King of Libertines by Pam Godwin
Historical Romance
May 6, 2020 by Heartbound Media
Because I LOVED Sea of Ruin so much, I clicked the free prequel novella, King of Libertines by Pam Godwin to get another pirate fix. Prequels can be hit or miss for me. This one was a big hit! You can read it before or after Sea of Ruin and still really enjoy the story.
The short story sets up how Priest (hero) and Bennett (heroine) first meet and takes place between chapters five and six of the timeline in Sea of Ruin. Priest and his brother, Reynolds, board Bennett’s Ship, Jade. They are looking for work. They are both “wickedly handsome” but Priest is also clever, charming and quite the distraction for our pirate queen, Bennett. She keeps Reynolds and sends Priest on his way. Who needs that kind of distraction? (me, me…I absolutely volunteer.)
Bennett’s compass is a mystery; she can’t figure out how to unlock the puzzle and solve the secret to finding her dad’s treasure. Reynolds and Bennett are talking one day, and she mentions the compass. She’s frustrated and hasn’t figured it out yet. Reynolds knows of one woman who can solve the mystery. BUT, that woman will only work with Priest. Off they go to find Priest and get his help.
It’s a short book and I won’t give any other details. If you’re unsure about Sea of Ruin, try this first. It’s free and very smexy. I love Priest and Bennett together. Seeing more of them, their clever banter and steamy beginnings was a fun read for me.
Grade A
Pretty When She Cries by A. Zavarelli
Enemies to Lovers/ Contemporary Romance
October 22, 2020
Self Published
This book was an up all night, gotta see what happens book for me. Pretty When She Cries by A. Zavarelli is about Landon and Kailani, and is one of many books I’ve read recently in the enemies to lovers, bully romance category. There are definitely some triggers in this one, so beware.
Landon is a celebrity and lives beside Kailani’s mom and stepdad in a wealthy neighborhood. Kailani is asked by her private school to tutor Landon one summer. She’s not on social media (this was tough to swallow…are there any teenagers completely immune to social media?) and doesn’t realize he’s a big star. Landon is quiet and has some major baggage with his mother. It looks like he lives alone or his family is out of town a lot. He finds it refreshing that Kailani isn’t clamoring for his attention and attaching herself to his rising star.
They develop a friendship and growing attraction to each other. Although neither will admit to it. Then, something awful (this is the trigger portion of the book) happens and it completely ruins any chance of them ever having a relationship. It’s terrible and life changing. There’s fall out, anger, miscommunication and so much more. Kailani moves back to Hawaii where she originally lived, and life goes on. She gets stronger, more fierce and decides it’s not over for her. She wants revenge. She moves back and takes on the bullies and the wealthy elite of her town. Landon doesn’t bully her, he’s confused about what happened as well. And, Like Kailani, is also being played. They care for each other, but this thing that happened was just so devastating, they can’t get back to being friends again, or even being civil to each other. Landon was a very likable hero. I found myself cheering for him throughout the book.
It’s a familiar sort of story, but still addicting with unexpected turns. There is one character who is just straight up evil and unstable. I knew this person was bad, but had NO idea how twisted. I feel like it was a bit like a Dateline NBC episode in how completely off the rails this person ended up being. I could hear Keith Morrison’s voice narrating in my head.
Grade A
Amazon | Goodreads
I’m currently reading Stroke of Midnight by K. Webster. I’m honestly not loving it yet. More to come on that one. It’s short and I’ll likely sprint through to the end. And, finally listening to From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout. It’s AMAZING! Why did I wait so long?! It just won Best Romance of 2020 on Goodreads. I’ve always loved Urban Fantasy but recently took a break. So glad to dive back in with this wonderful series.
Have you read A. Zavarelli’s Boston Underworld series? If you like dark/crime/mob romance, they’re very good. But my absolutely favorite Zavarelli book is TAP LEFT which is not particularly dark, but very angsty—with an absolutely gutting scene where the heroine goes to meet a man she’s been talking to on a dating app and…well, all I can say is I’ve read TAP LEFT multiple times and that scene always destroys me.
I JUST read Machiavellian! It was excellent…review to come. I want to read the next book and great recc on Tap Left! I’ll add that to my TBR. Currently putting all aside to dive into The Villain by LJ Shen. If you haven’t read her yet, do it. I have loved all of her books!