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Degrees of Innocence: Dark Mafia Romance (Cruel Deceptions Book 1) By Via Mari – Review by Kaylee Johnston

Degrees of Innocence (Prestian Series, #1)Degrees of Innocence by Via Mari
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Degrees of Innocence is the first book in the series and focused on the possessive and protective Chase and his obsession, Katarina. They meet when Kate is saving a man’s life and Chase steps in to help her. Their relationship builds as they spend more time together until Kate’s life is threatened. Chase protects her with everything he has as her life is threatened multiple times. They also have to deal with Kate’s insecurities about having a relationship with someone she works with.

I love that Kate and Chase work well together. They are an adorable couple and it’s amazing to watch them deal with the situations together. I also love how protective Chase is over Kate and how much he does to make her happy. They are an amazing couple and I love seeing the way they work together. It was also interesting to read about who is trying to attack her and what is the reasoning behind it.

The things I didn’t quite enjoy is there is a TON of telling in this story. I believe this is one of the author’s earlier books and I can absolutely tell she’s gotten a lot better at showing instead of telling, but it does make this story a bit tedious when it comes to reading it. Also, there’s a lot of obstacles that are introduced that aren’t necessarily resolved or explained the best.

Overall, while it was definitely an earlier book of the author’s, it was still enjoyable and fun to read. I am happy to have read it and gotten a chance to meet Chase and Kate. A bit of a warning though – the ending kind of stops a bit abruptly. There isn’t really a cliff hanger, it’s more like the story was cut in half and it wasn’t completely prepared to be that way. The story is finished in a satisfying way for the main plot points, but there’s a lot that is going to get finished in the second book.

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Faultless Love (The Bennetts of Langston Falls Book 1) by KG Fletcher – Review by Kaylee Johnston

Faultless Love (The Bennetts of Langston Falls, #1)Faultless Love by K.G. Fletcher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Faultless Love was a second chance, small-town, steamy romance. Ted is a convicted felon on parole for a crime he didn’t commit. Robyn is his true high school sweetheart who has put her life on hold while he served his sentence. Things happen after Ted is released and there’s a chance he might be thrown back in jail.

The things I loved about this book are how cute the two are with each other, the plot was exciting, and it was hard to put the story down. I really enjoyed the connection among the family members and how the farm and everything were set up. It was very cute and entertaining.

The things I didn’t quite enjoy about the book were the way the prose was written, the way Ted talked about his sister, and how some of the things didn’t quite finish up. We didn’t get some things wrapped up around the plot. It was a bit of a weird wrap-up.

Overall, it was a decent story. I enjoyed reading the story and loved the couple. It was a cute story that had a bit of a kick to it. I enjoyed the tropes and the idea behind it. It was a good read for anyone who loves small towns, farms, and second chances.

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The Rom Com Movie Club (The Rom Com Movie Club Book 1) by Bernadette Marie – Review by Kaylee Johnston

The Rom Com Movie Club - Book OneThe Rom Com Movie Club – Book One by Bernadette Marie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Rom Com Movie Club was a sweet story about Lisa and Ryan. Lisa is best friends with Tina, who is marrying the love of her life. Ryan is Tina’s fiance’s brother. The two of them have their own meet-cute and struggle through the issues they encounter as their relationship blossoms. It is a sweet romance story.

The thing I love about this story was that it showed Lisa managing her anxiety and panic attacks. It showed how she handled the things she dealt with in life. I loved the relationship between the girls and how they put up with each other’s shit. It was really great to see them support and be there for each other.

The thing that I didn’t enjoy as much about this story was that it was a bit difficult to clarify who’s the viewpoint we were in during each point. I also didn’t like the way Ryan and Lisa fell in love almost immediately. I thought the relationship was going great until they fell in love within two weeks of each other.

Overall I thought this was a sweet, fun read. It was quick and easy to read. It had some good tropes and references to the modern world. It was something I enjoyed reading and would be an amazing summer read for people to pick up.

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The Magical Summer of Miranda Stone (The Emergence Duology Book 1) by A.D. Brazeau – Review by Kaylee Johnston

The Magical Summer of Miranda StoneThe Magical Summer of Miranda Stone by A.D. Brazeau
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Miranda Stone is a typical teen from a conservative family. She suddenly develops magical powers and believes her family wouldn’t take it very well so she decides to run. She took what little money she had and ran to New Orleans. her plan was to become a singer and find a cheap motel to start her new life. She tries to be an opener for a drag club, thinking things will work out later.

Unfortunately, she soon realizes that won’t be the case. Women all over the world develop the same powers she does and end up going missing. She starts to fear for her life while still trying to maintain a normal life. She even meets the one – the girl of her dreams. She realizes that it’s probably a bad idea to try to have a relationship with everything going on, but the heart wants what it wants.

It’s a good read. This is the first in a two book series. I’m intrigued as to how the next book is going to go. I enjoyed the entire story. The characters were amazing and the plot was entertaining. The pace was a bit slow, but it was such a great story.

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Boss’s Vendetta (Sicilian Gods Book 1) by Via Mari – Review by Kaylee Johnston

Boss's Vendetta: Dark Mafia Romance (Sicilian Gods Book 1)Boss’s Vendetta: Dark Mafia Romance by Via Mari
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Boss’s Vendetta (Sicilian Gods Book 1) by Via Mari – Review by Kaylee Johnston

3.5 Stars

Book 1 in the Sicilian Gods Series, Boss’s Vendetta, is about Salvatore and Adrianna. The book focuses on how the two of them come together, what the vendetta is, and how everything gets solved. The mafia romance genre includes many explicit and dark scenes – this story is no different.

The connection between Salvatore and Adrianna is great at the beginning. I am always a fan of enemies-to-lovers stories. I found the plot points and the development of this story to be unique and enticing. I loved how it progressed and the settings things took place. The main conflict was tense and I couldn’t keep myself from reading as quickly as I could. I loved seeing the relationship between Salvatore and his cousin, Dominic. I thought the way the characters were portrayed was done really well – especially the Great-Uncle. I loved when Sal and Adrianna finally come together and how seamlessly Adrianna fits into the family.

The things that kept this book from being four or five stars for me are the continuous use of the word “capiche.” It felt overused a lot, to the point I felt it was being included unnecessarily. The switch from a scared bystander who is helping where she can to a skilled and cold agent capable of disappearing and infiltrating certain locations and then back was a bit jarring. I also need to point out that there was a lot of repetition for why Sal and Adrianna couldn’t be together. There’s also a lot of repetition by both Sal and Adrianna about how dangerous Sal was and who he actually was, but there wasn’t much that supported that. Adrianna’s hate also kind of just fades away.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It was definitely spicy and kept me intrigued the whole time. I definitely recommend reading this if you’re looking for a hot, action-packed story!

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