It's the end of the line for Katherine Hawthorne's dark and intriguing Sinful Surrender series. And this conclusion is just as shamelessly thrilling as its title leads you to believe.

Almost done with playing catch up. In the meantime? If you like crime novels drenched in mysteries and sprinkled with intense romance, you should definitely check out the Sinful Surrender quartet. Like... now?

Continuing on with my catch-up-on-reviews spam for Sinful Surrender: it's time for Sensuous! Don't let the cover fool you. It's a cringy design, but the content is more thriller and the polyamorous love is prominent but doesn't take the spotlight.

I'm going to apologize in advance for the surge of (late) reviews for the Sinful Surrender Quartet. I know, I know, I posted these to Goodreads back in November. I had them all in my drafts for the blog but forgot to schedule them. Oops!

New year means, "It's time for something different!"

Tempting Little Tease by Kendall Ryan | Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5)

You guys know that Kendall Ryan is totally my girl. If you've been following my reviews over the last year, you already know that I adore Kendall Ryan's work and that Forbidden Desires has been one of my go-to romances since I first picked it up. While Tempting Little Tease has the signature of a good novel by Ryan--teasing, steamy--it is probably my least favourite in the series.

This isn't to say that it's not a good read. I enjoyed it! It was entertaining, frothy and bubbled with the intimacies Kendall Ryan is a pro at portraying. I was entertained. I swooned multiple times. I just wasn't as attached to the coupling of Alessandra and Quinn, despite liking them both as individuals and together.  

Tempting Little Tease felt like it was missing something on some levels and that's a personal preference, not an attack on the story itself. I think what it is, is that the novel itself is pretty short. Readers are left wanting more and more from the stories. They're addictive. They're impossible to put down. You just can't stop. And when the story ends, you automatically want a dozen more novels--ASAP.

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren | Rating: ★★☆☆☆

After reading Dating You / Hating You by Christina Lauren last summer, I have to admit, I was curious about the rest of their publications. Imagine my surprise upon realizing that I had read Beautiful Bastard, the first of their highly popular series, in its original form: Twilight fanfiction sensation The Office. It's no secret that my mid-to-late teenage years were spent tucked between the pages of books like Gossip Girl, Harry Potter and Twilight, and that I read basically every fanfiction set in one of those worlds I could get my hands on. My motto, back in the day? The smuttier, the better.

Teenage hormones are fun! Not. But, in all seriousness, I am stunned. Beautiful Bastard marks the third or fourth Twilight-based FF that I obsessed over in high school to be published. Which is thrilling in its own right, even if the finished product isn't adult!me's cup of tea. While I have only the fondest of memories of this book's original form, and it was thrilling to see the author's success in mainstream publishing, Beautiful Bastard just didn't work for me as its own book.

What made it work as a smutty fanfiction, was that we didn't need a full-blown plotline to enjoy its massively steamy love scenes. We knew the characters to a degree already. It was pure smut and pure smut leads to no substance. Beautiful Bastard desperately needed something to add to it, however, because in this form we are unfamiliar with its characters and they end up feeling like they are just... there.

The Chateau by Tiffany Reisz | ★★★★☆ (4.5)
  
As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

Does anyone else have that compulsive need to get their hands on literally everything that Tiffany Reisz has ever, and will ever, publish? Because, hello, I totally do. With good reason--everything she touches catches fire by mere paragraphs, let's be honest. The Chateau proves this and reminds us that she is pretty much on another level when compared to her peers.

First things first: if you haven't read The Original Sinners yet, you probably should. It's such a great series. Fiery, well written, everything that another similar series could never be, blah-blah-blah. Normally, I'd ask why you have not read it, yet, but we're all friends here and I'm just going to gently nudge you in her direction. That being said, even if you haven't read the series yet, you could start with The Chateau, as it is a standalone. And a damn good introduction to all that the series, and Reisz, is.

