Book review: STILL BURNING, by Abbi Glines

The Judgement MC #4

Tex & Salem

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I started reading this book as soon as it hit my Kindle and didn’t stop reading until finished at 3:45 am, that’s how good this story was.  Completely thrilling, page-turner, riveting, everything and more than I expected of this sequel.

The action is practically non-stop, and we get all the feels that we love from this author.  There’s the ever lasting love between Rome (Tex) and Salem.  I got to read scenes where the love was all consuming and it filled my heart.  We also get the nasty woman who wants to get Tex however she can, by tricks or blackmail (Nixie).  And her comeuppance, which is important! We have the girlfriends who give constant support: Pepper, Nina, and Goldie.  And apart from Liam and Micah, we get a little bit of the Mafia boys, as in Blaise, King, Thatcher, Wilder.  And throw in some DEA and CIA just for funsies.  

We finally get to meet Brady Murphy a.k.a. The Ghost, we get irrefutable proof of the love Eamos had for Salem, lots more.  And what I love the best is that Salem had some sad and angsty parts in the first book, but in this one it’s Tex’s turn.  And I loved all of his angst, how he got into his feels real hard.

This book was completely satisfying and wonderful to read.  Now I’m only mad that I read it so fast that it got over too soon!

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩:

✔️MC Romance

✔️Second Chance

✔️First Loves 

✔️Morally Grey Hero

✔️Alpha Male

Purchase links

https://geni.us/stillburning

Read OLD FLAME, book 1 in Tex’s story:  https://geni.us/OldFlame

About the author

Abbi Glines is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Rosemary Beach, Sea Breeze, Vincent Boys, Field Party, and Existence series. She never cooks unless baking during the Christmas holiday counts. She believes in ghosts and has a habit of asking people if their house is haunted before she goes in it. She finally moved to New England into a home that is 200 + years old with it's own ghosts. She drinks afternoon tea because she wants to be British but alas she being born in Alabama, her life in New England is as close as she will get. When asked how many books she has written she has to stop and count on her fingers. When she’s not locked away writing, she is reading, and/or watching Netflix like the introvert that she is. 

You can connect with Abbi online in several different ways:

www.abbiglinesbooks.com

TikTok @abbiglines

Twitter: @abbiglines

Instagram: @abbiglines

Snapchat: abbiglines

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

Book review: OLD FLAME, by Abbi Glines

Judgement #3

Tex & Salem

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m gobsmacked that this book ended in a cliffhanger. I need to finish this story! Rome and Salem’s story is epic, romantic, full of the dual tones I always find in Abbi Glines stories. Part gritty passion, part tender romance. 

Salem and Rome were high school sweethearts, he loved her since she was sixteen and waited until she was almost eighteen to be together. But when his mother died, and following her request, he let Salem go so she could have a future studying art in college.  It broke both of them, and they never felt complete until they meet again, eighteen years later.

I loved the romance of the story, hurt for Salem because there was always an unhappy secret in her life.  She had been married to a good man who loved her completely but there was guilt because she couldn’t give him all she had.  I cried several times because of this, when she felt so guilty and hurt for loving Rome.

I was angry at Rome several times, because instead of being tender and understanding, he was rough, rebelled against his feelings, tried to make the situation trivial when it was quite heartbreaking.

I loved the women of the MC who befriended Salem and made her feel one of the group.  I was a little appalled at the sleazy component of the MC.  The presence of some women in scanty clothes parading their lady bits around, being used by all and any of the men was a little ghastly to read.  I think previous books didn’t have such blatant imagery.  

The book ends in a cliffhanger and I’m gasping to know what’s the future for Salem and Rome.  I was beginning to get excited because Rome is just starting to be besotted, just like I like these men to be.  Can’t wait for the next one!

