1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Nine Kindle Edition

A wonderful selection of romance stories, ranging from okay to great, but overall well written and worth reading. One of my favorite characters was a man with obsessive compulsive disorder who also suffered from anxiety.

This bundle was incredible, I read a few of my all time favorite writers and fell head over heels with some new ones I've never seen before. I would happily recommend this to anyone who loves a great romance and us looking for their next book boyfriend. ;) I just love getting my HEA {happy ever after} thanks for delivering that and more.

🔹 SOME SORT OF HAPPY By Melanie Harlow
4.5 Hearts

Some Sort of Happy is the first book in the Happy Crazy Love series. It is a complete standalone but it will make you want to read the other books about Skylar's sisters. I actually did this backwards and read the others first. I have been wanting to read Sebastian and Skylar's story so I am so happy that I finally did.

Skylar didn't know where her life was going. She was back home after ten years and feeling like a failure. She was living with her parents. Single. And at twenty-seven she didn't know what to do next. She was feeling insecure and needed time to herself to think. And that led her to the beach and falling on her face in the sand. Which caused her get the attention of one hot guy that would change everything...

Sebastian hasn't seen her in ten years. And of course she didn't remember who he was. He didn't blame her. He wasn't exactly popular in high school. But, she was always nice to him. Nice to everyone. And beautiful. He had a crush on her then and now it was more. She still made him nervous. And when she shows interest in him, he doesn't understand why someone like her would want a man like him. Especially when knowing about his OCD and anxiety. He knew he should stay away. He tried to but she wouldn't let him. She wanted to help him lighten up. To show him that he was worth it. But when he has his bad days and could be an a-, will she still feel the same way?

Sebastian and Skylar's relationship isn't easy but it's real. They both have their insecurities. Worries about the future. They also need to work on communication. The thing they don't need to work on is their passion for each other in the bedroom. But, to have a future, you need more than that. Can Sebastian let Skylar in? Into his thoughts before it's too late?

I thought it was awesome that Melanie wrote a character with a serious case of OCD and anxiety. It was more than just having a clean house or washed hands. Sebastian could be an a- on the outside but he had his reasons on the inside. He hates it. Hurting someone he cares about. Mix signals. Two words that explain the man. It's frustrating but thankfully you get his side too. Anyway, it's not just about his issues but about Skylar's next phrase in her life as well.

Overall...it was awesome! It was real. Beautiful. Frustrating. Sexy. Funny. And different.

Quotes:

“How are you?”
“Good. I’m just looking for a screw.” My eyes went panicky wide as I realized what I said. “For some screws, I mean. Not a screw.”

“I’ll never apologize. Never.”

“I’m particular, but I’m not totally insane.” He paused. “Usually.”

🔹 MAGNIFICENT BASTARD by Lili Valente
5 Hearts

I have read all of Lili's books and have loved each and every one! Her serial series' are hot as hell, suspenseful, and twisted. Magnificent bastard is too but in a more beautiful, and hilarious way. It was awesome to see the other side of her writing. It is my favorite novel of hers to date...Now onto buttercup and her bastard's story!

Sebastian, aka, Bash is in the business of helping women seek revenge on the men that broke their hearts. His favorite part of his job is to build their confidence, to make them feel powerful, beautiful, and worthy of love with the right person. Not the loser that dumped, cheated or abused them. He has been the chief executive of Magnificent Bastard Consulting for two years, and has never once broken the rules he has set in place. The number one rule being, do not go past kissing a client. You can not get attached, and don't let them get attached. But, when his virtual assistant and one of his best friends becomes a client, he wants to throw those rules out the window, drive over them, and take them home to burn them. From the moment he meets Penny for the first time, after two years of goofy and flirty texts, silly phones calls, and knowing she is the clue that keeps him together, he wants her instantly...and so does Incredible Bulk.

Penny has been a hermit for the past two years. Her only real friends are her boss, Bash, and Ben & Jerry. But now, she is forced to go to a wedding where her ex will be, front and center. The only way she could go through with this week of wedding prep is to enlist Bash as the magnificent bastard that he is. And after finally meeting him and feeling the heat between them, she also has another proposal, she wants him. Hard, fast, and filthy. It's been to long since she has been touched. She is not ready for more, and she knows Bash isn't either. What could go wrong with a friends with benefits relationship?

Six days. They have six days to pull this off and only two days to prep. Four days of staying in Southhampton for wedding activities. It's also four days of hot sexcapades, confusing feelings, and drama. In between their own conflicts, will Penny get exactly what she wanted when asking Bash for his help. And what will happen when they go home? Is six days all they can give each other before going back to being boss and assistant?

I loved. Loved. Loved this book! It had everything I love in a book. It had naughtiness, comedy, twists, and beauty. The characters are amazing. Their story sneaks up on them and it's beautiful, and sexy as hell. They just get each other but does it mean it's love or just a very close friendship?

