Tag: Top Ten

Top 10 MM Books of 2020 pt. 1

I am persnickety on some things when I’m reading, but whether it’s MM or MF isn’t one of them. I will read MM, MF, FF, and everything in between, in whatever combinations and numbers possible. For me, it isn’t just about what parts go into which places, although that is nice, it’s also about the connection between the characters, and that connection doesn’t matter if you are male, female, trans, non-binary, or gender fluid. And technically, this should be classified as LGBT instead of MM, because one of the books has an NB character. But, the books on this particular list focus on the more male side, so I’m going to go with MM. So, in no particular order, let’s get to the first part of my list.

Susan Hawke-How to Forgive

How to Forgive (my post) is the 6th book in Susan Hawke’s Lovestrong series. This is Susi Hawke’s contemporary pen name, under Susi, she writes omegaverse. I would really put this book as a campanion book to How to Heal, which is book 5, more than just the next book in the series. It involves Grayson, who is non-binary, who has come home after college and is trying to build their life back up in their hometown. Gray finds their ideal job, but their bossis Clark, their old bully. I loved this because we really get to see Gray’s journey and what they have gone through. We’ve seen Clark’s and how he tried to change, so I loved seeing the other side, and how Gray works to build their relationship with the big bad biker. I love Susi’s books, no matter what name she’s writing under.

Piper Scott-Single Dad Sundays

Piper writes omegaverse, and one of her series is called the Single Dad Support Group. It’s a bunch of guys who were single dads who got together in an online forum and gave each other a lot of help. There are chats throughout each of the books, and on her page every Sunday, Piper would have a question that a reader asked, and the dads would all reply to it. Well, Piper pulled all those Sunday chats and turned them into this book. It’s funny as hell, and I will never see the word placenta in the same way again.

Kai Butler-The Earl and the Executive

This is a Regency romance. But it takes place in the future. In space. Yeah. You wouldn’t think that those 3 things fit together, but Kai made it work, and made it work well. You get an impoverished Earl who is looking for a wealthy spouse to marry. It’s a lot of fun, and you get to see spaceships set against the ton.

AJ Sherwood-How to Shield an Assassin

AJ writes some funny books while still keeping up some intense action, and that’s what she did here. This is the first book in a series, all focusing on different guys in this friend group. You see them all show up in each book, so you really have to read the books. This one is about Ari, who is an assassin, who is out doing his job when a little girl asks him to help her out with her step-dad. He takes care of the dude and then adopts Remi, as one does, you know.

Make sure to read the content warnings on this, because they are funny af.

Alice Winters-How to Vex a Vampire

Alice is another writer like AJ. (my post) Her stuff is funny as hell, she writes outrageous characters, and you still get these intense stories that drag you in. This book is the first one in a series, and you have to read them in order. Each book is about a new couple, but you see everyone in every book. This series is an urban fantasy, and has vampires, both born and created, and focuses on a vampire police squad. I honestly want to just take Finn home and keep him.

This is another one where you should read the content warnings.

OK, that’s the first part of my Top Ten MM books from last year. Check back tomorrow for more. 🙂

Top Dark Reads of 2020 pt 1

Happy New Year’s Eve! It’s 7.5 hours until 2020 ends where I’m at, and I’m wondering what other things it can shove into those last few hours. Hopefully nothing, but you know what this year has been like. But, let’s forget about that for a while and focus on the 810 books I’ve read this year. Today’s post is the first part of the darkest reads I’ve read this year. Some of them I put on my blog, some were just pleasure reads, so let’s get started, shall we? Now, remember, these are in no particular order.

Felicity Brandon-Her Dark Protector

This is the first book in Felicity’s Gates of Fortorus series. (my post) The second book has just come out, and it will be on the blog in the next couple of days. This is a dark, dystopian, near future story. It is really gritty, dark, and dirty. It’s the story of Caroline, an author who was taken into Fortorus, along with thousands of other British women. They are mistreated and tortured, and it’s just not good. But the book was great. Definitely go check this one out.

