Alta Hensley. Oh Alta. What can I say about Alta Hensley that I haven't already said before? She writes books that are dark, delicious, and go down smooth. For me, it's like the very, very best dark chocolate, rich, tasty, and almost black. And I'll take that kind of chocolate any day.

Devils & Rye brings us back to Spiked Roses, the premier gentlemen's club in New Orleans. You can go there to have a nice drink and look at the pretty girls, go there and get friendly with the pretty girls, or participate in a Tasting and play with a pretty girl. Spiked Roses has a very specific set of rules that members must follow, rules set down by the founding members and owners.

Alec, a very successful and powerful man, is one of those founding members. He came from Georgia, but left to get away from his past, and has made his life in NOLA now. When his best friend, Rhett, sent his lovely daughter, Makayla, to NOLA, he arranged for her Uncle Alec to watch over her while she worked at Spiked Roses. The problem is, on her very first day at work, Alec got a letter from Rhett telling him that she isn't safe and that he needed to get her away and hide her at their special place, a house on a lake called Home.

Makayla has been hidden away and sheltered all her life by her father. At almost 21, she's finally been freed and is able to go to NOLA. Of course, she still has to live under the watchful eye of Alec, but she still gets to have some life going on. Tennesee is getting her all dressed for her first night of training when Alec walks in on them with her dress around her waist, and hands her a letter from her father which tells her that she needs to run and hide with Alec so that she can be safe. But Makayla is worried about her father and isn't always the most careful and cautious person out there, which can cause a lot of problems.

OMG, this book was steaming hot for so many reasons. I mean, we have a sneaky, nasty secret society that does sneaky, nasty, and dangerous things. We have a man who tries to be honorable. We have another man who thinks he's a monster but doesn't want to be. We have a young woman who ends up in over her head. We have all kinds of sexy and yummy sex, from sweet and gentle to not sweet and not gentle, and since we're reading an Alta Hensley joint, there's a whole lot of spanking. And lest we forget, there's one very cold lake.

I lost myself in this book from the beginning to the end and had a hard time switching gears when I was finished. Alec and Makayla stuck around in my head, rattling around and having sex, which can be extraordinarily distracting, let me tell you. They are supposed to be Alta Hensley's imaginary friends and talk in her head. I guess this means that I found them to be real, living, breathing people.

This is another one of those books I wish I could give a gazillion stars, because It really deserved it and I loved it. I was almost sad to finish reading it because that means I can never read it for the first time again. ( )

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️STARS
ARC REVIEW COPY.
Release Date-27/3/18

So I enjoyed this instalment in the series, I loved that it featured an age-gap romance.
I've got to admit I am a sucker for this trope.
Mainly because I have been in this type of relationship for the last 23 years myself (20 years age gap for us)
So I was really looking forward to Devils &Rye to see what it had to bring to the table for this series.
It was very much swings and roundabouts for me.
I enjoyed the first half of this book much more than the second.
But I've still given it four stars overall as it still managed to engage me for a good couple hours.
So what I liked.
Well, the age gap obviously.
It was also very engaging, keeping my interest throughout and I did find the relationship between Alec and Makayala believable.
Both characters were extremely likeable individuals and the story was easy to follow and could definitely be read as a standalone.
It was told in dual POV which is my favourite.
I also liked the fact that this wasn't very angsty.
This was also super hot in places and I could definitely feel the emotion between the pair.
that said this was very instalove with Makayla and Alec switching from adoptive family to lust very quickly indeed.
And with this being a short read it kind of lost of lost something there for me also.
I would have loved to have seen this developing relationship explored much more slowly and with more depth.
I also thought Makayla was a little dumb and immature in her reactions at times.
And ultimately I would have liked for this to have been a much darker, I do so love me a dark dominant anti-hero.
Alec was much more lovable and not that dark.
I also thought the end was going to be more shocking, which it wasn't.
So as I said ups and downs.
Ultimately though when weighing things up I did enjoy this and I read Devils & Rye in one sitting.
For me, It was a short and sexy read.
So a thumbs up from me.
Thank You to the Author for providing me with an ARC of (Devils & Rye (Top Shelf #4) of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com ( )

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️STARS
ARC REVIEW COPY.
Release Date-27/3/18

So I enjoyed this instalment in the series, I loved that it featured an age-gap romance.
I've got to admit I am a sucker for this trope.
Mainly because I have been in this type of relationship for the last 23 years myself (20 years age gap for us)
So I was really looking forward to Devils &Rye to see what it had to bring to the table for this series.
It was very much swings and roundabouts for me.
I enjoyed the first half of this book much more than the second.
But I've still given it four stars overall as it still managed to engage me for a good couple hours.
So what I liked.
Well, the age gap obviously.
It was also very engaging, keeping my interest throughout and I did find the relationship between Alec and Makayala believable.
Both characters were extremely likeable individuals and the story was easy to follow and could definitely be read as a standalone.
It was told in dual POV which is my favourite.
I also liked the fact that this wasn't very angsty.
This was also super hot in places and I could definitely feel the emotion between the pair.
that said this was very instalove with Makayla and Alec switching from adoptive family to lust very quickly indeed.
And with this being a short read it kind of lost of lost something there for me also.
I would have loved to have seen this developing relationship explored much more slowly and with more depth.
I also thought Makayla was a little dumb and immature in her reactions at times.
And ultimately I would have liked for this to have been a much darker, I do so love me a dark dominant anti-hero.
Alec was much more lovable and not that dark.
I also thought the end was going to be more shocking, which it wasn't.
So as I said ups and downs.
Ultimately though when weighing things up I did enjoy this and I read Devils & Rye in one sitting.
For me, It was a short and sexy read.
So a thumbs up from me.
Thank You to the Author for providing me with an ARC of (Devils & Rye (Top Shelf #4) of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com ( )

4.1 stars

I love this series so much. I am not usually a fan of age-gap romances but this one was well done. This story was told in a dual POV which I always like as it gives insight into what is going on in the character's heads. The premise of this story was good but at times I felt it lacking the darkness that I have come to expect. The first part of the ritual was milder than I had assumed it was going to be. Still all in all a great addition to this series. I look forward to what is next in the series. ( )