A Flame in the Night by Morgan Dante

Published: April 11, 2023Publisher: SelfAuthor: WebsiteInfo: Goodreads

The start of bloody decadence...The definition of marriage: Two people and their silver-haired vampire.In 1924, Paris is a bastion of sexual freedom, even for shell-shocked Leon Laflamme, the most dramatic blond this side of the Seine. After years of loneliness and secrecy, he's married the clever and sumptuous burlesque dancer Claire. However, Leon truly finds liberation when he meets the stoic, intriguing, and silver-haired Count Matthias, who offers true freedom in his dark gift: immortality. (goodreads.com)

I'm just a hair shy of saying the florid writing of A FLAME IN THE NIGHT was too much for me, but most of the time it created a sumptuous scene that was just luscious to read. It did occasionally lose itself in the language, though, as I had a hard time working my way through some of the sentences and certain scenes, especially the sex scenes because the descriptions got a little boggy. It sometimes slowed the reading down to the point where I got a little lost in what was happening.Dante nails painting vivid characters from the moment they step on the page. Claire and Leon and Matthias were all fully formed using so few words. In their cadence of speech, how they viewed the world, and how they interacted with each other. The development there was enviable.The pacing was a little slow, which is kind of surprising for such a short book. There is a lot of character setup and their interaction with Matthias, and getting to the point of his story arc, took more than half the book to get to. As a result, the ending felt rushed, albeit it satisfactory. I liked where the story went and how the arc was resolved. I liked the realization of just how shallow the monster now lives under their skin and how they now must control it forever. It creates a good cyclical plot. Leon and Claire were running from monsters, and they ended up fighting fire with fire.If you're looking for a lush read that's sexy as hell (those sex scenes were something else) that's worth the payoff of a slower start to the plot, you'll like A FLAME IN THE NIGHT.3.5I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Ally and Her Mad Hatter by SN Hunt

Pub Date: February 1, 2023Publisher: SelfAuthor: WebsiteInfo: Goodreads

Ally spent her whole life being told Wonderland was just a fantasy, nothing more than a story that lived inside her mother's head. All it took was a tumble through a mirror to prove that was a lie. Now she must find her place within this world of madness without losing her sanity in the arms of the Mad Hatter.Hatter seeks to forget Alice, who shattered his heart by wallowing in a sea of liquor. When he stumbles downstairs in search of more, he finds himself face-to-face with the spitting image of her. But Ally is no Alice, so why does he burn for her with a fire as hot as the sun? (goodreads.com)

Sweet.Baby.Jesus.First and foremost, check your triggers on this book. Like seriously. The author puts them at the front. You will need them. ALLY AND HER MAD HATTER is INTENSE. And DARK. Like seriously dark. Darker, I think, than King of Flesh and Bone. So if KoFaB had you clutching your pearls, ALLY will have you turning them into paste.This book is sexy af. Like let's just get right to the point, shall we? It's deep and dark and dirty and will make you question why you're finding this hot but it's FURKING HOT and you may need to take a break or twelve in the middle to, you know, tend to your needs. Like, I don't think this book is doing anything particularly hard left of center, but it takes what people do tend to like and pushes them to the extreme. So, like, pleasure in pain? YEAH. It's going to go a bit down the path with that one. Choking? Dangling from the cliff. There's some double action and, shall we say, REALLY deep throating.Like I said, there isn't anything in here that's super niche kinky, but it turns some fairly common kinks up to 37.The story itself is a fun one. Ally is the daughter of Alice [in Wonderland fame] and gets pulled through the looking glass because Wonderland needs a new Alice. Except Ally isn't really the sweet thing her mother and prior Alices were. She's something darker, and when she meets Hatter, their darkness feeds off of each other.Thing is, it ends pretty sweetly. For how dark the book gets, it is absolutely a HEA and I thought the end was a nice way to round out the book and bring it back to something that is wholly settling and squishy and gives someone lovely feels in all the right places.ALLY AND HER MAD HATTER is one of those books I wish I could read again for the first time. I couldn't put it down, especially when a chapter ended in the middle of something super spicy. Yeah, DEFINITELY not putting it down there. But I, uh, will be referring back to it pretty often, thankyouverymuch. The only complaint I really have about it is it could do with a copyedit or a run through ProWritingAid or Grammerly, but I was reading an ARC, so take that for what you will. Obviously it did not detract from my reading because I absolutely swallowed this book whole (heh).If you're looking for some super dark, sexy fun, this is it.4.5I received a copy of this book from the author through BookSprout in exchange for an honest review.

