His Forbidden Professor (Forbidden Mafia #2)

Here's Silvia Violet's "His Forbidden Professor." It's the second novel in the Forbidden Mafia series, a Theriot Family series spin-off.

["A professor with mafia ties. A frat boy. A twisted destiny.

He walks in late on the first day of class. A frat boy with an attitude.

He tries to charm me with a smile, but he’s acting.

There are layers underneath his facade. and I want to peel them back, but he’s my student.

Forbidden.

I’m already a criminal. Still, I won’t risk my career? Will I?

Then I find out he’s in danger. He comes to me for help, and I can’t resist him.

I will save him, and if I’m willing to open my heart, he might save me too."]

I kinda like how this book takes place alongside the first one. We got some overlapping scenes from different POVs and more drama underneath the surface than we originally realized (and some "if it makes you happy" speeches that are now a little hypocritical). 

These two were somehow more angsty. There was a lot more self-punishment (*cough* Dante *cough*) and a lot more pining. There was somehow also more honesty...and more heartache. It was an overall harsher clash of emotions than the first book.

But they were just as sweet and devoted to each other.

Now here's to Rafe...getting into so much more trouble than his brothers...so much more.

Trigger Warnings: violence, murder, gun shot wounds, drugging, human trafficking, and more

#hisforbiddenobsession #hisforbiddenprofessor #hisforbiddenalliance #forbiddenmafia #forbiddenmafiaseries #thetheriotfamily #thetheriotfamilyseries #silviaviolet #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

His Forbidden Obsession (Forbidden Mafia #1)

Here's Silvia Violet's "His Forbidden Obsession." It's the first novel in the Forbidden Mafia series.

["From the moment I see Lorenzo, I want him. He’s dangerous, part of the infamous Theriot family who runs the New Orleans crime scene.

I have no doubt he’d enjoy destroying me. He hates my father almost as much as I do.

The danger I’m in at home frightens me, but when Lorenzo sends shivers down my spine, it turns me on. He becomes my fantasy, the man I long for, the one who might save me.

My father tries to sell me to the highest bidder, but I escape. I have no one to run to except Lorenzo.

He agrees to protect me… for a price.

I’m more than willing to pay with my body, but when my heart gets involved, I no longer know if I’ll survive my time with him."]

Ohhh was this book good. There was just the right amount of angst to get the plot going and for that smidge of will-they-won't-they (and do-I-deserve-him). There was so much protection and obsession and possession and fluff and spice and found family. 

Their love was forbidden, but the strongest obstacles were...well, Niko's dad and Renzo's cousin (who, spoiler alert, didn't win). 

This is also apparently a spin-off series...so after I binge the rest of this one (the rest of Renzo's brothers), I guess I'll be off to read about Remington and his brothers/cousins. 

Trigger Warnings: violence, murder, human trafficking, abuse, mentions of SA and murder of children, and more.

#hisforbiddenobsession #hisforbiddenprofessor #hisforbiddenalliance #forbiddenmafia #forbiddenmafiaseries #thetheriotfamily #thetheriotfamilyseries #silviaviolet #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

In Too Deep (Tenebrea Cove #2)

Here's NR Walker's "In Too Deep." It's the second novel in the Tenebrea Cove series.

["Fraser Gorman finds comfort in unrequited love. It’s predictable, safely distant, and forever unobtainable. Zero risk, all the feels. That’s how he’s lived for years. But then the object of his affection plucks at those feelings, pulling at threads that threaten to unravel everything, and Fray has nowhere left to turn but straight into the truth.

Tobin Tiller is broken. Has been for as long as he can remember. He keeps himself distant, building his carefully constructed walls against the rejection he knows is coming. But when he recognises the signs of the bond and who his mate is, he tries to resist. After all, rejecting the bond before Fray can reject him is what he does best.