Emma Jaye-Pied Piper

This is an MM book. It’s part of the Grim and Sinister Delights book, which is a multi-author PNR series. It isn’t a shared world so much as it’s a shared theme series, around fairy tales. In this book, we have a male siren and a wolf shifter. Domino is the siren, and as a male siren, his family wants to fuck him, get bred by him, and then kill him so that they can get the magic from his bits and pieces. As you might guess, Domino isn’t down with that, so he’s run. Jude is a bounty hunter who is on the search for Domino. When they meet, everything starts to get cloudy. There are some really intense scenes in this book, and I honestly didn’t know what was going to happen sometimes.

Raven Dark & Olivia Alexander-Devil’s Outlaw MC

So far, this is only a 2 book series, and the ends are cliffies. I know that book 3 is in the works, but apparently, Spider is an asshole with his authors too. I follow Raven so that I know when things drop. The first book is Evil’s Price, and the second is Evil’s Pawn. The premise of the series is that Emma, who is escaping from a religious cult, has ended up working as a waitress at a strip club owned by the Devil’s Outlaw MC. She ends up stealing from the club, and Spider, as the Sgt-at-arms, is tasked with dealing with her. Let’s just say that Spider’s way of dealing with her issn’t all that nice. When I say that he is an asshole, I’m being generous. I hate him. I also am oddly fascinated by him. When the 2nd book came out, I literally put the book I was reading on hold until I read Pawn. And I read it until late into the night.

Adara Wolf-False Feathers

False Feathers is part of the Grim and Sinister Delights books. This one is based on the Goose Girl. It starts with Aiden, whose mother has arranged a marriage for him. Not just a marriage, but one to a fae prince. She sends him off with a servant, and well, bad things happen. Adara Wolf writes a lot of dark, dub/non con MM, and her books are always intense and always stay with me. This one was no different.

OK, that’s all for this one. Check in tomorrow for part 2 of my Top Dark Reads of 2020!

2019 Round Up-Top Omegaverse Books

We’re back to my year-end round up from last year. Today is going to be my best Omegaverse books. I’m not sure how long this list is going to be, because some of the books I would put on this list I listed elsewhere, so… We’ll just have to see, won’t we?

Tabitha Black-Primal Mate

OK, I’m not just putting Primal Mate on here because the main character is named after me, really I’m not. The reason I am putting it on here is because I really liked the way that Clara interacted with the world. She is an Omega and knows that she’s an Omega, but she tried really hard to act like an Alpha. She trained herself to do it. She learned how to walk, talk, dress, and behave like she was an Alpha, until she couldn’t. I really liked watching her character and how she reacted once she went into heat and things changed. And hey, the fact that Tabby likes me enough to put my name on one of her characters is just really fucking cool.

Anna Wineheart-Gareth’s Boy

Anna released a few books this year, and I tend to reread her books too. I like the characters in them. They give me all the feelz. I’ve already had one of her books on my Top 10 list, and here’s another with Gareth’s Boy. This book is the second one in a spinoff series from the Men of Meadowfall books. This one goes on this list because of how Gareth changes his mind about Flores and how he wants to protect him. When you read this one, watch out for the carrots, snakes, and honey. Oh my. Do be aware that you will have all the feelz.

Leann Ryans-Hired for Heat

Leann took the Omegaverse and flipped it upside down. In Hired for Heat, instead of the Omegas having to be segregated, it’s the Alphas. Once a man presents as Alpha he is put into a camp and either has to work or, if he’s lucky, become a stud who helps Omega women through their heats. It is a fascinating idea and a very new way of looking at the O-verse. Leann has another book in this world, and I’m living for the series.

L.V. Lane-Taking Control

L.V. Lane’s Taking Control is another great take on the O-verse. In her world, there are more than Alphas, Betas, and Omegas, and they all have their own jobs. There are also people who don’t present at all. The reason that there are any Alphas et al in this world is because there was a virus that was released, and now everyone is at war. I am a couple of books behind in this series. I have all the books, I just need to sit down and read them. I just find this to be a really unique take on the O-verse.

Sara Fields-The Omegaborn Trilogy

I can’t really separate out Sara’s Omegaverse books out. That’s because the Omegaborn Trilogy has to be taken together, I think, as one big unit. Even though each book follows a different grouping of one Omega and several Alphas, it has a much larger story arc, and you need to read all of the books together to get the full impact of what is going on. We don’t often see a lot of Betas in the O-verse books, and I really liked what Sara did with it.

