Hate Me is book one of Alex and Delaney’s duet and book one in the Badger Creek Duet Series. A two-part, angst-filled, slow-burn, enemies to lovers new adult romance. Hate Me must be read before Hate Me Not in order to enjoy the full story.
The last place Delaney Hayes thought she would find herself is Badger Creek. It’s the place she left with dreams of college scholarships and a future as a professional skier. But less than a year later, she’s back with her tail between her legs, embarrassed and bitter, working as a ski instructor.
And then there’s Alex Cunningham. A guy most girls would dream of working with. Arrogant and gorgeous with a sinful smile to match. Determined to make Delaney’s life miserable, he seems to turn up everywhere she is and her patience for him is wearing thin.
However, fate has other plans and when tragedy strikes, they’re forced together in a way they never expected.
❄️Review❄️
After making some bad choices Delaney’s dreams of attending college in Vermont and being part of the college ski team have been derailed. She has returned home to Badger Creek and is grateful that her friend Zoey has not only arranged a job but has given her a place to stay as well.
Even though he has finished college Alex doesn’t want to return to his hometown and face the life his father wants him to have. Instead he returns with his best friend to Badger’s Creek to work at the ski resort. He meets Delaney at a pub and the sparks fly however they each believe that the other is a tourist. They spend a steamy evening together never expecting to see each other again however fate had other ideas as not only will they be working together but their best friends are siblings.
The chemistry between them is intense and the interactions are entertaining as neither was about to back down. Due to the difficult time they are going through in their lives they alternate between pulling each other closer and pushing each other away and the cliffhanger leaves us needing to know what happens next.
What happens when the greatest love of all is out of bounds?
I’ve been surrounded by jocks my entire life, including my overprotective brother, Cole. As the chubby little sister of a pro football player, my size and my brains too big to fit in with the boys has kept me off limits.
So the last thing I should do after being dumped is sleep with Tyler Davis … one of my best friends, a football player, and worst of all, my brother’s best friend, too.
It’s just one time.
Until it’s not.
Now, I’m left wondering if the man I’ve fallen in love with will choose me, or fumble at the goal line.
***
The minute I met my best friend’s sister, I realize: she’s my dream girl. Too bad I’ll never have her because bros before sexy, intelligent women. And Hope Jackson is the sexiest woman I’ve ever met.
Which means I shouldn’t go to family dinner fresh from a breakup. I shouldn’t be alone with Hope right after her own break up, and I really shouldn’t sleep with my fantasy woman and ignore the consequences.
Except, I did.
Keeping this secret really complicates things. Cole is my brother, my teammate, and my family. So how do I choose between the family that means everything to me, and a woman I’d never find an equal to?
***Beauty & the Tight End is a Best Friend’s Sister, Friends-to-Lovers, sports romance that’s the perfect mix of sexy and swoon. It is a novel inside the Baltimore Royals Football Series, though each book can be read as a standalone. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a happily ever after for all.
🏈Review🏈
Tyler is conflicted by the feelings he has for Hope since not only is she is the sister of his best friend, but her family has embraced him and his mother like their own. They spend a steamy night together which leads to a secret relationship, but secrets never remain that way for long.
Hope’s relationship with her brother is complicated but she knows that he would never want her to be involved with Tyler. When they finally give into their feelings they will have to choose between fighting for their relationship or walking away.
Everyone except for Cole knows that Tyler and Hope are meant to be together. Even though they have some emotional turmoil that they must overcome I enjoyed seeing them realize it as well.
Genre/Tropes: Age Gap, Fake Marriage/Marriage of Convenience, Virgin Heroine, Ruthless Hero, Stalker, Captive, Forced Proximity, Slow Burn, Fractured Fairytale, Dark Mafia
Release Date: June 29, 2023
★★★★★ Amazon Review – “Simply Phenomenal!!…A unique and gritty retelling of Cinderella.”
★★★★★ Amazon Review – “Intense suspenseful story that took my emotions on a roller coaster journey of crazy ups and downs.”
