Luck of the Draw: the sweetest romance I have read in 2020

 This book, Luck of the Draw by Kate Clayborn, deserves more than five stars because it is everything I look for in a romance novel. It has that gut-wrenching moment when you realize that the conflict you did not want is about to happen and the characters cannot live in this happy bubble where everything is going to be okay. It has characters that grow and lean on each other even when they do not realize it is something that they need and this will make you cry.

oh my gosh, Zoe and Aiden's story is to die for and you just want to hug them and tell them everything is okay because you want it to be okay for them. I loved the enemies to lovers aspect and how the characters changed and grew into themselves. It may have started out with a guilt jar, but I have nothing but gratitude for how good Aiden and Zoe are for each other. I cannot picture them with anyone else and I love how his parents tried to move past a pang of guilt they did not even realize they were carrying.

I will gladly reread these books if it means I get to stay in the world of the characters a little longer because I never want to leave it and I would highly recommend this series to anyone who loves romance or is looking for a little romance in their lives especially since it does not have to be read in a particular order to appreciate the beauty of these novels.

I could go on but I don't want to spoil it with my rambling of how amazing the characters are in this series because I love every single one of them.

500 out of 5 stars.

Sinful Secrets: The All Stars (5 stars)

  Hello lovelies, So to save us all from having to read a huge review on the 20 or so box set of Sinful Secrets an anthology of different authors that rang from somewhat clean romance to steamy fan yourself and feel your face turn beet red romance. I decided to break this up into how I would rate the books separately. Warning this is not the order that the books are in the box set and there might be spoilers and some inappropriate topics due to the nature of some of the books. Please read at your own discretion.

Last, but not least, the ones that took my heart in one way or another (bad grammar and all. I think one of them has the characters eating half a box of pizza and a bottle of wine instead of saying that they drank a bottle of wine. I had a good chuckle over it and hope the characters were okay while eating glass 😝)

1. The Nicolaides Baby by Sandra Daniels. Ugh, this book had me on an emotional rollercoaster and the ending left me pressing a hand to my heart like it could stop it from melting and hurting. I laughed, cried, died a little with the characters, got angry on the characters' behalf, and wanted to hurt some of them (I am looking at you Gia.). I will not say much except that this book ruined me so I am doing what a bookworm does best. *Ahem* "This book brutally ripped out my heart and destroyed it" *shoves book under your nose* "you should read it." Come die with me, people.

2. Fake Fiancé by Amy McKinley is my happy place. Starcrossed lovers? Romeo & Juliet like story? Yes, please. Ugh, Adeline and Stone will always have my heart especially Adeline because I can totally see myself doing some of the things she does (what can I say one should always be careful around a klutz). I love how it is open to the interpretation of are they the star-crossed lovers in the past or were they somehow possessed by them. I loved every moment of it and never wanted the story to end. Highly recommend this book (do not make me shove this under your nose because I am a bookworm I will gladly do it).

3. Sex, Love, Lust, Hate by Mika Jolie is heartwarming and the perfect enemies to lover story. I loved every moment with Jagger and Charlotte because every moment had you guessing how they were going to react to each other. And Jagger (bless his heart) is such a morally good guy that he even apologized to Charlotte about kissing her in the office after hours. Yup, I fell in love at that point and never looked back. It is so cute that it hurts.

4. Stronger than Love by C. R. Robertson is one of those books that surprised me because I am not into any books with kinky sex and this book has some of it, but I dare you to not fall in love with Oonagh and Liam. I did because I love it when the characters realize that there is more to the story that might not paint them as the bad guy that they thought the other person was. Like I said it surprised me because I loved every moment of this book even the kinky sex that had me blushing.

5. Candy's Crush by Leela Lou Dahlin is another book that surprised me because it has a club that specializes in kinky sex and somehow I did not mind any of it even though I am an absolute prude. Normally, I stay away from these kinds of books, but I was so drawn in by Candy and Hunter and wanting to see if they would get back together even though Hunter tried really hard not to care about Candy again.

6. Unholy Trinity by Macy Butler killed me because it ended too abruptly and now I need to read the second book to figure out how Dante and Trinity are going to protect Lena from the guy her abusive husband Chase sent to go fetch her especially since the guy knows where she is and then it ended. I was devastated because it was one of the better threesome books I have read and it was adorable how much Dante wants Lena and the lengths he will go to do keep her. However, he also has a thing for Trinity and at first, he wanted Trinity, but he got a taste of Lena and it kind of shifted. oh yes, the drama. I need to know more.

