I’ve been waiting for Sean’s story since the first Elite Escort’s MM book because there’s nothing quite like seeing what happens when a playboy falls I’ve been waiting for Sean’s story since the first Elite Escort’s MM book because there’s nothing quite like seeing what happens when a playboy falls in love. When the hints dropped in Two Chances that Sean was going to go back to college, I was happy la-la at the idea of Sean in a forbidden professor-student romance. The terrific news is this is one hot romance.
Sean has decided to go back to college to get his MBA mainly because he wants to stick it to his old man that he can put in the work and dedication to things just like his big brother, Micah. He sees Micah as the golden boy of the family and he longs for acknowledgment and praise. (I totally feel Sean on this, considering I went to college at 30 specifically to prove I could–but my fuel was spite not affirmation). On the first day of classes he meets Professor Matteo D’Angelo, a widower, who finds himself inexplicably drawn to Sean even though he’s never looked at a man at any point in his entire life. Sean’s thrown deep into the biggest crush of his life and Professor D’Angelo finds himself racked with guilt over being attracted to someone for the first time since he lost his wife (not to mention the terror that comes from finding yourself attracted to one of your students).
I love forbidden romances, and the professor/student dynamic is one of my absolute favorites when it comes to the forbidden tropes. The fact that Sean is an older student and there’s a 10-plus year age gap between him and Matteo doesn’t lessen the hotness of it at all. It’s not quite grumpy-sunshine, but Matteo’s more stoic and mature nature does contrast nicely with Sean’s effervescent and sunny spirit. Matteo needs someone to lighten up his life and Sean needs someone to ground him. They each bring something to the relationship and that’s always a good thing.
I enjoyed the subplot in this book, as well as catching up with Micah and getting to know a couple of the other Elite MM escorts as well. It’s always nice when we get to meet some side characters. It was a great read!
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Age Gap Romance/Book Series/Contemporary Romance/Forbidden Romance/Gay Romance/Kink Friendly/LGBTQ Romance/MM Romance/Romance Series/Sex Worker/Spice Level 3 ...more
After so, so, so so so long, we finally get Toby and Blaise’s story. Something has been brewing between these two since the end of the Reckless DamnedAfter so, so, so so so long, we finally get Toby and Blaise’s story. Something has been brewing between these two since the end of the Reckless Damned series and through the first two of the books in this Damned Connections series. By the time author Lark Taylor got to the end of the previous book, Justice, I was positively foaming at the mouth for this book and I can’t help but wonder if that’s where I went wrong, because I loved this book but it just wasn’t the story I thought Toby and Blaise deserved.
This has nothing to do with Taylor’s talents as a storyteller: As per usual, Lark wrote a great story that stands up to most criticism. The problem I see is that it’s standing up against her other works and the background story arc between Toby and Blaise and this book just falls a little short of doing either justice. We have waited a long time for this story and that deserved a big payoff, but there was just too much going on in this book to devote it all to Toby and Blaise’s love story.
It has a rough, if sexy, take-off, but an amazing landing. The pacing seems stuttered because this book covers a longer time period than most of Taylor’s books and there’s a lot of things that need to happen and a lot of stuff to work through, as well as many sublime spicy scenes written in (and they’re hot, trust). New characters are introduced and we see newer characters again in preparation for the next book in this series and the new series that’s coming up.
It’s just a lot of material for a book I felt should’ve been dedicated almost entirely to the romance between Toby and Blaise, because if anyone deserves that treatment it’s these two. They have had an epic story behind the scenes and I just wanted more of them. That doesn’t mean this book isn’t fantastic, because I’ve yet to read a Lark Taylor book I didn’t love, but it does mean I couldn’t have loved it more.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
While I was reading this ARC I really wished I could text Lark Taylor and playfully curse her out because my eyes were already red and swollen from crWhile I was reading this ARC I really wished I could text Lark Taylor and playfully curse her out because my eyes were already red and swollen from crying my eyes out over another romance novel today and had I known Red Haze was going to make me sob like a baby then I maybe would’ve waited a couple of more days to read it!
I’m obviously not mad about a book making me cry. In my opinion, art of any kind should make you feel. That’s the point of art: to elicit emotions. I knew from the start that Arlo and Jack’s story was going to be a sucker punch and that’s one of the reasons I was so excited for it. During the first two books in the Caffeine Daydreams series we’ve watched Arlo pine endlessly over Jack (pine like a pine forest, this boy) and watch Jack clueless act like a guard dog who has no clue he’s obsessed with his master (and Jack is such a good guard dog). So this was always going to be a tormented bodyguard romance, with all of that yummy push and pull, drawing lines only to cross them, miscommunications (for once deployed effectively in this book), and a whole lot of emotional detangling between what’s toxic love and what’s a healthy level of obsession with another human being when they’ve been your world for so long?
