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Queens & Monsters #1
Ruthless Creatures
SPECIAL EDITION COVER
An Amazon Top 10 bestselling series with more than 2 million copies sold worldwide
Five years ago, my fiancé disappeared. He left me with a wedding dress I’d never wear. Left me with the kind of scars that can’t be healed. The man I built my future on vanished like a ghost. All that remained were my broken heart and a million unanswered questions.
Until a mysterious stranger arrives in town.
Tall, dark, and dangerous, Kage is as full of secrets as he is sex appeal. Though I know he’s hiding something, I’m drawn to him like a moth to flame.
Heat crackles between us with every look, desire flares into passion, and I fall hard, helpless to resist.
But then I discover he’s been sent to collect on an unpaid debt from my missing fiancé�
And that debt is me.
An Amazon Top 10 bestselling series with more than 2 million copies sold worldwide
Five years ago, my fiancé disappeared. He left me with a wedding dress I’d never wear. Left me with the kind of scars that can’t be healed. The man I built my future on vanished like a ghost. All that remained were my broken heart and a million unanswered questions.
Until a mysterious stranger arrives in town.
Tall, dark, and dangerous, Kage is as full of secrets as he is sex appeal. Though I know he’s hiding something, I’m drawn to him like a moth to flame.
Heat crackles between us with every look, desire flares into passion, and I fall hard, helpless to resist.
But then I discover he’s been sent to collect on an unpaid debt from my missing fiancé�
And that debt is me.
376 pages, Paperback
First published February 19, 2021
14k people are currently reading
91.3k people want to read
About the author
J.T. Geissinger
42books20.9kfollowersJ.T. Geissinger is a New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon Charts bestselling author of thirty-five novels and novellas. Ranging from funny, feisty romcoms to intense erotic thrillers, her books have sold over twenty million copies and been translated into more than two dozen languages.
She is a three-time nominee in both contemporary and paranormal romance for the RITA® Award, the highest distinction in romance fiction from the Romance Writers of America®. She is also a recipient of the Prism Award for Best First Book, the Golden Quill Award for Best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, and the HOLT Medallion for Best Erotic Romance.
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She is a three-time nominee in both contemporary and paranormal romance for the RITA® Award, the highest distinction in romance fiction from the Romance Writers of America®. She is also a recipient of the Prism Award for Best First Book, the Golden Quill Award for Best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, and the HOLT Medallion for Best Erotic Romance.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 7,409 reviews
February 23, 2021
4 Smut Stars
This has a bit of a raging insta-love element, but was still exactly what I was in the mood for.
Mafia-lite.
Possessive, direct alpha anti-hero with secrets.
Smoldering bdsm-lite smexy scenes.
Just delicious all around. Can't wait for book two.
This has a bit of a raging insta-love element, but was still exactly what I was in the mood for.
Mafia-lite.
Possessive, direct alpha anti-hero with secrets.
Smoldering bdsm-lite smexy scenes.
Just delicious all around. Can't wait for book two.
July 14, 2021
3 Stars!
... Wild and sexy.
I've just finished my first and my last mafia romance of this year. Actually, I am not an audience of this trope. But I really did try loving this only chance I had. I know that sounds dramatic af, but if you're wondering why I read something I dislike, a close friend forced me to try this one after losing a ridiculous bet. Anyway, she have a great sense of humor because she also recommended me a ridiculous book.
Note: This is a mafia romance.
I'll start off this review with our female main character who ruined this book for me, Natalie. She was a middle school teacher of art. She has a dog that always sleeps. I know, it was insignificant, I was just letting you know. Her fiance abandoned her on their wedding day five years ago. She still hasn't moved on. She dated several men but didn't have sex with them. Until she met her sexy neighbor, Kage.
After knowing each other for weeks, it felt like they were already in love with each other. They wanted each other so badly. But Kage told her that if she would finally be his, he would never let her go. But firstly, she should accept the facts of being in a relationship with a man like him. First of all, her life would be in a constant danger. He couldn't marry her. They couldn't live in the same house. He couldn't give her children. He has secrets that he couldn't ever tell her. And the worst thing was, they could only see each other for a few days in a month for the rest of their lives.
I will repeat. I wouldn't mind these things at all if the story was slow burn, but the fact that they only knew each other for weeks? I couldn't understand how she could put her life on such situation without any logical reason other than the reason that she was what? Please try to put yourself in her shoes. She was a teacher. Only a stupid and horny person would say yes to that. But she said yes. Just. Fucking. Wow.
Spoiler alert. The rest is history set on the bedroom for almost 50% of the book. No explanation needed. I trust y'all to understand what I meant.
The premise of the story ruined this book for me, and unfortunately it didn't get better. I found their development as a couple inadequate. The build up of their relationship was too fast for my liking. There wasn't enough foundation that would convince me that their love for each other was real and sincere, not only lust and infatuation. But if you ask me though, the sex scenes was well-written.
Moreover, I liked the way our anti-hero, Kage, was introduced. He was this mysterious and complex character that I could not wait to peel off the layers and see the true version of himself. And he dirty talks so well it was hilarious. But it all went downhill after he started falling for Natalie. I felt like he became softhearted and too romantic in a bad way. I think it was because of the fact that he reads regency romance novels?
Overall, I don't like the book. It fell flat and shallow for me. Actually, I found David's story more compelling. If he only just wasn't blah blah blah. Sorry I won't spoil. Also, I hated the epilogue. Even the ending of the book was lacking it was so annoying. Is there something about this book that wasn't in a shortage? Definitely the skin-to-skin contact scenes. If you love easy reads with a lot of steamy moments, I can't recommend this enough.
... Wild and sexy.
I've just finished my first and my last mafia romance of this year. Actually, I am not an audience of this trope. But I really did try loving this only chance I had. I know that sounds dramatic af, but if you're wondering why I read something I dislike, a close friend forced me to try this one after losing a ridiculous bet. Anyway, she have a great sense of humor because she also recommended me a ridiculous book.
Note: This is a mafia romance.
"My god, the way he talks. The man is the Shakespeare of smut."
I'll start off this review with our female main character who ruined this book for me, Natalie. She was a middle school teacher of art. She has a dog that always sleeps. I know, it was insignificant, I was just letting you know. Her fiance abandoned her on their wedding day five years ago. She still hasn't moved on. She dated several men but didn't have sex with them. Until she met her sexy neighbor, Kage.
After knowing each other for weeks, it felt like they were already in love with each other. They wanted each other so badly. But Kage told her that if she would finally be his, he would never let her go. But firstly, she should accept the facts of being in a relationship with a man like him. First of all, her life would be in a constant danger. He couldn't marry her. They couldn't live in the same house. He couldn't give her children. He has secrets that he couldn't ever tell her. And the worst thing was, they could only see each other for a few days in a month for the rest of their lives.
I will repeat. I wouldn't mind these things at all if the story was slow burn, but the fact that they only knew each other for weeks? I couldn't understand how she could put her life on such situation without any logical reason other than the reason that she was what? Please try to put yourself in her shoes. She was a teacher. Only a stupid and horny person would say yes to that. But she said yes. Just. Fucking. Wow.
Spoiler alert. The rest is history set on the bedroom for almost 50% of the book. No explanation needed. I trust y'all to understand what I meant.
“What I mean is that you’re the kind of girl who makes normally sane men lose their minds. You could turn the pope into a sex addict.�
The premise of the story ruined this book for me, and unfortunately it didn't get better. I found their development as a couple inadequate. The build up of their relationship was too fast for my liking. There wasn't enough foundation that would convince me that their love for each other was real and sincere, not only lust and infatuation. But if you ask me though, the sex scenes was well-written.
Moreover, I liked the way our anti-hero, Kage, was introduced. He was this mysterious and complex character that I could not wait to peel off the layers and see the true version of himself. And he dirty talks so well it was hilarious. But it all went downhill after he started falling for Natalie. I felt like he became softhearted and too romantic in a bad way. I think it was because of the fact that he reads regency romance novels?
Overall, I don't like the book. It fell flat and shallow for me. Actually, I found David's story more compelling. If he only just wasn't blah blah blah. Sorry I won't spoil. Also, I hated the epilogue. Even the ending of the book was lacking it was so annoying. Is there something about this book that wasn't in a shortage? Definitely the skin-to-skin contact scenes. If you love easy reads with a lot of steamy moments, I can't recommend this enough.
“That’s love, babe. If it doesn’t hurt, it isn’t real.�
May 8, 2023
Re-read 5/8/23 and upgraded to 4.5 STARS
I decided to give this book another read and I am so glad I did because it was excellent. Kage has become one of my favorite book boyfriends. Very well written with a possessive, alpha, Russian foul mouthed MC who just oozed sex. The love scenes were intense and graphic and I loved every minute. Highly recommended.
***3.5 STARS***
I am usually a huge fan but this one did not grab me. I was so excited to read it but I lost interest after like 25% and actually put it down. It wasn’t badly written. In fact J.T. is a very skilled writer and I love her dark/mafia insta-love romances. I don’t know why I lost interest. It just sort of lagged for me. But the fact that I put the book away is always a tell for me because I will devour a book in one setting when it is good. I did go back and finish weeks later.
I am a fan and will continue to be a fan. This one just didn’t envelop me.
September 23, 2024
Until I can figure out how to erase the mental image of him bent over asking her to spank him with her hair brush� I will be passing away for the foreseeable future.
July 19, 2023
no other review than to say i finished this at work without having the second book downloaded on my phone LIKE A FOOL. the situation’s dire; i am foaming at the mouth + ripping my skin off in anticipation!!!!! sloane, babe, i am coming for u!!!
![Profile Image for Carol [ŷ Addict].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1626057011i%2F10717098._UX200_CR0%2C33%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
February 14, 2021
I knew going in to Ruthless Creatures by J.T. Geissinger to expect to be amazed. I mean, she continues to surprise me with every new book I’ve read of hers. But I wasn’t prepared for the level of being blown away that I was. Good Golly this book was out of this world amazing. I was grabbed right from the start and held on by the tips of my fingernails until the final page. You did it again, J.T.!!!
It’s been five long years since the wedding day that wasn’t for Natalie Peterson. The day before her wedding, her fiancé went on a hike and never came back. She’s been through every stage of grief and has added a few of her own. She never found out what happened to him. He just vanished. The wedding dress that was never worn still hangs in her closet.
On this fifth anniversary as Natalie prepares to spend the two days as drunk as she can manage with her best friend, Sloane, she literally runs into who is her new next door neighbor, a huge man who is as beautiful as he is terrifying. A man who she can’t look away from but also wants to run away from, Kage Porter.
