Stealing Our Hearts

“You don’t look at me like I’m tragic. You look at me like we’re inevitable.”

I am feeling a boatload of emotions after finishing this book because it was JUST SO FREAKING GOOD. I found this author after Kandi Steiner rec’d her newest release in her newsletter one week. I had never heard of Elsie Silver before, and I obviously could not start in the middle of a series, so I downloaded book one and dove in. Book one was pretty good. I enjoyed it, but I didn’t feel that “sparkle” that I look for in the best of books. Fortunately, I was SUPER drawn to two secondary characters who just so happened to be the main characters of book two. And here we are. I cannot find the words, friends. This book was everything I’ve ever wanted in a small town, country romance. 

It’s not vital to read book one before this, but I do think it’s important to get that foundation before you start this book. We meet both Violet and Cole in the first book. Violet is a groom for Gold Rush Ranch, who ends up getting her jockey license and riding in the races. It’s been a dream of hers, to be a jockey, and through her friendship with Billie, she is able to see it become a reality. Violet is quiet and keeps to herself. She’s sweet and genuine and amazing with the horses…but she also has a secret that we don’t find out about until this story begins. Cole is the older brother of Vaughn from book one. Cole is stoic and cold. He’s all business and hardly ever shows any emotions. We find out that he served in Iraq for twelve years and suffers from PTSD. He’s the type to suffer in silence and it shows very clearly as we get to know him in this book. 

These two have a very interesting start. It’s unique and sexy and I was all about it. I felt like their backstory brought something new to this second chance, small town romance that you hardly ever get to see. I absolutely LOVED the pacing of the slow burn in this book too. It was perfect. There is so much push and pull between Violet and Cole but when they do have their love scenes – whew! It was sooo hot!! More of those please! I also REALLY enjoyed the flashback scenes from when they knew each other “before”. Those gave us tiny little snippets of information and left us desperate for more. I never wanted to stop reading this book because I was constantly craving more interactions between our two leads. It was the most wonderful, delicious story. I immediately added it to my Amazon cart for purchase because I need this paperback on my shelf asap. Bravo, Elsie Silver! 5 stars!

“I don’t want to live in the dark anymore.”

“Let me be someone that matters to you, ‘cause, you matter to me, Tutor Girl. Both of you do.”

Where do I even begin? 

I am speechless. This book gave me everything I didn’t realize I needed at this moment in my life. It has been MONTHS since I felt so connected and enraptured by a novel. If you’re reading this review on my blog you will not have the ability to see my progression of anxiety as I read the book through my highlights and notes like you can on GoodReads. I would say that if you do not want to be spoiled, don’t go peaking around my GoodReads page. This was an insane ride for me. I was teetering back and forth on different assumptions about certain characters and it turned out, in the end, my assumptions were partially correct. Okay, let’s deep dive into this book.

#1 – the pacing of the book was UNBELIEVABLE. This read almost like a mystery for a while because we were kept so in the dark on a major plot point for almost all of the book. There’s a rather large mic drop around 85% and I was floored. It was not even on my radar. That is what made it that much more incredible. The stakes were so high for both of our characters throughout this novel and it made all of the angst and heartbreak worth it. I cried during this, sure, but what really got me was my inability to relax after the 40% mark. I could barely breathe or blink for fear that I would miss something on the page. It was incredible

#2 – character development. We have got to talk about this. I’m just going to come right out and say it: a lot of authors that I have read are not that great at this part. It’s one thing to have a bad boy turned good by a woman, but it’s another to have a fully fleshed out back story that is just as complex as the current plot line. I live for morally grey characters because that is life! No one is perfect, but when characters own up to their mistakes and make choices selflessly after they struggled with being selfish throughout the whole book – that’s gold, my friends. This book gave me everything I love in a complex, dynamic romantic drama. Tobias is a notorious playboy/bad boy….or is he? Meyer reads like any other smart, quirky heroine who hides her body under baggy clothes but quickly sheds her skin and is actually a knock out. BUT…then the tables are turned and everything you first assumed in the initial 5% of the book is wrong. All wrong. But it couldn’t be more riiiiight! 

