Book Reviews! The Mount Trilogy by Meghan March

Ruthless King (Mount Trilogy #1) by Meghan March 

Genre: Adult Fiction (Dark Contemporary Romance)
Date Published: October 17, 2017
Publisher: Self

Get ready for the darker and dirtier side of New Orleans with a brand new alpha romance from USA Today bestselling author Meghan March

New Orleans belongs to me.

You don’t know my name, but I control everything you see—and all the things you don’t.

My reach knows no bounds, and my demands are always met.

I didn’t need to loan money to a failing family distillery, but it amuses me to have them in my debt.

To have her in my debt.

She doesn’t know she caught my attention.

She should’ve been more careful.

I’m going to own her. Consume her. Maybe even keep her.

It’s time to collect what I’m owed.

Keira Kilgore, you’re now the property of Lachlan Mount.

Ruthless King is the first book in the Mount Trilogy by Meghan March. This is definitely one of those guilty pleasure kind of books. Lachlan Mount reminds me a bit of Christian Grey. He's got money. Likes control. People fear him. He's kinky in the bedroom. He has hidden issues and a whole other side to him we only get glimpses of so far. So yeah... lots in common. This book is written way better though. There isn't a Red Room per-say, but they don't really need one. Keira is feisty. Nothing like Ana... thank goodness! The conversations were a little repetitive at times, but I've gotta say... I probably would be telling him off regularly too. Also, he reprimands her for saying the same thing all the time, so kudos to him for that. There is a twist thrown in there at the end.. Two actually. So, consider my interest perked at this point.

“Take a step in that direction and you’ll lose everything.”
My feet freeze to the cracked cement floor as a bead of sweat rolls down my chest. Normally I would attribute it to the sauna-like conditions produced by the whiskey stills, but not tonight.
“What do you want?” I whisper. “Why are you here?”
The chair groans as he rises to his feet, those wide fingers refastening the button on his suit coat, but his face never comes into the light.
“You owe me a debt, Ms. Kilgore, and I’m here to collect.”
“A debt?”
My mind scrambles to think of how in the hell I could owe him money. I’ve never met him before. Hell, I’ve never seen him before, only heard his voice while I eavesdropped. My kind doesn’t mingle with his—well, at least, most of my kind. A few rumors circulated that he kept Richelle LaFleur, a girl from our church, as a mistress until she went missing a year ago. I shut that path of thinking down completely.
“What are you talking about?” Somehow, I manage to form the question.
Two fingers push a document titled Promissory Note across the scarred wood of my desk into the watery pool of light. My eyes lock on the papers, but I’m too terrified to step any closer.
Oh, sweet Jesus, Brett. What did you do? My heart slams against my ribs.
“Don’t you want to know how much your husband borrowed with this place as collateral?”
“How much?” I ask, inching toward him against my will.
“A half million dollars.”
I suck in a shocked breath. “You’re lying.”
With both hands on the desk, he leans down, exposing his face in the dim light. Hard features carved from granite, piercing dark eyes, and an unrelenting stare contrast with the relative civility of the suit that fits him to perfection.
“I never lie.”
“A half million dollars? No way. “I would’ve known if Brett had borrowed that kind of money, and let me tell you—he didn’t.”
He shrugs as if the information means nothing to him. And maybe it doesn’t.
“His signature says that he did, and this debt is overdue.”
My eyes zero in on the papers on the desk. If he really did this . . . The effects would be catastrophic.
Four generations of Kilgores have dedicated their hopes, dreams, and fortunes to keeping this legacy alive. It can’t end with me.
“I don’t have the money.”
“I know.”
His response throws me back on my heels. “Then why—”
He moves out of the light and comes toward me. I shrink back against the wall as he advances, blocking my escape route to the door. There’s nowhere to run. He has me trapped.
“Because there’s something I might be willing to take in trade.”
It takes everything I have to keep my voice steady as my heart threatens to burst from my chest. “What?”
He stops a foot from me, and his full lips form a single word.
“You.”

Defiant Queen (Mount Trilogy #2) by Meghan March
Genre: Adult Fiction (Dark Contemporary Romance)
Date Published: November 14, 2017
Publisher: Self

I’m his entertainment. His toy. Payment on a debt.

