SLAY: RIVALRY

by Laurelin Paige

Book Synopsis

Edward Fasbender is a devil.

He's my father's business rival, a powerful, vicious man who takes what he wants and bows to no one. I only took the meeting because I was curious. I thought he was going to offer me a job.

But that's not what he's after at all. His proposal is much more intriguing, and I see an opportunity. An opportunity to turn the tables and bring down the devil.

I've gotten in trouble playing these games before. I know when the risk is too great, when the stakes are too high. I know how to be cold and strong-willed and destructive. I know how to withstand dominant men with arrogant charm and rugged features.

Yet I can't resist taking on Edward.

And I can't resist the pull he has on me.

Soon I'm not so sure which side of the battle I'm standing on--if I'm the warrior meant to slay,

Or the one who will be slain.

My Review

Finally gaining insight into the character I once despised in some of Paige’s earlier works; Celia Werner quickly goes from queen of ruthlessness to pawn in one man’s eyes. 

Edward Fasbender is ambitious, arrogant, and confident -- a man who never meets a challenge that he cannot conquer.   It is with these qualities, that Edward’s ruthlessness and cunning ways still manage to weave Celia into a position that this reader found shocking. 

His maniacal ways will leave the reader reeling with a twisty cliffhanger that slowly and deliciously unfolds...

This was a magnificent story rivaling some of Paige’s own best work. Giving a character I once despised from previous glimpses, a strong foundation and backstory, a story so gripping that I was hooked from beginning to the very end, because there was finally so much more to Celia than meets the eye. 

I am holding my breath as I await the next installment of this intoxicating read. 

As Always, Happy Reading!

SWEET FATE

by Laurelin Paige

Book Synopsis

The conclusion to Dylan and Audrey’s story begun in Sweet Liar.

Dylan Locke knows that pining over the young ingenue Audrey Lind is pointless. He can’t offer her what she wants. He definitely can’t give her what she needs. Thank goodness she’s half a world away, and he doesn’t have to deal with his attraction head on.

But fate has other plans for him, and when Audrey once again lands in his path, it’s only too easy to fall back into their easy rhythm. And then their easy banter. And of course, each other’s arms.

He tells himself nothing has changed. She still wants forever, and he still thinks tomorrow is long enough. But watching her search isn’t as easy as he thought it would be, and now Dylan must figure out if he’s really the love Scrooge he professes to be or if he’s been Fate’s willing victim all along.

My Review

metimes the heart wants what the heart wants and there is just no defying it; as is the case of the struggle between once lovers Dylan and Audrey.

After their whirlwind affair in New York in Sweet Liar, we find Audrey and Dylan moving forward in their respective lives.  But, a chance meeting has them back in the same city and facing a magnetic connection that neither can deny.

Paige voices the internal conflict of a man who is struggling with his own demons, exquisitely, giving the reader an inside look as to his struggle to make peace with the hurt of his failed marriage and coming to terms with the possibilities of his future.

Sometimes you have to just throw caution to the wind and take the plunge, follow your heart, and trust – trust in love.

As Always, Happy Reading!

SWEET LIAR

by Laurelin Paige

Book Synopsis

British ad exec Dylan Locke isn't looking for love. He isn't looking for fate. He's definitely not looking for Audrey Lind. She's pretty, far too young, and overly romantic--in short, exhausting.

But when the girl, young enough to be his daughter, literally lands in his lap and asks for his expertise, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't interested. In her body, in her innocence, in her philosophy.

In the kind of kismet that starts with kisses.

But Audrey isn't looking for love either--she's looking for lessons, and she's certain Dylan knows everything she needs to learn.

If he agrees to play the teacher can he keep his heart?

Of course he can.

Then again, he might be lying.

My Review

As a subscriber to Laurelin newsletter, your appetite may have wetted by the hot and somewhat salacious story brewing between Audrey and older businessman, Dylan.

A scorned man, Dylan is afraid of what society thinks if he were to pursue someone as young as Audrey.  But the more he tries to stay away from her sweet and somewhat naïve notions about love and life, the more he struggles with his own bruised past.  Dylan is soon left to wonder; is he better off taking a chance at love, or should he remain resolute and on his own forever. 

As Sweet Liar concludes things only prove to become more complicated and I cannot wait to find out how things turn out in its conclusion Sweet Fate!

As Always, Happy Reading!

CLANDESTINE ROYAL

by Gigi Thorne

Book Synopsis

Luke
Suffering due to sins of the father is typically how it goes, but as the son of a predatory and entitled mother, I’d fallen victim to the consequences of her indiscretions.

Her deathbed confession revealed my darkest secret. At my lowest point, I shared it with the two people I trusted the most.

It proved to be my biggest mistake.

For the last five years, I’d watched the woman I love reign with a man I despised. He stole my life, she allowed it, and I was about to make them both pay.

The only way to bring down a king is by stealing his queen.

Sarafina
Five long years without a single look my way. Luke believed that I’d betrayed him and I’d suffered in silence while he’d torn me apart with his playboy ways.

Set on vengeance, he refused my truth but not without doling out punishment I couldn’t resist. Little did he know I had plans of my own—if he’d only let me get close enough.

My Review

Teeming with deceit, lies, and betrayal, soon to be heirs to the royal throne; cousins, Luke and Alex are sieged with the demanding expectations put upon them by their lineage. 

However, when one cousin betrays the other, the two, once as close as two brothers, become bitter enemies.  Trapped between the two men and this unforsaken turmoil, and having been a lifelong friend to both men, is the beautiful and newly appointed Queen, Sarafina.

Heartbreak has kept Sarafina going, after the life-changing secret was disclosed and her life forever changed.  But, finally having her fill of living a miserable life, a life without love, she decides to take matters into her own hands.

This novella is a story that had me completely captivated and at times holding my breath, as new twists and turns were revealed.  This book was full of passion and angst and so well written that I forgot where I was while reading this book, as I was completely transported to the Palace where the story was revealed.

Gigi Thorne is a pen name of a group of the top romance writers in the country who have come together to write short stories that differ from their standard works, having more of an erotic flare in their storytelling. 

Having read many of Gigi’s works, this is by far my favorite from the collection.  If you are looking for a great, short read, I highly suggest this gem.  You will not be sorry!

As Always, Happy Reading!