steamy billionaire single dad ... you had me sold !!! From the very beginning I was hooked. And I cannot wait for Book 2!

Thank you to Love & Letters Press & NetGalley for the chance to reach this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Hi my name is Alex and this book broke me. I immediately was upset at the end because I didn't realize the 2nd book is coming out right away and I want it.

Once I got into this book, oh I devoured it.

First of all, I feel so freaking seen by this book. As a human with ASD and GAD, wow. I could relate to so much and I feel like the book/author did an excellent job with representation.

Second, I love Hunter, the MMC. I love everything about this man, I love the "mob adjacent"ness he has, everything.

The only thing that threw me off was at point I think Winter describes her ""(I don't know goodreads guidelines but fill in the blank) as "sopping" and all that me think of was a soaking wet dish rag being twisted 🤣🤣

Otherwise I am here for this series, give them all to me, I will read them and love them 💚

This is a steamy, single dad, romance and there are darker aspects to it. Check the trigger warnings!

5 stars overall. 10 out of 10 for spiciness. Obsessed.

I haven’t done many dark romances so have little to compare it too and I don’t know if this genre is entirely for me. I struggled a little bit to get into it but did like how the author touched on disability and mental illness. Thank you to the publisher Love & Letters Press & NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.

This one was okay for me. I had a hard time connecting with the characters as well as the storyline...However, I loved the representation for disabilities, this isn't brought up nearly enough in books. I think the mob vibes were done really well also, because I typically have a hard time with mob romances and getting into them. I do wish I would have read the content warnings prior, but that's a me issue! Overall, I think this is a 3/5!

Title: Shadowplay by Angel M. Shaw

Release Date: July, 23rd, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars


In "Shadowplay," Winter and Hunter are drawn together by an irresistible force, despite the dangers lurking in their shadows. Winter, a survivor fighting to protect her future, is tempted by the darkness embodied by Hunter, a Prince haunted by his past. Their forbidden love threatens to unravel as they navigate through political intrigue and shady alliances.

As their connection deepens, they must confront the ghosts of their pasts and the sinister forces seeking to tear them apart. This gripping tale of forbidden love and dangerous secrets sets the stage for a suspenseful and spicy romance in the world of the wealthy and powerful.

The narrative unfolds over an extended period, featuring multiple time jumps that impact the development of characters and relationships within the story. While "Shadowplay" introduces various plot elements, it leaves many aspects open for exploration in the subsequent books of the series.

Unfortunately, I struggled to connect with both the characters and the storyline in this book. While I typically enjoy darker themes, something about this narrative failed to captivate me. I'm uncertain whether it was the writing style or the pacing of the plot itself. However, I did find it commendable that the story incorporated elements of medical terminology and addressed topics such as autism and PTSD. Despite these aspects, I couldn't fully engage with the book enough to read it in one sitting.


Thank you to The Publisher Love & Letters Press, The Author Angel M. Shaw & NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve chosen to DNF this book and won’t be reviewing it on my social media accounts.

I had not even made it past the first chapter and found the writing crass and distasteful and with lashes of racism on the pages. This isn’t for me and I’m hope I’m just the wrong target audience for this book and that the author will find the correct one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Love & Letters Press for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC for a fair and honest review.

It pains me to leave this review because I understand how indie authors depend heavily on positive reviews, but this book was absolutely not for me. As a fan of dark romance, I’m no stranger to trigger warnings, and I did check the author’s site for a full list prior to reading. I still don’t feel like that in any way could have prepared me for the mess this book was. The story itself was the trigger warnings. The plot is so weak that the entire story hinges on the shock factor.

While I don’t recommend this book, I won’t be posting to any social accounts. Maybe there’s an audience for this book, but I’m not it. I think most people won’t be able to get past chapter 1.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the digital ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I feel awful about this because I did go to the authors website to check for Trigger Warnings before requesting this book. I thought I’d be okay, but the opening chapter was just too much for me. It was hard for me to read and just didn’t sit well with me.

Shadowplay is a steamy billionaire single dad x doctorate student, opposites attract, forbidden romance with dark elements and themes throughout.

Shadowplay shines is in its depictions of mental health and disabilities, including Autism. However, the story spans for quite a bit of time with several time jumps throughout, causing the development of characters and different relationships within the story to suffer. Shadowplay has many elements to its plot, many of which are still to be explored in the books that follow in this series.

As mentioned above, Shadowplay has dark themes. Please be sure to read content/trigger warnings prior to reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Love & Letters Press for an advanced copy of Shadowplay in exchange for my honest review.

Shadowplay wasn't it for me.
There was too much vulgarity with little substance to the book. I felt that sensitive topics were explored however they were poorly executed. In my opinion, the story felt forced and distasteful. It's like the opposites of each characteristic were brought up in terms of Winters weight or even cup size (like why?) to make it seem or make the character seem like it's a book about going against the norm, however it didn't click for me. Also, I felt it to be a bit generic in that every woman meeting a millionaire/ billionaire must be thoroughly embarrassed during their first encounter.
Hunter on the other hand, I just did not like. It could be due to the poor developed characters or that his demeanor was not appealing. I found him to be more like a petulant child.
I don't think Hinters character held a candle to Gideon Cross.


I probably would not recommend this book and completed for the sake of the review.


Thank you to Netgalley and the Author for the opportunity to read and review the book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.