Tag: spicy romance

Erotica, Fantasy, New Adult, New Adult Romance, Paranormal

My Review: The Dark One (Vicious Lost Boys #2): by Nikki St. Crowe

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Publish Date: April 24th, 2022
Number of Pages: 228 Pages
Publisher: Independently Published
Genre(s): Dark Romance, Fantasy, Erotica, Reverse Harem

***Warning! This review contains spoilers from the previous book in the series, so continue reading at your own risk! You have been warned!***

To see my review of book 1 – The Never King – Click HERE

Total Star Rating: 4.25 Stars

I’m a china cup that has been broken so many times that I’m never sure if I’m a cup or just separate pieces held together by glue and sheer determination, molded into a cup-like shape. I know how to crack and I know how to mend.”

— Nikki St. Crowe, “The Dark One”

What It’s About:

The official synopsis:

I spent most of my life feeling dead inside — until I met Peter Pan and the Lost Boys…

It wasn’t until Pan and Neverland that I finally felt alive.

But things are not all full of magic and sunlight on the island. There’s something darker and more sinister haunting the forest.

And worse, the fae queen and Captain Hook are ready to fight for control of Neverland and they will stop at nothing to get what they want. Including using the one thing Pan never thought he wanted or needed — me. I’m a descendant of the Darling family and now I belong to him and the Lost Boys.

War is brewing — can the Never King get his shadow back and assume his rightful throne? And if he does, where will I fit?

Or will all of Neverland be in jeopardy right along with my dark, twisted heart?

NOTE: The Dark One is book two in the Vicious Lost Boys series. It is a dark reimagining of Peter and Wendy. If you like your enemies to lovers romance with hot, ruthless, morally gray love interests, you’ll enjoy The Dark One and the Lost Boys. You can expect hate kissing, fighting, bickering, and ‘touch her and I’ll unalive you’ vibes.

Please check the author’s website for CWs

~~~

Okay, but this was a vast improvement from the previous book in my opinion! The previous book, The Never King, definitely felt like a setting placer and merely showed us the world with a basic premise but not much more than that in terms of storytelling….

That’s not to say it wasn’t hot! It just felt like nothing happened at the same time if that makes sense?

…Anyways, this second book just felt like much more was going on and was much faster paced, like it rolled much further along this time around with finding Pan’s shadow and the lengths people will go to acquire it.

The biggest highlight for this installment for me was the inclusion of Captain Hook, who we all know is the arch nemesis of Peter Pan…it was only a matter of time until he showed up in this Peter Pan retelling. BUT I appreciate how he wasn’t just a simple black/white Disney Villain, he definitely has some shades of grey to him here. Those honestly make the best villains in my opinion.

The spice was perfection like I expected in this story! I love the use of magic and fantasy elements to enhance these scenes too, it really makes the series stand out. And all I can say is that those who wanted more Vane are going to be very pleased.

…And I loved that cliffhanger as well too! Super well done!

~~~

He is an unholy sight. And I will never stop sinning for him.”

— Nikki St. Crowe, “The Dark One”

~~~

What I Liked:

  1. That Ending! Holy cliffhangers, Batman! This one was a doozy and I loved it! Made me have to go to the next book immediately.
  2. Captain Hook Showing Up! Captain James Hook definitely added a LOT to the story now that he’s shown up! Pun intended, he got me hooked these books?
  3. There Was More Plot/Conflict! This book just felt more enhanced than the previous one for me, and I think it had to do with the fact that it felt like there was more plot/conflict happening this time around.

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. …Is It REALLY love though?…Sometimes Winnie’s relationship with Peter Pan and the lost boys feels off to me, or that it shifted way to quickly? Like they refer to her as their whore and have turns having a lot of sex with her, but then it’s like instantly like they’re all in love with her too? Maybe call it another case of instalove, but that dynamic feels off to me with these characters when half the time Winnie seems like she’s just a walking, talking sex toy to the male characters. But at the same time, I’m not reading this story expecting a Disney Princess happily ever after.

