Head Stuck In A Book: ARC Review: A Beautiful Liar (Hades And Persephone #1) - Beena Khan

Released: 8th April 2022

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I gave Hades a fake name at the club, and now, he's chosen me as his mate.

Once upon a myth...
I've always been sheltered by my overprotective mother, hence the nickname given to me by my tormentors. "The nun." As a geeky scholarship student at the ancient and prestigious Saint Eudora Academy, I craved freedom, so, I sneaked out into the nightlife for the first time to mend my broken heart. There, I met a pair of alluring blue eyes and our worlds collided leaving nothing but destruction in its wake.

It was a single night, and we both wanted to forget someone. He said, I have six months before he returns. Six months to tell my old life goodbye. In my drunk state, I agreed, and he declared us as betrothed. The next morning, I ghosted him.

Imagine my surprise when I see him at my academy six months later. He's returned like a raging inferno to claim me.

The connection and recognition are still there. He was supposed to only be a myth. The man I meet now is different. He's tortured, dark, and deadly like Hades. A sense of danger surrounds him, trapping me toward him. I don't know what he is capable of until a favor from the reaper and a chilling murder forces us to bond.

I fear the unknown ahead of me when I finally unmask him. I'm entangled in a web of secrets and lies where money and power rule in his dark world. He says he collects souls, and now he is here to take mine.

Valerius Vitalli will never let me go.

Loosely based on the myth of Hades & Persephone. 

Review.

A Beautiful Liar is a Hades and Persephone based dark academia, mafia story set in an atmospheric world perfect for this kind of story.

What drew me to this book was the myth of Hades and Persephone; I'm definitely not someone that will turn down anything Greek mythology related.

I'm still not sure exactly how I feel about this book, I didn't love it, and I didn't hate it either; in saying that, I will read the next book so I can see how it all ends.

I received a copy of this book from Hidden Gems; all thoughts are my own.

 

Head Stuck In A Book: ARC Book Review: Savage Princess (Savage Kingdom #1) - Jennilynn Wyer

 

Released: 5th April 2022

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One strong-willed woman set on revenge.
Three childhood friends who are now her enemies.
Get ready for Alexandria to create chaos.

My name is Alexandria Donatella McCarthy, daughter of the don of the Rossi syndicate. Abused. Neglected. Underestimated. I'm about to unleash hell on this town. Keane Agosti, Rafael Ortiz, and Jaxson West don't know it yet, but I am the devil who will bring that hell to their doorsteps—and take my father down right along with them.

I was born into a life that showed me nothing but pain. A toy, a pawn, to be used by my father, Maximillian Rossi. My brother, Kellan, was the only bright light in my dark world. Then one day, he was gone. Taken from me. And it's their fault. My brother's three best friends. Keane, the leader of the group whose quest for power will be his undoing. Jax, the twisted psycho who lost his soul a long time ago. And Rafe, my ex-boyfriend who shattered my heart and left me when I needed him the most.

Now it's my turn to descend into the darkness. I will destroy them all, burn the Rossi house to the ground, and then rise from the ashes.

Are you ready for me, boys? This savage princess is coming for you.

Reader's Warning: Savage Princess is a dark, enemies to lovers, Mafia, reverse harem romance and contains scenes that may be triggering to sensitive individuals such as blood, violence, scenes depicting torture, foul language, consensual sexual content, and references to past sexual abuse/trauma. If you are not familiar with reverse harem romances, this troupe is where the female protagonist has more than one love interest and is in an intimate relationship with more than one man. Savage Princess is book 1 in the Savage Kingdom three-book series and ends with a cliffhanger. Recommended for mature readers.

Review.

When I was offered this book to review, the description sold me straight away; I wasn't expecting to find what may just be my book of the year.

What Jennilynn has written is so well done I couldn't put it down, but now I'm sad because I've finished and now I'm left desperately waiting for book two to be released, to return to this world that I've fallen in love with.

This book had amazing characters, a great plot, and twists; it was just fantastic.

One of the worst things for people who have no patience is reading a spectacular book that ends on a huge cliffhanger and then having to wait till July for the next book.

I think if I was being tortured by the Mafia to get me to talk, all they'd need to do was offer me the next book; I'd tell them whatever they wanted to know.

With all the twists, I have some theories, one that may be a bit far-fetched but I think would be a great twist is that Kellan is still alive somehow since Jax, Keane, and Rafe have a different story as to what happened; it just seems a bit iffy to me, I could be completely wrong, I could even be reading too much into it, but it's just a theory,

I'm also intrigued as to who Sarah's Mother is and why it was so hush hush; I just have so many questions; with two books still to go, I'm expecting many more twists and turns.

