#Review “Brutal & Raw (Beneventi Family One)” by Sonya Jesus

January 25, 2020January 25, 2020 ~ Felicia Denise ~ Leave a comment

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4/5 Stars!

Brutal and Raw is not a read for the meek.

‘Dark’ doesn’t even begin to describe this story. It’s gross and gory and evil and so twisted, I believed someone lied and there was no way this is a romance.

But I kept reading. (What does that say about me?)

Breaker Beneventi is the new head of his Mafia family. There may be crime families that deal in drugs, prostitution, and extortion… but this isn’t one of those families. His family’s enterprise is evil… and has a human cost. This is how “Lyla Vaughn” aka 327 becomes one of his latest captives.

The story alternates between Breaker and Lyla’s POV, but regardless, I still found myself stopping mid-scene and asking myself, “What am I reading?”

And I kept reading.

There are no good guys in this story. Kidnappers, assassins, and butchers, oh my! I felt a few pangs of empathy here and there, but they were gone by the end of the scene.

What this story does have is two strong lead characters who truly are the sum of their experiences, and none of those experiences were good. Despite being the captive twice, Lyla has a core strength opposite of the weakness in Breaker, but neither of them considers themselves redeemable. They could be right. This isn’t your typical “Stockholm syndrome” romance.

The plot twists and reveals were like WHOA! Thought I had things figured out but NOPE! And no way was I ready for that ending.

Strong writing and well-developed characters helped to make this a one-sitting read for me. Will I read the next book? Don’t know—not sure if my heart can take it! However, I definitely recommend this read!

Enjoy!

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Title: Brutal & Raw

Series: Beneventi Family #1

Author: Sonya Jesus

Genre: Romance Suspense

Release Date: January 23, 2020
Cover Design: Touch Creations

He wanted everything. He could have my nothings too.

My whole life, I’ve been running, living just under the radar. The day I arrived on the East Coast, looking for a new start, I found an end instead. One careless night landed me in the hands of a dark mafia boss, who wanted nothing more than to render me a number—to eviscerate my identity with his brutal mind game.

327.

That’s what he called me. That’s all I was to him.

At least at first, before Breaker Beneventi told me all his family secrets, trickled his way into my heart, and then ordered my death. He set me free, knowing the butcher would find me.

Now, I’m the girl who escaped. The one with the power to destroy his organization. And he’s relentlessly searching for Lyla Vaughn all over the country, spilling the blood of innocents and losing his control.

But he’s not going to find me. Because that’s not my name.

From Bestselling author Sonya Jesus comes “Brutal and Raw” a psychological thriller romance full of plot twists, interwoven with dark mafia romance.

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#ReleaseBlitz “Brutal & Raw (Beneventi Family One)” by Sonya Jesus

January 25, 2020January 25, 2020 ~ Felicia Denise ~ 1 Comment

Title: Brutal & Raw

Series: Beneventi Family #1

Author: Sonya Jesus

Genre: Romance Suspense

Release Date: January 23, 2020
Cover Design: Touch Creations

He wanted everything. He could have my nothings too.

327.

That’s what he called me. That’s all I was to him.

At least at first, before Breaker Beneventi told me all his family secrets, trickled his way into my heart, and then ordered my death. He set me free, knowing the butcher would find me.

But he’s not going to find me. Because that’s not my name.

From Bestselling author Sonya Jesus comes “Brutal and Raw” a psychological thriller romance full of plot twists, interwoven with dark mafia romance.

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Nesie’s Place Review

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I drop down to my knees and crawl toward the ditch next to the field of untamed red poppies. The small twigs and pieces of wood scrape against my bleeding knees, fragments of dried leaves sticking to the moist wounds. Small stones pierce into the exposed flesh, making the softer ground even more unbearable than the concrete of The Farm’s barn.

I can’t go back there, I silently proclaim and hasten my pace. Fear drowns out the pain long enough for me to reach a small entrance. Wedging my naked body between the walls of dirt, I manage to squeeze myself in a hole barely large enough for a child. My bent legs press against my bruised breasts, stretching whatever skin is left of my scraped knees. In this tiny space, there’s no easing the pain. Everything hurts. Unmalleable tree roots dig into my back, scrubbing my skin raw as I fail to become invisible.

There’s no use.

