Raw and Dirty (Bad Boys MC #1) by Violet Blaze

A free copy was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

RAW AND DIRTY (BOOK 1 of 3 in the BAD BOYS MC TRILOGY) - a full-length novel, no cliff hanger

Make nice with the President of the Alpha Wolves Motorcycle Club.

Yeah right.

It was what my job description called for—I just never realized exactly how nice I needed to be.
I certainly never expected to find myself twisted up and tangled in the raw, dirty world of an outlaw motorcycle club … or in the sexy, tattooed hands of the man in charge.

Royal McBride is a jerk—but a jerk with a swoon worthy accent, a big bike, and big … well, other things.

I didn't think falling in love with him would threaten my life. His life.
That we'd both risk losing everything we hold dear.

The mayor's daughter … an outlaw MC president.
It's a match made in heaven … a match tested in hell. 

"This thing between us , it's a fucking nightmare waiting to happen."

This book is...as the title describes it : raw and dirty !

Lyric is the mayor's daughter sent to make a deal with the MC and sign a the contract for her father's political campaign..

Royal is a cold blood, rude asshole who doesn't let anyone mess with his club, including the club's VP, Ladon, who happens to be Royal's best friend. But friendship and brotherhood doesn't stand in Royal's way when he needs to protect the rest of the club. He does whatever is necessary with no regrets or without looking back.

However , when Lyric steps into the picture , she turns Royal into " a confused, moody asshole."

At first I didn't liked Lyric, not sure if I like her now, But these two seem to be a perfect match .They are the opposite of the spectrum but together they complete one another.

Soon the drama unfolds and Royal needs to chose between protecting Lyric ( who without intention caused all the drama  for the MC) or make justice for his club once more.

"Even if this all falls to pieces and goes to hell in a handbasket at some point."

The mayor's daughter and the president of an outlaw MC.

"This isn't going to end well, is it? "

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Impure Bargains by Decadent Kane

ARC was kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Desiderus has served Ba'al faithfully for nearly one hundred years. When Haven Rowe put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger, her fierce nature stirred emotions he hadn't felt since before Ba'al claimed him. With his sight set on consuming her body and soul, he'll use every deceptive idea at his disposal to make sure she belongs to him. 

When Haven walked in on a demon stealing her brother, Jeremy, her entire world unraveled. Born to a family of magic users, yet unable to use magic of her own, Haven will do anything to get her brother back from the depths of hell, even if it means she has to bargain her soul. 

With the help of a witch, Haven seeks out loopholes to the soul bargains that have been made. She either finds a way out for her and Jeremy, or they both might be lost forever. What she doesn't count on is the betrayal of her own body and the insurmountable attraction she has for the demon she's trying to escape.

"Desiderus , of course. Did you see him? He's a demon with angel wings. An angelic demon. Did you know demons didn't fall from heaven? Ba'al made them from humans."

YEY, sex with a hot demon!!!..ahem. Back to reality.

Considering that this is the first book from the Impure  Series, the plot so far is promising.  Can't really say it's a complex book with complex characters (for now. Maybe they will evolve with the following books.), but this book is definitely filled with paranormal, fantasy, action and a little bit of  humor.

When Heaven's younger brother  is taken to Hell to Ba'al himself , our heroine tries to find a way to rescue him and  break the contract between Jeremy and the king of Hell.  Seems like in order to get  informations about the contract and find a way to break it, Heaven must make a deal  of her own with Ba'al's right hand , Desiderus.  

But on her way to fulfill her goal , Heaven ends up as a prisoner of the Celest . Bewitched and unable to find her way back on her own, Heaven is saved by the demon with purple eyes. With the help of a witch Desiderus manages to bring the old Heaven back to herself , yet she remains marked by the Celest witch . 

Meanwhile our good witch found a way to break Jeremy's contract and Heaven is taken to Hell. Her brother is free to go, but little did she knew that Desiderus tricked her . Now Heaven is bounded to Desiderus and she is about to play a big part into fulfilling Ba'al's plans.

"I'm a demon. You made a deal and now your end must be paid.".

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Deathless & Divided (The Chicago War #1) by Bethany-Kris

Lies and love. This is how a war starts. 

