EARLY REVIEW: Filthy Rich (Blackstone Dynasty #1)

Filthy Rich (Blackstone Dynasty #1), by Raine Miller
Publish Date: November 15, 2016
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Format: e-ARC, provided by the publisher
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4 STARS

(Synopsis) Billionaire Caleb Blackstone lives in the glamorous world of wealth and success, with every material luxury. But the moment he sees Brooke Casterley, none of that matters. Caleb is filled with a raw, undeniable need that he can’t ignore…for a girl who is so completely different from everything and everyone he’s ever known.

Only Brooke isn’t looking for love. She knows all too well just how much damage the wrong guy can do. Still, what sane, broke British girl can resist the charms of an incredibly sexy, chivalrous billionaire? What starts as flirtation quickly turns into all-consuming passion. Nothing could have prepared her for the searing heat of Caleb’s touch—or just how much she craves him.

Their whirlwind romance is the stuff of high-society fantasy—but for every moment of pleasure, there is a cost. Past mistakes and tragedy shadow them both…and falling for him might be the kind of trouble she can’t afford.

Raine Miller is back, as well as the Blackstones in the first book in her new Blackstone family spin-off series, Filthy Rich. The Boston Blackstones are interesting, indeed, and we get a good look at all five of them in book 1, but the real story here is about the oldest Blackstone sibling, Caleb as he comes to terms with his newfound desire to give up his bachelor ways, thanks to a single encounter with Brooke Casterley. 

We've seen Caleb's type before - the billionaire playboy who has all the toys and no desire to commit. It's not a lack of desire to settle down, but rather, he just hasn't found a woman he can stomach for much more than a few dates and some fast screwing. But one meeting - scratch that. One sighting of Brooke Casterley at a party does him in, though, and soon Caleb finds he's the one trying to convince her to make a commitment to him. 

Nothing was familiar when it came to Brooke. Each new thing we shared together felt to me as if I'd never done it before, and more importantly, as if I never wanted to do it again with anyone other than her - ever.

Fasten your instaloving seat belts, because this is one sexy ride. If instalove is a hard pass for you, you might want to think twice about Filthy Rich. But, if there's even a small possibility that you could put aside your feelings for the trope, I encourage you to do so. Especially if you love a good alpha male who flexes his protective nature regularly and treats his woman like a queen. Because Caleb may have fallen for Brooke at one glance, but their relationship is anything but easy after that. 

For one thing, Brooke is very easily spooked. She's got a lot of demons in her not-so-distant past that she's still trying to overcome. Luckily, Caleb is a very, very patient man. And, while he's waiting for her to give him her heart, he's contented with her body in the meantime. If you've read Raine Miller's books before, you know that she knows how to do sex well. So, it's no surprise that Caleb and Brooke have crazy awesome chemistry and smoking hot bedroom (and shower and wall and office...) scenes. 

I'm guessing that this is the first of five books in the Blackstone Dynasty series - one book for each sibling in Caleb's family. Caleb is the oldest with twin brothers Lucas and Wyatt behind him and twin sisters Winter and Willow behind them. Now that Caleb has been paired off, it seems that the next book will belong to Winter and Caleb's BFF James. In addition to their groundwork being laid, we also learn a little bit about each of the other Blackstone siblings, and everything we've seen tells me that this whole series is going to be fantastic. 

REVIEW & EXCERPT: Ruled (Outlaws #3)

Ruled (Outlaws #3), by Elle Kennedy
Publish Date: November 1, 2016
Publisher: Berkley Romance
Format: ARC, provided by the publisher
Genre: adult dystopian romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 5 STARS

(Synopsis) Despite his magnetic personality, Rylan can’t seem to seduce Reese, the deadly leader of their town of outlaws. Winning her over is a welcome challenge, but her indifference isn’t the only thing standing in his way. If he wants Reese, Rylan must also win over Sloan, her stoic protector...

Sloan has always loved Reese, but their painful past has stolen his chances of a future with her. Rylan’s interest in Reese only intensifies the tension—until Sloan begins to wonder if the reckless man might be the one person who can bridge the distance...

The last time Reese fell for the wrong man, she had no choice but to kill him. Now, she desperately wants to take what both Rylan and Sloan are offering. But if she makes the wrong call again, she risks losing them both.

