Review: Keep Me Never

 

Title: Keep Me Never 

Series: Boys of Avix 

Author: Meagan Brandy 

Release Date: November 4, 2025 

On the outside, it looks like I’ve got it all together. I’m killing it on the football field, pushing harder than ever before and breaking league records.

 But on the inside, I’m a mess, the pressure of the game too much, the betrayal from someone I trusted weighing me down with every breath.

I’m drowning and there’s no one to pull me up.

Until her.

I tried to stay away, to keep my distance so I wouldn’t ruin us both, but I was powerless against her.

She’s everything I didn’t know I wanted and more than I could ever deserve.

That right there is how I knew I couldn’t keep her, but that didn’t stop me from falling in love with her.

Just when I think maybe I’m becoming the man I want to be, my world comes crashing down around me, and I’m faced with a choice that has the power to break us both.

Suddenly, I’m right back where I started.

I’m the guy with nothing to give and she’s the girl who deserves the world.

Goodreads | Amazon 

Oh my goodness, where do I even begin? 

Keep Me Never is the final book in the Avix series - and while it isn't 100% necessary to read all of the books before it - I HIGHLY recommend it so you get the full effects of not just Chase's story but if all the side characters as well. 

On the outside it looks like Chase has it all - but on the inside he's a mess. A betrayal from someone he's trusted weighs heavily on him, and he is barely keeping it together - until her. He's tried to stay away, keep his distance because Chase doesn't have anything to give,, but she deserves the world. 

Just when Chase thinks he's becoming the man who he wants to be, he is met with an impossible choice that sends his world crashing around him, putting him right back to where he started. 

So if you didn't already know, I have been DYING for Chase's book since SYS first dropped a handful of years ago. I wanted to see what went on inside Chase's head and I -finally- got my wish. This book was bittersweet and I absolutely adored it. Chase's story finishing off the Avix series & it was... I have no words. Chase's story was more than I could have ever expected & the whole gang together brought the feeling of rightness, a feeling of home. And the story made me feel all the things. It was cute and sweet. And had me kicking my feet in giddiness one minute, and an emotional wreck the next. I swooned, I cried, I gasped & I didn't want it to ever end - not just Chase's story but finishing off the series of characters I fell in love with. Chase's story was the perfect conclusion to a beloved series. 

5⭐ out of 5⭐ 

3🌶️ out of 5🌶️. 

Tropes: 

- NA Romance 

- Sports Romance 

- Redemption 

- drama & angst 

- friends to lovers

- found family 

Trigger Warnings: 

• death of a parent 

• terminal illness (mentioned)

• grief 

• divorce 

• injury/injury detail 

• car accident (mentioned) 

• drug use/addiction (mentioned) 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Meagan Brandy writes New Adult romance novels with a twist. She is a candy crazed, jukebox junkie who tends to speak in lyrics. 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.

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Review: Twisted

 

Title: Twisted 

Series: Malus Mafia 

Author: Emily Goodwin 

Release Date: October 30, 2025 

Wren Russo has always been an outsider. The only witch ever to be raised among the Order of the Mystic Realm, she has spent her life hunting demons alongside a family who doesn’t fully accept her. But nothing could prepare her for the ultimate betrayal of being handed over as part of a centuries-old pact to the most feared vampire family in existence: the Malus Family.

Trapped in a gilded cage, Wren begins to unravel secrets buried for centuries about her own bloodline, the Order’s dark bargains, and the Malus family’s true intentions…especially Xavier Malus, the oldest and most powerful vampire in the Malus family. Xavier takes an unexpected interest in Wren, demanding she marry him in a political move to appease the Vampire Council. The more time she spends with him, the more she risks her hatred turning into passion. Will she see him as anything other than the monster he is?

Because in a game where bloodlines are currency and love can be the deadliest weakness of all, one wrong choice could mean the end—not just for Wren, but for everyone she’s ever sworn to protect.

Goodreads | Amazon 

Oh my goodness you guys!!! 

