Review: Promise Me Not

 

Title: Promise Me Not

Series: Boys of Avix

Author: Meagan Brandy 

Release Date: October 01

She lost her first love.

I'd give it all to be her second...

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had one dream.

Go to college with my best friends, earn a starting position on a division one team, and hear my name announced to the world come draft day. 

The path was clear, and things were falling in place perfectly. 

Until she showed up.

I never meant to fall for my friend’s little sister and by the time I realized I had, it was too late. 

I am a man in love with a girl … who is in love with someone else. 

But I can’t compete with a ghost, and her heart was buried along side the boy she gave it to. The father of her unborn son. 

Instead of fighting for something she’s unable to give, I do my best to be her friend, but then her little man comes along, and changes everything.

She says I should walk away, focus on my love for football, but I can’t, because what she doesn’t understand is I have a new dream now. 

One that begins and ends with them. 

Goodreads | Purchase 

Oohhh my flipping gawds! 

Promise Me Not was one of my most anticipated reads of the entire year, and is book two in Boys of Avix series - following Payton (who you meet in Defenseless Hearts) and Mason (who you meet in Fumbled Hearts). And let me just tell you ... You aren't ready! 

Payton may have lost her first love, but Mason will give ANYTHING to be her second. Payton is trying to navigate her new life of being a young mother, and trying to hold herself together. Her life was irrevocably changed when she ran away from home, pregnant at sixteen. She was young, scared, and had no idea what she was going to do. 

Mason only ever had one dream in life - to go to college with his best friends, and get a starting position in football. But the moment he laid eyes on Payton that dream changed. And Mason falls in love with someone who is in love with someone else. Someone he can never compete with. She was strong, brave, and beautiful, and Mason never had a chance against her. But how can Mason compete with the ghost of the father of Payton's unborn son?

So like I said, this has been one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I absolutely couldn't wait to dive in to Payton and Mason's story. And when I say you aren't ready, I mean it. This is an emotional angst filled book, filled with love, heartbreak, grief, sweetness and hope. This book had me crying over Payton and Mason's story, but not able to put it down. Their story was heartbreaking, and beautiful and so much more, and I loved every second of it. If you loved the emotional rollercoaster of Say You Swear, buckle up because Mason and Payton's story bribgs you through the ringer, but I didn't want it to end. If you love angst filled sports romances you are not going to want to miss this! 

5 ⭐ out of 5 ⭐. 

2 🌶️ out of 5 🌶️. 

Tropes: 

• Contemporary romance 

• NA romance

• sports romance 

• football romance 

• he falls first 

• single parent

• found family 

• love after loss 

• forbidden/off limits 

• older brother's friend 

• Posessive/protective Hero 

• slow burn 

• angst fest / emotional read

Trigger Warnings: 

→ car accident 

→ death 

→ grief 

→ emotional abuse 

About The Author: 

Meagan Brandy is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal 

Bestselling Author of New Adult and Sports Romance books. Born and raised in California, she is a married mother of three crazy boys who keep her bouncing from one sports field to another, depending on the season, and she wouldn't have it any other way. Starbucks is her best friend and words are her sanity.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok 

Review: The Beekeeper

 

Title: The Beekeeper

Author: S.M. Shade

Release Date: September 20, 2024

After two years of hiding, I'm finally free and all I want is some peace and maybe a little garden to tend. The adorable cabin in the forest is just what I'm looking for, private and secluded. Other than the long dead inhabitants of the old graveyard nearby, I only have one neighbor.

Arlow Shaw is antisocial if not outright reclusive, quiet, and guarded when it comes to discussing himself. A nature lover, he spends most of his time in the forest or tending to his bee hives.

His calming effect on me is perplexing but exactly what I need. Through long nights spent talking over a bonfire, I grow close to the enigmatic man, but as we start to cross the line from friends to lovers, the trouble begins.

What starts as a few footprints in the woods and some broken windows quickly escalates to violent threats.

Our secrets are forced into the light but the question remains. Has my past come back to torment me or is there more to this man than I know?

The Beekeeper is a standalone romantic suspense with some mystery and a dark twist.

Goodreads | Purchase 

So, I absolutely love all the books I have read by SM Shade so far, and this cover is sooo pretty. I was dying to read this book. 

It follows Calliope - when she moves to a new small town, in a cabin on a dead end road next door to a antisocial recluse, and an old graveyard. 

All Calli wanted was a new start, but what she didn't expect was the calming effect her quiet new nature-loving neighbor had on her. But as they navigate their new friendship that could turn into something more, that's when the trouble begins. 

What starts out as a few broken windows quickly escalates, forcing their secrets and past into the light. 

