Mountain Daddy (Mountain Men #2) by S.J. Tilly

 

Moving into my dad's house at age thirty-two because my roommate scammed me out of my rent...not exactly what I'd call winning at life. So on my drive to Colorado, I decided I need one more night of freedom, and the cute motel on the side of the road is the perfect place to stop. Bonus that it has a bar. Extra bonus when I spot him sitting at the end of the bar. The super hot silver fox, with biceps testing the limits of his flannel. I debate between sitting alone or being bold. But when I catch him watching me, like I'm watching him, bold wins. He's charming and sweet, and I can practically feel the chemistry crackling between us. And when I give my room key...he uses it. But we both know this is just for one night. That we'll never see each other again. Until a week later. When he shows up at my house. Because he's my dad's best friend. Mountain Daddy by S.J. Tilly will be published on July 31st, 2025. This is the second book in the Mountain Men series. 

I was given this ARC for my honest review from S.J. Tilly and The Smuthood. First off let me tell you a few things. I absolutely love all of the books that S.J. Tilly so far. I literally screamed in excitement to see that I was getting the ARC for her newest book. Second thing, I screamed and gasped loudly when I saw that the female main character and myself share the same name. I actually told my friends it was a good thing that I didn't have an audio-book of this one because I would totally be blushing and would have to pause the thing 100 plus times. Okay, now let's talk about the characters. I fell in love with Kendra so much. I loved her story from the beginning. I love that she had a relationship with her dad that they tried new recipes together over the internet. From that moment, I knew that she was close to her father. I felt like Kendra and I were good friends and I cried in some parts of the book when you find out more about her. I absolutely loved Luster/Rocky in this book. His character is so well rounded and we are not shoved from the beginning into his background. But we learned with the other characters through the book. The story-line in this book kept me up at night just thinking about it. I felt like I was witnessing everything that was happening on every page. I never felt like the scenes were dragging. They flowed so well together and I always knew who was the voice in the chapter. I do think we need a book about Joe. When you know you know. The smut in this book was top notch. I am not much into the Daddy kink but this book really made me rethink it. I highly recommend checking out this book because if I keep talking I am going to spoil it for you. 

Quotes that I Loved 

"I've never met a Kendra before." -I have heard this quote myself in the world. 

"That's right, Kendra. I'm your daddy now too." 

"The second problem is....I like you a brownie amount." 

"Crawl to me."

Bareback sex is hot. But the aftermath is real. 

Mountain Men Series 

1. Mountain Boss 

2. Mountain Daddy 

3. Mountain Grump 

Tropes 

Small-town

age-gap

forced proximity

single dad

forbidden love

he Falls first 

Letting It Ride (Betting on Love #2) by Kate Campfield

 

After my last break up, I know better than to gamble on love. And going after my best friend's younger sister is a sure way to lose it all. At thirty-four, I should be focused on buying my first house and funding my 401k- not dragging my best friend on a cruise to escape reality. But after a brutal breakup, this vacation is the only bright spot on my otherwise crappy life. Not on my cruise itinerary? My best friend's sister showing up...or gambling my heart with her in the worst rebound fling decision of my life. Letting it Ride by Kate Campfield. This book is book 2 in the Betting on Love series. 

Let me talk about the positives of this book. I really enjoyed the plot line of this story. I felt like the story flowed really well. That things progressed really well throughout the story. I felt like I could see how the two of them could fall in love on the boat and how things progressed from there. The thing that I had trouble with this book was that I couldn't get into the characters. I felt like there was so much that I needed to know about the characters. They felt very flat and one to me. I didn't love them at all and could not see how each of them could love the other. I needed more from the characters, more passion, more anger, sadness, enjoyment. I needed more and perhaps if I read book one first I may have known more about the characters but I am guessing not. While I didn't get into the story because of the characters doesn't mean that you won't. Check out this pretty good story. 

Quotes That I Liked

"Don't say the f word."

"How the fuck old do you think I am, Cam? I'm a fucking adult. I'll say fuck whenever the fuck I fucking feel like it. And fuck whoever I fucking want to." 

"I want to stare at the gorgeous ass while I'm deep inside you."

"Get on the bed, Addie. If I come, it's going to be inside you."

"I fucking love you too, my little hurricane." 

Betting on Love Series

1. Going All In 

2. Letting it Ride 

Tropes

Brother's Best Friend 

Forced Proximity

Forbidden Romance

Rom Com

Crimson Ties (Crimson #1) by Wendy Owens

 

Born into a world of power and danger, Amelia King's life is gilded cage, ruled by the iron fist of her father, the notorious head of the King crime family. Her every move is watched, her destiny controlled. Yet, Amelia yearns for freedom, for a taste of the wild side. And on one fateful night, she indulges in a moment of recklessness, surrendering to a fiery passion with a mysterious stranger in the shadows of an alleyway. But fate has a twisted sense of humor. Amelia is caught in a whirlwind of secret rendezvous and sultry nights with Alexei. He's the epitome of everything she's been taught to despise, yet he's the one man she finds irresistibly alluring. When someone discovers their love and attempts to use for the information to seize power for themselves, can they survive in the deadly chessboard of mafia wars, or will it be the spark that ignites an all-out conflict? Crimson Ties by Wendy Owens will be published on January 30th, 2024. This is the first book of the Crimson series. 

I was given this advanced copy for my honest review. Let's first talk about the two main characters in this book. Amelia King is the daughter of a Mafia boss and has many layers to personality. Some of the things of her personalities clash. One minute she's the sweet girl and wants to please everyone then the next she this tough chick who going to rule the world. But some reason to me the character still felt flat. I wanted to and needed to know more about Amelia to get the understanding of how she fell into a relationship with Alexei. So let's talk about the male lead Alexei, he was said to be this tough mafia killing machine but you don't see that in this book at all. You never really see his dark side and yet you hear about it from other characters. You see more dark side from his friend a side character. I could not see him as a mafia character at all. I did like the story-line in this book, I loved how Alexei and Amelia met. How they didn't know who each other was till later and were already craving each other. But I felt like there was no build up in their relationship to make me seem like they were in love other then the characters saying that they love each other. I was waiting for Alexie to actually admit he didn't love Amelia and was trying to take her family apart starting with deceiving her. Also I could have used more in the battle scenes (they needed more umpf). The smut scenes that you see once in awhile were great. Especially the first one in an alley...it's spicy. I needed more though of everything. I needed more of an arc in the story-line. All in all the book has a good start and good foundation. Also love that it's a Romeo and Juliet themed. 

Quotes That I Loved 

"I didn't retrieve you just so you can hide yourself away in a corner all night."

"I'm just....observing."

"Isn't that what predators do before they strike?" 

"Perhaps." 

"Ah, little sister...You and I know you are no predator."

"Check up on me? Why the fuck would you think I need you to come and check on me? Let me guess, just like your misogynist asshole friend, you think I'm a little girl who needs you to rescue me? Fuck you; the last thing I need is some man to rescue me. I mean, who the hell do you think you are?" 

"Because you're mine, Amelia....and no one gets to touch what's mine." 

"I thought we both agreed we weren't looking for a relationship."

"Who said anything about a relationship?"

"What then?"

"A claiming...You're mine, and I'm yours." 

Crimson Series in Order 

1. Crimson Ties (January 30th, 2024)

2. Crimson Fate (March 5th, 2024)

3. Crimson Vowse (April 16th, 2024)

4. Crimson Sins (May 21st, 2024) 

Tropes

Mafia / Organized Crime

Dark Romance 

Forbidden Love