~~~

Conclusion:

Overall, this sequel was much better for me than the previous book in this series. Everything felt enhanced for me; the plot, the spice, the pacing, the characters, EVERYTHING! I enjoyed this one more, and that cliffhanger ending had me grabbing for the next book ASAP!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

LGBT, New Adult, New Adult Romance, Romance

My Review: Garron Park (From Nothing #1): by Nordika Night

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Publish Date: April 23rd, 2023
Number of Pages: 306 Pages
Publisher: Independently Published
Genre(s): MM Romance, Sports Romance

Total Star Rating: 4 Stars

𝑴𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒎. 𝑴𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒎. 𝑴𝒚 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕-𝒖𝒑 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎.“

– Nordika Night, “Garron Park”

What It’s About:

The official synopsis:

Garron Park, where hope dies and no one ever gets ahead. Until… __

When Devon Sawyer desperately searches for his brother in the middle of the night, beaten and broken, he finds Maddox Kane instead. With his dad on his trail, he has no choice but to stand on his enemy’s doorstep and let Maddox help. Maddox has never seen Devon this vulnerable. Living in Garron’s trailer park means families dole out discipline on the regular and violence is a part of life, but something about how far Jim Sawyer takes it this time has Maddox unnerved. Rivals in motocross, work, and life itself, they’re forced to work together for one night. Perspectives change and their friction morphs into something unexpected. Hatred turns to lust. Tensions switch from hostile to aroused. While their competitiveness remains, their dynamic shifts. Their acceptance is anything but graceful. Two guys who come from nothing, with very little to look forward to, find themselves craving each other in new and fiery ways.


GARRON PARK is book one (1) of two (2) in the From Nothing series. Potential to expand later, but for now remains a duology. They must be read in order as book 2 is a continuation of book 1 featuring the same main characters. It is an MM romance with explicit spicy times, foul language, and two main guys who are pretty down on their luck.

~~~

This was another MM romance title that has been on my radar for quite some time, and thanks to the urging of some bookish ladies who dubbed it as “required reading” I finally ripped off the bandaid and started this book.

It was very enjoyable! I love a good rivals-to-lovers storyline, and we definitely get that here. Devon and Maddox supposedly can’t STAND each other and throw fists and ask questions next, and are constantly at each other’s throats all over that dirt track where they race on the back of their bikes.

Then one night things don’t necessarily change, but rather begins a shift between the two of them. Devon unexpectedly appears at Maddox’s front door, looking more worse for wear than usual…like he should’ve gone to a hospital instead in all honesty. But the rivals reluctantly work together and mend him back to health, well as best as two motocross racers in a small trailer in a trailer park can do? BUT, the main thing about this is after spending the night together taking care of Devon and nursing him, there’s definitely a shift that occurs between them, like a mutual “….why are you so hot all of a sudden?” going on in their heads.

They begin to come to terms with their obvious attraction to each other as best as two trailer park motocross racers who cuss and get into fights out of boredom can do. it’s both rough and kind of cute at the same time!

BUT when they begin to act on the temptation and the lust with all the growing sexual tension that builds, woahhhh boy, enjoy that ride like I know they do *wink*wink.*

~~~

What I Liked:

  1. How “Rough” Devon and Maddox Get With Each Other! Okay this one is weird because normally with how much these two get into fistfights with each other and how they show affection by bloodying each other up, you’d think it’s absolutely abusive and toxic….. however, you read this story and start to realize it actually works for them? It’s kind of hard to explain and it may not make sense unless you read the book yourself and experience it for yourself.
  2. The Spice! There’s some bi/gay awakening spicy moments in here as Devon and Maddox explore their feelings–and each others bodies–and it gets HOT
  3. The Brothers Pushing Them Together! I love how Xavi and Nate, the older brothers of the two MMC’s, are the BIGGEST shippers of them getting together and even make a forced proximity moment for them at one point too. In such a particular setting, it was cool to see this gay relationship get support instead of the opposite…honestly you’d expect a trailer park in the south to not be the most accepting place for this sort of thing.

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. Some of the Angst/Arguing Felt Very Childish…Devon and Maddox are supposed to be in their mid 20’s, but with the arguments they get into and all the way they pout and don’t want to talk about their relationship/feelings and wimp out of that conversation as much as they can…it just made me feel like they were 14 still handling puberty instead full grown adults. Sure they were dealing with the fact that they were attracted to another man for the first time, but seriously some of this stuff was so eyeroll worthy.
  2. I Wish There Was More Actual Motocross in the Story… I absolutely loved the Disney Channel movie “Motocrossed” and this book made me nostalgic for that movie IMMENSELY. What I loved about that movie is how heavily the sport itself had to do with the plot of the movie, and it makes an appearance or a few in this book, but I was disappointed how much it didn’t actually. Hopefully book two has way more actual Motocross sequences to make up for it!

