Carnal Urges

Queens & Monsters #2

by J.T. Geissinger

Dark, sexy mafia romance where the fast-paced tension of John Wick meets the high stakes love of Romeo and Juliet.

Carnal (adjective):
1) Relating to the pleasures of the body
2) Given to sensual indulgence
3) The man who kidnapped me

The devil has blue eyes, an Irish accent, and a hatred for me that runs deep.

He blames me for starting a war. Consorting with his enemies. Getting his men killed. Though I’m innocent on all charges, he wants his pound of flesh. With an eye on revenge, he makes me his captive.

But as we’ll both soon discover, there are more powerful urges than that for revenge.

When the devil meets his match but she’s his sworn enemy, that’s when the real war begins.

Genres: Dark Romance, Romance, Mafia Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Dark, Audiobook, Contemporary

356 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2021

About the author

J.T. Geissinger is a New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon Charts bestselling author of thirty-five novels and novellas. Ranging from funny, feisty romcoms to intense erotic thrillers, her books have sold over twenty million copies and been translated into more than two dozen languages.

She is a three-time nominee in both contemporary and paranormal romance for the RITA® Award, the highest distinction in romance fiction from the Romance Writers of America®. She is also a recipient of the Prism Award for Best First Book, the Golden Quill Award for Best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, and the HOLT Medallion for Best Erotic Romance.

Newsletter ➡️ http://bit.ly/1IbgZZI
Reader group ➡️ http://bit.ly/2xbtnY3
Amazon ➡️ http://amzn.to/1xQN4za

Reviews

[Phuong ✯ · Rating 4 out of 5]

☆⋅⋆ ── 1st read 2021: 3.5 stars
☆⋅⋆ ─── 2nd read 2023: 3.75 stars

Fourth Wing put me in another slump and re-reading sloanedeclan’s diary helped me a little to get out of it again so it deserves bonus points for that. 🙏



THE GREAT

⭐ SLOANE FUCKING KELLER ⭐

She was the MVP in Ruthless Creatures and she continues her reign in Carnal Urges. If you take one thing out of my review then that you should read this book for Sloane. She's a queen, she is a badass, she is a savage. She is my spirit animal.

Sloane is the kind of over the top annoying character (in the best way) that kidnappers would send back within a few hours with an apology to the parents, because she would just annoy her kidnappers to the point of insanity. That's the kind of gal she is and I love it. I never knew what would come out of her mouth next. Sloane is hilarious and she's carrying this book on her shoulders. Other rom-com books are overrated, Sloane Keller is where it's at!

“If you’re not my captive, then what are you?” I think about it for a moment. “I don’t love labels, but if you need to call me something, you can just call me your queen.”

⭐ BANTER-GALORE ⭐

Carnal Urges has SO. MUCH. WITTY. BANTER. The dialogues between Sloane and Declan are top tier. The back and forth between them was everything. I have a soft spot for main characters that are not afraid to insult each other. That's peak romance for me. 😌

My voice climbs in panic. “Oh god. Am I brain damaged?”
He arches one dark eyebrow. “You mean more than you were before?”

“Hey. Gangster.” He closes his eyes, makes a growling noise, and tightens his hand on my neck. “Oh, relax. I just wanted to ask if you think Reverse Stockholm Syndrome is already a thing, or if you’re about to invent it?”
“How many times did your parents beg you to run away from home?”

THE GOOD

🍀 DECLAN O'DONNELL 🍀

If you compare both main characters, then Sloane is clearly the shining star of this book and Declan paled compared to her, but I liked Declan too. He matched Sloane well with his dry humor, grumpy attitude and overall he has all these other traits in JTG Heroes that I love (overprotective, alpha and later on obsessed w the h). It was good that Declan wasn't charmed by Sloane at first sight like all the other men that fall at her feet.

“That’s what I always tell myself when I’m not feeling one hundred percent. Remember who you are.” I can tell he doesn’t want to ask, but curiosity gets the better of him.
“And who are you?”
“The only one of me who ever has been or ever will be. Same as you. In a word: irreplaceable.”
His lips part. He gazes at me for a long, silent moment. “You were dropped on your head a lot as a baby. That’s it, isn’t it?”

🍀 THE ROMANCE UNTIL... 🍀

I really loved the beginning to end of first half of the book when Declan kidnapped Sloane for information and they have this whole "enemies" dynamic going on while Sloane charmes her way into Declan's inner circle. The banter, the sexual tension it worked and then after Declan and Sloane had sex for the first time my interest slowly went down.

“I’m going to bathe you. Then feed you. Then fuck you, in that order. No, close your mouth. No talking.”

THE OK

🌷 THE ROMANCE IN THE SECOND HALF 🌷

Something that keeps happening with me is that I loose interest in the couple once they get together together. Idk, it just feels like it gets repetitive with their talks and the sex scenes and it got boring around 60% -65%. I thought they developed feelings for e/o quite quickly and usually I don't really mind that in JTG's books too much, cause all of her books are quite insta-lovey.. I still wish it would have taken longer in this case.

🌷 ANGST 🌷

I'm usually not someone who ask for a lot of angst, but here I needed something. Everything went too well for Sloane and Declan. Even near the end when Sloane got taken away, it wasn't like Sloane and Declan broke up or anything. They pretty much worked well together to defeat the enemy, but I just wanted them to fight or something. 🏃🏻‍♀️

“You own me, Sloane. Every corner of my worthless black soul. Every piece of my corrupt black heart. You own it all, and you always will. I’m your slave, not the other way around. Never forget it.”

THE BAD

💣 THE MAFIA ASPECT 💣

I couldn't take any of the mafia activity in this book serious. I don't even understand how these characters survive so long? In the real mafia they would be all be dead within two weeks. I think it's partly because Sloane was such a ott heroine who could wrap everyone around her little finger that I just couldn't take those men serious. Sloane only had to talk to Declan's men a couple of times, smile at them, offer to cook for them and they were besties. And I'm like "how are you guys not dead? How is Declan not that with that kind of shitty loyality?". Every plot was very convenient for the characters to not harm them and it was unrealistic.

💣 THE PLOT 💣

The plot was all over the place. There were so many plot points in this book where I was reading the scene and there was this big question mark in my brain... What was this whole point of Sloane fainting and being in the hospital and getting fake pregnancy news. It was random and weird.

💣 BDSM 💣

That's more of a personal preference, but I wasn't a huge fan of the smut. The BDSM wasn't hardcore, but ehh still wasn't great. I can take it if the H is called "Sir" in bed, but I hate the word "Master".. so I was like nope peace out. 🏃🏻‍♀️

Also that scene when they fucked when Sloane had her period... ähm that was not hot. I really don't want to know how Declan took out her tampon and then said tampon laying discarded somewhere in the room. No thank you.💀

CONCLUSION

Ignore everything negative that I've said about this book and read it for my queen Sloane. She is the best and we can all learn a lot from her. Amen. Bye.

P.S. I don't think another Sloanedeclan book was necessary, since that is usually not JTG style to write more than one book for each couple, but I love Sloane so I will be reading Savage Hearts for sure. I'm also not very concerned that something bad will happen to any of these characters, cause nothing bad is going to happen again bc it's JTG... Sloane is just going to give Stavos her shoes and everything is going to be fine.