I couldn't wait to dive into this book, thinking the suspenseful novel would be a perfect fall read to get lost into. 

Calliope was on the run from her last, hoping for a fresh start. She was trying to put her past behind her and was hoping for a new beginning at life. What she didn't expect was her neighbor Arlow. 

Arlow was a calm, quiet nature-lover. He kept to himself, & tended his been hives. He never gave the cabin next door to him a second thought until Calliope moved in. Something about her shined, and it resparked his artistic side. 

They quickly became friends - but Calli wanted more. Something Arlow wasnt willing to give. 

But when trouble started brewing for the two of them, they would be forced to share their secrets they kept hidden with each other. - would they be able to accept one another when they learned the truth? 

I enjoyed the book. I liked Calli and Arlow, both had their own struggles they dealt with, making them more real and relatable. The book wasn't as suspenseful as I would have wanted, but overall it was a good contemporary read with a little suspense scattered throughout. 

4⭐ out of 5⭐. 

3🌶️ out of 5🌶️. 

Tropes: 

• contemporary romance 

• protective hero 

• neighbors to lovers 

• 30+ age characters 

Trigger Warnings: 

→ stalking 

→ mention of child abuse 

→ mention of drug use/abuse 

→ mention of car accident 

→ death of a parent 

→ murder 

About the Author: 

S.M. Shade writes spicy romantic comedies and steamy contemporary romances with relatable characters. Whether it's a good laugh or a good cry, she likes to grab you by your emotions and make you feel. An unashamed Croc enthusiast and poetry nerd, she can usually be found listening to Indie Rock and watching birds.

 

Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok 

Small Business Sunday - Grump & Sunshine

 

Grump and Sunshine is located in Belfast, Maine was opened by Cassidy Gintz in May 2023 and the only romance-only book shop in Maine. 

It is opened six days a week, and your one-stop shop for books, merch, and subscription boxes. Cassidy also collabs with indie authors and hosts signings and events. 

You can follow her on IG, TT, & FB. 

@grumpandsunshine - on IG 

@grumpandsunshine - on TT

Grump and Sunshine - on FB 

https://www.grumpandsunshine.com/ - website 

Looking for more indie bookstores, check out my list of stores here: 

Review: Delayed Penalty

 

Title: Delayed Penalty

Series: Seattle Serpents

Author: Teagan Hunter 

Release Date: September 12 

I have two goals this season:
1. Prove to the Seattle Serpents I’m not a complete screwup.
2. Stay away from the nanny.

I’m hardly able to keep myself out of trouble, let alone a seven-year-old, but when my estranged brother gets a life sentence, I have no choice but to clean up my act and take the kid in.

It’s all going according to plan…until I’m forced to hire Quinn Benson.

She’s everything I need to avoid—flighty, messy, creating chaos everywhere she goes. But she makes my niece happy, so I hire her anyway, keeping our interactions as brief as possible, even when she moves in with me.

Thing is, the more she’s around, the more I want her around—and not just as a nanny. I can’t seem to stop falling into bed with her even when I know I shouldn’t. Quinn goes against everything I’m trying to accomplish, but I can’t stay away.

This might be one delayed penalty I don’t mind serving…

DELAYED PENALTY is a standalone hockey romance novel. There's a single guardian a bit on the grumpy side, a sunshine nanny who doesn't take any crap from him, an adorable little girl you'll want to hug and keep safe, ridiculous teammates who make way too crude jokes, plenty of steam, and a happy ending.

Goodreads | Preorder | 

Delayed Penalty follows Adam Hayes - trouble-making hockey player who just got a call that changed his life. Now he has two goals for the upcoming hockey season - prove to his new team the Seattle Serpents he isn't a complete screw up and to stay away from the nanny. 

When his estranged brother landed himself in jail- he became the unexpected guardian of his seven year old niece he had no idea he had, flipping his life upside down. Now he is trying to prove not only to his team the Seattle Serpents but himself and his niece that he isn't a complete screw up. But when his hockey season is quickly approaching, he needs a nanny for his niece pronto. And Quinn, his favorite bakery owner's daughter- just so happened to be between jobs. But she also happens to be messy, flighty and creates chaos- everything Hayes needs to avoid. So why is the more time she is around, the more Hayes struggles to stay away? 

So, first - this book is a rom-com but does have some trigger warnings - with mention of drug selling & use, jail, & child abandonment, and abuse and parent death - all of which are only lightly touched upon, but worth noting. 

Second, this book was everything - I loved not only the emotion it pulled out but the humor & fun of this book. 

I loved Hayes, he may have been grumpy & a bit of a screw up who was trying to get his life together after being thrust into a guardian role after never wanting kids, but he cared for those close to him. 

