Cheryl's Book Nook

  Some fates are carved in stone. Others are created with blood. For most people, Dahryst is a haven for witches, safeguarded by the gods from the human pursuers. But, for Calista, her home is a perilous place. Wielding a power reserved for the God of Death alone, she must conceal her ability or perish. However, when she decides to stop the Harvest—a tournament to the death set on the sacred ground of Tenenocti Island—she risks not only revealing the truth and becoming targeted by the elders, but also putting her best friend's life in jeopardy. When Azkiel, the God of Death returns, after being absent for over a century, an ancient prophecy is unveiled, foretelling his downfall at the hands of Calista. But when secrets unfold, the God of Death is force to forge an alliance with Calista, further intertwining their fates. Will she be able to resist the darkness in her veins, unveil the ancient mysteries shrouding her, and stop a vengeful god to save herself and her loved ones? Or wil...

  In the heart of snowy Iowa, as the holiday season descends upon the University of Cedar Rapids, the campus is abuzz with Christmas cheer. But for your favorite UCR Raccoons, life isn't all merry and bright: the clock is ticking down to a team Christmas party at the de la Pena mansion. Told through multiple points of view, this enchanting tale weaves together the hopes, dreams, and struggles of the players as they navigate the magic of Christmas. As the team prepares for their holiday party, they discover that the true meaning of Christmas isn't found in victories on the ice, but in the bonds they have cultivated with their teammates. From going in to labor at a llama farm, to shopping for the perfect ring to pop the big question, this novella dives into the lives that have intertwined throughout the Raccoon's series, and the warmth of a team that becomes a family. Perfect for a cozy winter read, "Snowflakes and Slapshots" captures the spirit of the season and th...

  Once upon a time, a prince’s obsession with a beautiful peasant nearly destroyed his kingdom. I am the woman who came within inches of ruining the realm. At a ball in honor of our betrothal, I drank from a poisoned chalice and fell into a dreamless sleep. Now, a century later, another prince’s kiss awakens me from my slumber. I'm told I have no choice but to become his queen. That's how the story always goes. But my heart desires a man I can't touch. The knight who was there in the shadows, watching me. The curse isn’t yet fully broken. I've lived this tale once before. This time, I choose a different ending. I want him. The hard-hearted knight whose kiss awakens me, body and soul. Who protects me from the terrifying monsters that follow me wherever I go. No matter what price I must pay—or what it costs him to awaken me in truth. This scorching forbidden romance is a Sleeping Beauty retelling intended for mature audiences. For fans of Evie Marceau, Scarlett St. Clair,...

  What kind of man in his right mind asks a girl out on a date just to make his ex jealous? Warren Farrow, that's who. I fell for that dimpled smirk, cowboy hat, and magnetic charm. Too bad he saw me as nothing more than a pawn in his scheme. That alone should have stopped me from asking him to be my fake boyfriend a few weeks later. In my defense, I was out of options after a major screw-up that almost cost me my job. My lack of self-preservation skills didn’t do much to deter me from the idea either. I may be a walking disaster. But everyone in Westridge knows Warren as the town golden boy who can do no wrong - making him the perfect candidate to repair my reputation and help me avoid getting fired. The ruse seemed foolproof at first, but one practice kiss was all it took for my defenses to weaken and remember how brightly the spark between us burned. He wanted me, flaws and all. And my urge to resist him began to disappear when I realized he was bringing out a side of me that fe...

  ONE MOMENT. TWO MASKS. THREE CHASES INTO THE NIGHT. They’re supposed to be enemies. It takes one night with a masked man to change that all. They crave the next touch of the person they hate the most. Desperate for that next taste of the person they can’t stand. Waiting for that anonymous text message to accelerate their heartbeats. The thrill of the chase with the forbidden fruit is enough to blur the lines and the world around them. The first problem? They both have girlfriends. The worst problem? They’re stepbrothers. This story comes with extremely triggering content. Please read the triggers before continuing. My Review Um, hello. As a reader and fan of MM romance books, this one is really good. Besides giving me stalker vibes, it was also giving my bully. I was drawn into Blaise and Cole's world.  The first close encounter between these two was hot and just the tip of the hotness scale. Each encounter afterwards was HOT. It was made even more so because of the "raw...