Purchase links

https://geni.us/OldFlame

About the author

Abbi Glines is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Rosemary Beach, Sea Breeze, Vincent Boys, Field Party, and Existence series. She never cooks unless baking during the Christmas holiday counts. She believes in ghosts and has a habit of asking people if their house is haunted before she goes in it. She finally moved to New England into a home that is 200 + years old with it's own ghosts. She drinks afternoon tea because she wants to be British but alas she being born in Alabama, her life in New England is as close as she will get. When asked how many books she has written she has to stop and count on her fingers. When she’s not locked away writing, she is reading, and/or watching Netflix like the introvert that she is. 

You can connect with Abbi online in several different ways:

www.abbiglinesbooks.com

TikTok @abbiglines

Twitter: @abbiglines

Instagram: @abbiglines

Snapchat: abbiglines

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

Book review: THE HERO.+ VEGAS = NO REGRETS, by Louise Bay

New York City Billionaires #3

Worth & Sophia

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Instant lust that fast transforms into love, Worth, considered the “dad” in their group due to his serious demeanor, surprises everyone with his insta-love story.  I was so surprised to see him obsessed so fast with Sophia!  She’s Jules’ best friend and invited to their friends’ group weekly reunion.  Worth swoons but keeps it inside, respecting that she’s intended for Fisher, but as soon as he learns neither is interested in the other, he swoops her up and gets her married in a Vegas drunken surprise wedding.

Worth seems stodgy most of the story but looses that stodginess when they’re in the bedroom.  What he is, is a kind and generous person who is always striving to take care of all those around him.  When his father died, he was twelve, and his mother checked out.  He took care of the house and his little sisters, striving to keep his family intact. This instinct pervades his dealings with everyone, until Sophia changes his perspective and convinces him to do things that make him happy.

I liked the emotional part of this story, the friends group who are so tight and caring, and 

Sophia, even is she waffles a little bit.  There are secrets in her family and when it all comes out, her life is upended and she doesn’t handle it well.

I didn’t love the first part of the story, the insta-love wasn’t very convincing, but it improved a lot after, and I loved the tenderness and loving side of Worth that is revealed in his book.  There’s a lot of longing, lots of angst, evolving for both.  I loved the scene where the guys went to a craft class! They stuck to Worth like glue when he was down, like good friends do. Not the best of the series but entertaining nevertheless.

Purchase links

1-CLICK Now: https://geni.us/THVNR

Available with Kindle Unlimited, Audible, paperback & hardcover

Audio Narrated by: Samantha Brentmoor and Grayson Owens

Goodreads: https://geni.us/herogr

About the author

International, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author, Louise Bay writes contemporary romance novels that make you laugh - the kind she likes to read.

Ruined by the bonk-busters of the eighties, Louise was inspired by Judith Krantz and Jackie Collins, but wants to be Emily Henry when she grows up.

Louise loves the rain, RHOBH, London, days when she doesn't have to wear make-up, hanging out with her kid, elephants and champagne (not necessarily in that order).

She loves to hear from readers so get in touch!

 

Keep up with Louise Bay and subscribe to her newsletter: https://louisebay.com/newsletter/

 

To learn more about Louise Bay& her books, visit here!

 

Connect with Louise Bay:

https://louisebay.com/contact/

Book review: TRULY MADLY DEEPLY, by L.J. Shen

Forbidden Love #1

Calla & Row

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love being back in LJ Shen’s world, where the guys are jerks with a hidden vulnerability and the women seem vulnerable but have a hard core inside.  In this case, Ambrose Rhett Casablancas, is a famous chef, owner of six Michelin awards, childhood friend of Calla Litvin, who is beautiful, sunshiny, quirky, and best friends with his little sister Dylan.  Even though he’s such a grump, he’s always been there for Calla as a protector, dance teacher, ride to school, food provider.  

Cal has a dark past, she’s broken but that doesn’t stop her from always being uplifting and cheerful.  Her past trauma is the reason she has no love live.  