Since the beginning of this series, Rylan has sort of stolen the show, you know what I mean? Even though the first two books were about other characters, whenever Rylan was present, he was PRESENT. He's the fun, sexy guy that every dude wants to be friends with and every girl wants to get with. So, I just knew - I KNEW - that his book would be the best of the series. And I was SO right. 

We learned in earlier books that Rylan is really into Reese. Reese is the hardass ruler of the largest town in their dystopian world. Rylan loves how strong and sexy she is. And I think he secretly loves that she turns him down every time he propositions her. 

Reese loves her town and taking care of her people, but her previous relationship has proven to her that being alone is better for everyone. Reese isn't actually alone though. She has her right-hand man, Sloan, always by her side to advise her and support her. And secretly crush on her. 

Rylan is in Reese's town for awhile, which means he has lots of time to wear her down. And wear her down he does. But, he also learns that Reese and Sloan are a package deal. She doesn't make any decision or do anything major without consulting with him first. Good thing Rylan is the kind of guy that doesn't care about that. In fact, having Sloan join he and Reese is even better than he could've dreamed. And definitely way more feelings than he ever bargained for. 

If you thought Claimed and Addicted were hot, trust me when I say, you haven't seen anything until you've read Ruled. The three of them - Rylan, Sloan and Reese - are so ridiculously explosive. They're all three very different, so they have a very unique dynamic. Reese is the hardened one. Sloan is the intense one. Rylan is the fun one. So, when all three of them decide to give in to everything they're feeling, it's seriously incredible. 

Now, of course, the threesome isn't the only part of the book. There are other things going on with the  Enforcers that have been circling the town like vultures. A pivotal moment in the book changes everything for Reese and her people, and sets things up for the next book in the series. It also forces Reese to make a choice - decide to put her past in the past for good, or continue allowing ghosts to make her decisions for her. Those moments proved her stronger than I thought possible. 

This series is incredible. There's almost no dystopian erotica out there, so this series is unique. Not only that, but it's so well done. The world building, the characters, the situations - they're all so real and tangible. Elle Kennedy has done an amazing job, and I can't wait to see which characters she's going to give an HEA to next. 

Reese curled both hands around the cracked ceramic mug and breathed in the mint-flavored steam rising from the rim. It heated the tip of her nose and brought a much-needed rush of warmth. She’d felt chilled to the bone all morning, and it had nothing to do with the dipping temperature outside.

“So the raid was a success?” The very pregnant Bethany waddled over to the small sofa under the window.

Reese nodded. “We’ve got enough guns and ammo to start a war.”

Bethany’s eyebrows flicked up. “Or a revolution.”

“Same thing.”

“Is it?”

She didn’t even know anymore. Reese lifted the mug to her lips and took a small sip, all the while doing her best to avoid looking at Bethany’s bulging stomach. Seeing it reminded her of her own losses, the choice that had been stolen from her. And it reminded her of Arch, the ginger-haired giant who was never going to see his baby come into this world.

Arch had been a good man, an exceptional soldier. Everyone in town was still grieving for him, but none more so than his woman, whose brown eyes fixed on Reese now.

“What’s going on?” Bethany stroked her belly in absent- minded gestures. “You look worried.”

Reese set down her mug. “Nah, I’m fine.”

“Bullshit. Something’s up.”

She hesitated, because she didn’t confide in many people. Sloan was the one she went to when she was feeling vulnerable. Sometimes Lennox. Tamara. But for all the others, she put on a strong front. She was their leader, which meant they weren’t allowed to see her worrying, or vacillating, or drowning in self-doubt.

She’d known Bethany a long time, though. Shit, it had been almost eight years now. The two women were seventeen when they’d first crossed paths. Where the hell did the time go?

“I did something stupid last night,” she found herself confessing.

“Yeah? What’d you do?”

“Rylan.”

Bethany snorted. “Ah. So he finally charmed his way into your bed?”

The humor in Bethany’s eyes was such a welcome sight that Reese’s heart squeezed. In the two months since Arch’s death, Bethany’s expressions had alternated between completely vacant and raw with grief.

“How was it?” Bethany pressed.

How was it? Reese couldn’t even begin to answer that. Hell, she wasn’t sure there were actual words in the English language that could describe what went down between the two of them last night.

No, the three of them.

