Blog Tour + ARC Review: Deep Redemption by Tillie Cole

Posted in 4 hearts, Blog Tours, Reviews by Lacey

Welcome to today’s stop on the tour for Deep Redemption by Tillie Cole!

Deep Redemption by Tillie Cole
Series: Hades Hangmen #4 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: July 12th 2016

ONLY THROUGH BLOOD CAN THE DEEPEST REDEMPTION BE FOUND…

He was born to ascend.
He was destined to lead.
He was never meant to fail.

Prophet Cain lies broken and defeated on the floor of his cell. A cell he has been thrown into by the one person who was supposed to stand by his side until the end. His flesh and blood, his only companion. His beloved twin brother.

Cain has sacrificed everything for his people. He left the safety and security of his life of study to infiltrate the infamous Hades Hangmen. He lived with them, rode with them, and then betrayed them. All in the name of a faith he can now feel slipping away from him. Like everything else he once held dear…

But then his isolation is broken. Another prisoner is brought to the cell next to his. A woman fighting her own demons and fears. A woman who Cain understands needs him, as he needs her.

As the connection between them grows, so does Cain’s resolve. He will right the wrongs he has done. He will atone for the evil acts carried out in his name. He will save the one he loves…

… Even if the battle takes him to the gates of hell itself.

Contemporary Dark Romance. Contains explicit sexual situations, violence, sensitive and taboo subjects, offensive language, and mature topics. Recommended for age 18 years and up.

Buy Links:
Amazon US • Amazon UK • Amazon AU • Amazon CA • iTunes • B&N • Kobo

Deep Redemption has been an anticipated read of mine since Rider first appeared in the first Hades Hangmen novel. I was extremely curious to see how Tillie Cole would play out Rider/Cain’s book, and now that it’s here, I really couldn’t see it playing out any other way than it did. This book is… intense. Graphic. Raw and uncensored. It’s not an easy read, but if you’re a fan of the series, you’ll probably want to get your hands on this book. SO many things happen, and all I can say is that I’m glad this isn’t the end of the Hades Hangmen yet!

I had been two men in my life. I was beginning to understand that neither of them were real. They were both the ultimate pretenders. Rider pretended to be a Hangman, but always stood on the outside, looking in. Cain pretended he was a prophet, outwardly faking strength, yet drowning in fear underneath. But if both of these men were a ruse, then who the hell was I? Who was the real me?
I had absolutely no idea.

Rider, aka Prophet Cain, has been led to believe one thing his entire life, but after some shocking and horrifying revelations about his religion and cult, he’s questioning everything – including himself. He’s been marked a traitor of his people and his own twin has thrown him in prison. Day in and out he is punished, beaten for his betrayal. There is no hope for him… until a beautiful girl is thrown into the cell next to him, and they form a bond unlike anything else. Harmony herself has been marked a Cursed Sister of Eve and is sentenced to a marriage with a cruel man. Will they ever find a way out of the dark? Will they be free to love each other? And who exactly is Harmony?

“A pure soul always finds love. Even through hate, they will always find the ability to claim love.”
“I’m not good,” he argued. “I don’t believe that.”
I smiled. Pressing my forehead to his, I said, “Then I will believe it for you.”

I wasn’t one of those readers who totally hated Rider, so his whole redemption wasn’t the main focus for me, but the romance between him and Harmony was. They are so freaking sweet together – I wish we’d gotten more romance instead of all the cult-related things. Honestly, the things that went on in Rider’s cult turned my stomach, and I had to skim some parts because I was just too disgusted to read some of what happened. For those of you who are curious about Rider’s redemption though, IMO Tillie Cole redeemed him very well. In the end, I just felt so bad for him, so I thought he deserved any chance at happiness he could get.

In the end, she had been the greatest blessing I could ever have prayed for.
A sin for the ultimate sinner.

I didn’t entirely love Deep Redemption (Heart Recaptured will still be my favorite Hades Hangmen book) but this book kept me on the edge of my seat and hooked on the story. I was biting my nails, terrified for Rider and Harmony, wanting them to get their HEA. It’s a raw, gritty, unfiltered novel, and fans of the series will more than likely enjoy this newest installment. If you’re new to the series, I highly recommend reading the books in order – though they’re about different couples, the over-arcing storyline continues throughout the story, so you might be a bit lost if you start in the middle. This is one of the best dark MC series I’ve read, and I’m dying to get more already! The next book will be AK and Phebe’s – I can’t wait for it!