#3 – romance. Okay, let’s pick apart the actual romance in this novel. We do not get a kiss util 56%. That’s right – you read that correctly. The usual romance formula has a couple having sex around 50% of the way into the novel, but up until this point our couple has had a lot of hand holding a heavy breathing. And you want to know what? It was the hottest kiss I’ve ever read. I was drooling – slow burn? Kind of? I wouldn’t really know how to exactly describe the progression of the physical relationship between on our leads, but what I can say is that it was perfect. Even though, physically, there isn’t a ton going on, the longing between these two is palpable. Hell, our heroine admits to having already fallen for our hero at 32%! The romance is there – in your face – from the first moment you open the book and it feeds your soul. 

I could truthfully go on forever about this extraordinary novel. It’s so much more than a college sports romance like the cover might lead you to believe. It’s deeply moving and so so romantic. I loved every single second of this and I cannot wait for Meagan Brandy to release another book. I’m absolutely one-clicking it!!! 10 stars for this perfect story! ❤

“So easily distracted, Mr. Cruz.”  “Girl, I’m telling you, you could breathe near me and I’d be fucking distracted.”

First off – I absolutely LOVED this book! I downloaded it because I saw the cover art had a girl in a wheelchair and I’ve never read a romance about a heroine in a wheelchair before. I was super excited to deep dive into this book. I did not read the blurb, so I had zero idea what this book was going to be about and OH MY GOD – I was blown away. I’ve already downloaded the second book and I’m patiently awaiting the release of the third!

This book starts off introducing us to our kick ass heroine, Frankie. She’s a sexologist and she has her own podcast called All Access where she discusses accessibility of almost anything for all people. She’s thrilled when she gets to chat about sex on her podcast, because she’s a doctor! When she gets a request from a listener to discuss rope-play accessibility, she goes in search of a specialist to interview. This is when she meets Jay. Holy hell. The moment Jay lays eyes on her, he’s hooked. He is desperately into her from that first glance and I absolutely adored the way their relationship progressed. Jay has some past trauma that makes him a bit of a commitment-phobe, so he asks to just be friends with Frankie at first…even though it’s very clear that these two have insane chemistry. When Frankie attends one of his classes and he ties her up, he realizes that he can’t be “just friends” with her. Their friendship progresses to what he calls “frating” as in friend dating LOL. Basically dating without the sex, but that’s very quickly nixed as well and these two dive into bed together. When I tell you that the sex in this book was hot, I am NOT playing around. It was on fire!!! I was obsessed. 

When we learn more about Jay’s past, we understand his reasoning for not wanting to introduce sex into his relationship with Frankie. Thankfully, the sex only makes it better. These two grow with each other and Jay is extremely respectful and open to learning about Frankie’s needs and desires. Frankie is a top girl crush for me. Definitely in my top 10 of 2022. Guys…this woman FORGIVES him when he makes a mistake. She forgives Jay and shows empathy and understanding for how he is hurting. She doesn’t get defensive or angry at him. She is AMAZING! I mean, she is a doctor…so you would hope she would be more mature than most people, but when I tell you that my jaw was on the floor…bra-freaking-vo. CLAPS all around. 4 stars for this awesome book! I loved it! 

Also small side note: I have NEVER read a heroine who had a clit-hood piercing and now all I want is more of it. AHHH!! I loved it! Go Frankie! Coolest chick ever. 

The point was never whether or not I could trust again, because love isn’t an exchange. It’s not something you hand out only if it can be returned in equal measure. Love is handing your fragile heart to someone else because you want him to have it, no matter what he’ll do in response. You do it because you love him more than you love yourself.