OK, that’s all my books for today. I have one more round up list coming, so stay tuned!

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2019 Round Up-Top 10 Redemption Books Pt. 2

So, we’re back to redemption books again today. I’m hoping that you liked the first part of the list, and that you’ve liked the rest of my lists. I think, after this one, that I might have just 1 or 2 lists left. We have Omegaverse books coming and a best Daddies, I think. Maybe more, if I think of any more lists to write, or if I get any suggestions of round up lists that people want. I live to please you guys. Or at least I am going to let all y’all think that.

***Disclosure: I may get a commission from Amazon on any purchases made from the links on this post.***

Kay Elle Parker-The Shadowcrown Duet

Kay is all over my round up lists this year. And there’s a good reason for that. I love the way that she writes. I’m putting her Shadowcrown duet on this list because I think that they fit really well. I can’t put one or the other of the books on this list, because the redemption arc encompasses both books. The first book in the duet is King of Shadows and the second is Queen of Shadows. These books are the story of Alliana, Kian, and Islador. Alliana’s mother was human but her father was an archangel. She was raised by Kian, the King of Shadows, and his second in charge and best friend, Islador. Kian was raising her to be his Queen. Things happen, demons show up, Lucifer gets involved, horrible, terrible things are done to Alliana, Kian and Isla both die, and Alliana becomes the queen. There are some extenuating circumstances to why Kian did what he did, but he still needs to get redemption for it, and prove himself to both Isla and Alliana. The books are dark, but fantastic.

Anna Edwards-Stolen Choices

Technically, Stolen Choices isn’t out yet. It doesn’t come out until 1/2, and I’ll have a full review on my blog about it tomorrow, but trust me when I say that this is really an excellent redemption story. It’s part of the Glacier Blood series, and it is not a standalone. You have to have read the other books in order to understand what is happening in this one, but it’s an excellent PNR.

Nikita Slater-Luna & Andres

Luna & Andres is one of the books from the Blaire’s World shared world series. These books are spun off of Anita Grey’s Blaire books. Which I’m dying for the next one. Anyway, back to L&A. Andres is a member of a Mexican cartel and Luna is his wife. They are combustive together. In this, Luna takes their kids and runs from him. Of course, she has reasons that I think are good, but still. It turns ugly. Both Luna and Andre have to go through a redemption arc in this one, for very different reasons. The majority of this book is just the two of them, which makes it very intimate and very intense.

R. Cayden-Clark’s Bully

R. Cayden writes MM romances, usually menages. Clark’s Bully is a menage. It’s part of a series of books that take place in Seattle surrounding a particular bar and comic book shop. I happen to be reading the latest one in the series right this very second. Anyway, here’s the redemption in this one. Clark and Rip went to high school together. Clark was rather obviously gay, Rip was confused. Rip’s friends bullied Clark horribly, and he stood along with them. Years later, Rip is back with his best friend/FWB, Mars. Mars meets Clark, and sparks fly, until Clark finds out he is besties with Rip. I really like Rip. He has spent a long time thinking about what he did and making changes in himself.

Jennifer Bene-Inheritance

I debated about Inheritance, because I think that if it were written by anyone other than Jennifer, I wouldn’t consider it a redemption story, but since it is her, it is. It’s the second book in the Fragile Ties series, and it’s the continuing story of David and Lianna. David kidnapped her because of her father, and did some pretty terrible things to her. Of course, she pretty much liked those terrible things, so it worked out after all. The reason I put it in this one is because David and Lianna are working hard to put together a relationship, and David is working hard to get past everything in the past. Anyway, I think that it fits well in this.

OK, that’s my Top 10 redemption books of 2019. We have reviews coming up in the next couple of days, but over the weekend, I’ll do some more round ups. Like I said, O-verse and Daddies.

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2019 Round Up-Top 10 Redemption Books Pt. 1

So, redemption books. Redemption, according to Miriam Webster, means the action of being saved from a sin, evil, or error. And that’s sorta how I see it when it comes to redemption books. For me, a redemption book means that the main character was a really bad guy, hurt the other main character, did something evil, but over the course of the book or books, in some cases, they redeemed themselves. They end up fixing their fuckup, making amends, changing, whatever. I mean, these are the books where the hero dumps the heroine in the most evil way possible, demolishes her life, thinks about killing her, burns her house down, steals her dog, and is just a rotten motherfucker. But, over the timeline of the book, he realizes that he done fucked up, he’s miserable about it, and he’s gonna make it better, somehow. Doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s going to be a good guy or anything, because yeah, that’s not necessarily it works.

