The Good Girl Effect by Sara Cate

 The Good Girl Effect 

By Sara Cate

His praise is forbidden―his touch irresistible

Jack St. Claire is desperate. A grieving single father, he buries himself in his work―running a brand-new kink club in Paris. Instead of handling his grief, he's built a fortress around his heart, and it's time he hired someone to help him take care for his daughter before things get worse.

Camille Aubert wasn't looking for a new job. She just wanted to return a lost love letter she'd found within the pages of a book. But when she's mistaken for a job candidate and hired as Jack's live-in nanny, something tells her this is exactly where she needs to be.

Shortly after arriving, Camille discovers a strange room in the apartment that sparks her curiosity―and hints at a dark, mysterious side to Jack that she's desperate to uncover. The lines between professional and personal blur dangerously as the heat between them becomes impossible to ignore. She's drawn to the broken man who hides his grief in ropes and bondage, and she challenges him in ways he never thought possible.

Caught between her growing feelings for Jack and the ghosts of his past, Camille must decide: can love heal a heart still grieving, or will their passion destroy them both?

Amazon

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cover Art: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

In The Good Girl Effect, Sara Cate introduces a deeply emotional and steamy romance set in Paris. Jack St. Claire, a grieving single father, runs a new kink club while trying to shield himself from his pain. When Camille Aubert turns up — initially just to return a love letter — she’s mistakenly hired as his live-in nanny for his daughter. 

As Camille and Jack grow closer, the story explores grief, trust, and intimacy in a very raw way. Jack’s sorrow for his late wife makes him emotionally distant, and Camille’s curiosity and openness challenge him to reconcile his past. 

 Their relationship is layered with BDSM elements — particularly rope bondage — but Cate doesn’t just play this for heat: it becomes a vehicle for vulnerability and healing. 

That said, some readers feel the emotional threads are underexplored. According to a review, there’s a lot of setup (family drama, business pressures, grief) that doesn’t fully pay off in this book, leaving things feeling a little fragmented. 

 On the flipside, Cate’s fans appreciate the tension and the chemistry, particularly when the more tender, caring side of Jack starts to come through.

My thoughts on Bonds of Hercules: A Dark Romantasy Enemies to Lovers Spicy Romance Novel Inspired by Greek Mythology (Villains of Lore Book 2) By Jasmine Mas

 Bonds of Hercules: A Dark Romantasy Enemies to Lovers Spicy Romance Novel Inspired by Greek Mythology (Villains of Lore Book 2) 

By Jasmine Mas

I'm Hercules, but my powers are not what they seem.

I'm trapped in a marriage with my two enemies and I've accidentally joined a cult. To make matters worse, Augustus and Kharon are trying to seduce me. It doesn't help that my mentors, Achilles and Patro, are acting really strange.

Now, a dangerous prisoner has escaped from the Underworld, and things are spiraling out of control.

Men are fighting over me.

Mysteries are unfolding left and right.

And I’ve had enough.

Everybody better beware because I’m fighting in the Gladiator Competition and seizing my power.

Things are about to get very messy.

For Sparta.

Amazon

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cover Art: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bonds of Hercules picks up where Blood of Hercules left off — Alexis (our version of “Hercules”) is deeper in danger than ever. She’s trapped in a marriage with her two enemies, Kharon and Augustus, and on top of that, she’s joined a cult and entered a brutal Gladiator Competition. 

The stakes are higher in this book: someone is killing Olympians, shadowy powers are stirring, and Titans are mutating. 

 Alexis’s journey is more about power now — not just survival, but control, vengeance, and self-discovery. 

One of the strengths here is the emotional complexity of the relationships. The “enemies to lovers” (or maybe “allies by necessity”) romance is darker and more fraught: Kharon and Augustus vie for power, but there’s also genuine loyalty, sacrifice, and moral ambiguity. 

 Alexis has to navigate not just her own growing power, but the secrets and betrayals of those closest to her.

There’s also more world-building: the politics of Olympus, the Chthonic houses, and the growing war between gods and immortals feel more dangerous and layered than before. 

 The gladiator competition is brutal, and the way Alexis uses her powers (which are dangerous in more ways than one) adds both action and intensity.

If you liked Blood of Hercules and are into dark romantasy with Greek-myth reinventions, morally grey alpha characters, and high emotional stakes — this sequel is likely to satisfy. Just be aware: the romance might not be the straightforward “many lovers” setup some expected, and the book leans hard into its darker, more political threads.