Natalie has always been the straight and narrow one, following all the rules, a conservative woman. She teaches art at the local middle school. So a man like Kage throws her world topsy turvy. He’s intense, possessive, and commands the room wherever he is. He opens up a world to Natalie she never imagined. He’s also full of secrets, dark, dangerous secrets. Secrets he claims he needs to keep to protect her.
“For a guy who claims to be such a bad scary criminal, you’re a big softie.�
“Only for you.�
Natalie and Kage literally burned up my kindle with their intense chemistry. I would say the majority of this book is in Natalie’s point of view but enough chapters are in Kage’s to give us an idea of what is going on in his head. He is a man on a mission and the only thing he wants is Natalie. I have to add here that Natalie’s best friend, Sloane, just made this book. The conversations between she and Natalie were so much fun. Their sarcasm and banter made me laugh out loud.
This book has everything, scorching sexy times, swoon that just oozes right off the pages and into my heart, laugh out loud banter, and suspense. I loved Every…Single..Word!!! Thank you once again, J.T. Geissinger, for another fabulous escape from reality into your imagination. I think I’d like to just live there.
For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
It’s been five long years since the wedding day that wasn’t for Natalie Peterson. The day before her wedding, her fiancé went on a hike and never came back. She’s been through every stage of grief and has added a few of her own. She never found out what happened to him. He just vanished. The wedding dress that was never worn still hangs in her closet.
On this fifth anniversary as Natalie prepares to spend the two days as drunk as she can manage with her best friend, Sloane, she literally runs into who is her new next door neighbor, a huge man who is as beautiful as he is terrifying. A man who she can’t look away from but also wants to run away from, Kage Porter.
Natalie has always been the straight and narrow one, following all the rules, a conservative woman. She teaches art at the local middle school. So a man like Kage throws her world topsy turvy. He’s intense, possessive, and commands the room wherever he is. He opens up a world to Natalie she never imagined. He’s also full of secrets, dark, dangerous secrets. Secrets he claims he needs to keep to protect her.
“For a guy who claims to be such a bad scary criminal, you’re a big softie.�
“Only for you.�
Natalie and Kage literally burned up my kindle with their intense chemistry. I would say the majority of this book is in Natalie’s point of view but enough chapters are in Kage’s to give us an idea of what is going on in his head. He is a man on a mission and the only thing he wants is Natalie. I have to add here that Natalie’s best friend, Sloane, just made this book. The conversations between she and Natalie were so much fun. Their sarcasm and banter made me laugh out loud.
This book has everything, scorching sexy times, swoon that just oozes right off the pages and into my heart, laugh out loud banter, and suspense. I loved Every…Single..Word!!! Thank you once again, J.T. Geissinger, for another fabulous escape from reality into your imagination. I think I’d like to just live there.
For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
September 19, 2023
3.5 stars
~synopsis: Natalie was still mourning the loss of her former fiancé, even five years after the tragedy that tore her life apart with his impromptu disappearance, a day before their wedding. The fifth anniversary which would declare her fiancé officially dead brought some fresh and new sparks into her life and accessorily her town. An immense, tall and mysterious manmake it Jason Moama’s version , Kage, who simply made her feel something, again.. after so long.
The intrigue was entertaining, regrouping some attaching and amusing side characters mingled with the enigmatic aura of the male lead, the drama orbiting around the "mafia" facet of the storyline and a sassy female lead. Although this was a slightly nuanced and distilled "mafia romance", most of the chapters were narrated from the perspective of Natalie which added some enticing, shadowed points through the storytelling to guess, as : what does Kage do for a living and who is he? what brings him to her town in the first place ? Could she trust him? Did her finacé really die?
The romance was not insta-love in the traditional way, but still a bit too fast and hasty to my taste. Their dynamic, their verbal jousts and the way Kage was so amorous and obsessed with Natalie were so well sketched, however, their relationship did feel shallow around the edges. It was cenmented on a reciprocated draw, attraction and lust only and didn’t develop or increase from that point. I desperately needed more. A soupçon of depth to their bond maybe pulled with more heart-to-heart conversations or romantic moments.
P.S.: can’t wait for Sloan’s book i just feel it’s gonna be fire!!
•~•~•Ģ~•~�
now all i need is some angst..
❛“Home can be a person, too. That’s what you are for me.�
“If I find out you read that somewhere, I’ll shoot you in the face.� Eyes shining, he kisses me.�
~synopsis: Natalie was still mourning the loss of her former fiancé, even five years after the tragedy that tore her life apart with his impromptu disappearance, a day before their wedding. The fifth anniversary which would declare her fiancé officially dead brought some fresh and new sparks into her life and accessorily her town. An immense, tall and mysterious man
"Those ten seconds of conversation have affected me more than anything else in years. Decades. It’s burned into my brain. My ears. My heart."
The intrigue was entertaining, regrouping some attaching and amusing side characters mingled with the enigmatic aura of the male lead, the drama orbiting around the "mafia" facet of the storyline and a sassy female lead. Although this was a slightly nuanced and distilled "mafia romance", most of the chapters were narrated from the perspective of Natalie which added some enticing, shadowed points through the storytelling to guess, as : what does Kage do for a living and who is he? what brings him to her town in the first place ? Could she trust him? Did her finacé really die?
"Every day I’m without you, I die.�
The romance was not insta-love in the traditional way, but still a bit too fast and hasty to my taste. Their dynamic, their verbal jousts and the way Kage was so amorous and obsessed with Natalie were so well sketched, however, their relationship did feel shallow around the edges. It was cenmented on a reciprocated draw, attraction and lust only and didn’t develop or increase from that point. I desperately needed more. A soupçon of depth to their bond maybe pulled with more heart-to-heart conversations or romantic moments.
P.S.: can’t wait for Sloan’s book i just feel it’s gonna be fire!!
•~•~•Ģ~•~�
now all i need is some angst..
July 6, 2021
3,5 stars
I was so looking forward to this book because JT Geissinger is my favorite writer and I adore 90 percent of her work. There are of course some exceptions but generally she doesn’t disappoint me.
This is how excited I was:
However, “Ruthless Creatures� didn’t live up to my expectations. It is definitely not bad and you should definitely read it but it is not great, either. It didn’t have a wow effect on me, like most of JT’s books did. It was a solid 3,5 stars for me but not 4.
Maybe I am not the target reader for this kind of book, I don't know...? I adored her Wicked Games series, Midnight Valentine and Rules of Engagement. I loved Burn for You, Bad Habit and Beautifully Cruel series, too. They are more my type of books.
What I loved in this book
I love JT’s writing so I appreciated the talented writing of it, as always.
I like obsessive men in books (not in real life) so the hero’s obsession about the heroine was delicious for me no matter how suddenly it developed.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about you since the day we met. I’m not someone who obsesses over things, but I’ve obsessed over you. To the point of distraction. To the point where it interfered with my work. I can’t get you out of my head, and I’ve tried. Hard. It was useless. So I gave up trying. I’m not going to play games with you. I won’t try to keep you guessing. I’ve told you what I feel and what I want. I’ll keep doing that until you feel safe enough to take the next step or you’ve had enough of it and tell me to fuck off.
My problems with the book:
1. My biggest problem is that the hero is said to look like Jason Momoa. This happens on page 22 and it really has ruined the whole reading experience for me. I am sure I would have liked the hero more if the image of Jason Momoa hadn’t popped up in my mind all the time.
I hate it when writers do that. They should never give names like that. It should be left to our own imagination. Every reader will imagine their own hot guy and will be happy with it.
I personally don’t like Jason Momoa and don’t find him attractive. Just the opposite. So it really pissed me that I was FORCED to imagine a guy I didn’t like.
2. I have no problems with insta-lust/love like some readers but the thing that happens here is ultra-uber-insta! Like “what the actual f*ck is happening here now?� kind of insta!!! It goes from point zero to 1000 in one day. On day 2, she is the one, she is his forever etc.
The more weird thing is that our heroine Natalie has been mourning for her missing fiancé for the past 5 years. She has even considered committing suicide and all. The pain has never decreased. She has kept her wedding dress hoping that he would come back. In those 5 years, she has dated a few guys but she hasn’t felt much and she has never slept with any of them, which means that she hasn’t slept with anyone else after her fiancé left her.
“I can still hear his voice. I can still feel his touch. I can still remember the exact smile on his face when he kissed me goodbye before his hike the morning of the rehearsal dinner. I feel like he’s still here. How can I be with someone else when it would feel like cheating?�
However, one look at our hero, Kage, and all that pain and mourning disappears and he becomes her ultimate love. She even says that she now realizes she hasn’t been waiting for her fiancé for all those years but she has been waiting for Kage. Uhmm, what?!!
3. The sex scenes: I never complain about the amount of sex scenes in a romance book so although there is a lot of sex in this book, it didn’t bother me. However, the lack of anything else (yeah, not much happens in the book) bothered me a bit.
I expected more of a plot and maybe more of everything else other than sex, for example, more banter before they started to have sex (I love the kind of banter JT writes, it is always great fun but there is very little of it in this book) and I also expected more emotional depth before they started to have sex.
Also, if there were more dialogues between them, it would help me to understand their uber-insta- love and ultra-powerful obsession with each other. And maybe more conflicts that would create a bit more angst would be appreciated.
But nope, it is all about “oh you are beautiful�, “oh you are hot�, “let’s try this position, now� “let’s try this kink, now� etc. Yeah, that’s usually how it goes.
Normally, I would still be OK with it and enjoy it all, saying “Yay, what a hot book!� but unfortunately, most of the sex scenes are not to my liking so it has also affected me in a negative way. The book is indeed hot but not my kind of hot.
At least, all sex scenes involve a lot of passion and are written in an exquisite way and that is something :) See the example below:
I lose myself in a blinding whiteout of heat and pleasure, convulsing around him, a noise like howling winds in my ears. I hear him cursing from somewhere far off, feel him shuddering and hear his hoarse groans, but I’m way out in space, hurtling toward infinity. Supernova. Gone. I’m feral, a wild thing uncontained. I’ve never experienced such intense feelings of bliss and euphoria. I don’t care about anything, past or future. Only now exists. Only he exists, and I exist only for him. I’m an addict, and he’s heroin, injected straight into my veins. The moment stretches out into timelessness. I live and die a thousand times, resurrected into his arms only to be lost again. I lose all sense of who I am, and that feels right, like in losing myself, I’ve finally discovered what I’ve searched for so desperately: Meaning.
Therefore, even if I didn’t like the sex scene, I liked how it was written. I hope the passage above explains why�
(FYI, the sex scenes involve spanking, bondage, blindfold and anal sex.)
4. I disliked Sloane, the heroine’s best friend. She is one of those friends who does nothing else but continuously tells the heroine to f*ck her way around the town and use sex as therapy. She talks like those man-whore heroes in some books.