7. Last Chance Security by Allison LaFleur is one of those books where the fact it did not get edited at all (and there is no lying because even at a glance it is obvious some of the errors like a / instead of a period at the end of a sentence). However, it made me laugh because it was like what am I reading must read more. My only issue is that the blurb had it where a trusted ally betrayed Gage it kind of made it obvious that his "cop buddy" was up to no good. It kind of took away the shock factor especially since there was not really any betrayal at the beginning of the book when Gage's undercover story went south. The ending felt a little abrupt but I really love the chemistry between Gage and Morgan that I was probably expecting more than was needed.

8. Mayhem by Cayce Poponea is one of those books that you have to appreciate even though there are a lot of grammar errors and I was laughing because it was the wrong word (heals instead of heels or loose instead of lose). I loved Bullet and Jillian, but my only major criticism is that the conflict was awful because she jumped to conclusions instead of talking to him like an adult. I do love how the author broke the stereotypes and incorporated another fictional book into hers. I will definitely consider reading the entire series because it has me intrigued and I fell in love with all the characters.

9. What We Didn't Say by Lauren Campbell is as sweet as it sounds. Although, with the way the blurb was written I was waiting for more drama between Heidi, Chandler, and Ryleigh. However, that never happened. Although, the drunk scene with Jade, Ryleigh's other best friend, made my year. Tosses her keys off the building as Chandler is scrabbling to hold her back as she leans over to see if she hit someone with them and proudly exclaiming that she didn't, but getting the whole wedding party kicked out because she tossed her keys off the building. I don't think they could have planned it better. Oh, I could read that scene forever and never get bored. I swear you should all read the book just for that scene alone. Also, it's a cleaner romance than some of the other books.

The best thing about the Sinful Secrets box set is that it has a little bit of something for every reader and I loved it more than I thought I would. (Before any of you ask, I got it because it was 99 cents for Kindle and how could I not get it especially since I am trying to expand my reading to things that make me uncomfortable). I have no regrets about this box set at all (okay, that is a lie. My only regret is that my Kindle has run out of storage so I have to delete it, but I plan on bringing it back on again when I finally get my Kindle back under control). This is a definite reread.

Sinful Secrets: The Almost Theres (4.5 stars)

  Hello lovelies, So to save us all from having to read a huge review on the 20 or so box set of Sinful Secrets an anthology of different authors that rang from somewhat clean romance to steamy fan yourself and feel your face turn beet red romance. I decided to break this up into how I would rate the books separately. Warning this is not the order that the books are in the box set and there might be spoilers and some inappropriate topics due to the nature of some of the books. Please read at your own discretion.

Up next are the ones where it is really minor things that for me prevented it from being five stars, but it easily could be one.

1. Mr. Right Now by Taylor Dawn is cute as hell, but the only problem I had with it is that the love interest is named Ben Barnes and all I was picturing was the actor who plays Prince Caspian in Narnia, so it did not go as planned. Wren is adorable and I love how much trepidation she has over using her own app, but she will do it to get investors. I think what would have made it five stars for me is if for a brief second Wren thinks that Ben is like the actor or something as a little nod to the fact that it is an actual person's name, but it is very minor. Heck, I was laughing my head off when I read the love interests name because it was like oh hey a celebrity name I actually recognize (I am usually clueless when it came to celebrity names, but somehow I remember his).

2. The Hate Vow by C. Hallman is quirky and steamy, but if I played the take the sex out of the book game there would not be a lot of the story left. However, I do love how Ryder has morals even if he is supposed to be this bad boy and honestly, he is the whole reason it is getting the rating that it does because any character that does the things he does and can still act like a human being deserves all the credit in my opinion. I also love how Penny does start to change her opinion about Ryder near the end of the book. The one thing that for me that would bring it up to five stars is if Penny saved herself at least once instead of Ryder (as much as I love him) always coming into save the day especially since Penny is supposed to be this feisty woman that he knows who is strong. It just did not quite fit with what we were given. I so wanted Penny to save herself because she needed it to give herself the validation that she is okay.

