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RELEASE BLITZ: Cactus Heart by Clio Evans
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PROMO BLITZ: Don’t Shoot Me Santa by C.F. White
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RELEASE TOUR: The App Trap by Dan Calley (Excerpt)
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PROMO BLITZ: He Should Be Mine by Jessica Jackman
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COVER REVEAL: Total Assist by Crea Reitan
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BOOK BLITZ: Little Did We Know by Cara Dee (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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REVIEW: Devilish by Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine
Devilish – Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine
In a world where everything is within his grasp, love is the only thing that’s ever eluded him.
Lucien Vale is temptation incarnate. Devilishly charming, wickedly confident, and sinfully sexy, he rules Manhattan’s most elite clubs, indulging the city’s darkest desires with a knowing smirk and a whisper of seduction. He’s built an empire, played the game to perfection, and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty when it serves the greater good.
But love? That’s always been just out of reach.
Then he sees Kai Daniels—a man too raw, too vulnerable, and too damn captivating to ignore—being used by someone who doesn’t deserve him. And Lucien doesn’t hesitate. He steps in, knowing full well that some things aren’t meant to be owned.
But Kai’s past isn’t ready to let him go. His tormentor is powerful, relentless, and determined to make them both pay. As the stakes rise, Lucien is forced to become the man he’s kept buried—the one who doesn’t just play the game but makes sure his enemies never play again.
Now, with danger closing in and their connection burning hotter than ever, Lucien and Kai must decide if they’re willing to risk everything for a love that was never part of the plan.
* * * * * *
Devilish can be read as a standalone novel in the Park Avenue Kings world, but for maximum enjoyment, read after Savage.
Devilish is the second book of Park Avenue Kings, a billionaire secret society romance by bestselling author duo Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine.
Our King this week is Lucien Vale, owner of a multinational sex club empire and secretly longing for that perfect sub to complete his life. One night in his club, he spotted a young man, Kai, mishandled by a wannabe dom and swooped in to rescue him. Learning Kai had nowhere to go, he offered to let him stay in his penthouse, no strings attached.
I initially dismissed this book as a hurdle to overcome before Alesso and Father Vitale’s book. The way his character was presented in the first book, Savage, it would seem Lucien is an over-sexed lothario ready to debaucher any pretty young thing in his wake. It didn’t help that the authors dressed him in silk shirts with too many buttons open, which screams tacky and sleazy.
Boy, was I wrong!
Lucien turned out to be quite angelic. He likes taking care of people and is a natural provider. He instinctively knew how to put the skittish Kai at ease, catering to the younger man’s needs and protecting Kai, who’s a victim of human trafficking, from his abusive owner. And without asking for anything in return.
The first parts of the book were cute and fluffy. Lucien is surprisingly cultured and well-read, often regaling Kai with obscure trivia. His house rivals a museum crammed with precious art and artifacts. He whisked Kai to Monaco for protection and entertained him with stargazing. And you know what they say when a boy shows you the stars…
So yeah, Lucien won me over. Green flags all the way!
Kai is sweet and playful, with a submissive side that fulfills the dom in Lucien. Homeless at 15 and a survivor at 23, Kai still has an innocent air about him. I loved how he embraced learning everything he could about the wider world. It’s fun listening to him banter with Lucien. Our boy can sass with the best of them.
The romance is slow-burn and achingly tender. It was a beautiful meeting of souls where the dom with a heart of gold found his perfect sub who loved and trusted him completely.
BDSM isn’t my jam, so my asexual ass found the detailed account of their BDSM scenes tedious and boring. One thing is certain: Lucien always treats Kai like the treasure he is.
My complaint is that we need more scenes featuring the Kings because most of their appearances are too brief. We are teased with each King’s quirks but honestly I think their brotherhood would be more memorable and dynamic if it’s not treated as a mere device to group a bunch of attractive but deadly billionaires together.
The secret society part drew me the most and just like Savage, I wish the books were more mission-focused rather than romance-focused. Seriously, a missed opportunity especially when you have a powerful and highly-specialized group such as the Kings.
Overall, Devilish is a charming portrait of an ideal dom/sub relationship. Equal parts sweet and spicy, sometimes fierce, sometimes gentle, always wholehearted.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Constellations
Artist: Tokyo Shoegazer
Album: Moonworld PlaygroundP.S.