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: Hades Hangmen series

$Souls Unfractured by Tillie Cole$

#1 ~ It Ain’t Me, Babe: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Heart Recaptured: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Souls Unfractured: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Deep Redemption: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#5 ~ Damnable Grace: Goodreads (release date TBA)
#6 ~ Crux Untamed: Goodreads (release date TBA)
#7 ~ Darkness Embraced: Goodreads (release date TBA)

Tillie Cole hails from a small town in the North-East of England. She grew up on a farm with her English mother, Scottish father and older sister and a multitude of rescue animals. As soon as she could, Tillie left her rural roots for the bright lights of the big city.

After graduating from Newcastle University with a BA Hons in Religious Studies, Tillie followed her Professional Rugby player husband around the world for a decade, becoming a teacher in between and thoroughly enjoyed teaching High School students Social Studies before putting pen to paper, and finishing her first novel.

Tillie has now settled in Austin, Texas, where she is finally able to sit down and write, throwing herself into fantasy worlds and the fabulous minds of her characters.

Tillie is both an independent and traditionally published author, and writes many genres including: Contemporary Romance, Dark Romance, Young Adult and New Adult novels.

When she is not writing, Tillie enjoys nothing more than curling up on her couch watching movies, drinking far too much coffee, while convincing herself that she really doesn’t need that extra square of chocolate.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram • Goodreads

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5Apr2016

Release Day Review: Dark Notes by Pam Godwin

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Dark Notes by Pam Godwin
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: April 5th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

They call me a slut. Maybe I am.
Sometimes I do things I despise.
Sometimes men take without asking.

But I have a musical gift, only a year left of high school, and a plan.
With one obstacle.

Emeric Marceaux doesn’t just take.
He seizes my will power and bangs it like a dark note.
When he commands me to play, I want to give him everything.
I kneel for his punishments, tremble for his touch, and risk it all for our stolen moments.

He’s my obsession, my master, my music.
And my teacher.

Dark Notes is hot, hot, HOT!!!! I haven’t read a GOOD erotic romance in ages, but Dark Notes totally satisfied the craving for me. Pam Godwin knows how to write steam, and she does it SO well in this book. Plus, it’s a forbidden romance, which only makes everything hotter. I was absolutely taken away with Ivory and Emeric’s forbidden love – I couldn’t put this book down! It’s an addicting, dark, captivating read that I highly recommend. If you love teacher/student romances, Dark Notes is a must read.

It’s universally known that the more forbidden something is, the more desirable it becomes. I feel this truth like a fist around my balls as I enter my classroom after lunch and find the forbidden object of my desire waiting for me.

Ivory Westbrook is a highly gifted pianist and prodigy, and though she lives in poverty, she attends one of the most elite performing arts schools in order to hone her skill and one day escape from the cruelty and abuse she experiences at home. My heart felt for Ivory and the things she’s had to do to survive not just at home, but also at such a cutthroat school. But I also admired her strength, the way she fights for what she wants, and her tenacity. She’s almost on her way out and up to the top when the music teacher who would’ve recommended her to her dream university gets replaced… by a dark, dominating, compelling man she can’t stop thinking about.

Emeric Marceaux is an intimidating character. He’s an intense alpha used to getting what he wants – but what if what he wants is forbidden to him? Ivory fascinates him, and her heart-wrenching life only brings out the protective, possessive instincts in him. He wants her, but he also wants to give her the care and affection she’s never had in her life. Emeric is dark and dangerous, and as Ivory’s teacher and ten years her senior, I worried that he would have all the power. But it’s clear that he’s just as captivated and enthralled by her as she is by him.

She’s exactly the kind of woman I’m drawn to. A woman who flees when hunted and comes alive when she’s caught. A woman who bends beneath the punishments and seeks acceptance in her humiliation. A woman who bites at the heavy hand, only to melt around the unforgiving grip when it cuts her air.

Told in dual POV, Dark Notes weaves a fascinating, erotic tale of forbidden love between two characters who are utterly meant for each other but aren’t supposed to be together. Outside forces threaten to tear them apart, but Ivory and Emeric won’t let anything get in the way of a love that’s meant to be. I was at the edge of my seat the whole time reading, biting my nails while waiting to see how their relationship would work out. The flawless writing only made the entire reading experience better. If you love deliciously hot forbidden romances, I can’t recommend Dark Notes enough.

The tempo of our breaths. The drum of our heartbeats. The crackle in the air.
The exquisite cadence pulses through me, awakening sensations I’ve never felt, composing a melody I’ve never heard of.
Our hypnotic, dark notes.
This is so much more than punishment or forbidden pleasure.
She could never be a mistake.

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

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23Feb2016

Release Day Review: Target on Our Backs by J.M. Darhower

Posted in 5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Target on Our Backs by J.M. Darhower
Series: Monster in His Eyes #3 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: February 23rd 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

The best way to keep your word is never to give it.

Not long ago, in a chapel in Vegas, I swore to love Karissa for the rest of my days. But nobody’s promised an infinite number of tomorrows. Nobody’s promised forever. Sometimes, all we have left is today.

