I just finished reading Mischief Mayhem and Jena Doyle has done it again, turned my heart inside out and found all oWow. Just… wow.
I need a minute.
***
I just finished reading Mischief Mayhem and Jena Doyle has done it again, turned my heart inside out and found all of the dark places inside. This book grabbed hold of me by the emotions and took me on an incredible ride.
Hollywood is the one with the quick smile and the funny quip, but the façade is hiding some real pain. He feels unloved, unworthy, and unnecessary. He needs to let go- let it all go, and the person who can help him is Club Princess and Professional Domme Verona, aka Mistress Mayhem.
Verona has experienced severe depression in the past and has used her Mistress Mayhem persona to lift herself away from it. I like that Doyle didn’t shy away from discussing mental illness. I also like that she discussed it in a careful and appropriate manner without discounting its seriousness.
The zexytime was very intense and intriguing. It sometimes went past my usual frame of reference, but was so well written that I enjoyed it despite myself. I liked how valued she made him feel by both aftercare and some very inventive d/s methods. But what I liked most about the zexytime was that their tastes and needs aligned perfectly, and everything they did was completely consensual. Consent is sexy.
And, yes, the zexytime was intense and inventive, but the emotions were what really stood out. Both characters were able to take each other away from thinking about their troubles and issues. They ascended to an entirely different level. And through that, genuine intimacy formed and they were able to find a space to fall in love.
The love was intense, but so was the tragedy. The war with the Caputis rages on, plus there are new antagonists to worry about. And not everyone walks away this time.
Cat’s Stats
MMC/FMC- Hollywood and Verona
Genre- MC Romance
Length- novel
Heat- ☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️ Full-on BDSM.
Series? Y
Safety? Y (no cheating, no SA)
Triggers- graphic violence including use of firearms, explicit erotic content and BDSM, fluid exchange, adult language.
Tropes- Friends to Lovers, Golden Retriever Hero, Black Cat Heroine, Secret Relationship, Reformed Man Ho-Ho-Ho, Domme/Sub, Off Limits, Brother’s Best Friend, Blood Bond...more
Mewsings This book was so much fun! It’s a steamy book with a good dose of humor and it’s very romantic. I liked the main characters and thought they Mewsings This book was so much fun! It’s a steamy book with a good dose of humor and it’s very romantic. I liked the main characters and thought they were a good match for each other. This is workplace romance at its finest. Here’s the breakdown: Cat’s Stats MMC/FMC- Vito and Cassie (although it’s totes hawt when they call each other Mr. Blackwood and Miss Meadows) Genre- Mafia Romance Length- under 100 pages Heat- ☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️ featuring a heroine with a V-Card Series? Probably. The hero is one of triplets. Safety? Y Triggers- language, explicit erotic content, mean girls, mention of off page violence. Tropes- Workplace Romance, Fake Relationship, He Falls First (Instalove), J/P Hero, Alpha Male, Triplets, That’s Not My Leg, Do-Si-Do with the Mafioso.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review....more
I love this book! The book is a page turner, with a good blend of action and romance and I want to tell everyone to read it.
What I liked- CagMewsings-
I love this book! The book is a page turner, with a good blend of action and romance and I want to tell everyone to read it.
What I liked- Cage sees Angel for who she is and loves her for it. Angel is a Badsass and I really like her. She’s an MC goddess. I love that the characters in this book have formed a Found Family based on love and respect. I cannot say enough about how much I love this book, especially because of the depth of the characters.
Cat’s Stats MMC/FMC- Adam and Eve (yes, the book gets mileage out of this, but strangely, it’s cute rather than annoying because the book laughs at it)Cat’s Stats MMC/FMC- Adam and Eve (yes, the book gets mileage out of this, but strangely, it’s cute rather than annoying because the book laughs at it) Genre- Rom Com Length- 4 hours and change Tropes- Workplace Romance, Forced Proximity, Fake Relationship, Banter, He Falls First Mewsings- I enjoyed the story. It made me think of those Golden Age of Hollywood films with Rosalind Russell or Katherine Hepburn. Adam was very Cary Grant with some Spencer Tracy. The banter between Adam and Eve was energetic and chemistry-laden. This is a smart, funny rom-com and I would have loved to have read the ebook. I was not impressed by the narrator. Her accents were atrocious. She did the male voices poorly. And her own natural accent was too strong. If I was just judging this audiobook on the narration, I’d have given it a 2/5. But the story was so fun and I enjoyed it so much that I give this audiobook a 4/5.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review....more
The chemistry between the two main characters reminded me of old Hollywood movies. They really clicked and there was a lot of banter. And some excelleThe chemistry between the two main characters reminded me of old Hollywood movies. They really clicked and there was a lot of banter. And some excellent steam. I also like a good He Falls First story. I enjoyed this book and I would read it again.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review....more
Cat’s Stats MMC/FMC- Stavros and Jenna Genre- Mafia Romance (Greek Mob) Length- 28 chapters and epilogue Heat- I don’t consider it hot when Lord of Ruin
Cat’s Stats MMC/FMC- Stavros and Jenna Genre- Mafia Romance (Greek Mob) Length- 28 chapters and epilogue Heat- I don’t consider it hot when non consensual physical violence is considered foreplay. I consider it abuse. (Unless it’s consensual non consent, which is a whole different story, but clearly not the case here.) Series? Y Safety? N. Triggers- violence against/abuse of FMC perpetrated by MMC, other violence, language, explicit sex, attempted S.A., victim blaming (she had a physical response when he was beating her without her consent, and therefore he concluded that she wanted/enjoyed it. He either didn’t know or didn’t care that the body sometimes has involuntary arousal reactions during stress.), vandalism, gunshots, blood. Tropes- Captor/Captive, He Falls First (and I don’t know if she falls ever because I am DNFing this fuckery all the way home.), Enemies to Lovers Mewsings What I liked- you know, this had the potential to be a really good book. Between the captor/captive thing and the Enemies to Lovers, the author set the story up with some strong tropes. There was banter between the two that highlighted their electric connection. The world building was great, with an intricately detailed fictional crime world set in nonfictional cities. Yep, it could have been great. Then… What I didn’t- He beat her. With a belt. I thought, Not Cool, but I kept reading. Then he beat her with a switch and proceeded straight to sexual activity. And I DNF’d. It’s not BDSM without consent, it’s abuse. And she definitely wasn’t consenting to that and, indeed, had voiced her objections. In case you couldn’t tell by now, I think that’s uncalled for and inexcusable. It’s things like that that give BDSM a bad name.
