Madison Diaz's Blog

JOIN MY NEWSLETTER

I have a few followers from my book review blogging days on here. Unfortunately, I won’t be starting that back up again anytime soon. It’s always more time-consuming than I anticipate, and I can’t keep up longer than a month or two.

I’m brainstorming a few ways to maybe still implement recommending books I loved to readers, but it’s difficult to conceptualize that right now into my schedule consistently.

What I will for sure be doing is starting a separate newsletter for author updates. I’ve got the sign-up sheet all prepped and ready, so you’ll just click the button below to subscribe.

Subscribe to my newsletter ->

My goal is to send no more than two newsletters per month unless something dire is happening. I’ll have my first email ready to send out at the start of April, giving little updates to my WIPs, other published books, and maybe a recommendation or two on what to read next.

My content will probably change depending on what I come up with, but if you’d like to be a part of this progress, click the button above to subscribe!

The Tavern Writing Prompt 3/22

Below is a bit of horror flash fiction inspired by a writing prompt in one of my writing communities. The text might be anxiety-inducing to some as it contains an ominous, creepy, and unsettling tone. Read at your own risk.

A creak sounded in the other room, echoing through the house. Eloise rapidly stirred her breakfast, forcing out any recognition of the noise. Her heart pounded, but she stayed focused.

Swish. Swish. Swish.

The spoon moved in quick succession, banging against the sides of her bowl. Something scraped against the floor in the other room, and she flinched. Death, don’t take your time. Come for me now.

“Eloise,” a soft voice called from the room.

Don’t look, she quickly told herself.

A door squeaked as it slowly opened, filling her entire home with intensity and dread. Why had she thought moving into a house her grandma owned right after she died would be a good idea? She’d seen the movies. No one ever accepted an inherited home without the consequences.

Beggars couldn’t be choosers, and she’d needed a place to stay so badly. With the way the economy was collapsing every day, it was impossible to make ends meet. She worked a corporate job during the day, used her car for food delivery at night, and slept when she’d run out of steam.

Her degree meant nothing.

Her work experience was minimal compared to the older generations fighting for the same entry-level positions.

Everything crumbled around her. Eloise’s parents had been scumbags. Literal asshole who had cast her out the moment she turned eighteen. She struggled through college, taking out loan after loan to keep her from homelessness.

Receiving this house had seemed like a godsend.

Finally.

The universe had answered her prayers.

But three weeks into living within these ominous walls had introduced her to terror she couldn’t handle. Even now, as whatever had been in that room stomped across the floor, she was petrified. Her hand kept moving on its own, stirring the oats that had now turned clumpy and hard.

The footsteps stopped behind her. Her pulse thumped in her neck as she held her breath.

“Look at me,” the deep, rumbling voice demanded. “You are in my home.”

Her toes curled into her house shoes. Spasms racked her body as she trembled. Her eyes closed as she took a deep breath. The voice can’t get to me when I’m stirring my oats, she lied to herself, continuing to move her hand even though the bowl was shaking now.

Warmth brushed against her back, and she whimpered.

“Finally,” the voice sang. “You acknowledge me.”

This can’t be happening!

Arms wrapped around her, and dark, strong fingers took her hands. They were much larger than a person’s, with claws that clinked against her bowl.

With a scream, she swung as hard as she could over her head, hitting something hard. Large eyes and long tusks spreading out of the demon’s head filled her vision. Dark eyes stared into hers, and she went limp, losing her balance.

The bowl clattered to the floor, and her spoon fell a few feet away. Arms wrapped tight around her body as she collapsed in the embrace, no longer able to make sense of anything.

“Good,” the voice echoed. “You are mine.”

ONE CLICK AWAY is available through KU, ebook, and paperback! Click the link here: ONE CLICK AWAY

This novella includes these tropes:

High spice Boss/employeeA grumpy catFake relationshipLow angstFamily dynamics Holiday romance

This novella is a short/fun read, filled with plenty of sweet and spicy scenes to keep you entertained!

ONE CLICK AWAY is a spicy contemporary romance novella about a stressed chief editor, a talented junior writer, a grumpy cat who owns the bed, and one perfect fake relationship.

Lincoln William Blake III’s life goal has been to take over his family’s magazine. He’s dedicated his entire adult life to showing his grandfather he would be the perfect successor. When the retirement announcement finally arrived, Lincoln didn’t receive his promotion. Instead, he must prove he’s a family man before he inherits the family legacy.

Georgiana Lopez can’t convince her family that she’s finished with her ex. They won’t listen to reason, so she posts an online ad, looking for a fake boyfriend. She never expected her insensitive, self-important boss would respond. Lincoln might be one of the hottest guys she has ever seen in her life, but that doesn’t give him any right to critique her work harshly.

How can she fake date someone she hardly likes?