┍━━━━━━━━━━━━━┑
QUEEN AND MONSTERS SERIES

#1 Ruthless Creatures – 2.5 stars
#2 Carnal Urges – 3.5 stars
#3 Savage Hearts – tbr
┕━━━━━━━━━━━━━┙

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A NEW ALL-TIME FAVORITE OF THE YEAR!!! This is a mafia romance where the hero kidnaps the heroine because she started a mafia war without even realizing it. Sloane was such a breath of fresh air as a heroine. She is so sure of herself and so level headed, so when she gets kidnapped by the mafia, she takes everything in stride and doesn't freak out. I loved Sloane and Declan's interactions from the moment Declan kidnaps her and their antics were SO FUN. They bantered so much and Declan slowly started falling for her. Once he finally did, there was no turning back and I loved how obsessed he was with her. I also really loved how easily Sloane fell into the life of the mafia and actually started getting along with the people who worked for Declan. Those scenes were so fun and I never knew I needed a funny yet dark mafia romance. There were so many moments I laughed but they were also doing the usual mafia stuff. I was just obsessed with everything about this book. You definitely have to pick up this series if you haven't yet!!

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

absolutely cracker

[Mareeva · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

How to survive a kidnapping 101 (as practiced by our heroine):

Annoy the living shit out of everyone until they let you go<3

🛑MINOR SPOILERS🛑

➊ How you appear is really important. Your clothes say a lot about your personality. So assert your dominance by dressing like you came out of a Fairytopia Barbie movie.

How the hell does a twenty-something yoga instructor who barely scraped through college, has never had a long-term boyfriend, and looks like she buys her clothes at a Tinker Bell estate sale get so confident?

➋ When waking up in an airplane with no memory and a gangster looking down your nose, don't panic, just say...

“Oh god. Am I brain damaged?”
He arches one dark eyebrow. “You mean more than you were before?”

➌ Establish a good relationship with your kidnapper. Form a kinship, a special bond.... by basically talking shit to each other all day.

“I think you just wanted an excuse to come back in here and see me.”
“And I think calling you an idiot would be giving you far too much credit.”
I laugh. “Good one. How long did it take you to figure out how to use the internet to look that up, Grandpa?”
“Your parents are brother and sister, aren’t they?”
“Oh, look, we finally have something in common!”

➍ Text him every 15 seconds. If you can manage even fewer time intervals, that would be best. We can't let him forget you exist.

➎ When he is on the verge of killing you or even better...himself from how irritating you are, give him a nice relaxing massage why don't you😈😏

➏ Hit your head so hard you're hemorrhaging. Trust me -or the heroine, she's the one with the hematoma- after draining him dry of patience, there would be nothing more annoying than getting a fucking brain bleed and making him pay for all your hospital expenses.

“Oh god. It’s bad, isn’t it?”
“Aye. Subdural hematoma. There’s at least a fifty percent chance you’ll die.”
After a beat, she says, “Gee, don’t sugarcoat it.”

And that's all:) He'll give you back to your feet fetish, mommy calling ex-boyfriend for safekeeping in no time❤

Until he kidnaps you again. Then you just annoy him SO much, he can't help but fall in love with you.

As you can tell the banter and the heroine in this were truly magnificent. So magnificent it was almost enough to distract me from the disaster that was this plot. I am not gonna talk about it because it was literal chaos and not in a good way. Everything came outta nowhere, for no reason, I can't even summarise this book to you people because it'll sound like I'm trolling.

Like the heroine went from having a brain bleed (which they cured rather quickly🪄), to being pregnant from god knows who, to NOT BEING PREGNANT but having some funky autoimmune deficiency problem or whatnot. LIKE WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING AND WHY IS IT HAPPENING I DON'T KNOW!!!!

This may sound hypocritical since I'm a strong advocate for obsessed-beyond-sanity men.....but Declan needed to calm tf down. Man loved her a lil too much, a lil too soon, there I said it🤣🤣🤣. He was so clingy, stuck to the poor girl like gum to a shoe. I can't blame him though, Sloane was pretty awesome.

[Lana ❇✾DG Romance❇✾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 STARS

In a life full of unforgiveable sins, sleeping with the enemy would be the absolute worst.

In case you were wondering, above is actual footage of me reading this book. BECAUSE OH MY HOLY BOOK CRACK. This was DELICIOUS.

Men say they love a strong woman, right up until they meet one.

The second Sloane appeared on the pages of Ruthless Creatures, I was instantly captivated. There's just something about a strong, smart, fiercely independent woman that owns her sexuality and doesn't feel bad about being one and done with men while leaving them all panting in her wake. And what I mean by that, is this woman was instantly my spirit animal. I loved her as a secondary character but I was nervous about her being the main one. Because it's so easy to take a character like this and overdo it. Make her too much. But somehow, she was even better than I ever hoped.

I’m not the girl who gets butterflies. I’m not the girl who swoons or begs. I’m the one who moves on before things get complicated, who keeps moving on relentlessly without looking back, like a shark that has to keep swimming forward its whole life or it will die. I’m the one who doesn’t fall. Who doesn’t feel. Who doesn’t get attached.

And you may also remember Declan from Cruel Paradise. And if you haven't read that series, you haven't lived. Just sayin'. But I digress. Declan was the right hand man for the Irish mafia, and suddenly finds himself at the head of it in this book. He's also the mortal enemy of Kage from Ruthless Creatures, who happens to be Sloane's bestie's new man. Complication, they has it. But I digress again.

This was enemies to lovers GOLD. Declan kidnaps Sloane and keeps her captive, only it doesn't go as he planned considering the woman is opinionated, with a razor sharp tongue, and completely fearless. She challenges him at every turn and turns him on at every corner. Their banter was the thing mu bookish dreams were made of.

I’m probably going to die with only you for company. Can you blame me for being upset?” His eyes are narrowed, doubtful, arctic blue.
I throw my hands in the air. “I’m not invincible!”
“So that deal you made with the devil for the power to kill with run-on sentences didn’t include immortality?”

Y'all. When I tell you I lived for this banter, words can't describe the level of goofy smile I had on my face reading it.

Now I liked book one, but also wanted more story and more tension and (whispers shamefully) less sex. What? Yes it happens even to me. But I digress again. This gave me the tension I had so needed. The buildup was fiery and delicious. And when these two finally collide? HOLY MOTHER!!!!! What's the best thing you can imagine for a fiercely independent woman? Give her an uber dominant alpha with a penchant for kink. YES PLEASE.
I’ll bind you and blindfold you, probably gag you with my tie, too. And I’ll make you come, over and over. I’ll make you glad you let yourself submit. Are you ready?”
The steam, people! THE STEAM. I died for it. I loved Sloane slowly work her quirky charm on Declan almost as much as I loved his dominant side completely own her in bed.

In this moment, all I want is to let him run me over. To let him break me, savage me, tear me apart.

Carnal Urges was action packed, quick paced, filled with humor, banter to die for, and steam hot enough to set fire to your reader. When I tell you I died for this book, I mean I DIED FOR THIS BOOK. This was JT Geissinger in all of her amazing glory and I was so here for it. And the twist at the end? DIE. I DIE. Seriously. I need the next book like yesterday.

If you love a sizzling hot mafia romance with an uber alpha to die for and a sassy and strong willed heroine to challenge him at every turn, welcome to your next addiction. This book was all of the things! I cannot recommend it enough.

ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review

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[❥ KAT ❥ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

'CARNAL URGES' Is the second full length book in J.T. Geissinger's 'Queens & Monsters' series. It picks up where the previous book left off. Spoken in 'Dual Perspectives.'

5 Tinkerbell & Gangster Stars!!

This was exactly the kind of book I needed, these two were more than perfect for each other, their banter had me in stitches throughout, I have never giggled so much whilst reading. Utterly perfection, from giggling to swooning this had exactly the right amount of everything, I inhaled this book in record speed, every single one of my boxes were ticked.!

