Psychopath (Behind Bars #2)

Continuing on a dark romance kick...and oddly enough a TBR/Beat-The-Backlog kick (and ignoring my ARCs kick). Here's Louise Collins's "Psychopath." It's the second novel in her Behind Bars series.

["No two criminals are alike, and Quinn knows this more than most. After months of stress and pleading, his study has been approved. His participants all reside under one Greenwood Prison.

The men sitting opposite him have done awful things, but Quinn’s not there to judge; he’s there to work through a psychopath checklist.

He needs psychopaths for his study, and one participant fills him with more unease than the others.

Zane Black wears many faces, and Quinn has a hard time finding the real man behind the masks. He flirts, he manipulates, and boasts. He’s clever and takes control of their sessions. With all Quinn knows about psychopaths, he can’t stop his heart being seduced by this one.

When the study finishes, will Zane let Quinn go and move on, or will he leave Quinn with more questions?"]

Literally how was this as sweet as it was?! So fucking sweet but so fucking forbidden and dangerous and unethical and so utterly adorable in all of the ways.

I predicted one or two plot lines, but for the best. For the best best. 

This series doesn’t have as much smut as I predicted (though, that’s understandable), but the tension that is there? Holy hell. It’s potent, it’s so obvious that you wonder how no one else sees it or feels it. The yearning, the chemistry.

Trigger Warnings: legit psychopaths, details about murder, violence, and more.

#freshman #psychopath #rat #butterfly #louisecollins #behindbars #behindbarsseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Freshman (Behind Bars #1)

Continuing on a dark romance kick...and oddly enough a TBR/Beat-The-Backlog kick (and ignoring my ARCs kick). Here's Louise Collins's "Freshman." It's the first novel in her Behind Bars series.

["Nate Mathews is a murderer. Alfie doesn’t know the details of his crime, and he doesn’t want to. All he knows is Nate Mathews is evil, and his colleagues at Larkwood prison shudder at his name.

But Alfie has caught Nate’s eyes, and they start flirting in the early hours. It’s forbidden, terrifying, but arousing too. One whisper of ‘Freshman’ from Nate, and Alfie’s stomach flutters, and his pulse increases. Alfie knows if he reads Nate’s file his attraction to the criminal will turn to disgust, but he can’t bring himself to do it. He likes Nate. Nate makes him feel wanted, and that’s a first for Alfie.

Is Nate genuine? Or is Alfie destined for heartbreak?"]

Didn’t think I’d root for a character like Nate so damn early in the book when we really didn’t get any of his redeeming qualities yet…but here we are. Then it got worse (here’s me telling Alfie he’s an idiot for not trusting the triple-murderer, while I’m sobbing). 

God fuck, this book was all kinds of anxious, but not for the reasons you’re thinking. 

But don’t worry, even with all of the crying and angst, there’s a very well earned HEA.

Trigger Warnings: violence, talk of murder, very bad men on both sides of the law, mention of rape, and more. 

#freshman #psychopath #rat #butterfly #louisecollins #behindbars #behindbarsseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Oxford Blood

SO many ARCs and just not enough time. Here's Rachael Davis-Featherstone's "Oxford Blood."

["Love, Lies, Legacy...High-achieving state-school pupil Eva has one dream – reading English at Oxford. If she gets in, not only will she receive a world-class education at an elite university, but she will be fulfilling the dreams of her mother and gain some independence from her father, the overprotective Inspector Dawkins.

At the same school, Eva's best-friend George is also hoping to go to Oxford. The attraction between him and Eva is undeniable, but they’ve agreed to put any romance on hold until their places at Oxford are secured. Eva cannot be distracted from her goal – although when they are both invited for interview week, their future together feels oh-so close.

Until George shows up dead.

The police rule his death an accident, but the behaviour of some of the other interview candidates has Eva suspecting foul play. When a shocking secret about George is revealed, Eva finds suspicion falling on her. What was meant to be one of the most important weeks of her life is fast turning into a nightmare.

All eyes are now on Eva, including the anonymous posters behind OxSlay, a gossipy social media forum exclusively for Oxford students. But amongst the conspiracy theories, lurk hidden clues. Could they help Eva clear her name - and catch the killer?"]

To be honest, I wasn't sure about this for a while. Really wasn't sure. Eva was a little too whiny and a little too embarrassed by her dad and a little too innocent about the police interviews. She annoyed me so it took some time for me to care about her and her plight. It also took me a while to get into the book/mystery, not sure if it was Eva-related or not. Also, working in admissions, some of the stuff that happened, would never have happened, especially at Oxford. 

The book did pick up though. There were a lot of good characters, lovable and hate-able. Lots of suspects. Many different events that led to George's death to untangle, lots of suspects to eliminate.

The OxSlay app didn't help. Neither did all of the social, economic, race lines to cross and untangle. 

#netgalley #arc #arcteammember
#oxfordblood #rachaeldavisfeatherstone #thriller #yathriller #murdermystery #yamurdermystery #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Dario

Continuing on a dark romance kick...and oddly enough a TBR/Beat-The-Backlog kick (and ignoring my ARCs kick). Here's Victoria Sue's "Dario."

["Dangerous secrets will get you killed. Sometimes it might even be me that's pulling the trigger.

Dario

I'm hours away from finally inheriting my father's legacy. All I need to do is dodge the Russians and the Irish, and put a wedding band on my fiancée. Until the moment I find out my father's best-friend and fiancée's papa ordered the hit that had taken out my parents eighteen years ago.

And my fiancée will step over my dead body as she walks back down the aisle and marry into the Irish Mob. The ones that have promised my future father-in-law he will have everything that is rightfully mine.

Not happening.

Even if I have to light the night sky with the fires of revenge and retribution.

I just need to get married first.

