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SERIES REVIEW: Merciless & Ruthless (Park Avenue Kings Books 4 & 5) by Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine
Park Avenue Kings: Merciless by Ella Frank & Brook Blaine
Who are we? Nobody really knows. We’re the seven most powerful heirs to empires, ruling Manhattan from our thrones on Park Avenue. By day, we’re the elite, untouchable, and more connected than you could ever imagine. By night, we revel in the darkness of our secrets, pulling strings that make the city bow to our whims.
Ruthless.
Dangerous.
We’re the Park Avenue Kings.
He was sent to watch me. Now he can’t look away.
They sent the president’s son to babysit me.
How precious.
Shepherd “Shep” Winchester III thinks he’s here to keep me in line—keep me quiet, keep me still, keep me safe.
Good luck with that.
I’m Theodore “Theo” Rinaldi, the youngest Prince of Monaco, and the most merciless of the Park Avenue Kings. And I don’t do obedient. Not for my royal family. Not for the crown. And definitely not for the suit King sent to shadow me.
Shep is all discipline and duty.
I’m chaos in a custom suit.
We clash. We combust.
And then we cross a line we can’t uncross.
Now there’s a blackmailer on our trail, a target on my back, and the Kings think I’m the traitor. But if they want to come for me, they’ll have to get through him.
Because the soldier with the perfect posture and the unreadable eyes?
He’s not just protecting me anymore.
He’s falling for me.
And I’m going to ruin him for it.
Merciless (Park Avenue Kings #4) is the first book in a duet within the Park Avenue Kings series. Ruthless (Park Avenue Kings #5) will be the continuation.
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Mercy
Artist: IAMX
Album: Kiss + Swallow
Park Avenue Kings: Ruthless by Brooke Blaine & Ella Frank
They called him America’s golden son.
Now he’s the man who’d burn the world for a prince.
When Prince Theodore Rinaldi vanishes, Shepard “Shep” Winchester III will do anything to bring him back.
What starts as a mission of duty ignites into a forbidden obsession—one that blurs every line between loyalty and love.
Back in New York, the Kings are under attack, their secrets exposed, their brotherhood fractured.
And when an attempt on Theo’s life plays out in front of flashing cameras, the world sees what they were never meant to: a touch too intimate, a look too raw.
Shep is the son of American power.
Theo is European royalty.
And in a world built on loyalty, betrayal, and lies, love might be the most ruthless act of all.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Ruthless
Artist: Allegra Jordyn
Album: Ruthless
Merciless and Ruthless is a duet in Park Avenue Kings, the spectacular contemporary romance series by acclaimed duo Ella Frank and Brook Blaine. The Kings are a secret brotherhood of vigilante billionaires known as Libertine, led by Tyrone Kingston— the “King.”
Our Kings this week are Prince Theodore Rinaldi of Monaco and Shepherd O’Neale Winchester III, son of a former U.S. president. Best friends turned lovers after Theo’s brother’s royal wedding, Theo and Shep’s bond is tested by the meddling King, Shep’s ex, despite having two boyfriends (Park Avenue Princes). Theo becomes a target after a suspicious bombing video surfaces. He and Shep were in a safehouse in Brazil when Theo was abducted.
Merciless is certainly more intense, bursting with sexual tension as Shep and Theo explore their new dynamic. Theo is chaotic and impulsive, while Shep is steady and protective. Their chemistry is explosive, Theo pushes boundaries, Shep dominates, and both alphas aren’t afraid to switch roles.
Theo is full of crazy antics, and Shep couldn’t help but be drawn to him, his protective instincts going on overdrive. I loved how they played off each other, their push-and-pull sparking irresistible heat. The only thing missing is Theo being merciless when he was really just impulsive.
After a heart-stopping cliffhanger, Ruthless opens with Shep’s frantic search for the missing Theo in the Amazon. I thought this would take up most of the plot, given the blurb, but the two reunited soon after, and the rest of the plot focused on the search for the blackmailer theatening Libertine.
This was also not King’s finest moment, having abandoned Theo when he was abducted, and fractures appear among the brotherhood. Also, I’m not impressed with how he pretends everything is fine until Theo demands an apology and has to throw a tantrum before King would do so. Alesso is under a lot of stress, leading up to his book, which I’m excited about.
The villain takedown was rushed. I was hoping for more details on this part of the mission. There was a big deal about Alesso having a hard time finding the bad guy who was supposedly smart, only for said bad guy to do something dumb in public.
