Book review: CRAVING REVENGE, by Michelle Heard

Kings of Mafia #6

Augusto & Yuki

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is an emotional roller coaster in the best way — a dark, gripping romance wrapped in family loyalty, trauma, healing, and the slow blooming of trust.

At its core, the story follows Yuki, a young woman raised under the crushing weight of duty and secrecy within the Japanese underworld. Her life has never truly belonged to her — every choice, every breath, every step has been dictated by the men who control her fate. The loneliness and quiet suffering she endures are portrayed with heartbreaking clarity.

On the other side of the world stands Augusto, the powerful Don of the Sicilian Cosa Nostra. Despite his brutal world, he comes from a family overflowing with warmth, loyalty, and fierce protectiveness. When their paths collide under violent circumstances, everything spirals into a chain of events neither of them could have predicted.

What begins as a clash between two criminal empires slowly transforms into a story about healing, identity, and unexpected tenderness. The romance is a true slow burn — shaped by fear, guilt, compassion, and the gradual rebuilding of trust. Watching Yuki rediscover her own worth, and seeing Augusto’s hardened exterior soften as he learns who she really is, is incredibly moving.

The author balances intense action, emotional depth, and cultural detail with a skill that kept me hooked from start to finish. There are moments that hurt, moments that soothe, and moments that feel like a breath of fresh air after years spent underwater.

All the elements that I love are present: slow burn romance, protective hero with soft heart, heroine who rises from trauma, found family, and hight stakes mafia drama (very gory!).

It’s passionate, violent, tender, and unforgettable — the kind of book that leaves you thinking about the characters long after you close it.

Purchase links

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FTV7D69F

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FTV7D69F

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0FTV7D69F

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0FTV7D69F

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.

 

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Book review: IN A HEARTBEAT, by Laura Pavlov

Rosewood River #5

Axel & Wren

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Laura Pavlov delivers another swoony, heartfelt, small‑town romance that hits every emotional beat—from betrayal and heartbreak to healing, humor, and the kind of devotion that feels like destiny.

Wren and Axel have been best friends forever—the kind of childhood bond built on inside jokes, shared dreams, and a horse named Wrax whose name literally unites theirs. He calls her Horse Girl. She calls him Cowboy. And for years, that was enough.

Until it wasn’t.

A devastating fallout tore them apart, leaving Wren blocking his number and Axel wondering what he did wrong. In the two years they spent apart, life didn’t slow down for either of them. Wren became a World Champion in eventing, only to spiral into a slump and suffer a brutal accident. Axel built a booming business designing high‑end horse trailers. Both were succeeding, but both were missing the one person who had always understood them best.

And then comes the betrayal that shatters Wren: her father and coach secretly sell Wrax—her partner, her heart, her family—because they think he’s “too old” for their Olympic ambitions. The cruelty of it is staggering.

Desperate to get Wrax back, Wren takes a temp job… only to discover she’ll be working for Axel. He doesn’t want to hire her—too much hurt, too many unanswered questions—but the moment he learns what happened, he steps in the way he always has: in a heartbeat.

What follows is a beautifully layered journey of reconnection. Axel tracks down Wrax, buys him back, and brings him home in one of the most emotional reunion scenes I’ve ever read. Even the horse cries. And honestly? Same.

As Wren and Axel rebuild their friendship, the truth finally surfaces: Collin—Wren’s brother and resident chaos generator—lied about Axel the night everything fell apart. His deception cost them two years of love they didn’t know they were already living. Wren’s fury is righteous, and her refusal to let her father or brother control her career anymore is a moment of pure empowerment.

From there, the romance blooms effortlessly. Their devotion is absolute. Their trust is hard‑won. Their matching “in a heartbeat” tattoos? Perfection. They are soulmates who were separated by lies but reunited by choice.

The competitions in North Carolina and New York bring adrenaline, triumph, and the sweetest moments of support—Axel flying overnight just to be there for her cross‑country run is peak book‑boyfriend behavior. Wren proves Wrax is still a champion, proves she’s stronger than her past, and ultimately realizes she’s ready to retire on her own terms.

Her new dream? A riding academy for kids, mornings waking up beside Axel, and long rides with Wrax and Honey just for the joy of it.

Meanwhile, the family subplots deliver drama, growth, and surprising tenderness. Collin starts therapy. Wren’s mother rebuilds her life. Her father tries—awkwardly—to make amends. It’s messy, but it’s real.

And because this Rosewood River, we also get:

• The Taylor Tea stirring up small‑town chaos

• A full‑on B&E mission involving vodka, stockings, and rose bushes

• The Chadwick men’s group chat (always iconic)

• The ladies’ “book club,” which is 10% books and 90% wine and oversharing

It’s romance, humor, family, friendship, and small‑town charm all braided together into a story that feels warm, funny, emotional, and deeply satisfying.