Of course, not all redemption books are that drastic. Look at the movie Groundhog Day. Bill Murray starts as an ass, but over the period of the movie, he starts to realize that he’s an ass, and works to make himself better, at least when it comes to Andie MacDowell. So, there are going to be some books where the redemption is more like that.

Just in case you were wondering how I came up with the books on my various lists, some of them I remember from when I read them. But I wasn’t kidding when I said I’ve read over 800 books this year. Sometimes titles slip my mind, so I look at my yearly challenge on GR and look at all the books I’ve read this year, and go oh yeah! Gives me just the nudge I need.

***Disclosure: I may earn a commission from Amazon from any purchases made from links in this post.***

Nicolina Martin-Absolution

So, I told you yesterday when I was talking about the book Redemption that you should expect to see Absolution. This is the second book in the duet, and the 6th book in the Russo series. It is the continuing story of Kerry and Christian, and in this one, we get to see Christian come back and redeem himself when it comes to what he did to Kerry. I mean, he tried to kill her in Redemption, and it did all kinds of terrible things to her mental health. And then when he accidentally finds her, after she has run far, far, far away from him, he’s really furious with her, and she’s scared AF. But, he manages to redeem himself and turn back into the Christian I loved when I first met him in Ruin. Actually, I think he’s even better than he was then. He’s more rounded and more human. Of course, I think it’s also a little bit of a redemption for Kerry too. She went through hell, and was able to come out through the other side of it and end up stronger.

Alice Winters-A Villain For Christmas

A Villain For Christmas is in a shared theme series of books. They all have a snowglobe in them somehow, they are all MM, and they are all about Christmas in some way. Because it’s an Alice Winters book, there is a lot of humor, snark, and ridiculousness in there. The reason that I’m counting this as a redemption book is because the titular hero, Landon, AKA Leviathan, is a supervillain, who was raised by a family of “super”villains, and who has the hugest crush on the biggest superhero of the city, August, AKA Chrono. Landon is never evil, really, but there is a redemption arc for him to go on. It’s a really fun book, and I really want Alice to write more in this world.

India R Adams-Ivy’s Poison

Yup, this is India’s 2nd time on my round up lists. I liked Ivy’s Poison so much that I bought a signed copy of it. It’s part of the Cavalieri Della Morte shared world. It’s kind of an Arthurian retelling, if Arthur had a Round Table of assassins instead of knights. This is the story of Bors and Ivy. Bors had to go assisinate the pres of an MC, who just happens to be Ivy’s dad, but instead he gets taken prisoner and tortured by Ivy. I consider this a redemption story for both of them because they are both in a bad place at the beginning of the book and they each go through their own journey to get to a better place and redeem themselves, as well as the journey they go through together. I will warn you that there are some difficult moments in this one, especially in chapter 1, so you may want to be careful when you read it. It is a fantastic book, and it’s the first one of India’s books I read.

Jane Henry-King’s Ransom

King’s Ransom is the latest book in Jane’s Bratva Ruthless Doms books. It’s also a Daddy book, and that’s a good place for Jane. This is the story of Stefan and Taara. Stefan is a character that we’ve run across in the series before, and I really liked him. He’s a head honcho, and makes a lot of things happen. Taara is his housekeeper and has wanted him for years. Here’s what makes it a redemption story for Stefan, IMO. Things happen, and Taara gets herself into a place where she is basically Stefan’s captive, and it just turns really bad. My heart broke for her, and I hated Stefan for a minute, but things worked out and he got his head out of his ass.

Laura Thalassa-War

I debated whether or not to put War on this list. After all, he’s less a person than a personification, but decided that it was a redemption story of sorts. It’s the same with Pestilence, which is the first book in the Four Horsemen series. I can’t wait for the next ones. These books are so good. So, the way that the story works is that years ago the 4 rode out to Earth, and then they disappeared. The Pestilence showed up and killed many, many, many people, and he disappeared. Now War has shown up in the Middle East, doing what he does best. Miriam lived in Jerusalem, and caught War’s eye, and he took her for his wife. The reason that I put this in the redemption list is that while all this is going on, War changes from who he was, a personification of the divine, to something that is both less and more than that. I think that it works well that way.

