J.T. Geissinger

Carnal Urges

Mona-Lisa Schwarz

Sidney Schaffner

This book was also hilarious. Wasn’t a big fan of the Insta love.

The overall storyline was everything you want from a mafia romance series and the characters of Declan and Sloane have so much connection!! I only rated 3.5 because I wasn’t drawn to read it and it took quite a while for me to finish quite a short book- but this could also be because I’m in a reading slump currently 

Holly Lake

J. T. Geissinger

I am obsessed, I was giggling with the banter between them. 

Heather

Lover of Romance 

Carnal Urges is the second installment in the Queen and Monsters series and after reading the first book "Ruthless Creatures" I was definitely excited to read this one. I will be honest in that I did want to wait in the reading of this one until I saw the response to this book. After "Ruthless Creatures" I will admit in that I was apprehensive in the reading of this one, the heroine I wasn't sure would be someone I could relate with. But many readers I have come to respect and admire, fell head over heels in love with Carnal Urges, and I knew I had to pick it up. I am so glad that I did, because Carnal Urges knocked me off my feet in all the best of ways. 

Carnal Urges begin with a kidnapping. Sloane, on her way to visit her friend, finds herself kidnapped and almost shot. And in her mind, well this is just another adventure, so lets have some fun with it. Sloane isn't afraid of her kidnappers, there is something she is drawn to in Declan. Declan is on order to take Sloane captive, but when he suddenly becomes the new boss, and both their lives and the lives of his men are put in danger, he continues the sharade even though Sloane is driving him nuts and he is not sure his nerves will survive her bubbly personality who has no fear of him ....at all. But Declan himself has certain secrets, and as he and Sloane are drawn together in a unconventional way, trust begins to form and Declan will have to come to terms with sharing all parts of himself with her. But they have enemies on both sides of the equation, and only by truly trusting in their love will they conquer in the end. 

Carnal Urges is a fantastic book in just about every way, and I had a blast with it. I will say its a challenge to say whether this book is better than Ruthless Creatures because they are completely DIFFERENT novels and completely opposite from each other in just the vibe of the books themselves. But if I had to choose which one of these two is my favorite, I would definitely pick Carnal Urges. I am actually shocked that this heroine worked for me in EVERY way. Like honestly, she kicked booty in every aspect and I was more than happy to be along for the delicious ride. Sloane is very unique, and probably one of the most unconventional heroines I have ever come across in romance. She is bubbly, upbeat, positive, friendly but can kick ass. She has such a faceted personality that one could never just put her in one box because she fits them all. Our hero, Declan, is quite faceted himself. He is a full on alpha male, has his own kinks, is crafty and cunning, And he has zero patience for Sloane and it's highly entertaining to see these two opposites just work in such a "yin yang" manner. The writing in this book is the edge of your seat, you won't be able to put this novel down, will sweep you off your feet, and surprise you in such an emotional manner you won't see it coming. 

Overall I found Carnal Urges to be a superb read that stunned me in a delicious captivating way that kept me glued to the pages, its a tale of unsuspecting passion, a perfect representation of opposites attract, and a love that is guaranteed to leave the reader breathless on every page. VIVIDLY STUNNING

samantha youngclaus

4.5 stars. so true i want to be sloan when i grow up

Mary

D E C L A N

Wow I loved Kage but wooooo Declan. 

There’s just something about enemies to lovers that pulls me in so deep. I was entranced by this story. I literally had butterflies because of the 🌶 in this book. A must read. I love this series. 

The twist at the end. Whatever will they do

Olivia

** spoiler alert **
           I loved this one but I also had some issues with it. Ultimately my love for it won out, but I am going to just lost out the issues, which do contain spoilers.
what I loved:
-Declan is HOT. like on fire hot.
-sloane is the first heroine I’ve read in a while that I would read BOOKS of. I would honestly read a 10 book series about her and I wouldn’t even care if they weren’t romances that’s how much I love her
-kidnapping is always my favorite trope and I feel this was handled well
-how sloane makes every man fall in love with her. it’s empowering and I love it. her, kieran, and spider’s interactions were some of my favorites
-her and nat’s relationship was beautiful and I’m not gonna lie, I got choked up. As someone who is very close and loyal with friends, it was beautiful finally seeing that portrayed right in a book. This is the first time I’ve looked at a friendship in a book and saw my relationship with my best friend in it.

what I didn’t love:
-I don’t like how their power dynamic in their sexual relationship never shifts, I would have loved it if it switched up, but it doesn’t and after reading about sloane’s past, I would have preferred it to have been completely flopped (but I understand in terms of character development why it was the way it was)
-the whole spy thing really didn’t do it for me. I was ok with the mafia thing, but I’m honestly confused now due to that being put in. I have no idea the logistics of it and how it’s not still an issue for them at the end.
-the epilogue pissed me off. kage is being a sneaky bastard, we get a surprise from someone who was dead, and I don’t like the idea of the strain nat and sloane’s relationship is most likely going to have in the next book.

