🔖 BLOG TOUR 🔖 Beautiful Torment by A. Zavarelli {REVIEW}

Beautiful Torment by A. Zavarelli

Release Date: September 26, 2025

Series: Empire of Kings #1

Pages: 483

Genres: Dark Romance, Mafia

They call him Il Diavolo
When the devil dressed in black crashes my wedding
I know he didn’t come to offer me his blessing
He came to collect what was always his
For months, he’s watched me from the shadows
Haunting me
Biding his time
Planning his revenge
Before he was King of the Cosa Nostra
I was fated to be his queen
I promised him forever
Now, he’s here to remind me what forever really means.

Beautiful Torment is a dark mafia romance with a complete ending.

Amazon

My Review:

Not having read any other books by the author before, I didn’t know what to expect. Needless to say, I was impressed with overall story. Zavarelli is able to deliver a steamy dark romance in Beautiful Torment. What starts off as a decades-old feud ends up changing the lives of Abella Moretti and Angelo Vitale forever.

For someone that has grown up within the Costa Nostra, there is no surprise when Abella is informed of her upcoming arranged marriage. As the daughter of one of the most powerful man in the mafia, Abella knows what her responsibilities are as a woman in their world. A woman’s value always comes down to what she could be traded for and the treaty between their families runs deep. What makes the arrangement easier to take on is the fact that she knows her soon-to-be fiancé really well. Having grown up with Angelo, Abella knew that someday she would take her rightful place as his wife. What neither of them expected was for life to take a turn of events that would end up separating them for six long years.

It’s been six years since Angelo Vitale was imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. While trying to clear his name, he was relocated away from the Costa Nostra. Yet, Angelo is coming back a changed man, who is not only feared among the mafia community, but also wants revenge for what was done to him. He sets his eyes on the one he thought he was going to spend the rest of his life with. Abella doesn’t have a clue what await her. Angelo vows to find out what truly happened all those years ago. Though nothing could have prepared him for the truth to come out.

I thoroughly loved reading Beautiful Torment, Angelo is the downright possessive when it comes to Abella and we get to see that amplify as he starts to grow closer to her. There is no denying the attraction that they have towards each other, but even he knows that he can’t let himself fall for her again. It’s the mystery of what happened all those years ago that still hunts them, yet Angelo doesn’t know that those secrets could put everyone around them at risk and jeopardize their second chance at happiness. While we do get a lot steamy/romantic moments between Abella and Angela, I loved seeing the behind-the-scenes operations of how their world works. The story as a whole was well-thought out and the secondary characters made the story that much more enjoyable to read. We get to see the characters come to terms with the past in order to get their shot at a future together and a preview of what’s to come in the next book in the series. I would highly recommend checking out this book, I cannot wait to read more from the author in the future! :)

***I received an advanced copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.***

My Rating:

About A. Zavarelli:

A. Zavarelli is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of dark and contemporary romance.
When she’s not putting her characters through hell, she can usually be found watching bizarre and twisted documentaries in the name of research. She currently lives in the Northwest with her lumberjack and an entire brood of fur babies.

Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Mailing List, Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Bookbub

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🔖 NEW RELEASE 🔖 In My Hockey Era by Kendall Ryan

In My Hockey Era by Kendall Ryan

Release Date: September 15, 2025

Pages: 352

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Sports

Lucy Quinn loves hockey. What she doesn’t love? The latest PR stunt from her favorite team—a hockey romance book club designed to lure in more female fans. Pandering to so-called “thirsty” fans? It totally cheapens the sport.

The worst part? They’ve slapped Bennett Wilder—the infuriatingly cocky, annoyingly handsome star forward—on the cover of this PR disaster like he’s some kind of book boyfriend. Gross.

So Lucy does what any passionate, totally rational fan would do—she starts a boycott.

Bennett doesn’t love being the face of a book club, but, hey, it’s harmless fun… until he finds out some feisty, foul-mouthed superfan is trashing it, he’s intrigued. And maybe just a little bit turned on.

So, naturally, he makes it his mission to shut her up—with charm, persistence, and exceptionally skilled hands. And somehow, he always manages to make her forget why she was mad.

But as their very public rivalry turns into something much deeper, Lucy realizes one terrifying truth—she might just be falling for the one guy she swore to hate.

Kindle, Apple, Nook, Kobo, Google, Audible

Meet Kendall Ryan:

Kendall Ryan writes contemporary romance. Her books have been featured on the New York Times, USA

Today, and Wall Street Journal bestsellers lists a combined total of more than 100 times.

Connect with Kendall Ryan:

https://www.kendallryanbooks.com/instagram/

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🔖 REVIEW BLITZ 🔖 Only For Tonight by Natasha Madison

Only For Tonight by Natasha Madison

Release Date: September 12, 2025

Series: Only For #1

Pages: 463

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Sports

From Wall Street Journal and USA TODAY bestselling author Natasha Madison comes a brand new sports romance. A spin-off from the Only One series!

When one night changes everything.

Ariella

The last time I saw him, I'd just turned eighteen.
Six years later we're face-to-face again.
Neither of us wanted the night to end.
The next morning, we made a pact.
Each of us going our separate ways.
Until two pink lines changed everything.