Conclusion:

Overall, this was an insanely enjoyable MM romance title! It was unorthodox and rough around the edges, which is also perfectly how I’d also describe the relationship between Maddox and Devon. Two guys down on their luck who somehow find each other in what so many would consider a hopeless place…

The arguing and miscommunication might be a turnoff for some, but I was able to overlook it all for this book and still enjoy it either way! Hopefully any sports romance/MM romance fans who want to try this will do the same!

Thanks for reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Fantasy, New Adult Romance, Paranormal

My Review: Savage Bonds (The Bonds That Tie #2): by J. Bree

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***Warning!! This review may contain spoilers from the previous title in this series! Continue reading with caution, you’ve officially been warned!***

To see my review of book #1 – Broken Bonds – Click HERE

Total Star Rating: 4.25 Stars

Oh, my girl likes that? You want me to kill everyone who dares to look at you? I will. I’m not a good man, not like the rest of your Bonds. I’m good for you, and fuck the rest of them. If you want blood, Sweetness, I’ll give it to you. I’ll give you whatever you want.”

– J. Bree, “Savage Bonds”

What It’s About:

The Official synopsis:

With my gift coursing through my veins, the tables have turned on the Draven Campus.

I’m no longer the Giftless reject, no longer the girl who’s fair game to the other students for daring to run away from my Bonds.

But there are bigger problems heading my way.

With destiny pushing me closer and closer to each of my Bonds, I’m fighting tooth and nail against nature to keep my distance.

But they’re fighting harder to keep me in their grasp.

When it becomes clear that the Resistance is closer than we ever thought, I don’t know who I can trust.

Can I finally take control of my gift, or will it take control of me?

*Savage Bonds is a full length reverse harem PNR novel with material that may be difficult for some readers. This book will end on a cliffhanger. It’s recommended for 18+ due to language and sexual situations.

~~~

Alright, so now were getting somewhere!

This book felt like actually so much better than book one now that we’ve finally gotten some pages behind us, we’re familiar with the characters by now, and some secrets that have been kept hidden are finally coming to light. Not all of them, unfortunately, but enough to keep you wanting more and more and more as this series progresses.

Book 2 felt like it had some of the same issues for me, which was just a very slow midpoint and a lot of the conflict amongst Oli and her 5 bonded are just becoming a big miscommunication trope that’s getting incredibly repetitive…like part of me just wants Oli to finally come clean to the guys so they can stop being such d-bags to her because their fragile egos…but I also suppose the author is doing her job if she’s making me feel this strongly about the characters!

The big thing with this book are the shifts in the dynamics of the relationships amongst Oli and her bonded. You know exactly who she’s hanging around with because her relationships with Gryphon, North, Nox, Gabe, and Atlas are all so different from one another and so dramatically stand out. There is definitely no repetition with these, and the author does an amazing job of developing each individual relationship at its own pace. Some are warming up to Oli faster than others, and others have their reasons for keeping her at arms length way more than the others do, but we also don’t know all those reasons from their end either…there’s obviously secrets being kept on both sides of this battlefield, at it’s creating quite an interesting story to say the least!

~~~

If you burn, I burn with you. You’re not alone, Oli, not for one second. I told you before, I’m not afraid.”

