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EXCERPT REVEAL: Secrets and Lies by Willow Dixon (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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RELEASE BITZ: Match Made by T.A. Moore (Excerpt)
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Golden Boy by Freddie Braun (Excerpt)
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RELEASE BLITZ: Everything, Every Day For Eternity by E.W. Silver
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REVIEW: Vigilant by Cora Rose & Lark Taylor
The Firm: Vigilant – Cora Rose & Lark Taylor
As the eldest brother and leader of The Firm, I take my responsibilities very seriously. There’s nothing I won’t do to keep my family safe. Staying vigilant, always thinking ten steps ahead, and holding the pieces of my life together with steady hands. Control is everything, because if I loosen my grip for even a moment, the darkness I’ve buried inside will claw its way free.
Everything is stable. Predictable. Safe.
Until Neo.
He’s a distraction I can’t afford but a temptation I can’t seem to ignore. My darkness is drawn to him; it wants to be set free.
And as our enemies close in, Neo becomes the one variable I can’t control… and the one risk I find myself wanting to take. Because for the first time, surrendering to the dark doesn’t feel like weakness.It feels a lot like love.
Vigilant is the third book of the dark billionaire romance series, The Firm by Cora Rose and Lark Taylor. This is my most anticipated installment, starring my favorite Buckingham brother, Wylder.
The Buckinghams were molded into killers by their ruthless father. As the eldest, Wylder endured the worst abuses while shielding his younger brothers. Now leader of The Firm, he shoulders every responsibility, holding the family together with iron control.
He didn’t count upon a bratty, blue-haired hacker to test that control. Neo is the bestfriend of Ancel (Deviant) and they are both living in the Buckingham mansion because of the threat from Umbra.
Neo lived to annoy Wylder, pranking, pushing and sassing him just to see how far he could. Wylder’s PA was on leave and he declares Neo take the position seeing the hacker was already neck-deep in Buckingham business. Neo lost no time upping his game and this time, Wylder’s walls are starting to crack.
Wylder totally made the book for me! He’s not a grump with a soft center. He’s a grump with a monster inside, and when it’s unleashed, it’s glorious! My favorite part about Wylder is that beneath the scowl, he’s a secret do-gooder: funding scholarships, protecting his family, and quietly helping those in need without expecting recognition.
Also, the megane moe slays!!!
Neo nearly ruined the book for me. More bully than brat, he was too pushy, too desperate for attention, his pranks felt more infuriating than humorous. He harrassed and manipulated Wylder for fun, just to see him fall apart. Then he sulks whenever Wylder pushes back.
And everyone would be on Wylder’s ass because he hurt Neo’s feelings. I hated how everyone made it appear that it’s Wylder’s fault and he had to do the groveling every time when really, it was Neo who started it.
Another thing that annoyed me to no end was how Neo would be all concerned about how exhausted Wylder looks and how he had too much responsibilties. Then proceeds to disrupt his sleep every night and pull pranks that added to Wylder’s burdens. He was even glad he made Wylder lose sleep because it means he’s getting under his skin.
One time, his fucked up prank even caused Wylder to pay millions of dollars for a settlement. Neo promised to repay him in blowjobs. Meh. His sob story of being a foster kid didn’t make up for his poor behavior.
My heart went out to Wylder at that scene when everything was too much, he crawled into his secret hidey-hole closet and just be. Seriously, the man needs peace, quiet and uninterrupted sleep more than he needs a blowjob. He’s really trying, damn it, even if emotions are something he struggles to understands.
Neo became somewhat tolerable when he got what he wanted, a.k.a. Wylder’s monster a.k.a. primal play in the woods. Still, not the guy for Wylder. I’d even go for Brennan, their head of security. At least, he always got Wylder’s back.
The rest of the Umbra mission was crammed in the last parts. I missed seeing the Buckinghams in action and I wished the plot was more mission-focused.
Vigilant is a story of control versus chaos. Despite being saddled with the totally wrong guy, Wylder endeared himself and charmed me to no end. I rooted so hard for him every step. Overall, it lies somewhere between like and love but Wylder completely made it worth the ride!
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Wild Child
Artist: The Black Keys
Album: Dropout BoogieP.S.
The Firm is best read in order.
Watch a Buckingham arranged his marriage to his enemy in Covenant.
Witness a Buckingham happily guide his own kidnapper in the how-tos of abduction in Deviant.
