Monthly Archives: December 2025

Monk Last Rite (Axel Monk 4) by Chase Austin-review

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Monk Last Rite (Axel Monk 4) by Chase Austin-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 25, 2025

Axel’s this mission isn’t sanctioned — it’s personal.
Axel Monk wanted to disappear. To vanish into the deserts of Afghanistan and leave behind the ghosts, the bodies, and The Conglomerate that made him a monster.

But the past does not forgive.
And when they take Sanam Bajwa, the person he ever swore to protect, the world’s deadliest assassin is angry.

Now Monk is deep inside the badlands of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a lawless frontier ruled by warlords, smugglers, and traitors. Every side wants him: the Pakistan Army, the tribal militias, and the very assassins he once trained beside. But Monk does not care.

Because this time, it is not about duty.
It is about redemption.

As the Conglomerate hunts its rogue asset, Monk cuts his way through the underworld one bullet, one betrayal, one blood-soaked promise at a time. From the ruins of Peshawar to the mountain fortresses of the border, the message spreads like wildfire:

Axel Monk is coming.

And this time, he is not taking prisoners.

••••••

REVIEW:MONK LAST RITE is the fourth instalment in Chase Austin’s contemporary, adult AXEL MONK THRILLER suspense series focusing on assassin / police officer/ freelancer/ ghost Axel Monk aka Ali Ansari. MONK LAST RITE can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the series in order for backstory and cohesion, as there is an ongoing premise throughout.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from several omniscient third person perspectives including Axel Monk, MONK LAST RITE follows several pathways including the search for a missing woman. Axel Monk is struggling in the wake of a botched assignment in Pakistan, and our hero has gone rogue. A group known as the Conglomerate is offering twenty million dollars to take down Axel Monk but Axel finds himself the lone witness to an abduction, a human trafficking ring, and he is determined to save the women unable to save themselves.

Meanwhile, two other assassins have accepted the contract in an effort to earn the twenty million dollars but as the assassins begin their journey towards becoming millionaires, they find themselves always one step behind, or following a dead end.

MONK LAST RITE is a detailed and dark story of power and control, religious rites and beliefs in the wake of questionable family dynamics, torture and abuse, acceptance and aggression. Axel Monk’s role is only a part of the current story line as the numerous pathways take the reader on several different journeys. The premise is complex and dramatic-the search for Monk ,the bounty and The Conglomerate is akin to the John Wick™ and the High Table. The characters are desperate and determined. MONK LAST RITE ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

I would like to note that the title appears to flounder grammatically -perhaps MONK’S LAST RITE would have been more appropriate. Even my ‘spell check’ and ‘grammar check’ highlighted a problem.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Snowed In with the Bratva by Penny Dee-review

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Snowed In with the Bratva by Penny Dee-review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 19, 2025

A ruthless Bratva boss.
A lone witness.
A snowstorm that traps them together at Christmas.

I was in the wrong alley at the wrong time.
And I saw something I shouldn’t see.

One gunshot.
One dead man.
And one cold-eyed killer staring straight into my soul.

Nikolai Morozov.
Bratva Pakhan.
A gorgeous, merciless nightmare.

He kidnaps me to a remote mountain lodge where a blizzard locks us inside.
Just the two of us—and the secrets he refuses to explain.

He says it’s for my safety.
But the way he touches me?
The way he closes the distance between us?
The way his voice drops when he calls me malyshka?
There’s nothing safe about it.

••••••

REVIEW:SNOWED IN WITH THE BRATVA by Penny Dee is a contemporary, adult, stand alone, Bratva holiday romance focusing on Pakhan Nikolai Morozov, and art curator Holly Winters.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers from more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Nikolai and Holly) SNOWED IN WITH THE BRATVA follows in the wake of the abduction of our story line heroine. Holly Winters witnessed something that would place a target on her head. Determined to save the woman with whom he would fall in love, Bratva Pakhan Nikolai Morozov will return to his second home in Alaska with Holly, wherein Holly finds herself the prisoner of our story line hero but someone is taking aim, and the best way to protect Holly is to marry the woman he has loved from afar.