Twenty eight year old yoga instructor Sloane was on her way to visit her bestie Nat in New York who we met in the previous book Ruthless Creatures when she's snatched by forty-two year old Declan from Beautifully Cruel in the underground parking lot, he's associated with the Irish Mafia residing in Boston, the head poncho is needing her to answer some pressing questions ascertaining to how she started a war between the Irish and the Russians.

Drugged and whipped away when Sloane wakes up and clashes eyes with the blue eyed handsome devil she gives him a tongue lashing he'll never forget in a hurry.

“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫. 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬— 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬— 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈’𝐦 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞.”



“𝐈 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫. 𝐈’𝐦 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐁𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞.”

He's never met anyone like Sloane before, resilient, fearless, annoying with an extreme case of verbal diarrhoea making him pity her previous boyfriends. She's a raging banshee who eats men's sanity for supper. She's playing over ways to kill him as painfully and slowly as possible in her mind.

Sloane quickly became one of my most favourite heroines of all time, she's witty, fiesty, bat sh#t crazy and she does not stop talking, no filter could stop her from speaking her mind, but god I loved her character.

Move over Christian Grey because a new king ascends the throne, he's everything we seek in our heroes, gorgeous, rough around the edges, a wicked sense of humour, alpha as all hell, possessive and fiercely protective.

                  

[Carol [Goodreads Addict] · Rating 5 out of 5]

RATING 4.5 STARS

Carnal Urges is book two in the Queens & Monsters series by J.T. Geissinger. Although this can be read as a complete stand alone, and is about a different couple than the first book in the series, the events do take up right where the previous book left off. You are given plenty of explanation to be able to fully enjoy this but I also feel like you would enjoy it even more if you read the first book first.



Sloane is twenty eight years old. We met her in the first book as Natalie’s best friend. Sloane has been kidnapped, by the head of the Irish Mafia no less, Declan. Declan is a man feared by all. But he has no idea what he’s in for with this firecracker.

I have to pause here to profess my love for Sloane. This woman has a genius IQ and enough snark to fill the State of Texas. Declan has no idea at all what to do with her. It doesn’t take her long at all to win over all of his scary men. They will pretty much do whatever she wants. The woman is amazing.

“Gangster…do you have a crush on me?”
“No.”
“Because no one would blame you if you did.”
“Jesus. You’re off in the head.”
“And I did tell you this would happen.”
“It didn’t happen! Nothing has happened!”
“No?”



Declan didn’t want to be head of the Irish Mob but has suddenly found himself in that position and he blames Sloane for everything. He’s never met a woman like her, a woman that is truly able to face him down with no fear.



The banter between these two is amazing and hilarious! I laughed out loud so many times. But underneath all the snark something else was brewing. A chemistry so hot it was only a matter of time before it blew. They were made for each other. Sloane has never given her heart to anyone. Her body, yes, but never her heart. She has her reasons and when she finally reveals them, it’s heartbreaking. Declan became her strength. With him she could just be, could let him take over and protect her. It’s something she’s never done before but with him, for the first time, something bigger feels possible.

“In a life full of unforgiveable sins, sleeping with the enemy would be the absolute worst.”

But Declan has his secrets as well. Many of them. And as the leader of the Irish Mafia, there is constantly a target on your back.

Same as the first book, this is pretty much non stop from start to finish. And this author loves her twists and turns. Not to mention the steam. You could practically see it coming off the pages.

Spoiler: I have never given J.T. less than a five star rating. But in this case, I needed to drop it down by a half a point. Same as the first book, this one includes lots of spanking involved in the sex scenes but this one took things a bit further. All with complete consent of course. It is my own problem that I struggle with this. With the first book, I was able to get past it but this one was more of a struggle. So, for me, it took away from the romance and my overall enjoyment of the book. I don’t mind the dark themes, I just don’t enjoy the dominant/submissive aspect and felt like the book would be more romantic without it.



As I said, J.T. loves her surprises and this book contained plenty to keep us coming back for more. I can’t wait to see what she has planned for us next in this series.

For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...

[EmBibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Sloane once said;

“I don’t love labels, but if you need to call me something, you can just call me your queen.”

“I don’t keep boyfriends. They’re way too high-maintenance. Too much of a commitment. ”

“They’re [Cats] furry little serial killers who can give you brain-eating amoebas from their poo, but that’s not my point.”

“Oh, relax. I just wanted to ask if you think Reverse Stockholm Syndrome is already a thing, or if you’re about to invent it?”

“I’m a cat.”
“A cat?”
“You know. Aloof. Unreadable.”

“Men pulling guns on each other because a woman smiled in the wrong direction is caused by their infantile egos, unchecked aggression, and overinflated sense of entitlement, not by her.”

“You’re bipolar. Right? That’s the root cause of all your mystifying behavior. Bipolar disorder.”
“No.”
“Too bad. If you’d said yes, I would’ve been nicer to you.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because mental health problems aren’t a choice. You, on the other hand, are deliberately an asshole.”

“Men say they love a strong woman, right up until they meet one.”

“I’m not a man-hater. I think men are pleasant distractions. If the rest of my life is the main course, men are desserts. Enjoyable, forgettable treats.”

Seriously, she’s ICONIC!!👏🏼 her comebacks are the best! the first half of this book is the most entertaining thing I’ve read in a while! Their banter and back and forth got me laughing so hard! Sloane is just a quick witted queen with the best comebacks ever! She was the highlight of this book and she didn’t disappoint. Romcoms books should take lessons from her. Declan was also a great match with his grumpy attitude and dry sense of humour.

However, Once they got together, things started getting boring and too convenient and easy. The first half is full of banter and the dialogues were just so entertaining. It’s such a shame I started losing interest by the second half. I debated whether to round up or down, but I’d still recommend this just for Sloane.

[Giorgia Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I thought this book was gonna surpass the first. I ended up disappointed but on the bright side I now like the first book better.

Things I liked and can’t deny were good in this book:
- the banter (although it was also too much and I felt exhausted by every line having to be wittier than the last)
- the writing - good as always

Things I thought I would love but ended up disliking:

- the heroine - maybe dislike is a strong word, but I genuinely felt like her whole character was very performative - she was so very perfect, so very smart, so very fierce, so very charming to everyone with Y chromosome. She was extraordinary and everyone else a pauper in comparison. And of course we got the added drama of her backstory and her origins story so to speak which only served to humanise her and give her new depths - depths I couldn’t care less for at that point to be honest. I didn’t like Sloan. And that’s the biggest problem I think I have with this book. I feel like a lot of its success banked on the fact that everyone worships the ground she walks on and that readers are always looking for this type of heroine that is the opposite of meek and tstl. Every word she utters is perfection etc. That being said, I just didn’t think Sloan was such a great person, reading between the lines and in her actions. I totally didn’t board the Sloan train, if anything I’d ride a camel through the desert for a week than get on that train.

EDIT I finished the series and it’s official, I really dislike Sloane - how did I come to this conclusion? Well, everytime she had some page time in the subsequent books I couldn’t stand to read her dialogue or read about others praising her - conclusion I might actually hate Sloane. Her self confidence was refreshing at the beginning- but then it turned into some sort of tunnel vision where she was the main character regardless of it was her place to be or not. Sometime make space for others to exist Sloane, you don’t need to insert your opinions and joie de vivre in every situation.

- the smut- I feel bad now for saying that the first book had very choreographed sex scenes that felt disingenuous because this book proved to me the real meaning of those words. The kink here was so .. meh. And we got it over and over and over again. I couldn’t get on board with their proclivities in the bedroom (not cause it was too kinky or anything like that, although it definitely tried to be) it just felt very perfunctory. Not to mention, I shouldn’t cringe when the hero is doing some Dom/sub thing and tell her to call him sir and master and whatnot. But I did cringe. A lot. Too much. I’ll take dirty talking Kage over call me master and let me flog you Declan at any given time.