A life for a life. That’s the mafia way. Damian Rossi owes his life to a man who is ready to collect. That payment comes in the form of an arranged marriage to the daughter of another leading family in the Chicago Outfit. He’s ready to follow through, even if that means making sure Lily knows she’s his. 

Lily DeLuca isn’t being given a choice. Forced home to marry a man she doesn’t know and back into a life she’d rather forget, her world is full of half-truths, buried pain, and uncertainty. But Damian is nothing like she expects. His motives aren’t clear. Her beliefs are being tested. 

When it comes to this world, no man can be trusted. Someone is ready to flip the Chicago Outfit on its side all for the promise of something better. But no one runs a clean game and these men play for keeps. When blood begins to paint Chicago red, four families will be divided by loyalty, hatred, and revenge. There is no hiding. There is no safety. 

No one is deathless. 

" I don't lie, I simply omit things for my own benefit. "

Because my cool book friends always recommend me the coolest reads !

I might be knew to all the  MOB /  Mafia reads but I'm catching up...you just wait and see !

Damian Rossi prefers to keep a low profile and work from the shadows.  He is the best when it comes to " fixing problems". He is silent, loyal , calculated and deadly.

Lily DeLuca has no interest in returning to her family. Raised by her brothers after the death of their parents , Lily was free to travel around the world and forget about her roots. Until one day when her brother Dino demanded for her to return to Chicago. Back home Lily finds out that Dino arranged her marriage with Damian. At first she was reluctant but the more time she spends with Damian , the more  she accepts him and the idea of marriage.

There is more to this story than the relationship between Lily and Damian . There is mafia politics, plot twists, well hidden secrets,revenge.

More please !

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Warrant (A Righteous Outlaws novel) by Savannah Rylan

ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Aubree Marie Harrington returns home from college to a life of trust fund douchebags and dinner parties. Despite her parent’s disapproval, she’s giving herself one year to figure out what to do with the rest of her life. To celebrate her return her best friends bring her to a bar on the outside of town where she meets Cash, a tattooed, opinionated, completely beneath her standards member of the local MC. 

Cash Logan just wanted a beer, but when the prissy drunk bitch that was next to him gets herself into a situation he can’t help but to step in. If there’s one thing he can’t resist it’s a damsel in distress even if this damsel is anything but. 

When two people from opposite sides of the tracks collide, lives will be changed, places will be threatened, tempers will be tested and everything they thought they knew will be questioned.

"You saw me take my first breath , and I saw you take your last. "

The male and the female characters are completely the opposide. We have a 100% bad boy biker who pretty much doesn't give a damn about anyone , except for his club brothers. And we have our typical rich girl , spoiled princess who dreams of freedom.  Sick and tired of living in a glass ball , Aubree turns down William's proposal and decides to spice up her dull rich life.So one night while drinking at a bar with her friends she runs off with our hero. What was supposed to be a one night stand , a relationship between the two of them slowly builds up - not because Cash was swept off his feet  ,  more because Aubree went looking for Cash and insisted that she can handle more - more of Cash and his dangerous club life.

At first there wasn't really  " love " in all this, Aubree was looking  for something more exciting and Cash - well for him it was pure physical. But the characters took their time and they slowly developed strong feelings and emotions for eachother - without realizing it.

But then the club business gets out of control and Aubree ends up pulling a bullet through someone's skull. At this poin Aubree wakes up to reality and she wants out.  

.

A few days later they meet again , only this time Aubree's father discovers them and she had to chose between her family and a peacefull, luxurious life and Cash and a violent enviorment. Aubree tried to keep her family together and she returns  to her old life , thinking that this might help her gain her father's forgiveness. But little did she knew that her perfect life was about to crumble right before her eyes .

"He was my father after all and always given me the best of everything. But it was all a lie. I lived a life of luxury built on lies and deceit."

"By telling Aubree the truth, I betrayed my club."

For a short book I really enjoyed the story and in the end I started to like the characters too. There is something about Cash and Sunshine that made them pleasant.