Of course, we’re pre-programmed to feel deeply for Arlo: Raised in grotty council estates to a neglectful and abusive family with only his talent with drums as a possible way out. Even then, once Caffeine Daydreams hits success, he’s deep in the hole emotionally and creatively. It’s being assigned Jack as a bodyguard when he’s 18 that finally starts to drag Arlo out of the pit. However, this book makes it very clear we should have also been curious about Jack’s state of mind in all of this too. Keep that in mind when you start to read this book, because in the ways that count this book is a slow burn. It’s HEA guaranteed, but it takes a long time for Arlo and Jack to find happiness.
I’m going to end this with lots of winks, nudges, and nods to Lark, for giving me so many giggles and snorts throughout this book for the easter eggs. I was curious if they’d be in here, and they were. I was delighted.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. No compensation was offered or accepted in exchange for this review. Thank you.
File Under: Age Gap Romance/Book Series/Contemporary Romance/Disability Rep/Forbidden Romance/Kindle Unlimited/LGBTQ Romance/MM Romance/Romance Series/Rockstar Romance/Spice Level 2
Even though I’d read a few of Jessign Reign’s books in the past I wasn’t aware of the upcoming release of Rent Paid in Full until about a month beforeEven though I’d read a few of Jessign Reign’s books in the past I wasn’t aware of the upcoming release of Rent Paid in Full until about a month before it happened and when I saw the synopsis I was like, “How in the heck did I miss this? This sounds beyond hot. I love rent boy books!”
And so began the salivating. I counted down the days until the release date, cursing all along that I didn’t have this book on my Kindle yet.
It was torture to wait but now I’ve read it and it was everything Id’ hoped it would be and everything all those bookstagrammers I hounded about it told me it’d be. I don’t know what possessed Jesse Reign while writing this but it needs to keep it coming because this was stupidfilthyhot, omgallthefeelings, and gjshhgjtbshgthjtj all in one and I had to go to bed and sleep it off before writing this review because I didn’t have words or know what to do with myself after I read it. It was an out of body experience and I don’t even believe in that.
From the first sentence of this book I was absolutely hooked on Ryan’s snarky, uptight, contradictory nature. That man would bite off his nose to spite his face and then automatically regret it but then deny that he’s regretful about it. His brain is a washing machine set on vicious cycle and I am here for it because it makes him an absolute wind-up toy for our other MMC, Miller.
If Ryan is snarky, uptight, and contradictory, then Miller is earnest, laid-back (but resigned), and amiable in nature. He’s like water to Ryan’s flame. Miller can go with the flow, become tempestuous waves, or make himself into a whirlpool and summon people to him like a beacon. Miller’s inner narrative about Ryan is some of the most entertaining and amusing writing I’ve read in a long time.
I love how Miller found a way to get Ryan out of his head and accept what they both wanted without Ryan completely sacrificing his pride. I loved watching the two of them develop and grow together as people and lovers. I loved the story and the third act was a thing of romantic beauty. The spice was some of the hottest I’ve read in a long time. I mean, I think I spent a lot of time saying curse words and blaming drugs while reading this. It’s just that brilliant and hot and right.
All opinions, thoughts, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you. ...more
It’s time for another visit to Big Boned Bertha! This time, it’s Rush’s turn.
I adore the Accidental Love series. I consider it to be the perfect middlIt’s time for another visit to Big Boned Bertha! This time, it’s Rush’s turn.
I adore the Accidental Love series. I consider it to be the perfect middle road of Saxon James’ repertoire: More mature than Frat Wars but less mature than the Divorced Men’s Club, but just as spicy (or maybe spicy in a different way?) as Frat Wars but more spicy than the Divorced Men’s Club. Maybe it’s like this: Accidental Love has dirtier spicy scenes than Frat Wars but more maturity to it. It’s a perfect mix of filthy and adult for me.
The Revenge Agenda is a great read because it’s full of forbidden naughtiness:
A butthead’s ex-fiance / said butthead’s ex-side piece Boss / employee ADHD chaos adult / calm but concerned adult Bertha’s Boys plot revenge Everyone loves Rush (except the butthead) Filthy talk Office sex A ton of puns about ants Punches get thrown (not between MCs) Hunter’s coat gets stolen by Xander because it smells good
The cuteness of this book is only outmatched by the sheer chemistry between Rush and Hunter and the sexiness of the spice scenes. These two are scorchingly hot. The steam left me feeling some kind of way. From the first pages of the book I loved Hunter as a character, and that feeling only grew throughout the book. By the end I was sad it was over. That’s one of the hallmarks of a truly good romance–when you wish you could keep reading about the couple’s HEA.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. No compensation was offered or accepted in exchange for this review. Thank you.