- the hero - As you can tell I’m also not very enamoured with Declan. I didn’t particularly like him or think him fierce or hot or anything. The more Sloan kept teasing him about being old the more I started to believe it. Personality wise I mean, he didn’t really have a charismatic, draw you in flair (this is all very subjective, I know others find him irresistible) . And his murderous tendencies were all talk. I can’t picture the man as attractive, I just can’t. I talked so much s**t about the first book, but at least I was into Kage.

- the plot - for starters, there was nothing except the whole espionage thing which ruined it for me. I really hated that idea and how Declan played all sides. It was confusing and it was too much to believe and to coherently manage. Also him asking her to join him didn’t make much sense because he only took into account that she’s be good at it not the fact that I genuinely think she would hate it because she is a soft soul.(despite the posturing). And again, despite that spy angle there was literally nothing to the plot. They had sex a lot, exchanged witty barbs then down the line exchanged some flowery declarations of eternal Iove. That’s it and it was underwhelming.

And lastly, one question, why did they kidnap her to start with anyway? Yeah yeah, we were fed a reason or two but genuinely now, these guys are supposed to be smart and the heads or criminal empires but I wouldn’t be able to tell that from anything they do. Anything at all! She clearly would have no info to give them, she wasn’t exactly attached to either Kage or Stavros and even if she was attached to Stavros they didn’t really bank on that particularity to make moves on her loyalties. It was all such a mess of reasons and non-reasons and stupid ass decisions. This is one of the worst mafia books I’ve read and I mean strictly the mafia stuff - it was laughable (add in the spy angle and that does it)

[Isabella. R · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Vengeance is Mine Stars ⭐

This author manages to crack me up with every book she writes. Honestly my sudden bouts of laughter were quickly getting out of hand. With the many mafia romances out there, I love the twist of humour we got in Carnal Urges. And as for the panty melting deliciousness, it’s either your thing or not, but there are no complaints here…

Men say they love a strong woman, right up until they meet one.

Blaming a woman over a mafia war is a big claim. But to be fair, our heroine Sloane had the bollocks to back it up with. Yet with misplaced blame in her lap, she didn’t cower from the Irish Mafia King out for blood. In fact, you’ll not meet a more purposely disobedient and charming woman. You’d think she had a death wish.

Her confidence is unshakeable. I’ve never met anyone more completely self-assured.
Or one with so little reason to be.
She teaches yoga, for fuck’s sake. In a tiny mountain lake town.
The way she carries herself, you’d think she’s the Queen of England.

When he kidnapped Sloane, Declan couldn’t anticipate how painful the experience would be. Used to fear and acquiescence, her unpredictable nature is shocking. His intention was to use her as a pawn in the mafia war, however when the truth comes out, he doesn’t know whether to strangle her or release her.

When fire meets fire, it’s going to burn brightly. A woman in self preservation mode and a King who will steal her heart. She may not want to relinquish control but there can only be one master in the bedroom, and it will be him, one spank at a time.

She opens her eyes and gazes up at me. Cheeks flushed, lips wet, she looks incredible. Satan did a good job when he created her.

“Six,” she breathes. “C’mon, gangster. Don’t tell me that’s all you’ve got.”

“That was a fucking ten. And you’re not in charge here.”

So many golden moments, I thoroughly enjoyed this. A little drama, amazing banter and plenty of heat. Declan had no idea what hit him. Admittedly Sloane was crazy, but sometimes in life you must be your own champion.

[Sonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rocket Launcher= BDE

YEAH, it’s true 👀 (thanks Kristina and Mickey lol)

This starts off where book one ended- Sloane’s (28) being kidnapped😅. Her captor, Declan (42), l realizes how irritating she can be🤣. Shes hilarious! As he’s interrogating her, he gets a call telling him that his boss’s dead, and now he’s in charge of the Irish mafia👀. Sloane’s been kidnapped because she inadvertently started a war when a random mafia guy slapped her butt, and her boyfriend, at the time, decided to get back at that man and others😅. Not only that, but her best friend, Natalie, is in a relationship with the head of the Russian mafia, Kage, who happens to be the enemy of Declan 👀.

The banter between Declan and Sloane was EVERYTHING!🤣😭💀. She constantly makes fun of his age and how old and senile he is, and he makes fun of her antics and comments. She’s SMART and has a mouth- and isn’t afraid of using it 💅lol. One of the admirable things about her is that she doesn’t let the struggles in life get her down, because she tries to see the positive in everything❤️. Even when she’s in situations that she can’t control, she tries to find ways to get out of it or to at least make the best of her situation. This is completely unexpected for Declan, because he expects her to be inconsolable, scared, or pessimistic. But she isn’t 🤷🏻‍♀️. In fact, many times I felt like he was regretting kidnapping her 🤣.

This is one of those times I felt that the captor wanted to return their captive because of how tired he was of her 🤣. That’s right Sloane 💅🙃.

The chemistry, the intimate scenes, the sexy times were HAWTTTT! 🔥🥵😅. He unlocks a side of her she didn’t know she had, which makes their D/s relationship fire! It was raw, passionate, visceral, combustible, and atomic! Oh dear lord… my kindle was definitely swearing, sweating, and melting so many times! Not only is he such an alpha, but Declan is also swoony 🥰🥵. The biting, throat grabbing, hair pulling, caressing, and gentle touches were *chef’s kiss*. So good! Although this has BDSM elements, it was very much organic and natural.

I loved the cameo chapters- seeing Natalie and Kage brought back memories of book 1 lol.

The Cliffy had me gasping 😱.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

⚠️safety squad⚠️ SPOILERS
-no cheating/sharing/owd
-dubcon ish (more like intense)
-OMD: the h’s ex wants her back. She doesn’t want him back though
-violence/deaths
-body shaming/body dysmorphia recounted
-mental health/cutting recounted
-miscarriage recounted
-underage abuse/sexual abuse recounted
-BDSM/D-s/spanking/biting/primal play ish/primal/p slapping/praise kink/face f/edging/period play
-condoms/then none/both clean
-HEA/HFN/Cliffy ish

[Dilek VT · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 stars
Could have been more than 5 stars if only...

*********************************************

Well, I want to first say that I miss J.T. Geissinger’s previous books such as the unique love story “Midnight Valentine” or the hot and fun romance books in “Wicked” series or the very sweet and fun stand-alone book “Rules of Engagement”. I really really miss these kind of books from her and I have been feeling really upset since she started to write other kinds of books.

I am not a mafia romance reader. I certainly am not a BDSM reader and since Ms Geissinger started writing books with gangsters in it and include more and more BDSM in them, I have been missing her previous work even more.

Whatever she writes, she always has her talented way of telling her story and I love her writing but I cannot make my peace with certain things such as gangsters / mafia / killing / BDSM in romance books.

Having said all that, let me talk about this book, “Carnal Urges”.



First of all, I disliked this book’s heroine in Book 1 because all she did was to f*ck her way through countless men having no feelings and it was what she advised the heroine to do as well but in this second book, I fell in love with her and that’s once again Ms Geissinger’s magic. She is so sweet, so smart and so endearing in this book. I got to know her and I loved her. And there is a background story about why she is the way she is. It all made sense now. Sloane now is not only Declan's queen but also my queen :)

I always liked Declan and his sense of humor in previous books and in this book I still liked him but his being so insistent on BDSM rubbed me the wrong way. Well, Sloane liked it but I didn’t… sorry.