Guys. I am a wreck. So just to preface, I actually read The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea first – right before I read this one. I was absolutely smitten by that book. I wrote a very short review on Goodreads and immediately downloaded this book to read because CLEARLY I cannot stick to a TBR to save my life LOL. This book took me to another level. I read the entire thing in maybe 5 hours. I laid down in bed and didn’t get up again until the book was finished. HOLY CRAP. To say this book destroyed my heart and made me whole again is an understatement. 

This is a workplace romance. It’s got a little of everything that I love: billionaire, age gap, slow burn…the works! It’s marketed as an enemies to lovers novel, but I would not agree with that. Our couple, Hayes and Tali, bicker and irritate each other at the beginning of the book, but I wouldn’t agree that they are enemies. My favorite part about this entire book is a spoiler. I’ve marked my review in Goodreads as “has spoilers” so if you’re reading this then it’s your own fault!! Anyway, this story is insta-love. Hayes falls in love with the picture of Tali on Jonathon’s desk (this isn’t revealed to us until the end) but let me tell you – I wept when I read that. I could tell from the beginning that Hayes never disliked Tali. He was always into her, it just took a while for anything to happen between these two. Tali had a lot of confidence issues that were a bit upsetting, but I loved how much grace Hayes gave her. He also held her hand while she found her own footing and passion. She turned her life around and fought for her dreams and that was so refreshing.

There are a few trigger warnings to keep in mind when you’re going into this book. Tali’s sister is struggling to get pregnant during our story. It’s glossed over a bit, but anyone who might struggle with infertility issues should proceed with caution. I was also a bit confused about Tali’s younger sister being hospitalized. Maybe I missed it, but it seemed like she tried to commit suicide because of the grief after her father’s death. Please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but if that is the case, then we need a trigger warning for suicide. I would also add in there that there is a bit of OW drama with Hayes and alcohol abuse issues with Tali’s mother. Oh and don’t forget the cheating! Our leads do NOT cheat on each other. This one is packed full angst and drama, but it is INCREDIBLE. 

Like I previously stated in my review for The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, I am so glad I re-discovered Elizabeth O’Roark. I read most of her back list in 2019, but she fell off of the map for me the last few years. She has easily become a one-click/auto-buy author for me. I cannot wait for the 3 book in this series to release later this year!! I’m so ready for Ben’s story!! 5 stars and all my love to Elizabeth O’Roark! 🙂

“I hate Aurora ‘Rory’ ‘Princess’ Abbott so much that I fucking love her.”

Okay let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way with this one…it was 100% marketed incorrectly, in my opinion. This is a bully romance. It should not have been marketed as enemies to lovers because Rory spent the entire novel feeling very confused about why Mascen hated her. Truth be told, I was super confused too! There was absolutely no reason for him to hate her and treat her the way he did. I was not a big fan of this plot.

So Mascen and Rory grew up close to each other when they were in elementary school. VERY young. They were best friends and played together all the time, but Rory moved away when she was 8 years old. Mascen was 10. In my opinion, a 10 year old and 8 year old cannot fall in love. I’m sorry. So present day – Rory has had an extremely rough life after her family moved away when she was 8. We find out a lot more about it further into the novel, and it is probably considered a spoiler so I won’t reveal why she moved away. Anyway, she got a full ride scholarship to a college that she’s always wanted to go to. She makes friends with her roommates and goes out one night, only to wake up in some random guys bed the next day. Turns out this guy is roommates with Mascen and apparently he goes to the same college. Mascen sees her and immediately recognizes her and hates her. Like whaaaat?? It spiraled from there. Rory was so unlikable. She was a massive contradiction. She was quirky and sweet and wore glasses but she also was super aggressive and sexual and had tons of experience with random guys? I was really unsure of how I felt about her. It seemed like the author didn’t want to go with a good girl/bad boy trope so we ended up somewhere else. I am all about a girl owning her own sexuality but this felt forced and I really hated that she used Cole. 