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Dark Needs (The Dark Light of Day # 1.5) by T.M. Frazier

"A revenge kill is the best kind of kill.
But a revenge kill for your family, with your woman's permission?
That's borderline erotic."- Jake, The Dark Light of Day.

Jake has come back home to Abby after violently disposing of the man who almost destroyed his family. With blood literally still on his hands, the only thing on Jake's mind is making up for lost time with the woman he loves.

Dark Needs is a companion novella to The Dark Light of Day and won't make much sense unless you are already familiar with Abby and Jake's story in The Dark Light of Day..

I strongly recommend you to read The Dark Light Of the Day first ! I had the honor to read it a year ago and it is officially one of my all time favorite books ! Dark Needs won't fill you in on what happened in the first book. But it is more about Jake's revenge and about Abby and Jake's relationship afterwards. Also in the prologue we are introduced to King . A good way to introduce a new series.

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Ruthless (True Brothers MC #1) by Gillian Archer

ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Every girl needs a guardian angel—even if he wears black leather. In the first novel of her scintillating True Brothers MC series, Gillian Archer introduces readers to a sexy-as-sin biker . . . and the woman wild enough to tame him.

After dinner with the most arrogant man in the world, Jessica Miller is shocked when her blind date tries to maul her in the parking lot. Enter “Zag”: the brooding, bruising alpha male who jumps off his motorcycle and teaches the jerk a lesson he won’t forget. After getting one taste of a bad boy who lives on the edge, Jessica’s hooked. Zag’s willing to give her the ride of her life. But she needs to wrap her arms around his powerful chest and hold on—tight.

Zag knows firsthand that the True Brothers MC isn’t for the faint of heart. He only intends to show beautiful, innocent Jessica a few cheap thrills to satisfy her curiosity. But the more he lets her in, the more Zag comes to depend on her gentle touch to help heal the wounds that he’s been denying for so long. Now, a rival gang has set its sights on Jessica, and Zag must step up once again. He just hopes he can go the distance to protect the woman he loves.

As much as I tried to "get into " the story, the storyline was too rushed for my taste. The writing was too fast and chopped . Almost the entire book is about keeping Jessica safe and finding Preacher, then Preacher appears , Jess ends up in the hospital and the next thing you know Preacher is being taken care of...by Zag alone. .Plot was somewhat predictable.

This was just one of the times where I had the feeling that I'm missing a part of the story.

About the characters... Jessica is too easy and too desperate. Now she is almost getting raped , the next minute she jumps in bed with the big bad biker ( whom she just met like 10 minutes ago) .

Another thing that irks me - if this is the first book from the True Brothers MC series , Zag and Jessica's story...basically we don't know anything about Zag, about his past, childhood , just bits and pieces here and there. Nothing solid to make the reader "feel " the character.  We know more about Jessica than we know about Zag. If you are going to dedicate a book  to a certain character but keep him in the shadows , under a veil of mystery, then I don't see the point of it.  

I had the feeling that the story was more about Jessica , I connected with her better than with Zag. 

And the MC....well the MC....

Overall the book was ok. It gave me the feeling  that this was the author's first book about an MC and I know that she can do better than this. I hope that her writing and storyline will improve with the following True Brothers books.

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His Light in the Dark by L.A. Fiore

ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

My first memory was of a slap, hard across the face: the sting on my cheek and the jarring of my bones as I slammed back into my bed. It was my dad who had hit me.

I had been four.

Most of my memories were much of the same and no one ever saw, no one ever fought to help, no one ever cared.

Then we moved.

My new neighbor cared, rescued the twelve-year-old I had been from a beating. Always thought I'd suffer the nightmare alone, I was wrong.

Mace Donati saved me that day in all the ways a person could be saved.

And his daughter, Mia, she became the friend I had always wanted, my conscience when my own faltered, the light that led me home when I had lost my way.

The girl who grew into the only woman I would ever love.

But when you realize you're more like your father than the good people who took you in and gave you a home, the only way to return their kindness is to let them go.

I let them go, got so far lost in the shadows I couldn't remember who I was anymore. Mia never gave up on me. She fought for me, kept the light on so I'd find my way back.

And when I did, life threw us a curveball. I had to hurt Mia in order to save her.