I could still be OK with it if they tried BDSM one or two times to spice things up etc but EVERY TIME they had sex, it was the same BDSM shit!

EVERY TIME, for God’s sake!
That ruined the book for me, unfortunately.

There is no good passionate love making as in her other books; all of them are the same. He wants her to submit and ties her hands, mostly handcuffs them. He wants her to call him “Sir” and not come without his permission or she will be punished. There is always spanking until her skin is all bright red. There is sometimes gagging. And he also has whips, floggers, riding crops, and paddles…

Every time they have sex, he asks her something and she answers by saying “Sir” or “Master”. And he says, “Good girl!” That’s so not my scene! Every time she said that, I wanted to puke.

*********************************************

Why is that? Is there really such a big demand for BDSM from some readers that almost everyone is trying to include that in their romance books to a certain level?! Even if so, they are risking losing their devoted fans.

*********************************************

Apart from the BDSM themed sex scenes, the book is AWESOME and brilliant.

It has deep emotions. It has fun banter. The plot line is good. There were moments I got really excited. As a matter of fact, I was never bored. In a mafia book, this is very unusual for me.

*********************************************

So all in all, if it didn’t include BDSM, it would be more than 5 stars for me but I have to lower my grading because of all the unappealing sex scenes for me and I don’t want to do the book injustice so I am only deducting -1.5, whereas in fact I would deduct -2 or -3 points in an ordinary book.

This is not because I love the writer, but it is because the rest of the book is so wonderful that I cannot deduct more than that. Therefore, with -1.5 for BDSM, 3.5 stars it is for me and I am rounding it up to 4.

*********************************************

Writing is in dual point of view and it is so good that it makes you feel everything.

There is one chapter written by Nat, Book 1's heroine and the Epilogue is written by Kage, Book 1's hero.

It is safe with no cheating. Declan is not a man-whore. There is no other woman drama.

*********************************************

The book begins with a scene that continues from Book 1 so if you haven’t read Book 1, don’t start the series with this one, read Book 1 first.

One last thing I want to say is that I liked how Sloane and Declan's story ended but I didn't like the Epilogue told by Kage (Book 1's hero), which made me get really pissed at him.

It seems Sloane and Declan's story will go on in Book 3. Usually, after the hero and heroine get together and confess their love to each other, I lose my interest in a book so I don't know if I will read Book 3 or not. I wish Ms Geissinger would write the third book about another couple...

*********************************************

Here are some QUOTES from the book.



He says, “Whoever gave you the idea you’re charming was an idiot.”
“Oh, c’mon. Admit it. You’re already a big fan.”
His expression indicates he might throw up. Then he gets mad and snaps, “What kind of woman isn’t afraid of her kidnappers?”
“One who’s spent a lot of time around men in your line of work and knows how you operate.”

***

“I told you. I’m charming. He was a goner from the day we met.”

I have never been looked at the way Declan is looking at me right now. If an alien spacecraft landed on top of the plane and sucked us inside with a tractor beam, he couldn’t look more confounded. I have to admit it’s pretty satisfying. The sense of satisfaction evaporates when he wraps his big hands around my upper arms and hauls me upright.

He leans close to my face and says from between gritted teeth, “You’re about as charming as herpes. Now go take a piss.”

***

“You’re really something else, lass.”
“I keep telling you, gangster. I’m charming. By the time this is all over, you’ll be head over heels in love with me.”

***

The sooner this is over, the better. I’ve known her for all of two hours - half of that while she was unconscious - and I’m ready to shoot myself in the face.

***

Shaking my head, I say, “I feel sorry for his mother. She should’ve swallowed instead.”

***

Kidnapping a woman shouldn’t be this aggravating. Part of me is surprised we even managed to get her onto the plane. From the moment we grabbed her in that parking garage in Manhattan, she’s been an absolute pain in the arse. Most people - most sane people - do one of three things when subjected to a traumatic experience like kidnapping: they cry, they beg, or they shut down completely, paralyzed by fear. The rare person will fight for his life or try to escape. Few are that brave.

And then there’s this barmy lass. Chatty, cheerful, and calm, she acts as if she’s starring in a biopic about a beloved historical figure who died at the height of her beauty while saving a group of starving orphans from a burning building or some such noble shite. Her confidence is unshakeable. I’ve never met anyone more completely self-assured. Or one with so little reason to be. She teaches yoga, for fuck’s sake. In a tiny mountain lake town. The way she carries herself, you’d think she’s the Queen of England.

***

Gaze softening, he tilts his head and looks at me. Really looks at me, the way men rarely do, with genuine curiosity. Most of them never get past my boobs.

***

“Christ. You think every insult is a compliment. Your ego is like Teflon.”
“Teflon? No. Something way tougher than that.”
“Seriously, how can you be so bloody blasé about everything? The only time I got a rise out of you was when I gagged you with my tie. But the minute I took it off, you thanked me and went right back to being…you.”
He’s starting to sound aggravated. What a shocker.
“I make the best use of what’s in my power, and take the rest as it happens.”

***

He rolls on top of me, clamps a hand over my mouth, and growls, “Introduce your top lip to your lower one for a change. And. Be. Quiet.”

***

He snaps, “What have you done to Kieran?”
“Moi?” I say innocently.
“Aye, you.”
“Whatever can you mean?”
He looks suspicious at my tone of wounded surprise. “I mean he came into this room working for me, and he went out of it working for you. He suddenly thinks he’s your goddamn butler!”

***

I know it’s a bad idea, but the woman has an uncanny knack for knowing exactly what to say to push my buttons. The FBI should hire her for their terrorist interrogation team. There’s not a man on earth whose will to live she couldn’t break.

***

She opens her eyes and gazes up at me. Cheeks flushed, lips wet, she looks incredible. Satan did a good job when he created her.

***

His big hand covers my sex and squeezes. “This is mine. Say it.”
“It’s yours.”
I get a light slap between the legs for my omission. I jump and blurt, “It’s yours, sir.”
“Aye, baby. Mine. And these.” He slides his hand up my belly to my left breast, which he also squeezes, then the right, thumbing over my nipples until they’re aching for his mouth.
“Yes, sir. They’re yours.”
He slides his hand up to the middle my sternum, pressing it flat over my throbbing heart. “And this… Is this mine, too, baby?”
“Yes, sir. All of me, sir. All of me is yours.”

***

“You’re the one in control here, lass. We’d just be pretending otherwise for a while.”

***

The way she responds to me makes me feel like a king, an animal, and a lovestruck teenager, all at once. The feeling is instantly addictive. I want more.

***

I crush my mouth to hers and kiss her as I climax, tumbling off a cliff of pure pleasure, falling down toward the crashing waves and rocky shore far below, where I shatter into a million tiny pieces, all of them hers.

***

“Please don’t freeze me out. Be angry all you want, but don’t shut down on me. I need you right now. I won’t be able to think straight if you don’t communicate with me.”

I’m such a wuss. That softens me up like microwaved butter.

“Okay,” I say, looking into his searching eyes. “But just because I’m not freezing you out doesn’t mean I’m not breaking vases inside my head.”

***

Is that normal? I don’t know. I’ve never visited Emotionville before. So far, it’s quite confusing. I wish I had a map.

*********************************************

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[Warda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Swooned and lost my mind several times.

This was perfection, don’t even try and argue with me. J.T. Geissinger had me bewitched!

I have not been able to stop thinking about this book, these characters, since I’ve read it.

Sloane and Declan made sense like no other and I desperately want more!! 😭
I’m obsessed and addicted to them and right now, I don’t know how to move on from this story.