Lincoln’s intention was only ever to encourage Georgiana’s natural talent to help her grow as a writer. He never considered his delivery could push her away. What started out as a business arrangement somehow transforms into the realest relationship either of them has ever experienced.

Are they brave enough to take the leap?

ONE CLICK AWAY has explicit sex scenes not suitable for readers under the age of 18. This holiday romance includes an office setting, a fake relationship, high spice, low angst, no third act breakup, and a boss/employee dynamic too hot to resist.

Click the link here: ONE CLICK AWAY

ONE CLICK AWAY is a spicy contemporary romance novella about a stressed chief editor, a talented junior writer, a grumpy cat who owns the bed, and one perfect fake relationship.

Lincoln William Blake III’s life goal has been to take over his family’s magazine. He’s dedicated his entire adult life to showing his grandfather he would be the perfect successor. When the retirement announcement finally arrived, Lincoln didn’t receive his promotion. Instead, he must prove he’s a family man before he inherits the family legacy.

Georgiana Lopez can’t convince her family that she’s finished with her ex. They won’t listen to reason, so she posts an online ad, looking for a fake boyfriend. She never expected her insensitive, self-important boss would respond. Lincoln might be one of the hottest guys she has ever seen in her life, but that doesn’t give him any right to critique her work harshly.

How can she fake date someone she hardly likes?

Lincoln’s intention was only ever to encourage Georgiana’s natural talent to help her grow as a writer. He never considered his delivery could push her away. What started out as a business arrangement somehow transforms into the realest relationship either of them has ever experienced.

Are they brave enough to take the leap?

ONE CLICK AWAY has explicit sex scenes not suitable for readers under the age of 18. This holiday romance includes an office setting, a fake relationship, high spice, low angst, no third act breakup, and a boss/employee dynamic too hot to resist.

To pre-order your copy, click here.

BOOK COVER COMING SOON!!

ONE CLICK AWAY is a spicy contemporary romance novella about a stressed chief editor, a talented junior writer, a grumpy cat who owns the bed, and one perfect fake relationship.

Lincoln William Blake III’s life goal has been to take over his family’s magazine. He’s dedicated his entire adult life to showing his grandfather he would be the perfect successor. When the retirement announcement finally arrived, Lincoln didn’t receive his promotion. Instead, he must prove he’s a family man before he inherits the family legacy.

Georgiana Lopez can’t convince her family that she’s finished with her ex. They won’t listen to reason, so she posts an online ad, looking for a fake boyfriend. She never expected her insensitive, self-important boss would respond. Lincoln might be one of the hottest guys she has ever seen in her life, but that doesn’t give him any right to critique her work harshly.

How can she fake date someone she hardly likes?

Lincoln’s intention was only ever to encourage Georgiana’s natural talent to help her grow as a writer. He never considered his delivery could push her away. What started out as a business arrangement somehow transforms into the realest relationship either of them has ever experienced.

Are they brave enough to take the leap?

ONE CLICK AWAY has explicit sex scenes not suitable for readers under the age of 18. This holiday romance includes an office setting, a fake relationship, high spice, low angst, no third act breakup, and a boss/employee dynamic too hot to resist.

To pre-order your copy, click here.

Hello, readers!

This is the third novel in the Tattered and Torn series by Catherine Cowles. This series is my first time exploring her, and I enjoy her writing. I also enjoyed this book!

Synopsis: Beckett finally returns home after years saving lives abroad. He’s ready to connect with his family again and become the town’s family doctor. He expects resentment and tension within his family after everything they’ve been through, but he doesn’t expect to grow feelings for his unexpected roommate.

Addie is still trying to find her footing in the world outside her dad’s property. She’s been locked away and tortured for most of her life, and now she’s finally living freely. Striving for independence, Addie tries finding a job that’ll hire her without much work experience or an education — and she finds her calling, especially in the arms of a man she didn’t see coming.

Story: I found the story compelling and wanted to keep reading. One thing I like about this series is that I never expect who the criminal ends up being, and this one shocked me as well. I held off on starting the next novel though because the MCs are people who were barely mentioned in this novel, so the setup for them wasn’t well done.

Characters: I like Addie and Beckett. Cowles writes frustrating FMCs, but that’s okay. Sometimes conflict wouldn’t happen if characters were frustrating, reckless, or stupid. But Addie did frustrate me a few times, and Becketts protectiveness turned me off occasionally. But for the most part I enjoyed them.

Spice Scenes: This book was the spiciest out of the series so far. I enjoyed their exploration with one another and the growing tension from the beginning.

Pros:

Compelling story. Interesting characters. Didn’t seem certain plot points coming — was thoroughly surprised.

Cons:

The characters were stereotypical at certain points. The following book wasn’t setup well in this novel, making me not even want to read it.