OK, come back tomorrow for part 2. I hope that everyone has a safe and happy New Year’s Eve, or had, depending on where and when you read this. I’ll probably be asleep by 10, because I have to be up at 4 tomorrow. Happy New Year, and may this coming year and decade lead to better things.

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2019 Round Up-Top 10 MM Pt. 2

As a totally off-topic notification, I’m now an Amazon Affiliate, and any qualifying purchases can give me a commission. 

If you missed the first part of this list, go check it out here. And now, on to the second part of the list.

AJ Sherwood-Jon’s Downright Ridiculous Shooting Case

Jon’s Downright Ridiculous Shooting Case is a totally fun title, and it’s a great book. Before you read the book, you need to make sure that you read the trigger warnings, because they are hilarious. This is the TW and tags from this one.

“Trigger Warnings:
Your average cop show violence and criminals

Tags:
Companionable snark, Flirting, Kissing, Jon needs a hug, Donovan gives the best hugs, Getting together, Self-esteem issues, Explicit content, Anal Sex, Romantic Sex, Random shooting, Which Donovan isn’t happy about, Donovan is a gentleman, Sort of, Jon just makes it REALLY REALLY HARD Okay?, Bisexual character, Public displays of affection, Muscles, Communication, Healthy relationships, The fluff might kill you, Supernatural elements, Modern with Magic, Feels, All the Feels, Mostly accurate medical stuff, Multiple electronics died in the creation of this story, blame Jon”

Anyway, I would probably put this in the urban fantasy because it has a heavy paranormal side. Jon is a psychic who has some serious strong powers. He helps to solve crimes for the police and for anyone who hires the agency he works for. He is in need of an anchor, someone who can help him shield. He also needs a bodyguard, which is where Donovan comes in. This is a slow burn, but a good one. There are also 2 direct sequels, and a spinoff novella. So worth reading.

Adara Wolf-Blue Storm

Adara tends to write on the heavier end of kink and dub/noncon. Blue Storm does dabble into that side of the pool, but not as much as some of her other books. In this one, people have some basic magic, which lets them know their true names, which protects their souls. Then, there are the Nameless, who don’t have magic, and have to be bound as slaves, and named as their owners or they basically splinter into painful pieces. Blue Storm was named by his owners, and the book is about his struggle with his name and with what his owners want.

Barrie Farris-Ingenious

Ingenious is a dystopian story. The way that it works is that women have taken over the world and currently run it. Men rise and fall by the women that they marry and if they can breed children. Enter Quiggs who is a bloody genius, Einstein and DaVinci mushed up together. There is great world building in here, and the relationships between Quiggs, Max, and Beau are really interesting. I am eagerly waiting for the next book, but it is taking its own sweet time.

Susan Hawke-How Not to Tuck

How Not to Tuck is a novella in the Lovestrong series. This is the story of Larry, AKA Honey Combover, a drag queen we meet in the first book. Mama Honey is hilarious, especially when it comes to the descriptions of her tuck failing and her python. Yeah, it’s just that big and that funny. For an even better description, and one that goes on for several pages, check out How Not to Blend, the first book in the series. It’s a quick read, and one that’s just a lot of fun to read.

K Webster-The Glue

Yup, The Glue is K’s second appearance on this list. And this one isn’t technically an MM book, it’s an MMF, but I’ve decided that it counts. This is one of K’s taboo treats, starring Aidan and married couple Vale and Vaughn, one his boss, the other his professor. Like all of the other taboo treats, it’s a standalone, but it is all interconnected with other books. I loved watching Aidan figuring out who he was and what he wanted. It’s a very sexy story, and I am always looking forward to K’s new books.

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2019 Round Up-Top 10 MM Books Pt. 1

I’ve read MM for years, but this year, it seemed to ramp up even more. It ramped up enough that I’m giving it its own Top 10 list this year. Remember, these are in no particular order.