Also, I think I’m ready to live that mafia lifestyle…

I can’t wait to reread this!

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg! I liked this one better than the last. I didn’t think I would, the beginning was fun but I started to tire of the banter and the sex (yes, i didn’t know it was possible either) but then Sloane revealed her backstory, shit started happening and I LOVED IT!
I loved Declan. I loved Sloane. This story was epic, up until the epilogue. The epilogue was gripping and captivating but it was not an epilogue, it was a tease! But seriously, this story gave me anxiety and got in my head so much that I decided to take a break from this series, and then that *bleep* author hit me with that epilogue and now I need to read the next book more than my next breath.
Sigh.
I can’t get further into why this book was so good because it would require spoilers and to enjoy this book you have to ride the twists and turns to the bitter end. But strap in and take the ride, because it’s worth it.

[Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grumpy anti-hero!



The following ratings are out of 5:
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Romance: 💜💙💚🖤❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌏🌍🌎
Character development: 🥺🤭🤫😕😎

The heroine(s): Sloane - a yoga instructor from Lake Tahoe. Sloane thinks she will never fall in love. She gets bored with men easily and dates a lot. She recently dated a man named Stavros who was in the Russian Mafia. Her best friend is engaged to the new head of the Bratva.

The Hero: Declan - he is second to the head of the Irish Mafia and tasked with kidnapping Sloane. He can’t figure her out. She is chatty and unafraid, not to mention the fact that she can defend herself and handle a gun though she has no history of violence or even taking a self defense class.

The Story: While dating Stavros, some Irish men hit on Sloane and made digs at the Russians she was with. A gunfight started and the Irish men died. This started a war between the Russian and Iris mafia. Though Sloane broke up with Stavros, the Head of the Irish mafia demanded to meet Sloane. Declan flew to New York and kidnapped her when she was on a visit to her bestie, Natalie.



Sloane is awesome. She is self-assured and snarky. She is funny, crazy and completely badass. The narration was great. Like Ruthless Creatures, this one is narrated like a play or an old time radio show. I wish all books were done like this. Michelle Sparks did the voice of Sloane and she was perfect for the sarcastic and snarky woman. Troy Duran did the voice of Declan and he does an Irish accent as well as he does a Russian one. Brooke Daniels did the voice of Natalie and was wonderful as well.

This one had a good story with Sloane being outgoing and amiable, yet talkative and Declan being grumpy and often frustrated with her. Especially since he just can’t figure out how well she takes everything that happens to her. She is kidnapped, shot at and more and she takes everything in stride while making friends with stoic gangsters along the way.

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[TJ ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars 🌟

“Hey. Gangster.”
He closes his eyes, makes a growling noise, and tightens his hand on my neck.
“Oh, relax. I just wanted to ask if you think Reverse Stockholm Syndrome is already a thing, or if you’re about to invent it?”

name a more annoying captive than sloane, it's not possible 💀 she's the kinda character you love or hate, and fr, i love this bitch.

as for declan,

He shakes his head in disgust, then leans down and pulls a small black pistol from a holder around his ankle.
He hands it to me.
“If we’re separated, use it on anyone who approaches you, even if they seem friendly. Even if it’s a little old lady, shoot that bitch between the eyes.”
I stare at him with my mouth hanging open and my eyes wide.

these two idiots are so funny 😂 i mean obviously i don't actually want him to murder old ladies for no reason, like declan can stay tf away from my grandma, but the way he said it sjbwkubww. the banter in this book was A1.

i was a bit surprised by declan's character, his humor was so dry in the beautifully cruel series i mighta subconsciously convinced myself he's just not that sexual of a being, so my brain stalled out a few times playing catch up. i was going back and fourth between three and four stars for most of this cause i liked the book but there was also something important missing between the characters that i can't put my finger on. and the plot was... not exactly it. but still, i definitely liked it more than the last book

[Lacey (laceybooklovers) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a good mafia romance! It is MUCH better than the first book. We've got enemies to lovers romance with some kidnapping. 👀

Declan kidnaps Sloane at the beginning of the book, and I instantly loved her character, because this girl does everything she can to make his life hell for kidnapping her. Declan is very much an alpha hero and once he falls for Sloane, he’s obsessed. The romance, mafia, and suspense were all mixed together so well here. And their banter!!! It's hilarious and entertaining. For a mafia romance, it's light and pretty funny, nothing too dark or gritty. I’m just glad I decided to continue with the series and I’m definitely going to keep reading now. I also hiiighly recommend the audio for this because Declan’s Irish accent is *chef’s kiss*.

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread for my 2021 favorites..

Damn.. Declan and Sloane.. just.. damn ..

[Soft Nectarine ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

She is a sassy girly girl, prideful chatterbox and totally crazy pants. He is a gangster with anger issues, stressed leader and losing patience with his hostage. They are EXPLOSIVE!

“Although I hate Declan, my coochie thinks that bastard is divine.”

Absolutely HILARIOUS mafia romance with BANTER for days! Sloan is a regular girl that just started a mafia war. I mean….it’s not her fault gangsters can’t keep their hands off their fantastic ass. Now she is kidnapped by the Irish mafia leader but honestly she’s had it worse. It’s actually the Declan that soon regrets the kidnapping as she drives him absolutely nuts!!

👄 she finally meets her match & she is LOUD about it

👄 grumpy x sunshine

👄 HE CHASES HER! Sloan has never been one for boyfriends but this man desperately wants to be her husband.

👄 age gap

👄 bdsm smuttiness

The series continues with a strong fmc that is not easily swayed in love or bed. Sloan fights Declan in her own annoying ways and when she finally surrenders 😮‍💨 Their relationship situationship has a lot of ups & downs but a smattering of vulnerable moments really adds to the character depth.

new micro trope: when all his mafia soldiers start liking her more than him

age gap
mmc with a short fuse
man obsessed
he falls first
strong fmc
dom/sub
spanking/belt
kidnapping
sick bed
HEA

[JenReadsRomance · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is like SUPER HOT (which I like) with GREAT BANTER (which I also like)...but also minimal plotting if any, nothing that happens really makes sense if you stop to think about it. It's very much the Julia Quinn model of romance writing--- great banter and chemistry, not much happens. (fair warning, this book is a million times hotter than anything JQ has ever written.)

I would call this "lite" dark romance, bc all the bad stuff happens off page. However, this book has also given more ammunition to a theory I'm kicking around about dark romance, which is that at some level, it exists to test our own internal romance boundaries of what is acceptable and what isn't.

So in this case, kind of the grossest scenes for me where when they have sex when she's on her period and he doesn't fully eat her out, but he's definitely down there. And then when she comes, he yanks the tampon out and throws it on the floor and fucks her. After, she notices him stop to pick up the tampon and take care of it. And look, I think it's pretty heavy-handed, I don't think the author is being subtle at all about it, so I'm not sure it really works that well. But I guess if you're the reader of the book thinking, THAT THERE IS A LINE I WON'T CROSS, but you're totally fine with Declan murdering a bunch of people. That's interesting, right?

I guess for me, the success of this "putting the reader on trial" mentality is really about how subtle or well-executed it works. And I don't know this felt a little too obvious?

Anyways, here's what I did also appreciate, one of the things I struggle with in other dark romance is everything lasts forever and the books are like 50 pages of action and 600 pages of navel-gazing. This, in comparison, was a quick, fast-paced, tight read. I enjoyed it.

PS. you know how Jenny Nordbak says that if you want to find the sex scene in a romance, look for the word "thrust" in dark romance its "shove" My god the way these men are shoving their cocks into things. SHOVE! it's a lot!

[D.L. Howe · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This book composed the very best snarky banter I have ever had the pleasure of coming across.

