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RELEASE TOUR: Crave by C.F. White (Excerpt)
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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.
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of Merciless and Ruthless. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
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 TOUR: Fool’s Gold by Fearne Hill (Excerpt)
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COVER REVEAL: How To Love A Prince by Hayden Stone
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RELEASE TOUR: Guardian by Beth Christopher (Excerpt)
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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.
If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to buy your copy of The Unlikely Pair. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.
THE UNLIKELY PAIR: Amazon UK | Audiobook
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RELEASE BLITZ: Reckless Little Game by Raleigh Ruebins
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PROMO BLITZ: Playground Games by Lily Morton
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COVER REVEAL: Under His Rule by Davidson King
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COVER REVEAL: The Hazard and The Hitman by Cambria Hebert
