PLBR Book Reviews 2018 - ELLES BOOK BLOG

ELLES BOOK BLOG

TO BURN IN BRUTAL RAPTURE BY NYLA K.

12/29/2020

To Burn in Brutal Rapture is a highly erotic forbidden romance of the best kind! I devoured this book despite the long page count and was extremely invested in the story! You should read it!

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: October 22, 2020
Genre: Age Gap. Forbidden Romance.
Series: None. Complete standalone.
Pages: 637 pages
Format: eBook. Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited.

The ache of tragedy sunk deep, like the claws of a wicked monster.
To heal was to remember what my godfather told me when I was six…

Pain is a part of life. If you prepare for it, it will hurt less.

He would know, after all. Lazarus Weston is pain personified.

The scowling man with stormy eyes and tattoos covering his excessive muscles is not only my godfather, but also my dad’s business partner and best friend. A permanent fixture in our lives. Well, in Dad’s, not mine.

But when grief mixes with confusing new feelings, I’m forced to see Lazarus differently, in a way that severely complicates my world.
Because he’s too old for me. He’ll never be mine.

I’m not allowed to have him, but obsession burns a fine line between can’t and won’t.

THE UNLUCKY ONES BY STACEY MARIE BROWN

10/31/2020

The Unlucky Ones is a unique romance but I felt myself in disbelief at some of the things that were happening within the story. I think that took away from some of my enjoyment.

Rating: ★★★
Release Date: April 1, 2019
Genre: New Adult Romance. Criminal.
Series: None. Complete standalone.
Pages: 362 pages
Format: eBook. Purchased.

Misfortune. Bad luck. Heartache.

Devon Thorpe is no stranger to any of them.

After devastating news, Devon’s life becomes a prison of responsibility, heartbreak, and hardship. All her dreams to leave her small town vanish. A prisoner of circumstance.

At her breaking point, Devon has a reckless moment in a diner bathroom with a blue-eyed sexy stranger. A single encounter with him leaves a deep mark on Devon, giving her only a memory of his touch when nights are lonely, and her life becomes too much to take.

Years later a terrifying incident takes her and her family to Albuquerque NM, where she finds work as a server at a bar to support her mother.

FALLEN CREST HIGH BY TIJAN

10/10/2020

Fallen Crest high is just as juicy as I had hoped! This stepbrother romance is filled with the best angst and drama around! I can't wait to finish reading the series!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: November 18, 2012
Genre: New Adult. High school Romance. Stepbrother.
Series: The Fallen Crest series #1
Pages: 375 pages
Format: Paperback. Purchased.

Mason and Logan Kade are two brothers who did their own thing. They were rich and expected to attend Samantha's school, Fallen Crest Academy. They chose public school and now she has to live with them. The problem is that she doesn't care at all: about them, about her friends, about her cheating boyfriend, or even about her parent's divorce.

But maybe that's a good thing. Maybe change is a good thing.

This book contains adult/mature young adult situations.

LOVE UNEXPECTED BY Q.B TYLER

9/20/2020

Love Unexpected is a forbidden/taboo romance between a stepfather and stepdaughter. While I love the taboo aspects, this book was unrealistic in so many ways.

Rating: ★★
Release Date: August 12, 2020
Genre: Taboo. Age Gap Romance. (Stepfather/daughter)
Series: None.
Pages: 247 pages
Format: eBook. Borrowed with Kindle Unlimited.

I’d only wanted one kiss.

One kiss, under the dark of night, in a city where no one knew us.

One kiss fueled by my hormones and alcohol and the blinding grief over losing my mother.

One kiss from the man I told myself was untouchable.

But, it didn’t stop at one kiss.

And now we are running full speed down a road with no intention of stopping.

His touch disarms me.
His kiss revives me.
But, our love, could destroy me.

DRIVE BY KATE STEWART

9/19/2020

What everyone was saying about Drive was right. This is one epic romance! I think it may even be one of my favorite romances ever written! I highly recommend it.

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: October 13, 2017
Genre: New Adult Romance. Epic Romance.
Series: None. Complete Standalone.
Pages: 412 pages
Format: eBook. Purchased.

2017 Nominee for Best Contemporary Romance-GOODREADS
Named one of the Top 10 hottest romance reads of 2017 by Huffington Post and New York Daily News!

Music . . . the heart’s greatest librarian.

The average song is three and a half minutes long; those three and a half minutes could lead to a slow blink, a glimpse of the past, or catapult the soul into heart-shattering nostalgia.

At the height of my career, I had the life I wanted, the life I’d always envisioned. I’d found my tempo, my rhythm. Then I received a phone call that left me off key.

You see, my favorite songs had a way of playing simultaneously. I was in love with one man’s beats and another’s lyrics. But when it

THE IDEA OF YOU BY ROBINNE LEE

8/18/2020

The Idea of You is an exquisite portrait of sex and love between two people leading opposites lives. I was drawn into this book and enamored by it. I highly recommend it.