Overall, this will definitely be a re-read at some point. I devoured it in one night (I stayed up for it; seriously I haven’t gone to bed and it’s 7:30am). Do yourself a favor and read this series, it will feed your twisted soul. I know it fed mine and now I’m worried I’m about to be in a book hangover because of how good this book and the first one in the series is.

Magda Silva

A favorite of the year. I love it. It's a 4 stars just because for me it wasn't as good as the first one. It can change

Becci Ridley

3.5 ⭐️'s


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


we all know the real MVP of this book is Sloane. i mean Declan is high ranking in a mafia gang and even his men bow down to her. there aren't any compliments in the world good enough to describe this woman.

just in case you need some proof, here's some fantastic things that come out of her mouth:

"Cool. Thanks. And thank you for not hitting me back. Your boss tells me he doesn't have the same scruples."
From the other end of the plane, Declan thunders "Take your bloody piss!"
Shaking my head, I say "I feel sorry for his mother. She should've swallowed instead."

oh, and...

I could swear that flash in his eyes is admiration, but it's probably just an urge to wrap his hands around my neck and choke me.
And not in the good way.

anyway, onto Declan. i'm not one for a big age gap but there's 14 years between him and Sloane and i love how much she teases him for being 'old.' when you first meet Declan, he seems like an all-business don't-bullshit-me kinda guy with no personality. obviously that's until Sloane gets under his skin. Sloane is extremely quick witted and Declan's gives it as good as he gets it. they're the perfect match. i was either giggling like a school girl at their interactions or full on belly laughing.

"I text back, "you're not supposed to be talking to me, remember?"
She sends back a middle finger emoji.
I can't believe this is my life."

her personality is everything.

"Wait. I forgot. She's not a woman. She's a raging banshee who eats men's sanity for supper."

and my personal favourite...

"A nurse enters the room. Sloane quips, "Oh good, maybe she brought an enema we can use to flush that stick out of your ass."
I have to cover my mouth with a hand to keep from laughing."

if i was to base this book purely on Sloane's personality, it would obviously get 5 stars. however there was a lot missing for me in this. there was hardly any plot compared to the mystery in book #1, i feel like there wasn't a lot of depth for Sloane but not really for Declan, and i usually like a bit more angst in romances but it was quite fast-paced for me.

unfortunately we've heard nothing about the main characters for book #3 apart from maybe 2 or 3 sentences so i won't be continuing with this series. but the first two books will happily live in my mind.

Tanya 

Brb it’s 5AM & I need sleep
__________________________________________

Okay soooooo…. Truly this might be in competition with Beautifully Cruel, I know I know but hear me out. Declan? I wanted his story to come way sooner than this when I met him in Beautifully Cruel BUT I now understand we were waiting for his perfect match & that’s exactly what Sloane was for him so the wait was worth it. Granted I thought I saw way too much of Sloane in Ruthless Creatures but I absolutely adored her in this book. Sue is the definition of a MAIN CHARACTER.

This book I would say has the most intriguing, stimulating, suspenseful & best plot I’ve read so far out of all of JTs mafia books. Not to mention the steam and the relationship dynamics were also my favorite. Honestly there isn’t anything I would change about this story. I got emotional when Sloane was telling Declan her story.. I did not see that coming from a mile away. 

These two were so perfect for each other it honestly made my heart ache for something like this. To find someone who not only adores you but sees you for exactly who you are and allows you to be free. Someone who makes you feel safe enough to let your guard down and love every single part of you even the parts of you that you might not want to share.

The banter? Honestly next level JT is literally a comedian these books always have me laughing the loudest and ugliest and I love all of it. I mean mafia book, alpha ahole, touch her and I kill you, strong heroine, steamy as hell & romance like you’ve never seen? Why would you NOT love these books? The plot twist? I was SHOOK, jaw was on the floor & I am so damn anxious about the next book. None of the books have ended on cliffhangers before so this was an exciting twist. 100% you guys should read this book.

Alexandra 

Maya Federman

My GODDDDD was this fucking good. I’m writing this over a week after finishing and I’m STILL thinking about this book.