A perfect blend of heart and hilarity—Laura Pavlov at her best.

Purchase links

FREE with #kindleunlimited 

https://geni.us/inaheartbeat

Paperback: https://amzn.to/4iGiano

Hardcover: Coming soon!

Audible: https://geni.us/IAHAUDIO

Narrated by: Alex Knox and Samantha Brentmoor

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/477mR5w

About the author

Laura Pavlov writes sweet and sexy contemporary romance that will make you both laugh and cry. She is happily married to her college sweetheart, mom to two awesome almost-grown kids, and dog-whisperer to one temperamental yorkie and one wild bernedoodle. Laura resides in Las Vegas where she is living her own happily ever after. Be sure to sign up for updates on new releases. Laura loves to hear from readers!

 

Connect with Laura

Website: https://www.laurapavlov.com/

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Book review: MORALLY BLACK BETROTHAL

Morally Black Billionaires

Brendan & Simone

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This romance swept me up with its mix of high‑stakes family drama and tender emotional beats. At its heart, it’s about Brendan, the eldest son in a ruthless billionaire dynasty, and Simone, a woman whose life is rooted in responsibility, community, and quiet strength. Their worlds couldn’t be more different—corporate boardrooms versus sourdough starters—but when fate throws them together, sparks fly in ways neither expected.

What I loved most is how the book balances the cutthroat atmosphere of power struggles with the gentleness of a slow‑burn romance. Brendan is a fascinating hero: outwardly hardened by years of competition, yet inwardly yearning for something softer, something real. Simone, meanwhile, shines as a heroine who knows her worth, even when others try to diminish her. Watching them navigate fake‑turned‑real feelings, family expectations, and the chaos of ambition was both exhilarating and deeply moving.

The story is layered with themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the courage to choose love over legacy. It’s not just about romance—it’s about finding safety and joy in someone who sees you fully, even when the rest of the world doesn’t. The slow burn feels authentic, the chemistry builds beautifully, and when the relationship finally ignites, it’s both tender and passionate.

If you enjoy romances that weave together emotional healing, family conflict, and the thrill of falling for someone who challenges your world, this one will keep you hooked. It’s a tale of resilience, vulnerability, and love that feels hard‑won—and all the more satisfying because of it.

Purchase links

https://amzn.to/3VC3QBK

About the author

Nicole French is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance. She's also a hopeless romantic, Springsteen fanatic, and total bookworm. When not writing, she is hanging out with her family, playing soccer with the rest of the thirty-plus crowd in Seattle, or going on dates with her husband. In her spare time, she likes to go running or practice the piano, but never seems to do either one of these things as much as she should.

 

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Book review: IF HE HADN’T CHEATED, by Carmen Rosales

The book opens in raw despair: a woman unraveling after the ultimate betrayal. With a wedding planned, a venue booked, graduation on the horizon, and dreams of conquering the world, everything collapses like a house of cards when she discovers her fiancé in bed with another student.

The fallout is brutal. She drops out of college, numbs herself with booze, drugs, and strangers, and lives in a loop designed to erase memory and feeling. Yet every morning, she still checks her phone—hoping for a call, a message, anything—and finds nothing. The cycle begins again.

Then, by accident, she dials her ex’s best friend. He hears her break down in the street and rushes to her side. Against her protests, he becomes her reluctant savior. Slowly, their history unfolds: he was her first choice, but he didn’t want commitment. She settled for someone else—and paid the price.

The narrative weaves between past and present, showing her destructive spiral alongside his quiet determination to pull her back from the edge. What struck me most was her flicker of self-awareness: even in the darkness, she knows she wants better. She insists she doesn’t need help, but what she truly craves is hope. Knox offers that—just enough light, just enough push—for her to rediscover her strength.

I’ll admit it: cheating romances are my forbidden pleasure. I love watching heroines claw their way back from devastation, and this one is among the darkest I’ve read. I admired her resilience and the love she eventually finds. Still, the book wasn’t perfectly structured. The backstories felt hazy, Luna’s family was absent, and the timeline wavered—sometimes the betrayal seemed fresh, other times years old.

Even so, the emotional intensity kept me hooked. It’s messy, it’s painful, but it’s also about survival, hope, and the complicated ways love can heal.

Purchase links

FREE in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4p5P1Fd

Add If He Hadn’t Cheated to Goodreads: https://tinyurl.com/ihhccrgr 

About the author

Carmen Rosales is a best-selling Dark Romance and Latinx author. She loves to write in different genres of Romance and erotic horror under her alter ego, Delilah Croww. Beyond her writing, Carmen is a devoted mother who loves spending time with her loved ones. Join her VIP list at www.carmenrosales.com