“I just feel like…I don’t know anything about him. What if he’s a criminal?�
“What are you, running for public office? Who cares if he’s a criminal? You’re not marrying him, you’re just bouncing up and down on his dick for a few days until he leaves. Don’t make everything so complicated.�
***
“Hey, you’re the one who wanted me to sleep with him so badly.�
“Yeah, sleep with him. Then move on, like a normal person.�
“I told you this would happen! I told you I’d fall in love with him if I slept with him, and you laughed at me!�
“I didn’t realize your heart was located inside your vagina.�
The mafia business
Well, the parts about mafia are never the focus of the book, which was good for me as I really don’t like mafia romance and I rarely read this kind of books. However, for a reader who needs a good mafia book with a lot of action in it, this would be a bit disappointing.
Safety
It is very safe as there is no OW/OM for either of them after meeting each other. However, they never talk about safe sex and they never use protection.
Writing
The writing is always good in a JT book so I cannot complain about it. I just needed more of JT’s delicious banter and couldn’t find it here as much as I wanted.
Here are some QUOTES from the book
“There’s no need to be nervous around me. I’m the least unpredictable man you’ve ever met. What I want from you won’t change if you say the wrong thing. It won’t change if you gain weight or cut your hair or decide to go vegan. It won’t change even if you say you never want to see me again and we go our separate ways. I’d honor that request, but it wouldn’t make me stop wanting you. But you should know…� He hesitates. “You should know that I’m not a good man.�
***
“I know everything about you.�
“That’s not possible.�
Without hesitation, he starts to tick off a list.
Where did he get all this information? Social media? Background checks? The FBI?
When I stay silent, too stunned to answer, he says gently, “I told you I’ve obsessed over you. Did you think that meant writing your name over and over in a notepad and drawing little hearts around it?�
“Although you told me you’re not a good man, I don’t believe that’s true. But even if it is, even if you are a bad man, then you’re the best bad man I’ve ever known.�
Frozen, he stares at me. His lips part. He exhales a small, shallow breath. Then he kisses me as if his very life depends on it. As if his soul is on the line.
“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. The best thing, and also hands-down the fucking worst, because of who I am and what I do and all the shit that goes along with that. I can never have the white picket fence, Natalie. I can never have Sunday brunch with friends or Thanksgiving with the in-laws or picnics in the park or any of the other things normal people do, because I’ll never be normal.�
�
“My heart belongs to you now. I don’t need a picket fence or picnics in the park. I only need what you give me. And it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever known.�
After a moment, he says roughly, “Which is?�
Ԩdzܰ.�
“I’m in love with you, Kage. I love you. Hopelessly. I thought I knew what it meant to be in love before, but it was never like this. It’s like the lights go out when you walk out of the house. Like my lungs only work when you’re with me. I’m…kind of lost, actually. I don’t know how to handle it. All I want is to be with you all the time—�
* You can follow
I was so looking forward to this book because JT Geissinger is my favorite writer and I adore 90 percent of her work. There are of course some exceptions but generally she doesn’t disappoint me.
This is how excited I was:
However, “Ruthless Creatures� didn’t live up to my expectations. It is definitely not bad and you should definitely read it but it is not great, either. It didn’t have a wow effect on me, like most of JT’s books did. It was a solid 3,5 stars for me but not 4.
Maybe I am not the target reader for this kind of book, I don't know...? I adored her Wicked Games series, Midnight Valentine and Rules of Engagement. I loved Burn for You, Bad Habit and Beautifully Cruel series, too. They are more my type of books.
What I loved in this book
I love JT’s writing so I appreciated the talented writing of it, as always.
I like obsessive men in books (not in real life) so the hero’s obsession about the heroine was delicious for me no matter how suddenly it developed.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about you since the day we met. I’m not someone who obsesses over things, but I’ve obsessed over you. To the point of distraction. To the point where it interfered with my work. I can’t get you out of my head, and I’ve tried. Hard. It was useless. So I gave up trying. I’m not going to play games with you. I won’t try to keep you guessing. I’ve told you what I feel and what I want. I’ll keep doing that until you feel safe enough to take the next step or you’ve had enough of it and tell me to fuck off.
My problems with the book:
1. My biggest problem is that the hero is said to look like Jason Momoa. This happens on page 22 and it really has ruined the whole reading experience for me. I am sure I would have liked the hero more if the image of Jason Momoa hadn’t popped up in my mind all the time.
I hate it when writers do that. They should never give names like that. It should be left to our own imagination. Every reader will imagine their own hot guy and will be happy with it.
I personally don’t like Jason Momoa and don’t find him attractive. Just the opposite. So it really pissed me that I was FORCED to imagine a guy I didn’t like.
2. I have no problems with insta-lust/love like some readers but the thing that happens here is ultra-uber-insta! Like “what the actual f*ck is happening here now?� kind of insta!!! It goes from point zero to 1000 in one day. On day 2, she is the one, she is his forever etc.
The more weird thing is that our heroine Natalie has been mourning for her missing fiancé for the past 5 years. She has even considered committing suicide and all. The pain has never decreased. She has kept her wedding dress hoping that he would come back. In those 5 years, she has dated a few guys but she hasn’t felt much and she has never slept with any of them, which means that she hasn’t slept with anyone else after her fiancé left her.
“I can still hear his voice. I can still feel his touch. I can still remember the exact smile on his face when he kissed me goodbye before his hike the morning of the rehearsal dinner. I feel like he’s still here. How can I be with someone else when it would feel like cheating?�
However, one look at our hero, Kage, and all that pain and mourning disappears and he becomes her ultimate love. She even says that she now realizes she hasn’t been waiting for her fiancé for all those years but she has been waiting for Kage. Uhmm, what?!!
3. The sex scenes: I never complain about the amount of sex scenes in a romance book so although there is a lot of sex in this book, it didn’t bother me. However, the lack of anything else (yeah, not much happens in the book) bothered me a bit.
I expected more of a plot and maybe more of everything else other than sex, for example, more banter before they started to have sex (I love the kind of banter JT writes, it is always great fun but there is very little of it in this book) and I also expected more emotional depth before they started to have sex.
Also, if there were more dialogues between them, it would help me to understand their uber-insta- love and ultra-powerful obsession with each other. And maybe more conflicts that would create a bit more angst would be appreciated.
But nope, it is all about “oh you are beautiful�, “oh you are hot�, “let’s try this position, now� “let’s try this kink, now� etc. Yeah, that’s usually how it goes.
Normally, I would still be OK with it and enjoy it all, saying “Yay, what a hot book!� but unfortunately, most of the sex scenes are not to my liking so it has also affected me in a negative way. The book is indeed hot but not my kind of hot.
At least, all sex scenes involve a lot of passion and are written in an exquisite way and that is something :) See the example below:
I lose myself in a blinding whiteout of heat and pleasure, convulsing around him, a noise like howling winds in my ears. I hear him cursing from somewhere far off, feel him shuddering and hear his hoarse groans, but I’m way out in space, hurtling toward infinity. Supernova. Gone. I’m feral, a wild thing uncontained. I’ve never experienced such intense feelings of bliss and euphoria. I don’t care about anything, past or future. Only now exists. Only he exists, and I exist only for him. I’m an addict, and he’s heroin, injected straight into my veins. The moment stretches out into timelessness. I live and die a thousand times, resurrected into his arms only to be lost again. I lose all sense of who I am, and that feels right, like in losing myself, I’ve finally discovered what I’ve searched for so desperately: Meaning.
Therefore, even if I didn’t like the sex scene, I liked how it was written. I hope the passage above explains why�
(FYI, the sex scenes involve spanking, bondage, blindfold and anal sex.)
4. I disliked Sloane, the heroine’s best friend. She is one of those friends who does nothing else but continuously tells the heroine to f*ck her way around the town and use sex as therapy. She talks like those man-whore heroes in some books.
“I just feel like…I don’t know anything about him. What if he’s a criminal?�
“What are you, running for public office? Who cares if he’s a criminal? You’re not marrying him, you’re just bouncing up and down on his dick for a few days until he leaves. Don’t make everything so complicated.�
***
“Hey, you’re the one who wanted me to sleep with him so badly.�
“Yeah, sleep with him. Then move on, like a normal person.�
“I told you this would happen! I told you I’d fall in love with him if I slept with him, and you laughed at me!�
“I didn’t realize your heart was located inside your vagina.�
The mafia business
Well, the parts about mafia are never the focus of the book, which was good for me as I really don’t like mafia romance and I rarely read this kind of books. However, for a reader who needs a good mafia book with a lot of action in it, this would be a bit disappointing.
Safety
It is very safe as there is no OW/OM for either of them after meeting each other. However, they never talk about safe sex and they never use protection.
Writing
The writing is always good in a JT book so I cannot complain about it. I just needed more of JT’s delicious banter and couldn’t find it here as much as I wanted.
Here are some QUOTES from the book
“There’s no need to be nervous around me. I’m the least unpredictable man you’ve ever met. What I want from you won’t change if you say the wrong thing. It won’t change if you gain weight or cut your hair or decide to go vegan. It won’t change even if you say you never want to see me again and we go our separate ways. I’d honor that request, but it wouldn’t make me stop wanting you. But you should know…� He hesitates. “You should know that I’m not a good man.�
***
“I know everything about you.�
“That’s not possible.�
Without hesitation, he starts to tick off a list.
Where did he get all this information? Social media? Background checks? The FBI?
When I stay silent, too stunned to answer, he says gently, “I told you I’ve obsessed over you. Did you think that meant writing your name over and over in a notepad and drawing little hearts around it?�
“Although you told me you’re not a good man, I don’t believe that’s true. But even if it is, even if you are a bad man, then you’re the best bad man I’ve ever known.�
Frozen, he stares at me. His lips part. He exhales a small, shallow breath. Then he kisses me as if his very life depends on it. As if his soul is on the line.
