amandamant's reviews
213 reviews

This is the MINK that I love!

Seriously, we get this fun heroine who loves cats and is unapologetically naive and totally cliche virginal. And the bad*ss mob boss who falls in love with her at first sight. Top it off with some sexy scenes and voila - MINK!

I loved it. Honestly, it was just plain entertaining and exactly what I hope for when I pick up a MINK book.

Random add - I’m not a fan of this cover...it’s way too babyish and just don’t fit the story to me. Also MINK - thank you so much for cutting down your descriptions at the end of the book!

Well, it was definitely over the top. But not my cuppa.

I love an OTT Jessa Kane book, but not this one. There was a dark romance aspect to this one that just didn’t sit very well with me. Things were quite rough. It started with attempted sexual assault from a secondary character and felt like it ended that way with our leads. It had some sexy moments, but it wasn’t to my taste.

I understand that there are many fans of dark romance and over the top all-consuming heroes out there that will love this book. But I’m not one of them.

I give it 2 stars because it was written well and had some great parts that are very typical Jessa Kane. I appreciated that. But I can’t go higher than that simply because it left a bad taste in my mouth. If you’re not a fan of dark romance with dubious consent (which I can get behind sometimes, but not this time if that tells you anything) don’t read this. But if totally OTT, dark, stalker romance with dubious consent works for you, give it a shot. This is very reminiscent of the Jessa Kane / Alexa Riley co-auths and for me, that’s not really a good thing.

I LOVE the Dirty Martini Running Club!

I’m obsessed with Hazel and Corbin’s story from Love According to Science — actually it’s Falling for My Enemy now...not sure why it was changed, but I preferred the original title and cover — and I’ve been waiting for Sophie’s story! I kind of though she might end up with Jenson, but I’m glad she didn’t.

Call me crazy - but is it possible that Nora and Jenson will get together??? Bare with me here - Claire says they’re both getting books, but what if it’s one book? I know...the step sibling thing is considered a bit more taboo than Ms. Kingsley usually tackles, but it’s said in each book so far that they didn’t even know each other until they were adults so that taboo is really ridiculous in their case. Plus, I feel like those two very confident, sexy people could make for one explosive relationship. If it doesn’t happen I won’t be surprised, but if it does I’m calling it right now. And I will be totally HERE FOR IT!!!

Anyway, I digress.

Sophie and Cox are precious. I identify with Sophie a little too well. The whole knocks into everything, trips over her own feet, and somehow manages to make the simplest situation embarrassing thing is totally me. But she handles it with confidence and acceptance, whereas I blush and hide. But good for her!

I was totally with Cox as he was falling for her. I HATE a Bully story...genuinely hate them...but the bully aspect here was very small. They were in middle school, not high school, and we didn’t find out that he was ever genuinely cruel...just unable to deal with his attraction. And he was only around for a little while, so I can forgive it. Unlike every bully romance, it didn’t leave a bad taste in my mouth. So I won’t even put this on a bully romance shelf...because it really wasn’t a big deal.

I loved that he tried to flaunt his wealth and she was just like ‘okay, this car is cool, but who really cares?’. The fact that she didn’t even ask to drive it spoke volumes about her. And I loved it! I also loved that he slowly figured out how much he wanted her. He didn’t go from 90-0, but he also didn’t live in denial exactly. He accepted that she was more important as things went on, but just ignored the nagging ‘I might love her’ thing. It’s a thin line to walk in a story, but it was done brilliantly here. Any moment that either of them could think that they were being unreasonably cruel about their feelings was always a misunderstanding...until the end, which I won’t spoil, but I will say that it was believable and handled really well.

Also, the ending hit me in the feels. I was sobbing. Was it because I was up until 3am finishing this book? Or because I’m getting over a week of freezing in an apartment that had no power for 55 hours during a freak Texas blizzard? Or because I’m clearly PMSing? Or because it was just plain sweet? Probably a bit of all of those things. But needless to say, it was beautiful and I needed it.

This story had me experiencing every emotion. I was laughing, grinning, cringing, scowling, and/or tearing up throughout the whole book. And I love that!