Reverse Stockholm syndrome 🤣🤣🤣

Sloane is the kind of character that straddles the line of lovable and annoying. But I can’t imagine not falling in love with her. Beneath all her cocky, zany humor lies a vulnerable woman screaming for love.

And even though Declan was loathe to even like this woman, he was no match for her charms. He held out longer than anyone else but he certainly fell the hardest.

This series had been rife with some of the steamiest sexy interludes. But much like it’s predecessor I had a hard time accepting their feelings for one another as more than skin deep.

I don’t know what it is that it just misses cracking the code on being emotionally riveting.

Yet that certainly doesn’t take away from the pure entertainment or how freaking hot this was.

I had been looking forward to Declan getting his girl and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.

[Alba and Her Secrets..♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 'Intoxicated' Stars!
ARC provided via Social Butterfly PR in exchange for an honest review.


I don’t know why I am still surprised. As with the first installment in this series, Ruthless Creatures, I devoured this one with the same hunger and so freaking fast that I wanted more by the end. And as you probably know, I do not read much dark / mafia romance but I love J.T. Geissinger and she is simply killing it with these books. At the beginning, you can’t imagine Sloane and Declan’s relationship working out, because they have a VERY peculiar start, but trust me when I say these two totally belong together.

So, Carnal Urges is the second installment in Geissinger’s Queens & Monsters series and it tells the love story between Sloane Keller and Declan O’Donnell, two people from two different worlds that meet when Declan, who belongs to the Irish mafia, kidnaps Sloane, who supposedly started a war between all his enemies. But Sloane is not the typical kidnapee, she is not afraid and she does not take any shit from anyone. Especially Declan. That surprises him and also is what starts their crazy chemistry. Their banter and sexual tension are turning into something either expected. What will happen when they are forced to face the consequences of that attraction?

“You’re really something else, lass.”
“I keep telling you, gangster. I’m charming. By the time this is all over, you’ll be head over heels in love with me.”

I love J.T’s characters. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. Especially her heroines because many of them are definitely not the typical ones you found in the romance genre. Sloane is for sure one of them. She seriously kicks ass, she is confident, she is brave and she has a heart of gold. I love a strong woman who is not afraid to face what is happening to her. And that is what Sloane does when she is kidnapped by Declan. She takes it to the next level and Declan does not like it. Or does he? I mean, I never expected to laugh so much with a mafia romance but the banter between these two? Gah, I died! It’s so clear they have a very intense chemistry that cannot be missed. They try not to act on it but it’s impossible for either of them not to. And when they finally do? Holy hell, it’s SO HAWT. Declan is so dominant and he will give Sloane the world. He is so sweet sometimes and I loved it. And yes, I totally understand it’s not normal to fall for your kidnapper but there is so much more on the background of the story that makes Carnal Urges such an interesting and wonderful read. Trust me, you’ll want to know everything about these two and their intense relationship!

“You own me, Sloane. Every corner of my worthless black soul. Every piece of my corrupt black heart. You own it all, and you always will. I’m your slave, not the other way around. Never forget it.”

Therefore, I am rating Carnal Urges with 4.5 STARS because it definitely follows the great start to this series with an equally amazing second installment. I loved Sloane and Declan, I loved their steamy chemistry and their unique connection. I loved seeing more of Kage and Nat too. I can now say that I am addicted to this series and these characters and I am so glad J.T. Geissinger is giving us more of them! I cannot wait to read the next one and I am so curious to know who will be the protagonists. Guys, don’t miss the Queens & Monsters series if you love mafia romance!

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[moonlight ☾ [semi-hiatus] · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars ☆

His brows pulled together. ❝Do you want me to trust you?❞
❝Could you?❞
❝If you gave yourself to me and meant it. If I knew you'd be loyal to me the way you are with your girlfriend, Natalie. Then aye. I could trust you. But if I did, it would be with everything, including my life. I don't do half measures. I wouldn't hold back. And there's a lot of ugliness my trust would expose you to. There are many things you'd discover that might make you regret ever meeting me at all. So before you ask for my trust, think carefully. Because if I give it to you, it means I'm yours. And you're mine. For good. There's never any getting out of that, even if you asked me to. Even if it got to be too much and you wanted to run away. Because I take the words 'until death do us part' literally.❞

the first half was chefs kiss. i loved sloane and declan's banters. these two literally made me cry bc i was laughing so hard with their back and forth. this felt different from most captive/captor romances i've read and i think it's mainly bc of sloane. she's not the first captive h i've read who stood her ground towards her captor but she's probably the first where she kept annoying him nonstop to the point where it was entertaining lmaoo

the way everyone just fell in love with sloane—tbh same. she was definitely the star of the book for me; however, i also liked declan and how he was able to keep up with her antics. the first half had potential to be a fav book but the second half, although it was pretty good and still kept me entertained, just didn't have that same spark yk? aside from their banters, the side characters were another highlight imo. i just loved seeing sloane's interactions with kieran and homer LOL. oh, and grayson!! im curious if he has his own story or will have one? he also caught my interest!

overall, this was a good read and the amount of humor was something i didn't expect going in yet was pleasantly surprised by but i don't think it's anything 'all time fav' worthy, at least personally. i'd still recommend tho!

p.s. as much as i loved sloane and declan, the master/slave feel of their relationship at times and how sloane kept calling declan 'sir' when they would have sex, IM SORRY I CAN'T SVFVCK

[Mindy Lou's Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far one of my favorite series. I feel like each book is my favorite, but in their own way.

In Carnal Urges, the banter between Sloane and Declan made them one of the most entertaining couples I've read. It was the best kind of hate flirting. Although it wasn't really hate. It was exasperated fascination. If that makes sense at all. lol

Sloane's confidence and spunk makes her one of my favorite heroines. I loved how easily she could charm the pants off anyone in her vicinity. I could see why Natalie (from the first book) chose her as her best friend. She's a character I think I would have fun hanging out with.

Declan is this intense, obey-me-or-accept-the-consequences, kind of guy. Except he could never bring himself to follow through with Sloane. He's feared by many and deadly to most, except with her. He was like a bear with a thorn in his paw and she's the thorn. The best part was how she responded to him.

I had fun with this book and I look forward to seeing what else we might get in this series. I wouldn't say this ends on a cliffhanger, but it does leave things open for more possibilities and I can't wait.

[Lucía · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn’t expecting this outcome for a mafia book,
I prefer them to be dark but this felt like a romantic comedy with how much of a joke the gansters were.

My 3 year old cousin holding a plastic knife is scarier than Declan, a mafia leader.
When he started telling Sloane a bedtime story his mafia license was instantly revoked.

Sloane looked like she was in Disneyland with how much fun she was having seeing everybody eating out of her hand!
The 2 stars are for her. A hard-headed and hilarious heroine with how unpredictable she was with the shit that came out of her mouth.

I couldn’t feel the chemistry between them and the insta-love was too much.
The book barely had a plot except for the last 13%, but it wasn’t something extraordinary.

[annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

hsksk this book is so funny! 😭 I mean literally this whole series is insta-lust-love, and the all the mmcs are SAME TEXT IN DIFFERENT FONTS, but the girls 🤭🤭 Is it okay to be so obsessed with Sloane?

Sloane Keller & Declan O'Donnell:

Sloane — Aagh, she had no right to be so awesome, I'm melting 😭. I LOVE A CONFIDENT AND SASSY HEROINE, AND SHE WAS JUST THAT. Her humor was fantastic, and her entire personality was amazing. She annoys Declan so much and nearly drives him to high blood pressure 💀, and becoming friends with all his soldiers because of her charm! 😭

hsjsjs I love her. The banter was fantastic, I DEVOURED it. I laughed so much. I liked the banter more than the overall story hshaha, which wasn't much (old kidnapping story and Stockholm but in this case, it was REVERSE? 🤡).