I received an advance review copy for free and sometimes that’s too expensive. This is my voluntary, (very) honest review....more
Cat’s Stats MMC/FMC- Rhodie and Tuesday Genre- MC Romance Length- 22 chapters and epilogue; about 250 pages Heat- ☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️ everything but the kitcheCat’s Stats MMC/FMC- Rhodie and Tuesday Genre- MC Romance Length- 22 chapters and epilogue; about 250 pages Heat- ☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️ everything but the kitchen sink Series? Y Safety? N, but no cheating Triggers- graphic violence (including excruciating torture), S.A., graphic violence, language, graphic violence, explicit erotic content, graphic violence, kidnapping, and more graphic violence. Tropes- Badsass Heroine, Badass Grandpa, Black Comedy, Instalove (He Falls First), Meet Cute, More Triggers Than An NRA Swap Meet, Neurodivergent Heroine, That Didn’t Come From Amazon. Mewsings I loved this book! Loved it! I loved the heroine and her quirks (and her extreme intelligence and talent). Loved the hero, who is on my list of Ultimate Book Boyfriends. Loved the sidekicks and good guy side characters, especially Pops, whom I would not want to meet in a dark alley, but whom I would love to have as a dinner guest. This was a page turner that had me fascinated from page one. The plot was engaging (but violent). Added to the “Reasons I’m Probably Going to Hell” list is the fact that I found so much of this book to be hysterically funny (and I think that as more people read this book, I’ll have company there. We’ll form a club!). Even in the most violent parts (and this book was extremely, graphically violent) there was a lot of black humor. The ending was satisfying and opened the door for more books set in this universe. I’m about to go read August, Browne’s second book, and I don’t know how it can possibly compare to this one (but I’m hoping it will come close). I borrowed this book on KU and as soon as Double Points Day rolls around in Kindle Rewards, I’m buying it because I’m going to want to read it again and again. Can we talk about- the cover. Rhodie is described as having dirty blonde hair and that cover ain’t it....more
Cat’s Stats MMC/FMC- Stuart and Meredith Genre- Contemporary Romance Heat- ☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️. Who knew suspenders could be so zexy? Series? Y Safety? Y Triggers-Cat’s Stats MMC/FMC- Stuart and Meredith Genre- Contemporary Romance Heat- ☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️. Who knew suspenders could be so zexy? Series? Y Safety? Y Triggers- Explicit Erotic Content, Language, Defilement of Innocent Suspenders Tropes- Golden Retriever Boyfriend, Grumpy/Sunshine, New Year’s Kiss, Forced Proximity, Workplace Romance, Ginger Hero Mewsings I LOVED this book! Loved the hero’s Golden Retriever energy. (You know, I tried dating a guy whom I thought had Golden Retriever energy once, but he turned out to be a total Shih-Tzu. ) I loved that the guy was the sunshine in the G/S equation here. I loved Meredith’s grumpy mien. Loved the plot. REALLY loved the incredibly hot zexytime scenes. Loved everything about this book except the fact that it ended.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review....more
Ivan and Sloan sizzle! They are absolutely perfect for each other. He’s a tough Bratva boss while she’s an assassin known as The Angel of Death. The bIvan and Sloan sizzle! They are absolutely perfect for each other. He’s a tough Bratva boss while she’s an assassin known as The Angel of Death. The book was riveting from first page to last, with a lot of action and just enough spice to satisfy. I was fascinated the entire time I was reading and I couldn’t put the book down. We see more of these characters in a future book, and it was satisfying to finally get their back story. Actually, that’s probably why I liked this one so much. I’ve been enjoying reading Lark’s books, and this book earned a 4.5 star rating. ETA: The cover model, while handsome, looks nothing like Ivan is depicted in the book. ...more
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