In this author’s love stories, characters enter into their love with a lot of reluctance or obstacles, but in this case, we get the male character has always been in love with Cal.  His unrequited love turns him into a jerk who is always grumpy with Cal, but nevertheless does his job as a friend.  I had such a love for him, because he defends himself, as he should, but he never reneges on being there for Cal.  

I found that Cal was very stubbornly broken, didn’t seek help for her situation, just kept it locked inside and festering.  I wanted to slap her silly because Row was perfect, he was there, he was devoted, but he was also leaving soon.

There’s no way to stay unemotional with an LJ Shen story.  She makes you laugh, snark, cry, sometimes you want to shake a stubborn fool, but always rejoice in the love that shines in all the ones around, like Cal’s Mamushka, Dylan’s snarkiness, Kieran’s kindness disguised in douchy-ness.

I liked the author’s message that even if you’re broken and reject love, you’re still deserving of devotion and long-lasting love and such is the case of Cal and Row.  Utterly entertaining, delightful, a little angsty, and fun.  And most of all, 🔥 

Purchase links

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4cMvz9C

Add Truly, Madly, Deeply to Goodreads: http://tinyurl.com/28rdvrh9  

 

For more information about L.J. Shen and her books, visit her website:

https://www.authorljshen.com

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: THE DARK BEFORE LIGHT, by L.M. Halloran

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
And to think that I almost didn’t get the book!  The BDSM trope didn’t appeal, but the blurb of the book was so intriguing that I decided to go for it, and it turned out to be one of my 2024 favorites!

Kieran and Talia met when she was 14 and he was 18 years old.  They met in a Dublin cemetery, she was drunk, he was smoking a joint.  Talia was touring with her family, her sister took her to a pub, gave her two shots, left her, the owners threw her out and she ended up drunk in the cemetery.  Kieran found her, talked to her, and took her back to her hotel.  Not without first telling her she needed to be the queen of lions, and he would be the king. She would be ok and people would kneel at her.  She’s now 31, a psychiatrist, and an old college roommate asked her to take in a new patient.  When she finds out it’s Kieran, she makes room for him.

And this is how this fantastic story begins and took me on a journey of nanotechnology, assassination attempts, a psychiatrist who is also a sex therapist, she used to work as a dominatrix, and he used to feel guilty over losing his wife and turning into a player.  The author’s writing is sophisticated and witty, the characters are complicated and so interesting.  I loved all the psychology involved in their interactions and psyches, loved the slow burn of their attraction and the ethics involved as their attraction evolves and Talia can’t manage to separate feelings and professional actions.  

This story felt like a psychological thriller, not so much from the plot against Kieran for his nanorobotics research, but from the thrills I felt at all the psychological interactions between Kieran and Talia, and Talia’s consulting with her fellow therapist Leo Chastain.  I love anything psychological, and paired with love, sex, and the bit of BDSM involved, it felt like a dream love story. There’s also real suspense, industrial espionage, bodyguards who protect with their lives on the line, attempts at their safety, nail biting, and girl gossip.  I loved that the author inserted several humorous scenes because otherwise it would have been hugely intense, I needed the relief of some laughs!

This book needs to be enjoyed page by page, every dialogue, every interaction, all their thoughts and all their feelings.  It was an intense ride and so very enjoyable, I totally recommend it! 

Purchase links

https://a.co/d/iqBtBo7

Why you need to #ONECLICK this book…

🔥Doctor/Patient

🔥Second Chance

🔥Dislike to Obsession to Love

🔥Billionaire Romance

🔥He Falls First

🔥Suspense

🔥BDSM/kink (light)

🔥Irish Hero

🔥Spicy Contemporary Romance

🔥Characters in their 30s

🔥Female Domme

🔥Alpha Hero

🔥Possessive Hero

 

About the author

When not writing or reading, the author can be found gardening barefoot or chasing her spirited daughter. Some of her favorite things are puzzles, podcasts, and small dogs that resemble Ewoks. Home is Portland, Oregon.

Connect with L.M. Halloran:

https://www.lmhalloran.com/links/