I knew within the first few chapters that The Stars Too Fondly was going to be a five star read. By the end of the book I knew it was going to be a boI knew within the first few chapters that The Stars Too Fondly was going to be a five star read. By the end of the book I knew it was going to be a book I needed on my shelf, a book I was going to scream about, and is 100% going to be on my top ten list at the end of the year. It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year, and as of the-book-before-this-one, I’ve read 315 books so far this year.
There’s a line in the blurb: “So, here’s the thing: Cleo and her friends really, truly didn’t mean to steal this spaceship.”
SAY LESS. PLEASE.
Sapphic space adventure rom-com with a strong found family component, a swoony star-crossed love story, and a diverse cast? Are you kidding me right now with some of my all-time favorites vibes all vibing in the same book?
Debut author Emily Hamilton seriously sat down and wrote a book that does what few books do to me more and more: Make me long for extra stars, because if I could rate this book six stars I totally would.
The book pulls you in from the start, with Hamilton’s ragtag group of queer twenty-somethings who just want to peek inside an abandoned spaceship and see what they can glean about the mystery of what happened to the entire crew, who disappeared with a flash of light on launch day. You know what they say: the road to hell is paved with good intentions. They messed around and now they get to find out why it may not be such a good idea to go poking around in strange, abandoned spaceships. Or maybe it’s the stars aligning just right and this was meant to happen.
The story is engaging, propulsive, emotional, romantic, poetic, and so well-crafted I wish I could shake Emily Hamilton’s hand and thank her in person. I cried more than once and I couldn’t tell you how much I love these characters. I just vibed with this book on every level. Can’t recommend it enough.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
If there was ever a non-spicy slogan for this series, it would be, “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb”. Because we all kIf there was ever a non-spicy slogan for this series, it would be, “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb”. Because we all know every other slogan pertaining to these books is essentially thematically tied to the word SL*T. (You know it, I know it).
The family you make for yourself and not what you’re born with has been what the Suarez clan has been fighting for since book one of this series, and it all comes to a head in Enter the Multi-Vers. This is the fourth and final book in this main series, with C. Rochelle promising novellas and spin-offs to come. Here we have the tale of the mysterious and powerful twins: Dre and Gabe, of The Rabble mind-speak notoriety from previous books. They’ve been sent on a mission by Wolfy: they’re to become the interns of the artist known as Theo Coatl and uncover his secrets. Because Theo Coatl isn’t all that he seems, and they need to know who and maybe even what he truly is.
This book is even more chaotic and wild than the other Villainous Things books and I am here for it. As the teasers and author’s notes inside warn, this trio of thirsty sl*ts are just extra: extra controlled, extra controlled chaos, and extra batty crazy. Neither Dre, nor Gabe, nor Theo shall be dissuaded from being as extra as possible in every single way. Gabe is a very sl*tty good boy, Theo is a bratty brat brat who uses Gabe like a toy, and everyone should be justifiably scared of Dre when it comes to his twin and Theo.
There are so many feelings in this book, and Theo doesn’t know what to do with them. Heck, Gabe’s the only one more capable of feelings than Dre and Theo, and that’s either because he’s subby or because being a twin gives him a solid connection to someone outside himself. These big emotions immediately tangle Gabe, Dre, and Theo in a quagmire, because they all have secrets from one another (yes, even the twins) and don’t quite know what they’re going to do about it. Who do they trust? What can they do? Who will it hurt?
The solutions/answers to the overarching plot of the series are found in this book, but I thought it was a little too neatly wrapped up. It felt a little rushed. I could have sustained the book being a little longer (even though it’s already a thicc baby) if it meant a more flushed out ending.
But I adored the love story. I loved the characters so much. I’m obsessed with their dynamic, their thirst, their adoration for one another, the brutality in their sensuality, and their intimacy. I love how they evolved and how they crushed their challenges. I couldn’t get enough of how extra they all were, in every way. Because why not go big?
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. No compensation was offered or accepted in exchange for this review. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Age Gap Romance/Book Series/Found Family/Gay Romance/Kink Friendly/LGBTQ Romance/Spice Level 3/Supernatural Fantasy/Urban Fantasy ...more
Everything about this novella sounded spectacular when I requested it.
