In a genre whose reader base has grown increasingly obsessed with avoiding all manner of "triggers" in favor of embracing fantasy, Catch Me Twice throIn a genre whose reader base has grown increasingly obsessed with avoiding all manner of "triggers" in favor of embracing fantasy, Catch Me Twice throws up a figurative middle finger and tells a story inspired by real people by diving headfirst into the real relationship struggles a couple can sometimes face in life when one falls in love with another person before falling in love with oneself. The harsh realism in this young love gone awry tale can be quite unsettling, though, hence the trigger warning the author has placed on this title.
In Catch Me Twice, Jake & Kristi go on a truly beautiful, filthy, angst-ridden, messy journey through a minefield of heartbreaking life events that will tie your stomach in knots and may have you shouting "Why? Why?!" at your e-reader. Jake is self-destruction personified, and I loved and pitied the hell out of his trainwreck character throughout the book. At the same time, I never felt like I fully understood Jake’s character, which added another layer of the realism brilliance to this story, in my opinion, because individuals who go out of their way to cheat themselves out of happiness in life are hard for most of us to understand and to wrap our brains around.
Truly, I believe the “normal person” reaction is to be mystified by a character like Jake because his actions from a logical perspective make no sense. But that’s because the act of self-loathing in and of itself is the opposite of sensical. I think a pitfall in trying to understand the psychology of self-destructive behavior is to look for reason and logic behind it or to outside influences on which to lay blame. While there are always reasons and external circumstances one may point to, they’re less relevant than the underlying pathological internal condition, which is often experienced to large degree on a subconscious level.
Jake abandons Kristi because he doesn’t love himself. He is his own nemesis. And he spends the greater part of the book’s second half groveling for forgiveness and scrambling to put the pieces of his destroyed relationship back together. It’s equal parts painful and rewarding to watch. Admittedly, I don’t fully understand how Jake ultimately manages to turn his self-destructive tendencies around. But I also don’t fully understand those tendencies and compulsions at the level a person with Jake’s predilections experiences them.
Catch Me Twice doesn’t glorify or romanticize Jake’s hurtful behavior toward Kristi. In fact, it reveals it for all its raw, dark self-loathing ugliness and self-destruction. I loved that about this book!
In real life, love can be messy. Not everyone gets it right the first time, and the greatest obstacle to love may ultimately be oneself. Pauls masterfully pulls off a brilliant love story surrounding a sensitive, taboo romance genre topic with great elegance through beautiful writing and gritty, soulful storytelling. ...more
The author who opened women’s eyes to the darkly erotic possibilities to be found in their own kitchen sinks with Tormentor Mine knocks it out of the The author who opened women’s eyes to the darkly erotic possibilities to be found in their own kitchen sinks with Tormentor Mine knocks it out of the park with a swoon-worthy rom-com that may have you racing to your nearest animal shelter to adopt every stray cat in sight in a desire to embrace the glamorous, sexy cat-lady life Zaires creates in Wall Street Titan.
Did you read the book blurb and think: Not another novel about a mousy heroine falling for a high-powered billionaire totally out of her league?! Yes! Yes, this is just that. And it isn’t. Because Wall Street Titan delivers a NEXT-LEVEL mousy bookstore clerk cat-lady heroine who smashes the tired stereotype you’re expecting her to be.
Sure, Emma’s character is set up to embody many trappings of her trope, but she’s no virgin waiting to be rescued. She doesn’t want a Pretty Woman makeover. And she’d walk away from the most eligible bachelor in NYC without a second glance if he couldn’t make nice with her cats. Emma owns her cat-lady-ness and her Salvation Army sense of style in a way that is at once hilarious, badass, and simply inspired. She’s comfortable with her life and has no desire to change her ways to accommodate any man—no matter how charming, wealthy, or dead sexy he may be. And somehow she manages to turn Marcus’s whole world upside down without doing anything but being herself during every encounter they have.