But when my past comes back to haunt me and I almost lose her, I'm ready to fight for her...fight to find a way back into her heart while keeping the demons from my past from finishing what they started.

Cole Campbell

Holy smokes !!

"But it was his pretty blue eyes that looked the worst.There was no light in them. [...] they were dark , like he was lost and couldn't find his way. Being lost in the dark was my biggerst fear and Cole seemed to be living that nightmare."

Having  an alcoholic as a father and being constantly abused, Cole's childhood wasn't by far innocent or filled with love. As the two of them move in a new neighbourhood , Cole meets his guardian angel, a tall scarry man brave enough to step between Cole and his abusive father.

Ever since then Cole becomes like a third member of the Donati family. 

But then something happened and Cole ends up in jouvie. And from here Cole chances. A lot. When he gets out he no longer feels worthy of being part of Mace's family. 

"And every time I took my fists to someone , a little piece of my soul died because I was becoming him. "

Mia grew up as daddy's princess , and even if she was just seven years old when Cole came into her home she felt something for him from the start. Grewing up she couldn't understand why Cole stopped  being her friend and why he was avoiding her like plague 

Slowly she tries to rebuild their relationship  and even if the attraction between them was visible, Cole continued to keep his distance and keep an eye on her from the shadows.

"A man who's willing to change himself, to deny himself what he wants , all in the name of wanting what's best for the woman he loves , he's more than good enough."

But then Cole's.... unorthodox past comes and bites him in the ass.  Mace is in trouble, Mia is at risk and Cole is the one who needs to protect her and find the truth about Mace's accident.

This story goes from romance to suspense / mystery.

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Playing pretend by Tamsyn Bester

ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Kadence Kavanagh has spent the last two years trying to rebuild her life. When a job opportunity presents itself, she can’t say no, even if it’s with the man who’s life was ruined by her father’s indiscretion. It’s been years since she last saw Caleb Callahan, and she’s not even sure he remembers her, but she’s determined to give herself a clean slate no matter who she has to work for.

In the unlikeliest of circumstances, Caleb becomes her savior – if somewhat reluctantly - and she discovers that the man she’s read about in the gossip columns is nothing more than a smoke screen. Kadence knows that keeping her distance is for the best, no matter how difficult, but when Caleb proposes the unthinkable, she finds herself caught between what’s real, and what she wishes was real.

Caleb and Kadence lose themselves in a lie, and when reality comes knocking, they realize that all they were doing was playing pretend… 

"You have to stop that"

"Stop what? "

"Saving me. You've been doing that a lot."

"Oh, sweet Kadence, I'm afraid my intentions  as far as you're concerned have always been too depraved for me to save you.But I have the feeling you're going to be the one to save me."

When Kadence took the job opportunity she never thought that she'll end up working for Caleb, the man she secretly loved every since she was a little girl.  More than that, when she faced hard times Caleb was the one to help Kadence out. To return the favour, Kadence agreed to  play the "girlfriend" role when the great CEO faced some issues of his own. Al cotton candy and rainbows, seems like our heroes decided to put aside their sad past.

"For the last two years, I've been running from a family I'm ashamed of. You think your family was the only one that suffered, but mine did too. You've been so focused on making me feel small ,that you didn't stop to think maybe , just maybe, you weren't the only one who got hurt."

At first Kadence knew that their "relationship" was all lies and pretend but she never expected to actually  play a big part in Caleb's revenge plan. Of course that in the process Caleb loses his mind and heart - but it's a little late for real love or for quiting his foolish plan. It was only a matter of time until Kadence found out the truth behind Caleb's generosity and "good  intentions".

"We're not over."

"We are , Caleb. There are no happy-ever-after's when you play pretend."

Caleb  screwed up big time , not puting the past to rest wasn't the smartest thing to do. As a consequences he lost Kandence and possibly a great new mom for his daughter.. 

And speaking  of Braelynn and horrible decisions, I fail to see why Caleb allows Natalia back into their life . This man continues to make his life miserable .

On the other hand I just love how Aaliyah and  Macy were all like -

It takes lots of courage for Caleb to make things right. Our girl isn't really the kind to get over a broken heart that easily .Twice.

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