If I stay like this, he’ll find me. The thought surfaces quickly, provoking my instincts. My bloody fingers scrape against the damp ground beneath my thighs, coating themselves with dirt. Damn it. It hasn’t rained in weeks…or months. I can’t remember.

I scamper to gather debris from outside the ditch and hide the opening. The dangling threads of dying roots and cobwebs aren’t enough to hide my red hair. I would’ve had better luck hiding amidst the fucking poppies.

There’s nowhere else to hide though, and it’s only a matter of time before—

A loud noise erupts through the forest.

My heart stills.

One Mississippi.

Two Mississippi.

Three … Echo.

Shit! He’s close. I can’t go back!

Panic erupts within me. Fighting through the agonizing sting of injured muscles to combat time amplifies the ingrained sound of the gunshot from moments ago, and the reflection of sound waves sync with the force of my heartbeat.

I focus on the rhythm as the blood surges through my veins. My heart pumps in increments of three followed by a missed beat. One, two, three … One, two, three … Breaker.

He’s the missing beat.

Even cowering in a hole in a desolate forest, bleeding from more places than I can count, I still think of Breaker Beneventi.

He killed every hope I had left—literal bullets through hearts of friends who now wait for me six feet underground—and then set his eyes on destroying me. Torture first, wicked and endless, until I begged for an end—an escape.

Mercy, or so I thought, until I realized human sentiments don’t exist in this place. Here, compassion from the soulless is simply another form of torture. He spared my life, only to slowly strip me of emotion and degrade what little of myself remained.

Which is not much.

Lyla, is just a word, a deadly keepsake of the girl who’s been reduced to a number. Three twenty-seven.

I gave Breaker Beneventi everything, my humanity included, and it’s all my fault… I chose the man who broke me.

I shut my eyes and wait…He can have my dignity too.

A warm stream of liquid dampens the ground and the soles of my feet. I dip my fingers into the urine-infused dirt and coat my hair with the cakey substance, blunting the brightness of its strands. The pungent smell of ammonia infiltrates my nostrils as I add a layer of stench and dirt to my skin. Bits of hair stick to my face and catch on the uplifted skin of my dried lips. My tongue darts out, moistening and easing the sting, but the taste of metal, piss, and desperation brings tears to my eyes.

Another loud sound whips through the wind.

My chest grips for air, but all I can think is…

One Mississippi.

The Butcher’s here.

Sonya’s a nerd—a cool nerd—who loves science, books, make-up and unicorns. She even has unicorn slippers and unicorn plushes adorn her office. It’s not an obsession (or so she says), it’s simply an ode to her imaginative side. Storytelling has been her passion since her youth, but her family believes it’s more than that.

Though she’s fun-loving, complex-minded, and heart-driven, her philosophy on life is quite simple: Shit happens. Keep going.

When asked to elaborate, she said, “Believing in yourself is probably one of the hardest things to do, but look in the mirror. You’re still standing. That’s strength. Don’t underestimate yourself.”

Sonya also believes in fairytales and in the beautiful things a mind can conjure. She’s a firm believer in empowering the crazy fictional ideas, putting them down on paper, and letting them flourish into a story.

“There’s so much potential in a dream… a thought… not exploring it seems like such a waste of something absolutely beautiful.”

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#BlogTour “Lace & Lies (Brooklyn Brothers #1)” by Melanie Munton

January 25, 2020January 18, 2020 ~ Felicia Denise ~ Leave a comment

Title: Lace & Lies (Brooklyn Brothers #1)
Author: Melanie Munton
Genre: Romantic Suspense/ Contemporary/Erotic Romance
Release Date: January 21, 2020
Cover Designer: L.J. Anderson at Mayhem Cover Creations
Hosted by: Buoni Amici Press, LLC.

We are the Rossetti’s.
The exiled “sixth family” of the New York mafia. We’re the good guys.
People don’t fear us…much. They respect us.
The five of us? We’re the Brooklyn Brothers.
And we protect what’s ours.
Jasmine Kingston should run from me. I mean, she should literally pick up her dress, toss away her heels, and haul ass in the complete opposite direction. Because for the last few months that she’s been in New York and taking the fashion world by storm, I’ve been watching her. From my ivory tower, from the shadows. Wherever she’s been, I’ve been only feet away, and she hasn’t even realized it.
Until now.
I can’t stay away and watch one more man take his shot with her. She needs to know what she’s doing to me. Especially since things are heating up with my family’s enemies. I just pray those enemies don’t discover my only weakness. Maybe it was the wrong way to go. Maybe I should never have touched her. Never treated myself to her addictive taste. But I can’t alleviate this obsession I have with her any more than I can put a bullet between my own eyes.
She’s mine to protect now.
I’ll burn my entire fortune to the ground and take ten of those bullets before I let anything happen to her.
I just hope she doesn’t find out what I’ve done.

AMAZON | APPLE BOOKS | NOOK | KOBO |

Cris

I took a step toward Jasmine, noting the worry line on her forehead. That would be gone by the end of the night. I’d make damn sure of it.
“I would have killed that man tonight if he’d touched you,” I bit out. “I almost did for even talking to you. For threatening to take you away from me. For pointing a deadly weapon anywhere near you. That would have been illegal because I wouldn’t have been able to claim self-defense in the end. Not with the way I beat him. But I’d still have done it if he’d laid his filthy hands on you. Does that make me a vicious criminal?”
I watched her swallow as I took another step forward. She retreated until her back hit the fireplace. I crowded against her, caging her in by placing my hands on the mantle beside her head.
“And if you’re concerned about me being a violent person, I think you got your answer tonight,” I continued. “But I’m not violent toward innocent people. I reserve violence for those who deserve it. Specifically, those who threaten people I care about.”
I let those words sink in for a moment. She could take that comment however she wanted, though the implication was anything but subtle. |
“Is that something you think you can handle?” I whispered against her parted lips. “Because that’s who I am. That’s what you get when you’re involved with me. So, now I have a question for you.”
She licked her lips.
With that one small movement, I was hard as steel.
“What’s that?” she breathed.
I know that voice, sweetheart.
She was ready to get fucked.
I angled my head, acting like I was going in for a kiss. With maybe a millimeter separating our lips, I stopped. Our hot breaths mingled together, no doubt driving her as mad as it was me.
But I had to make a point here.
She had to be sure of her decision before we went any further. I didn’t want her doubting herself at the critical times or thinking I’d coerced her into anything.
“Do you still want me?”
I didn’t have to wait for an answer.
The second the last word left my lips, hers crashed against them.

Melanie grew up in a small town in rural Missouri. After marrying her husband, she decided she wanted to try coastal life because why not? A few months later, they moved to North Carolina where she discovered her passion for writing, and they never looked back. They are now enjoying life with their beautiful daughter in Savannah, GA and loving every minute with their little Georgia peach.

Melanie’s other passion is traveling and seeing the world. With anthropology degrees under their belts, she and her husband have made it their goal in life to see as many archaeological sites around the world as possible.

She has a horrible food addiction to pasta and candy (not together…ew). And she gets sad when her wine rack is empty.

At the end of the day, she is a true romantic at heart. She loves writing the cheesy and corny of romantic comedies, and the sassy and sexy of suspense. She aims to make her readers swoon, laugh out loud, maybe sweat a little, and above all, fall in love.

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#ReleaseBlitz “Reluctant to Love” by Rebecca Gallo

January 25, 2020January 25, 2020 ~ Felicia Denise ~ Leave a comment

Reluctant to Love (Written in the Stars Book 1)

by Rebecca Gallo

AQUARIUS

Genre – Second chance romance

Add to you TBR – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48910410-reluctant-to-love

Buy The Book: mybook.to/reluctant2love

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081X7QYK6

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B081X7QYK6

BLURB:

I don’t believe in love, fate, or second chances. But Roderick Payne just might make me a believer.

Years ago, his stunning betrayal shattered my heart.

Unexpectedly, he comes to my rescue, leaving me no choice but to accept the help he’s offered.

When we’re forced to share a room, more than just secrets are revealed in the dark. Old flames reignite and scars finally heal. But even after truths are told, there is still one more secret I have to share.

Meet the Author

Rebecca Gallo was first indoctrinated into the romance genre by her babysitter who watched hours upon hours of daytime soap operas. She harbored many inappropriate crushes on fictional characters such as John Black from “Days of Our Lives,” Orry Main from the mini-series “North & South,” and Edward Fairfax Rochester from Jane Eyre. She is still in love with Davy Jones from The Monkees.

Rebecca currently lives in southern Arizona with her husband, son, and a tuxedo cat with a limp. When she isn’t swooning over book boyfriends or dreaming up romances, she can be found educating the youth of America. Or eating tacos.

Links:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16933197.Rebecca_Gallo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorrgallo/

FB Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/GallosGals/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/authorrgallo

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/authorrgallo

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/rebecca-gallo

Buy The Book: mybook.to/reluctant2love

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081X7QYK6

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B081X7QYK6

#BookBlitz “Standing Our Ground” by Bill Percy

January 25, 2020January 19, 2020 ~ Felicia Denise ~ 2 Comments

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Monastery Valley, Book 4

Murder Mystery

Date Published: January 2020

Publisher: Black Rose Writing

A cold-blooded murder. The victim: A fourteen-year-old boy. The shooter waits patiently for the cops and calmly explains his right to kill the boy. “I was defending my property.” Can Deputy Andi Pelton find the evidence to break through the killer’s stand-your-ground defense? Suddenly, Sheriff Ben Stewart almost dies and cannot campaign for re-election. Andi knows she must take his place—her nemesis, Deputy Brad Ordrew, runs unopposed and he’s promised to fire her when he’s sheriff. Can she stand her own ground to stay in Monastery Valley while she tries to solve the murder and defends herself against scurrilous political ads paid for by a mysterious stranger?

Purchase Links

Amazon

B&N

Publisher

IndieBound

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Other books in the Monastery Valley Mystery Series:

Climbing the Coliseum

Monastery Valley, Book 1

It’s the rugged Monastery Valley of Montana. High on the cliff called the Coliseum stands a man, deciding whether to live or die. In the valley below, Grace Ellonson, fourteen, will be abandoned by her mother. Where has Grace’s mother gone, and why has she left her daughter behind? A rancher will be seduced into a racist and anti-government conspiracy—who’s leading the conspiracy and what are his plans? Depressed psychologist Ed Northrup and Monastery Valley newcomer deputy sheriff Andi Pelton struggle to unravel these mysteries before they explode in a violent collision. And amid the chaos, Ed, Andi, and Grace must face the most formidable decision of their lives.

Amazon

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Nobody’s Safe Here

Monastery Valley, Book 2

When cattle baron Magnus Anderssen collapses mentally, psychologist Ed Northrup struggles to find the cause – a terrible event buried in Magnus’s past leaving him veering between suicide and murder. Meanwhile, Deputies Andi Pelton and Brad Ordrew clash as they investigate Jared Hansen, a boy caught with rifles and a paranoid plan to kill his schoolmates. Their problem? Jared, a great kid, a school leader, has no previous problems. Ordrew’s convinced Jared’s a mass shooter-in-waiting, but Andi’s not. Ed joins their search for whatever caused his radical transformation from great kid to psychotic killer. It’s a race against time: Magnus grows more irrational and homicidal, Jared’s insanity may not be controlled before it’s too late, and Ed’s risky plan to save the boy may destroy his relationship with Andi. Nobody’s Safe Here, a psychological thriller, tells the story of a community of ordinary, decent people facing terrifying mysteries.

Amazon

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Bishop cover

The Bishop Burned the Lady

Monastery Valley, Book 3

A mysterious fire in a remote forest clearing; a woman’s charred bones; unexplained tracks in the rutted road—the only clues Deputy Andi Pelton has to what happened. Then she meets an old man living alone in a forest compound that obviously houses many people. Sex trafficking in the Montana wilderness? As Andi and psychologist Ed Northrup struggle to solve the brutal and fiery murder, Andi faces a fear she didn’t know she had. The horrors they unearth lead them deep into the appalling reality of prison gangs and a cult led by a malign Bishop—and threaten to overwhelm Andi and Ed’s romance and her growing bond with her “step-girlfriend,” Ed’s adopted daughter, Grace. Will that center hold when Andi finds the killer holding a knife against her throat? And if it does and she succeeds, will she be able to face her greater fear?

Amazon

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About the Author

Bill Percy, an award-winning novelist, draws on his experiences as a psychotherapist to write vivid, engaging tales of people confronting painful and challenging mysteries. His previous novels in the Monastery Valley series, Climbing the Coliseum, Nobody’s Safe Here, and The Bishop Burned the Lady, were finalists or distinguished favorites in multiple book award competitions. Bill lives with his wife, Michele, in Hope, Idaho, above the shore of idyllic Lake Pend Oreille in the shadow of the rugged Cabinet Mountains.

Contact Links