But the threat of Lusca makes it all inevitable because that’s how fate plays the game. And the men of Tenebrae Cove are about to learn that fate will always win, regardless of their best intentions, and regardless of the rules. Changes are coming, revelations will be made, and the truth is something else entirely.

Fray and Tobin are in too deep for this to play out any other way."]

The first few chapters were angsty hell. Not gonna lie. It was rough, from both of them. 

Until they got shoved into the water to figure out their shit. Literally. Then it was all heart-eyes and matching (ish) tattoos and love declarations.

Until more shit hit the fan. Not necessarily between them. Spoiler alert. The whole consortium got slapped with drama. 

Not sure if I like that aaallllll of it was in one book instead of multiple (or a companion novella)to be perfectly honest. But it was written really well. And we do have at least one more book in the series. Maybe? 

But I loved these two. Actually all of everyone in the town. They all deceased the happiness and sass and found family and home that they found at Tenebrea and with their fated mates. 

#underthesurface #intoodeep #tenebreacove #tenebreacoveseries #nrwalker #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

How Lucky Am I

Here's Christian Watson's "How Lucky Am I." Subtitle: "the inspiring and uplifting new book featuring Instagram sensation Mr Skelly" (on Instagram at 1924us).

["In this poignant, affirming, and beautifully illustrated journey, social media sensation Mr Skelly explores the ups and downs of existence and discovers the makings of a meaningful life.

"How lucky am I, to have lost what I wanted, to find what I deserved"

Join beloved Mr Skelly, a gentle skeleton wandering across lush landscapes and treacherous terrains, through times of joy, loss, grief and love, to find his family and – ultimately – a safe home.

Along the way, he discovers life lessons which help us remember what to hold onto and what to let go of, to realize how lucky we all are, because this beautifully fragile present moment is truly all we have.

Mr Skelly invites you to shift your lens, make peace with what you can’t control, appreciate what can’t be seen, and live your life to the utmost of your ability.

How Lucky Am I is a simple reminder that, in the end, we're all made of the same bones. With gentle words and hand-painted imagery, this book hopes to shine a softer light on what's often overlooked - and maybe, in doing so, help us remember what truly matters."]

I have never seen or heard of Mr Skelly before, but now I'm fucking hooked, addicted, obsessed. He's fun and sweet but inspirational. 

It's all nature and reclaimed spaces. All motivational quotes without being in-you-face about it. It's knowing when to move on and knowing when to push the course. It's being okay with not being okay. It's finding luck in the lucky but also in the mundane. 

I might need to find one of these posts for my next phone background. And follow Christian/1924us/Mr Skelly on IG. 

#howluckyami #christianwatson #mrskelly #1924us #selfhelp #inspirational #motivational #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

A Den Mate For Dylan (Foxwood Hollow #1)

Here's "A Den Mate For Dylan" by Emory Winters. It's the first book in her Foxwood Hollow series.

["Welcome to Foxwood Hollow. In a world of fox shifters sits a small, quaint town where everyone knows your business. Often stifling, always safe, and forever a place to call home.

Dylan
Axel is the love of my life; he just doesn’t know it yet.
Ten out of ten do not recommend spending your formative years pining after an alpha who’s your brother’s best friend. But alas, here we are.
My only solution is to leave Foxwood Hollow and start afresh. So what do I do when I have no choice but to return home, only to realise all of those years and miles haven’t doused the flame?

Axel
He’s your best friend’s little brother. He’s your best friend’s little brother.
It was a mantra I’d repeated to myself for years, ever since my brain had shifted from omega smells good to omega smells like mine.
I’m happy for Dylan when he leaves Foxwood Hollow to chase his dreams. I always knew he was destined for a life larger than this little town can offer him. But I feel his absence like a gaping chasm, and the silence that follows has my alpha instincts going into overdrive.
When Dylan finally comes home, a lot has changed. But the soul-deep longing is as present as ever.
Can I really let him slip through my fingers again?"]