“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. The best thing, and also hands-down the fucking worst, because of who I am and what I do and all the shit that goes along with that. I can never have the white picket fence, Natalie. I can never have Sunday brunch with friends or Thanksgiving with the in-laws or picnics in the park or any of the other things normal people do, because I’ll never be normal.�
�
“My heart belongs to you now. I don’t need a picket fence or picnics in the park. I only need what you give me. And it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever known.�
After a moment, he says roughly, “Which is?�
Ԩdzܰ.�
“I’m in love with you, Kage. I love you. Hopelessly. I thought I knew what it meant to be in love before, but it was never like this. It’s like the lights go out when you walk out of the house. Like my lungs only work when you’re with me. I’m…kind of lost, actually. I don’t know how to handle it. All I want is to be with you all the time—�
* You can follow
February 19, 2021
3.5 Ruthless (but actually big softie) STARS.
📚 "𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝.� 𝐇𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐤. 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬, “𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’� 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮.� 📚
Natalie's heart is broken� she still has not overcome that fateful day 5 years ago, when her fiancée vanished the day before their wedding. Although she has dated other men over the years, she never had anything serious with any of them. 💔
Until a mysterious stranger who looks like Aquaman and is also a bossy alpha with the biggest filthy mouth (the Shakespeare of smut lol 😂) comes to town and buys the house next door. He wants her, but doesn’t want to. She wants him too, but knows she shouldn’t� Once Kage decides she's his, Natalie can't do anything about it. But something bad is coming, a storm is headed their way, and secrets will be revealed. 💥💥💥
📚 “𝐘𝐨� 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞. 𝐌𝐲 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’� 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐭.� 📚
I LOVE J.T.'s writing and I'm even more fond of obsessive alpha males, but Kage was a little too alpha for me � I loved his filthy mouth, but the changes in his personality made me roll my eyes often and his attraction to her didn't make sense, it felt only sexual to me (oh boy, the sex scenes were SO HOT � but there were too much of them. and maybe I'm just not really into spanking and bondage� lol 😂😂😂)
📚 “𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’� 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐞. 𝐈𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’� 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭, 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐧’� 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥.� 📚
So even though I've read the book in one sitting (after all, J.T.'s writing and surprising plots are always amazing), I felt like something was missing� 😬
it's a fun, steamy and dirty AF book � with witty writing and lots of passion and obsession. If you like OVER THE TOP obsessive alpha males and kinky sex, this book is definitely for you! 🧡🧡🧡
▪️▫️▪️▫️▪️▫️▪️▫️▪️▫️▪️▫️▪️▫️▪️▫️
📖 ᖴOᒪᒪO� ᗰE O� IᑎᔕTᗩGᖇᗩ�:
📖 ᐯIᔕIT ᗰY ᗷᒪOG ᖴO� ᗰOᖇE ᖇEᐯIEᗯᔕ:
📖 GOOᗪᖇEᗩᗪ�:
💕 לקריאת הסקירה בעברית, כנסו לבלוג: 💕
February 11, 2021
MY REVIEW AND OTHERS: can also be found on my blog:
'RUTHLESS CREATURES': Is a full length romance book by J.T. Geissinger. Spoken in 'Dual Perspectives.' This is Kage and Nat's story.
I knew only a few chapters in that nothing could sway me from giving this 5 stars because at that stage I was already under the authors spell. I've only really discovered this author recently but now I'm one clicking in a frenzy just to read all her words.
Nat teaches art to a bunch of twelve year olds at the local school, she's known around town as the girl who was jilted the day before her wedding, so she never got to even walk down the aisle in her beautiful gown. Her husband to be went out on a hike and never came home.
Five years later and Nat is still wearing her heart on her sleeve. Pining for answers to her questions which will never be answered, never giving her closure.
Until a stranger comes rolling into town and buys the house beside hers with a suitcase full of cash. Her head tells her to run in the other direction, but he's got his sights on her and he's not letting her out of his clutches.
� I know deep in my soul that we're a rudderless ship with torn sails in high seas, headed straight for a treacherous reef filled with flesh-eating sharks and razor sharp rocks. I feel it. Something bad is coming. A storm is headed our way. �
This book was everything! Such a crazy ride with twists and turns! And what a hell of a man Kage turned out to be, he oozed filthy sex appeal, from his dirty panty wetting mouth to his obsession. � The man is the Shakespeare of smut. � This man puts all others before him to shame, he’s as alpha as one can get, he’s domineering, arrogant, ruthless, he's perfect, but oh god those sex scenes were beyond hot! Move over Christian Grey you have been replaced!
Go into this blind, recharge those batteries *wink, wink,* because your'e gonna need them!!
This book surprised me on all levels, and yet again this author had me devouring all her words so effortlessly because for me this ticked all my boxes.
I laughed
I sighed
I swooned
I loved
I raged as I sat there needing/wanting/screaming for the next book! Because OMG that ending!! I can't wait for our 'Ice Queen' Sloane's book!
I kind of wondered how in the hell these two would work, he's bad, she's good, but boy oh boy she gave as good as she got, they were utterly perfect for each other. They were doomed from the start. He was the King of his kingdom and she was the Queen that brought him to his knees.
Just come release day, bite the bullet and one click this one, seriously you won't regret it!!
* Teaser is off the authors facebook page*
July 9, 2023
5 freaking spanking Stars-
All I know is that if Natalie doesn’t wanna get spanked, then I’ll keep Kage for myself 💅.
SIDE NOTE: this entire series is 🎧 DUET narration 😮� so so good!
(Below is my review from 2021)
What do you get when you combine a deadly mafia assassin and a grieving almost-widow? Maybe a recipe for disaster but it worked oh so well in this book.
Natalie lost her fiancé five years ago when he disappeared the day before their wedding. He went hiking and then never came home. Five years later, she has dated many men, but hasn’t been intimate with any of them and can’t seem to get over her fiancé, who has now been declared dead since it has been five years. Enter Kage... he moves in next door, something that Natalie didn’t notice, but then she does when she approaches him at a bar. Her BFF Sloane hits on him and he refuses her. When Natalie does it, he also refuses her. She starts drinking and gets the courage to talk to him, but he quickly turns her down. Although he tries to stay away from her, he can’t help but be drawn to her and she is equally transfixed by him. Things change when he saves her from one of her exes that isn’t taking a hint and starts getting pretty grabby with her. He defends her and it’s almost like their attraction exploded.
Kage’s second in command in the Russian mafia; he would be first, but the current first one is in jail. Because of that, he basically calls the shots based on what his boss would want. This all means that any future with Natalie is questionable. Also, he originally came to kill Natalie once he could figure out where her dead fiancé kept the money he stole from them. He’s candid with her and tells her that he has to be gone a lot, and when he does comes back, he’s only around for a limited amount of time. He’s clear with her, striving to always be honest, and lays out what their future will be like. They can’t get married, they can’t have kids, they can’t live together, and they will be away from each other a lot. Taking this in all is tough. But is it worth it?
Sloane made me laugh so much! Natalie and Sloane together made me giggle LOL. I can’t wait to read her book. Many times Natalie and Kage had happy/positive interludes versus what I’m used to reading in mafia books- a lot of darkness and seriousness. Although his job is very much serious, he does the best he can to keep that away from her.
The smexy times were 🔥🥵😳👀. Oh man, once they got going, it was like they couldn’t stop. It was visceral, sexy, explosive, sensual and very passionate (the amount of biting and marking was 🔥). It’s always refreshing to have a mob boss that is as faithful as Kage. He waits for consent a lot, but then other times he assumes everything is good, which is different for me in these types of books. Many times, I prefer the man to just take what he wants, and he did that as well, but he always made sure that she was into it- he had her use colors (red, yellow, green) when trying something new 😉. He still handles his business separate from Nat, but their future is on shaky ground based on a lot of things.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I can’t wait to read more from this author.
⚠️safety squad⚠️
-no cheating/sharing/owd
-violence/bloodshed/deaths
-OMD: the h was dating a OM in the beginning of the book but the OM breaks up with her (before she meets the H). He makes appearances but the H takes care of him 💅.
-grieving ish. Her fiancé never showed up to their wedding 5 years ago and she’s still upset about it. He’s considered dead now. This “kind of� causes drama because she’s sensitive about it
-h has been celibate for last 5 years/has dated but never slept with anyone
-biting/spanking/dirty talk/light BDSM/D-s/ edging/light degradation/toys/praise
-the H had a vasectomy when he was 21. He’s willing to reverse is for the h 🥰
-HEA ish (we continue seeing the MCs in the next three books)
All I know is that if Natalie doesn’t wanna get spanked, then I’ll keep Kage for myself 💅.
”She’s a pretty girl. But there are a million pretty girls in the world.� He lifts his hand and lightly touches my cheek. His voice softer, he says, “There’s only one of you.� I exhale, hard, and close my eyes. “You’re killing me here.�🥹
SIDE NOTE: this entire series is 🎧 DUET narration 😮� so so good!
(Below is my review from 2021)
What do you get when you combine a deadly mafia assassin and a grieving almost-widow? Maybe a recipe for disaster but it worked oh so well in this book.
”How long will you be here?� “A few days. I need to kiss you.� “No.� “Then come sit on my lap and let me finger f*** you while I feed you dinner.”� “…that sounds like you’d need very good coordination to pull off. And maybe an extra set of hands.�
Natalie lost her fiancé five years ago when he disappeared the day before their wedding. He went hiking and then never came home. Five years later, she has dated many men, but hasn’t been intimate with any of them and can’t seem to get over her fiancé, who has now been declared dead since it has been five years. Enter Kage... he moves in next door, something that Natalie didn’t notice, but then she does when she approaches him at a bar. Her BFF Sloane hits on him and he refuses her. When Natalie does it, he also refuses her. She starts drinking and gets the courage to talk to him, but he quickly turns her down. Although he tries to stay away from her, he can’t help but be drawn to her and she is equally transfixed by him. Things change when he saves her from one of her exes that isn’t taking a hint and starts getting pretty grabby with her. He defends her and it’s almost like their attraction exploded.
Kage’s second in command in the Russian mafia; he would be first, but the current first one is in jail. Because of that, he basically calls the shots based on what his boss would want. This all means that any future with Natalie is questionable. Also, he originally came to kill Natalie once he could figure out where her dead fiancé kept the money he stole from them. He’s candid with her and tells her that he has to be gone a lot, and when he does comes back, he’s only around for a limited amount of time. He’s clear with her, striving to always be honest, and lays out what their future will be like. They can’t get married, they can’t have kids, they can’t live together, and they will be away from each other a lot. Taking this in all is tough. But is it worth it?
Sloane made me laugh so much! Natalie and Sloane together made me giggle LOL. I can’t wait to read her book. Many times Natalie and Kage had happy/positive interludes versus what I’m used to reading in mafia books- a lot of darkness and seriousness. Although his job is very much serious, he does the best he can to keep that away from her.
”Rewind, maniac. The cops knocked on my door this morning.� “And you didn’t tell them anything. And now they’re gone. Let’s get back to the good stuff: you and Kage. I know the answer’s probably no because it was your first time being together and all, but I still have to ask…butt sex?�
The smexy times were 🔥🥵😳👀. Oh man, once they got going, it was like they couldn’t stop. It was visceral, sexy, explosive, sensual and very passionate (the amount of biting and marking was 🔥). It’s always refreshing to have a mob boss that is as faithful as Kage. He waits for consent a lot, but then other times he assumes everything is good, which is different for me in these types of books. Many times, I prefer the man to just take what he wants, and he did that as well, but he always made sure that she was into it- he had her use colors (red, yellow, green) when trying something new 😉. He still handles his business separate from Nat, but their future is on shaky ground based on a lot of things.
