Book review: PETTY IN PINK, by LJ Shen

This novella completely swept me off my feet. LJ Shen flipped her usual dynamic on its head, giving me a hero who is not a jerk, but is pure devotion wrapped in a doctor coat, and a heroine who’s all heart, humor, and hard‑won resilience. Layla and Grant’s story was tender, sexy, fun, and hit every one of my favorite romance buttons.

It starts with a pink dress in a Valentine’s day wedding, Layla objecting to the marriage based on her past trauma from the groom, and a wild chase out of the hotel.  Then meeting up with Grant, her friends with benefits of almost a decade.  From that wild, pink‑drenched wedding objection to the soft, steady unraveling of Layla’s trauma, the book balances chaos and healing so beautifully. Grant is the kind of hero who makes you believe in safe love — patient, protective, quietly pining for almost a decade — and Layla’s journey toward trusting him (and herself). It was so lovely to read their story!  Their chemistry was off the charts, the surprise pregnancy just what Grant needed to get his chance with Layla.

I loved seeing old friends Maddie and Chase (The Devil Wears Black) as an established couple, with one little boy and another one in the way.  Maddy continues to be the best bestie, and Chase continues to be the jerk we all love and who loves his wife madly.  It was perfection!

Even as a novella, it felt complete, rich, and emotionally full. I turned the last page grinning like an idiot, wishing only that Jessica had gotten the karmic smackdown she deserved. Otherwise, this was everything I adore about LJ Shen: messy beginnings, deep wounds, big feelings, subtle humor, and a couple who earns their joy. I loved it.

Purchase links

eBook: https://amzn.to/4qVjeqT

Audio (narrated by Erin Mallon and Christian Fox, in dual-narration style): https://amzn.to/3NUy8Pt

**Please note there is no paperback due to its length.

About the author

L.J. Shen is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post, and #1 Amazon bestselling author of contemporary, new adult, and young adult romance. Her books have been sold in twenty different countries, and she hopes to visit all of them.

She lives in Florida with her husband, three rowdy sons, and rowdier pets and enjoys good wine, bad reality TV shows, and reading to her heart’s content. 

Connect with her on her website at www.authorljshen.com or on Instagram (@authorljshen), or join her Facebook group at http://goo.gl/QZJ0NC. 

Sign up for her newsletter at https://bit.ly/3LhsIrb, and text SHEN to 313131 to get new release alerts (United States only).

Book review: FORCEFUL GOD, by Michelle Heard

Kings of Mafia #7

Christiano & Sienna

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This story swept me into the whirlwind that is Sienna and Christiano—two people who loved each other so fiercely that even a bullet couldn’t sever the bond between them. Their engagement party turns into a nightmare when the Irish mafia opens fire, and the moment Christiano throws himself over Sienna, taking a bullet in the back, becomes the fracture line of her entire life. Her terror in that hospital room—his bloody jacket, the white sheet—shattered her, and her diagnosis of Thanatophobia felt like heartbreak.

What I loved is how the book treats her fear not as weakness, but as a wound that deserves care. Sienna leaves him because she thinks loving him will kill her, and for seven long years they orbit each other like two stars refusing to burn out. Christiano grows darker, more violent, but the only thing that soothes him is her scent. And when he finally decides her time is up? Cue tension, obsession, inevitability. And lots of panic attacks!

Their reunion is messy, tender, and scorching. Sienna still believes she’s too fragile to be a mafia wife, but Christiano refuses to let her hide. When he discovers her medication and the truth behind her fear, he doesn’t recoil—he softens. He learns. He protects. He becomes the safe place she never thought she could have. Watching him build systems, routines, and even tech to help her manage her anxiety was unexpectedly beautiful.

And once they settle into married life, the story becomes this warm, intimate portrait of two people healing each other. There’s family, laughter, deliciously steamy moments, and a sense of safety Sienna never imagined she could feel. I kept waiting for the big attack or kidnapping, but the real conflict was internal—and once her secret was out, she finally understood that vulnerability doesn’t diminish love; it deepens it.

Michelle Heard always gives me couples who love with their whole souls—obsessive men, sensitive women with steel cores—and this one felt especially tender. Sienna’s anxiety made her human, and Christiano’s devotion made their love feel inevitable. A compelling, emotional, unexpectedly feel‑good romance that proves that with the right person, even your darkest fear can be met with understanding and unwavering love.

Purchase links

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FTV51QN2

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FTV51QN2

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0FTV51QN2

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0FTV51QN2

About the author

Michelle Heard is a Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling Author who loves creating stories her readers can get lost in. She resides in South Africa with her son where she's always planning her next book to write, and trip to take.