I wasn't too sure about how the POVs were broken up..at first. Then I was sooo fucking sold. The way the POVs were set increased the pining and the angst and the neeeed to keep reading and reading until they finally talked their shit out and got together. It was such a simply use of skill, but it worked on sooo many levels to increase other emotions/plot.

These two were perfect. It was adorable and angst, it was sassy and spicy, it was possessive and protective. 

It slowed just a tiny bit after they finally got together, but we then got to see them get to know each other, for real, we got to see them work together for a future, we got to see hints of the next book.

Trigger Warnings: mention of parental death and more.

#adenmatefordylan #adaddyforcooper #foxwoodhollow #foxwoodhollowseries #emorywinters #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Owning Jett (Made Marian Legacy #3)

Here's Lucy Lennox's "Owning Jett." It's the third book in her Made Marian Legacy series, which is a spin-off series from her Made Marian series and her Billionaire Brother series, and this book is set in the same area as her Aster Valley series (the first and the last are also connected to her Forever Wilde series).

["Two weeks. One villa. A dangerous game of seduction and lies.

My job is simple: get close, get the intel, get out.

Then Locke Maris walks into my op.

He’s cold. Controlled. Heir to a billion-dollar shipping fortune. And so aggressively straight he doesn’t even look at me twice…

Until he does.

Locke makes me an offer: play his assistant by day, be his secret lover by night, at a house party where the world’s elite will gather to sip champagne, enjoy the Italian sun… and play a dangerous game called Paxis. 

In this ancient variation of chess, humans are pawns and each coded move could start or stop wars. I should report this to my agency immediately. Walk away clean.

But I can’t walk away.

Because in the privacy of his suite, the moves Locke makes are just as dangerous, the words he murmurs in my ear as devastating, and the growing devotion I feel as destructive as any global war.

At the end of this, I’ll have to disappear like I always do.
I don’t get to want things that could ruin my cover—or my career.

But Locke Maris is ruthless about protecting what’s his, and as far as he’s concerned he owns me.

When everything falls apart, I’ll find out exactly how far he’ll go to keep me."]

End me. End me right fucking now. That was perfect. And devastating. It was sweet and agonizing. It was so many secrets and being so fucking vulnerable. So much kismet and so much now’s-not-the-time. 

I was constantly on edge with the angst and the pining and the not-complete-truths. It was a roller coaster of emotions everywhere (Locke was his won fucking theme park of emotions).

But it was soooo worth it!!!

Also…now do the Marians (and the Wildes) get them selves (and their siblings—and now their offspring and cousins) into sooo many situations. With so many different people from all walks of life? Yes, it’s a fictional world, but wow (good for them, honestly).

Also x2, only slightly upset that the exact scene from the previous book teasing this book wasn’t in this book. I’ve been dreaming of that scene for months (more so while reading this).

Trigger Warnings: life or death situations and more. 

#recusingdrmarian #burningforalexander #owningjett #trackingwolfe #mademarianlegacy #mademarianlegacyseries #mademarian #mademarianseries #thebillionairebrotherhood #thebillionairebrotherhoodseries # #astervalley #astervalleyseries #foreverwilde #foreverwildeseries #lucylennox #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Match Made in Hell (In The Spotlight)

Here's RS McKenzie's "Match Made in Hell." It's a novel in the multi-author series, In The Spotlight.

["Lights. Cameras. Murder.

Life as a model is pretty sweet—dating the most beautiful men and women in the world, traveling anywhere I want on a whim and getting paid to look good. But I crave something more, something I can’t name.

Then I see him.

Or rather, I see him work.

And I know he’s mine. I’ll do whatever I need to do to prove it to him."]

TO BE UPDATED SOON

Trigger Warnings: violence, murder/gore, discussion of domestic violence, violence against a side character as a child (off page, in the past), and more.

#gayromancereviews #grr #arcs #arcteammember
#matchmadeinhell #rsmckenzie #inthespotlight #inthespotlightseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks