ljamison01's reviews
1038 reviews

The Night Before Grumpmas by Kendall Hale

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funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Are you looking for a feel good holiday book? This is your book, we have Noelle this super sweet, kind over the top holiday enthusiast and Jacob your traditional bah ha grump. Have these two live next door to each other and see sparks fly. Her with her loud holiday music and decorations. Jacob with him trying to put a damper on everything that she enjoyed and loved. Their road to their happily ever after had a few bumps and conflicts. This very sweet book had great banter between the two main characters and some funny moments. 
Wicked Spite by Havoc Wilde

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dark emotional medium-paced

5.0

This is the third book in the Wicked Brothers of SCU, and it’s the second book of the series I have read. I loved the previous book. This one I enjoyed too. Penn and Reagan are some damaged souls. The people who were supposed to love and care for them did them dirty. As crazy and bizarre as Penn is well Reagan is his counterpart. Regan witnessed something she shouldn’t have and Penn orders her to marry him or disappear forever. This story was crazy and it was dark.  I loved that no matter how deranged they both were they felt something strong towards the other. This story will take you on a crazy ride with some spicy scenes thrown in. Great bizarre characters and interesting plot. 
King of the Cage by Mila Kane

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

If your a fan of Mila Kane’s books especially “Unholy Vows” than you will be pleased that the MFC of this book is the sister of Renato the Don of Atlantic City. Giada is one tough IT mafia woman. She carries a knife, she threatens to finish someone who hurt her friend. She’s an equal match and perfect companion for Bran. Bran is called the lost boy of Hell’s Kitchen. He is one of three children and unfortunately a big disappointment to his dad because he was always doing the wrong thing. Bran’s older brother is in jail and he feels it’s his job to watch over his younger sister Quinn. Now Quinn and Giada’s friend get involved with some unsavory people and unfortunately are given a very bad drug that literally leaves them unable to move, talk or defend themselves so they are at the mercy of their captors. Giada likes to investigate unsolved crimes and decides to find out who is making and selling this drug. This gets her into a whole mess of trouble that only Bran can get her out of. I loved the dialogue and banter between these two because Bran realizes that fate has decided that Giada is the woman for him and although he doesn’t want to comply he knows he has no choice. Loved the characters, the plot and this book. Such an enjoyable mafia read. 
Second Down Scrooge by Lisa Suzanne

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I don’t know if this book is a standalone but, there is definitely a book before because there is a lot of discussion on the terrible things Asher has done to her friend and her husband. Asher is a professional football player who had a terrible childhood and an awful mother. He really suffers and always feels like he’s not good enough. The only thing going right in his life when the book begins is his daughter Mia. Kelly is Mia’s mother. Kelly and Asher were involved when she became pregnant but after his antics she broke up with him. They are currently co parenting and getting along. He would really like a reconciliation with Kelly and although she has feelings for him she’s not sure it’s a good idea. This was a pretty fast paced, light hearted romance. This was a new author for me. If your looking for a drama free, sweet romance with light spice you will enjoy this book. 
Sin & Snowflakes: A Mafia Romance Anthology by Lucy Monroe

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dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is an anthology that contains 10 mafia romances. The stories are fairly brief (novella length). There are several stories written by well known authors such as; Arianna Fraser, Jane Henry, Lucy Monroe and Cate C. Wells. The stories have a variety of interesting tropes such as, age gap, marriage of convenience, second chance romance and arranged marriage. Many of the stories contained either family or secondary characters from the author’s previous books. So it was nice to see how a character’s daughter is doing as an adult. Great book with interesting stories all centered around the mafia. 
My favorite story in the anthology was “Yuletide Pact” by Jane Henry which focuses on Kolya and Galina who fell in love but were separated. Kolya believed that Galina had gotten married and when he found out that she was available, he knew nothing would keep the apart, not even her brother. This is an age gap romance. 
Emperor of Lust by Jagger Cole

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dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is the third book in the Memonto Mori series. I believe each book is a standalone but you need to read them in order to understand the back story and what’s going on. Now Hana is the sister of the head of the Yakuza and has been in all the previous books, she was the cool, calm, composed ice queen. She’s rarely ruffled always immaculately dressed without a hair out of place. Now Damien is the heir apparent of the Bratva and these families are linked by marriage. Damien is deranged, is a little off center, in fact he says he’s probably neurodivergent. Damien rescues Hana from an unfortunate event and then they become intimate. She thinks this is a one time thing until it is revealed to her a few days later that they are trying to invade the Tokyo market and because she’s a single woman she needs a husband or a fiancé to help her be an acceptable business ally and Damien is their choice. The dynamic between Damien and Hana is hot. There’s is push and pull, they have great banter and the spice isn’t bad either. But learning about why Hana needs to be so in control and compulsive about things was really important. Hana had been this mysterious character and we got to know and like her so much more personally. This was another great book by Jagger Cole with an amazing storyline and action. I loved it!! Please check your trigger warnings before reading. 
Finding Out by Jenni Bara

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is an age gap, forbidden, snowed in together, baseball romance. This is the fourth book in this series and although I haven’t read the previous three I didn’t feel lost or confused. Although this book later focuses on a couple from a book in the series. Wren works for an art company that acquires art for wealthy clients. One very particular client refused to work with her but unfortunately the person working with him is unable to help with the purchase and transfer of the artwork Wren steps into their place. The client is none other than Tom (Daddy Wilson what Wren calls him) he is purchasing a very expensive piece of art that Wren truly loves. Now as they travel to NY to pick up this art we the reader find out that they are both extremely attracted to each other but have been fighting it for years. Tom is Wren’s best friend’s father and her father’s best friend. So when in NY together during a snow storm they give in to their feelings it’s incredibly hot. Tom is a mature man in his 40’s who knows what he wants and although he’s concerned about everyone else he tells Wren “You. Are. Mine”. My heart just swooned, he was emotionally committed to her. I love the relationship that these two have with mutual respect and admiration for each other, but this book is called Finding Out for a reason. What happens whenever everyone finds out? How will they find out? Can his daughter Avery and her father Heath respect them and their feelings? I enjoyed this book it made me laugh, made me annoyed and sad but eventually our couple get their HEA. This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it and I definitely want to go back and read the previous three books before the last book is released. 
He Sees You When You're Sleeping by Alta Hensley

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was a very interesting book. Chloe is an influencer who makes money showing jewelry online. She works for two different jewelry companies, one is more conservative but pays her the most and a second smaller company that is a little bit more untraditional and aligned with personality. Now Chloe is not a very enthusiastic about the upcoming holiday season because she has experienced lost and is alone. Chloe meets Jack who has been stalking her for quite a while. Jack has been at her bedroom window watching and observing everything she does. One night Jack discovers a big secret about Chloe that really changes their relationship. This change causes her to doubt that she can really be with Jack. Now Chloe does have some suspicion that someone is watching her. She’s been having strange interactions with an employee at one of the jewelry companies that she works for.   Jack is a fire fighter and he was there the night her family had the tragic accident. Jack behavior’s is bizarre because although he is her stalker, once he has access to her, and they begin to meet and casually date why does he continue to stalk her? Great story of a girl who falls for her stalker who is truly obsessed with her. I did expect this story to be spicer and darker because of the author but it was a great mix for those who don’t appreciate truly dark stalker material. 
From Air by Jewel E. Ann

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emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is only my second book by Jewel E. Ann, but already I love her writing style. This book focuses on Jamie a traveling nurse from Florida who travels to Montana to work in a psychiatric hospital. She is living with 3 other firefighters who work in various ways to put out fires and rescue others. Immediately upon entering the house she is warned about Fitz but when she meets him she is intrigued by him and based on his personality able to detect his zodiac sign. Calvin (Fitz) who is a grumpy, hard to get along with smoke jumper and about 10 years older than her. As they get to know each other and playfully tease one another, a romance begins to grow. But, Will the owner of the house has banned any of the roommates from getting involved with each other. So these two try to keep this relationship a secret from the rest of the house. But, Calvin has his own secret. This story was so sad and angsty. As always I prefer to go into a book blind and I’m glad I did. This story was so compelling I couldn’t stop until I reached the end. Great characters, amazing plot with some spice. 
My Pucking Crush by Tori Chase

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dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Max is a hockey player, in fact he’s the captain of the team. He was recruited after college and has played for this one team his whole career. Max is sexually confused. He interacts with both men and women but he can’t picture himself long term with a woman and he is too afraid to come out as gay. Max had a relationship with a male friend while in high school but it ended badly. Luca works as a bodyguard for the hockey team that Max plays for. Luca is obsessed with Max. He fantasizes about him. He hooks up with men and makes them wear Max’s jersey. He is truly pining for him. Now after Max is attacked when going with a woman to a hotel, Luca becomes his personal bodyguard living in his house and sleeping in his hotel room when the team travels. This is Luca’s personal nightmare, he’s close to Max but he can’t cross the line because he’s his bodyguard. Luca was in the mafia but he escaped after his wife and son died because they tried to kill him. He only plans to work with this team until the end of the year so he can get his bonus and move on. Now this story isn’t just about twos men who are attracted to each but there is this whole aspect of the mafia and are they after Max or Luca? Max has some dark issues he needs to deal with. This story had some great angst especially with Luca wanting Max so bad. This book was very spicy and it was so good. I loved these two strong men who truly both just looking for love and acceptance. Great story and romance.