Okay, then we have Mascen who throughout the ENTIRE novel acts super cagey and tortured. I was dying to know what happened to make him this way and guess what – freaking nothing. He was just a rich guy who was sad that his dad didn’t pay as much attention to him as his sisters. He smokes cigarettes and sleeps around because he’s unhappy. Gross. No thank you. I felt nothing for this dude. There was so much missing from this story and it just didn’t work for me. At all. I’m really bummed because I really enjoyed Sweet Dandelion by this author, but I don’t think I’ll continue with this series. 3 stars.

Side note: the fact that Rory went an entire school day without brushing her teeth grossed me out so much that I wasn’t able to read the rest of the story without imagining that she had super bad breath and was unhygienic. So nasty.  

“I see a treasure. I see a vision. I see light and goodness and grace. I see Heaven. I see everything I shouldn’t want. Everything I don’t deserve.”

MY HEART!!!!! This book was a rollercoaster of emotions and angst. Oh wow – I was not prepared for all of the twists and turns! A delicious blend of spicy passion and gut-wrenching thrill that leaves you at the edge of your seat for hours! I haven’t read a ton of books by A.L. Jackson, but I always come away extremely impressed. The last book I read by her was Kiss The Stars and that was one of my favorite reads of 2021. I think she might become a go-to author for me going forward!

In this novel, our hero Trent, is a single dad who runs a club. In the opening scene, our heroine Eden, walks into his club looking for a job so that she can help out her father who has fallen into financial trouble. Eden is desperate. She’s a kindergarten teacher by day, but is willing to stoop very low for any extra income. This book was basically insta-love. I know that can be interpreted in a lot of different ways, but I choose to believe that these two had more than lust pulling them towards each other. Trent pushes her away at first, but she is extremely persistent. Eventually he caves and gives her a job, only to find out the very next day that she is his son’s teacher. 

NOW WHEN I TELL YOU THAT GAGE MADE THIS BOOK FOR ME I AM NOT JOKING. Guys. Gage is the perfect child. He is cute and sweet and happy 24/7. He tied the entire novel together for me. He was so insanely easy to fall in love with. Eden immediately takes a liking to him and quickly can’t get enough. The fact that he and Trent become a very important part of her life only sweetens the deal for her. She finds out a lot about Trent’s past (most of which I cannot reveal without spoiling the book), but is able to love him in spite of it all. 

Okay, just a quick comment on the twist at the end. To me, it felt pretty predictable. I’m not sure if it’s just because I’m cynical or jaded, but I had a feeling I knew what was coming and I was right. I wanted to feel more emotions about it all, but I for some reason I couldn’t connect to the story on as deep of a level as I wanted. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was, but it kept me from crying when I knew I should have been and that was super disappointing for me. All in all, I really truly enjoyed this book! It was very complex and involved and extremely dramatic, but I loved it just the same. Would highly recommend! 4 stars!

“He kissed the way he played. With a fierce kind of grace and a controlled kind of power.”

^^ I mean, really??? How can you NOT want to read a book after seeing a line like that? Welp, it’s Kayley Loring so are we even surprised? Not at all. She’s perfection. Her books are magnificent and I’m obsessed with them. Also, hello Connor Crais? *heart eye emoji* Welcome aboard and I cannot wait to see what you do next! I’m laughing out loud at Kayley’s note at the end of this book thanking Connor for the expertise in football…I was super impressed by all of the sporty language in this book. Bravo. I didn’t understand half of it, but that’s not what really matters lol.