”Mine now,� he whispers hotly, his voice triumphant. “You come on my c0ck, you’re mine.�
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I can’t wait to read more from this author.
⚠️safety squad⚠️
-no cheating/sharing/owd
-violence/bloodshed/deaths
-OMD: the h was dating a OM in the beginning of the book but the OM breaks up with her (before she meets the H). He makes appearances but the H takes care of him 💅.
-grieving ish. Her fiancé never showed up to their wedding 5 years ago and she’s still upset about it. He’s considered dead now. This “kind of� causes drama because she’s sensitive about it
-h has been celibate for last 5 years/has dated but never slept with anyone
-biting/spanking/dirty talk/light BDSM/D-s/ edging/light degradation/toys/praise
-the H had a vasectomy when he was 21. He’s willing to reverse is for the h 🥰
-HEA ish (we continue seeing the MCs in the next three books)
March 12, 2021
�
2.5 stars
Let's be honest and all agree that the best thing about this book was:
� Queen Sloane.
� The friendship between Nat and Sloane.
� The epilogue of this book.
If I would write a review for Ruthless Creatures (which I'm not going to do, because I still have like 20 reviews to post lmao), it would be all about Sloane anyway. I can't wait for Declan to melt her ice cold heart and be the one and only man to show her love. I can already tell from just one chapter it will be fun.
P.S. Liam Black will better make a cameo in Carnal Urges or else. 🔪
┍━━━━━━�
QUEENS & MONSTERS SERIES
#1 Ruthless Monsters � 2.5 stars
#2 � tbr
#3 � tbr
┕━━━━━━�
Let's be honest and all agree that the best thing about this book was:
� Queen Sloane.
� The friendship between Nat and Sloane.
� The epilogue of this book.
If I would write a review for Ruthless Creatures (which I'm not going to do, because I still have like 20 reviews to post lmao), it would be all about Sloane anyway. I can't wait for Declan to melt her ice cold heart and be the one and only man to show her love. I can already tell from just one chapter it will be fun.
"Sloane?"
"Yeah?"
"I want to be you when I grow up."
She smiles and send me a wink. "Get in line."
P.S. Liam Black will better make a cameo in Carnal Urges or else. 🔪
┍━━━━━━�
QUEENS & MONSTERS SERIES
#1 Ruthless Monsters � 2.5 stars
#2 � tbr
#3 � tbr
┕━━━━━━�
February 21, 2022
YESSSSS omg I loved everything about this. Seriously. It's a new favorite mafia romance! Nat's fiancé disappeared five years ago and she hasn't been able to move on. Until her new neighbor moves in next door. There is an instant connection between Nat and Kage, but Nat soon learns that Kage leads a very dangerous life. This book was super steamy when Nat and Kage establish a connection and Nat realizes she's never felt like that about anyone else before. I really loved this as a mafia romance because more of the action comes near the second half of the book and we have a lot of secrets that unravel. And this set up book two SO WELL. I am already dying to pick up the next book and be back with these characters and in this world!
March 7, 2023
It’s 2:30 am and I’ve just finished this book. It was gripping and crazy and sexy. Omg Kage, give me a dirty talking, ass spanking, Russian mobster all day long. His girl was fire too, so sassy and dry and keeping that big bad boy in line. And the ending - I won’t spoil it but the last five chapters blew my mind. 🤯
I was worried there for a bit, because in the middle they were having lots of steamy and kinky schmecksy times, and I was like, is this all there is, but I stayed and it was worth it.
Going right into Sloane’s book now, she was an epic bestie, ride or die, so she better destroy my expectations as a leading lady in her own story..
Update: Sloane blew my expectations to smithereens. For full enjoyment, read this series in order.
I was worried there for a bit, because in the middle they were having lots of steamy and kinky schmecksy times, and I was like, is this all there is, but I stayed and it was worth it.
Going right into Sloane’s book now, she was an epic bestie, ride or die, so she better destroy my expectations as a leading lady in her own story..
Update: Sloane blew my expectations to smithereens. For full enjoyment, read this series in order.
September 29, 2022
Smart and Steamy!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Romance: 💜💙💚🖤❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌏🌍🌎
Character development: 🥺🤭🤫😕😎
The heroine(s): Natalie Peterson - Her fiancé David disappeared five years ago on the eve of their wedding. Her current boyfriend just broke up with her because she has been living in the past. She freely admits that what happened to her fiancé damaged her.
The Hero(es): Kage (a.k.a. Kasimir Portnov) - He is a dangerous man and is in town to take care of loose ends in the form of Natalie Peterson. However, when he sees her and she is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen, he is conflicted. He buys the house next door to hers and sets out to learn more about her.
The Story: Natalie and Kage are attracted to each other at first site. Though Natalie is still damaged by her past and Kage is not the kind of guy who pushes too far when a woman is not ready. Though he makes a decision to put her under his protection even though it is dangerous for both of them if his boss finds out he didn’t get the job done.
These two have explosive chemistry and then some! Kage is quite the dirty talker and heats things up at a moments notice. Natalie doesn’t really know what to think of it all. I liked the mystery and danger of it all and the fact that Kage is large, sexy and capable.
The narration was definitely one of the best I have heard. It was three narrators and done in a style like a play or script read through. Where multiple narrators are used within each chapter. I like it this way so much more than when a book is in single or dual POV and one narrator does the entire chapter or book.
The narrators were Troy Duran, Brooke Daniels and Michelle Sparks. I love Troy Duran’s super deep and gravelly voice. It is very sexy and matches Kage to a T. Brooke Daniels has a soft melodical voice which works great for Natalie and Michelle Sparks has a smart and snarky voice which is more than perfect for Natalie’s best friend Sloane.
|ŷ||||
The following ratings are out of 5:
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Romance: 💜💙💚🖤❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌏🌍🌎
Character development: 🥺🤭🤫😕😎
The heroine(s): Natalie Peterson - Her fiancé David disappeared five years ago on the eve of their wedding. Her current boyfriend just broke up with her because she has been living in the past. She freely admits that what happened to her fiancé damaged her.
The Hero(es): Kage (a.k.a. Kasimir Portnov) - He is a dangerous man and is in town to take care of loose ends in the form of Natalie Peterson. However, when he sees her and she is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen, he is conflicted. He buys the house next door to hers and sets out to learn more about her.
The Story: Natalie and Kage are attracted to each other at first site. Though Natalie is still damaged by her past and Kage is not the kind of guy who pushes too far when a woman is not ready. Though he makes a decision to put her under his protection even though it is dangerous for both of them if his boss finds out he didn’t get the job done.
These two have explosive chemistry and then some! Kage is quite the dirty talker and heats things up at a moments notice. Natalie doesn’t really know what to think of it all. I liked the mystery and danger of it all and the fact that Kage is large, sexy and capable.
The narration was definitely one of the best I have heard. It was three narrators and done in a style like a play or script read through. Where multiple narrators are used within each chapter. I like it this way so much more than when a book is in single or dual POV and one narrator does the entire chapter or book.
The narrators were Troy Duran, Brooke Daniels and Michelle Sparks. I love Troy Duran’s super deep and gravelly voice. It is very sexy and matches Kage to a T. Brooke Daniels has a soft melodical voice which works great for Natalie and Michelle Sparks has a smart and snarky voice which is more than perfect for Natalie’s best friend Sloane.
|ŷ||||
March 24, 2021
Ummmmmmm
I almost dont know what to say. This was not my type of plot and Kage was not my type of H. I wasn't invested at all and I felt like most of Kage's dialogue was trying too hard to be "hot, smoldering, stoic, badass male lead." Like... make a joke. He did have a one-liner tho that had me sitting up in my fucking seat
"I need to kiss you."
"No." It's faint and not altogether convincing.
"Then come sit on my lap and let me finger fuck you while I feed you dinner."
Like sir!!! I was not prepared! Kage's Russian name was 👅👅🔥 too I was v into it when they'd use it
Kazimir Portnov: hot as fuck, daddy, can and will smack dat ass
Kage Porter: sounds like a two bit magician, prob lives w his mom, get away from my ass you fucking creep
I almost dnf'ed this and that has never happened to me w a JT Geissinger book before. I usually don't mind her insta-love but I couldn't get over it here. Also I think she was trying something new with the constant dirty talk and it's a no from me. I don't need him to randomly bring up his cock during breakfast, lunch, and dinner conversation, as well as the in between snack times. I also hated the queen thing. Like you live in the middle of nowhere and just wait for a man to show up once a month. Let's not get crazy here. I knew I genuinely did not like this when they were having a fight at 85% and lowkey seemed like they might breakup and my only thought was: good
The whole thing just felt off and idk if it was the book or me. Tbh ever since I read I been chasing that high from her ever since and just haven't found it. I did love Sloane tho and (obviously) love Declan so it seems like their book should be a recipe for success. His deadpan quips mixed with her outrageous nature should be a fun time. I'll be pretty bummed if it falls flat for me as well
I almost dont know what to say. This was not my type of plot and Kage was not my type of H. I wasn't invested at all and I felt like most of Kage's dialogue was trying too hard to be "hot, smoldering, stoic, badass male lead." Like... make a joke. He did have a one-liner tho that had me sitting up in my fucking seat
"I need to kiss you."
"No." It's faint and not altogether convincing.
"Then come sit on my lap and let me finger fuck you while I feed you dinner."
Like sir!!! I was not prepared! Kage's Russian name was 👅👅🔥 too I was v into it when they'd use it
Kazimir Portnov: hot as fuck, daddy, can and will smack dat ass
Kage Porter: sounds like a two bit magician, prob lives w his mom, get away from my ass you fucking creep
I almost dnf'ed this and that has never happened to me w a JT Geissinger book before. I usually don't mind her insta-love but I couldn't get over it here. Also I think she was trying something new with the constant dirty talk and it's a no from me. I don't need him to randomly bring up his cock during breakfast, lunch, and dinner conversation, as well as the in between snack times. I also hated the queen thing. Like you live in the middle of nowhere and just wait for a man to show up once a month. Let's not get crazy here. I knew I genuinely did not like this when they were having a fight at 85% and lowkey seemed like they might breakup and my only thought was: good
The whole thing just felt off and idk if it was the book or me. Tbh ever since I read I been chasing that high from her ever since and just haven't found it. I did love Sloane tho and (obviously) love Declan so it seems like their book should be a recipe for success. His deadpan quips mixed with her outrageous nature should be a fun time. I'll be pretty bummed if it falls flat for me as well
February 20, 2021
4 Beautiful Lies Stars �
Ruthless Creatures had so many amazing moments and great banter that it had me snickering like a fool. Featuring one of my favourite tropes, good girl banging the bad boy, this author brought the heat and notched it up to 100.