★★★★★ Amazon Review – “This one is a page turner for sure….These two authors blended a great story”
From USA Today Bestselling Authors SR Jones and Silla Webb comes a twisted Dark Mafia, Fractured Fairy Tale, Age Gap Romance filled with hatred and desire.
I have nothing.
My father’s death left my world ruined.
All that remains is my ancestral home, but my stepmother will do all that she can to take it from me.
Broken and alone, things can’t get any worse…
Until he arrives.
Nico Andretti. A dangerous mobster with a soul so dark the Devil himself would fear him.
He claimed me as his Cinders, but he treats me with disdain.
His men desecrate my family home and ruin my last shred of hope.
I want him gone.
But then I realize he hates my stepmother even more than I do.
Could my enemy’s enemy be my friend?
Once I have his attention, we begin a deadly game.
Our strange new bond is as brittle as glass and just as breakable.
It seems I’ve made a pact with the Devil, and he just might burn my world to ash.
💙Review💙
After the death of her father Cindy finds herself having to do whatever Yvette, her stepmother, dictates until she is old enough to obtain control of her trust. If that isn’t difficult enough, she now finds herself trying to battle her attraction to Nico, the man who her stepmother is about to embark on an arranged marriage with.
Due to his reputation with women Nico is in danger of losing control of his company and needs to do damage control which comes in the form of an arranged marriage. Although he has nothing but disdain for Yvette his feelings for Cindy are very different and that is when the complication really begin.
A little suspense and a few surprises as Cindy and Nico bring this fairy tale to life and bring out the best in each other along the way.
SR JONES
Redeeming dark and dangerous heroes one book at a time.
Skye Jones is an award winning and USA Today Bestselling Author.
She writes dark mafia and contemporary romance as SR Jones, and angsty paranormal romance as Skye.
When not writing, Skye can be found reading, dog herding, or watching gritty dramas on Netflix with her husband. She lives in the grey, windswept north of England, which fuels her taste for the dramatic and the gothic.
SILLA WEBB
Backwoods, barefoot, and bad-ass—those are just a few words often used to describe the HBIC that is also the classy and brilliant Silla Webb. Born and raised in the coal fields of Eastern Kentucky, Silla is the epitome of a Southern Belle, sass and strength with a side of sarcasm. All of her amazing attributes bleed through in the fictional heroines she brings to life beyond the pages.
Silla, a sweet tea and cupcake lover, is married to her high school sweetheart and a mother to three fine young men. I’m not saying Silla is Superwoman, but they’ve never been seen in the same room together. Silla is a USA Today Bestselling Author and the owner of Masque of the Red Pen, an independent publishing company that prides itself in bringing authors’ dreams of success to fruition. She’s an Executive Assistant and Editor to many amazing authors, but she often hides away from reality to immerse herself in the fictional worlds that consume her mind.
Silla’s most notably known for her Romantic Suspense world, Buried Secrets and her Contemporary Romance series, Under Construction, co-written with her soul sista and best friend, Kaden Layne.
Tucker Beckett and I likely never would have met if our spouses weren’t having an affair.
Newly divorced with a young son to raise Tucker Beckett is the last man Miranda Owens should be itching to figure out, to make smile, and hear laugh. Still there is something about the detective with haunted blue eyes and a dirty mouth that draws her in from the moment they meet.
If only life were so simple.
As Tucker and Miranda begin to navigate their new relationship, Tucker is tasked with solving the murder of a young woman, while their ex’s begin to play games in an attempt to split the two of them up.
Before they fall, these two will need to figure out if the only thing tying them together is the circumstances that brought them together in the first place or if it’s something more.
✨Review✨
When Miranda finds out that she has been betrayed by her husband her primary concern is the future for her and her son Kingston. When she meets Tucker, the spouse of the woman that her husband has been having an affair with, he shows her his true character and when fate keeps throwing them together she must decide if she is ready to give her heart to another man.