Book Rating: 4/5

Spice Level: 3/5

Thanks for reading! You can find me on Instagram for now. More ways to connect are coming soon!

I decided to continue the Tattered and Torn series by Catherine Cowles by reading the second novel, and I enjoyed it so much. I’ve jumped right into book #3, but I’ll share some of my thoughts from this book.

I got a copy from Libby and downloaded it to my kindle.

Synopsis: Hadley is a bit of a daredevil. Her entire family has made her feel guilty for her love of the chase. She can become so pent up with unresolved emotions that she has to jump on her bike or skateboard and let the wind take her. The person who first introduced her to the risky way of life is the same man who started holding her back.

Calder’s daughters are his entire world. He worries about them constantly, ensuring they’re safe at all times. Hadley wants him to loosen the reins, but that would mean he’d have to admit bad things can happen to the people he loves. That includes the woman he’s had feelings for most of his life. There’s only one way to keep her in his life: by letting her live freely.

Story: The external conflict was intense. I highly enjoyed the drama and the twists and turns of the story. I legitimately didn’t expect one of the big twists toward the end which made me want to jump right into the next book in the series.

Characters: Hadley was cool and strong-willed. The conflict she had with her family was well-done, and I felt for her so many times in the book. She was stubborn but not too much to where it was annoying.

Calder is a sweet dad and a good partner. He had to learn how to let Hadley be herself, and he slowly grew to embrace that riskier side of herself. He also wasn’t overbearing like many romance heroes. He was the perfect amount of protective and supportive.

Spice Scenes: They were spicier than book 1! I’m unsure what to rate it as, but they’re more descriptive. There was also a desperation between them that was super hot.

Pros:

Good sex scenesSolid external plotTwists and turns I didn’t see comingChallenging family dynamics

Cons:

Can’t say I have any, tbh. I liked everything about this book.

Book Rating: 5/5

Spice Level: 3/5

Thanks for reading! You can find me on Instagram for now. More ways to connect are coming soon!

I read this book at the recommendation of a friend who loves the author. This is the second book I’ve read by her, and I can honestly say I’m not a fan of Emily Henry’s writing. I won’t rip the book to shreds here, but I will comment on what I didn’t like. I finished the entire book, so I feel I’ve earned the ability to speak on the experience.

Synopsis: Nora Stephens is a literary agent working in New York. She’s the character every Hallmark movie hero breaks up with toward the end of the film when he’s realized living in a small town and dating an easygoing baker is much more valuable to his life than the cutthroat businesswoman from the city.

After suffering another relationship’s end caused by the small-town pull, Nora’s sister Libby suggests they stay in a small town so Nora can have her romance story unfold. Throughout the stay, Nora runs into an editor from the city named Charlie Lastra. Their last interaction left a bad taste in her mouth, but she quickly discovered she had judged him too harshly when they’d both had a terrible day.

As they connect through their love of books, Nora realizes she doesn’t know Charlie as well as she thought she did. Their bond develops, and Nora isn’t prepared to admit she’s been picking the wrong guys the whole time. Could Charlie be the right guy, after all?

Story: I was intrigued by the story and enjoyed the book’s first half. What bothered me was that the second half dragged so hard. The drama didn’t match the stakes, and it often felt that the heroine was stealing from the intensity of other characters’ scenes with her self-centered internal monologue. The story would come to a complete halt sometimes because Henry wanted to further explain the intensely dramatic reaction to something that should have been a mild response. The third-act conflict was very frustrating and went on for far too long.

Characters: I liked Charlie throughout the story. I thought he was fantastic and realistic as a person. Their banter was also so great when they got to know one another. At first, I liked Nora too, but eventually, she became self-absorbed and highly reactive. All she thought about was herself. This bothered me about the heroine in Beach Reads too, which is why I don’t think Henry is the author for me.

Spice Scenes: I don’t really remember if they were open door or just low steam. I’m going to give this book a 2/5 because I think some scenes did happen, but I was highly bored, and they didn’t even excite me. I remember them starting, unsure how long they lasted or how explicit they were.

Pros:

Great first halfInteresting charactersWonderful premiseGreat banter

Cons:

Too over-dramaticToo longBecame incredibly dull at certain partsThird act conflict made 0 sense

Book Rating: 3/5

Spice Level: 2/5

I rated the book a 3/5 even though I didn’t really like it because it was still well-written. There were no obvious errors or lack of care from the author. This book was legitimately just not for me. My friend enjoyed it. She liked the premise, and I’m assuming enjoyed the drama. A few other reviews had people claiming Nora was exactly like them, so they resonated. I didn’t. I found it highly overdramatic and boring, so I probably won’t pick up another Henry book.

Thanks for reading! You can find me on Instagram for now. More ways to connect are coming soon!