Blood by Midnight by Cassie Alexander

Published: March 8, 2022Publisher: Caskara Press (self)Author: WebsiteInfo: Goodreads

Angela: Run. I need to run. My boyfriend, Mark, thinks his mafia connections will be able to kill my ex. But Gray’s an alpha werewolf and the leader of the Pack, Vegas’s most notorious motorcycle gang. It will take more than just a mobbed up human to take him down. To protect my boyfriend and my son—we have to run.Jack: I’m the only one strong enough to save Angela—but even I can’t take on an entire werewolf gang. Which means I have to talk to Rosalie: the vampire who made me, the Mistress I despise. If I don’t, Angela and her son are as good as dead—so I’ll do it, even if swearing allegiance to Rosalie kills me. Again. (goodreads.com)

Book three in the Dark Ink Tattoo series and I'm still hooked. The tension is still turned up to an eleven and going higher, the plot keeps me guessing, and I'm absolutely never bored. Never a dull moment. Truly.Jack and Angela's stories are starting to tie up more than Angela just being Jack's boss, which is awesome. I was wondering when that was really going to be set into motion. With Jack babysitting Angela's son, wires get crossed and that Venn diagram starts moving toward a full circle.I like how Angela lets her wolf off the leash a little, and how it responds to Jack. I honestly wonder how Mark will factor into Jack and Angela, or whether we might be looking as a poly romance (granted, I don't have high hopes for that one, I don't think Mark's the type for that). There's going to be a boom moment that brings Jack and Angela together. I'm just waiting for that particular shoe to drop.Of course, the spice was SPICY. As always. I love Cassie's writing all around, but her sex scenes in particular. To die for.Cassie keeps delivering with these books. I'm not seeing any mid-series lag, or places where the plot is falling off. The storytelling is tight, the sex is lit, and the drama is high. I can't ask for much more than that!5I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

The Agent and the Outlaw by Lily Riley

Published: May 19, 2022Publisher: Mystic Owl PressAuthor: WebsiteInfo: Goodreads

The murder of a marquis, an accidental kidnapping, an elite vampire death squad, and a beast stalking the French countryside? All in a day’s work for a member of the les Dames Dangereuses.As the most enviable comtesse of the tonne, Charlotte de Brionne was almost satisfied with her wealth, power, and rather tepid marriage, until her murderous husband betrayed her.Now she has seized the chance to make a more adventurous start with les Dames Dangereuses, an order of women spies in service to the French crown. But her latest assignment is rudely interrupted when she is kidnapped by a crossbow-wielding madman, who turns out to be not at all mad only rather surly and annoyingly handsome.Lieutenant Antoine de Valle has no idea what to make of the exasperating, untrustworthy, and frustratingly beautiful woman he’s suddenly saddled with, but his honor demands he see Charlotte safely home. Especially since it’s his fault she accidentally witnesses his murder of a marquis, ends up on the wrong end of a brutal vampire death squad, and barely survives an encounter with the Beast of Gévaudan.In fact, the more Antoine tries to keep Charlotte safe, the more trouble they find themselves in. And the harder it is for Antoine to remember his honor in the face of Charlotte’s dangerous charms. (goodreads.com)