I tell myself I hate him, but every time he walks into the room, my body betrays me. How can I want him and fear him in the same moment?

They told me he’d mess with my head. Make it go to war with my body.

But I didn’t realize it would be complete anarchy.

I should’ve known better. When Mount’s involved, there are no rules.

I will not surrender. I will not show weakness. I’ll stand my ground and make it out of this bargain with my heart and soul intact.

But he has other plans . . .

Defiant Queen is the second book in the Mount Trilogy by Meghan March. If you haven't read the first books, read no further. You must read these books in order. Through book one I kinda wondered if Lachlan was putting on an act when it came to his position as King of Nola.. like maybe he's under cover CIA and is actually a good guy in disguise or something like that.  Well, maybe I was right. Maybe I was wrong. He's a complicated man. But, we definitely get to know him better. We learn his history, why he is the way he is, and what makes him tick. Also, things are changing in the romance department. Are we seeing some feelings from the ice King? Hmmm. This one was more along the lines of cute.. with bits of naughty thrown in, of course. But that ending? Things just got real,  folks.

Sinful Empire (Mount Trilogy #3) by Meghan March 

Genre: Adult Fiction (Dark Contemporary Romance)
Date Published: December 19, 2017
Publisher: Self

What’s mine, I keep, and that includes Keira Kilgore.

It’s no longer enough to have her in my debt. No longer enough to own her body.

I want something more.

She can try to resist, but I’ll never give her up.

Nothing will keep us apart.

Not her. Not my enemies. No one.

Her debt will only be paid one way—with her heart.

Sinful Empire is the final book in the Mount Trilogy by Meghan March. PLEASE read these books in order. There was quite a bit of character growth through this trilogy for both characters. There was the most growth in this last book. I'm impressed by both of them. We also get even more of Lachlan's history. He gets some rude awakenings in this book... they both do actually. This whole trilogy was a fun little, guilty pleasure for me. I'm excited to get my hands on more by this author.

Making the jump from corporate lawyer to romance author was a leap of faith that New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Meghan March will never regret. With over thirty titles published, she has sold millions of books in nearly a dozen languages to fellow romance-lovers around the world. A nomad at heart, she can currently be found in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, living her happily ever after with her real-life alpha hero.. She loves hearing from her readers at: meghanmarchbooks@gmail.com.

To learn more about Meghan March and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

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Release Day Review! Unfriend Me by Marika Ray

Unfriend Me (Jobs from Hell #3) by Marika Ray 
Genre: Adult Fiction (Contemporary Romantic Comedy)
Date Published: September 23, 2020
Publisher: Self

How do you tell your best friend you’re in love with her when she’s busy dating everyone but you?

Amelia

I’ve been called a smart-mouthed, tattooed firecracker with a penchant for running straight into trouble. However, after coming off the worst break up in history, I’m focused on getting my life together. Having my best friend change the rules on me just isn’t in my plan. Especially when my ex comes back to town to wreak havoc.

Titus

I’ve never met anyone I couldn’t get along with. Which is how I found myself friend-zoned by Amelia way back in the sixth grade. I’ve always been there for her, but I’ve never told her how I really feel. Now that Amelia is single again, I’m determined to make my move. But Amelia has never gone down without a fight, and this will be no different.

We could explore the possibility of love with a best friend…or Amelia could unfriend me forever.

Author’s note: The sassiest heroine with a heart of gold takes off her blinders and sees the hero with new eyes. And Titus, good Lord, you're guaranteed to cheer—and swoon—for the nice guy to win. Plus there’s a peacock, a flamboyance of flamingos, an Elvis impersonator wedding in Vegas, and lots of small town craziness to steal your heart and guarantee laughter.

Unfriend Me is the third book in the Jobs From Hell series by Marika Ray. You don't have to read this series in order, at least I didn't, but I liked some of the characters so much, I want to go back and get their stories too. This was a cute story with some naughty bits. I loved how close Amelia and Titus were as friends from such a young age. They had something special. Which is why it was all the more scary to turn it into more. Poor Titus, he's been waiting for his chance the whole time. I blame the mullet. It was cute how he behaved once he got it though. Amelia is a spit fire! I loved her. She was a whole lot of fun, and definitely doesn't take any crap. I feel like there's a subplot with the mayor going on. I hope to get more details on that in the previous books. I also expected more of a fight from Daire? Is there more to come? Hmm. I don't know, but I want to.