Romance-wise, this part of the duet is more dramatic but also sweeter and swoonier. Theo and Shep lost no time making it official with not one but two celebrations that couldn’t be more different but equally ridiculously romantic! They have some of the most squee-tastic moments, and the books delivered the feels they promised.
Merciless and Ruthless is a sizzling duet of danger, brotherhood, and royal weddings where a prince and a president’s son come together in chaos and passion. Overall, mercilessly thrilling, ruthlessly swoony!
P.S.
Park Avenue Kings is best read in order. Each King is gorgeous and deadly.
Savage is Lachlan, shadowy and dangerous.
Devilish is Lucien, temptation incarnate.
Immoral is Benoit, utterly seductive and captivating.
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MERCILESS: Amazon UK | Audiobook
RUTHLESS: Amazon UK | AudiobookIf 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 BLITZ: Meltdown by Jillian D. Wray
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REVIEW: The Unlikely Pair by Jax Calder
Unlikely Dilemmas: The Unlikely Pair – Jax Calder
What happens when you find yourself stranded in the wilderness with your political enemy?
Getting stranded in the freezing wilderness with my archenemy wasn’t on today’s to-do list. But somehow, that’s where I’ve ended up.
Harry Matheson, my political rival, has always been smarmy, arrogant, and entitled. It figures that even this plane crash has barely ruffled his well-coiffed hair.
It’s all fine, though, because our pilot has gone to call for help and rescue should be imminent.
Fast forward a few frigid hours…
Umm…maybe it’s not so fine, because it appears our pilot is part of an international terrorist group intent on kidnapping us.
Now Harry and I have to flee through the wilderness—together.
Unfortunately, being adept at political debates and parliamentary procedures doesn’t exactly prepare you for the basics of finding food, keeping warm, and evading the local wildlife while playing high-stakes hide-and-seek with armed terrorists.
The only way Harry and I have any hope of surviving is to stick together.
The problem is, the line separating hate and love has begun to blur, and the last thing I need is to fall for my enemy.
The Unlikely Pair is an enemies-to-lovers romance featuring a romp through the political wilderness where hearts, quite literally, go off the beaten path.
The Unlikely Pair is a fantastic follow‑up to Jax Calder’s contemporary romance series Unlikely Dilemmas. It stars bitter political rivals Toby Webley of the Labour Party and Harry Matheson of the Conservative Party.
Toby, best friend to former Prime Minister–turned–Prince Consort Oliver Hartwell (The Unlikely Heir), ends up on a flight to Norway with Harry for a climate convention. When the plane crashes, the two find themselves stranded in the Finnish wilderness.
Forced to rely on each other to survive brutal temperatures and dense forest, they take shelter in an isolated cabin and learn everything from fishing to chopping wood to setting snares. With only one bed, sharing body heat becomes a necessity then a pleasure— even if their political views remain irreconcilable.
I love my enemies‑to‑lovers romances intense, and this one is chef’s kiss! The tension sizzles, the snark is razor‑sharp, and the banter is hilarious. The cherry on top of this delightful treat is the decade-long secret pining simmering beneath all that mutual loathing.
The forced proximity is a fabulous, shifting from survival cuddles to casual cuddles as they go from barely civil to domestic. I’m not a fan of wilderness‑survival scenes, so those parts dragged a bit for me, but Toby and Harry’s chemistry kept things exciting. They were a joy to read!
Making a politician — especially a Tory — a likable romantic lead is no small feat, but Jax Calder pulls it off. Harry shines here in ways that contrast beautifully with his portrayal in the first book, revealing layers Toby, and me, can’t help but find appealing.
Their evolution from enemies to lovers is handled with such natural, deft progression that I was completely sold. The author pulled out all the stops in the climactic Parliament scene, and my heart just burst with happiness! The epilogue is ridiculously cute!
One niggle, though, the part of the group responsible for the plane crash was basically handwaved away. Maybe it’s a set up to Book 3, but I thought they would have been more concerned about it.
The Unlikely Pair is a feel-good story of politics, survival, and slow-burn romance where opposing views and mutual attraction make for compelling bedfellows. Overall, most likely to win your vote!
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Strange Bedfellows
Artist: Michael Sarcona
Album: VerityP.S.
Unlikely Dilemmas books can be read as standalones but the Prince of Wales is inviting you to tea.