Carpe Diem.
Seize the day.

It should’ve been over, we should’ve been happy, but people are making it hard for me to live in peace. I’ve got so much blood on my hands they’ll never be clean, and somebody out there seems to want me to pay for it. Happily Ever After always comes at a cost, one any real man would be willing to pay. But that doesn’t mean I’m just going to roll over and accept these consequences.

Because when it comes to the woman I love? The life I’ve fought for?

Nobody is safe.

“Not sure how many times I have to tell you… I’m not a good man, Karissa, and try as I might, I probably never will be.”

J.M. Darhower writes romance and mafia stories like no other. The Monster in His Eyes series is my favorite series of hers – Naz and Karissa’s story is just so addicting, thrilling, sexy, and heart-pounding! Theirs is a story that I just can’t get enough of, so when I heard that they’d be getting a third and final book, I jumped for joy! Honestly, I thought the second book, Torture to Her Soul, ended perfectly, but J.M. Darhower proved me wrong. THIS ending in Target on Our Backs is the perfect one for Naz and Karissa. I’m so sad to have to say goodbye to them, but I couldn’t have hoped for a better heart-stopping conclusion that the one we get in this book. If you loved the first two books, you NEED to get your hands on Target on Our Backs!

He wants to be a better man to ease my guilt for loving someone like him.
A leopard doesn’t change its spots.
… You can dress a wolf up in sheep’s clothing, but the son of a bitch will still eat you alive if you let it.

After killing one of the mafia leaders of New York to protect the love of his life and now wife, Naz has a target on his back (heh). Someone’s gunning to take him out, and Karissa just might be a casualty in this new war. But just because Naz has left the mafia life doesn’t mean he’s forgotten how to protect those he loves – and he’ll do anything and everything to ensure Karissa is protected.

I’ve missed Naz and his dark, twisted mind. I don’t know how the author does it, but the way she writes Naz’s POV only makes me love him and his darkness more and more. He’s not a good man… but he’s not exactly an entirely bad one either. Karissa is the light in his life, and the love he has for her makes my heart swoon. And now that they’re husband and wife? My heart couldn’t be happier.

This man owns me. He consumes me. Every part of me was made for every part of him. It’s the kind of love I can’t imagine ever living without. It’s raw, and real, and it’s ours.
It’s ours.
It goes on forever.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a good mafia book, so this continuation of Naz and Karissa’s story came at just the right time. Target on Our Backs is told in alternating POV, and both Naz and Karissa’s POVs were absolutely amazing. The author’s writing is brilliant, as always, and reading this book reminded me of just how much I love her stories. I’m desperately hoping we don’t have to wait too long for her next book, because I’m already in need of another J.M. Darhower fix!

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: Monster in His Eyes series

#1 ~ Monster in His Eyes: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Torture to Her Soul: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Target on Our Backs: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

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26Jan2016

Release Day Review: Sin & Suffer by Pepper Winters

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Sin & Suffer by Pepper Winters
Series: Pure Corruption MC #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: January 26th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

“Some say the past is in the past. That vengeance will hurt both innocent and guilty. I never believed those lies. Once my lust for revenge is sated, I’ll say goodbye to hatred. I’ll find a new beginning.”

She came from a past Arthur “Kill” Killian never forgot. She made him sin and made him suffer. She tugged him from the shadows and showed him he wasn’t as dead as he thought. And with her resurrection came betrayal, deceit, and war.

But then they took her. Stole her. Imprisoned her.

Now Kill’s carefully laid plans for vengeance are complete. He craves action, retribution-the blood of his enemies. War has begun. War is all they’ll know until they’ve paid their penance. He will get her back-and rewrite their destiny . . .

I’d been dying to read Sin & Suffer ever since that cliffhanger in Ruin & Rule! I had pretty high expectations for this sequel, since I absolutely loved the first book and fell head over heels for Cleo and Arthur’s story. While Pepper Winters took me in a completely different direction than I expected with Sin & Suffer, I still really enjoyed it. There’s plenty of action, tons of steam, and the beautiful romance is as intense as ever. If you were a fan of Ruin & Rule, you definitely want to get your hands on Sin & Suffer to experience Cleo and Arthur’s raw and passionate ending.

“You are me. And I am you. We might have separate thoughts and minds, Buttercup, but we have the same heart and soul.”

Sin & Suffer picks up right where Ruin & Rule left off, with Cleo being taken and Arthur being attacked. As consumed as these two lovers are with each other, you know that there’s nothing Arthur won’t do to get Cleo back to safety. The highlight of this book is most definitely the gorgeous, all-consuming, dedicated love Arthur and Cleo have for each other. They’ve loved each other since they were children, lost their way for a few years, but now that they’re back together, there’s no force on earth that can keep them apart. I have to say, I loved the romance even more in Sin & Suffer than in Ruin & Rule – it’s in this book that you truly see the extent of their love for each other.