3. Trusting the Doctor by Dezi Dixon is hilarious and I could picture most of the story easily, which I love in books. However, the author needs to go over the book again because the timeline does not match up with what she said two paragraphs ago, which is why it is not five stars because I had to stop a couple of times and be like "wait a minute, that's not what you said two pages ago". Also, I feel like Harvard and Letty's first meeting could have been condensed into one chapter. I feel like the second chance is more important than the first chance meeting. I also love Harvard could not figure out that if you met two years ago there is no way a two-year-old could be your child like that had me being like "no, you idiot, that is not how pregnancy works. It takes at least nine months of a girl being pregnant full term, but for some, it could be sooner, but not bam you have a baby right after you had sex". And he calls himself a doctor.

4. Dazzle Me by Elodie Colt is cute, quirky, and oh so steamy, but it felt a little too quick to me between Nick and Janice. Don't get me wrong I fell in love with them and thought they were adorable together, but some things made no sense like Janice has spent a lot of time with Nick and you cannot tell what the back of his head looks like? Also, you had been eyeing his watch, and not once did it clue into you that it was him especially when he did mention something about going to be at the place? I don't know what but it felt like something was missing to bring it that extra spark of magic.

5. What Happens in Miami by Tarrah Anders is a heartwarming, quirky romance that had me glad that someone could admit that he is fluid when it comes to either men or women. However, I felt like the drama could have been resolved more easily if both characters had sat down and talked, but they never did and so most of the issues were like "you never said anything, so don't get mad at the result". I loved Devin and Connie as a couple because they brought out the best in each other and Devin really did try, but Connie knew his secret, so she should not have reacted as she did with some of the things that happened. However, the ending is so sweet and made me want more.

Sinful Secrets: The Could Have Beens (3 and 3.5 stars)

  Hello lovelies, So to save us all from having to read a huge review on the 20 or so box set of Sinful Secrets an anthology of different authors that rang from somewhat clean romance to steamy fan yourself and feel your face turn beet red romance. I decided to break this up into how I would rate the books separately. Warning this is not the order that the books are in the box set and there might be spoilers and some inappropriate topics due to the nature of some of the books. Please read at your own discretion.

Second, the books where the grammar got in the way of it becoming an incredible book.

1. Finding Clarity by Deja Voss is one of those books where I would be curious to read the second book, but it leaves the reader with more questions than answers like what exactly did Baker Clemmons, famous country star, do to Clarity that his stepfather forced him to do? I thought oh great we get to know what happens right away when it went to a memory of 15 years ago, but it had nothing to do with what had happened to Clarity. And did Baker really fall off the bridge or did it have something to do with his stepfather and whatever he did to another high school student? It ends so abruptly that it left me wanting to read the second book if only to find out exactly what happened. 3 stars

2. The Heist by Theresa Sederholt is a little twisted and honestly would have enjoyed it more if the characters did not all sound like fricking teenagers like some of them are in their forties and they sound like their twenty-year-old children. Also, there are grammar errors that made me giggle because it is obvious and yet somehow it got missed. I did love the whole they thought they got away with the world's greatest heist, but the entire time two of them were being played and never realized it until twenty years later. Learning all the little twists and how much of a jerk one of the characters as it was having me cringe a few times but at the same time, you have to keep reading it. 3.5 stars.

3. Unsafe Haven: Heartbreak Falls: The Prequel- Titan Academy by Rachel Angel is cute but what the heck? Half of it made no sense, but somehow you find yourself reading it just to go along with the ride. I think what would have made me love the book more was if we had more than just Haven's perspective because there is only a couple of chapters from Franklin and while it gave some insight I was craving more because most of the actions of the characters made no sense. Things felt like they happened for the sake of happening. 3.5 stars.

Sinful Secrets: The Hell Nos (1 stars)

 Hello lovelies, So to save us all from having to read a huge review on the 20 or so box set of Sinful Secrets an anthology of different authors that rang from somewhat clean romance to steamy fan yourself and feel your face turn beet red romance. I decided to break this up into how I would rate the books separately. Warning this is not the order that the books are in the box set and there might be spoilers and some inappropriate topics due to the nature of some of the books. Please read at your own discretion.

First up is the one-star books or the books that I DNFed because I struggled so much with them.