Okay lets deep dive into this story, shall we? HELL YES SPORTS ROMANCE. That’s where I started when I saw this cover reveal. I was screaming from the rooftops because this is a favorite trope of mine. Also women in power who don’t have to sacrifice their careers to be with the men they love?? YES TIMES A MILLION!!! This book did everything right. I was never bored. I was also rooting for our couple. I also got extremely hot and bothered by these sex scenes because holy guacamole what did you guys add to make them so delicious?? More of that please!! Decker is the reformed playboy stereotype that I love. I was really digging the fact that he was older and already past his playboy days when he met Hannah. It isn’t usually written that way, and that was a fresh new take that I was super in to. Hannah’s estranged father died, leaving his football team to her. I was unsure about this at first, but it ended up growing on me. Her desire to learn about football was hilarious and entertaining. I also appreciated that her anger at her father didn’t hinder her from shouldering this new, massive responsibility. She was a go-getter. Determined and stubborn. I loved that about her! These two characters start out in an enemies to lovers type relationship that quickly evolves into passionate, angry, fighting sex. This sex between these two is always greater than just a quick f*ck. These two are compatible on SO MANY LEVELS. They just make sense together.

I was SO impressed with how easy this book was to read. The pacing was perfect. The arc of both of our characters was smooth. I appreciated that there wasn’t a nonsense conflict. The conflict that arose was real and felt extremely believable. I adored the conclusion. I loved that these two behaved like adults (for the most part) throughout the entire novel and there wasn’t any kind of immaturity that often comes with sports romances LOL. It was an all around stellar read, as are all of Kayley Loring’s works. Would HIGHLY recommend if you’re looking for a sexy, hilarious, dynamic sports romance that will keep you entertained through every chapter! 5 stars! 

“You are the only person I’ve ever wanted to share my silence.”

I’m writing this review the day after I finished this book because…I stayed up until one am on a TUESDAY reading this. Who am I?? Sleep is of the utmost importance to me, and I cannot tell you the last time I stayed up past midnight reading. I started this book around 5pm and only took a short break for dinner. It was absolutely spectacular. Again, this is one of the books that was recommended on the podcast I listen to: Smart Women Read Romance. I’ve never trusted two ladies more with book recommendations than my podcast ladies. This novel was my first by Stacy Reid and it will surely not be my last. It was filled with deliciously sensual scenes, emotional waves, and tons of humor. It was everything I want in my historical romance novels.

We hit the ground running by 20% when our couple has their first kiss. I was so excited when I read this scene. I found it fascinating that our author chose to make our leading man impotent but still gave him sexual urges. That was part of what kept me feverishly flipping through the pages as the hour grew later and later. So our heroine, Kitty, is fearful for the future of her mother and sisters because she is considered a wallflower and has been unable to make a match due to the state of her affairs. She is undesirable by all men in the ton, and without a marriage, her family faces certain poverty. She decides to take matters into her own hands and uses the power of the press/paparazzi to her advantage. She claims to be engaged to the elusive Duke of Thornton, a man that no one has seen in seven years. She has seen many things written about him in the gossip columns, but he has never responded, so she believes he won’t deny her claims either! Sure enough, Alexander is fascinated by this woman who claims to be his finance and reads every thing printed about her before his curiosity gets the best of him and he shows up in London to see her. Guys….it was love at first sight for him, in my opinion. It only grows as he gets to know her, but he is completely taken with her from the moment he sees her across the ballroom. 

Alexander strikes up a deal with Kitty agreeing to continue the rouse of her being his fiancé if she will agree to be his friend. He is lonely. Kitty notices this from the very beginning. Alexander is severely scarred on his face and body and has trouble walking. He often uses a wheelchair to get around. His appearance is what kept him away from London society for so long, but Kitty doesn’t shy away from him. She sees the beauty because he is scarred both inside and outside. They are fascinated by each other. When they do get physical it’s explosive. I love the chemistry between these two and I absolutely adore the dialogue. We get a lot of really fun quips back and forth because they are not afraid to be open and honest with each other. 

Their love was so incredibly special to read about. This has definitely made my top 10 list of favorite historical romances that I’ve read. I ended up buying the ebook because I couldn’t get ahold of a paperback copy to save my life! I am determined to find a paperback copy soon so that I can add it to my collection and re-read this book with annotations. Much love to Stacy Reid! Bravo!! 5 stars! 