The ARC of Unfriend Me by Marika Ray was kindly provided to me by GiveMe Books Promotions for review. The opinions are my own.

I stepped closer to the window, seeing our overflow dirt parking lot. And then my gaze slid left where I saw Titus standing by a huge pile of wood and drywall that he’d ripped out of the guest room. His T-shirt was off and there was a healthy dose of sweat dripping down his torso. He twisted off the cap to a water bottle and chugged the whole thing, his Adam’s apple working to hypnotize me. When was the last time I’d seen him without a shirt?
Because that? That specimen with six-pack abs and a chest you could bounce quarters off of wasn’t the Titus I remembered. He’d always been lanky, which made sense, given his extraordinary height. And he’d always had muscles because he was athletic in school and his job required strength. But holy wow. What the hell had happened over the last year?
My nose hit the cold glass and I jumped back, rubbing it as I pondered the changes in Titus when I hadn’t been looking. The steady hum in my gut also gave me pause. Was that...lust?
My brain screamed at me to walk away and quit staring at him, but my body was having nothing of it. We were gonna pull up a chair and stay for the show for as long as the show lasted. Better yet, why not go out there and see it up close?
Good judgement had always been a weak spot in my character, but I never shamed myself for it. I went with impulses, so what? Sometimes they worked out great. Other times, not so much. But the way I figured it, you never got some excitement in your life unless you made the leap. And right now, I wanted some excitement in the form of a half-dressed Titus. I’d worry about what it all meant later. Much later.
“Yo, T!” I hollered as soon as I turned the corner outside and stepped off the blacktop onto the dirt.
Titus swiped the sweat from his forehead with his bulging bicep. His face lit up in an easy smile when he saw me. “Hey, Lia. Almost done here.”
I sauntered over, not looking where I was going. “Yeah, I see that.”
There was a bead of sweat sliding down right between his pecs. A fascinating journey of bumps and valleys.
A throat clearing had me looking up. Titus had a playful look in his eye, his mouth tugging into a smile. “Are you undressing me with your eyes, Amelia Waldo?”
I guess I was, but he didn’t have to call me out like that. “Are you kidding me? You can’t walk around half-dressed and then blame a girl for looking. If I was half-dressed, wouldn’t you be looking at me?”
Titus took a giant step forward and flicked the collar of my shirt. He didn’t even touch me, but I could feel it all the way to the tips of my toes.
“Hell, yeah, I would. I’d ogle you until my eyes bled.” His gaze flicked down the length of my body and suddenly I needed to squeeze my thighs together.
“Are we actually doing this? We’re flirting? You and me?” I whispered it, afraid to say it too loud. Like the volume of my voice would make it something real I couldn’t take back.
Titus shrugged slow and lazy, his eyes heating further. That finger still toyed with my shirt. If he didn’t stop, I might melt into a puddle at his feet.
“I don’t see why we shouldn’t. You’re hot, I’m hot. Kind of makes sense to flirt.”
I smirked. “Wow. Nice ego you got there.” I studied him seriously. “You don’t worry about harming our friendship?”
Titus’s eyelids slid down and I wondered what it would be like to kiss him. He had to be a good kisser after kissing the entire female population of Auburn Hill.
“Sometimes friends make the best lovers.”

Marika Ray spends her time behind a computer crafting stories, walking the beaches of southern California, and making healthy food for her kids and husband whether they like it or not. Prior to writing novels, Marika held various jobs in the finance industry, with private start-up companies, and then in health & fitness. Cats may have nine lives, but Marika believes everyone should have nine careers to keep things spicy.

 

Marika enjoys writing all types of fiction novels, based on what inspires her. Right now she's working on a new steamy RomCom series along with sweet romances to make your heart explode. All her books come with a money-back guarantee that you’ll smile at least once with every book.

To learn more about Marika Ray and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, BookBub, Pinterest, and Twitter.

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