Overall, it's a story about friendship, love, laughter, and letting go. I laughed like crazy, got hot and bothered, and cried real tears. And for the first time ever in the history of my reading, I teared up during a pleasuring ones self scene! The writing is amazing!! I felt like I was in the book right along with Bash and Penny. And the emails/text. Brilliant!

P.S. I went straight to the store to buy ice cream when I finished.

Quotes:

“I’m here to do a job, Penny, not blow smoke up your a-. And even if I weren’t, I wouldn’t let you leave the house in that dress. Friends don’t let friends wear goldenrod.”

“Thank you, Bash.” A sweet, vulnerable, heart-stopping grin lights up her face. “But I’m warning you, if you keep saying things like that, I might just start to believe them.”

“Today, I’m in control and you’re going to do what I tell you to do. And in exchange, I’m going to make you come until you can’t remember your own name. Can you get on board with that?”

I can only speak for Lili Valente, as her book is the only one I have read, but Ms.Valente has done it again! Her book keep me entertained from start to finish. They are impossible to put down once you start them. This book was no exception. I fell in love with Bash from the get go. I absolutely love books told from the guys perspective. And with that being said, I really want to know if men really have the inner turmoil that Bash had.

Just because I am biased (love Lili Valente's books), this book is the best best-friends to lovers book I have read. I loved how Bash and Penny had been co-workers for 2 years but never saw each other. Or that Bash went all possessive the minute he saw Penny. And don't even get me started how he wanted to "link" himself to Penny. Total HOTNESS!!!!

If you haven't tried any of Lili's book, you should give this one a whirl. It is sure to keep you thoroughly entertained.

Title: 1001 Dark Nights series Bundle Nine
Author: Anthology

Title: Hidden Ink
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan

5 amazing stars

I absolutely love the 1001 Dark Night series [anyone who has seen some of my reviews knows this; I've done my best to read the entire set from start to finish, and I've been hooked from the very first novel I read] and Carrie Ann Ryan's Hidden Ink was an excellent addition. Considering that the series encompasses a wide variety of genres including paranormal, erotica and contemporary romance, I was excited to find out that our alpha male, Sloane, and our alpha woman [because she is strong and powerful], Hailey, were 'human' - a tattoo shop owner who must deal with the repercussions of his past in the form of PTSD, and a woman who survived the worst of hells and lives with the physical and emotional scars - they were relatable, passionate and characters that I could easily forget they were fictional.

5 hot and sweaty dreams

Taking Hidden Ink out of the 1001 Dark Night series context, this is the second novel that I've read written by Carrie Ann Ryan, and as the first novel, I couldn't put it down. For a novella sized story, Hidden Ink is anything but: it's jammed pack with enough action, drama, emotion and sexual chemistry that any reader would believe they were reading a full length novel. This is one author that knows how to write her tattoo alpha men in such a decadent way that we can't resist their story! It's a highly recommended read from not only the 1001 Dark Nights series, but also from Carrie Ann Ryan's Montgomery Ink series!

Title: Blood On The Bayou
Author: Heather Graham

5 amazing stars

Bravo! Quite frankly I was completely unprepared for Heather Graham's contribution to the 1001 Dark Nights series with Blood on the Bayou. While I'm used to paranormal, erotica or contemporary romance novels to date, to have the chance to read a suspense/thriller with that romantic spin was the last thing I had expected from Heather Graham. Don't get me wrong: I'm aware that she writes in quite a few genres (and amazingly might I add), but to find a second added to the 1001 Dark Nights series, the first being All Hallows Eve (that I've read), a paranormal romance, was more than I could have hoped for. While the novel does have the romance between the characters, Cafferty and Quinn, what striked/impressed me the most was the attention to the detail on the many aspects any traveller (current or past) and residents of New Orleans would recognize and be able to say 'yup, that's true, it's there!'.

3 cuddle worthy dreams

Even though it's a short story, roughly 90 pages, there was so much in this one book that I felt as though no time has passed from the beginning to the very last page. As great as a romance write Heather Graham is known to be, Blood On The Bayou shows exactly why she is an all around mastermind when it comes to suspense and thrillers - for the first time in a very long time, I found myself at the edge of my seat, nervous as all heck and cursing the last page of the book because Cafferty and Quinn's adventure and romance was over. As a returning fan of this author, Blood on the Bayou just proves to me that she's still got it and more than ready to take on new challenges.

Title: Searching For Mine
Author: Jennifer Probst

5 amazing stars

When I think college, I think frat parties, dorm rooms, the endless late night studies and of course the notches in the bedpost; but when I read Jennifer Burrow's rendition, Searching For Mine, I could finally erase the 'regular' stigma I had associated with college life and change it up with the spicier and mouth watering version that I read that happened between Ella and Connor.