  T his wasn’t what I signed up for. Hell, I don’t ever remember signing up for anything at all, but when there were debts to be paid, and time had run out, I was delivered to Miss May’s doorstep. The man who had paid a handsome fee to make me his wife was the only person in the world that I ever learned to fear. It was when he and I first locked eyes that I knew I was in for a worse hell than I could imagine. I never expected the cruelty that accompanied it. But rage can do something to a heart that once was gentle. It can do something to someone who was once quiet and full of hope. It can slowly turn a caged, once-frightened animal into a feral one. It did because I wasn’t afraid of him anymore, I was determined. And I was ready to break free. My Review Warning: This book is dark. However, if you have read Yolonda, this is no surprise.  Orla goes through a lot being Kase's wife. It is not always easy to read about the trauma that Orla experiences, despite everything she goes...

  Nellie Belanger and JP Marchand have the perfect arrangement 1. She comes to Montreal 2. He makes sure she comes when she’s in Montreal. 3. That’s it. Despite missing out on her life-changing internship and committing herself to a summer of social obligations and stuffy events so she can afford to finish her final year of university, Nellie’s feeling pretty lucky. Between regular rendezvous with her former professor, Ben, and the sweet arrangement with JP, Nellie’s busy, satisfied after finding not one but  two  friends-with-benefits who are into her no-strings-attached philosophy. When Anne-Marie—Nellie’s best friend and JP’s sister who wants nothing more than for Nellie and JP to add strings to their arrangement—catches Nellie returning home red-faced and sweaty one night, it sets off a series of events involving a charity fun run and an unexpected betrayal, leaving Nellie scrambling to meet her father’s unreasonable expectations. But after her brilliant solution offe...

  Tell me your nightmares. . . One night changes everything. Ember doesn’t know how, but on the brink of death, she calls to them. They come in the darkness, like phantoms in masks, and rescue her from her pain. But that rescue comes with a price. Her soul. She must give all she is to the Cirque, where it doesn’t only house you, it  owns  you. Nothing is ever as it seems and the truth behind the striped curtain is no small matter. Can Ember keep her vow? Can she embrace the madness the Cirque demands? After all, the Cirque isn’t just a home for freaks and runaways, but also for those who will kill to protect it. They’ll carve a bloody path through the world, preying on the predators no one else dares to. When the Cirque calls, they answer. The Cirque demands blood. It demands payment. And pay Ember must, with her soul or theirs. . . Welcome to Cirque Obscurum, where the cards never lie. . . *Cirque Obscurum is intended for audiences over eighteen and features adult situat...

  Penalty Kill is a college hockey romance with a playboy hero who gets a second chance with the girl he never got over. Van I have one final season at Bainbridge University to show the scouts what I’ve got before I shoot my shot as a free agent and try to make it in the pros. The only thing standing between me and the hockey career I’ve worked my ass off for is the class schedule straight out of my nightmares. There’s no way I’m passing these courses. But if I fail, I can kiss my future goodbye. The only hope I have is the tutor Coach had assigned to me. My Review Andi is a new to me author. Yet, after reading this book, I do want to read more books from Andi. Yes, this book featured hockey, but it was not just about the sport. It was all about the emotions. The emotions between Josie and Van. This is what really drew me into this book.  The way that Van opened up to Josie and poured his heart out to her. It made me really connect to him and want to give him a hug. The romanc...

  Hannah Maddox Lovelace. The captivating football player I met in college. The one I only knew for a week. A week that was… life-changing. Until my phone rang, and I had no choice but to go home. I left Maddox a letter, putting my feelings on paper, giving him my number, hoping he’d call. But he didn’t call. He never called. He got drafted into the professional league and lived like a king while I stayed home and struggled to stay afloat. I may have followed his career, but now that he’s retired from football, I’ve forced myself to stop thinking about him. And it’s okay that I won’t ever see him again. That week in college was fifteen years ago. I’m not in love with Maddox anymore. I might even hate him. Maddox Hannah Utley. The name that’s haunted me since my senior year of college. The girl who caught my attention with her wide eyes and freckled nose. Who spent one week twisting up my insides until she stole a piece of my heart the night we got locked inside the campus library. ...