Tucker has no more illusions left about the woman he married so the only thing he can do is try and make the transition easier for Miranda and her son. When circumstances keep bringing them together he realizes that she is his future however he needs to convince her as there are so many forces trying to force them apart.
Miranda shows how strong and resilient she is and Tucker is both swoony when it comes to Miranda and sweet when it comes to Kingston. A little intrigue, an enchanting romance and two people who find love despite the way they were brought together.
Meet Aurora Rose Reynolds
Aurora Rose Reynolds is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author whose wildly popular series include Until, Until Him, Until Her, Underground King, Shooting Stars, Fluke My Life and How to Catch an Alpha series.
Her writing career started in an attempt to get the outrageously alpha men who resided in her head to leave her alone and has blossomed into an opportunity to share her stories with readers all over the world.
To learn more about Aurora and her books, visit here!
“This story has the perfect combination of emotions, drama and romance. I couldn’t put it down!” ★★★★★ Cynthia
“Sweet, poignant and spicy, this book was a wonderful read that left my heart melted and my mind eagerly looking forward to reading more of this series.” ★★★★★ Gladys
I’m not good for her, but I can’t resist her anymore.
Elowyn, the new girl next door, is sweet, kind and radiates joy. My past makes it impossible to feel like that, but just being near her eases something in me that I can’t explain. When I see a strange man outside of her door making her uncomfortable, I have to get involved.
Turns out, her ex is there to make trouble, and if that’s what he wants, I’m more than happy to give it to him. As I wrap my arm around her, I feel a connection that’s undeniable.
As Elowyn leans on me, I realize that the shadows of my past can’t hold me back any longer. She ignites a fire within me that I never knew existed. We’re drawn together, like magnets, unable to resist the pull.
But with her ex still lurking around making threats, she’ll never truly feel safe. I vow to protect her, to be there whenever she needs me. For Elowyn, I’ll face my darkest fears to see her light shine again.
*****
Dive into this sizzling romance where a man with a troubled past finds love and redemption through the love of the woman who’s captured his heart. Will they be able to overcome the obstacles in their way, or will their love story end before it can truly begin? Discover the passion, the danger, and the healing power of love in “Wasted On You” by USA Today Bestselling Author, Colleen Charles.
“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” ― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
Are you willing to discover the beauty within the flaws?
Then this is your tribe.
These are your books.
Colleen Charles is the USA Today Bestselling author of Perfectly Imperfect Romance for perfectly imperfect readers.
Take a chance and join her… you won’t be sorry you did.
Colleen loves to hear from her readers, and she answers all communications personally.
The last place Cassandra Mauer ever thought she’d step foot again was Hope Crest, Pennsylvania. But once the world famous actress gets the call that her estranged father has passed, and his only living relative will need to settle his estate, she finds herself back in the small town that sent her running once upon a time.
Little do her dilapidated childhood home and her father’s affairs know, Cassandra was in need of a project exactly like this to distract from the glamorous life she no longer wants or recognizes. That is, until she bumps into the man whose family is considered Main Street royalty.
Patrick Ashton is the boy next door, a Hope Crest celebrity, and one of the heirs to the most famous restaurants on the East Coast. He has no problem reminding her just how much the town hated her old man … and in turn her for sharing his last name. But when he realizes she’s going to sell the land their two families have fought over for decades, Patrick might have to change his tune.
As he begins scheming to charm the woman the entire country wants to be or be with, she can’t deny the spark of chemistry between them still exists after all these years. The one that simmered in the shared woods behind their homes where no one else could see.
And when the danger that sent her fleeing as a teenager returns to seek revenge, she finds Patrick genuinely in her corner, despite his family’s objections. In the place she swore never to return, she might have just found the love and life she was searching for.
Except old wounds and unsettled scores might not let her keep it.
🧡Review🧡
Cassandra has built a life as a successful actress far away from the town that never accepted her and the father with whom she shared a strained relationship. When she is advised that she needs to return to finalize her father’s estate she agrees as she is at a crossroads in her life. When she finds herself staying longer than she expected it reignites the feelings she had for Patrick in the past however all is not as straightforward as it appears.
