Thank you NetGalley and Valentine PR & Literary Management for the ARC.

This story was amazing. It is hot 🔥🔥🔥. It’s dirty and keeps you turning the pages. Pepper Winters wrote a fabulous Erotic story that had all the bells and whistles.

Nick and Ella found what they both needed and didn’t realize that they needed the kind of dominant and submissive rules in their lives to feel whole. They went on a journey of self discovery to find themselves. Their wants. Their needs Each other.

The story begins with two roommates who seem to have conflict with each other but underlying feelings that neither of them know what it means. They separately end up at the circus. It is not jour typical big top. It’s darker. It’s spectacular. It’s erotic. This is where their journey begins. It is also where it ends. One Dirty Night is all it took and a lot of push and pull. The struggle to find who and want they want and need in life is their journey of letting go of fears to truly embrace and accept who they are meant to be.

Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Plot ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Character Development 🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥
Writing Style ✏️✏️✏️✏️

Tropes
MFM only one scene
MF
BDSM
Dom/Sub
Toys
Forced Proximity
Enemies to Lovers

This book was erotic and filthy in all the good ways. I realize this kind of reading may not be for everyone so pay attention to the tropes. I would recommend to all who love a spicy romance of true enemies to lovers with a darker side. Enjoy the circus 🤡

Winters masterfully writes novels with spice that’d make my own grandmother blush. Her ability to write a story that flows without even remotely losing pace always amazes me. She’s one of those authors that I’ll pick up and know that I’m in for a wild ride. This one was no exception and even exceeded my expectations!

A spicy circus? How could I NOT be pulled in right away? Ella ends up going after a rather uneventful birthday. Everybody should be worshipped on their birthday. Hunter reminds me of one of those lumberjack tiktokers (IYKYK) in my mind and the way him and Ella have that perfect chemistry off the bat? Oof. Bring the fire extinguisher.

Her roommate ends up seeing her there and I can just say: you won’t be disappointed. Not even a little. The dom/sub balance in this novel was so lovingly and expertly written that Pepper absolutely had my heart in the palm of her hand from the start until the very end.

After their night in the big top is where the emotional drama and turmoil really begin and while I wanted to toss Nick off a cliff many, many times I was cheering Ella’s cheekiness on while also crying like a baby.

If you want a great high spice spooky season-esque read this is sure to fill your deepest fantasies.

Ella has been crushing on her roommate, Nick, who goes to great lengths to ignore her; even though they work together. Nick is determined to never fall in love. One night a sex circus comes to town and Ella can't resist the allure of Spectacle of Secrets and its owner, Hunter. What Ella doesn't expect is for Nick to be there as well. The three engage in a night to never be forgotten, but how do Nick and Ella move forward from that night?

Let go of all your inhibitions and find out how one dirty night can turn into a lifetime of happiness. Pepper Winters has turned up both the spice and the feels in this exceptionally erotic tale.

I'm hoping she gives us more tales from the Spectacle of Secrets. I'd love to see Giselle fall in love. And for Hunter to find his happily ever after. I wouldn't mind some stories from The Black Peacock as well.

I thought this book was decent. I liked Nick and Ella’s romance and I thought their stories were interesting. I wish there had been more scenes of what their life was like prior to meeting Hunter. I thought Hunter was an interesting character, and I would read a book about him, if it is written in the future. I also liked how ambitious Ella was and how much she was able to accomplish. The biggest thing I did not like was that Nick and Ella’s relationship felt toxic at times. I felt like Nick got overly possessive of Ella at times and would sometimes be rude to her. But, overall, this was a good book.

This was my steamiest book so far in 2023!
The heat setting on this one was thermonuclear… wowza. Nick and Ella were panty combustible!

It’s been awhile since I picked up a read by Pepper but this one was phenomenal! I did not want to put it down. Just insane chemistry! I loved how it starts with a kinky circus and half the book is that one scene with mfm. No crossing swords. Hunter was a great way to melt the ice between the two roommates Ella and Nick to possibly something more.

Would I recommend? This is a steamy book with a ton of warnings or triggers so read up. I found it to be a highly enjoyable and kinky read. Just a fantastic read for 2023! I loved it. If you’re familiar with the author then you’re familiar with her warnings. Five huge stars of entertainment!

I received a complimentary copy to read and offer an opinion. It was phenomenal! Pleasure was definitely all mine!

3.25 ⭐️ This book is pure k!nk.
This review contains minor spoilers.

The circus comes into town, but no animals or children are allowed inside... The Big Top is here to make all your fantasies come true.

This story started out wonderfully. I really liked Ella and her openness and eagerness to learn more about herself and her sexuality. And of course, I was immediately in love -and lust- with Hunter. He truly made this book for me. His circus persona, how he needs to be exactly who he is but understands that his monster/Master self can only be unleashed in front of a very select few who have given full consent. What can I say? Consent is the biggest turn-on.

Nick, however, is the reason this isn't even in the 4-star realm. I hated Nick. His inability to function around her without showing that he was into her meant he needed to mistreat and abuse her -because that makes so much sense! *angry, sarcastic eye-roll* Bully romances are not for me, I learned that the hard way, but I love enemies-to-lovers and I thought that was what this was. It's really not.