Yup, the sequel was just as good, if not better, than the first! More saucy interactions, more supernatural shenanigans, and the slowest of the slow burn romances. I'm here for it!Charlotte is a gem and I think I like her even more than Daphne, which is hard as hell because Daphne is a fantastic character. Charlotte's defense mechanism appears to be charm and wit. Whether it's her natural personality, something she learned at court, or a little bit of both, the reader will probably never know. But she's a witty, smart, independent woman who doesn't need no help from no one. Until she does. 😁Antoine is even more brooding than Étienne was, if that's possible. Surly and very much a loner, when he gets saddled with Charlotte with no gentlemanly way to get rid of her, he's doesn't quite know what to do with her. Until he does. 😝 And with only one bed between them, whatever will this clash of characters do?I love how werewolves are handled in THE AGENT AND THE OUTLAW. It doesn't shy away from the curse aspect familiar to the werewolf trope, but when in wolf form, the person retains their human brain and comprehension. Aside from eating raw meat and transforming into a wolf, the monster aspect of the trope is gone. I like that, especially for the world. If it were left in, it really wouldn't have fit with the characters. Although it would have created some rather INTERESTING situations. Granted, this is a paranormal romance, not a horror novel.Les Dames Dangereuses very much reminds me of Brooklyn Ann's Scandals with Bite series from the approach it's taking. Where Ann's female characters were a bit more demure and toeing the line of feminism, Riley's women are full tilt assassins and use their wiles to kill things dead from the get-go. They're also similar in how they flow from one book to the next. Charlotte was a secondary character in book one, where Daphne was the main. Charlotte is now the main in this book and Van Helsing has made appearances in both books. Now it looks like book three will be Van Helsing's book. I very much enjoy the flow here.A wonderful book and a wonderful series. There's at least one more and I can't wait to read it when it comes out!5I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

The Assassin and the Libertine by Lily Riley

Published: October 14, 2021Publisher: City Owl PressAuthor: WebsiteInfo: Goodreads

Daphne de Duras is a proper French duchess by day and fledgling assassin by night. Her latest mission is to dispatch justice and protect the French aristocracy by executing Étienne de Noailles, disgraced former noble, legendary rake, and vampire emissary to the court of King Louis XV.But Étienne’s alleged crime—the gruesome murder of Madame de Pompadour, the King’s mistress and Daphne's friend—doesn’t quite fit the dashing vampire’s nature. With his immortal days suddenly numbered, Étienne needs to convince his would-be executioner not only of his innocence, but that they should hunt the real killer together—a challenge almost as difficult as convincing himself that he isn’t falling for her.Daphne reluctantly agrees to a temporary partnership when Étienne persuades her that something more sinister is afoot. He can, after all, help her find answers in places she’s unable to go alone. And despite her deep loathing for any and all vampires, she can't help but start thinking of a few other places she'd like to go with him. (goodreads.com)

I never go into a book thinking I'm going to dislike it. But I certainly wasn't expecting to love THE ASSASSIN AND THE LIBERTINE the way I did! It's such a wonderfully fun book! I had a hard time putting it down.Daphne is a wonderful character, pushing the boundaries of her role in society to the breaking point only to pull back once again. She's a broken individual who's desperately trying to hold herself together, but comes unraveled in the face of Étienne. Can't say I blame her.Étienne is just as broken of an individual, just in different ways. It's no surprise that he and Daphne are so drawn together. He's very usual in terms of being the vampire love interest for the scorned duchess, but I have to say it's a trope I love. I can't help it. I can read those kinds of vampires all day, and Étienne is no different. He comes off great on page (heh) and I think the chemistry between him and Daphne is spot on. I couldn't look away.The story itself was fantastic, sucking me in from the beginning (heh). I didn't see the plot twist coming, and I found it so fitting once it did. It added a level of sinister to the story and also looped other plot elements in for a more robust tale.I literally have nothing bad to say about THE ASSASSIN AND THE LIBERTINE. I couldn't get enough of it and I want to read more. Luckily, I have book two waiting for me.5I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.