when they found their way to each other. They had each other’s backs in the best ways possible, all while emitting this great chemistry. They were easy to love.

Great and Precious Things is one of those romances that challenges you and makes you feel multiple emotions. It was well written and is sure to be a hit with fans of Yarros’ writing and newcomers as well.