4 breath taking dreams

Let me take a moment to say that when these two are in the same room, sparks fly, tempers flare and when they truly admit to each other that they're attracted to each other, my oh my, the chemistry is so d@mN thick that you'd think you could cut it with a butter knife! I enjoyed how this wasn't your average 'college student falls in love with another college student while trying to get better grades' or 'college student falls in love with teacher [of roughly the same age]', and went further than that by adding personality traits readers wouldn't be used to seeing in characters and even a family centered environment that I personally haven't seen or read in a very long time. I know I say it each time I review a 1001 Dark Nights novel, but I have to say it again since they come from different authors and from different series that aren't linked in any way and yet each time I pick up a new novel from the 1001 Dark Nights, I'm completely enthralled. I'm a first time reader of Jennifer Probst's and as I'm continuously finding out in my blogger 'career' [which, might I add, I can't believe I knew nothing about eight months ago], I'm left with the strongest urge to run (or rather type as quickly as possible) to Amazon and one click the rest of her Searching For series. One thing is certain, Jennifer Probst and her library should be added to any reader's (those who enjoy contemporary romance novels) to be watched, read and bought lists; it truly is that good and worth it.

Title: Dance of Desire
Author: Christopher Rice

5 amazing stars

Hands down, I loved this latest 1001 Dark Nights instalment and might I add I was pleasantly surprised by finding out that Christopher Rice is one author that knows how to write a gripping novel! I've so far never hidden in any of my reviews the fact that my guilty pleasures are stepbrother novels and mafia family genre, and since the very first book I've read of the 1001 Dark Nights series, I was an instant fan. Picking up Dance of Desire, I was completely unprepared for how hot Amber and Caleb were as a couple - the pages were screaming chemistry, unfinished business and 'don't mess with my woman or I'll mess with you'.

4 breath taking dreams

I'd say it was swoon worthy, but I'm not too sure that it's entirely accurate. Amber owns a successful family country music bar that she shares with her husband - or rather her soon to be ex-husband since she found him in bed with one of her employees. The gasp worthy moment isn't so much the fact that she had found the two in bed, but more the fact that she had been living in less that 'bedroom desirable' circumstances and she risks losing the family legacy that is the bar. When Caleb returns to Texas after years of being on the road, he soon realizes that his feelings for Amber haven't changed or diminished throughout their separation. Not one who will idly stand by and watch as Amber gets her dreams taken away from her from selfishness, Caleb steps in to help protect to keep a legacy in the family and not in the hands of someone who would like to own it simply to hurt. I wish I had known about Christopher Rice before today - this was absolutely the type of story that drew me in, sank its claws in me and kept me reading until the very last page without coming up for a breath of air. Where I first thought this was the first novel by Christopher Rice in the 1001 Dark Nights turns out is his second and here I am, finishing my review and about to add all his books to my TBR list and one click that single 1001 Dark Nights I missed - trust me, I highly recommend this novel.

Title: Some Sort Of Happy
Author: Melanie Harlow

4 unexpected stars

I’ve heard about Melanie Harlow before, seen some of the excerpts to her novels and couldn’t believe that I hadn’t read her until now. But, better late than never, is what I say. What a fantastic read and addition to this bundle of the 1001 Dark Nights series. Skylar and Sebastian have known each other ever since their childhood, having gone to highschool together. While Sebastian stayed in their home town, Skylar tried to make it as an actress, never getting any further than a contract on a reality tv. Having to come back home to try to rethink her options, she comes face to face with Sebastian, feelings starting to flourish between them as they spend more time together.

4 breath taking dreams

The fact that Sebastian is battling a (for so many) debilitating disorder, OCD, and that Skylar is more than willing to help him through the harder moments made me look at her differently. It made me realize that with the right people by your side, you can do just about anything, go through the harder moments and still see the light at the end of the tunnel, and most of all, be able to find a semblance of normalcy that they so desire. It’s the type of story that will make your heart swell at how two people will get together and make each other better than they could have ever imagined. And of course, it’ll make your heart race a little bit faster each time. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel by Melanie Harlow and I can’t wait to read more from this series, or from her, to see what happens to her characters.

Title: Magnificent Bastard
Author: Lili Valente

5 amazing stars

I absolutely love Lili Valente’s way of telling a story. It captivates you and pulls you in in such a way that you don’t even realize that the time has completely run on you. Magnificent Bas+ard was the book that I couldn’t put down. I had to keep reading to find out how it would end and to find out just how Bash and Penny would figure things out between themselves as the rules of the business, of pretending to be the perfect boyfriend to make the ex jealous, get blurry and then shattered.

4.5 sexy dreams

I couldn’t get enough. Is it so wrong to want to take Penny’s place and be Bash’ pretend girlfriend? Even if it’s just for a little while!! These two just seemed perfect for each other. The chemistry… perfect! I wanted more and in a way, I did, simply because Lili Valente didn’t disappoint to give her readers exactly what they want. I can’t wait to read more from her in the future because each novel just keeps you at the edge of your seat.

*ARC provided by Author in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Kathleen, The Small Girl from A small girl, her man and her books