5 stars. And I highly recommend it. If you love contemporary romance, romantic comedy, enemies to lovers (on the light side), or the Vegas wedding cliche, you’ll love this. I’m not usually a fan of the whole Vegas wedding thing...I don’t find it believable. I’ve gotten really drunk, but never so drunk that I’d marry someone and not freaking remember it. So, I find it to be too much of a stretch...but I liked how it was done in this one. AND it’s Claire Kingsley...this woman can craft a story and I love her voice.

After an odd start, I have to admit - this is my favorite Ella Goode book so far.

I know! I love her work, how could I possibly choose a favorite? Well, I just did. Aidon and Cora are awesome. Particularly Cora. She’s the perfect sweet virgin with a backbone that actually made choices a sweet virgin with a backbone would make.

We’ve all read these novella heroines...they usually go from zero to sex kitten in a matter of paragraphs. Cora wasn’t like that. She had sex kitten in her (she wouldn’t be an Ella heroine if she didn’t), but it progressed realistically even in the very shortened time frame of the book.

For the record, it all happens in like 3 days, but still, somehow, it totally worked for me.

WARNING / HEADS UP - when I started this book I was confused beyond measure. Was this one of the contemporary romances that Ella usually writes? Or some Sci-Fi, other worldly, paranormal story that I’m not prepped for? - Don’t get me wrong, I love paranormal, but I don’t expect it from Ella - Turns out, it is contemporary. And while the setting is pretty ambiguous it’s set in modern times.

Why did I question that this was actually an Ella book for about the first 3-4 chapters ?

These names!

I understand that unique character names are important in books. But all of these names felt like they were meant for other places. Cora? Fine totally believable. Aidon? Well, it’s not spelled right, but I can get behind it. It’s very possible this is set in a Mediterranean nation where there are names and spellings I don’t know. Cora could definitely be Italian or Greek. But then we just got progressively weird.

Poppy - okay it’s a nickname for Penelope, totally fine. Wait, Poppy is a GUY?? Bran - okay now we’re in Winterfell. Hunt - we’ve moved to the Deep South. Pole - ummm. Okay. Notch?? Like, a notch in a wood? Kailler???? What? Is it supposed to be like Killer, but special dude-like Killer kind of name? Nope. Kailler is a woman. Karin? Is this typical spelling? And Karin’s last name - the one that she’s frequently called - Veith. Essentially all of her people are called the Veith orphans. Veith.

Do we understand why Amanda thought we were reading some kind of Sci-Fy?

Seriously, unique names are awesome, but too many and it’s hard to call a story contemporary unless you put it in a specific setting. The lack of setting is what made me immediately think I was getting something other than what I expected.

All of that aside - I truly LOVED this book! Once I got past all of the weird names, I totally fell for the characters. There was action and a touch of mystery. The entire cast of characters held my interest. And it was so steamy and delicious. A genuine new favorite of mine.

So, don’t let yourself get stuck on the weird names. Rename them in your head if you have to! The actual story is awesome and I highly recommend it to any romance lover! Particularly if you, like me, find short and steamy books to be the catnip that they are.

Beau is an absolute dream boat! Lucy Darling at her best!

I’m never disappointed with Lucy Darling books. Never. She always manages to give us a story that warms the heart and dampens the panties and I am hear for it! Seriously. The way she manages to always make a very sexy story so sweet and heartwarming is just wonderful.

And Coming Home For Her did not disappoint.

Beau was amazing. I knew I adored him in Home for the Holidays, and this book just cemented it. I love a hero that doesn’t think he’s good enough for the woman he loves, but is determined to make her love him anyway. [swoon]. Plus the former military, battling mental health issues, but still wholesome alpha hero thing is just catnip.

I also loved that even though Carey has had a crush on her best friend’s big brother most of her life, she doesn’t just let him off the hook for trying to act like he doesn’t care about her for so long. You tell him Carey!

And Beau and Angel’s parents are still just wonderful.

I highly recommend this one. I haven’t been reading enough lately and between this and the latest Ella Goode - that became my new favorite of hers - I’m just feeling all of my romance novel love rushing back. I read to de-stress...and I’ve been so stressed that I couldn’t focus enough to read. This one kept my focus. I’m so happy.

It’s cute, but it’s definitely not my favorite.