 

Connect w/Michelle:

Website: https://michelleheardauthor.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHeardAuthor

FB Readers Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/118971435201074

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormichelleheard

Amazon: https://amazon.com/author/michellehorst

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18108320.Michelle_Heard

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/michelle-heard

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@michelleheard_author

Newsletter Signup: https://preview.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/p6m4o4

Book review: CURSED QUEEN, by Julie Saman

Once Upon Ever After #2

Bellamy & Sebastian

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This sequel delivers everything I wanted after that brutal cliffhanger: more mystery, more royal chaos, and more of Sebastian being an intense, broody beast with a silvery‑blue stare that could freeze oceans — except when he’s with Bellamy and the kids, where he turns into a total softy. In the bedroom, though? The man absolutely lives up to his reputation, and Bellamy is delighted.

Bellamy’s irreverent humor and American practicality (“curses aren’t real, bad things happen, move on”) continue to be the perfect antidote to centuries of royal superstition. She brings warmth and fun into a palace drowning in secrets, curses, and generational trauma. The discovery that she’s pregnant with twins adds joy… until tragedy hits and she spirals into a grief that feels painfully real.

The mystery of Desta’s kidnapping explodes wide open with the dowager queen’s shocking confession — betrayal, scandal, and a level of coldness that made my jaw drop. Rowan steps up beautifully, proving he’s far more than the playboy prince we met before.

And then comes Charlotte, the “perfect” nanny who turns out to be a walking red flag. The snooping, the manipulation, the cheek kiss — all leading to a kidnapping that ties the entire mystery together in a chilling way. The rescue is tense and satisfying, and Sebastian’s groveling afterward is exactly the catharsis I needed.

There’s humor (Arthur the ferret!), heartbreak, jealousy, danger, and yes… an almost comical amount of anal play. These two have no fear.

Overall, it’s a dramatic, emotional, addictive continuation of a series that thrives on love, chaos, and the stubborn belief that curses don’t stand a chance against Bellamy’s big heart and sassy ways.

Purchasing links

Amazon Universal: https://geni.us/CursedQueen

BookBub: https://geni.us/CQBookBub

Goodreads: https://geni.us/CursedQueenTBR

About the author

J. Saman is a USA Today and Amazon top 40 bestselling author who writes sassy, swoony, and scorching contemporary romances. She is addicted to Diet Coke, sour candy, and indie rock. She swears way too much (especially after a glass of wine) and has a penchant for sarcasm (or so her husband and children like to tell her).

J. is an admitted lover of second chance romances, enemies to lovers, and the perfect amount of angst. She is best known for writing funny and emotional romances filled with smart, strong women, and sexy alphas who have a softer side—especially for their women.

Connect with J. Saman

Website: https://www.jsamanbooks.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14923699.J_Saman

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/J.-Saman/author/B01FOIUR46

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jsamanbooks

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/jsamansradtasticreaders

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jsamanbooks

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jsamanbooks

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/j-saman

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jsamanbooks/

Book review: AMBER FALLS, by Corinne Michaels

Amber Falls #4

Killian & Tessa

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This one had all the ingredients for a juicy, angsty romance, but somehow the flavor never fully developed. Killian is a long-term hot mess—never had a girlfriend, never been married, carrying old betrayals like emotional luggage he refuses to unpack. Tessa, meanwhile, is drowning in family drama: a manipulative mother who won’t work, an absent brother, and a lifetime of being told she’s not enough. Her backstory has weight, but the book never digs deep enough to make it hit hard.

Their meet-cute is pure romance chaos: she follows a gorgeous older stranger home for dinner and sex (so unsafe, girl!), only to discover the next morning that he’s her new client. (Cue horror faces!) The chemistry is scorching, the age gap works, and Killian is wonderfully supportive of her career. Tessa’s ideas practically save his horse farm, and he never stops telling her how capable she is.

The plot tries to stir up tension—missing trainer, doping rumors, a PI, organized crime, an undercover FBI agent, and even the shock twist that Killian’s newly discovered daughter is Tessa’s best friend. But despite all that, the story still feels oddly… bland. The emotional stakes never quite land, and the family drama stays surface-level.

There are plenty of sex scenes, and the devotion between Tessa and Killian is clear and sweet. Their love grows steadily, and the ending is satisfying. I just wanted more oomph, more depth, more something to make all that drama feel earned.

A lovely story overall—but for me, it didn’t came as angsty as I expected.

Purchase links

Available in Kindle Unlimited!

E-book ➝ https://geni.us/CWM_Zon

Audio ➝ https://geni.us/CWM_Audio

Duet Narration by Austin Stone & Samantha Brentmoor

Paperback ➝ https://geni.us/CWM-Deluxe

About the author

Corinne Michaels is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of romance novels. Her stories are chock full of emotion, humor, and unrelenting love, and she enjoys putting her characters through intense heartbreak before finding a way to heal them through their struggles.