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: June 13, 2017
Genre: Contemporary (age gap) romance. Musicians.
Series: None.
Pages: 372 pages
Format: Paperback. Purchased.

When Solène Marchand, the thirty-nine-year-old owner of a prestigious art gallery in Los Angeles, takes her daughter, Isabelle, to meet her favorite boy band, she does so reluctantly and at her ex-husband’s request. The last thing she expects is to make a connection with one of the members of the world-famous August Moon. But Hayes Campbell is clever, winning, confident, and posh, and the attraction is immediate. That he is all of twenty years old further complicates things.

What begins as a series of clandestine trysts quickly evolves into a passionate relationship. It is a journey that spans continents as Solène and Hayes navigate each other’s disparate worlds: from stadium tours to international art fairs to secluded hideaways. And for Solène, it is as much a reclaiming of self, as it is a rediscovery of happiness and love. When their romance becomes a viral sensation, and both she and her daughter become the target of rabid fans and an insatiable media, Solène must face how her new

FLOCK BY KATE STEWART

7/31/2020

Flock is the first book in the Ravenhood Duet and is honestly one of the most intoxicating books I have ever read. I knew immediately when I started it that I was going to devour this book and that's exactly what happened. I can't wait for the conclusion.

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: July 28, 2020
Genre: New Adult Romance (reverse harem themes)
Series: The Ravenhood Duet #1
Pages: 312 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

Can you keep a secret?

I grew up sick.

Let me clarify.

I grew up believing that real love stories include a martyr or demand great sacrifice to be worthy.

Because of that, I believed it, because I made myself believe it, and I bred the most masochistic of romantic hearts, which resulted in my illness.

When I lived this story, my own twisted fairy tale, it was unbeknownst to me at the time because I was young and naïve. I gave into temptation and fed the beating beast, which grew

BLOCK SHOT BY KENNEDY RYAN

6/20/2020

Kennedy Ryan has written another incredible book right here and I am quickly becoming a fan of her work! This is an amazing enemies to lovers romance with angst!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: September 8, 2018
Genre: Enemies to Lovers romance.
Series: Hoops series #2 (can stand alone)
Pages: 444 pages
Format: eBook. Purchased.

They're two sharks in a fish tank...

JARED

If I had a dollar for every time Banner Morales made my heart skip a beat...
The heart everyone assumes is frozen over.
Her anger is... arousing.
Every glare from those fire-spitting eyes, every time she grits her teeth, gets me... well, you know.
If I had a dollar for every time she's put me in my place, I'd be an even richer man.
I'm a successful sports agent because I assume "no" means you'll think about it.
I'm sure what you meant to say is "Coming right up."
They say even rich men don't always get what they want, but those men don't know how to play the game. The trick is to keep them guessing.
Take Banner. She assumes she's winning, but this game?

FORBIDDEN MILES BY CLAIRE KINGSLEY

6/9/2020

Forbidden Miles was everything I wanted in a brother's best friend romance! This book had it all: charming characters, swoon worthy moments, and some humor!

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: July 20, 2018
Genre: Brother's Best Friend Romance.
Series: The Miles Family series #2
Pages: 330 pages
Format: eBook. Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited.

“You're not supposed to fall for your brothers best friend.”

Brynn Miles thought moving back to her family’s winery was a good idea. But when you’re the baby of the family, life can get complicated. Dating? Forget about it. Not with her three older brothers acting like human chastity belts.

To Chase Reilly, his best friend’s little sister has always been invisible. She’s so forbidden, he doesn’t let himself see her. Besides, she’s totally girlfriend material, and he doesn’t do the relationship thing.

Until the night Chase sees her. Really, truly sees her. And nothing will ever be the same.

Looking for love isn’t Brynn’s focus, and Chase is the one guy in the world she can’t fall for. He’s T-R-O-U-B-L-E. Untouchable. And just

LONG SHOT BY KENNEDY RYAN

5/16/2020

Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan is one of the most gorgeous and emotional books that I have ever read. I don't want to give anything away but I will say this: you need this book in your life!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: March 22, 2018
Genre: Sports Romance. Forbidden. Emotional.
Series: The Hoops series #1 (can stand alone)
Pages: 460 pages
Format: eBook. Purchased.

A FORBIDDEN LOVE SET IN THE EXPLOSIVE WORLD OF THE NBA...

Think you know what it's like being a baller's girl?
You don't.
My fairy tale is upside down.
A happily never after.
I kissed the prince and he turned into a fraud.
I was a fool, and his love - fool's gold.
Now there's a new player in the game, August West.
One of the NBA's brightest stars.
Fine. Forbidden.
He wants me. I want him.
But my past, my fraudulent prince, just won't let me go

*Contains domestic abuse not involving the hero. Read reviews for guidance.

