monday minis…

A new batch of piping hot minis for your Monday morning!

Unnatural Vice (Sins of the Cities #2)
By K.J. Charles

In the sordid streets of Victorian London, unwanted desire flares between two bitter enemies brought together by a deadly secret. ~ Goodreads

Source: e-arc provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

My thoughts: Another fantastic enemies to lovers romance. This is my 3rd one in a row and I LOVE them. The sparks and drama are right at the forefront and the relationship can only getter better from there, instead of happy start then unnecessary angst thrown in.

Nat is a journalist trying to expose the fradualent “Seer of London”, Justin Lazarus. After attending a seance, Justin taps into Nat’s longing to connect to his dead lover, despite Nat’s knowing this isn’t possible.

I love how Justin is up front (to the reader anyway) about being a con artist. He has his baggage and you feel for him even though what he’s doing is wrong.

Sparks fly and watching these two find a path to love and forgiveness without compromising themselves was a joy to read. Anotehr slam dunk by one of my favorite authors.

*I do recommend you read book #1 , An Unseen Attraction, first. there is quite a bit of character and plot overlap between the two.

The Story of Us by Tara Sivec

How much can a man take before he breaks?
1,843 days. That's how long I survived in that hellhole. They tried to break me, but I resisted. And I owe it all to the memory of warm summer nights, the scent of peaches, and the one woman who loved me more than I ever deserved to be loved. Now, I'll do anything to get back to her. ~ Goodreads

Source: e-arc provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

My thoughts: The Story of Us starts with a punch to the gut as we find Eli held captive and tortured in Afghanistan. He’s ready to die but then at the last second is rescued. He returns to find his former lover a pale shadow of her former confident self. The two have to fight to find a way to mend broken hearts and defy the forces that are keeping the apart.

This book was dark y’all. I mean the things certain people did just to keep Eli and Shelby away from each other were beyond cruel.  I mean…it was evil.

There’s a lot of sex, more drama llama – manipulations. betrayals, lies and blackmail from outside sources – than relationship/healing between Eli and Shelby than I would have liked. Being tortured and losing the love of your life for 5 years is more than enough plot for one book. I didn’t think it needed all the additional drama.

I dunno – it was good and definitely heart wrenching but also missed the mark for me with too much going on.

On Point (Out of Uniform #3)
By Annabeth Albert

Never fall for your best friend…
Until their next mission throws Ben and Maddox closer together than ever before, with only each other to depend on.

Now, in the lonely, desperate hours awaiting rescue, the real challenge—confronting themselves, their future and their desires—begins. Man to man, friend to friend, lover to lover. ~ Goodreads

Source: e-arc provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

My thoughts: I was sooooo sure I would love this one. Albert is a favorite author & this is one of my favorite series. Friends to lovers is also a fave trope but it was just meh for me.

Super angsty with a lifetime of (good) life or death drama packed into the first 30% while the guys are away on a dangerous mission.

I kind of wish the book kept the characters trapped in the jungle awhile longer because once they got home I wanted to smack Ben upside the head.

I know this was Ben's journey to growing up and figuring out how to be with Maddox as more than friends but he really treated Mad like shit a lot. There was a lot of I don’t want to commit right now but you can’t have a life without me. The fear of losing a friendship is real but dude – don’t treat your best friend so poorly, especially after almost dying.

A rare blip in my otherwise Annabeth Albert book love lol But I still highly recommend this author!