Declan — I can't believe he's the same Declan who used to blow smoke right at Truvy's face 🤣. Damn, I underestimated him ahhajsjs. His dry humor???? LITERALLY MATCHES SLOANE! I was dying at his responses and how he comforted her (by insulting her more ahhshsjs). HE SUFFERED. A LOT. BECAUSE OF SLOANE'S NON-STOP TALKING 😂.

hsksjs also not him telling her a story while she was in the hospital about an UGLY WEE CAMEL (Sloane) who stinks, eats grass, and is ugly but is good at bidding with dogs until she was kidnapped by a HANDSOME AMAZING GENIUS SUPERIOR DOG (himself) who was disgusted by her 💀💀💀💀💀.

Romance:

They fell into bed with each other quickly, with Declan using the same 'I won't hurt you' phrases and being all softie 😭, and bamm IN LOVE. Not J.T trying to make it BDSM type lol. It was a dom/sub relationship, and I was choking and literally cringing when she called him SIR. Like...? 🤡 *proceeds to forget*

Banter:

aaaghhhh gonna add some of my favs 😭.

“This isn’t funny.”
“How would you know? You’re unironically wearing a child’s Halloween costume. I’d say your sense of humor is as bad as your wardrobe.

"I think you’re lying about not having boyfriends. I think you’ve had plenty, and they all committed suicide.”

“Oh, relax. I just wanted to ask if you think Reverse Stockholm Syndrome is already a thing, or if you’re about to invent it?”
“How many times did your parents beg you to run away from home?”

"Please don’t interrupt me while I’m ignoring you."

"Oh, by the way, I was thinking.”
“Did it hurt?”

I throw my hands in the air. “I’m not invincible!”
“So that deal you made with the devil for the power to kill with run-on sentences didn’t include immortality?”

“This is karma, isn’t it? I’m being punished for something I did in a former life.”
“You believe in reincarnation? That’s interesting. I’ve always thought—”
He thunders, “It was a figure of speech!”

"He’s one of the best men I’ve ever known.”
I say drily, “You must not get out much.”

"He’s grinding his molars again. I’m really bad for his dental health. Pity, because those teeth of his are awfully nice."

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5-3🌟

It probably took me more than a month to finish this.
For a mafia book the plot was freaking sunshine and rainbows.🙄
I thought I would like Sloane but i realised that she is okay in small doses😂 and Declan was a poor excuse of a mafia boss, it was ridiculous. Even the plot twist didn't give him some character.🙄
And don't get me started on those wanna be bdsm sex scenes with sir/master, i'm sorry but they were so funny to me.😂

At least their banter was hilarious.

“You’re about as charming as herpes. Now go take a piss.”

"If the stick stuck up this guy’s ass were any bigger, he’d be a tree."

"You’re about as interesting as a koi fish. An old one. With digestive issues and a malfunctioning swim bladder.”

I'm more intrigued about Diego's book tho🙄

[Carvanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Squeee!!!! Oh my gawd!!! This book!! This is one of those that is so wonderful that you’d think it would be easy to review. But it’s almost impossible! Not because of twists and turns, of which there definitely are. Or that I don’t want to spoil anything, which I definitely do not want to do. But because there are just no words! And yes, reviewers often say this same thing, but truly, in this instance, I have no words. So, instead of cohesive thoughts, I’m just going to lay it all out there.

I didn’t think I was going to like Sloane, as she wasn’t really a favorite of mine in the first book. But holy heck! I loved what this author did with her! She is without question one of my top favorite heroines of all time. She is fiesty! And I mean that in every way. With her non-stop chatter she not only drives Declan crazy, but her ability to talk in circles messes with his men as well. Eek! I don’t want to spoil the fun of watching it all play out, but it was delicious!





Declan is definitely a man’s man as well as a mob boss that could reign supreme above other bosses. He is fiercely protective, completely possessive and when the circumstance arises, he’s got that tendency to be jealous just before he claims her as his own. He’s also quick with the rebuttals each time Sloane releases her whip smart statements about the situation she finds herself in. Even as she baffles him, he’s giving her the same sass back (except his is manly sass - is there a word for that?) which eggs her on. I was lost in the repartee between them as they let it fly, all the while an intense heat simmering between them.

When I realized I was getting close to the end, I wanted to cry because not only did this couple set my Kindle on fire, they totally captivated me with their give and take banter. I never wanted it to end. And then the ending! Gah! What this author does to me!

Dual POV
Safe no ow drama; om drama is the guy Sloane was dating in first book but who she has not been with in several months - a misunderstanding causes a separation that lasts a few hours and is quite hilarious actually; h not a virgin; no info on H’s past history with women
Triggers emotional abuse; childhood sexual abuse; miscarriage

[Romance Recs · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 hilariously witty stars



𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗨𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀 is the second novel in J.T. Geissinger's ℚ𝕦𝕖𝕖𝕟𝕤 & 𝕄𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕊𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤 that can be read as a stand-alone, however the story picks up right where 𝗥𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 ends. The heroine, 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗻𝗲 is best friends with Nat who is the main character from 𝗥𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀.

*𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬*

𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗻, the hero, is from Beautifully Cruel. 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗨𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀 is set in the same world as 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗿𝘂𝗲𝗹/𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗲. If you’ve read those books, you will have a good understanding as to how J.T. Geissinger's Irish Mafia world does. It’s fun, lighthearted, still action packed and tons of sweet moments, yet isn’t a dark mafia romance.

I LOVED this book! 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗨𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀 is a captive, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, age gap romance with the best banter between the hero and heroine! This book had me laughing so hard. This isn’t a romcom, however the dry wit and humor is perfection. The chemistry and banter between the hero and heroine made this book flow so easily I read it at one sitting.

Sloane, the heroine, is AMAZING. She is brilliant, insanely confident, and utterly stoic in the most extreme of circumstances (like being kidnaped by Declan and his crew).

𝙈𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣, 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙪𝙥 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙚.

Declan has no clue what he’s in for when he kidnapped this badass yoga instructor. He’s surprised every step of the way at how she’s able to handle it all while being calm. He’s never met anyone like her. The story is told in dual POV, and we get every bit of Declan’s snarky, dirty talking, Irish slang and see him struggle to not want his captive.

“𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪?” “𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚. 𝙎𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙄𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙: 𝙞𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙥����𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚.”

𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙡𝙡, 𝙨𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙪𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚. 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙪𝙥 𝙞𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙮𝙖𝙬𝙣.

When Sloane, a 28-year-old yoga instructor visits her best friend Nat, she inadvertently gets caught up in a mafia war. Declan blames Sloane for starting the war and kidnaps her. I laughed throughout this read and melted when Declan’s cold and broody personality finally began to soften.

There are seriously steamy scenes that made me melt! Declan is so alpha I loved it. Sloane finally met her match. The BDSM sex scenes were the sh**

This book is so much better than I expected it to be. I love Declan and Sloane and their relationship. The moments when they were together getting to know each other touched my heart while other parts of this book are so silly and humorous.

Definitely recommend this for an entertaining and funny read.

[aleksandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

I ate it in one sitting. Why are the men in this series so hot?

"Then I kiss her, holding her close, filled with joy when I feel how hard her heart beats against my chest. It’s beating at the same pace as mine"

“No. I think you look like Rockefeller Center at Christmas, Japan in cherry blossom season, and the thousand vivid shades of green in the wild moors of Northern Ireland, all rolled into one."