I cannot wait!

I received this review copy from Hidden Gems; all thoughts are my own.

Head Stuck In A Book: Book Review: Terms And Conditions (Dreamland Billionaires #2) - Lauren Asher

 

Released: 17th March 2022

Hachette Australia  Buy From Amazon

477 Pages.  RRP. $22.99

Declan
I'm destined to become the next CEO of my family's media empire.
The only problem? My grandfather's inheritance clause.
Fulfilling his dying wish of getting married and having an heir seemed impossible until my assistant volunteers for the job.
Our marriage was supposed to be the perfect solution to my biggest problem.
But the more we act in love for the public, the more unsure I feel about our contract.
Caring about Iris was never part of the deal.
Especially not when breaking her heart is inevitable.

Iris
My plan to marry Declan was simple in theory.
Move in together. Throw a wedding. Have a baby.
We set rules to prevent any kind of issues.
Ones that were never meant to be broken, no matter how much Declan tempts me.
But what happens when our fake relationship bleeds into our real one?
Falling in love was never an option.
At least not for me.

Review.

Terms And Conditions is the second book in the Dreamland Billionaires series; while I thoroughly enjoyed it, the first book, The Fine Print, is still my favourite because I liked Rowan and Zahra's characters more.

Having dual POVs in both books is something I love; I like knowing what the hero is thinking along with the heroine; it adds more to the story and gives more insight into what Declan was thinking and feeling.

The marriage of convenience trope is one I enjoy reading about in romance books, plus the whole billionaire, marrying your boss and grumpy hero situation.

The progression of Declan's character was a delight to read, as were the interactions with his brothers.

I'm hopeful that Declan, Cal and Rowan's Father, gets his comeuppance in the next and last book, he really gets on my nerves, and he's just extremely unlikeable.

I'm a sucker for any kind of epilogue in romance books, so I appreciate the extended epilogue we get in this series.

I can't wait for Cal's book; I'm intrigued by his story and character.

A great series that is very well written with fleshed-out characters that are a joy to read about (except the sorry excuse for a Father).

I need to check out Lauren Asher's other books if they're anywhere near as good as this series.

Thanks to Hachette Australia for the review copy; all thoughts are my own.

Head Stuck In A Book: Book Review: The Fine Print (Dreamland Billionaires #1) - Lauren Asher

 

Released: 25th January 2022

Hachette Australia  Buy From Amazon

448 Pages. RRP. $22.99

Rowan
I'm in the business of creating fairy tales.
Theme parks. Production companies. Five-star hotels.
Everything could be all mine if I renovated Dreamland.
My initial idea of hiring Zahra was good in theory, but then I kissed her.
Things spiraled out of control once I texted her using an alias.
By the time I realized where I went wrong, it was too late.
People like me don't get happy endings.
Not when we're destined to ruin them.

Zahra
After submitting a drunk proposal criticizing Dreamland's most expensive ride, I should have been fired.
Instead, Rowan Kane offered me a dream job.
The catch? I had to work for the most difficult boss I'd ever met.
Rowan was rude and completely off-limits, but my heart didn't care.
At least not until I discovered his secret.
It was time to teach the billionaire that money couldn't fix everything.
Especially not us.

Dreamland Billionaires is the first book in a series of interconnected standalones following three billionaire brothers.

Review.

I always knew I was going to like The Fine Print; I didn't know I was going to love it as much as I did.

This is a book you always hope to find, you know the ones where you keep going to put it down, and you tell yourself one more chapter, and find yourself repeating that pattern, over and over, and when you do eventually put it down, you feel the need to pick it right back up.

Featuring one of my all-time favourite tropes, the "grumpy-sunshine" romance, I couldn't get enough of Zahra and Rowan; I loved their first meeting, interactions, and everything.

The idea of having this story set around a Disneyland type of Amusement Park was another great part of the storyline.

There was never a dull moment, and I flew through this book; I didn't want it to end.

I'm excited that I have the second book in this series to dive right into, it would have to be something extra special to take over The Fine Print as my favourite, but I'm so happy to find out.

Thanks to Hachette Australia for this free review copy; all thoughts are my own.

Head Stuck In A Book: ARC Review: Game Of Hearts - Viola Tempest

 

Release Date: 2nd April 2022

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My name is Roman Wright.

I'm handsome, smart, caring. The works.

Any woman would be lucky to be with me.

But I still find myself alone.

I'm picky, and I'm looking for that perfect woman.

It isn't until I discover that the porcelain doll I'd gotten for Sadie's birthday is alive that I begin to find hope.

Hope that the perfect woman really is out there, waiting for me.