Corinne is a former Navy wife and happily married to the man of her dreams. She began her writing career after spending months away from her husband while he was deployed--reading and writing were her escapes from the loneliness. Corinne now lives in Virginia with her husband and is the emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun-loving mom of two beautiful children.

 

Connect with Corinne

Website: http://corinnemichaels.com

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2N1H2Gb

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1NVZmhv

Facebook: https://bit.ly/1iwLh6y

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/corinnemichaelsbooks/

Instagram: https://bit.ly/2L1Vzo6

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@corinne.michaels

Bookbub: https://bit.ly/2yc6rss

Pinterest: https://bit.ly/2m7MkEL

BingeBooks: https://bingebooks.com/author/corinne-michaels

CMBOOKS TO 77948

Book review: A HATEFUL NEGOTIATION, by Tijan

Some love stories start with sparks. Creighton and Blake’s starts with bruises. Both products of the foster system, they carry that bone‑deep sense of being unwanted—the kind that stains every instinct, every reaction, every belief about themselves. And in Creighton’s case, that ache is amplified by his own self‑diagnosed “psychopath tendencies.” By fourteen he’s already a young criminal, numb to right and wrong, convinced he has no soul. And then an eight‑year‑old girl with a bruised face steps out of a car and jump‑starts the dead organ in his chest.

From that moment on, Blake becomes his axis.

His purpose.

His line in the sand.

Creighton protects her with a ferocity that terrifies everyone else. If someone hurts her feelings, he reacts. If someone threatens her, he eliminates the threat. The world calls it obsession. I call it devotion—because Blake is also his conscience. She sets one rule: “No one good and no one innocent.” And he follows it for years, not because he believes in morality, but because she does.

Blake’s dream has always been painfully simple: a normal life. Normal people. No foster‑kid stigma. No shadow of Creighton’s world. So they strike a deal—she can leave, study in New York, live her life, as long as she accepts a disguised bodyguard and the occasional financial help she pretends she doesn’t need. Creighton stays in Cincinnati… until he doesn’t. Because where Blake goes, he follows, even from a distance.

And then come the territorial clashes with the Kings of New York—Tristian West and Ashton Walden—and suddenly Blake’s quiet brownstone life with her four housemates collides with Creighton’s underworld. Parties turn into danger. Coincidences turn into chaos. And the mayhem is delicious.

What unfolds is a roller coaster of mafia politics, kidnappings, torture, threats, and turf wars. Through it all, Blake proves she’s no fragile flower—she can handle herself. But with Creighton? She melts. And that contrast is everything.

Her resistance to him finally makes sense: she wanted him to change. To be better. To be normal. But Creighton only has a heart where she’s concerned, and once she accepts that, she adapts. She grows. She realizes the power she holds over him and uses it—not manipulatively, but lovingly—to shape the life they can actually have.

Creighton’s devotion is absolute. He would burn the world for her.

Blake’s love is quieter, slower to bloom, but just as fierce.

And for a man who claims he has no soul, he shows more integrity than half the “good” people in his world. No sex trafficking. Children protected. Employees’ families cared for even after death. He says it’s about loyalty. I say it’s the soul he swears he doesn’t have.

The action never stops.

The romance is slow burn but emotionally loaded.

And watching Blake come into her own—accepting what she can’t change him and bending the rest to her terms—was incredibly satisfying. Watching Creighton be tamed by a girl who is beautiful inside and out? Even better.

My only gripe: seeing West and Walden at war with Creighton hurt my heart, because I loved them in their own books. Walden especially got a little too intense at times. But peace eventually comes, so I forgave it.

Tijan always delivers: riveting characters, twisty plots, humor, emotion, and flawed people trying to be good enough for the one person who matters. Creighton embodies that perfectly. He knows he’s not good—but he loves Blake too much to ever let her go.

Sigh.

Purchase links

FREE with #kindleunlimited! 

Amazon: https://bit.ly/4forSch

Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/B2HZ

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/46K8Z1w 

Listen to the audiobook!

Narrated by: Benjamin Sands & Mia Madison

Audible: https://bit.ly/3MUJSkB

About the author

Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable

novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of

sass on the side. Tijan began writing after college and once she started, she was hooked.

She's written multi-bestsellers including the Fallen Crest series, Ryan's Bed, Enemies

and others.

She is currently writing many new books and series with an English Cocker she

adores.

Connect with Tijan

Website: http://www.tijansbooks.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4851199.Tijan

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tijan/e/B00DJG52QE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tijansbooks/

Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/tijansreadergroup

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tijansbooks/

X/Twitter: www.twitter.com/tijansbooks

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@tijan_author

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tijan