2021 WOTR Attending Authors AJ Renee, Mary Martel, Lacey Black, Brandy Slaven, and Heather D’Agostino. Reviews listed in no particular order. THE NOT-OUTCAST by Tijan Cutler Ryder was everything I wasn’t. He was the hockey star. I was an outcast. He was best friends with my stepbrother, that same stepbrother who hated me. His two parents loved him. My mom was a junkie. My dad barely knew me. Years passed. I got my life together. Cut went onto NHL stardom. Then there was a text. I was drinking. There was a party. Cut was there… I loved Cutler Ryder since the first moment I saw him. The only problem? He never knew I existed. MY REVIEW: Goodreads ************************************************************************ CURSED LOVE by AJ Renee Demons. Witches. Curses. Brandy had no reason to believe in any of them, until things started getting weird after her birthday. Her powers surprise her, sending her life into a tailspin and painting a glowing target on her back. Every day, she crosses the path of the next unexpected thing, and there’s a handsome yet annoying stranger that has the information she doesn’t know she needs. She’s questioning everything she’s been raised to believe, but she’s running out of time. Can a secret family legacy help her hone her magic before it’s too late? Or will she join the other fallen witches and their curse? MY REVIEW: Goodreads ************************************************************************ WHAT YOU DESERVE by Mary Martel One half of a whole. That’s what I always thought I’d be. Being an identical twin, I always believed I had that to rely on. I thought wrong. Losing half of that whole left me feeling like I had nothing. It crippled me. Almost destroyed me. And left me with an aching heart, a slew of questions, and a need for revenge so strong I could almost taste it on my tongue. My name is Gem Stone. My twin’s name was Gin. We might have looked like the same person, but we were not. Divorce and a disgusting mother forced us apart at a young age, and a horrible family kept us that way. Still, we remained best friends—or so I thought. When you lose the other half to your whole, the other half of your soul, you lose everything. But I wasn’t ready to give up everything, even when I felt like I was dead inside. My twin kept a secret from me. One that changed everything and made me look at her in a whole different light. I ache for answers to my questions, and I find salvation where I shouldn’t. Mostly, I crave some type of vengeance. Something, anything, to make me feel better about what I’ve lost. What You Deserve is a 100,000+ word m/f/m contemporary book for readers 18 and up. MY REVIEW: Goodreads ************************************************************************ DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU by Lacey Black Quinn One simple text message can change everything. I found that out the hard way. One minute I’m complaining about a horrible picture of a guy’s you-know-what, and the next, I’m having conversations with a stranger. A gorgeous, rebel of a man who makes my heart skip a beat and does a number on my panties. The only problem is we’re not looking for the same things in life. I want stability and a family, while he always has his eye out for the next good time. Royce She may literally be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. Funny, it all started with an accidental text message. About unwanted male member photos, actually, and from that moment, I was hooked. She’s the perfect woman really, except for one tiny little flaw. She’s looking for the one thing that makes me want to run for the door. Forever. Yet, somehow, I can’t seem to let her go. She might be the one dare I actually fail. MY REVIEW: Goodreads ************************************************************************ THE RUSSIAN UNLEASHED by Red Phoenix I am a simple man. I love fine vodka, whips, and beautiful women. And I have a secret. At twenty-one, I’ve just inherited my family’s entire fortune. Young, rich, and powerful, I am a force to be reckoned with – in and out of the bedroom. But the streets of Russia are dangerous. When innocence is threatened, I risk my life to save a girl. Now the Bratva have their sights set on me. I did not ask to be a hero, but I refuse to back down. I will fight to the end to protect the honor of the woman I love. I am Rytsar Durov. They have no idea what they have unleashed! MY REVIEW: Goodreads ************************************************************************ DEAN OF VIPERS by K.A. Knight Ryder, Garrett, Kenzo, and Diesel—The Vipers. They run this town and everyone in it. Their deals are as sordid as their business, and their reputation is enough to bring a grown man to his knees, forcing him to beg for mercy. They are not people you mess with, yet my dad did. The old man ran up a debt with them and then sold me to cover his losses. Yes, sold me. They own me now. I’m theirs in every sense of the word. But I’ve never been meek and compliant. These men, they look at me with longing. Their scarred, blood-stained hands holding me tight. They want everything I am, everything I have to give, and won’t stop until they get just that. They can own my body, but they will never have my heart. The Vipers? I’m going to make them regret the day they took me. This girl? She bites too. *18+ Reverse Harem Romance. Warning this book contains scenes and references of abuse/assault that some readers may find triggering. Along with graphic sex scenes and violence. This is a dark book* MY REVIEW: Goodreads ************************************************************************ FREESTYLE by Bea Paige From the gutter to the stars… Dance is in my blood. It’s what keeps me sane, out of trouble. It used to keep them out of trouble too. A group of boys I grew up with. Xeno, York, Zayn and Dax. We were a crew once and we ruled the clubs. Separate we were insanely good, together we were unbeatable. F*&ing on fire. I was their girl and they were my Breakers. Until they did something they promised they never would; break my heart. We were sixteen when they left me. You see, for kids like us, dance was all we had. Growing up in a rundown housing estate in London with no prospects can make you view the world differently. It can make you choose the wrong path. I chose dance, and they chose crime. Three years later I’ve won a scholarship to Stardom Academy. I try to forget my past. But how can I do that when the four boys who hurt me are back? And this time they won’t walk away even when I ask them too. Freestyle is book one of this new gritty, contemporary reverse harem academy trilogy for 17+ readers and deals with adult themes and some subjects you may find upsetting. If you love dance, your men on the criminal side, alpha hot holes and the enemies-to-lovers trope, this is for you. Contains foul language and sexual scenes. MY REVIEW: Goodreads ************************************************************************ ZOMBIE QUEEN by Brandy Slaven and Mary Martel SUNKEN EMPIRE by Brandy Slaven When Rubi finds herself out on a singles cruise headed for the Bahamas, she can’t help but to wonder how her life has gone so horribly wrong. Many speed dates later and one drunken night on the deck sends Rubi head over heels, literally. She finds herself in the cold water of the Atlantic watching the boat she was cursing not long ago, sail off into the distance. Stranded in the middle of the ocean, she knows it’s only a matter of when she dies, not if. When three gorgeous identical strangers show up out of nowhere, Rubi is certain she is drunk and hallucinating. As they whisper dark promises in her ear and drag her into the dark abyss, she says goodbye to her pathetic life. Little does Rubi know, she is about to be thrust into a world full of magic, centuries old prophecies, sea monsters, and mermaids. MY REVIEW: Goodreads ************************************************************************ THE SURVIVOR’S DUET by Heather D’Agostino VANISHING ACT Have you ever wondered if things could be different? What would your life be like if you chose a different path? Would everything still be your fault? Would he still hate you? Would it be better or worse? Would he love you then? My name is Brooke Ellis. I’ve spent the last five years asking myself these questions as I try to survive my marriage. Some things don’t change, and some people don’t want to. Sometimes the only answer is to disappear. MY REVIEW: Goodreads ____________________________________ ENDURING ACT Ever have a dream that’s so vivid you believe that it’s real? All the things you’ve wanted are in your grasp. You’re happy and free. You believe that you’ve finally made it, and then you wake up. The nightmare you know as your life is back. No one understands what you’re going through, and no one believes the things you tell them. He has them all fooled. He’s convinced them he’s perfect. He tells them he loves you, and they believe the lies. How much must you endure before they see? How far can you bend before you break? How long must the nightmare last before you escape? MY REVIEW: Goodreads