Three cards. Three very different women.

Reliving three Saturdays in a row.

One of them has to be my ideal partner.

Right?

Game of Hearts is a fantasy romance short story about the woes of finding the PERFECT partner. 

Review.

Game Of Hearts is a short but entertaining story.

I found the plot interesting and wished that the book was a bit longer; I still had questions left at the end that I would have liked answered.

 As long as a novella, there was still a lot going on to keep me intrigued and invested in the final outcome.

Maybe perhaps a full-length novel; I'd like to explore this world a bit more; the concept was really something I could read more about.

Otherwise, I liked the idea, can one person be too fussy in picking their partner, can they compromise with what they want or are they bound to be endlessly alone.

If you're after a quick, one sit read, then pick this up. 

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Head Stuck In A Book: ARC Review: Memories Of Fire (Abandoned Gods #1) - H.R. Savage

                                                        Release Date: 29th March 2022 

                                                                    Buy From Amazon

Earth buckled under the weight of the anger of a few abandoned Gods.

Knox
The Greek Gods were something from history books as fiction. However the beings that abandoned Olympus and caused mass destruction across Earth were very much real. I've done everything I can to survive away from their reign.
Until her.
A flash of red hair and a lost, confused gaze and I was sucked into a black hole of heated desire and a need to protect.
Yet she could destroy me in a way that even the Gods couldn't.

Callie
Lost.
Confused.
Broken.
That's all I felt as I opened my eyes without an idea of who I was. Knox's no bullshit attitude challenged me to be more than an unknown. I was determined to make sure that "Callie" was not just the beaten girl lost in the desert.
Until my memories reveal more than what broke me...but how I could break them.

Review.

I was intrigued by Memories Of Fire as soon as I read the description and discovered that this book featured Greek Mythology; I will read anything to do with or about Greek Mythology so to say I was excited to pick this book up was an understatement.

What made this story unique was the setting like a post-apocalyptic world where Zeus and the other Gods have risen and, in doing so, set off a disastrous set of events that has destroyed the way humans live. Having to depend on trading items such as food and gasoline with other towns to survive.

When a young girl is dumped from a car, beaten and unconscious, Knox and his brother Eric reluctantly take her in. 

Callie has no memory of her name, who she is or what happened to her, and Knox being his grumpy, distrustful self doesn't believe her claims of amnesia, but despite that Knox finds himself falling for her, slowly bits and pieces of Callie's memories start to return, but once her full memory comes back will Knox be able to accept who she really is?

I was very surprised to discover Callie's true identity, it was an exciting twist, and I like the storyline it created.

The main characters' chemistry was well written, and I enjoyed this first book in this series; the ending has me hanging for book two, which I'm very much looking forward to.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Head Stuck In A Book: ARC Review: My Legacy (Men Of New York #1) - Samantha Skye

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Released: 22nd March 2022

Have you ever been in a stalemate with the head of the mob?
Me neither, until Sebastian Romano waltzed into my life.

I probably should have held my tongue that first night, but I’m used to alpha males and Sebastian is nothing I can’t handle.

He runs this city and gets everything he wants, but I would rather die than give him my art gallery.

It’s not just that it’s all I have left of my gran. The gallery is proof of my independence – a corner of this big city that’s all mine.

Problem is, negotiating real estate with a gangster isn’t exactly...fair.

I can ignore the intimidation, the deadlines, the threats. But when Sebastian starts poking into my private life, that’s one line too far.

So how come when my world is imploding—again—Sebastian is all I want to cling to?

And why do I feel safest with the deadliest man in town?

My Legacy is a suspenseful slow burn, enemies to lovers, dual POV mafia romance. Contains explicit sex scenes and violence – 18+.

Review. 

My Legacy was a great start to a new series.

I was thoroughly entertained the whole way through and was left wanting more, especially after the bonus epilogue that readers could click on at the end of the ebook; I need more information. Is the next book still going to be about Sebastian and Maddison or a different character?

There was never a dull moment throughout this story, I loved Sebastian and how incredulous he was when he first met Maddison, and she stood up to him, which no one ever had; it made for some amusing scenes.

I really appreciated having dual POV'S, I think most romance books should have them, I always enjoy knowing what both lead characters are thinking, and it significantly helped in this book so we could see Sebastian and his job as mob boss and what that entails.

It was steamy, action-packed and full of everything you want from a mafia story.

I cannot wait for book two, and I just discovered before writing this review that there is another series set before this one that features characters in this book; I'm certainly going to be checking those out.

A great mafia romance, I highly recommend that anyone who loves these books pick up a copy of  My Legacy.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.