But zany lovable as Emma’s quirky character is, Marcus’s humorous thoughts and reactions to Emma tickled me the most throughout as Emma’s nonchalant take-me-as-I-am-with-all-my-cats-or-get-lost attitude causes the self-assured billionaire hedge fund manager to unravel as he begins to question who he is and what he really wants out of life.
Zaires’s eloquent, fluid writing-style never fails to grip me from the start. But of all her books I’ve read to date, Wall Street Titan came to life for me with a cinematic quality unlike any other. From their first meet-cute, the pairing of Emma and Marcus sets the stage for a fresh and compelling opposites-attract relationship dynamic in a contemporary romance that is sexy, humorous, and enchanting straight out of the gate. I found the characters to be genuine and engaging, the storyline immersing, and the pacing on point. So much so that I read Wall Street Titan cover to cover in one sitting because I Could. Not. Put. It. Down. It surpassed all my wildest expectations while managing to completely take me by surprise.
Wall Street Titan has all the markers of a safe, feel-good romantic comedy but with all the taut, underlying erotic tension and explosive sexual payoff readers have come to expect from an Anna Zaires’s dark romance. FLOVED it and highly recommend!...more
Well, I was seriously needing a great Krinar alien fix, and Lauren Smith's The Krinar Eclipse did not disappoint!! Soren, the alpha-male Krinar ambassWell, I was seriously needing a great Krinar alien fix, and Lauren Smith's The Krinar Eclipse did not disappoint!! Soren, the alpha-male Krinar ambassador H in this smexy tale, was just the right mix of old-school romantic and ass-slapping dom. ...more
Not gonna lie, I'm a sucker for a good BSC quirky heroine, so I was sold as soon as I got to "also the craziest" in the description of Lina in the bluNot gonna lie, I'm a sucker for a good BSC quirky heroine, so I was sold as soon as I got to "also the craziest" in the description of Lina in the blurb, and I couldn't wait to dive in! 😜 As with every Charmaine Pauls book I've read to date, once I started reading Beauty in the Broken, I could NOT put it down until I was finished.
I should preface this review by saying that I like a little dark with my romance reading from time to time, but not so dark that I feel like the book I'm reading should've come with a "razor blade sold separately" label, if you know what I mean. Charmaine Pauls' books have proven to be safe dark romance choices for me because she has a solid track record of producing well-written, captivating, and unbelievably hot stories centered around imperfect, tortured antiheroes and heroines who possess enough admirable, redeeming qualities to make them lovable and "root-worthy" to the reader. And while Pauls does seem to delight in tearing the reader's heart out and stomping on it more than once throughout the course of a novel, she consistently delivers satisfying, swoon-worthy HEAs that will have you thanking her in the end for all the cathartic torment she has subjected you to.
Beauty in the Broken delivers all of Pauls' trademark angsty dark deliciousness, and then some. In many ways, this standalone felt darker to me than The Loan Shark and The Age Between Us duets, and yet, strangely, it wasn't as heavy of a read for me compared to either duet. I think the reason could be that while Lina is initially presented to the reader as a broken and damaged character, she's actually anything but. In fact, I'd say she's far more mature, self-aware, emotionally sound, and world-savvy than the jaded, bent-on-revenge Damian is—and I especially appreciated all the subtle ways this was conveyed by the author throughout.
Don't get me wrong, Damian is a beautifully demented, tough-as-nails, sexy dark antihero who has been through a lot in his young life, but in many respects, he came across as more sheltered and emotionally fragile than Lina to me. Damian's emotional development/revelation hits closer to the third Act. At the same time, I found Damian to be singularly determined, strong and protective throughout in all the traditionally masculine ways you'd expect and want him to be.