The world building follows our couple from New York to Alaska as Nikolai ensures the safety of our story line heroine. Holly is unaware of the reality of her family history, a family with powerful connections to the man in charge.

The relationship between Holly and Nikolai begins as an abduction, and Holly refuses to become another statistic. Determined to escape, Holly will quickly discover she is safer with our story line hero.The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The secondary and supporting story line characters are colorful and desperate. We are introduced to Nikolai’s house staff Katya and Andrei; Bratva Kingpin Yuri Orlova and his second Ivan, and Nikolai’s second Dimitri. The requisite evil has many faces.

SNOWED IN WITH THE BRATA is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance,power and control, family and relationships, acceptance and love. The fast paced premise is dramatic and intriguing; the romance is seductive and fated;the characters are determined and powerful.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Penny Dee writes contemporary romance about rockstars, bikers, hockey players and everyone in-between.She believes true love never runs smoothly, and her characters realize this too, with a boatload of drama and a whole lot of steam.

She found her happily ever after in Australia where she lives with her husband, daughter and a dog named Bindi.

You can connect with Penny Dee : Goodreads / Facebook / Amazon Author Page / Website / Instagram

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When He Guards (Protector & Defender 5) by Cynthia Eden-review

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When He Guards (Protector & Defender 5) by Cynthia Eden-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 30, 2025

He made a fatal mistake.

He lusted after the wrong woman. Let his need take over. Cassius “Cass” Striker knew that he should have never touched the sexy FBI agent, but he gave in to temptation and had the best one-night stand of his life with Agnes Quinn. It should have meant nothing. He should have been able to walk away…

He can’t walk away. If he does, she’s dead.

His enemies know about Agnes, and they plan to use her against him. He’s the leader of one of the most notorious motorcycle clubs in the US. His name stirs fear into the hearts of nearly everyone…and he has a giant target on his back. Those who want to bring him down have been looking for a weakness to use against him—they think they found that weakness in the form of Agnes. Now he either saves her or he watches her die.

She doesn’t need saving, but it’s super sweet of him to try.

••••

REVIEW:WHEN HE GUARDS is the fifth instalment in Cynthia Eden’s contemporary, adult PROTECTOR AND DEFENDER romantic suspense series. This is president of the Night Strikers MC Cassius ‘Cass’ Striker, and FBI agent Agnes Quinn’s story line. WHEN HE GUARDS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information form the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from several omniscient third person perspectives including Agnes and Cass WHEN HE GUARDS follows FBI agent Agnes Quinn as she goes rogue searching for the man who destroyed her life. Believing she will find her target amongst the Night Strikers MC, Agnes goes in undercover only to discover not everything is as it appears to be. Working alongside Cass, Agnes becomes a target for who she is and what she knows, a target whose contacts are dangerous and dark. Meanwhile, Cass Striker has declared himself guardian and protector of our story line heroine, claiming Agnes as his own, a claim that doesn’t not go over very well with the Night Strikers MC.

The world building is detailed and complex as the MC find themselves at odds with one another; betrayal has been building for a very long time, and vengeance is about to place our couple in the direct line of fire.

The relationship between Cass and Agnes begins as a seduction but Cass knows immediately that Agnes is not whom she claims to be. Agnes wants to find a killer, a killer with a specific tattoo, a tattoo that continues to give Agnes nightmares and tears. Cass considers himself a monster but a monster who has fallen for our story line heroine. The $ex scenes are passionate and intense, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of questionable, secretive and dangerous secondary and supporting characters including the return of Agnes Quinn’s boss Grayson Stone (When He Defends), FBI Agent Malik;  Agnes’s brothers Ryan and Nash; several members of the Night Strikers MC, and a host of game players, taking aim at everyone involved.

WHEN HE GUARDS is a story of betrayal and vengeance, secrets and lies, power and control, madness and mayhem, obsession and murder, family and love. The character driven premise is action packed, detailed and dramatic; the romance is seductive; the characters are desperate and determined.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Silent Schemes /Dirty Game by Elizabeth Knox & Haven Snow-reviews

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SILENT SCHEMES/ DIRTY GAME (Broken Blood prequel & 1) by Elizabeth Knox and Haven Snow

SILENT SCHEMES
Broken Blood prequel
by Elizabeth Knox and Haven Snow
Genre: adult, contemporary, dark, Mafia, romance

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 3, 2025

I was sent to kill him. I gave him an heir instead.

Sienna

My father raised me to be a weapon. Cold. Calculating. Lethal.

Varrick Bane was supposed to be just another target. Another king to topple. Another body to leave bleeding on concrete while I collected my father’s approval like coins.But the Bastard King of Vancouver doesn’t die easy.

He saw through my seduction before I even walked through his door. Knew I came to kill him. And instead of putting a bullet in my head, he kept me close—too close—until the lines between predator and prey blurred beyond recognition.

Now I’m carrying his child. My father is demanding blood. My sister’s life hangs in the balance. And Varrick? He’s turned me from a weapon into something far moreA woman with something to lose.

In this city, love is a death sentence and betrayal is currency. I have three weeks to kill the only man who’s ever seen me as more than a killer. Three weeks before my father kills everything I love.

The game was always rigged. But when you play with kings, even winning means losing everything.

•••••

REVIEW: SILENT SCHEMES is the first instalment and prequel in the contemporary, adult, BROKEN BLOOD dark, erotic, crime world romance series co-authored by Elizabeth Knox and Snow Haven. This is Varrick Bane, and Sienna Cross’s story line.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there WILL BE triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Varrick and Sienna) SILENT SCHEMES follows the building relationship between Varrick Bane, and Sienna Cross, a relationship predicted upon a lie but a relationship meant to end in death of our story line hero. Sienna Cross is a weapon, honed by her father and his men, a weapon meant to destroy anyone standing in their way. Varrick Bane has been keeping tabs on the woman sent to kill but a woman with whom he will fall in love.

The world building follow Sienna as she struggles in the wake of falling for a man she was sent to kill. There is a war on the horizon, and our couple are about to caught in the middle.

The relationship between Varrick and Sienna is based on a lie. Sienna has been trained as an assassin, and Varrick is her next target. Varrick is wholly aware that Sienna has been sent to kill but our hero has fallen for the woman who will take a part of him he may never get back. The $ex scenes are limited but intense.

The secondary and supporting characters are charismatic yet questionable. We are introduced to Varrick’s half brothers Korrin and Cyrus; Varrick’s mentor Will Romano; Sienna’s sixteen year old sister Maya, and their father Theodore Cross, crime lord Bastian Cross; Sienna’s aggressive handler Vincent Carlisle.

SILENT SCHEMES is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, family and relationships, love and loss. The character driven premise is dark and edgy; the romance is virtually non-existent; the characters are energetic and determined. SILENT SCHEMES ends on a bit of a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

________

DIRTY GAME
(Broken Blood 1)
by Elizabeth Knox and Haven Snow
Genre: adult, contemporary, dark, Mafia, romance

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 27, 2025

Rosalynn

I should have stayed away. Hell, I knew he was bad news the first moment I saw him. But, I’d always been drawn to bad men, and he was no different. Only, there was something different about him.

He wasn’t the kind of man who would throw me against a wall and beat me until I couldn’t see straight. Varrick was a monster and I had no doubt about it. Yet, in time he became my monster, lurking in every shadow, willing to kill for me.

The world was against us, but we could survive it all.

•••••

REVIEW: DIRTY GAME is the second instalment in the contemporary, adult BROKEN BLOOD dark, erotic, crime world romance series co-authored by Elizabeth Knox and Haven Snow. This is forensic accountant Rosalynn Lombardi, and crime lord Varrick ‘King’ Bane’s story line. DIRTY GAME can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the prequel SILENT SCHEMES for background and cohesion.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there WILL BE triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Varrick and Rosalynn) DIRTY GAME focuses on the building relationship between our story line couple. Rosalynn Lombardi and Varrick Bane. Rosalynn has been sold to Varrick Bane as payment for a debt, a debt incurred by her family, a family that has used and abused our storyline heroine. As a forensic accountant, Rosalynn will become a beneficial to Varrick Bane, as she digs deeps and navigates a book keeping system that hides the numerous sins and betrayals by the people Varrick one trusted. As Rosalynn slowly begins to trust the man who could destroy her heart, Varrick’s past demands retribution, everything and more.

The world building focuses on betrayal and vengeance as Rosalynn must come to terms with the proverbial ‘frying pan into the fire’ but a fire that will become guardian and protector in the face of corruption and mistreatment. As Rosalynn begins to uncover a trail of exploitation and theft, the past returns demanding everything and more.

The relationship between Varrick and Rosalynn begins as a transaction, a payment for debt but quickly turns into something more. Varrick will become aware of the tragedy and abuse that has befallen our heroine, and in doing so, promises to love and cherish the woman that will call to his heart. The $ex scenes are intimate and seductive.

The secondary and supporting characters are energetic, and powerful. We are introduced to Varrick’s half-brothers Korrin and Cyrus; Rosalynn’s brother Marco, and their uncle Enzo, and Varrick’s housekeeper Maria. The requisite evil has many faces.

DIRTY GAME is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, power and control, greed and madness, dysfunctional family dynamics, acceptance and love. The character driven premise is dark, dramatic and gritty; the romance is edgy and provocative; the characters are desperate, determined and struggling to heal.

Copies supplied for review

Reviews by Sandy

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Forest of Deception (Alexis Forrest FBI Mystery 7) by Kate Gable

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Forest of Deception (Alexis Forrest FBI Mystery 7) by Kate Gable-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 28, 2205

When FBI Agent Alexis Forrest receives an unexpected voicemail from a desperate book editor, she never imagines it will lead her into a deadly web of fiction turned reality.

A star bestselling author has vanished without a trace after claiming she’s uncovered a real-life conspiracy matching the plot of her latest thriller.

Just as Forrest is settling into life in the quaint New England town of Broken Hill and moving in with Mitch—her high school sweetheart turned local bookstore owner—she finds herself drawn into a dangerous investigation that the local police have dismissed.

As the lines between imagination and truth begin to blur, Forrest must determine if Elizabeth’s manuscript holds the key to her disappearance—or if it will become her obituary. The peaceful charm of Broken Hill may be exactly what Forrest needs to start over, but first, she’ll have to survive this case.

••••••

REVIEW:FOREST OF DECEPTION is the seventh instalment in Kate Gable’s contemporary, adult ALEXIS FORREST FBY MYSTERY suspense thriller focusing on FBI Special Agent Alexis Forrest. FOREST OF DECEPTION can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines sis revealed where necessary.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from first person perspective ( Alexis Forrest) FOREST OF DECEPTION follows FBI Agent Alexis Forrest as she begins an investigation into a missing author, a woman who uncovered information meant never to be revealed. Two years earlier, a seventeen year old boy drowned, and the police refuse to reopen the case but author Elizabeth Kovalenko, working on her next best seller, would uncover a possible conspiracy surround the death of the young man. A call from the author’s agent, and a town of reluctant witnesses finds Special Agent Alexis Forrest, without the consent of the people in charge, conducting an investigation of her own, an investigation that will place a target on the back of our story line heroine. As the bodies begin to mount, Alexis discovers the story goes much deeper than she could have ever imagined when the people she loves are threatened.

The world building is, once again , familiar between the author’s series, and leading heroine-too similar from back stories to boyfriends, plotlines and ongoing premises. Alexis Forrest is determined to prove that the accidental drowning was no accident but someone else is determined to take Alexis down. Meanwhile Alexis’s boyfriend Mitch is struggling with his girlfriend’s obsessive need to take very case, a need that is threatening their own happily ever after.

The colorful secondary and supporting characters include Alexis Forrest’s long suffering boyfriend Mitch, Elizabeth’s Editor Rosamund Malone; as well as frightened townsfolk; local law enforcement Captain Christopher Felch, and Bukowski, and retired police officer Walter Greaves.

FOREST OF DECEPTION is a story of secrets and lies, power and control, murder and threats, acceptance and love. The character driven premise is captivating, dramatic and dark; the characters are determined and dynamic. FOREST OF DECEPTION ends on a bit of a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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The Mysterious One (The Weston Group 3) by Marni Mann-review tour

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The Mysterious One (The Weston Group 3) by Marni Mann-review tour

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Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 29, 2025

I’m the mysterious one. The angriest alphahole who never bends. And she’s the woman who will bring me to my knees.

As the executive chef and face of my family’s billion-dollar empire, time is the one luxury I don’t have. With endless responsibilities and nonstop demands, I lost my passion and love for the art of cooking. What used to be my dream job is now my worst nightmare. I was ready to walk away and give up everything we’d built …

Until Alivia happened.

She was supposed to be a temporary diversion so we could satisfy each other’s desires and then never see each other again …

Yet I knew she was different right away. A woman who was my complete opposite, the calm to my storm. The sunshine to my darkness. With a body that left me speechless.

What I didn’t see was how much we both craved a break.
Me from a career that would eventually kill me, her from an abusive home life.

When two people in pain connect, an explosion erupts. That was us. All fire and longing, mixed with a genuine need to seek shelter in one another’s arms.

While I’m still savoring the taste of her on my lips, I see her again unexpectedly and wonder … is our connection enough to surpass the secrets between us, or were we only meant to have those two nights together?

•••••

REVIEW:Grumpy chef meets bubbly wanna be chef…a perfect match.

The Mysterious One is the next installment in The Weston Group series by Marni Mann. As always, I recommend reading a series in order to get the most out of it, but each book can be read as a standalone in the interconnected series. Characters from previous books are part of the working book so there may be spoilers, be warned now. There are some off page trigger warnings that some may find..well triggering, so check those before reading.

Walker Weston (such a hot name fyi) is a big grumpy jerk that takes himself just a little too seriously, but with the responsibilities that he has it’s no wonder he is the way he is. While he may be all these things, he is also a world renowned chef, he has five star restaurants all over the world and literally has people lining up to eat the food he prepares. The only problem? He’s miserable. His love for cooking is gone, his passion is tried up and he is just angry. When he hits an all time low, his sister Eden signs him up for Hooked Up, the dating app, at first he is against it, but the more she tells him the more he agrees that maybe a few days with a woman getting his rocks off wouldn’t be so bad. Not if the woman is Sky. Her haunting blue eyes and beauty draw him into sending her a message and waiting for a response.

Alivia Todd AKA Sky is nothing but a positive person. Dealt nothing but a shoty hand since birth, she survives her drunk, alcoholic mother and step-father who abuses her and still manages to find hope in a better future. After a particularly bad night of emotional warfare from her mother’s husband, Alivia sees the message from Whiskey35 and is surprised to see such a high percent match, 100% is rare. Even more so when she sees his picture, dark hair and beard with green eyes. She takes a chance and meets up with him. During the two days they are together their chemistry and passion run absolutely wild, neither can get enough of the other, and when their time together comes to end, neither of them want it to end. Even if they both know they can’t have more. Fast forward, Alivia starts a second job, one that pays well and that will give her the means to finally move out from under her parents thumb, she soon finds out who her new boss is. That’s right. Walker Weston, AKA Whiskey35.

What a Wammy!! Walker and Alivia were a treat to read, and I love the Weston series so much. With only one book left in the series, I’m both so thrilled and sad to see it finally releases. In parts of this book, Walker had me pulling out my hair in frustration, but in others, he was a big cuddling giant. I loved how loving he becomes as their relationship starts to grow, they each come from such different backgrounds, but they fit each other beyond well. As the book progresses and we get more and more back story from both of them, it really opens the main leads up to another level of emotional growth both in themselves and in each other. Walker needed a reminder of why he loves cooking, the passion it gives him, the joy and laughter. Alivia needed Walker’s protection and his love, not in a way that meant she was being taken care of by a man, but the support and love she never got from her own mother. I ADORED Walker’s cooking metaphor for their relationship, it brought out such a sweet side to him. Overall all really, really enjoyed the book and can’t wait to see how the series finishes out.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sarah

Best-selling Author Marni Mann knew she was going to be a writer since middle school. While other girls her age were daydreaming about teenage pop stars, Mann was fantasizing about penning her first novel. She crafts sexy, titillating stories that weave together her love of darkness, mystery, passion, and human emotion. A New Englander at heart, she now lives in Sarasota, Florida with her husband and their two dogs who subsequently have been characters in her books. When she’s not nose deep in her laptop working on her next novel, she’s scouring for chocolate, sipping wine, traveling to new locations, and devouring fabulous books.

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River’s Hollow (River Collins FBI Mystery 3) by Kate Gable-review

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River’s Hollow (River Collins FBI Mystery 3) by Kate Gable-review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 28, 2025

She escaped once. Now they want to finish what they started.

Twin boys found dead in Virginia’s mountains. Bodies arranged in ritual patterns. Symbols carved into ancient oaks.

FBI Agent River Collins has seen horrors before. But this case is different.

The victims attended programs run by a respected foundation.

The methodology matches a 1994 cold case.

And the killer knows details about River’s childhood abduction that were never made public.

Twenty years ago, River was held captive for two years before escaping. She thought she’d left that nightmare behind.

She was wrong.

The deeper River investigates, the more she realizes: her abduction wasn’t random. She was chosen. Prepared. And the same people who took her then are targeting children now—including her six-year-old nephew.

With the winter solstice approaching and more children at risk, River must stop a cult that’s been planning this for decades.

But their leader believes River is the unfinished work. The bridge that must be crossed.

And he’s been waiting twenty years to complete her transformation.

••••

REVIEW: RIVER’S HOLLOW is the third instalment in Kate Gable’s contemporary, adult RIVER COLLINS FBI mystery thriller series focusing on thirty four year old, FBI Agent Rebecca ‘River’ Collins.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from first person River, and third person RIVER’S HOLLOW follows FBI Agent Rebecca ‘River’ Collins return to the FBI, and a case that continues to haunt our story line heroine. Approximately twenty years earlier, River Collins survived an abduction, and two years imprisoned, and her survival would become the precipice upon which River would build her career but a the ritualistic sacrifice of, and missing children would become all too familiar, as River goes in search for the demons from her past.

The world building follows River and her team as they begin to investigate a possible connection between the missing and murdered children, and what is found, is a link to the past. From mythology to folklore, religious beliefs and ritualistic killings, RIVER’S HOLLOW journeys into the darkest realms of true believers and, groomed disciples.As per Kate Gable’s style of writing, there is a familiarity between series, leading heroines, back stories and love interests.

The secondary and supporting characters are colorful and energetic including victims and survivors, believers and disciples. We are reintroduced to River’s sister Leslie, her husband Chris as well as the return of River’s love interest Dr. Aiden Watkins; Supervisory Special Agent Emma Bertanelli. Special Agent in Charge Eric Siwak, Agent Garrett Landry, and retired FBI Agent Thomas Mercer. The requisite evil has many faces.

RIVER’S HOLLOW is a story of betrayal and vengeance, obsession and madness, power and control, family and love. The character driven premise is dark, dramatic and intense; the characters are desperate and determined. RIVER’S HOLLOW ends on a bit of a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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THE ROOM I PAID FOR by Crea Reitan-review tour

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THE ROOM I PAID FOR by Crea Reitan-review tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 25 , 2025

Can he somehow bring magic back to Christmas?

Gabe

Pining after a man and stood up by another, I leave for a holiday retreat for two alone. Maybe solitude will drown away my sorrows. The storm raging outside matches my dreary mood. However, I’m somehow sharing my cabin in the blizzard-covered mountain with a stranger.

Edries

I’ve been making headlines as an eccentric billionaire for as long as I can remember. I’m not used to making headlines because my wife announces she wants a divorce, that she never loved me, and she’s taking our kids for the holidays. My first holiday alone will be on a beautiful mountain, to which I make it just in time to beat the storm.

But someone is already inside the room I paid for and now I’m stormed in with a stranger.

This is a LGBTQIA+ story with content not intended for those under 18 years of age due to graphic scenes and situations.

•••••••

REVIEW: If you’re in the mood for a quick, steamy, low angst holiday novella that leans hard into the “stranded together” trope with a side of “grumpy billionaire meets sunshine artist,” this one checks all the boxes.

Gabe books a romantic Christmas cabin getaway for two, only to be dumped right before the trip.

He decides to go solo anyway, lick his wounds, and drink questionable amounts of hot chocolate.

Meanwhile, billionaire Edries is fleeing tabloid hell after his wife very publicly announces she never loved him and is taking the kids for the holidays. (Don’t like his wife from that moment on!)

A double booking mix up lands both men at the same secluded mountain cabin just as the mother of all snowstorms hits! Yup, you guessed it…. One cabin…. One bed (of course).

These two heartbroken strangers (who by the way, have insane chemistry from basically the first glare across the room) now have to navigate what could be a disaster (or maybe a blessing.)

Instant attraction done right.

The tension between Gabe and Edries is electric from their awkward “who the hell are you?” meet/cute onward.

Crea Reitan doesn’t waste time, these two go from wary to “tear each other’s clothes off by the fireplace” at exactly the pace you want in a novella.

Edries is peak “emotionally constipated billionaire with a heart of gold.” He’s been in a loveless/sexless marriage for years, so watching him discover genuine desire (and that he’s very much into men) is delicious.

Gabe is perfect for Edries, openly bi, a little chaotic, artistic, and completely unafraid to call Edries on his brooding nonsense. Their banter is sharp and flirty and had me chuckling most of the time.

If you like your Christmas romance with explicit scenes in practically every possible cabin location (couch, shower, kitchen counter, against the window while snow falls…😜) you will be well looked after in this story.

And I loved how the power dynamic flips back and forth in fun ways.

Zero third act breakup. This is pure hurt/comfort, strangers to lovers, “we’re snowed in so let’s fix each other with holiday magic (and orgasms).” Very low stakes, very high warmth.

This is Crea Reitan doing what she does best…. delivering a sugary, filthy, feel good queer holiday romance that doesn’t pretend to be anything more than it is. If you want a cup of cocoa with a shot of cinnamon/ whiskey level spice and a guaranteed HEA,

The Room I Paid For is perfect for a single sitting read on a cold night.

For anyone who wants their Christmas romance to come with a body count… of orgasms. 😜

The Room I Paid For is pure cozy/spicy escapism wrapped in twinkly Christmas lights and a raging blizzard.

Highly recommend if you’re looking for a fast, festive palate cleanser.

🦋 Reviewed by Julie

Copy supplied for review

Crea lives in upstate New York with her dog and husband. She has been writing since grade school, when her second grade teacher had her class keep writing journals. She has a habit of creating secondary, and often time tertiary, characters that take over her stories. All of her RH relationships end up being heavily polyamorous – meaning it’s not just all the men for one woman. There’s also some M/M action going on. When she can’t fall asleep at night, she thinks up new scenes for her characters to act out. This, of course, is how most of her meant-to-be-thrown-away characters tend to end up front and center – and utterly swoon-worthy! Don’t ask her how many book boyfriends she has…

When not writing, Crea is an avid reader. Her TBR pile is several hundred books high (don’t even look at her kindle wish list or the unread books on her tablet). Sometimes, she enjoys crafting; sometimes, exploring nature; sometimes, traveling. Mostly, she enjoys putting her characters on paper and breathing life into them. Oh, and sleeping. Crea loves to sleep!

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