Her wrists were still sore from Sloan’s punishing grip. He’d held her, restrained her so she was at Rylan’s mercy. Sloan’s mercy. The memory sent a rush of desire to her core, which only confused her body. She didn’t even know who she’d been coming for last night. Rylan? Or Sloan? Or both?

What she did know was that she’d done a very bad thing. A dangerous thing.

Rylan had been as wild and addictive as she’d suspected he’d be, but . . . she’d crossed a line with Sloan. She’d stared into his eyes while she was sobbing in release. She’d clung to him while Rylan screwed her hard enough to make her see stars. She’d threatened their friendship, and for what? A few orgasms?

It wasn’t fair to Sloan. She knew damn well that he wanted her—she’d always known—yet she’d selfishly asked him to be there last night, even though it must have been torture for him.

What kind of friend did that make her?

“You’re worrying me again.”

Bethany’s quiet voice jolted her from her thoughts. “I’m sorry,” Reese murmured. She picked up her mug and took another long sip. “My head is foggy this morning.”

“Good sex will do that to you.”

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Royally Screwed (Royally #1)

Royally Screwed (Royally #1), by Emma Chase
Publish Date: October 18, 2016
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Format: audiobook, purchased
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 5 STARS

(Synopsis) Nicholas Arthur Frederick Edward Pembrook, Crowned Prince of Wessco, aka His Royal Hotness, is wickedly charming, devastatingly handsome, and unabashedly arrogant; hard not to be when people are constantly bowing down to you. 

Then, one snowy night in Manhattan, the prince meets a dark haired beauty who doesn't bow down. Instead, she throws a pie in his face.

Nicholas wants to find out if she tastes as good as her pie, and this heir apparent is used to getting what he wants.
Dating a prince isn't what waitress Olivia Hammond ever imagined it would be.

There's a disapproving queen, a wildly inappropriate spare heir, relentless paparazzi, and brutal public scrutiny. While they've traded in horse drawn carriages for Rolls Royces, and haven't chopped anyone's head off lately, the royals are far from accepting of this commoner.
But to Olivia, Nicholas is worth it.

Nicholas grew up with the whole world watching, and now Marriage Watch is in full force. In the end, Nicholas has to decide who he is and, more importantly, who he wants to be: a King... or the man who gets to love Olivia forever.

I have not enjoyed an audiobook more this year than Royally Screwed. It was one of those audiobooks that causes you to take an extra loop around the block before pulling into the garage just so you can listen for a few more minutes. I found myself excitedly shooing my family out of the kitchen just so I could do the dishes. And I took my daily walk without fail - even when it was raining. 

It goes without saying that the story was magnificent. It's everything every girl with even a fraction of romanticism in her heart loves - a prince falls in love with a common, ordinary American girl (and a brash New Yorker to boot) and whisks her away to his foreign castle to wine, dine and screw. And, like every good story, the relationship is doomed to fail from the beginning. Seriously, it was perfect. 

But, the real icing on the cake for me was the narration. Shane East doesn't have to fake his foreign accent. And I love Andy Arndt's other work (she's great in Meghan March's Beneath series). Together, they made this story come to life. Truly - their performances were brilliant, and they made Olivia and Nicholas seem so real for me. As much as it killed me to wait until the end - because, honestly, if I had read the book instead of listened, I know I would've been done in 24 hours or less - the wait ended up being as much fun as the actual story. 

So, let's talk about the story for a moment. I love books that have no clear path to an HEA. And this was one of those. Nicholas is forbidden by law to marry any woman who is not some sort of royalty. It would've been trite to have Nicholas easily alter the law or to have someone dig up an old relative of Olivia's that happened to be royalty. I'm so glad Emma Chase chose to not go either of those routes. 

Instead, what we got was a book with this mounting tension that built and built as you moved toward the end. As Olivia and Nicholas go from New York to Wesco and spend month after month together learning secrets and habits, they fall so desperately in love. We're talking serious swooning here. Since Royally Screwed is in dual POV, we get to hear both characters' thoughts about the other and the moments when each realizes they're... screwed. 

They can't be together, yet they can't be apart either. And it's that impossibility that made this story so wonderful. Because I knew Emma Chase wouldn't let me down. But, I had no idea how she would pull it off either. 

I didn't miss the set up for Henry's story, which is next. Nicholas' adorable younger brother's book will be no less amazing, I'm sure. Is it 2017 yet?