K. Webster-Wicked Lies Boys Tell

Once a year or so, K writes an amazingly, overwhelmingly emotional book that rips you apart and puts you back together. Her books My Torin and The Day She Cried fall into this category. So does Wicked Lies Boys Tell. This is a friends to enemies to lovers kind of story with some coming of age tossed in. The relationship between Penn and Cope is beautiful and heartbreaking all at the same time. I will fully admit that there were times that I cried during this. K really just knows how to create characters that break me down and stick with me for a while.

Nicky James-Long Way Home

Long Way Home was beautiful and devastating. It’s the story of Gavin and Owen. They were high school sweethearts, but when they turned 18, they ended up being split up, and the story spans many years of their lives. We get to see what happens to each of them. It sounds like it could be nothing but a heartbreak, but I promise that it’s not. It really is a beautiful story. It was the first Nicky James book that I read, but not the last.

Susan Hawke-How to Heal

Susan Hawke is also Susi Hawke, but she writes contemporary under this name. Her first series was the Lovestrong series, and How to Heal was the last book in that series. It’s a great series, with a lot of humor and love. There is also a lot of pain, especially in this book. This is my favorite book in the series. It’s a hurt/comfort, redemption, Daddy/boy kind of book, and it works so perfectly together. Clark had been a bully in the first couple of books, but this one takes place several years later, after he has changed, but he still thinks that he has to pay a penance for what he did. His journey is a hard one, but a beautiful one. I have all these books signed, and I ARCed most of them. How to Heal is also the book I’m currently listening to in my car when I’m alone. I’ve read it at least 2xx this year.

Lucy Lennox-Wilde Love

Lucy Lennox has two main series that she’s written. They are the Made Marian and the Forever Wilde books. The two series are interconnected. Marian came first, but I read the Wilde books first and I fell in love with Grandpa and Doc, because it’s totally impossible not to. I, like all of Lucy’s readers, was desperate to find out all of their story, and thus Wilde Love was born. I own both an e and an audio copy of this. I took a mini-vacation this year and listened to this on my drive. It starts with when the guys first meet, during Vietnam while they were both serving, and runs through the current day. There are so many beautiful little moments in here and so many heartbreaking ones at the same time, and sometimes they are the same moments. This book made me just love Grandpa and Doc so much more.

Alice Winters-The Hitman’s Guide to Making Friends and Finding Love

I laughed hysterically the whole time I read The Hitman’s Guide to Making Friends and Finding Love. Leland is a hitman, no really, a real hitman, and Jackson is the PI who is trying to help catch him. Leland is so fucking snarky and may or may not have a gun fetish. I mean, honestly, Alice writes a damn good story that keeps you interested, while letting you laugh at the most ridiculous stuff possible. I swear that Leland just has no filter at all, and it’s glorious.

Tune in for part 2 tomorrow!

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2019 Round Up: Top 10 Darkest Reads Pt. 1

So, we’re just days away from having another year under our belt. I’ve read another 800 books. I’ve written a few more blogs. Life has been in an uproar, it has been calm, it has been happy and sad. So, with a few more days left in the year, I thought that I would start my yearly round up. This blog is going to be part one of the top 10 darkest reads I read this year. They are going to be in no particular order, just however they happen to come to me.

Before I get started, I want to mention that I’m going to be giving away books and gift cards in my group, Slip in Between the Pages tomorrow and Christmas, so come check it out! And now, on to the books.

Addison Cain-Immaculate

Immaculate first showed up as a short story in Twisted Sacrament, and damn, was that twisted, and this won’t be the only story to show up on this list from that anthology. Anyway, when Addison got the rights back, she brought it out on its own. It takes place in the Vatican during the Renaissance. Our main character is a lovely young lady named Lady Agnese who has been kept pure and virginal so that she can serve God. It’s a very disturbing story because the story could absolutely have happened.

Jennifer Bene & Shane Starett-Jasmine

Jasmine was Shane’s second book and a co-write with Jennifer, who shows up on the blog all the time. I have a feeling Shane will too, as long as he likes me. 🙂 Jasmine is a woman who has been trapped by a man who says that she’s his wife, and she will obey him. The problem is that she really isn’t. The book was twisty turny, and packed full of places where if one small thing had happened differently, the entire book would’ve been different.