I love him.
And I hate myself for loving him, the man who makes my body burn and tells the sweetest lies.
Since her fiancé mysteriously disappeared, it was like the light switch went off. Natalie has spent the last 5 years in limbo. She has experienced all the stages of grieving, but the unknown makes it impossible for her to move on.
People say time heals all wounds, but those people are assholes.
Wounds like mine don’t heal. I’ve just learned to control the bleeding.
At a bar, over far too many drinks, Natalie lays eyes on the scarily intimidating stranger for the first time. He is like a wrecking ball to her dried-up existence. But unbeknown to Natalie, Kage has become her neighbour and is very much invested in her. Coincidence? Not really.
Kage Porter forms no attachments, leaves no trails. It’s a job that leads him to Natalie. She is the reason he fails. A mistake that could cost them both their lives. But he chooses to be selfish because she’s worth the risk. If Natalie had thought love was doomed, Kage is the reaper.
Too bad she can’t stay away from him. Kage makes her feel and want things she’s never desired before. Even knowing the danger and cost involved, Natalie’s all in. She'll worry about the fallout later...
You were born to be mine. My queen. You don’t kneel for anyone but me. And I fucking worship you for it.
He slaps my exposed, aching pussy, slightly harder, testing me.
Their passion and love burns hotter than hell. However, the secrets Kage is keeping would quickly shatter everything they have tentatively built in the background. And we all know that secrets don’t stay buried forever.
Although I enjoyed the heck out of Ruthless Creatures, I was slightly disappointed. I secretly wished that this story wasn’t mafia related. I wanted Kage to be something else, bounty hunter, assassin, serial killer? I don’t know just a new flavor. I also felt that Natalie was a little too blasé when she found out what Kage was involved in. However, it didn’t detract from how sexy this story was and the mindblowing revelations that come to light. As for the hero, honestly you are not prepared for Kage. He was next level filthy and badass�
ARC provided by author in exchange for my honest opinion.
Ruthless Creatures had so many amazing moments and great banter that it had me snickering like a fool. Featuring one of my favourite tropes, good girl banging the bad boy, this author brought the heat and notched it up to 100.
I love him.
And I hate myself for loving him, the man who makes my body burn and tells the sweetest lies.
Since her fiancé mysteriously disappeared, it was like the light switch went off. Natalie has spent the last 5 years in limbo. She has experienced all the stages of grieving, but the unknown makes it impossible for her to move on.
People say time heals all wounds, but those people are assholes.
Wounds like mine don’t heal. I’ve just learned to control the bleeding.
At a bar, over far too many drinks, Natalie lays eyes on the scarily intimidating stranger for the first time. He is like a wrecking ball to her dried-up existence. But unbeknown to Natalie, Kage has become her neighbour and is very much invested in her. Coincidence? Not really.
Kage Porter forms no attachments, leaves no trails. It’s a job that leads him to Natalie. She is the reason he fails. A mistake that could cost them both their lives. But he chooses to be selfish because she’s worth the risk. If Natalie had thought love was doomed, Kage is the reaper.
Too bad she can’t stay away from him. Kage makes her feel and want things she’s never desired before. Even knowing the danger and cost involved, Natalie’s all in. She'll worry about the fallout later...
You were born to be mine. My queen. You don’t kneel for anyone but me. And I fucking worship you for it.
He slaps my exposed, aching pussy, slightly harder, testing me.
Their passion and love burns hotter than hell. However, the secrets Kage is keeping would quickly shatter everything they have tentatively built in the background. And we all know that secrets don’t stay buried forever.
Although I enjoyed the heck out of Ruthless Creatures, I was slightly disappointed. I secretly wished that this story wasn’t mafia related. I wanted Kage to be something else, bounty hunter, assassin, serial killer? I don’t know just a new flavor. I also felt that Natalie was a little too blasé when she found out what Kage was involved in. However, it didn’t detract from how sexy this story was and the mindblowing revelations that come to light. As for the hero, honestly you are not prepared for Kage. He was next level filthy and badass�
ARC provided by author in exchange for my honest opinion.
July 4, 2021
Well, I tried. I think it's fairly official that this author is not for me. This book is hilarious, but I don't mean the try-hard banter. I mean the intensity, I mean the lines, the pathetic insta-everything. The fact that they never use the word "Bratva," the dialogue, peppered with "beautiful girl" and a bunch of shit no one says to each other after 6 hours of knowing one another, the fact that a middle school teacher just says "I'm in," and essentially becomes a mafia wife. What passes for coy, flirtatious banter here is just...
YMMV, this author is so popular. For me though, the tension is misplaced, the relationship and dialogue eons away from organic and I couldn't take this "dark romance" seriously in the least.
YMMV, this author is so popular. For me though, the tension is misplaced, the relationship and dialogue eons away from organic and I couldn't take this "dark romance" seriously in the least.
May 2, 2022
So damn enjoyable!!! These two had me in my feelings!
4.5 🌟
4.5 🌟
October 16, 2023
2.5 stars
This is an insta love story and if you know me, you’d know that I could handle literally anything but insta love in books!! I just can’t. Especially when it’s done in an unrealistic way (most insta love stories is unrealistic to me but whatever) This wasn’t just insta love. Nope, it’s the kind of insta love that goes from zero to one-freakin-hundred in a blink of an eye. Like no no no someone pull the brakes! It wasn’t convincing at all. Ugh this was just so not for me.
Also, if there were any kind of dialogue between them to make me understand how did they fall so hard so fast it would have made it slightly okay (probably not) but no it was all so physical between them. They didn’t really TALK. and the dirty talk? Ugh Don’t even get me started, it was all he ever did and it was too cringy I just couldn’t.
Why did I keep on reading?
Sloane.
Her best friend is the highlight of this book. I loved their friendship and every scene that included Sloane. Also, that ending?? I’m totally completely excited for her book that I already forgot how much I hated this one. Please let her book be everything I want it to be.
This is an insta love story and if you know me, you’d know that I could handle literally anything but insta love in books!! I just can’t. Especially when it’s done in an unrealistic way (most insta love stories is unrealistic to me but whatever) This wasn’t just insta love. Nope, it’s the kind of insta love that goes from zero to one-freakin-hundred in a blink of an eye. Like no no no someone pull the brakes! It wasn’t convincing at all. Ugh this was just so not for me.
Also, if there were any kind of dialogue between them to make me understand how did they fall so hard so fast it would have made it slightly okay (probably not) but no it was all so physical between them. They didn’t really TALK. and the dirty talk? Ugh Don’t even get me started, it was all he ever did and it was too cringy I just couldn’t.
Why did I keep on reading?
Sloane.
Her best friend is the highlight of this book. I loved their friendship and every scene that included Sloane. Also, that ending?? I’m totally completely excited for her book that I already forgot how much I hated this one. Please let her book be everything I want it to be.
October 22, 2023
Reread rating lowered to 4 stars because of the h....and I actually skipped the sexy times which is unheard of for this author 😪
Reread and rating increased to 5 stars.....the H's in this series are perfection I tell you
Spoilers ahead
Omg this guy is INTENSE!! I think he broke and reformed the mold of an Alpha hero.....
I wonder if wallmart carries a version of him???
If I do my usual review I'll spoil the plot which I, for maybe the second time in my reading history, don't want to do lol. So we have a bad guy sent to do a bad thing but he falls in love with a girl instead.
Kage has to be one of the bossiest Alpha heroes I've read, he wasn't controlling but his power is felt.
The connection between these two was intense, the initial stages when he said the things he did had me swooning. I highlighted almost every word out of his mouth.
He is my favorite type of hero, the Alpha who's not a good guy. He's feared and respected by everyone else but is totally gone for his girl. #swoon
While the physical connection was excellently done(I didn't know this author had that in her head 😂)I confess I didn't QUITE get the "love" between the mcs which admittedly lowered my rating a tiny tiny bit.
The main reason for 4* instead of 5 is the h. On 2 occasions she made speeches to the H claiming ride or die status. She knew he wasn't a good guy but she claimed she was allin, for me if you're ALL in you've gotta be all in! The hell was all that hand wringing constantly seeking support from her bestie bullshit was that? She floundered too much for a woman I expected to rise up to be a boss bitch. I'm not a fan of the cliched slutty best friend, I don't like manwhores noe the female equivalent so Sloane isn't the type of h I gravitate too BUT she was the type of h that Kage deserved. A badass that rolled with the punches! Her responses to the varied crises were hilarious but definitely what I hoped for from the h.
All in all a truly solid start to a new series.
No cheating
H/h are separated at various points throughout but no others for either
H was obsessed with h from the beginning
h's fiance disappeared just before the wedding so we get some references to him and we see her struggle to move on. I hate dead exes but I undersood her situation because she didn't even have closure.
In the years since his death she's been on dates but no sex
Slight OM drama
Reread and rating increased to 5 stars.....the H's in this series are perfection I tell you
Spoilers ahead
Omg this guy is INTENSE!! I think he broke and reformed the mold of an Alpha hero.....
I wonder if wallmart carries a version of him???
If I do my usual review I'll spoil the plot which I, for maybe the second time in my reading history, don't want to do lol. So we have a bad guy sent to do a bad thing but he falls in love with a girl instead.
Kage has to be one of the bossiest Alpha heroes I've read, he wasn't controlling but his power is felt.
The connection between these two was intense, the initial stages when he said the things he did had me swooning. I highlighted almost every word out of his mouth.
He is my favorite type of hero, the Alpha who's not a good guy. He's feared and respected by everyone else but is totally gone for his girl. #swoon
While the physical connection was excellently done(I didn't know this author had that in her head 😂)I confess I didn't QUITE get the "love" between the mcs which admittedly lowered my rating a tiny tiny bit.
The main reason for 4* instead of 5 is the h. On 2 occasions she made speeches to the H claiming ride or die status. She knew he wasn't a good guy but she claimed she was allin, for me if you're ALL in you've gotta be all in! The hell was all that hand wringing constantly seeking support from her bestie bullshit was that? She floundered too much for a woman I expected to rise up to be a boss bitch. I'm not a fan of the cliched slutty best friend, I don't like manwhores noe the female equivalent so Sloane isn't the type of h I gravitate too BUT she was the type of h that Kage deserved. A badass that rolled with the punches! Her responses to the varied crises were hilarious but definitely what I hoped for from the h.
All in all a truly solid start to a new series.