Aiden didn’t know you could love a person like that. Instant and infinite. He did, though. In the space of a week, his spitfire of a little sister captured his heart and had him wrapped around her pinky finger.

If you know me at all, then you know I’m a sucker for anything forbidden and/or taboo in romance. This book checked ALL of my boxes. Holy Hot Mama!! This was a forbidden story about a stepbrother and stepsister falling in love. Except…was it? It was instalove, in my opinion, and the story itself was built around the ideas of growing up, healing from trauma, and discovering what true love means when everything is trying to tear you apart. This story was beautiful, and heartbreaking; it was angsty and passionate. I loved that it pushed limits on what we deem “socially acceptable” in terms of relationships and love. But that’s what our incredibly talented author, Dyan Layne, always does, right? She pushes boundaries and explores nuances that others aren’t brave enough to!

Our story revolves around Aiden and Molly. Their parents get married when these two are very young, so they grow up just like a brother and sister would. Except these two have a very special bond and have never truly seen the other as just a brother or sister. When Aiden was five he stopped speaking. When I was first reading, I thought it might have been Selective Mutism, as I’ve read about characters with that condition before, but he has something called Psychogenic Mutism. When he meets Molly, they are immediately drawn to each other. The bond was so precious at such a young age. Their feelings develop as these two get older, but their love never fades. They have always been “the one” for each other. In this story, Aiden is 3 years older than Molly (I think) so as they age and hit puberty at different times, they have to combat their sexual feelings while still living under the same roof. We know, as the reader, that most people have issues with these sorts of “taboo” relationships, so we expect our characters to receive a lot of pushback from their friends and family. 

One of the things I loved about this book was that our characters embraced sexuality and didn’t allow it to limit them. There was never a time when purity played a key role and I loved the different approach Aiden took to the role of sex in his life. Of course, the sex scenes DELIVER – because when do they not with Dyan Layne?? Gold. So hot. *fanning myself* I also really enjoyed the bit of suspense that was added to this story. It upped the stakes and created an extra layer of tension towards the end of the book. I knew it was coming, but I had no idea what to expect when the fourth act conflict finally happened! Goodness, I loved this book. I never feel like my reviews do enough justice for Dyan Layne’s books, but to say I am pleased is an understatement. This is another win!! Bravo!! ❤ 5 stars! 

“You are what dreams are made of.”

I cannot tell you how long I’ve been waiting for Odette Stone to release another book. I found this author in 2019 and fell in love with everything they had ever written, and then they released a book in January 2021 titled High Risk Rookie. It was a great read set in her hockey series world and I very much enjoyed it. BUT…I really wanted to get back into her mafia world. 

This book picks up with Viktor’s story after we meet him in Dark Russian Angel. This is a captor/captive romance with a bit of a twist. Blaire is kidnapped from her bedroom by a mysterious and attractive man one night and is taken on the ride of her life. Viktor’s best friend, Andrusha, and his wife Olivia are taken at ransom and will be killed if Viktor does not complete this mission and he needs Blaire’s help. It took me a while to get into this one because Blaire was a bit annoying at the beginning of the novel. She was frightened, sure, but she was more curious and that curiosity was at the detriment of their safety. She was more concerned with asking Viktor “why?” about every small thing he said, than being afraid for her life and it was a bit difficult to get on board with. But once the romance picks up and these two start feeling things for one another, I was super invested! 

This is an action-packed adventure with lots of twists and turns and tons of sexual chemistry. We start out in a captor/captive romance that slowly morphs into a bodyguard romance. I loved the transition and thought it was done beautifully! As both Blaire and Viktor began opening up and trusting each other, the feelings between them began to grow, and Viktor realizes that above all else he desires to keep Blaire safe. The romance developed fairly quickly, but it was still believable. I’m thrilled that we got to meet a new character at the end of this book, so hopefully we will get their story next! I can’t wait to see what Odette Stone has in store for readers next! 4 stars