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Vigilant. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
VIGILANT: Amazon UK | Audiobook
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RELEASE BLITZ: Stealing Forever by Lizzie C. Koz (Giveaway)
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COVER REVEAL: Secrets & Lies by Willow Dixon (Excerpt)
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NEW RELEASE: Around And Around We Go by Amy Aislin (Excerpt)
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NEW RELEASE: Wine Quest by Dann Hazel (Excerpt)
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REVIEW: Washed Up Former Child Star Ryan Lee by Lisa Henry & J.A. Rock
Washed Up Former Child Star Ryan Lee – Lisa Henry & J.A. Rock
Ryan Lee is a hot mess.
In another lifetime, Ryan had it all. He was a child star in one of the biggest sitcoms on the planet. Now he’s an adult, unemployed, and a poster child for bad decisions. Okay, so he hasn’t robbed a convenience store yet, but only because he’s always either too high or too hungover. When the opportunity to film a reunion show comes up, Ryan jumps at the chance. He needs the money, but more than that, it might be what he needs to drag his career—and himself—out of the gutter.
Except seeing his former onscreen family again means seeing Chase Ellis–the guy who destroyed Ryan’s career by leaving the show, and the first boy Ryan ever kissed. Back when Ryan believed in fairytales, he thought he was in love with Chase, and the reunion brings all those old feelings racing back. But it drags up old secrets too. Ryan’s about to learn that, when it comes to Hollywood, the only happy endings are the ones that take place on screen.
Then again, maybe it isn’t a happy ending Ryan needs. Maybe it’s a new beginning.
Washed Up Former Child Star Ryan Lee is a standalone contemporary m/m second chance romance.
If anyone deserves a happy ending, it’s Washed-Up Former Child Star Ryan Lee. Lisa Henry and J.A. Rock’s contemporary romance is a raw, difficult read, confronting addiction, abusive relationships, and sexual assault. Yet it’s also a compelling story of second chances and recovery.
Ryan Lee, once the star of a hit family sitcom, fell spectacularly from grace. In and out of rehab, he spiraled into rock bottom, relying on his drug-dealing pimp of a boyfriend and trading sex for a fix.
A decade later, Ryan still clings to the hope of a comeback when he’s invited to his former co-star Marissa’s wedding and a reunion show. Bracing himself to face his old sitcom family, he’s blindsided by the reappearance of Chase Ellis, his first love and the man who ruined his life when Chase abruptly left the show. Cue the ugly cry.
This is best consumed in audiobook form. It’s narrated by Gary Furlong who captures Ryan’s despair, biting humor, and spunk with perfect balance. Told in Ryan’s first-person POV, the narrative is laced with his imagined ticker-tape headlines on moments of his life: “WASHED-UP FORMER CHILD STAR RYAN LEE SEEN ENTERING TREATMENT FACILITY.”
The book might be triggering for some. It doesn’t shy away from the bleakness of addiction. A huge chunk covers Ryan’s s depressing situation as an addict, along with his best friend, roommate, and fellow addict, Kristen. Those parts were tough to go through; the desperation and the hopelessness were gut-wrenching.
Ryan’s self-awareness and sardonic humor keep the story from being completely grim. He’s a self-confessed asshole, but he slowly won me over. What I admire most is his refusal to surrender. There’s always fight in him, no matter how low he sinks. And he may have hit rock bottom, but he’s no pushover, he’ll punch someone in the groin if they try to break him.
That miniscule bud of hope blooms when Ryan reunites with Chase. Their romance, though secondary, is tender, wholesome, and full of laughter. Ryan’s lightness when he’s with Chase is palpable, he likes himself best in Chase’s presence, and that joy is contagious. It’s a pure balm to the soul!
Equally poignant is Ryan’s relationship with his estranged agent, Derek. More father than his own parents ever were, Derek distanced himself to avoid enabling Ryan’s addiction. Their reconciliation delivers the most heartwarming headline of all: “WASHED-UP FORMER CHILD STAR RYAN LEE IS HOME.”
Overall, Washed Up Former Child Star Ryan Lee will put you through the wringer, but it is ultimately rewarding. It ends not with a fairy-tale resolution, but with a happy-for-now, hearts full of resilience, hope and joy.
Rating:
4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step awaySoundtrack: Everyone Blooms
Artist: The Front Bottoms
Album: In Sickness & In Flames
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Washed Up Former Child Star Ryan Lee. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
WASHED UP FOR FORMER CHILD STAR RYAN LEE: Amazon UK | Audiobook
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!