“There’s never been anyone like you. Never. You owned me since I was a boy. And you completely consume me now that I’m a man.”

Sin & Suffer surprised me by the depth of intelligence Pepper Winters has woven into the novel. It isn’t JUST a romance, and it isn’t JUST an MC book. Underneath all the layers of the story is a plan of vengeance that’s been years in the making. Arthur and his MC are fighting for something bigger than a personal revenge, something that will affect people on a much larger scale. It was quite fascinating to read, even if it did seem pretty overwhelming. Sometimes there were too many things going on at once, so I got frustrated with the story a bit. The action and suspense took away from the romance, which I really wanted more of.

“You’re my home, Cleo Price. And through life or death, I’m never letting you go.”

If you’re a fan of well-written MC romances, the Pure Corruption MC series is not to be missed. Everything about this series is addicting, intense, and unpredictable. The love story between Arthur and Cleo is truly unforgettable. Pepper Winters’ writing is also beautiful to read, almost lyrical – I honestly could read anything this woman writes. Overall, Sin & Suffer is an entertaining, worthwhile ending, and I’m so impressed with the way the author has created such a unique, intelligent read!

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: Pure Corruption MC series

#1 ~ Ruin & Rule: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Sin & Suffer: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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23Nov2015

Review: Corrupt by Penelope Douglas

Posted in 5 hearts, Reviews by Lacey

Corrupt by Penelope Douglas
Series: Devil’s Night #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: November 17th 2015
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

Erika

I was told that dreams were our heart’s desires. My nightmares, however, became my obsession.

His name is Michael Crist.

My boyfriend’s older brother is like that scary movie that you peek through your hand to watch. He is handsome, strong, and completely terrifying. The star of his college’s basketball team and now gone pro, he’s more concerned with the dirt on his shoe than me.

But I noticed him.

I saw him. I heard him. The things that he did, and the deeds that he hid…For years, I bit my nails, unable to look away.

Now, I’ve graduated high school and moved on to college, but I haven’t stopped watching Michael. He’s bad, and the dirt I’ve seen isn’t content to stay in my head anymore.

Because he’s finally noticed me.

Michael

Her name is Erika Fane, but everyone calls her Rika.

My brother’s girlfriend grew up hanging around my house and is always at our dinner table. She looks down when I enter a room and stills when I am close. I can always feel the fear rolling off of her, and while I haven’t had her body, I know that I have her mind. That’s all I really want anyway.

Until my brother leaves for the military, and I find Rika alone at college.

In my city.

Unprotected.

The opportunity is too good to be true as well as the timing. Because you see, three years ago she put a few of my high school friends in prison, and now they’re out.

We’ve waited. We’ve been patient. And now every last one of her nightmares will come true.

This book. This. Freaking. Book. Corrupt fucked me up, no joke. This is Penelope Douglas, one of my all-time favorite authors, so I had ridiculously high expectations for this book – and she met every one of them and then some. Corrupt is seriously a mindfuck of a book – it’s dark, twisted, perverse… and I loved it. I seriously loved this book! The second I finished this book, I couldn’t stop saying WOW. My mind was blown.

“Own who you are,” he commanded. “And don’t apologize. Do you understand? Own it or it will own you.”

This is the kind of read that is best to go in completely blind. The twists and turns the author has in store for you in this book will leave you breathless – and aching for more. But if you need to know anything… know that PD has created a new cast of perverse characters that you can’t help but love: the Four Horsemen, otherwise known as Michael Crist, Kai Mori, Damon Torrance, and Will Grayson III. These four glorious, dark, vengeful men have it out for Rika Fane, and they’ll stop at nothing to take her down.

“I’m hungry, Rika,” he said, pressing his hard body into my back, his lips hovering over mine. ”I want everything they tell me I can’t have, and I see that hunger in you, too.”

The romance between Michael and Rika is… corrupt, to say the least. A normal boy-meets-girl-and-they-fall-in-love story they do not have. What they do have is intense, emotional, raw, and passionate. You can feel how much these two are meant to be together, and every time they are, they set the stage on fire. They have heaps of chemistry that leaps off the pages, and I honestly never wanted their story to end.

Corrupt is a fascinating beginning to the Devil’s Night series. It’s an insane, wild roller coaster of a ride that you never want to get off of. Lucky for us, this won’t be the end to this group of characters.

Reading Order: Devil’s Night series

#1 ~ Corrupt: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Hideaway: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Killswitch: Goodreads (Feb. 11, 2019)
#4 ~ Nightfall: Goodreads (release date TBA)

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