1. Rival: Extended Edition by A. J. Macey. Good Lord, did I struggle with this one and I died when I realized I was only on chapter 4 because I can barely handle love triangles but when one girl has four or more guys in love with her it is like seriously, she is not even that attractive nor does she have a great personality. Honestly, I would gladly have read Twilight any day over this book because this was painful to read and the characters were so childish. I could not take the bikers seriously or Kiera as The Cat, the notorious burglar who stole things at the ripe age of nine. There were so many plot holes and in the little amount I had read which was the first four chapters and then the last three chapters because I thought it would get better at the end. Hell no, it got worse and I dread knowing what it was like before it got extended because it could have done with a lot less. It was not my scene so it is one star, but maybe it is the book you always needed and never knew you needed. 

2. The Black Stetson by Verlene Landon. Nothing against the author, but it got too confusing too quickly and it felt like something I had already read a hundred times and I could not deal with deciphering it. I am at the point in my life where if I cannot invest in the characters or consider investing in them in the first chapter then I will not finish reading it. I, unfortunately, could not give one iota about any of the characters because they came across as too dramatic too quickly and I was starting to feel like a horrible person for not being able to connect or wishing horrible things to happen to them so that I do not have to listen to them whining anymore (I know I am a horrible person).

3. Naughty Behavior by Leah Holt. Another one that I could not get past the beginning because I was laughing too hard and could not take the characters seriously. They tried to be dark and I guess mysterious, but I couldn't connect to them. And the sad thing is that it is the shortest book in the box set.

A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe

 I received a copy (on NetGalley) of A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe from Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review and to partake in the blog tour. Some parts may contain spoilers please read at your own risk.

A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe is an interesting read and I did manage to finish it in three days. I fell in love with Dominic and Valentin because they felt like the most authentic characters. Every action and reaction that they did make me feel like they could react no other way. I had a love-hate relationship with Thea because there were some parts where I could not stand her because she felt like she was trying too hard to be something she was not. 

The cover intrigues me because at first, I did not realize that it was a girl holding a candle. It has the perfect blend of ambiguity and simplicity. It feels like it could belong to a historical book that I love and it is eyecatching.

I am not going to lie when I first read the beginning of the book I could not stand the characters because they all felt the same and were all either being extremely bitchy or absolute pushovers. I felt like every man was a potential love interest for Thea, which did not work in the book's favor. At first, I was all for Thea and Will being together, but as the story progressed it felt less like love interest and more like actors in a play halfheartedly reciting lines. I am a hopeless (and helpless) romantic so I need to feel like they would die for each other and only each other, which Will and Thea never do. Thea always had to have somebody else in order to go to Will or do something that would save him. One example is when she finally meets him again after a year (which I feel should have been longer, but that is the romantic side of me where it has to be at least three years of being apart before they can truly say if they love each other or not) and he has consumption. If she loved him she would have not wanted to not want it to be him sick and living in squalor (which is one of the reasons I don't like Thea she always acts like she is better than everyone, which might in part be to her dear mother telling her constantly to be better than everyone else, but not everyone can be rich and if you are only in it for the money then you do not love that person like you claim). She should have wanted to embrace him regardless of who or where he was or what circumstances had befallen him. I think she was more in love with the idea of Will then she was of the actual Will.

The two characters I despised the most in the book were Thea's mother and Will. I will start with Will since I have talked about him at some length already. The reason I cannot stand Will is how the author made him at the end with his character arc and turning him into a scoundrel who had a baby with another woman while claiming that Thea is the only one for him. Plus, he stole the Philosopher's Stone in an attempt to heal himself from his sickness. He was suddenly a villain where there was no prelude that he was one in the first place because it was all in Thea's POV and she is not the most trustworthy narrator. Some can argue she is perfect because she is naive and sheltered because of her mother and could not see the signs that Will was a scoundrel. Or was it that he changed after being kicked out from Thea's mother for holding Thea's hand near a creek? For me, him being a revolutionary to a scoundrel felt like a leap and maybe the author was trying to get a message across of don't always trust men they might not always have your interests at heart. I have no idea. As for Thea's mother that is short and sweet. She never changed throughout the book from when she had her fit of madness from the curse to when she got cured. She never had much depth to her or any changes to make the reader feel something for her. I have no clue if that was intentional or if the author could not figure out a way to make the mother more human, but I wanted her to be a little more compassionate towards anything.