Together, Lina and Damian form a solidly broken pairing, and their relationship dynamic is truly engaging in the way it’s interwoven within the greater storyline and undermined by the forces of secondary characters plotting against them. (Side note: If you never considered looking for a sexy, self-made millionaire dom at your local penitentiary before, Damian might just change your mind. 😏) All in all, this was a riveting, emotionally-charged rollercoaster of a 5-star read that has left me jonesing for my next Charmaine Pauls fix. Brilliantly done! ...more
My expectations were so high for this 4th and final book’s release that I was a little nervous digging in, and I am thrilled to say that Zaires’ writiMy expectations were so high for this 4th and final book’s release that I was a little nervous digging in, and I am thrilled to say that Zaires’ writing (much like Peter’s insatiable lust and stamina throughout this quadrilogy) DID NOT DISAPPOINT in the least!! Forever Mine was everything I was hoping it would be: an action-packed, sexy, thrilling, satisfyingly angsty ride. My only complaint is that I’m left with a major book hangover and jonesing for my next Peter fix. This is a brilliant series from start to finish, and I will be rereading this quadrilogy again... and again... and again... ****Spoilers**** It's ballsy AF to start a romance where the H waterboards the h and then murders her lawfully wedded broccoli. That's some next level antihero stuff right there. ...more
Now LIVE! Long-tormented repressed sadist werelock seeks unconventional HEA with woman who talks to ghosts on the reg. I wrote this duet for the 12 haNow LIVE! Long-tormented repressed sadist werelock seeks unconventional HEA with woman who talks to ghosts on the reg. I wrote this duet for the 12 hardcore Kai fans out there. ❄️Read an Excerpt➜ https://hettieivers.com/seer-is-live/ [image]
I read Hands off his Dudette (Some Girls Do It Book 6) as part of the Just the Tip anthology. Even though this is part of a series and features supporI read Hands off his Dudette (Some Girls Do It Book 6) as part of the Just the Tip anthology. Even though this is part of a series and features supporting characters introduced in previous books, it can definitely be read as a standalone as this is the first book I have read in this series.
Hands off his Dudette is a seriously adorable best friends-to-lovers contemporary romance, and I enjoyed it immensely. As a sweet, lighter read with heart, the character development really shines through, adding depth to the relationship dynamics--both between the main characters and supporting characters. (Especially floved Arabella Johnson! 😂) The writing itself feels effortless and cohesive, the storyline well fleshed out, the romance inherent from the start, and the sexual tension between Anna and Finn builds nicely and (perhaps more importantly) culminates in a payoff that is totally worth the wait. 🔥🔥🔥
Overall, a very satisfying storyline and sexy read! Highly recommend. ...more
Zut alors! Grab a cold drink and a fabricator (for new panties) and one-click this alien hotness!!
I'm a huge fan of Anna Zaires' Krinar world, so I waZut alors! Grab a cold drink and a fabricator (for new panties) and one-click this alien hotness!!
I'm a huge fan of Anna Zaires' Krinar world, so I was especially impressed with how well Pauls crafted a storyline and characters that seemed to effortlessly fit into Zaires' world and connect with the original storyline of the Krinar Chronicles. Pauls' writing-style is also beautiful, which made this an absolute joy to read.
I especially loved Liv, the heroine of this tale!! She was smart, strong, determined, and loyal. And while at times she came across as naive (not in a bad way—but in keeping with her youth and life experience), she also managed to come across as a bit of a jaded old soul—which for me really helped in making her pairing with Zavir, an ancient alien, work.
Zavir, the Krinar guardian who is Liv's love interest as well as captor, was kind of a hot mess to me—in that he's hot, but also a total trainwreck when it comes to understanding and treating women. I really wanted to club him over the head (maybe take a flogger to him) a few times, and tell him to get his shit together already. And yet, I admit that his character was in keeping with his Krinar alien society station and life experience, so it fit. And ultimately, the dynamic between Zavir and Liv just sizzled!
If you've never read a single book in Anna Zaires' Krinar world, you can definitely start with this one as it may be read and enjoyed as a standalone. I also highly recommend Charmaine Pauls' The Krinar Experiment.
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