Then miracle of miracles, I find out my traitorous fiancée has a half-brother. An illegitimate one, but one that still fulfills the terms of my father's will, so the territory rightfull becomes mine.

I just have to convince the brother of that.

A twenty-year-old innocent that has been a near slave all his life? Piece of cake.

Or is it?"]

One of the things I love about dark romances are the utterly powerful feelings they have for each other from the very beginning. Even if they want to deny it, it's there and it's strong as fuck. Though...it did ebb and flow. Okay, so the chemistry and the Want didn't change, the trust and the trusting of your own feelings and the trust of the relationship/their feelings kept changing. 

All of that plus the secrets and testing and impending doom were...a lot. Like a lot a lot. It wasn't fun on my end, it sure as fuck wasn't fun on their ends. I wanted to slap Dario upside the head (a few times) and hug the fuck out of Alessandro; then put them both in a room with Nonna so she could intimidate them into talking their feelings out. 

Which is almost what happened, actually.

I wouldn’t mind more from this universe.

Trigger Warnings: violence, murder, drugging, attempted kidnapping, attempted murder, human trafficking, blackmail of all kinds, and more

#dario #dariowickedlegacies #wickedlegacies #victoriasue #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Midnight (Dangerous Daddies #3)

Continuing on a dark romance kick...and oddly enough a TBR/Beat-The-Backlog kick (and ignoring my ARCs kick). Here's April Jade's "Midnight." It's the third novel in her Dangerous Daddies series.

["He was a predator… and I loved to watch him stalk his prey.

The first time I saw Elijah Kingston was through a computer screen.

Night after night, I watched him shed his counterfeit smiles and falsely perfect persona. Gone was the family man everyone thought him to be and in his place was one of the deadliest assassins the mafia has ever seen.

It was my job to conceal his violence—to frame others for his crimes and ensure he never got caught.

Elijah never required my assistance but I watched him, anyway.

Obsessively.

Endlessly.

I spent hours tracking each of his movements, learning everything there was to know about him. My fixation was manic, and though we were always miles away, I knew the first time his face filled my screen that he belonged to me.

Elijah was my Daddy…

…he just didn’t know it yet."]

Quote of the day (Silas): “Do. Not. Swoon.” Too bad, kitten, already swooning. 

Hard to choose, but these two might be my favorite. They were a hooot mess, but they were a hot mess together. They fought to be together, but it wasn't that much of a fight. The feelings of love and chemistry and rightness and perfection were instant and stronnng. 

They were fierce and feral and fluffy all at the same time. It was destiny almost. 

And they both swooned. Hard. 

Trigger Warnings: gun violence, virtual stalking, mentions of past childhood trauma, anxiety, self-harm, and more.

#madlove #wildheart #midnight #badreputation #apriljade #dangerousdaddies #dangerousdaddiesseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Wild Heart (Dangerous Daddies #2)

Continuing on a dark romance kick...and oddly enough a TBR/Beat-The-Backlog kick (and ignoring my ARCs kick). Here's April Jade's "Wild Heart." It's the second novel in her Dangerous Daddies series.

["He was the man who protected my best friend… but right now it felt like the only person he cared about protecting was me.

I fell for him the second our eyes touched, my palms filling with his blood. Panic held my lungs in its fist, and though I wasn’t the one dying, I couldn’t seem to take in any air.

Then he whispered my name.

Hand on my face, he kept me from drowning. He made me stronger, and when they tried to take him away, I fought to stay by his side.

I was supposed to save him…
I should’ve known he’d be the one to save me."]

Gotta say, characters like Marcos both ruin me and wrap me around their fingers. Sweet and kind and so utterly broken by...life. He wanted to be happy and wear glitter and belong. Ivan took one look, and he agreed to all of that and more (i.e. Hay Hay). Marcos looked back at Ivan and agreed.

Their love was fierce and feral. It was a little insane but soo loving, soo accepting, soo beautiful. It was promises and protection. All of it was just...glorious in the darkness of it all. 

Trigger Warnings: gun violence, graphic descriptions of murder, mentions of childhood trauma, death and accompanying grief, anxiety, and more.

#madlove #wildheart #midnight #badreputation #apriljade #dangerousdaddies #dangerousdaddiesseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Mad Love (Dangerous Daddies #1)

Continuing on a dark romance kick...and oddly enough a TBR/Beat-The-Backlog kick (and ignoring my ARCs kick). Here's April Jade's "Mad Love." It's the first novel in her Dangerous Daddies series.

["He looked exactly the way I liked him to… dangerous and mine.”

Benjamin Thomas, a billionaire philanthropist and a rumored mob-boss, was everything you expected him to be—dangerous, ruthless, and handsome. When he found me in the dead of the night, sick and asleep inside his locker room, I expected him to shoot me…. or at the very least, arrest me.

He did neither.

Tucked within the pocket of his arms, he carried me home. In a blink, I had a warm bed, a new doctor, and a man who refused to leave my side. The look in his eyes reminded me of a storm. I didn’t know it yet... but it was brewing just for me.

Benjamin Thomas wasn’t a man capable of loving anything but himself… until he met me."]

This book was...beautiful. It was dark and fast and romantic in all of the ways that nonconventional romances are.    

Toby learned about living again, about being happy. Ben learned about using his fucking words. I mean, come on, no one thinks that kidnapping someone and demanding they get better is a romantic gesture (no body but). Some of the things he said weren't..untrue, but he didn't follow them up with "and that effects me and my feelings because...", which really would have helped. Good thing Toby yelled at him until he used said words. Good thing Ben moved mountains (almost literally) to make Toby happy.

Trigger Warnings: violence, on-page kidnapping, mentions of chronic disease, and more.

#madlove #wildheart #midnight #badreputation #apriljade #dangerousdaddies #dangerousdaddiesseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks