Review – The Deceit of a Devil by Holly Renee

The Deceit of a Devil; The Boys of Clermont Bay #4 
(#2 within a duet, #4 within a series)

Publication Date: September 23, 2021

Genre/Tropes: Second Chance/Duet/New Adult/Enemies-to-Lovers Romance

Author: Holly Renee

Review Rating: 5 Gold Stars

Review/Synopsis:

Review:

Redemption, heartbreak, and big angsty emotional turmoil with lots of tears…Holly Renee pulled out all the stops on the way to second chance love for the second half of this duet.

Carson and Allie have danced around each other for years….YEARS!! Of course their love story was going to be big with all the feels and lots of bumps. They were not going to escape each other without bruises, but dang…grab the tissues before getting comfy. Their story is hard won.

Yes, Carson had a lot of groveling to do after Eli let the cat out of the bag on the virgin bet right at the end of book one, but honestly, their hurt runs so much deeper than any bet. Allie deciding to sleep with Carson was because she finally felt comfortable with him again, she was hurt only because she figured Carson was playing her all along. Carson had been mistreating her for years and was she wasn’t sure if she was being duped or not. Sleeping with him was just the top of her bad decision making when it came to him and she was more angry at herself for falling into his traps.

Trust is a delicate thing and just at the moment Carson had been earning it back, Eli broke it for him. Carson finds himself at a loss. He never meant to hurt Allie and he could have cared less about the bet, but how does he get her trust back when he’d barely had it to begin with? He works hard at trying to earn it back, but Allie isn’t easily swayed by his pretty words this time around.

These two have so much to work on in regards to past hurts, present hurts and how not to hurt each other in the future. Sealing up those cracks so they stop causing damage and yet also focusing on just being happy is a lot harder than it looks.

This story is all encompassing with the emotions, plus full of tons of steam!!  Carson and Allie are actually an amazing couple, now there is one couple left in the Clermont bunch…will they or won’t they? I’m excited to see how the last ones standing play out.

Synopsis:

Sinless. Stunning. Damaged. Tempting. Allie Taylor had been the girl I hated for as long as I could remember.

And now she loathed me just as much.

It didn’t matter that I betrayed her to save her.

Completely devastated and infuriated by my dishonesty, she had no intentions of ever trusting me again.

Her trust was shattered, her hate raging on with each second. She would never look at me the same again.

Our past was full of pain and lies that could never be forgotten.

I knew what I did was irreparable, but I refused to let her walk away without another chance.

I should have left things in the past.

I didn’t.
I couldn’t.
I won’t.

I needed her. Even if it cost me everything.

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Review – Just Like Heaven by Trilina Pucci

Just Like Heaven; St. Simeon Prep #1 
(#1 within a duet)

Publication Date: September 21, 2021

Genre/Tropes: Duet/Mafia/New Adult/Star Crossed Lovers Romance

Author: Trilina Pucci

Review Rating: 5 Gold Stars

Review/Synopsis:

Review:

A true, written in the stars, tragic romance story for the modern ages.

As a reader, why are we drawn the the classic Romeo and Juliet tragic love story? I believe, it’s because no matter the odds, no matter the consequences their love was so passionate, so breathtakingly pure…at the end of the day, if we could experience that for even one minute I think we would.

Calder Wolfe and Sutton Prescott clicked immediately. Their souls knew each other on a level even they couldn’t explain, but their parents forbade them from being together. While they understood the reasons logically, their hearts wouldn’t except it on a deeper level. The soul deep bond they had already made, just upon gazing upon one another, connected them and cutting that cord was next to impossible.

Calder and Sutton are the new Romeo and Juliet. Two people from the opposite sides of town. From two families who are not only at odds with one another, but Sutton’s father is a senator with a platform that is all about reforming drugs and violence in the city. Whereas Calder’s father works with the Irish mafia, the very organization that helps bring in the corruption. These two star crossed lovers will never have the support of their families no matter how much they love one another. It’s tragic and heartbreaking and made for juicy, angsty reading!!

While Calder and Sutton try their best to stay away from one another, it’s nearly impossible. They are destined to be together after all, but outside forces work against them and the first part of this duet ends on a big cliffhanger…I was holding my breath through the entire last half of this book!!

Just Like Heaven is amazing and I can hardly wait for the second half, perhaps I’ll be able to breath again.

Synopsis:

𝐇𝐞’𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥—𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲.
If only I could’ve convinced my heart.

We were gorgeously young and desperate for one another.

His lips whispered promises of all the stars in the sky. While I dreamt of a love that would last forever.

But we’re star-crossed.
Fate had decided our course.
Leaving us to cling to each other as we crumbled to ash.

His need became possession.
My innocence turned jaded.
Our families declared war.
All that remained was hate.

But Calder was raised by wolves. The rules didn’t apply. I was his until he said otherwise—for better or for worse.

Our love story’s bathed in crimson and drenched in bullets.
Because sometimes, Romeo comes with tattoos, guns, and a taste for blood.

Find more of my reviews on Amazon under Kayreader
on Goodreads under Kay Daniels Romance
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or you can follow me on Facebook at Kay Daniels Romance