Truth be told, the story itself just isn’t that strong. I thought Fiona was an interesting character. It was well written in the way MINK stories always are. And a couple of the secondary characters were awesome - Winston, for example, was a trip.

But the drama was frankly nonsensical. She has a stalker, right? Well, the climax of the story happens during something that someone on the run from a deadly stalker would never let happen. Sorry for the vague-booking there, but I don’t want to use blatant spoilers. But it was genuinely a dumb choice. And the stupidity of it was never even mentioned. Honestly, it was kind of the nail in the coffin on this story for me.

MINK stories are awesome and I will never regret reading one. But I won’t be re-reading this one. The cover is incredible and the heroine was special, but the actual story just didn’t work for me. I hate to give a MINK story two stars, but it truly was a two star for me. Even the steam level wasn’t quite up to par. :(

Eeeeeek!!! I LOVED IT!!!!

I am HERE FOR the MC DADDIES!!!

I have loved Reyes since the moment we met him! Truth be told, I thought he was going to end up with Jewel. But the reason I got that impression was briefly explained in this one and I appreciated it. And Emme was just wonderful!

I don’t want to add too many details because I don’t want to spoil anything, but watching Reyes fall for Emme made my heart soar. He was so protective and careful and tried so hard to control himself because he knew she’d been through a lot and he thought he wasn’t a great guy. I didn’t just read every word of this story, I felt it in my bones. These two were just perfect for one another.

I love every single character in this series. Honestly though, these two may be my new favorites.

This is still a solid four star book. The story is strong, there’s a bit off mystery added to the very naughty romance, and it’s longer than it’s predecessor. But I found myself veering off while reading it. I was a book a chose not to put down, but I think I could’ve put it down if that makes sense.

The naughty hit the point of feeling taboo at one point. It didn’t go so far as to gross me out or anything, but it got to the point where it didn’t feel like ageplay as much very dirty play. I’m rambling. I find that the ageplay stories I enjoy the most center on the emotion and then have a nice undercurrent of sexy. This story is definitely sexy first. It’s not a bad thing at all. But, at one point it’s referred to as ageplay, and while I think it could be, it doesn’t feel like it at times.

As always, I am an avid Margot Scott fan. I read Run Baby Run and became obsessed with her. And Blood and Wine and Sharing Noelle were absolutely amazing. This doesn’t feel like it’s in quite the same category in my brain as the other three. But it’s still a very good book that I recommend to any fans of naughty stories.

The first time I read this I reviewed it on Amazon and here’s my review:

“This book introduced me to the joys of reading Margot Scott!!

And I will never stop!

Loved it. Additional explanation isn’t necessary because other reviews say it too. This book has encouraged me to read Margot’s entire line and happily follow her on Facebook for new releases. I’ll be watching her closely and one clicking from now on. Thanks Margot! You knocked it out of the park! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️“

I’m surprised I said so little, but it got to the point quite easily. I love this book. It’s so steamy and naughty and just flat out entertaining. It’s not a book for everyone...there’s a lot of naughty ‘call me Daddy’ goodness, but it’s right up my alley. I read it again after reading Stay Baby Stay. I think it’s better than the next in the series. I’ll always be a huge Margot Scott fan. I’m so glad I read this book and discovered her!

Gant and Paisley are precious! Their chemistry is good. The blatant Cinderella aspect to this is just plain fun. Frankly, these two characters deserve a much bigger book - I love them!

That said, I don’t particularly love the circumstances around them. Not sure how to explain why. There weren’t any big no-nos for me. [NOTE: anything I’m mentioning is clear in the synopsis or within the first few pages so no spoilers.] I mean rich boy/poor girl is a thing, but he’s very down to Earth. The father was a jerk, but that’s nothing new for me. Maybe it was just that having this girl who has no family brought into this brand new situation with an Uber rich grandmother she didn’t know she had is a bit stressful. Again though, not out of the realm of enjoyable for me. I genuinely am not sure, but there was something intangible about it that I didn’t love.

Maybe it has something to do with how uncomfortable Paisley was with it all. I definitely feel like I got into her head. Hmmm...

Either way, this book is a solid four stars. It’s fun, funny, sweet, sexy, and all the good adjectives.I highly recommend it for any looking for a short read that will make them smile!