It's been so long since I have read a Emily Goodwin book & I needed this. 

When is a witch - but forced to suppress who she really is growing up in her adopted demon hunting family. The Order - the bosses of the demon hunting world- doesn't like anyone who is different from them which includes witches, vampires and werewolves. So Wren didn't get to grow up learning about magic or her family, and was always the outsider not only as a demon hunter, but in her family too for being different. 

But one night she is taken - by a deal made between the Order and the Malus Mafia - a family of vampires. But she won't go quietly. Not to be bred, or be married off to one of the most powerful men in the country. 

Soon secrets start coming out, and Wren begins wondering what she really knew about her family after all. Forced to navigate through her new reality, Wren must come to terms with her past, and her new future quickly if there is any hope of surviving. 

So, it's been awhile since I read an Emily Goodwin book - but I have to say I loved reading about Wren and the Malus Mafia family. 

Wren grew up in impossible conditions forced to make herself less than to appease others. She was made to feel like an outsider even in her own family. And the secrets that were uncovered would be enough to break just about anyone - but Wren was stronger than her circumstances and didn't let anything make her give up on what she wanted or who she wanted to be. 

Devon was a distant blood relative of the Malus family - he grew up elite and pampered and was to be the one to continue the Malus family line - since vampires can't reproduce - with the hopes of becoming a vampire in the future. 

Xavier is the head of the Malus family Mafia - and a 700 year old vampire. With one look at Wren he had to have her. Marrying her, claiming her. 

Theo is Xavier's brother, but he doesn't like Wren. She complicates things - especially since she is a witch and can't be spelled to forget. 

Wren must navigate through a world of a vampire Mafia that she didn't know anything about, and adapt quickly if she hopes to make it out alive. 

I loved every second of this book. Of Wren finding herself & coming into her own. I loved her relationship with the Malus vampire Mafia. And I can't wait to see what is in store for these characters next. 

This book was a little dark but oh so good, quick vampire read. & I definitely recommend for those who love a paranormal romance. 

4⭐ out of 5⭐. 

3🌶️ out of 5🌶️ 

Tropes: 

- paranormal romance 

- forbidden romance 

- Vampires x witches 

- arranged marriage 

- Forced proximity 

- Mafia romance 

Trigger Warnings: 

• blood 

• violence 

• death/murder 

• death of a parent 

• confinement 

• kidnapping 

• child abuse 

• emotional abuse 

• medical trauma 

• hate crime 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Emily Goodwin is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of over a dozen of romantic titles. Emily writes the kind of books she likes to read, and is a sucker for a swoon-worthy bad boy and happily ever afters. She lives in the midwest with her two daughters. When she's not writing, you can find her riding her horses, hiking, reading, or drinking coffee with friends. Emily is represented by Julie Gwinn of the Seymour Agency.

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Review: Tourist Season

 

Title: Tourist Season 

Series: Seasons of Carnage 

Author: Brynne Weaver 

Release Date: September 23, 2025 

Welcome to Cape Carnage! Visit Once, Stay Forever.

Cape Carnage is a seaside town of colorful houses, quirky shops, and an unusually high body count. But with tourists comes trouble, and Harper Starling won’t let anyone ruin her picture-perfect home. A skilled gardener with killer instincts, Harper protects her sanctuary at any cost—especially for her aging mentor with a fading memory.

Troublesome tourists don’t check out of Carnage. They compost beneath Harper’s award-winning flowerbeds. But Nolan Rhodes isn’t your average tourist. Devilishly handsome, disarmingly charming, and skilled with a blade, Nolan is relentless in the pursuit of revenge. On every anniversary of the hit-and-run accident that fractured his life, Nolan slays another target. And he’s saved the best for last: the undeniably beautiful Harper Starling. 