The reality of it was much different.
The reason I love novellas is because theEverything about this novella sounded spectacular when I requested it.
The reality of it was much different.
The reason I love novellas is because they manage to pack a wallop of a story in a small packet of pages and still do it with style. Ideally, you should never feel like you’re reading a “short book”. It should feel like the book is the exact length it needs to be to fit the story. This means it should accomplish everything a full book should accomplish in its limited page count.
Navigational Entanglements didn’t feel like that to me. It took too long for the inciting incident to occur. There was too much filler. I didn’t feel like the book was trying to engage me or compel me. Mostly, I was bored.
A novella thrives on economy, and there was just too much waste in the pages. If this book had been more intriguing, faster-paced, or intelligent, then I might’ve been more interested. As it stands, it was hard to finish.
I was provided a copy of this title by Netgalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. A two star or below rating means this review will not be appearing on my social media. Thank you.
File Under: LGBTQ Sci-Fi/LGBTQ Romance/Novella/Sapphic Romance/Sci Fi/Space Opera ...more
Pretty Dogs is the second book in Riley Nash’s Dirty Strays series (the first book, Bad Dogs, is also worth a read, but I liked this one a bit more). Pretty Dogs is the second book in Riley Nash’s Dirty Strays series (the first book, Bad Dogs, is also worth a read, but I liked this one a bit more). This is a friends-to-lovers gay romance with a transgender MMC.
Beck and Dallas have been best friends since the night Beck heard a noise outside his trailer he thought was racoons and instead found a dirty, homeless, and obviously out of place boy named Dallas digging through his trash looking for food and brought him inside to feed him the last of his macaroni. Beck’s also been in love with him for about as long as they’ve been best friends. It has never mattered to him that Dallas is trans: Dallas is Dallas. That’s all Beck has ever needed.
Dallas was thrown out (by gunpoint) of the secure, suburban home owned by his loving and supportive mother by her bigoted boyfriend when said boyfriend found his T injections one day. He was lucky enough to get his top surgery done before he was thrown out, but the abrupt ejection from his happy life at such an early age left him with gender dysphoria he’s never been able to completely get under control. He’s loved Beck for a long time, but has never dreamed Beck would return it in any way but platonically, because surely a man as into men as Beck couldn’t want someone without the whole package, and Dallas wants Beck to have the world.
I swear. These two. I wanted to wrap them in bubble wrap and pack them away so they could never be hurt ever again, but I also wanted to buy them a private park full of trees and gardens and just let them live and play there for eternity, you know? But then I’d have to let Scout and Roman live there too. It would get crowded.
From Beck’s struggles with self-worth and identity to Dallas’ gender dysphoria and self-esteem, these two broke my heart a million ways. But watching their sexual and romantic relationship bloom was so satisfying. The spice was so nice, with well-written dialogue and eventual primal play (which is one of my favorite kinks). The build up felt organic and I really appreciated the conversations about Dallas’ wants, needs, and limits.
It’s a really terrific read and I’m glad I gave into the hype.
All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. This review was written without offer or reception of compensation. Thank you.
The Daymakers is yet another feather for Grace McGinty to put in her cap. McGinty is already one of my auto-buy romance authors–especially when it comThe Daymakers is yet another feather for Grace McGinty to put in her cap. McGinty is already one of my auto-buy romance authors–especially when it comes to why-choose romance–and it’s books like The Daymakers that remind me why I love her so much.
You can read the plot synopsis online. I don’t need to repeat it here. (Go do that if you need to and then come back.)
Okay, so the plot isn’t exactly a brand-new idea, but I’m not taking off points for that because I rarely tire of why-choose rockstar romances like this. One of my favorite why-choose book series of all-time has a plot that’s in the same vein as this one (a desperate girl ends up on a rock band’s tour bus and ends up being their personal toy and they both have mm in them, but that’s where the similarities end) and as far as I’m concerned I could read several books with that same general vibe and never tire of it. McGinty does it particularly well here, leaning into the sex worker and feminist aspects of Charlotte’s (the FMC) role in the book and making it about her taking back control of her body and her life when so much of her life has been in the control of so many other people who used it and abused it. Sex work can be empowering for some, and I loved how McGinity leaned into that.
The spice was a solid 3 / 3 on my spice scale. This was due to the number of spicy scenes, the language, the kinks, and the shared partners. There are no large group scenes in this book, but I actually think the book was better for it for once. This book is more about Charlotte’s individual dynamics with each band member than it is with the band as a whole, so the individualized attention works better (save for the shared experiences with Hero and Poet).
