WRITING WITH BLOOD

Writing with Blood by Dolores Lane
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As I flipped through Writing with Blood, I felt danger's pulse, the taste of revenge, and a yearning for redemption. Dolores Lane crafts a gripping tale of suspense, murder, and twisted love where violence and passion intersect.

This is the second book in The Blood Duet series, following Painting with Blood. Jane Meyer, our resilient yet haunted heroine, finds herself broken and isolated. One moment she has it all, the next, nothing. Her past scars run deep, pulling her back into darkness.

The Characters:
Jane Meyer: A fighter and survivor with a heart full of secrets and a desire for justice. Her vulnerability is her strength, and her resolve unyielding.
Sergeant James Ambrose: Hunterville's top detective, struggling with heartache and loss. Will he find peace through justice or will it escape him again?
Alex Walker: A man of contradictions—by day a police artist, by night a killer. His connection to Jane is both dangerous and alluring. Does he understand her better than James, or is he just another threat?

Themes:
Revenge: The hunger for payback drives the characters to cross moral lines, spill blood, and embrace darkness.
Desire: Jane's heart becomes a battlefield where love and peril clash as Alex’s secrets ignite passion.
Redemption: Can damaged souls find salvation or are they doomed to their sins?

Dolores Lane's sharp prose paints vivid scenes: crime, confessions, and stolen moments. Her strong heroines defy norms, and her flawed, passionate men bring intensity. The Netherlands enriches the narrative, adding mystery.

Writing with Blood is not for the faint-hearted. It explores an abyss where love and violence merge. As Jane fights for survival, we wonder who will reach her first—the driven detective or the enigmatic killer? Lane's gripping storytelling stains your thoughts, leaving you yearning for more.

If you desire a dark romance filled with danger, betrayal, and forbidden desires, dive into Writing with Blood. Just remember: in this shadowy realm, no one emerges unscathed.

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MANCHINEEL BY JESSICA CARRASQUILLO

The Manchineel by Jessica Carrasquillo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Let me take you on a moonlit journey through the pages of Manchineel by Jessica Carrasquillo—a tale that weaves together desire, danger, and the haunting allure of forbidden love.

The Dark Side: Within the lush foliage of Miami, where the air is thick with secrets, Elyse Santiago harbors a past stained by trauma. Her childhood nightmare—the man who abused her—met his end at her hands, poisoned by the toxic sap of the manchineel plant. Now, as an adult, Elyse shares her fascination with all things botanical on Instagram, cultivating an online persona that conceals her darker impulses. But when she meets Ben Deluca, a talent acquisition lawyer, the spark between them ignites a chain of events that will test the limits of desire and morality. Ben’s cruel wife, Ana, stands in their way—a woman who wields power like a weapon, threatening to destroy everything Elyse and Ben hold dear.

The beauty of Manchineel lies in its unflinching exploration of human nature. Carrasquillo delves into the shadows, revealing the primal instincts that drive us—the hunger for survival, the need for connection, and the willingness to cross boundaries. The Spanish moss-draped setting becomes a character, whispering ancient secrets and binding Elyse and Ben in a web of fate.

The Beauty: Carrasquillo’s prose blooms like the titular manchineel tree—deceptively beautiful, yet deadly. She paints Miami’s landscape with vivid strokes, evoking the scent of saltwater, the hum of cicadas, and the allure of forbidden fruit. Elyse’s affinity for plants mirrors her own nurturing and lethal complexity. And Ben? His struggle to break free from Ana’s grip resonates with anyone who has faced a toxic relationship.

The heart of this novel lies in its exploration of power dynamics. Carrasquillo flips the script, exposing the darkness within Ana—the cartoon villainess who wields her privilege with cruelty. As Elyse grapples with her demons, we witness the collision of desire and destruction.

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The dream of roses

Dreams of Roses: A Romantasy Beauty and the Beast Re-telling by Kenzie Skye
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Allow me to share my thoughts on Dream of Roses by Kenzie Sky—a novella that blooms with secrets, passion, and a touch of enchantment.

The Premise: In the heart of Thornfield Manor, where shadows whisper and roses hold ancient secrets, a florist with an affinity for blooms, stumbles upon a grand mansion that defies reality. But this is no ordinary manor. Her curiosity leads her into the arms of a darkly handsome man—a captor with secrets as thorny as the roses that haunt her dreams. As she unravels the mysteries of Thornfield, she discovers that love and danger entwine like ivy.

Why You’ll Love It:

🌹 Dream of Roses is a bite-sized escape—a tantalizing blend of romance and mystery.
🌹 The Beauty's vulnerability and the Beast's enigmatic allure create a magnetic pull.
🌹 The dreamlike quality of the prose mirrors the elusive beauty of roses.

My Take: Kenzie Sky’s writing is like a whispered promise—a delicate balance of tension and tenderness. As our heroine navigates the labyrinthine corridors, I felt the weight of secrets pressing against my skin. The scent of roses lingered, and I wondered if love could bloom even in captivity.

So, dear readers, if you seek a brief escape into a world where roses conceal more than petals, let Dream of Roses unfurl its petals in your imagination. May it leave you with a lingering fragrance of mystery and longing.

Happy reading!

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RAVAGE

This week, we're celebrating the release of Ravage! The first book in Raegan of Ruin series by A.L. Rook!

Ravage (Raegan of Ruin Book 1)

Publication Date: September 1, 2024

• Strong heroine
• Found family
• He falls first
• Enemies to lovers (childhood friends > enemies > lovers)
• Touch her and d!3
• Stalker MMC
• Possessive MMCs
• Morally gray MCs

We promised to stick together. And then they betrayed me.

In a world where more children are being born with special abilities, we were six of the ones kidnapped and hidden away for testing and training.

We banded together and became a family…until one of us was killed.

The others turned on me and left me for dead.

Five years later, and I’m on a hunt for vengeance against the organization that’s still stealing and brainwashing gifted kids in secret. It’s all I have left; to rid the world of this evil. Until I realize that they are in this city with the same goal.

Aiden. Kellan. Jackson. Dane.

Now I need to decide. Do I work with the ones who abandoned me five years ago, or walk away from this city and finish the war by myself?

But once they discover I’m here, I learn they have their own plans for me.

Ravage is a full length why choose dark paranormal romance novel that ends on a cliffhanger. It is book 1 in the Raegan of Ruin series that will be completed in 2025. If you like plot, banter, steam, a strong heroine, and multiple alpha-holes that you don't have to choose between, then this is for you. It is recommended for 18+ due to language and sexual situations.

GET IT ON AMAZON

Triggers included but not limited to:

• Explicit sex
• Violence
• Frequent language
• Mention of prior physical/mental abuse (age 16)
• Mention of prior SA (not on page)
• Physical / mental /emotional abuse (not by MCs) in future books in the series

Other Notes:

• Paranormal romance (gifted humans)
• Why choose (4 MMCs)
• Medium burn (varies by MMC)
• Dark themes
• Multi POV (primarily FMC)
• Cliffhanger in Book 1 (not terrible)
• No MM
• Plot-heavy storyline
• Banter

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