The problem? Harper isn’t the monster he expected. And she won’t go down without a fight. When an amateur true crime investigator comes to Cape Carnage on the trail of a long-lost serial killer, Harper and Nolan strike an uneasy truce. If Nolan helps Harper protect her town, she’ll keep quiet about his hunting habits . . . for now. But their alliance soon spirals into obsession, one that threatens to shatter every secret in Carnage—including their fragile love.

Tourist Season is a darkly funny, slow burn enemies-to-lovers romance where destruction and desire are balanced on the edge of a blade—and where love is the most dangerous battleground of all.

Goodreads | Amazon 

Nolan rolls into Cape Carnage, a quirky town with a high body count, he has one goal in mind - Revenge. He's here slay another target on the anniversary of the hit and run accident that cost him nearly everything. And he has his sights set on Harper. Except she isn't anything like he expected. She doesn't balk at gruesome gifts, doesn't run at threats, and surprisingly she is protective of her mentor and the town,and she won't go down without a fight. Nolan doesn't know what to make of her. But when a amateur true crime investigator rolls into town, Nolan and Harper form a uneasy truce. But their alliance soon begins to unravel into obsession which threatens to shatter all the secrets of Cape Carnage. 

So, I was looking forward to this book, for spooky season & overall I enjoyed it. It was a dark Rom-Com filled with trigger warnings, and tourist town fun. 

While you don't have to read the Ruinous Love series before this - I do recommend at least reading Butcher & Blackbird (& then maybe the Love & Other Killers novella) - to get a little backstory on Harper (again, not necessary). 

Harper came to Cape Carnage to start over. She befriends Auther who becomes her mentor & makes a promise to look over the picture-perfect yet quirky town that she has come to love. But Harper -and the town- have secrets. Ones that have been buried for years but are being threatened to resurface. Nolan came to Cape Carnage to take revenge. Nothing screams relaxing vacation like a little murder and mayhem. He's been dreaming of finally completing his revenge, but nothing has been turning out as he hoped, and Harper is nothing like he thought. 

Like I said, I liked this book well enough. It wasn't as funny or as fun as Butcher & Blackbird. I did enjoy reading about Harper and Nolan - and the start of their enemies-to-lovers relationship; since it appears this trilogy may focus entirely on one couple- I wasn't able to FEEL some of their connection like I would have hoped. (Also would liked to have seen more from the hate between the characters too). Otherwise the book is a cute, light dark romance that ends on a cliffy -so you will be waiting for answers - with some charm. I can't wait to find out more about not only Harper & Nolan but Cape Carnage. 

4⭐ out of 5⭐. 

4🌶️ out of 5🌶️. 

Tropes: 

• Dark Rom-Com 

• serial unalivers 

• enemies to lovers 

• forced proximity 

• blackmail 

• secrets & mystery 

• secret identity 

• found family 

• small town romance 

• he falls first 

• touch her & 💀 

Trigger Warnings: 

- murder bird (& human snacks) 

- eyeballs & eye sockets 

- stalking & voyeurism 

- breaking & entering & theft 

- references to physical & psychological torture 

- drowning 

- vehicular collisions/car accidents

- weapons (axes, knives, guns, needles, chainsaws, garrotes, three hole punches, woodchippers, lawn aerator etc) 

- kidnapping 

- medical setting & details & trauma (including CPR, hospitals, & long term recovery) 

- murder & violence 

- explicit language 

- explicit sexual content (including bdsm, brat/brat tamer kink, impact play, rough sex, adult toys, pain play, knife play, & body modification)

- Alzheimer's Disease (& Mild Cognitive Impairment & Dementia including symptoms, care, memory loss, and mood & behavioral changes) 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Brynne Weaver is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Ruinous Love Trilogy and the Seasons of Carnage Trilogy. She’s a fan of velociraptors, the Alien movies (well, most of them), red wine, and wild adventures, and can relate nearly anything you say to a line from the movie Hot Fuzz.

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Review: The Arcane Taste of the Witchwood Boys

 

Title: The Arcane Taste of the Witchwood Boys

Series: The Witchwood Boys 

Author: C.M. Stunich 

Release Date: March 2025 

Those witch pricks betrayed me in the worst possible way.