  Cunning, lethal, and resilient were just a few words men have used to describe Anya Ivanov. While others would use words that are far worse. The head of questionable auctions just so happens to have the eye of a very ruthless businessman, River Bently. River knew the moment he saw her, she was his. And he was more than patient to give her time to realize he was not going anywhere. Even if he was imposing on her territory, he was there to stay. The only way to spend time with Anya is if you have the money to pay for her company. He very much could. He would pay her every last drop she demanded to be in the same room as the woman they are all afraid of. He does not see a woman who could cut him down to his knees. No, he sees a woman who he would gladly get on his knees for. *New Stand Alone Enemies to Lovers Romance all connected in the same world as 'Lethal Vows'.* My Review Another amazing book by T.L. and Kia. They are like James Patterson and James Patterson (James and any ...

  What happens when a reluctant cowboy agrees to get set up at a wedding, but then he and his dog fall for the wrong bridesmaid? Surly cowboy, Ford Lassiter, named after the truck his dad was driving when he’d left him and his mother, has only known abandonment and doesn’t trust relationships—until he shares an intimate weekend at a wedding with a woman he meets when his golden retriever jumps into her lap. Tall and curvy, Elizabeth "Bitsy' Cole, is anything but bitsy. She has spent her adult life wishing she had the courage to change--to be more adventurous and get out of the current rut of her boring monotonous life. She's not sure what makes her take her cousin, Elizabeth's name tag instead of her own at a family wedding, but that is only the first of many bold choices she will take as she spends one wild weekend with the hottest cowboy she's ever known. SAVE THE DATE FOR A COWBOY is the prequel novella to the Lassiter Ranch series in which three abandoned cowbo...

  From international best-selling author Elliott Rose comes a new forbidden-love series... What happens when you’re snowed in on a mountain ranch, with the one man you definitely should not be fantasizing about? I’ve always done what was expected of me. Layla Birch, the good girl. Forced to grow up too fast. To take care of everything myself. I had a plan. Only, I didn’t count on him. Colton Wilder. The cowboy nearly twice my age. He’s my dream man. One who takes care of me, gives me a job, and makes my pulse thud harder every time he comes near. My ex-boyfriend’s father. The nights are long and cold on top of this mountain. As the snow grows thicker and the tension builds between us, we’re both inching closer to a line we shouldn’t cross. Each day, it grows harder to resist the man who looks at me with longing in his eyes. It’s tempting to forget about being the good girl for once. No one would find out. Would they? Chasing The Wild is an interconnected stand-alone, book 1 in the ...

  Protect me is a  LIGHT GRAY  bodyguard romance novella standalone. He can protect me from everyone but himself Isabella Two weeks. The job is only for fourteen days. He’ll be on guard every minute of the day, trying to protect and preserve me. I don’t like being babysat, and I’m hell-bent on making him work to keep me safe. Vance is my bodyguard, and he tries so hard to keep his hands off me, but I’ve always been very persuasive. I find myself wanting to let go of what I’m required to hold on to for my arranged marriage. I want control when I’ve never been allowed to have it. This bodyguard romance has dark content and themes. Full list of content warnings on LaurenBiel.com Tropes: Age gap Innocent but sassy fmc Grumpy protector mmc Forced proximity MCs from different worlds My Review I absolutely loved this novella. It was a fast read for me. It may be light gray but that does not mean that the spice is light. The way that Vance would tell Isabella to not touch herself...

  From best selling author Willow Winters comes the second collection in the smoldering fantasy Wounded Kiss World. Following To Be Claimed, To Be Fated continues the fast paced and sizzling fated mates romances. Fate never prepared them and, for some, it may be too late. If you enjoy sexy, paranormal romances and stand-alone, insta-love stories, complete with a happily ever after, this book is for you. This collection contains three standalones. Please note, this collection can be read without having read anything else but it is highly recommended to read To Be Claimed first so you can fully enjoy how the world unravels and how these tales weave together. My Review I really enjoyed this collection of stories. Willow did bring the spice and lots of it. With each story, the spice level I thought picked up. I have not read many by Willow, but I do know that I would read more paranormal romance books from her. In fact, I will go back and read To Be Claimed.  If you love shifter s...