Park Avenue Kings books can be read as standalones but meeting each King is a pleasure.
Savage is about the Shadow King and his meet-mysterious with an intrepid journalist.
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Devilish. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal. Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
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RELEASE TOUR: Cloudy With a Chance of Bad Decisions by Fae Quin (Excerpt)
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REVIEW: Sweet by Howl Avery
Sweet – Howl Avery
Will wants to meet the perfect man, but it’s easier said than done in such a small town. His crush of over a year has no idea he even exists, and ignoring his best friend’s advice has only made the problem worse. Rather than limiting himself only to who’s available locally, Will turns to the digital world.
Cas is ready to move on after his last relationship ended in death. Right away, he meets the perfect candidate through a new anonymous chatting app, with only one problem—he quickly learns his new friend’s identity in the real world. If this budding relationship continues, it’ll only be a matter of time before Cas is recognized for who he is as well.
As Will and Cas steadily become closer, their attraction cannot be denied. Nor their similarities. Cas embraces the darkness in Will like no one ever has, creating a mutual obsession that needs to be satisfied in the real world. Maybe Will has finally found the perfect man for him—if he can look past Cas’s homicidal tendencies.
Sweet, a dark romantic thriller by Howl Avery, might change how you see honey. Needless to say, it comes with a long list of TWs, including rough sex, toxic codependencies, humiliation and degradation, consensual non-con, sounding, fisting, and murders.
Will has been crushing on Bailey, a fellow Farmer’s Market vendor, for a long time now. He and his best friend Jesse manage the store for the farm they both work for. Will also just started talking anonymously to a guy on a dating app. Later, he learned his name was Cas.
Will felt an instant chemistry with Cas right away, and he’s tentatively exploring their connection to see if Cas wants to take it further. Meanwhile, Jesse confessed he has feelings for Will, and they begun sleeping together. Will is still crushing hard on Bailey, whom he started stalking, and also pining like hell for Cas.
The love geometry should make this a DNF for me but strangely enough, it didn’t bother me. Will’s connections to these men worked their magic, holding the plot together and fueling the mystery.
In a typical MM romance, the MC would only be sleeping with the love interest, which is a dead giveaway. So even if I figured out Cas’s identity early on, the red herrings effectively had me second-guessing, especially since Will had on-page sex with all three.
Both Will’s and Cas’s POVs were shown.
Cas is a psychopath who uses a convenient, if novel, way of cleaning up evidence. He’s a demisexual who had his awakening because of Will. Cas couldn’t find it in him to kill the man, nor could he get him out of his mind. In other words, he’s obsessing and stalking.
And that’s all we know about Cas because he’s an enigma till the very end.
Will’s characterization was confusing. The opening chapters showed him with crippling social anxiety, barely able to say a word to Bailey. My image of him was that of a short, skinny guy who’s a bit geeky. With Jesse, he was hella toppy and dominant, and I was surprised to learn he’s actually taller than Jesse.
I don’t mind a shy character who likes to take charge in the bedroom. However, Will’s personality was all over the place, sometimes acting like a different person entirely. I chalk this up to the writing. Cas wore different masks depending on who he was talking to, but it still felt cohesive.
One thing’s for sure: Will falls hard for his mystery man and wants to be the end-all and be-all for Cas. Will is the farthest from vanilla, systematically testing Cas’s limits, hence the trigger warnings. Their relationship is a fuck-up codependency of crazy meets insanity, so better get out of their way or burn! It was fanfuckingtastic!
Some aspects, especially the latter parts, were rushed, which is unfortunate because this is a story worth savoring. The ending was so abrupt I was left with my mouth hanging open. This book badly needed an epilogue. It is not perfect, but I was completely hooked and finished it in one sitting.
Sweet explores the complexities of human connection, and the interplay of sweet personalities and darker desires. Overall, a thrilling story of mutual obsession, depraved, alluring, inescapable.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Got You (Where I Want You)
Artist: The Flys
Album: Holiday Man
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Sweet. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
If you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal. Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: A Flash of Golden Fire by A.E. Lister (Excerpt & Giveaway)