I’m not about to run home and bake f*cking cupcakes, move on, and pretend to be happy.

I’d rather rage.

These men told me I wasn’t allowed to leave, that they’d follow me anywhere.

Well, it goes both ways, my dear stubborn husbands.

You aren’t allowed to leave, and I will do anything to enforce that.

I’ll slaughter the Hag Wytch. I’ll break our world and the Witchwoods both.

Because you were I am a villain, and I will kill the world for you.

I’m sad. Please send cockies. I mean cookies.

Not cookies baked with jizz, but actual cookies.

***includes 12,000 words of brand-new bonus material!

The Arcane Taste of the Witchwood Boys is a reverse harem/why choose romance (meaning one woman with three men). This is a genre blending series that’s a little bit cozy, a little bit dark, a lot bit spicy, and full of love, romance, action, and fantasy. Inside, you’ll find epic battles, a woman that’s part owl god, and our world blended with a fantasy forest. This is a complete series in 4 books (this is #4).

Goodreads | Amazon 

The Arcane Taste of the Witchwood Boys is the forth & final book of the Witchwood Boys series, wrapping up Kate & Brooks & Tanner & Marlowe's story. 

Kate & her coven work on trying to seal the gate along with trying to get the Internet taken care of, teaching the new coven what they need to know, along with just trying to live their every day life - from work, to rumors- but a new curse is added to the mix. Now it's a race against time for Witchwood Coven to find answers, but magic may not be able to fix this. Will the Witchwood Coven be Ble to save not only themselves, but the world, or will the curse doom them all. 

This book took me longer to finish than I would have liked - I just didn't have as much time to read as I had hoped. But last night I pushed through the last 28% or so. 

So I really enjoyed the Witchwood Boys series - I loved seeing and learning about each of the characters as they grew. Trouble seems to find them no matter if they were in the Witchwoods or back in their little town, but I enjoyed seeing them solve and overcome everything that was sent their way - from the guys learning to survive the new decade, to them trending on the Internet, to work & dating & their friendships and bromances to their magical problems like sealing the gate & dealing with the Hag Wytch. They planned when they could and adjusted when necessary. They were definitely a force to be reckoned with. 

Although, the ending felt both rushed and drawn out (it had 6 epilogues!). It felt rushed bc the major conflict at the end just was taken care of (ok I get magic - but I feel like some details could have been shared on the how over it all. And it didn't quite make sense, but it could have just been me being overly tired & I missed something). Plus 6 epilogues is a little excessive - but by that point it was nearly 2 am and I just wanted to finish so I could sleep. 

Overall I enjoyed the book, the series & the characters. If you are looking to merge some dark paranormal why choose with cozy fantasy - which I didn't know was a thing but it perfectly describes this series - then this series is for you & was a great fall read. 

4⭐ out of 5⭐. 

4🌶️ out of 5🌶️. 

Tropes: 

• Why Choose 

•Paranormal/Fantasy 

• Dark Romance 

• Witchy/Magic 

• Stalker 

• Posessive/OTT MMCs 

• Forced Proximity 

• Psycho MMCs 

• Morally Black MMCs 

• Touch Her & 💀 

Trigger Warnings: 

- Stalker 

- Rituals/dark magic  

- blood play 

- semon play 

- primal play/chasing 

- dub con/non con 

- violence/gore 

- monsters 

- self harm/suicide

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

C.M. Stunich is a socially awkward hermit chick with a fondness for bats. As both a mood reader and a mood writer, she’s into all genres - just so long as they have romance. When not writing about tattooed alpha-holes, she can be found penning alien smut or spicy slow-burn romances featuring bubble tea. If we’re talking romantasy, she’s a sucker for the cranky prince trope. Caitlin lives with her spouse in the Pacific Northwest with too many border collies and a black cat who bites (and also sees ghosts). They are all weirdly obsessed with K-pop and K-dramas (especially the cat).

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