Jennifer Bene-Reign of Ruin

Reign of Ruin was another book that came out of Twisted Sacrament. RoR is what happens when Handmaid’s Tale meets the Apocalypse. I am going to flat out say that it scared the shit out of me. Handmaid’s Tale is hands down one of the scariest books I’ve ever read, because I can see how it can happen. I could see RoR happening too. I really did love the book though, even being scared by it. I would really love to see more of this world.

Eva Dresden-Broken

Broken really flat out broke me. Eva wrote a very dark MF Omegaverse, and Quinn really got the shit end of the stick. I mean, the stick was dipped into the shittiest, nastiest, most disgusting shit that you have ever seen, and then it was handed to her. And that was the good days. She ends up stuck in hell, and doesn’t see any chance of her hell getting better. And she’s right. I really felt for Quinn, a lot. The second book has come out, and I’m eagerly awaiting the 3rd.

Myra Danvers-Delirium

Delirium may not be as dark as some of the others on this, but it is pretty fucked up. There is a whole lot of action in here, and a whole lot more dark humor. I figured it was going to be a space opera, which it was, but it was a space opera plus. It was a twisty ride, and Iris just made it better. She’s in that category of crazy heroine who is fucking chaos embodied. She will take a disaster and make it even worse. And laugh while she’s doing it. I like that about her.

So, there’s the first 5 of my Top Ten dark books of 2019. Check back tomorrow to see what comes next.

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Top Ten Books of 2017 Part 2

Yesterday we had half of my Top Ten books of 2017. Today we are getting to the second half. Keep in mind, these aren’t in any particular order and they may or may not have been published in 2017, just that I read them this year, so no judging me that way. Also, I may have already mentioned them on my blog, but they are the books that affected me the most, in one way or another.

Pet

Isabella Sterling has become one of my favorite authors. She has a beautiful way with words. I would read a tech manual that she wrote. And since she has a beautiful accent, I would listen to her read said tech manual. Anyway, Pet was one of those books that I loved and I cried and I cursed Isabella’s name. I had to wait a couple of days before I could leave a review on it because I had to process all the feelz I got from it. Pet, Stranger, and King have a permanent part of my heart. It’s one of those books that I wanted to reread immediately after reading, but I was devastated by it. I was also elated by it. I haven’t reread it yet, but I will soon. Writing about it has made me want to read it again.

Alpha’s Claim & Alpha’s Control series

I refuse to see using series in a book list as cheating. Especially when they are as good as Addison Cain’s Alpha’s Claim and Alpha’s Control books. These books were pretty much my first real foray into dark romance, and I have never made it out. Addison is a gateway drug. LOL. So, Alpha’s Claim is Born to Be Bound, Born to Be Broken, and Reborn. OK, Alpha’s Claim is the story of Claire and Shepard while they live in Tholos and I can’t even tell you how much it killed me. I read books 2 and 3 back to back in one day. I don’t recommend doing this. I cried. Oh my fucking gods, I cried. Addison completely killed me. My husband still refers to this series as the one that devastated me. I’ve had long conversations about this series. The Alpha’s Control series is just one book so far, Stolen. We got to check in with old friends and met Brenya and Jacques from Bernard Dome. It was like OMG. As intense as the first series was, this one is as intense as all three of them combined. I hate Jacques. I’m going to say that right here and now. I hate him. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Dollars Series

Pepper Winters has written some great books. The Dollars series is one of them. You lucky reader you, if you haven’t read them yet, since Millions just came out, so you don’t have to wait. The series is Pennies, Dollars, Hundreds, Thousands, and Millions. The story is about Pimlico and Elder. Their story is amazing, and all about love, redemption, and getting away from your past and finding your future. I don’t know if I can even explain the whole series and do it any justice. Pim was kidnapped and sold into sex slavery. Elder rescues her after several years. The whole series is about how they manage to heal each other and fix themselves. Go check it out.

Destruction

Jennifer Bene writes epically dark stories. Destruction is the latest one of her dark stories. It’s dark and gritty and filthy and oh, so very good. This story just gets to you in all the dark places that you didn’t even really know that you had, but now that Jennifer has exposed them to you, you want to know more about them. Of course, I’ve been knowing all of those dark places for a while now, and I like playing in those places. Luckily, I can count on Jennifer Bene to write a story that will let me do that. This is the first book in a new series, so I’m looking forward to the rest of the series and how everything that happened in this one plays out in the next stories. It ought to be interesting. If you like dark and kinky sex, check this one out, for sure.