I was looking for more Christmas books to reading leading up to the holiday, so I picked up this novella by Jessa Kane. I’ve only recent discovered her, but I love her books because they are entertaining, smutty, and intense. A friend of mine described her books as a “fever dream,” which usually draws me in.

Synopsis: Edison Scrooge is the great-grandson of Ebenezer Scrooge. He is in line to inherit the fortune passed down through the generations, but one stipulation keeps him from fully gaining access to the funds – a legitimate marriage.

Edison has never shown interest in dating or love. He thinks the idea of it is preposterous. He’s unkind, greedy, and stingy. He wishes to only choose a wife to gain fortune and create an heir. Besides that, he’s not looking for love. That is until he meets Blessing.

Blessing is a peasant panhandling for cash on Christmas Eve for the children of the orphanage. Edison sees her outside his window and is overcome with desire. He runs outside to meet the mysterious woman just in time to save her from the unbearable cold. They are instantly hot for one another, and Edison wants her as his wife. But there’s one major problem with this plan – Blessing chooses only to marry someone for love.

Story: For a novella, the story was rather compelling. The thing about Jessa Kane is that none of these stories could happen in the real world. They are often extreme and intense, where the main characters act like animals in heat. That trend followed into this book, and I enjoyed how insane the story got at specific points.

Characters: I liked that Edison and Blessing were the antitheses of one another, and that stayed true throughout the book. We all know the story of A Christmas Carol and that Ebenezer learns about the spirit of Christmas, so something similar happens here. However, Edison still remains relatively similar to himself. I enjoyed their progression in the story.

Spice Scenes: The spice levels were off the charts in this. It was dirty, kinky, and unhinged. I had to send screenshots to my friends because of how naughty and crazy this book got. I enjoyed it all, but this is for people who enjoy smutty smut.

Pros:

Extremely smutty but went with storyUnhined Jessa Kane as usualLots of dirty talk and crazy situationsIntriguing story

Cons:

Short – so not much development beyond a novellaDon’t really have many cons because what I expected was delivered

Book Rating: 4/5

Spice Level: 5/5

Overall, I recommend this novella to people looking for a naughty read. All Jessa Kane novellas have the craziest scenarios, and the things that happen are definitely worthy of discussion. Do not expect a sweet, heart-filled story. This is filth in the best way.

Thanks for reading! You can find me on Instagram for now. More ways to connect are coming soon!

I was looking for more Christmas books to reading leading up to the holiday, so I picked up this novella by Jessa Kane. I’ve only recent discovered her, but I love her books because they are entertaining, smutty, and intense. A friend of mine described her books as a “fever dream,” which usually draws me in.

Synopsis: Edison Scrooge is the great-grandson of Ebenezer Scrooge. He is in line to inherit the fortune passed down through the generations, but one stipulation keeps him from fully gaining access to the funds – a legitimate marriage.

Edison has never shown interest in dating or love. He thinks the idea of it is preposterous. He’s unkind, greedy, and stingy. He wishes to only choose a wife to gain fortune and create an heir. Besides that, he’s not looking for love. That is until he meets Blessing.

Blessing is a peasant panhandling for cash on Christmas Eve for the children of the orphanage. Edison sees her outside his window and is overcome with desire. He runs outside to meet the mysterious woman just in time to save her from the unbearable cold. They are instantly hot for one another, and Edison wants her as his wife. But there’s one major problem with this plan – Blessing chooses only to marry someone for love.

Story: For a novella, the story was rather compelling. The thing about Jessa Kane is that none of these stories could happen in the real world. They are often extreme and intense, where the main characters act like animals in heat. That trend followed into this book, and I enjoyed how insane the story got at specific points.

Characters: I liked that Edison and Blessing were the antitheses of one another, and that stayed true throughout the book. We all know the story of A Christmas Carol and that Ebenezer learns about the spirit of Christmas, so something similar happens here. However, Edison still remains relatively similar to himself. I enjoyed their progression in the story.

Spice Scenes: The spice levels were off the charts in this. It was dirty, kinky, and unhinged. I had to send screenshots to my friends because of how naughty and crazy this book got. I enjoyed it all, but this is for people who enjoy smutty smut.

Pros:

Extremely smutty but went with storyUnhined Jessa Kane as usualLots of dirty talk and crazy situationsIntriguing story

Cons:

Short – so not much development beyond a novellaDon’t really have many cons because what I expected was delivered

Book Rating: 4/5

Spice Level: 5/5

Overall, I recommend this novella to people looking for a naughty read. All Jessa Kane novellas have the craziest scenarios, and the things that happen are definitely worthy of discussion. Do not expect a sweet, heart-filled story. This is filth in the best way.

Thanks for reading! You can find me on Instagram for now. More ways to connect coming soon!