No cheating
H/h are separated at various points throughout but no others for either
H was obsessed with h from the beginning
h's fiance disappeared just before the wedding so we get some references to him and we see her struggle to move on. I hate dead exes but I undersood her situation because she didn't even have closure.
In the years since his death she's been on dates but no sex
Slight OM drama
Read
May 22, 2024*soft dnf* - lost interest @28% chapter 10.
February 20, 2021
3.5 STARS
I have an obsession with JT Geissinger's words. The woman has created some of my absolute favorite alphas and some of my favorite heroines. She's the queen of banter and uber alphas. And I love me some uber alphas.
Ruthless Creatures is the start of her brand new Queens & Monsters series and I was so here for it. Mafia bad boys meet their match with fierce heroines? Yes please and thank you!
Let's start with what I loved. Nat and Sloane. I am a sucker for a sassy and fiercely loyal BFF dynamic, and these two had it in spades. I couldn't get enough of them.
I lived for glimpses of Sloane in all her sassy, maneater glory. I love a female that owns her sexuality and is not one to settle. I can't wait to meet the man to bring her to her knees. But I digress.
Nat met the love of her life, only for him to disappear on their wedding day. Five years later, she's still moving on from the loss. The worst of it is the not knowing what happened to him and whether he's alive or dead.
She's been living in limbo all these years, keeping her heart in check, and not able to commit to any man. Until a mysterious stranger with an aura of danger changes everything.
Kage was absolutely DELICIOUS. When I tell you that the man has presence, I mean he has PRESENSE. He practically oozes sexuality and badass. But he's also hiding something dark and dangerous with Nat in the front and center of it. He tries to deny their chemistry for as long as he can (which wasn't that long) until his need for her turns desperate. Now I'm not one for the insta-love vibe, but it actually worked for me here.
What kept this from being a five star were a few things. One, while the sex was hot, there was just too much of it. I found myself skimming sex scenes, and when I admit to doing this, you know it's a lot. This was a lot more erotic than what I'm used to from JT's other books. And don't get me wrong, I'm a girl that loves a good sex scene. But when it begins to detract from the plot, it's too much. I wanted more character development. I wanted more meat to the story. I felt like the focus was on the sexy times rather than the seriously intriguing plot. There's so much to unpack here with the rival mafia families, and I would have loved to spend more time with that. As it was, I found the primary focus to be on the sex. The other, because the focus was primarily on the plot, the characters were more forgettable then what I'm used to from this author as well. I won't find myself going back for a re-read of this one.
Now that's not to say I didn't enjoy it, because I really did. I finished it in one sitting. Did I love it? No. But I did like it quite a bit. I'm complete hooked on the series, and the set up for the next book? I'm drooling.
If you're looking for a super spicy book with a bad boy, mafia, suspense, and the hottest dirty talk, you need to check this one out.
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
Find me on:
People say time heals all wounds, but those people are assholes. Wounds like mine don’t heal. I’ve just learned to control the bleeding.
I have an obsession with JT Geissinger's words. The woman has created some of my absolute favorite alphas and some of my favorite heroines. She's the queen of banter and uber alphas. And I love me some uber alphas.
Ruthless Creatures is the start of her brand new Queens & Monsters series and I was so here for it. Mafia bad boys meet their match with fierce heroines? Yes please and thank you!
Let's start with what I loved. Nat and Sloane. I am a sucker for a sassy and fiercely loyal BFF dynamic, and these two had it in spades. I couldn't get enough of them.
“Vپ.�
“Holy shit.�
“That was pretty much my reaction, too.�
Sloane pauses. “And you didn’t throw yourself to your knees, rip open his zipper, and latch onto him like a sucker fish?�
Rolling my eyes, I sigh. “And they say romance is dead.�
I lived for glimpses of Sloane in all her sassy, maneater glory. I love a female that owns her sexuality and is not one to settle. I can't wait to meet the man to bring her to her knees. But I digress.
Nat met the love of her life, only for him to disappear on their wedding day. Five years later, she's still moving on from the loss. The worst of it is the not knowing what happened to him and whether he's alive or dead.
She's been living in limbo all these years, keeping her heart in check, and not able to commit to any man. Until a mysterious stranger with an aura of danger changes everything.
Kage was absolutely DELICIOUS. When I tell you that the man has presence, I mean he has PRESENSE. He practically oozes sexuality and badass. But he's also hiding something dark and dangerous with Nat in the front and center of it. He tries to deny their chemistry for as long as he can (which wasn't that long) until his need for her turns desperate. Now I'm not one for the insta-love vibe, but it actually worked for me here.
What kept this from being a five star were a few things. One, while the sex was hot, there was just too much of it. I found myself skimming sex scenes, and when I admit to doing this, you know it's a lot. This was a lot more erotic than what I'm used to from JT's other books. And don't get me wrong, I'm a girl that loves a good sex scene. But when it begins to detract from the plot, it's too much. I wanted more character development. I wanted more meat to the story. I felt like the focus was on the sexy times rather than the seriously intriguing plot. There's so much to unpack here with the rival mafia families, and I would have loved to spend more time with that. As it was, I found the primary focus to be on the sex. The other, because the focus was primarily on the plot, the characters were more forgettable then what I'm used to from this author as well. I won't find myself going back for a re-read of this one.
Now that's not to say I didn't enjoy it, because I really did. I finished it in one sitting. Did I love it? No. But I did like it quite a bit. I'm complete hooked on the series, and the set up for the next book? I'm drooling.
If you're looking for a super spicy book with a bad boy, mafia, suspense, and the hottest dirty talk, you need to check this one out.
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
Find me on:
May 1, 2022
3 stars
First off I have to admit I only read this because I am a fan of the mafia(criminals with a good heart trope lol) and while I read all reviews and I thought this was probably not gonna be my favourite book in the genre (or even top 10) I also couldn’t help myself not ticking this book off my list. I was tempted and I also knew that JTG’s writing is good so really, I was gonna read this even if I had to make myself.
So the actual review - I have no idea what to think. Did I love it? Actually no. The last 20/30% of the book was easier to read (maybe because I knew it was over soon or maybe cause I like to tie up loose ends and read epilogues) Regardless of the last few pages, I have the same complaints most people did about this book:
- too INSTA-love, and before anyone calls me a hypocrite, yes I have loved instalove before in books, I don’t have a problem with the trope itself but rather how it was handled in this book. I wanted more developed of their relationship. I think the author thought that having those time gaps in which he goes away but eventually comes back and starts a relationship with her is enough to make it less insta - but really it kinda did the opposite. All their feelings and decisions about their relationship were attributed to the crazy, out of control lust and passion and …love they had for each other - but having those big declarations out of the blue made me question the emotional maturity and sincerity those two had. The problem with having “normal� women in relationships with these criminals is that there needs to be dose of reality in how she handles him and his situations and here, this vanilla schoolteacher is ok with so many things which should have been big red flags.
- too many sex scenes AND they felt too scripted. Like the author had a checklist of the kinky stuff that needed to be included gradually. I just knew that whenever a new sex scenes was gonna come up next, the level would be upped. It felt - I don’t know, insincere? It wasn’t hot. So many people loved the smut in here and while it wasn’t bad- I’ve read less kinky and much better sex scenes because I could connect and the senes felt very genuine to the characters. These - did not. I also have this feeling that a lot of the popular BookTok authors who have released books recently try to up the steam because everyone on that damn app is all about the spice (which is fine and all, I’m no prude) but don’t make the smut feel like it’s a plot point, which at this point it does, it’s a freaking character in itself. EDIT : I read the second book and I kinda wanna delete my opinions on the smut in this one because talk about bad - that’s the second book for sure. In comparison, this one was what my dreams are made of 😅
- the plot wasn’t very mafiaesque, Sue me, but when I read a mafia romance I want it to feel like I’m reading a mafia romance, not a small town crime, spicy romcom filled with Hallmark declarations of love in every chapter. The plot was very and I mean very flimsy. It was mostly just the hero coming and going (doing his mafia business) and the heroine drinking wine and chilling with her dog while waiting.
- I also had a problem with the MCs basically getting together because they were extremely attracted to each other physically. Now, I’m not stupid, that’s mostly what puts the wheels in motion for people to get to know each other BUT it felt like that’s the only thing those two love about each other. Sure, down the line they add stuff but I feel like it all came from a place of lust.
- I’m so done with the physical descriptions of the hero (and heroine as well) being so out of this world in terms of attractiveness. Like everything about the man was perfect. And repeated on a loop. I get it. You told me. Cool it. He’s human, I wanna see more of that.
I guess, overall, I wouldn’t say this was bad - it was an acceptable read. Very good writing and top notch banter. But it missed the core, the heart and the plot.
First off I have to admit I only read this because I am a fan of the mafia(criminals with a good heart trope lol) and while I read all reviews and I thought this was probably not gonna be my favourite book in the genre (or even top 10) I also couldn’t help myself not ticking this book off my list. I was tempted and I also knew that JTG’s writing is good so really, I was gonna read this even if I had to make myself.
So the actual review - I have no idea what to think. Did I love it? Actually no. The last 20/30% of the book was easier to read (maybe because I knew it was over soon or maybe cause I like to tie up loose ends and read epilogues) Regardless of the last few pages, I have the same complaints most people did about this book:
- too INSTA-love, and before anyone calls me a hypocrite, yes I have loved instalove before in books, I don’t have a problem with the trope itself but rather how it was handled in this book. I wanted more developed of their relationship. I think the author thought that having those time gaps in which he goes away but eventually comes back and starts a relationship with her is enough to make it less insta - but really it kinda did the opposite. All their feelings and decisions about their relationship were attributed to the crazy, out of control lust and passion and …love they had for each other - but having those big declarations out of the blue made me question the emotional maturity and sincerity those two had. The problem with having “normal� women in relationships with these criminals is that there needs to be dose of reality in how she handles him and his situations and here, this vanilla schoolteacher is ok with so many things which should have been big red flags.
- too many sex scenes AND they felt too scripted. Like the author had a checklist of the kinky stuff that needed to be included gradually. I just knew that whenever a new sex scenes was gonna come up next, the level would be upped. It felt - I don’t know, insincere? It wasn’t hot. So many people loved the smut in here and while it wasn’t bad- I’ve read less kinky and much better sex scenes because I could connect and the senes felt very genuine to the characters. These - did not. I also have this feeling that a lot of the popular BookTok authors who have released books recently try to up the steam because everyone on that damn app is all about the spice (which is fine and all, I’m no prude) but don’t make the smut feel like it’s a plot point, which at this point it does, it’s a freaking character in itself. EDIT : I read the second book and I kinda wanna delete my opinions on the smut in this one because talk about bad - that’s the second book for sure. In comparison, this one was what my dreams are made of 😅
- the plot wasn’t very mafiaesque, Sue me, but when I read a mafia romance I want it to feel like I’m reading a mafia romance, not a small town crime, spicy romcom filled with Hallmark declarations of love in every chapter. The plot was very and I mean very flimsy. It was mostly just the hero coming and going (doing his mafia business) and the heroine drinking wine and chilling with her dog while waiting.