Patrick’s family has been at odds with Cassandra’s father for as long as he can remember. He finds himself conflicted between loyalty towards his family and his feelings for Cassandra however once he finds out she is being threatened his protective instincts take over and he is determined to keep her safe.
Despite the many reasons why they shouldn’t be together the chemistry between them, and their hearts don’t agree. For the first time in her life Cassandra isn’t running away from something but running towards someone and he feels the same way.
Meet Carrie Aarons
Author of romance novels such as Fool Me Twice and Love at First Fight, Carrie Aarons writes books that are just as swoon-worthy as they are sarcastic. A former journalist, she prefers the love stories of her imagination, and the athleisure dress code, much better.
When she isn’t writing, Carrie is busy binging reality TV, having a love/hate relationship with cardio, and trying not to burn dinner. She lives in the suburbs of New Jersey with her husband, two children and ninety-pound rescue pup.
💚Review💚
When Bishop emerges from his coma, he is confused not only for the memory loss he is experiencing but by the connection that he feels for his nurse’s aid. Even though they have never met he feels like he knows her, and he wants to show her that he is the one man that she and her son can count on.
Sunshine will do whatever she can to make the best life she can for her son. Although she regrets not being able to spend the time with her son she is happy with the extra income and while Bishop was in a coma he became her confident. Now that he is awake the draw she feels for him hasn’t diminished but she is torn between protecting her heart and pursuing what she wants.
Both Bishop and Sunshine have a difficult past which causes some turmoil but despite the circumstances that brought them together there is no doubt they are meant to be.
Meet Marie James:
Let’s see…where to begin…
I’m a full-time author, mother of two boys, and wife of 18+ years. Dog Mom to four great danes: Maximus, Nala, Freya, and Hagrid.
I’ve spent almost my entire lifetime living in central Texas, with only short stays in South Carolina, Alabama, and Florida. Currently residing in a sleepy little town in East Tennessee.
Writing is my passion, and I absolutely love being able to sit down and put all of my thoughts and emotions into my stories.
I love dogs, coffee, making handmade cards, and steamy romance novels!
Keep up with Marie James and subscribe to her newsletter.
To learn more about Marie James & her books, visit here!
🏒Review🏒 Due to her past Maven wants nothing to do with athletes so when she meets Vince at a function, she isn’t shy about stating her opinion. When the blog she works for is given the opportunity to spend the next 30 days showcasing everything about him you know the sparks are going to fly.
Vince is a professional hockey player who is being judged due to occupation when it comes to Maven but that is only part of who he is. He was intrigued by Maven from their first meeting however the more time they spend together the deeper the feelings become but that means he needs to show her that he is a man she can trust with her heart.
Vince may not have always made the best choices, but his intentions are good and Maven’s need to be cautious is understandable. The chemistry between them is intense, the banter between them is entertaining but it is the way he is willing to fight for the woman who has stolen his heart that makes their story so special.
Meet Your Match by Kandi Steiner is now live!
One Month with Vince Tanev: Tampa’s Hotshot Rookie
Twenty-four-seven access on and off the ice.
The headline says it all, and my bosses are over the moon when the opportunity of a lifetime lands in my lap. Of course, they aren’t aware that I’ve already met Vince Cool at an all-star gala — and that we were at each other’s throats the entire time.
It doesn’t matter that he’s the kind of hot that shows God has favorites — messy brown hair, heated hazel eyes, the smirk of a rockstar, and a scar over his eyebrow that makes every woman particularly feral.
He’s a rich, cocky playboy — a brand I’m all too familiar with, and one I’m determined to never be around again.
But after my coverage of the gala stirs up buzz, the team’s General Manager and my CEO strike a deal. To help fill the arena at home games, I’ll get up close and personal with Tampa’s new shiny toy. Whether he’s at practice, playing in a game, partying, or drinking coffee half-naked in his condo — I’ll be there for all of it.