– J. Bree, “Savage Bonds”

~~~

What I Liked:

  1. FINALLY Some Romance! We Have Spice People!! It’s sparse, but finally we see something along these lines and at this point I’ll take anything!
  2. Brutus! Oli has a NEW man and his name is Brutus! He’s actually a shadow puppy made by Nox who first appeared at the end of book 1 during that battle, but I guess he took a liking to Oli and sticks around…hey I’m all about animal companions so no complaints from me!
  3. The Development Changes Between ALL Her Bonded! So book 1 was all about how Oli was keeping secrets and her 5 bonded were mad at her and had written her off as a spoiled, ungrateful brat, but then they realize that there is WAYYYYYY more going on than what meets the eye with her and that she is definitely holding things back from them in terms of information and just exactly how powerful her abilities truly are. So a big part of this book is all of them slowly taking her in with a new pair of eyes and slowly warming up to her, but each at their own pace. Some are able to do so faster than others of course too. It was impressive how the author made each and every relationship Oli had with each guy feel unique in this sense. These books seem to have a lot of repetition in some ways, but not when it comes to the relationships and how they develop amongst her cast of characters.

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. Midpoint Pacing Continues To Be Slow and Repetitive…Once again the midpoint was just very repetitive in the same ways that book 1 was, luckily I’m invested enough in the characters by this point, but I will say if you’re not someone who’s very into character-driven stories like this one seems to be so far, you might struggle.
  2. I Feel Like The Secrets Are Becoming A Miscommunication Trope By This Point…Okay so the secret keeping that Oli is doing worked for book 1, but now it’s starting to get on my nerves a little bit. These guys are putting you through the wringer and making you feel like an absolute garbage human being because they don’t know the full story because you’re not telling them the full story….shouldn’t you maybe clue them in to some degree? Like either Oli has a degradation kink with some of these guys, or I’m just starting to get miscommunication trope vibes from this. And maybe I’m also just impatient for them to learn why she’s holding out whatever it is on them, but by this point I’m starting to fail to see why she takes this abuse STILL by this point in the story. It’s kind of adding into the repetitiveness I’m critiquing in the previous point.

Conclusion:

Overall, book 2 definitely improved off of book 1 in terms of character development and the fact that there’s a glimpse of actual romance AND spice in this book! There’s definitely still some slower midpoints that I can see some readers really getting bored with, but if you’re really invested in the characters by now, this shouldn’t be an issue!

There’s another cliffhanger that you definitely don’t see coming, so also be prepared to want to jump IMEDIATELTY into the next book! Which is what I’m doing now…

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Erotica, Horror, Mystery/Thriller, New Adult Romance

My Review: Does It Hurt?: by H.D. Carlton

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Publish Date: July 22nd, 2022
Number of Pages: 430 Pages
Publisher: Independently Published
Genre(s): Dark Romance, New Adult Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Horror

Total Star Rating: 4 Stars

There’s a place in the ocean, so deep, where not a single point of light penetrates through it. And for so long, I’ve been trapped there, unable to breathe. When I met you, you lifted me out of that darkness, and it was the first time I came up for air. You’ve become my oxygen, bella ladra, and I can no longer breathe without you.”

– H.D. Carlton, “Does It Hurt?”

~~~

What It’s About:

The official synopsis:

Who am I?

I’ve forgotten the answer to that question long ago. Ever since I ran from that house, so desperate to escape, I left with only the clothes on my back and socks on my feet. After that day, I’ve only ever walked in stolen shoes.

Could I be a girl who is searching for the meaning of life in faceless men? They were all so forgettable. Until he came along. He took me under a waterfall and made me forget my name, and in return, I took his instead.

Enzo Vitale.

An enigmatic man that will only ever love the deep sea. Or rather the predators that inhabit it. Turns out, he’s not so different than the monsters he feeds. He lured me onto his boat like a fish in the ocean, seeking vengeance for my crime. Had I realized his intentions, and that a massive storm would leave us shipwrecked, I would’ve run.

Now, I’m a girl who’s seeking refuge in a decrepit lighthouse with a man who loathes me almost as much as he craves me. He wants to hurt me, but the old caretaker of the abandoned island may have intentions far more sinister.

It’s no longer a question of who I am, but rather, will I survive?

~~~

Okay readers, this is my first H.D. Carlton book before I hit up the Cat and Mouse duet which seems to be her most popular work, so I’m glad to say I wasn’t disappointed at all! In fact, this book is one I’d say is a great bridge into the darker themed romances this author and plenty of others are known for. It definitely had the darker themes, but I’d say it wasn’t too overwhelming for a reader who wasn’t sure and merely wanted to dip their toes into before taking the plunge.

This story is about a young woman named Sawyer Bennett who’s on the run from her dark past. She’s become a chameleon and has resorted to stealing people’s identities in order to move around and stay hidden; the first chapter is her making an impulse decision to board a different plane at the last possible moment out of pure paranoia of word of her being seen getting back to whomever is stalking her or looking for her…

She winds up in Australia and at a bar where she runs into Enzo Vitale, an enigmatic marine biologist who specializes in sharks, and things VERY quickly get hot and heavy between them…until the next morning Sawyer steals his information and gets a new credit card in his name! Dun Duh DUN!!!

Enzo’s a smart guy, and he quickly figures it out, but a confrontation leads to them being stuck out at sea during a storm and then shipwrecked on a small island with a lighthouse and it’s old caretaker…. and I’ll stop there before I reveal any more of the story because I don’t want to spoil too much for you if you actually do wind up grabbing a copy for yourself.