Jaxon

Life was going my way.
Hockey. Family. All of it.
Until...I saw her.
She was different now.
One thing led to another and we got carried away.
It was supposed to be one night.
Our secret.
Then she's at my door with news that rocks my world.
I'm going to be a dad.

AVAILABLE NOW

My Review:

Madison delivers a sizzling start to her Only For Series. Only For Tonight is a friends-to-lovers sports romance that’s a must-read!

Jaxon Stevenson has worked really hard to make a name for himself in the hockey world, after all his own dad is among the best in the game. It wasn’t easy growing up with parents that didn’t quite get along, but his dad did his best to connect with Jaxon. They have a strong bond and love for hockey so they often interacted with other hockey families. Although he was a few years older than Ariella Weber, they grew up together as their dads played hockey together and retired at the same time. Now they are still best friends and vacation together. But with Jaxon’s move to L.A, he hasn’t seen Ariella since. Until a hockey event brings them back together, changing the course of their lives forever. Jaxon knows that Ariella is not a kid anymore and when he sees her again, it’s clear that they have an attraction towards each other. It would take one night together and a month apart to make him see that he really wants to be in Ariella’s life. Yet, his past is set on making their lives difficult and Jaxon has to prove that he is the one.

I really enjoyed the overall story and their chemistry. They thought that they were not going to see each other again after the event, but life throws them a twist and a month later, Ariella finds out that she is pregnant. There are a lot of logistics that they need to figure out, but most importantly is if they are willing to give a relationship a try. Jaxon is sweet and caring toward her after he finds out that he is going to be a dad. He goes the extra mile to protect her. After his previous relationship, Jaxon is not really looking to get into another one so soon, but seeing Ariella again changes everything. Their families are great and wholesome, it made the story that much more entertaining to read. The ending was so sweet and gives us a hint to the next book. I cannot wait to read the books in the series. I would highly recommend it! :) 

***I received an advanced copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.***

My Rating:

Meet Natasha Madison:

When her nose isn’t buried in a book, or her fingers flying across a keyboard writing, she’s in the

kitchen creating gourmet meals. You can find her, in four inch heels no less, in the car chauffeuring

kids, or possibly with her husband scheduling his business trips. It’s a good thing her characters do

what she says, because even her Labrador doesn’t listen to her…

Connect with Natasha Madison:

https://linktr.ee/natashamauthor

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🔖 REVIEW BLITZ 🔖 Just One More Time by Carly Phillips

Just One More Time by Carly Phillips

Release Date: September 8, 2025

Series: The Sterling Family #6

Pages: 184

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

One night. One heartbreak. One man she could never forget.

Years ago, Brooke Snyder gave her heart — and her innocence — to Aiden Sterling, her best friend’s older brother. For one perfect night, he was hers. Then he walked away without looking back.

Heartbroken, she focused on her career, and tried to move on, while he was half a world away. But no man ever measured up to Aiden, and the one time she tried, ended in disaster.

Now, he’s back to help his ailing father, and avoiding him isn’t an option— not when they’re forced to work together and definitely not when she’s sleeping in the bedroom next to his.

The past crackles between them, charged with everything they never said and everything they still feel. Every look dares her to remember. Every touch reminds her exactly what she spent years trying to forget.

Giving him her body is easy. But how can she protect her heart… when the man who broke it is the only one who can put it back together?

AVAILABLE NOW

My Review:

As the sixth book in The Sterling Family Series, Phillips delivers a second chance romance in Just One More Time. This steamy frenemies to lovers story will leave you wanting for more!

Having grown up among the Sterling family, Brooke Snyder has always been close with all of them. Her life along with her mom’s completely changed the minute the patriarch of the family bought the state they lived in. It was also the time Brooke met and fell for one of the Sterling kids, Aiden Sterling. He was everything she wanted, but just when he started to notice her, Aiden dropped the biggest news to the entire family. He was set to pursue his dream of being a traveling journalist and was leaving New York behind. Breaking Brooke’s heart in the process and destroying her trust for the man she once loved. But life has mysterious ways of working itself out and ultimately brings them back together. Now she is the Chief Operating Officer at Sterling Investments and will be working closely with Aiden as he takes on the role of temporary CEO of the company. Brooke has worked really hard to guard her heart for the past five years, yet Aiden seems to want to win her back for good. 

For the past five years Aiden Sterling has focused on his career as it took him all over the world as a traveling journalist. While uncovering stories, he is working on his biggest story yet. But not before witnessing what it could happen to those that are trying to do the right thing. Aiden soon becomes the target and his trip back home couldn’t come at a better time. His brother is taking a step back from his CEO duties while his pregnant wife gives birth, making Aiden the new temporary CEO of Sterling Investments. Yet, coming home brings him to the person he left behind all those years ago. The woman who still holds his heart no matter how much he wanted to move on. But Brooke ins’t interested to give them a second chance, so it’s up to Aiden to work his way back into her heart before it’s too late.

I really enjoyed reading Just One More Time, it’s clear that both of the characters have sizzling chemistry from the very beginning. But it’s also evident how much Aiden hurt Brooke’s heart and trust. He has to learn how to open up to her about what made him leave all those years ago. There is also the pending danger that he is in that could threaten those around him. With a level of suspense and lots of steamy moments, I would highly recommend checking out this story and the rest of the series!

***I received an advanced copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.***

My Rating:

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