As far as erotica goes, my experience has been pretty abysmal until Tiffany Reisz showed me that the genre has an entirely different level to it than I realized. Her work is truly brilliant. Not only is it as wonderfully written and developed as usual, there's more than just a sexy edge to it and it gives us some insight further into the series as longtime readers know it.

Double Trouble by Sierra Cartwright | Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

 As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

I wanted to like this one. Really, I did. The concept of a love story/ménage relationship in erotic fiction has always been a fun and indulgent dive into the genre. (Which for me, admittedly, started in the days of Twilight Fanfiction. Don't tell.) Not to mention, Sierra Cartwright is rightfully admired for her steamy reads. Alas, Double Trouble just wasn't for me. At the end of the day, it was simply not my cup of tea. Sigh.

In all honesty, I'm surprised I was able to even finish Double Trouble to begin with. In spite of it being well written, with an abundance of smutty goodness, and quite short in terms of length, I found myself--on more than one occasion--struggling to focus on the story at hand for many reasons. 

Before you ask--no, it wasn't the BDSM aspects of the story. It wasn't the fact that the relationship at hand was of the previously mentioned ménage variety. Double Trouble had the makings of a pretty decent threesome lovestory but just didn't measure up to what I'd hoped. 

The Billionaires: The Stepbrothers by Calista Fox | Rating: ★★★☆☆

As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

As a new reader of this particular author, I wasn't certain of what to expect from Calista Fox's third (standalone) installment of Lover's Triangle, The Billionaires: The Stepbrothers. I've been on a bit of a romantic kick since the end of 2017, thus making it my mission to explore the many (steamy) options out there. Calista Fox has created quite a name for herself out there in the genre and this was the perfect introduction to her as a new reader.

Although there were many elements of the story that I found less-than appealing to my personal preference, I will say one thing as clearly as possible: The Billionaires: The Stepbrothers was quite the sexy, entertaining romp that I needed to kick myself from a reading slump. It was not your typical erotic romance, instead, it toyed with many genres in between the steamy sexual tension and swoon worthy romance. Primarily, there was a bit of mystery involved in the story of Scarlet, Michael and Sam. And it proves how different matters of the heart can be when developed properly.

To learn more about the novel, the author and the series follow the cut! You'll find my review of Torrid Little Affair and all the dirty details.

The Room Mate by Kendall Ryan | Rating: ★★★★★

“Sometimes there are no second chances. Sometimes it’s now or never.”

I've come to the conclusion that, The-Actual-Queen-of-Romance, Kendall Ryan cannot write a bad book. It's just not possible. She will always, always, always create the sort of novels you dive head first into and grow feverish over when reading. In The Room Mate, you get two very pleasurable characters who have the most explosive level of chemistry imaginable. If you've read a Kendall Ryan book in the past, you know how teasing and seductive her prose is--she's a pro at the slow burn and this book is a definite hell-yes on that front. 

What do you get when you mix (1) A scorching hot med student, who has a romantic streak and beyond charming; who may or may not drive his conquests mad when he leaves them plus (2)  A young woman comfortable and secure in her life, with a great career and a lovable pup by the name of Enchilada, who is still looking for Mr. Right and (3) A shared childhood? Well, you get a hell of a lot of chemistry, tension and danger. 

Filthy Beautiful Forever by Kendall Ryan | Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5)

Nothing says winter weekends like a glass of wine, a little makeup stalking, and a Kendall Ryan novel before embarking on late nights out with friends. I've binged the entirety of Kendall Ryan's blissfully addictive Filthy Beautiful Lies series over the last week. I'm fairly certain my friends are fed up with me babbling about the couples featured in the series--along with her Forbidden Desires lineup--but they're just so damn good. Truly, I'm flustered thinking about all the love and lust and smart-mouthed alphas in these books.

What a conclusion! While Filthy Beautiful Forever is, perhaps, my least favourite installment in the series, it is still intoxicating. There's this bubbly feeling one gets after reading a book by Kendall Ryan and this is no different. As it happens, I think my favourite of the Drake Brother's significant others is Mia--hell, I'd have probably proposed to her as a child, too.