~~~

What happened to you does not define you. It only forged a new path that will take you to a different version of yourself. But no one can force you to walk that road; only you can determine who you will be once you get there. It’s your choice who you become, Sawyer.”

– H.D. Carlton, “Does It Hurt?”

~~~

What I Like:

  1. The Insta-Lust! While I’m not the biggest fan of insta-love, insta-LUST can freakin’ GET IT because sometimes we don’t need a slowburn, spice right away is also a great way to have a story go! The chemistry between Enzo and Sawyer was absolutely sizzling, despite all the other things going on in the story alongside their developing relationship. The spice was phenomenal, and there were some kinks explored too that I won’t talk about, but you can find out about if you do some research! I will say though, BRAVO ENZO!!
  2. The Darker Themes! This was definitely a mystery/suspense/thriller type of story with even a few horror-like elements thrown in too in a few spots, and it made the perfect setting for some of the darker themes explored in this story. Without going too into detail, both main characters have traumatic pasts that come up, and the experience they have being stuck on an island with a strange man is also traumatic, this book is definitely not for the readers who prefer the rom-com, lighter toned stories. It’s as dark and gut wrenching as the ocean during a hurricane, but I’d still say this may be an easier dark romance to get into for someone who’s curious to try it out for the first time.
  3. Sawyer Bennett! She gets MVP for this book for sure. She’s got to be the most adorable identity thief I’ve ever run across. Even though she does a terrible thing to people in order to survive, she’s still incredibly likeable as a character and is extremely hard to not absolutely fall for!

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. The Slow Midpoint…Okay, so after about the first 25% of the book, it feels like the plot really slows down. This is when Enzo and Sawyer are stuck on the island and just get their bearings. It’s where their relationship takes centerstage and gets the most attention, and yes there’s spicy scenes. But everything else kind of drags…the mystery of the island, the intentions of the old man named Sylvester, the sounds they hear at night, everything else gets the slowburn treatment…If not for the spice and the assholeness we see of Enzo, I’d probably have been really bored with this book in all honesty.

Conclusion:

Overall, I enjoyed this book as my first trek into H.D Carlton’s bookland. I’ve taken notice of how loyal her fanbase seems to be; I mean, people are willing to spend $1000+ on limited printing special editions of her books, that definitely made me curious to see what she’s all about!

I’d say this is an excellent candidate for anyone who’s curious to try out dark romance for the first time but are worried about being overwhelmed with the triggering content. Don’t get me wrong, there’s definitely some content in this book that some will definitely not like or be able to handle, so one last time, if you think you’re a reader who is like this….do your research on trigger warnings before opening this book.

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Erotica, Mystery/Thriller, New Adult, New Adult Romance

My review: Kingston (Brothers of Hawthorne Hall #1): by Leila James

nicholasjgoodsell
Publish Date: October 3rd, 2022
Number of Pages: 468 Pages
Publisher: Kindle
Genre(s): Erotica, Reverse Harem, New Adult Romance, Mystery & Thriller

Total Star Rating: 3.75 Stars

What It’s About:

The Official Blurb:

Three men, two choices, and one secret …

A year ago, my best friend received an exclusive invitation to join an elite brotherhood at Kingston University. He went into Hawthorne Hall for his initiation … but never came out.

I intend to find out why.

The brotherhood would never knowingly invite a female into their ranks. So what if I forged my father’s signature on the recommendation? With a name like Elliot Ashford, they’ll never see me coming.

I’ll endure whatever hell these brutal brothers put me through because I have no intention of backing down or bowing out gracefully. It won’t be pretty. I’ve heard the rumors, especially about the three men in control of the brotherhood.

Kingston.
Cannon.
Archer.

I’m going in with one mission—find out what happened to Will. But the moment I set foot in this house, I have a feeling all my plans will go up in flames.

Welcome to Hawthorne Hall! Let the games begin …

***********************************************************************************

Kingston is a 94,000+ word novel, the first in a trilogy, centering around three men and one woman. It’s kind of like a sandwich—a quadruple decker with extra spice. There is a possibility that sandwich toppings will touch, if that makes sense.

WARNING: This trilogy contains dark elements, graphic content, and situations that some readers may be particularly sensitive to. If you have triggers or are even remotely unsure, please check my website, which you can access through my author page, for a full list.