- I also had a problem with the MCs basically getting together because they were extremely attracted to each other physically. Now, I’m not stupid, that’s mostly what puts the wheels in motion for people to get to know each other BUT it felt like that’s the only thing those two love about each other. Sure, down the line they add stuff but I feel like it all came from a place of lust.
- I’m so done with the physical descriptions of the hero (and heroine as well) being so out of this world in terms of attractiveness. Like everything about the man was perfect. And repeated on a loop. I get it. You told me. Cool it. He’s human, I wanna see more of that.
I guess, overall, I wouldn’t say this was bad - it was an acceptable read. Very good writing and top notch banter. But it missed the core, the heart and the plot.
February 17, 2021
Oh my gosh! Holy heck! Squeee! And any other exclamation of sheer delight! Not only has this book become my top favorite for the year, it’s a new top favorite of all time!
There really are no words at how much I loved every single thing about this story. Nat was sassy and fierce despite feeling emotionally wounded from a situation in her past. She had a sharp wit which led to such fun banter both with Kage and her best friend Sloane. She was the type of character that you’d love to have for real in your life.
Kage was mega alpha goodness in all his anti-hero bada--ery ways. After my initial intrigue with him, he soon had me swooning as he smooth talked Nat into giving him a chance. And when I say “smooth talk�, I mean it in the dirtiest way possible. Kage was INTENSE to the extreme and when he got his hands on Nat things heated up fast and furious. I don’t think I’ve ever read a story where the chemistry between the hero and heroine was so extraordinarily felt and perfectly expressed.
This has a lot going on in the story. Some of it I’m hoping will remain a surprise to each reader as that revelation was part of the enjoyment I experienced with this story. Kage and Nat’s relationship has quite a bit of angst to it and it was just another element where this author really pulled me into the story and I found myself hurting for them both as they struggled with the situation they found themselves in.
With lots of action and drama added to all of the above, as well as the promise of more Sloane, I ended the book with the promise to myself that I would be rereading it again in the future. Soon.
Dual POV
Safe
Triggers
There really are no words at how much I loved every single thing about this story. Nat was sassy and fierce despite feeling emotionally wounded from a situation in her past. She had a sharp wit which led to such fun banter both with Kage and her best friend Sloane. She was the type of character that you’d love to have for real in your life.
Kage was mega alpha goodness in all his anti-hero bada--ery ways. After my initial intrigue with him, he soon had me swooning as he smooth talked Nat into giving him a chance. And when I say “smooth talk�, I mean it in the dirtiest way possible. Kage was INTENSE to the extreme and when he got his hands on Nat things heated up fast and furious. I don’t think I’ve ever read a story where the chemistry between the hero and heroine was so extraordinarily felt and perfectly expressed.
This has a lot going on in the story. Some of it I’m hoping will remain a surprise to each reader as that revelation was part of the enjoyment I experienced with this story. Kage and Nat’s relationship has quite a bit of angst to it and it was just another element where this author really pulled me into the story and I found myself hurting for them both as they struggled with the situation they found themselves in.
With lots of action and drama added to all of the above, as well as the promise of more Sloane, I ended the book with the promise to myself that I would be rereading it again in the future. Soon.
Dual POV
Safe
Triggers
September 18, 2023
3.5 �
4/5 spice. The spice...
SLOANE THATS IT. WHAT I'D DO FOR THIS WOMEN✋️!! I NEED HER IN MY LIFE.
This book was boring through the first part, almost 30% in, and I put it down cz I was bored out of my mind. And I think the reason for that was the insta-love/lust between them.
Natalie, our FMC; on her wedding day, her husband ran away, right on their wedding day. She is heartbroken and does everything that could help find him. Now, 10 years have passed, and she's decided to move on. And get drunk to get it all out.
At the bar, she sees a mysterious man, very handsome, looking at her as if he wants to eat her�. That is what she said through her thoughts!
They talk, and from there, she finds out he is her neighbour who had just moved in recently.
And then he repeats all those things the men in previous series I read from Geissinger did. And things in the first 30% of the book were just repeating the previous series. That same insta-lust from men and that same insta-love from women.
But why is he here? Is the real question. That's a mystery.... And the twist that follows that is so epic😆. I was not expecting thatalthough I figured it out, but it was shocking to read it.🤷🏽
It would've been so much better and 5 stars if it took a little more time for them to fall for each other(in other words, if it wasn't just insta love and lust)
The epilogue was 😭🤌 I NEED MORE OF SLOANE BYE-
“That’s love, babe. If it doesn’t hurt, it isn’t real.�
“Hey, you’re the one who wanted me to sleep with him so badly.�
“Yeah, sleep with him. Then move on, like a normal person.�
“I told you this would happen! I told you I’d fall in love with him if I slept with him, and you laughed at me!�
“I didn’t realize your heart was located inside your vagina.�
"The man is the Shakespeare of smut."
"Sloane?"
"Yeah?"
"I want to be you when I grow up."
She smiles and sends me a wink. "Get in line."
4/5 spice. The spice...
SLOANE THATS IT. WHAT I'D DO FOR THIS WOMEN✋️!! I NEED HER IN MY LIFE.
This book was boring through the first part, almost 30% in, and I put it down cz I was bored out of my mind. And I think the reason for that was the insta-love/lust between them.
Natalie, our FMC; on her wedding day, her husband ran away, right on their wedding day. She is heartbroken and does everything that could help find him. Now, 10 years have passed, and she's decided to move on. And get drunk to get it all out.
At the bar, she sees a mysterious man, very handsome, looking at her as if he wants to eat her�. That is what she said through her thoughts!
They talk, and from there, she finds out he is her neighbour who had just moved in recently.
And then he repeats all those things the men in previous series I read from Geissinger did. And things in the first 30% of the book were just repeating the previous series. That same insta-lust from men and that same insta-love from women.
But why is he here? Is the real question. That's a mystery.... And the twist that follows that is so epic😆. I was not expecting that
It would've been so much better and 5 stars if it took a little more time for them to fall for each other(in other words, if it wasn't just insta love and lust)
The epilogue was 😭🤌 I NEED MORE OF SLOANE BYE-
“That’s love, babe. If it doesn’t hurt, it isn’t real.�
“Hey, you’re the one who wanted me to sleep with him so badly.�
“Yeah, sleep with him. Then move on, like a normal person.�
“I told you this would happen! I told you I’d fall in love with him if I slept with him, and you laughed at me!�
“I didn’t realize your heart was located inside your vagina.�
"The man is the Shakespeare of smut."
"Sloane?"
"Yeah?"
"I want to be you when I grow up."
She smiles and sends me a wink. "Get in line."
April 27, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Woah buddy, this was a spicy one. The audio was especially good thanks to Troy Duran. Like seriously, where has this narrator been all my life?!
Anywho, back to the story at hand. Natalie is an art teacher in mourning due to her fiancé disappearing the day before their wedding five years prior.
No matter how much her bestie Sloane tries to get her to put her pussy back on the market, Nat has no interest.
Enter one sexy ass epitome of the tall, dark and handsome in the form of her new neighbor Kage.
They both play hard to get for about thirty seconds before they fall into bed together. And damn, these two can really burn up the sheets.
This is one of the better instaloves I’ve read. Did I buy that they were madly in love after little more interaction than electric sex? Probably not but I’m all for falling into mistakes disguised as a good time.
The only thing as good as the sex was the hilarity that constantly fell out of both Nat and Sloane’s mouths. I’m honestly not sure which relationship I enjoyed more; Nat and Kage or Nat and Sloane. I mean hell, if Nat gave into Sloane’s original plan for a thrupple I would’ve died and gone to heaven.
Was it the best love story? No. Was is the best mafia romance? No. Was it entertaining as all get out? Hells yeah!
Woah buddy, this was a spicy one. The audio was especially good thanks to Troy Duran. Like seriously, where has this narrator been all my life?!
Anywho, back to the story at hand. Natalie is an art teacher in mourning due to her fiancé disappearing the day before their wedding five years prior.
No matter how much her bestie Sloane tries to get her to put her pussy back on the market, Nat has no interest.
Enter one sexy ass epitome of the tall, dark and handsome in the form of her new neighbor Kage.
They both play hard to get for about thirty seconds before they fall into bed together. And damn, these two can really burn up the sheets.
This is one of the better instaloves I’ve read. Did I buy that they were madly in love after little more interaction than electric sex? Probably not but I’m all for falling into mistakes disguised as a good time.
The only thing as good as the sex was the hilarity that constantly fell out of both Nat and Sloane’s mouths. I’m honestly not sure which relationship I enjoyed more; Nat and Kage or Nat and Sloane. I mean hell, if Nat gave into Sloane’s original plan for a thrupple I would’ve died and gone to heaven.
Was it the best love story? No. Was is the best mafia romance? No. Was it entertaining as all get out? Hells yeah!
June 7, 2021
This book has a wrong title. It should be titled Dirty Talk with Assassin or something. Cause the dirty talk in the bedroom is off the chart. Hot, sexy and funny. And Miss Geissinger gives us so much more of her signature banter.
I do not like Sloane so much. She is trying to be feminist but running on testosterone hormone. I love Nathalie and Kage chemistry. They have this alive, fun, hot, sexy banter. Including the bedroom talk. I thought I was in for a ride of dark mafia romance. Instead I got rom com with correct dose of mafia suspense.
I wish David is not the bad guy here. He can be developed into another stand alone story.
4 stars
I do not like Sloane so much. She is trying to be feminist but running on testosterone hormone. I love Nathalie and Kage chemistry. They have this alive, fun, hot, sexy banter. Including the bedroom talk. I thought I was in for a ride of dark mafia romance. Instead I got rom com with correct dose of mafia suspense.
I wish David is not the bad guy here. He can be developed into another stand alone story.
4 stars
April 19, 2023
2.5�
me when I read the epilogue:
me when I read the epilogue:
July 20, 2023
DNFed at 20%. When a guy is described as a Jason Momoa type.. I'm instantly over it.
I'm much more of a Matthew Goode kind of gal.
**Also, this was about to be all smut, no plot, and I just wasn't in the mood for any filthy talk unless someone is wearing a crisp Tom Ford suit. 😂😂
||
I'm much more of a Matthew Goode kind of gal.
**Also, this was about to be all smut, no plot, and I just wasn't in the mood for any filthy talk unless someone is wearing a crisp Tom Ford suit. 😂😂
||
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