This book is so much darker than I usually read because the whole "I'm going to punish you for making me love you" argument is not something I'm ever going to be okay with. Not in fantasy books, not in real life. Anywhere. I understand BDSM well enough, and I know sadist can hide behind stupid excuses to try to rationalise their need to inflict pain. But this particular line of argument always makes the hair on the back of my neck prickle. There are multiple moments here where it's outright stated that Nick hates her for his inability to control himself around her, and wants to kill her for it. Not just physically hurt her to the point where she's bleeding, bruised black and blue, crying on the floor for him to stop, but just straight up end her. And when he punished her to make her apologise for making him love her? It almost made me DNFed this. I'll say it as many times as I have to, but:

Women are not -have never and will never- be responsible for men's inability to emotionally regulate.

I know that this is just a particular trigger of mine, but come on! Nick felt like an overgrown toddler throwing a tantrum because he couldn't regulate his own emotional responses by himself, and somehow he made it her problem.

So yeah, I wanted Hunter and Ella together, and I wanted Nick to throw himself off a cliff (I'm not saying what does or doesn't happen in the end).

I recommend this book if you're looking for super spicy, delicious smut full of BDSM and forbidden bully romance/toxic fantasies.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/ 5
🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶/ 5

This review had already been uploaded to Goodreads :)

This book lived up to its description. It was what I expected it to be and with the ending that fit the story.

I honestly don't know what I expected from an erotica but this wasn't it. I wanted a short read after recently reading books that are 500+ pages long and based on the description it seemed really interesting but only getting a few pages in I could not take Ella seriously and she honestly got on my nerves. The first instance being when she is ogling the man at a stoplight and is holding up traffic and has the nerve to then call the lady behind her, who is honking for her to go, rude. Be for real you would be mad if someone was sitting at a green light and wasn't going. The second instance is where she says that because she's a scientist she should be above the biological instinct of being horny. Just because you can understand the human body more than regular people does not make you above "biological instincts". The last straw for me to DNF was when she complained about being alone and doing things alone. There is literally nothing wrong with being alone, does she not have any friends because I feel like a relationship should be the least of her worries. Another note I'd like to make is the cover shown on StoryGraph is so much better than having the guy on the cover. I think it's more simplistic and would capture more of theme of the story better.

Thank you for this arc!

This is a super quick read. Although I could not get into the story or the writing. Ella is a scientist who does not like being alone and feels as she shouldn’t have regular “biological” emotions.

I’m disappointed I didn’t like it after the good reviews I saw of this erotica.

Ms Winter you have me by the throat! This book had me squealing, one of the most well written spicy books I have ever read, I can’t believe you kept this book a secret for 10 years - you would have to carve it out from my kindle now!
Sex circus? Count yourselves in for BDSM, some dirty purely filth sex, 2 (yes 2) dirty mouthed men fulfilling every spicy romance girlies dream!
This book will exceed your expectations no matter what you read, I think it’s best to just get stuck in.

Ella: the sexually frustrated microbiologist who’s desires spill out everywhere (even while stopped at a red light), her hushed lust for her stand offish roommate/co-worker has put her into “the longest dry spell of my life”
Hunter: the circus owner who travels the world offering a place of freedom for those with secret desires and dreams that they would never let out into the light of day
Nick: the microbiologist whose dream is to cure cancer and never charge anyone a penny, he’s also Ella’s roommate and co-worker who try’s to ignore her to the best of his capabilities while harbouring a dirty secret of his desires

“For one night I would indulge in the things I never let myself consider”…”What was so bad about a night of sensory overload; a physical, visceral, sexual overload” - Ella

Ms Winter you have me by the throat! This book had me squealing, one of the most well written spicy books I have ever read, I can’t believe you kept this book a secret for 10 years - you would have to carve it out from my kindle now!🫶🫶

-Master/Sub
-MFM and MF
-Spicy Circus
-Roommate/Co-worker
-Secret Obsession
5/5 stars
4/5 🌶️

Thank you Pepper for letting me read this masterpiece of a book, I’m honoured to have been able to read this ARC.

Ella agrees to a night with the owner of an adult circus and her flatmate. That's basically all you really need to know. It's exactly as the title said: one dirty night. It's an interesting read if you are in the mood for it. It's sexy and very open door.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Spicy, spicy, spicy and a bit more spice! A BDSM spicefest to get your blood heated and heart pumping. A bit light on plot, but there is a sweet romance wrapped inside all the spice and heat in the pages of this fantasy book. If you are feeling cold, you won't be after you start reading this book. BDSM is not my scene, but apparently being a voyeur is as this book definitely had my engine revving much to the delight of my husband! Have you ever dreamed of going to an adult (and I do mean A.D.U.L.T.) themed circus, then this book will bring all your dirty fantasies to life!

Deliciously filthy, I can't even. I would have liked it to have a bit more plot, but still worked well for me!

Thanks Netgalley for the copy!