Quinn may have been a bit chaotic, who may have struggled with jobs, and may have struggled with the bills she was drowning in, but she may have found something she loved in nannying for the grump hockey player. And she had something to prove- that she could not only get her life together, but take care of herself but a kid too. 

The unlikely pair kept falling in bed together, sneaking around. And even though they shouldn't have worked, how alike they were, and how they annoyed each other- they did. & I loved them together, & young Flora too. 

If your looking for your next hockey read, I definitely recommend Delayed Penalty. 

4⭐ out of 5⭐. 

3🌶️ out of 5🌶️. 

Tropes: 

→ rom-com 

→ sports romance 

→ hockey romance 

→ nanny/employer 

→ single guardian 

→ forced proximity 

→ found family 

Trigger Warnings: 

• drug use/abuse/selling 

• child abandonment 

• child abuse 

• parental death 

About the Author: 

I write steamy romantic comedies with lots of sarcasm and a side of heart. I love pizza, hockey, and romance novels, though not in that order. When not writing, you can find me watching entirely too many hours of Supernatural, One Tree Hill, or New Girl. I’m mildly obsessed with Halloween and prefer cooler weather. I married my high school sweetheart, and we currently live in the PNW.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | 

Review: Madness

 

Title: Madness

Series: L.O.R.D.s series 

Author: Shantel Tessier

Release Date: August 30 

HIS SECRET

A Lord takes what he wants. 

But like anything else, even he can get greedy and betray his oath. 

That’s where Carnage comes in. A Spade brother runs their prison for those who have wronged their society. 

It just so happens to be where the Lords have sent me.

I VOW. YOU VOW. WE VOW.

Most women within the Lords don’t get the chance to prove themselves worthy of the brand or the power that comes with it, but there’s always an exception.

I’m one of them.

Finally, my time had come to be assigned to a Lord. 

Not just any Lord but a Spade brother—Haidyn Jamison Reeves.

I had everything under control until he found out what I was hiding. Everyone in our world knows the only way to get to the top is to sacrifice something the Lords want.

So when Haidyn gave me a choice—become his toy or turn me over to the Lords—the decision was easy.

I’ve worked too hard to get this far to allow a man to take what I’ve earned. I chose to become his dirty little secret over admitting I failed.

It didn’t take long for him to unravel my web of lies, thread by thread, until nothing was left. He took over my life, blurring the lines until I discovered that what I thought I wanted was no longer what I needed.

But even in our world, nothing lasts forever. Time had run out. The hourglass lay broken on the floor, shattering not only my future but everything I knew.

I never thought that falling in love with a Spade brother 

would reveal so many secrets. And when they all came to light, 

the Lord who blackmailed me was the only one I could count on.

This touches on very dark themes. The 𝗧𝗪𝘀 will be posted inside the book before the prologue and on Shantel's website. 

If you have not read the L.O.R.D.S. series yet, do NOT start with 𝑴𝒂𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔. It contains spoilers from previous books in the series. 

The Lords Series

#1 The Ritual

#2 The Sinner

#3 The Sacrifice

#4 Sabotage (the H isn't a Lord but he works for a Lord)

#5 Carnage

Goodreads | Purchase | 

Oh. My. God. OhmyGod, ohmyGod. 

So these books are best read in order. Also this a dark romance - so check tw before diving in. Also, be Haidyn's "good girl" and avoid posting about the FMC & spoilers for at least a week. 

This thick book at 800+ pages follows Haidyn - not only is he a Lord but also a Spade brother who runs Carnage. & The FMC who was assigned to him. The world of the Lord's are filled with lies, secrets and betrayal - so what happens when the tangled web of lies begins to unravel? 

So I have been waiting for this book for what seems like forever! Months. And this book was well worth the wait! I absolutely LOVED Haidyn's story. And when I say buckle up- you aren't ready for what is about to be thrown at you in this book. It was dark, and twisted and kept me on the edge of my seat. I kicked my feet in giddiness, bit my lip, gasped and even cried at 2 am over this book. It through me through the ringer but it was worth it. This book was perfect. 

4.5⭐ out of 5⭐

5🌶️ out of 5🌶️. 

Tropes: 

→ dark romance

 → secret identity 

→ forced proximity 

→ forced marriage 

→ blackmail

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Shantel Tessier

Shantel is a USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author. She’s married to her high school sweetheart, who is a wonderful, supportive husband. Shantel loves to spend time cuddled up on the couch with a good book.

She considers herself extremely lucky to get to do what she loves while wearing pajamas. Going to concerts and the movies are just a few of her favorite things to do. She hates coffee, but loves wine. Although she has a passion to write, her family is most important to her.

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