If there was an award for best banter in a romance book, Carnal Urges would win hands down. Declan and Sloane are very similar in the way their minds work, so they truly feed off each other’s energies. They’re both extremely intelligent sarcastic assholes, and the combination is explosive and absolutely HILARIOUS. 

Sloane is, to put it briefly, everything I want to be and more. She takes no shit, has an answer for everything, and is able to wrap pretty much anyone she wants around her finger. Declan comes across as a grumpy asshole but as he says, he’s like an onion—full of layers. And boy, did I enjoy all of those layers.

The spice and banter was a nearly lethal combination, and by that I mean it was so hot that I almost suffered spontaneous combustion. Declan is a bit of a dom, and that combined with a hefty dose of “wear my hand as a necklace” and praise kink made me melt into a pile of Maya goo.

I loved how Nat & Kage were brought back into the narrative towards the end, and JT set the stage for Savage Hearts perfectly. If you don’t read this series you’re only hurting yourself. READ IT.

Batool Zainab Suleman

This is the best book I've ever read in my entire life. The main characters, plot (and plot execution), and writing style make it my favourite book of all time.


*CHARACTERS*

1. FMC - Sloane Keller

Sloane is the FMC I've been dying to read about. She is wickedly smart, fierce, unabashedly herself, bold, and STRONG. She kicks a** like nobody's business. She is beautiful, both in mind and body. She is not a regular person, she's the embodiment of the word bada**. Her character arc is absolutely phenomenal. The way she's introduced to us in the first book (Ruthless Creatures) is perfect. When we truly experience Sloane here, it's nirvana. She is, hands down, my favourite FMC of all time. 


2. MMC - Declan O'Donnell

Declan truly is the onion he claims to be. The layers of character development and story are beautifully constructed and executed in this novel. Declan is the perfect match for Sloane. He is the Irishman who will pierce your soul before you've even had a chance to say hello. He is the perfect anti-hero, the perfect complement to the FMC, the best book boyfriend I could ever ask for. The way Geissinger has written Declan had my head spinning in every direction. I could not ask for anything better.

*PLOT*

Without giving anything away, the best way I can explain why the plot is perfect is by posing this question: what is the right plot? With exceptional characters and a universe that's already built, what can Geissinger do to ensure that the plot is worth an entire novel? I could never have predicted the story Geissinger weaved together. The slow-burn romance with the PHENOMENAL plot pace made this book such a delicious read. The plot execution is done so expertly that all the other elements fall into a matrix of perfection.

I could not put this book down because Geissinger literally has me scrambling to find out more. Every chapter is rife with story, no one sentence out of place. Do you want a story that has you trying to figure out what's next alongside the best complementary side characters and mini plots? This is the book for you. The story is so perfect, I cannot find a single thing I would change. Normally, even the best books have room for improvement, but not this one. 


*WRITING STYLE*

Geissinger's writing style is fabulous. You can have great characters and a nice plot, but without a solid writing style, you have nothing. Geissinger's ability to write in the voice of the character is second to none. Sloane's narration is exactly what it's supposed to be, matching her to a tee. Declan's inner monologues, thought process, style of speaking, etc., all are absolutely incredibly written. 

Geissinger's flow is extraordinary. I was halfway into the book before realising that I'd been reading for an hour and a half. The way one can keep flipping pages and lose track of everything else is a very difficult skill to achieve, but Geissinger has honed their craft so well that this book is beyond anything I've ever read in my entire life. I cannot fathom how I'll ever be able to return to other books after this one. The writing is amazing beyond words.


*OVERALL*

I am floored by the superb quality of this book. This book has reminded me of why books are the best thing mankind invented.

Amanda J 

Nikki

4.3 stars 
The start wasn't a bit to my liking, but as I progressed towards the end, the story grew on me.
Love the MCs.

Michelle Vasquez

That ending was hurtful

do you like your dark romance with a side of comedy?

this brings that and more to the table. “Carnal Urges,” by JT Geissinger is book two in the Queens and Monsters Series. It is about Natalie’s fave PIC Sloane and her forever captor, Declan. Did I mention it’s Kage’s arch-nemesis? 

the banter, wit and steam is off the charts. Sloane may have been physically captured, but what Declan had in strength, he was outsmarted by her charm, agility and her IQ. The ending was hurtful - so i am anxious to see where book three takes us next!

“If you break my heart, gangster, just know that you’ll be the first and last to do it. Nobody before you has ever been able to even scratch it, and nobody will be able to pick up the shattered pieces behind you if you leave.”