The worldbuilding was unique as the actual places that you were in throughout the story Normandy and Oxford you get told from the character over and over again to the point I was shouting at the book that I get it we are there, but what is there besides apple blossoms (Normandy) and building in ivy (Oxford). London was slightly better because you did not get told that you were in London over and over again. In fact, London is mentioned once and after that, it focuses more on the characters, which could be fine if it was a modern piece because barring the pandemic we could take a flight to those places and immerse ourselves in that world, but this is the end of the 18th century. I want to be immersed in the world and feel like I am there in 1792. The best parts of the book are when she gets thrown into the madness and the things that she sees and does are fabulous. I was in love with Thea because when she was at her most unreal moment she felt real. The worldbuilding was incredible because you wanted to know what this shadowy creature lurking in the corner was and you felt like her face was not her face. It was filled with horror and dread and darkness that left me wanting more. When she starts communicating with the Stone I was pulled right in and wanted more of that feeling, but then Will became Will and it all died. I loved Thea near the end because she finally started to become more I can help people without needing their acceptance and I can be with people without judging them for what they are and thinking everyone is out to steal my achievements. (Part of that could also be because she grew up with her mother telling her to never rely on men and that she needed to achieve great things). The reason I love it is because Thea changed and she grew in the story.

For me what would bring this story to a five star is if the story had multiple POVs so that we could see what the letter that the mother wrote to the father was (as honorable as it is for Thea to not read someone's private correspondences for the sake of the story nobody cares) or why Will is the way that he is. Is he always a scoundrel? Did Thea's mother make him a scoundrel? Was Will's father a scoundrel so Will thought it would be okay since his dad did it? What made Thea's mother the way that she is, is it because she is a woman in a man's world and feels she needs to protect everything that is hers from everyone including Thea's father? Why did she never tell Thea's dad about Thea being born? There are so many things that could be answered if we had more then Thea's POV and maybe more on this revolution that gets mentioned in the blurb but is like a blip in the story. There is always talk of it, but never anything to indicate that there is a revolution going on. I also wanted more memories like proper memories not being told about the memory, but being immersed in it so that maybe the reader could see the signs even if Thea cannot. I apologize but Will's character pisses me off so much and I am trying to figure out how he got that way and was he always that way. We will never know because it is only in Thea's POV.

Overall, I did like the book because I never would have finished it in three days if I hadn't, but the ending leaves a lot to be desired and I would be curious to read a second book if there was ever another one. I want to know if they caught Will and what is life like for Thea with her father now that all of the nastiness is out of the way.

I would recommend buying it if you love curses and fits of madness because I do and it did not disappoint. 😈

3.5 out of 5 stars. It could have been higher, but the trick for me is that it has to leave my romantic side feeling like it melted and is in a little heap on the floor begging for more.

Wicked is as Wicked Does

 I received a free copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers Only in exchange for an honest review. This review might contain spoilers; please read at your own discretion.

They Tell Me You Are Wicked by David Hagerty is an exciting mystery/thriller novel with a unique twist where a father runs for Governor, but his daughter dies. Most of the book follows him trying to figure out who killed his daughter while also running a campaign.

Maybe I read too many crime thriller novels, but the killer felt apparent, and it was hilarious that it took the father until the end of the story to figure out who had actually done it. I love that the author tried to be historically accurate, and I have a lot of respect for the author for doing that. However, I found myself getting bored about halfway through the novel because it kind of felt like the same thing being written. I was starting to get pissed off that the father tended to fixate on one thing and how this black man must have done it because he was "caught" in another woman's house about to do the same thing that happened to his daughter Lindsay. However, even when the man tried to plead his innocence, it was all "no, he is lying, and he must be the man because he has a criminal record of stealing things." The poor guy never denied his record, so I loved Oges. He felt like the only real character in the book, which is sad because he is a criminal. However, it juxtaposes nicely with the treatment between black people and the rich white people.

I kind of have a love-hate relationship with Duncan (the father and main character in this story) because, at times, I get why he is the way he is because back then, those things are every day. However, it's funny how his entire campaign runs on something that an individual person is guilty of yet will get away with it all for the sake of an image and a reputation.

If you like crime novels I will recommend this as one to read.

4 out of 5 stars.