Review: Kingpin by Lili St. Germain

I am super dense and picked up this series and started reading it without realizing that I already know the end of this story because this series is a prequel to the gypsy brothers series which I read. If you've read the Gypsy Brothers series then you know that none of this shit ends well. Ain't no HEA for ANYBODY. I feel like you have to brace yourself for that before you start reading this series. If you just really want to see how Mariana, Dornan and Julz story starts and especially how Dornan winds up the guy you see in the Gypsy Brothers series, this is a must read. Lili St. Germain is brilliant, there are simply no two ways about it. The writing of this entire series is brilliant and completely transformational. When you are reading these books, you are sucked in to the very sick and twisted world where Dornan lives and Mariana is trying to survive. I don't know that I can say you'll be better off after this experience but damn, this writer is awesome. 

Here's a weird thing, even though I know how the story of Mariana and Dornan ends, I couldn't stop myself from rooting for them and hoping that there could be some kind of alternate reality. There isn't. I always wondered how the situation with Mariana developed to where we find it in the follow up series and truthfully I was surprised at how it all happened. There is no indication in the Gypsy Brothers series that Mariana was so trapped by her circumstances. I was surprised to find that she was willing to choose Dornan even though she was his prisoner. Had it not been for her son, this story would've ended totally different. 

As this book went on, I couldn't figure out what I wanted to happen. I wanted Mariana to wake the hell up and stop just existing as a prisoner. I wanted Dornan to get off the path to utter depravity. I knew for sure I wanted Murphy to die. I wanted John to find a way for Mariana to get her HEA and I also just wanted him to take Julz and flea the scene of the whole shit show. I just wanted so many things reading this book that it drove me almost insane. 

But in the end, Dornan is just gobbled up by the filth into which he was born and works. It becomes a part of him and by the time Kingpin is over, I'm sad to report, all hope for Dornan is lost. The interesting thing is that the same way that we hope for Dornan as the reader, Mariana hopes for him to. The same way we watch Dornan fade away, Mariana is forced to accept that her Dornan is gone. 

This is a great book but either read it when you are already depressed or when you are so happy nothing can bring you down. It's really doom and gloom but totally brilliant.

**Review Copy Provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Mister Moneybags by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

I absolutely love both Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland. As individual authors they are amazing, but put them together and the books you get are truly special! Both of these authors are auto-buys for me, and ones I recommend to everyone that reads romance. You really can't go wrong with their books, and Mister Moneybags was everything I had hoped it would be and more!

Bianca has just landed an important interview but on the way she gets stranded in an elevator with a hot guy. They hit it off, but she needs to focus on her work and not Jay. But when she gets to her interview and finds out that the CEO she is supposed to be interviewing has blown her off she ends up spending time with Jay instead. Dex knows that he needs to come clean about not being Jay but really being the CEO she was set to interview, but soon one lie turns into more as he sets out to show her that he isn't at all like she had him pegged. But when the truth comes out and things get more complicated than either of them ever expected, can they possibly find a way to get through it together without everything ripping them apart?

I loved these two so much. These two were so sexy together and the chemistry was off the charts hot! They were also so sweet and supportive of one another. I loved that while they might have started out with so much hidden between them, that they vowed to always be honest with each other from the moment that everything was revealed. It wasn't always easy, but the fact that they were able to hold to that was refreshing and I loved it! My heart broke for these two at times and yet it soared at others. This was definitely emotional, but I was filled with hope and love for these characters and their undeniable connection. 

Overall, I loved this book and couldn't put it down. This is definitely one of my favorites from these two amazing authors, though if you ask which ones are my favorite I will probably tell you all of them. I know that sounds cliché, but it is honestly true. No one is able to write and deliver such a captivating and emotional romance while keeping it sexy, sweet and funny like Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland. Their stories are ones I always look forward to and devour as soon as I get my hands on them. I can't recommend their books, or Mister Moneybags enough! This book is a must read for romance fans, especially if you love the contemporary genre.

**ARC Provided by Inkslinger PR**

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My Favorite Things Event with Tessa Bailey

Tessa Bailey is originally from Carlsbad, California. The day after high school graduation, she packed her yearbook, ripped jeans, and laptop, and drove cross-country to New York City in under four days. Her most valuable life experiences were learned thereafter while waitressing at K-Dees, a Manhattan pub owned by her uncle. Inside those four walls, she met her husband, best friend, and discovered the magic of classic rock, managing to put herself through Kingsborough Community College and the English program at Pace University at the same time. Several stunted attempts to enter the work force as a journalist followed, but romance writing continued to demand her attention.

She now lives in Long Island, New York with her husband and daughter. Although she is severely sleep-deprived, she is incredibly happy to be living her dream of writing about people falling in love.

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ARC Review: Ain't He Precious by Juliette Poe

This is Sawyer Bennett's debut writing as her alter ego Juliette Poe. This is a novellla that is much more ooey gooey romance and much less big bad bossy alpha male than you are used to seeing from Sawyer Bennett.  I guess Juliette is more of stars and heart kind of girl.

This is a second chance romance. Trixie and Rylan went to a prestigous law school together. They had big plans to live the glamorous urban life after graduation when they both expected to get big firm jobs. They got the jobs but Trixie suddenly decided to return home. Home for Trixie is a place called Whynot. And after spending this novella in Whynot, I can tell you why, because there's like 10 people there and the southern drawls and slow living drive this city girl nuts. Ok, wait, I'm off topic. Anyway, Trixie decided to return home to help her family out while Rylan stayed in Boston and lived out the urban fantasy without his love.

Eventually Trixie needs help on a case and calls in her big city lawyer ex to help her and her client. I just had to hold my nose and get through this part because there was definitely some creative license taken with law firm dynamics. For example, Rylan couldn't just pop into some small town and start representing someone unless his partners approved. But whatever, it brought these two back together and that was the whole point.

From the minute Trixie and Rylan are reunited, they remember all the things that made them so great together. But the two also discovery lots of things about one another that they didn't realize were there before. Rylan finally sees Trixie for the family girl she is. He gets that she wasn't running away from the glitzy life but that she acted out of love and that makes him love her in a new and different way. 

Trixie is wild and quirky. There is great banter in this book and lots of southern charm.  The chemistry between Trixie and Rylan is sweet and compelling. The length of this book is perfect. This is a good novella. It's long enough to connect you to the story and the characters but quick enough that you don't have to wait forever for the HEA. This is not like any of Sawyer Bennett's other work but if you like contemporary romance and second chance love, this is a book for you.

**ARC provided by InkSlinger PR**

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My Favorite Things Event with A.M. Hargrove

One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, USA Today bestselling author, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn't do something soon, it would be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life. So she made a quick decision to quit her job and reinvented herself as a Naughty and Nice Romance Author.   

She fancies herself all of the following: Reader, Writer, Dark Chocolate Lover, Ice Cream Worshipper, Coffee Drinker, Grey Goose Aficionado, and #WalterThePuppy Lover. If you’re around her for more than five minutes, you’ll soon notice she has a tendency to talk your ear off.

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