UNSUPERVISED BY S.M. SHADE

5/6/2020

Unsupervised is the first book in a brand new romantic comedy series from S.M. Shade and it's FUNNY! If you've read the Violent Circle series (which I recommend) then you should know that this is a spin-off of that series!

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: May 7, 2020
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Series: Slumming It #1
Pages: 272 pages
Format: eBook. ARC

My decision to run from my comfortable upper-class life was an impulsive one, but I’m determined not to regret it. It’s true I have no car, have already been fired from my first job, and can’t cook without starting a fire, but I can do this. Anything is better than the life I was raised to lead as some successful man’s arm candy.

I’m adjusting to my new circumstances living with three roommates on Violent Circle, a neighborhood known for being eccentric at best and an insanity filled edible trip any other day. On my own for the first time, I am quickly realizing there’s a lot I need to learn, so signing up for the adulting club that teaches life skills at college seems like the perfect solution.

That is, until I walk into the first meeting and come face to face with my gorgeous economics teacher. Screw learning how to change a tire or file your taxes.

TELL ME PRETTY LIES BY CHARLEIGH ROSE

4/18/2020

Tell Me Pretty Lies is an angsty new adult romance with an enemies to lovers trope! I devoured this one. Charleigh Rose writes fantastic romances and that's no different with this one.

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: April 5, 2020
Genre: New Adult. Enemies to Lovers Romance.
Series: None. Complete standalone.
Pages: 289 pages
Format: eBook. ARC

Three things my mother acquired when she became engaged:

1. A brand new Tiffany's ring.
2. A lavish home on Heartbreak Hill.
3. Three privileged stepsons.

The last thing I expected was to fall for one of them, least of all Thayer Ames.
Beautiful, brooding, and untouchable.
I knew it was a bad idea. He warned me himself.
But he was a thunderstorm, and I never could resist the rain.
It was perfect…
Until it wasn’t.
One night was all it took for our world to crumble, leaving only secrets and lies between us.
Now, I have to face him again, but the boy I used to know has become the man who loves to hate me.

CREDENCE BY PENELOPE DOUGLAS

2/22/2020

Credence is a complicated and sexy read and I love being on this epic journey with the characters! If you enjoy forbidden romances this is the book for you!

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: January 13, 2020
Genre: New Adult. Forbidden Romance.
Series: None. Complete standalone.
Pages: 487 pages
Format: Paperback. Purchased.

Three of them, one of her, and a remote cabin in the woods. Let the hot, winter nights ensue...

Tiernan de Haas doesn't care about anything anymore. The only child of a film producer and his starlet wife, she's grown up with wealth and privilege but not love or guidance. Shipped off to boarding schools from an early age, it was still impossible to escape the loneliness and carve out a life of her own. The shadow of her parents' fame followed her everywhere.

And when they suddenly pass away, she knows she should be devastated. But has anything really changed? She's always been alone, hasn't she?

Jake Van der Berg, her father's stepbrother and her only living relative, assumes guardianship of Tiernan who is still two months shy of eighteen. Sent to live with him and his two sons, Noah and

VOYEUR BY FIONA COLE

2/20/2020

Voyeur is the first book in the Voyeur series and is a complete standalone. This is a forbidden romance (student/teacher) and is filled with sizzling chemistry!

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: April 26, 2018
Genre: Forbidden Romance
Series: Voyeur series #1 (can stand alone)
Pages: 311 pages
Format: eBook. Borrowed from KU.

I didn’t know she was my student the first time I paid to watch her at Voyeur.

Once she walked into my classroom, another smiling college freshman, I knew I should stop going. Stop watching.

But I couldn’t do it. Everything about her makes me want more, and once I realize she wants me too, the temptation becomes irresistible.

The worst part is that she has no idea her professor is the one watching behind the glass.

I just have to hope that once she finds out the truth, she wants the same thing I do. Because now that I've seen all of her, I can't look away.

THE AFFAIR BY J.L. BERG

2/14/2020

The Affair was an unexpected and enlightening read for me. I love how the author weaved this story and made the aspects of a forbidden romance feel so right.

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: February 13, 2020
Genre: Contemporary Romance.
Series: None. Complete standalone.
Pages: 325 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

There are some paths in your life you’re never meant to take.
Yet, by some twist of fate, you find yourself on the forbidden road all the same.

Those are the words I stumble upon when I unearth a hidden journal that once belonged to my grandmother.

A hidden journal that details a heartbreaking affair with her husband’s brother. It’s a family secret I’m unprepared to deal with, especially when my own life begins to parallel hers.

Sawyer Gallagher was never on my radar. The moment I met his younger brother, I was taken. Done for. Love-drunk.

But, some things aren't meant to last and at the age of thirty-three, I find myself divorced, penniless and living with my parents. When Sawyer stops by our family’s antique store, asking for a job, I figure: Why the heck not? Life can’t get much worse.

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