Vince gets under my skin like no one else. It isn’t long before that paper-thin line between hate and lust blurs, and being around him every waking minute of the day leaves no chance to escape his devilish stare.
The air crackles between us. The tension is hot enough to melt my inhibitions.
But I know the way this story ends. I’ve lived it once before.
As much as I work to guard my heart, my body is a traitor — and if this man puts his hands on me, I know I’ll submit to desire.
I thought one month with Vince Tanev was a game I could win easily.
But I might have just met my match.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
Kandi Steiner is an Amazon Top 5 bestselling author and whiskey connoisseur living in Tampa, FL. Best known for writing “emotional rollercoaster” stories, she loves bringing flawed characters to life and writing about real, raw romance — in all its forms. No two Kandi Steiner books are the same, and if you’re a lover of angsty, emotional, and inspirational reads, she’s your gal.
An alumna of the University of Central Florida, Kandi graduated with a double major in Creative Writing and Advertising/PR with a minor in Women’s Studies. She started writing back in the 4th grade after reading the first Harry Potter installment. In 6th grade, she wrote and edited her own newspaper and distributed to her classmates. Eventually, the principal caught on and the newspaper was quickly halted, though Kandi tried fighting for her “freedom of press.”
She took particular interest in writing romance after college, as she has always been a die hard hopeless romantic, and likes to highlight all the challenges of love as well as the triumphs.
When Kandi isn’t writing, you can find her reading books of all kinds, planning her next adventure, or pole dancing (yes, you read that right). She enjoys live music, traveling, playing with her fur babies and soaking up the sweetness of life.
Kandi Steiner may be coming to a city near you! Check out her “events” tab to see all the signings she’s attending in the near future: www.kandisteiner.com/events
Derek broke my heart when he left without a good-bye.
Shattered and spiraling, I’m finding my footing when my rebellious rockstar barrels back into my life, upending the progress I’ve made.
Derek’s apologetic and regretful. Worried and sincere.
He’s everywhere, all at once, trying to prove that there’s a happily-ever-after waiting for us.
He’s wrong.
I’m too resentful for forgiveness or second chances. But, gah, I still want him.
As I set the parameters of our new arrangement, Derek slowly scales the walls I’ve erected.
Hope begins to glimmer, and our future looks brighter, until a secret from his past rips him wide open, exposing truths neither of us is prepared to handle.
Turns out, it’s going to take more than understanding and forgiveness to save what we started.
*** Resentful Rockstar is a steamy, contemporary rockstar romance. It’s book 2 in The Burnt Clovers trilogy — continuing Derek and Allegra’s emotional story from Rebellious Rockstar.
🎼Review🎼
After giving her heart to Derek, Allegra is devastated when he leaves with no explanation or further contact after what they shared. Moving forward is a difficult process so when he comes back into her life several months later she isn’t about to just forgive and forget.
Derek regrets the decisions he has made that caused Allegra so much hurt and although he understands her need to be cautious, he is determined to show her that he isn’t that man. After working his way back into her life and her heart the past resurfaces which could destroy everything they have worked so hard to rebuild.
Allegra and Derek take us on tumultuous and emotional journey as they fight their way back to each other and the love they share only to have a cliffhanger that leaves us needing to know what the future holds for this captivating couple.
Meet Gina Azzi:
Hey Lovelies!
Thanks so much for stopping by! I’m Gina Azzi, a book-obsessed, coffee-drinking, globetrotting, mama of three! I write steamy Contemporary and Sports Romance books with heartwarming happily-ever-afters.
A Jersey girl at heart, I spent my twenties living and working abroad before settling down in Ontario, Canada with my family. When I’m not dreaming up storylines or writing all the words, you can find me hanging with my littles, attempting to bake, or planning my next adventure.
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Let’s see…where to begin…
Hey Lovelies!
Kari's Book Reviews and Revelations 