~~~

This was a book that was highly recommended to me by one of my #bookstagram besties named Em because she knows I’m always game for any book that has some decent spice in it! When she started telling me the premise of these books, I will say I was immediately interested: a reverse harem, college, mystery thriller?? Ummmm LOVE that journey for me! Sign me up, and I couldn’t put these books on my kindle fast enough!

Now after reading the first book, what I can say is it’s definitely an entertaining, fast read with some really decent spice and just a dash of mystery. It definitely kept my attention, but it also could’ve been better in some regards. BUT I also didn’t care enough for certain things in the story to be better either because honestly, I just in it mainly for the spice, which definitely meets if not exceeds expectations, so that’s where most of the praise will go!

This story is about Elliot, who manages to sneak her way into Hawthorne house in order to solve the mystery of the disappearance of her best friend/cousin named Will. There’s absolutely no word as to what happened =, and everyone acts like it didn’t even happen, so she’s going on the inside in order to get her own answers. While she’s infiltrating the brotherhood as a newly incoming freshman, its there she meets the three enigmatic boys that throw everything off kilter for her: Kingston, Archer, and Cannon. Can she trust them? What do they know? And will she survive the initiation process before she’s considered a “brother?”

For the most part, I really did enjoy this book thanks to the characters! Elliot is your very typical spunky, sassy heroine who has a sharp tongue and isn’t afraid to mouth off to the alphaholes that practically infest that house that she must now call home. The boys in the Hawthorne house definitely don’t start off as very likeable, especially Kingston, who’s the frat president and a majorly bipolar a-hole through most of the book, but he’s also a HOT a-hole so it’s complicated….at leas the hate sex is hot? I like Archer the most right off the bat, but he also has camera’s set up throughout the whole house that includes people’s bedrooms, so I find that a bit creepy…and then there’s Cannon. Mr. Tall, stoic, and hot as hell, but hardly says a word. Like, his main way of communicating is text message even when he’s sitting right next to the person…it’s a little strange, but I’m sure there’s a story to it somewhere down the road…

What I Liked:

  1. The Spice! There are some HOT moments in this book, and it’s only the first one in a whole trilogy! It makes me wonder what else is in store for later down the road! I will of course be keeping reading on to find out.
  2. The Main Characters! Elliot and her boys definitely grew on me and made me keep interested to see what happened next, plus their group dynamic did add for some of the spicy scenes that I enjoyed too! Will things like that majorly change? Will she form alliances with one over the others? Turn them against each other with her vagina? Will the guys’ friendship shift with sharing? Who knows! I stand by what I said earlier, Archer is my favorite so far! BUT Kingston grew a lot on me as we got to know more about him too.

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. Too Many Names to Remember…I had a hard time right at the beginning with the literal train of men who answered the door when Elliot first showed up at Hawthorne House. Too many names all at once and throughout the book I still had trouble differentiating between some of the other frat boys, but that could also be because the author doesn’t really do much to make them stand apart from each other too much either…
  2. Not Enough Mystery… Not gonna lie, I was disappointed how it felt like the mystery took a back seat through quite a bit of the story. Sure, there was plenty of spicy scenes which I’m not complaining about, but more the several initiation scenes. I just wish the mystery and sneaking around to get answers was played up more, or a trail of clues or something!
  3. The Insta-Love…This seems to always be a thing with RH’s, but at least one of the guys is always a lovesick puppy when he first lands his eyes on the girl, and its no different here.

Conclusion:

Overall, it’s a pretty good but not great RH read. I like that it’s a college, mystery thriller one too because I honestly haven’t read too many of those! I also haven’t read the Inheritance Games Trilogy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, but I’d imagine I’d like them more if they had a similar vibe to these books with the spice and less YA story features. Actually side note, but there are a LOT of YA books I look at nowadays and am like, “This story would be so much better if it had spice!”

I’ll definitely continue to read theses books; the author gives you a satisfying amount but also leaves you wanting more, and there’s a pretty decent cliffhanger of an ending that really adds to the mystery surrounding the main plot, so it definitely keeps my interest! Plus helloooo, more spice!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell