Wicked Ambition: The Lost Treasure Patti O’Shea (The Paladin League, #7) Publication date: July 21st 2025 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense Ayla Desmond never takes risks, but when she senses her twin is in trouble, she boards a plane to Puerto Jardin—a country teetering on the edge of chaos. As a Public Relations specialist at the Paladin League, she’s used to spin, not bullets. But this mission plunges her into a deadly game where trust is scarce and danger is everywhere. Special Forces Sgt. Oziah “Wizard” West is the king of one-night stands, but he hasn’t been able to forget the last woman he hooked up with, a mysterious blonde who slipped away from his hotel room. When he spots her in Puerto Jardin, he knows there will be trouble. Oz rushes to her side, determined to keep her safe. Ayla wants nothing to do with Oz. He’s a mistake she’d rather forget, but circumstances force them together. Surrounded by mercenaries and stalked by mobsters who believe she hol...

Review: Great and Precious Things - Rebecca Yarros - February 2020 Rebecca Yarros has yet to disappoint me when it comes to her romance novels, and while I'm still working my way through her catalog (yes, Fourth Wing is on my list—I promise I'll get there as a somewhat fantasy fan!), I decided to tackle another one from my ever-growing physical TBR pile. I snagged this gem secondhand from Facebook Marketplace, and honestly, it couldn't have come at a better time. Lately, life has been pulling me in different directions, and I haven't been in the headspace for romance reads. But something about Great and Precious Things just hit differently. I finished it with this overwhelming "WOW" feeling that reminded me of walking out of the cinema after watching A Star is Born with Lady Gaga—you know that powerful, emotionally stirring sensation that's hard to put into words but stays with you for days. The story follows Cal, who returns home after six years in th...

Review: The Things We Leave Unfinished - Rebecca Yarros - February 2021 Before Rebecca Yarros took the world by storm with her Dragons and Romantasy series, she had written quite a few romance novels with a military background due to her family's knowledge of her husband in the military. Determined to continue clearing my print bookshelf, I grabbed this one which had been sent to me by a fellow bookstagrammer. This book gave me strong Nicholas Sparks vibes and I felt it could be likened to The Notebook with Allie and Noah's love being similar to Scarlett and Jameson's and then also Dear John with the letter writing and the military twist. Georgia's great-grandmother who raised her was famous for her romance novels and was like a fictional Danielle Steel. She has now died and Georgia on the end of a marriage divorce has returned home as she inherited everything in her Gran's will. She arrives home to discover her mother has pretended to be her and hired male novelist...

Review: PS You're Mine - Alexa Riley - January 2016 Being in a reading slump always sucks as it's like everything you try is just so blah and nothing is holding your attention. When I start to feel like this, I scroll through my Kindle and grab authors that I know I will enjoy, and more often this scratches the reading itch. Alexa Riley is an author I hadn't read in years, but if you are a fan of instalove romances and sometimes ones that are just great feelgoods - then she is the author for you. In PS You're Mine, we meet high school teacher Katie Lovely whose class is currently partaking in a pen pal programme with the military. After handing out the names, she realizes that there is one left so she takes it upon herself and starts writing letters to Sergeant Major Mark Gunner. As I was reading this, I had the feeling that he looked like the character that plays Young Gibbs on NCIS Origins. As the book goes along, Katie and Mark continue writing letters and she send...

Sea of Scars Frances Paul Publication date: October 1st 2024 Genres: Adult, Romance I lost everything. My job. My family. My life…my sanity. In Frances Paul’s poignant and gripping novel, Sea of Scars, we are introduced to a protagonist who has hit rock bottom. His story is one of loss and despair, but also of hope and redemption. As we gear up for the much-anticipated relaunch of this compelling tale, let’s delve into the heart-wrenching journey that awaits readers. A Story of Loss and Redemption Sea of Scars tells the story of Zachary Reid, a man who has lost everything: his wife, his kids, and his honor, suffering a dishonorable discharge from the Marines. In his quest to prove his strength and resilience, he only managed to dig a deeper hole of despair, leading to devastating consequences for those he loved most. His refusal to seek the help he so desperately needed caused irreparable damage, leaving him in a sea of regret and guilt. A Glimmer of Hope Just as he start...

Review: Love is Deceiving - Book #2 - Dr Jessica Jude Ziegler and Jacqueline Farrugia Masotto MA - February 2024 This book I went into blind as didn't remember what it was about. It starts with Rob and Ellie falling in love and spending time together before Ellie is off on her first mission. Just before the mission Ellie and her second-in-command and best friend Ava, head off and are stopped by the security team which turns out to be run by Axel - Ellie's ex and a bad seed. He was abusive towards Ellie and a sore loser and made her feel like she was nothing. During the first day of the mission, the convoy hits an IED and is blown up. This ends up with some of the team dying and the rest ending up in hospital. Ellie is in a medically induced coma and Ava has been burned over most of her body and looks like she may lose her arm. Rob heads to the hospital but as he is her boyfriend, he doesn't have any rights as her next of kin. Someone else though wants the hospital to believ...

The Cold Ride Anya Summers (SEALs on Wheels, #2) Publication date: September 19th 2023 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance Duty. Honor. Sacrifice. My faith in humanity is all but gone. Whatever goodness I had in me was eliminated long ago. All I know is war. Then I meet her. My best friend’s ex-wife. She lights up my darkness. I crave her sunshine like an addict. I want to bask in it. But she’s forbidden. I can’t touch her. I can’t love her – doing so would only drag her into hell with me, and betray everything I hold sacred. I might have lost my humanity, but I refuse to sacrifice my honor… Until a single misstep damns us both. And now I can’t let her go. I’ll fight anyone to claim her and keep her – even her. Dive headlong into this grumpy/sunshine forbidden romance, where a Navy SEAL falls for his best friend’s ex-wife. Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play / Universal Author Bio: Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Anya g...

Rogue Launch Cara Dee (The Renegades, #1) Publication date: July 21st 2023 Genres: Adult, LGBTQ+, Romance, Suspense The Renegades #1 Romantic Suspense Enemies to Lovers Action MM “We will find you, darling. Stay strong. We will find you.” This was exactly what Elliott Jones needed. A nice barbecue with family and friends. The moving trucks were parked outside his new ranch, and he was ready to start fresh. Again. Despite the regrets he lived with, he tried to focus on the good things in life. His niece Blake, for instance. She was his world. But after twenty years of working as a private military contractor in some of the most hostile territories on the planet, Elliott had made more than one enemy. He heard the unmistakable sound of a rocket launcher, catapulting him and his closest friends into a nightmare of agony, rage, and determination. Lives had been lost, and three people had been kidnapped. Among them, little Blake. Elliott would stop at nothing to bring her home a...