Witness Callum charm the prime minister and the rest of Britain in The Unlikely Heir.
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THE UNLIKELY PAIR: Amazon UK | Audiobook
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PROMO BLITZ: Playground Games by Lily Morton
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RELEASE BLITZ: Peaches & Pucks by M.A. Wardell
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COVER REVEAL: Stride For Stride by Kim Stephenson
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NEW RELEASE: An Impossible Mate by Joy Lynn Fielding (Excerpt)
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COVER REVEAL: Meltdown by Jilian D. Wray
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Guarded Obsession by Brenda Murphy (Excerpt)
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REVIEW: Hell’s Most Incompetent Demon by Silvana Falcon
Supernatural Suckers: Hell’s Most Incompetent Demon by Silvana Falcon
Hell’s most incompetent demon meets Earth’s most hopeless romantic.
All Ethan wanted was someone who could help him find love—or at least someone to pop his cherry. A spell from an odd book he found at the library promised him a wish from Cupid. Sure, some of the ingredients weren’t easy to get, but he could improvise. Was there really that much difference between dried laurel leaves and coriander?
He never meant to summon a demon.
Malphas hasn’t been to Earth in a hundred years, not since he accidentally created a massively successful support group for gamblers and saved hundreds of souls from damnation. As punishment, he’s stuck in Hell’s archives filing dusty prophecies because his boss is convinced he’s incapable of being properly evil.
When Ethan’s summoning yanks him topside, he sees his chance to prove himself. He’ll make a deal with the human—and collect that blindingly bright soul.
All he has to do is to help Ethan get together with his crush.
What could possibly go wrong?
Low angst, high comedy m/m romance. HEA guaranteed, no break-ups, no cheating.
Hell’s Most Incompetent Demon is the first book of the paranormal rom-com series, Supernatural Suckers, by Silvana Falcon.
The demon in question is Malphas, notorious for botched soul collection jobs, which often ended up helping his targets escape damnation. Once, he helped a priest create an orphanage, and another time, he suggested that a gambler seek fellow gamblers, thus inventing the concept of a support group.
One day, he was summoned by Ethan, a librarian and incurable romantic who thought he was summoning Cupid. The plot follows Ethan as he struggles to overcome his social anxiety so he can impress his crush. The man had a rather hopeless crush on a fellow librarian and was trying to muster the courage to talk to him. Ethan agreed to hand over his soul in exchange for losing his virginity to the man he loves.
Mal’s magic backfires, revealing Ethan’s crush is not what he hoped for. As Mal and Ethan spend more time together, feelings grow, but they can’t be together without risking Ethan’s precious soul—something Mal is determined to protect.
Mal is a cinnamon roll demon who tries so hard to be evil. Ethan is a book nerd and quite naive. They spent their time watching Netflix and eating ice cream. Now and then, they talk about the contract and how Ethan can win over his crush. It’s all very cozy and fluffy!
The world-building is hilarious! Hell is literally corporate hell, full of triplicate multi-page paperwork, asshole co-workers, and meetings about meetings. Mal is frequently called to his boss’s office to be yelled at, then bullied by a senior soul collection specialist. When he landed a prime contract, a.k.a. collecting the pure soul of Ethan, he was given a warning not to lose such a valuable soul or else he’d be doomed to an eternity of team-building in the deepest pits of hell.
The story is also a poke at book genres. Ethan lives for romance books while his crush is a literary snob with aspirations to be a published author. Ethan is intimidated and awed by his crush’s intellect and frankly pretentious proclamations about his favorite literary fiction. Ethan secretly found the book boring but had to pretend to like it, something he failed at spectacularly when it was revealed he really likes romance stories.
And since we’re being meta, this book would be the kind of book Ethan would adore. It’s cute and cheestastic, cozy and swoony, with a sweet nerdy hero, a protective adoring love interest, and a hard-won, ridiculously romantic happy ending. Granted, there is some Deus ex machina hand-waving in the resolution, but it is still satisfying and much deserved!
Overall, Hell’s Most Incompetent Demon is a story of infernal contracts and incurable goodness. Light-hearted and hella fun, it does what rom-com does best: lift the spirits and make you smile!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Inner Light
Artist: Autograf & Dan Soleil
Album: Inner Light
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HELL’S MOST INCOMPETENT DEMON: Amazon UK | Audiobook
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