Watch out, Collins. I'm here for your girl. I'm kidding. Mostly. But, for the record, I am positive that Mia is my favourite Ryan heroine and there's just so many good things to say about her. I really loved Collins, too, but Mia is my #1!

Filthy Beautiful Lust by Kendall Ryan | Rating: ★★★★★

"Who I was before became irrelevant the moment I met you." 

It's fairly obvious how shameless I am about my love of books penned by the incomparable Kendall Ryan. The third installment of the Filthy Beautiful Lies series, Filthy Beautiful Lust, is no exception to this rule. Just as slow of a burn (and that delicious ache of a good love story) as her impressive archive of books, there's no shortage of steamy scenes and fiery characters for readers to swoon over. Although readers were surely sad to close the story of Sophie and Colton in Filthy Beautiful Love, it's no doubt they will find themselves just as fond of Kylie and Pace.

Best of all, we do get glimpses of both Sophie and Colton in the duration of Filthy Beautiful Lust. Which should be  unsurprising--given that the series is about the delectable Drake brothers. Catch me, I'm swooning. I wasn't sure I would be down for these two--Pace was a great side character but I was skeptical of if I'd like him in his own narration--but holy crap, they are blazing through the pages at me.

Kendall Ryan drives her plots straight through your heart. The character of Kylie, for example, just might be my new-favourite Ryan heroine. She is easy to root for and not without flaws, aka the best kind of character. I loved the glimpses we got of her during Sophie and Colton's stories, but there is so much more of her to be explored in Filthy Beautiful Lust. I love how strong of a lead she is and how attentive she is to her young son, how determined she is to do what's best for him always--the number one thing a parent should do.

Filthy Beautiful Love by Kendall Ryan | Rating: ★★★★★

"Call me crazy, but I have a rule about dating men who are married: I don't."

Delectable and filthy in ways that grip tightly to the heart, Kendall Ryan's slowly seductive prose strikes all the right cords again and again with Filthy Beautiful Love. The (dazzling) conclusion to Sophie and Colton's love story is satisfying and enthralling. With all the events of the first book, Filthy Beautiful Lies, there are two hearts on the lines and a whole lot of questions.

Deeply romantic and tantalizing in its seduction, hearts will soar and shatter throughout the course of this book. There are many things a reader should keep on hand whilst reading Filthy Beautiful Love but most of all, I recommend applying waterproof mascara to your lashes because the journey we take is so emotionally charged. Kendall Ryan is the biggest talent in her genre and I knew that this novel would be beautifully crafted with steam and human complexities, but nothing can prepare you for reading it.

We already knew that Sophie and Colton's story was far from over. It just so happens that there is a big speed bump along their paths. Which is kind of ironic that their biggest cause of tension and heart-break isn't rooted in how they met, but in the fact that Colton is technically married still to his estranged wife, Stella. Filthy Beautiful Love picks up quickly where the previous book left off.

Dirty Little Promise (Forbidden Desires, #2) by Kendall Ryan | Rating: ★★★★★

"Ever since the words had left her lips, I could see it whenever she looked at me, whenever she touched me. At first, I wanted to pull back, but then I realized that what I felt for her was more than lust too. The more time I spent with her, the more I felt like she was becoming a part of me. Like she was half of something inside me that was only complete when she was near." 

The love story of fan favourites Emma Bell and Gavin Kingsley continues (and, sniffles, concludes) in Dirty Little Promise. After the startling conclusion we reached at the end of Dirty Little Secret, and the massive cliff-hanger that followed, fans were quick to wonder where the relationship was headed between Emma and Gavin. Were they doomed before they even truly began? What comes next? Will they ever be the same--or will they be better?

Kendall Ryan does not leave us hanging for too long, as the second installment of the Forbidden Desires series picks up right where we left off. As always, it has the makings of one of the most captivating romances. Because of Kendall Ryan's delicious prose and steamy leads, readers are sure to be treated to a fun and smart story to unravel. It's just as easy to get lost in these books as it is to get lost in your lover's eyes.