Comfort Food

Kitty Thomas writes dark too. All of her books are pretty dark, but Comfort Food is the first one of hers I read. Addison Cain posted the link for this book when it was offered for free on King Zon. It is a total mindfuck. I mean, it makes you look differently at what things are really comforting and which aren’t, and how they change. I don’t want to go too far into the story, because really, it’s one that you have to read to understand. But, it had me saying whoa at more than one place because it is just that trippy. I will never, ever look at crackers and chicken noodle soup the same way again.

OK, there we are. My Top Ten books of 2017. Check them out. Tell me what you think of them.

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My Top Ten Books of 2017 Part 1

Today and tomorrow you’re going to get my Top Ten books of 2017. Some I have reviewed here before, some I haven’t. But these are the ones that affected me the most, I liked the most, or there was just something about them. They are mostly in no particular order, generally, because it was hard for me to decide what order they go in. They also may have been published before 2017, but I read them in 2017. And it’s hard to limit my list to just 10.

I’m Sawree

B. B. Blaque has written some truly strange, fucked up, mind fuck books. I’m Sawree is pretty much the mind fuck of the century. I had to message B. B. Blaque when I was done reading it because really, I wanted to know what the fuck she had just done to me. I’m not saying anything about the plot of Sawree, and my blog post doesn’t either. Basically, my blog post was a picture of fluffy kitties, which is what you need when you read this book.

The Day She Cried

I have mad K Webster love.  Mad love like I buy everything I can and then read it immediately. Of course, I’m always sad when I’m done reading her books because I’m done. TDSC gave me all the feelz while I was reading it. I’m reasonably sure that I died at some point, but I was able to come back. The basic story is that Courtney and Raven were texting back and forth, with Raven thinking that Courtney was a boy. Courtney’s nasty-ass friend sent information to Raven that mocked her and she committed suicide. Courtney was tried and sued for her part in it. Rowe is Raven’s twin and he’s bound and determined to get back at Courtney. The entire thing is just beautiful and tragic and so, so, so real. K said that this was a really personal story, and you can tell with every word. Make sure that you have a box of tissues sitting next to you when you read this one.

Whispers and the Roars

This is another K Webster book. It is, hands down, the very best love story that I have ever read. I won’t give any details on it, because this is another one that if you read the reviews, you are going to have more information about the story than you want to have. You have to go into this with an open mind and another box of tissues. Told you that I have the mad K Webster love, right?

Sick Fux

This is a book by Tillie Cole. It’s making its rounds through the various dark reading groups I belong to. The days after it came out there were a lot of us talking about it. There are very good reasons for that. This is a really, truly fucked up story. But, there is also a beauty to it and a lightness. The love between Ellis and Heathen is just… Yeah, I don’t know. If you like Alice in Wonderland, you may have some issues with this one, but it’s one that stayed with me for days afterward. Just as a warning, there are some disturbing subject matters and some serious trigger warnings for abuse of children. If that is an issue for you, please read responsibly.

Life of Anna

Marissa Honeycutt’s serialized book LoA is one that you are just about required to read if you read in the dark thriller/erotica/romance genre, especially if you read Indie authors. Most of the people I know who read that genre have read it, and many of us use it as the ruler to measure all other darkness against. It spans several years and some of the absolute worst things that can ever happen to a person. It gets pitch-black in places. It gets darker than pitch-black in places, if you can actually do that. But, it also stays with you. I dreamt about this book. I had to take a break for a couple of days from it. I read the complete series compendium, so I got it all at once. During that couple day break, I read some much lighter stories, and I dreamt of Alex, Anna, and Devin. There aren’t enough trigger warnings for this one, but there also aren’t enough ways for me to tell you about how good it is.

Alright, here are 5 of my Top Ten books of 2017. Remember, they may not have been published in 2017, that’s just when I read them. Although, I think most of these were published this year. Tune in tomorrow for the other 5.

Here’s a pretty picture I found yesterday while looking for something for Rapunzel.

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