I don’t think I need to tell you that the boys are definitely book boyfriend material. Grace McGinity does love her bad boy exteriors with marshmallow interiors. And the villain in this one is most definitely someone you’re going to love to hate (I personally wished he could’ve been done in). The supporting characters were fun and sweet, and the concert scenes were fun.
You’re going to want to read it. You’re going to love it.
All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. This review was written without compensation. Thank you.
I feel like categorizing and marketing R. M. Romero’s books strictly as YA is doing them and her a huge disservice, because her writing transcends sucI feel like categorizing and marketing R. M. Romero’s books strictly as YA is doing them and her a huge disservice, because her writing transcends such boundaries: they’re novels in verse, poetry made into a novel. Poetry doesn’t know age groups. It only knows beauty.
While it’s not my favorite of Romero’s books (The Ghosts of Rose Hill is still my fave), I was still enraptured by the writing, swept away by the story, and was crying onto my pillow by the end.
Polyamory is still a titillating topic for fiction in adult books, let alone a book about 16 year-olds. On a personal level, I would love to see polyamory more normalized and treated as compassionately and as well as Romero did in this book, because every heart has the capacity for infinite love; however, that doesn’t mean that every person is capable of it. Capacity and capability are two different things, and no one is poorer for being capable of loving more than one person or not being capable of loving people at all (on a romantic level). Love is love, and no one has the right to tell you who you can or should love. I’ve met polyamorous teenagers because I’m polyamorous myself and raised my kids in a polyamorous household. My older kid is polyamorous.
There was so much in this book I loved: The musical references to David Bowie (beloved but deceased bisexual icon), at least three significant references to Sylvia Plath, a haunting homage to Gianni Versace, and the unique spin on the Orpheus and Eurydice myth (which I almost forgot about at some points in favor of the more original points in the story).
The feel of this story is very much soaked in duality: light and shadow, but look deeper. It’s bright neons and glaring sunlight against deepest shadows and darkest nights. It’s a gorgeous and important vibe that Romero executes well and is important to the story. As with all Romero novels, I recommend it.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
Another year and another excellent entry into the Sadenverse.
Eden Finley and Saxon James continue to expand their shared universe of characters and nAnother year and another excellent entry into the Sadenverse.
Eden Finley and Saxon James continue to expand their shared universe of characters and novels with this story of Wren and Darcy, both the sons of a multinational media conglomerate who’s just passed away. Both with mothers who love to play the guilt trip card. Only, Darcy’s been groomed all his life to be heir to the throne, and Wren was raised as the illegitimate bastard child, out of sight, but certainly not out of mind. They finally come face to face with one another on the day of their father’s funeral and neither ends up being quite like what the other expects.
The Bastard and the Heir is a little heavier and serious than most of Eden and Saxon’s works. It’s more similar to 2023’s standalone effort, Up in Flames, than it is their Puckboys or CU Hockey series. While there are humorous moments (because I don’t think it could be an Eden and Saxon book without at least some humor), heavier emotions and issues definitely rule the book.
I loved the spicier side of this book because I loved the line this book walked with the forbidden aspect of the relationship between Wren and Darcy. The risque aspect of their relationship was hot enough to sustain me throughout the whole book. I liked that Eden and Saxon wrote it so the characters kept poking fun at it, because it definitely made for hilarious cannon fodder for the whole book.
The cast of characters cracked me up. Yes, even Darcy’s mom. When they weren’t cracking me up I was in the middle of feeling very sorry for the lot of them all because it’s obvious they inherited a ton of pressure, self-esteem issues, and a poor sense of work-life balance. They all need therapy.
While I love this book in the same soft way I love all Sadenverse books, I found myself not totally buying the resolution. The third act felt rushed for me. It also felt like it was all wrapped up a little too neatly. The epilogue was absolute genius, though.
I’m always happy and grateful for new Sadenverse books, because they make the world a little bit brighter every time they come.
I was provided a copy of this book by the authors. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
The Pecan Children is a book that walks a trail I’ve been loving the last year or two: a mix of folklore, romance, low fantaReal Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
The Pecan Children is a book that walks a trail I’ve been loving the last year or two: a mix of folklore, romance, low fantasy or magical realism (take your pick), and a generous splash of darkness. Does it walk the trail as well as other books in this vein I’ve read and reviewed? Maybe not. It’s not an entirely wasteful read, either.
At times this book can feel like part of it is magical realism and part of it verges on fairy tale, almost like there are two disparate books happening within the same book (there would be spoilers here if I said much more about that aspect), and I was honestly more intrigued by the book within the book than I was with the book I was reading; however, the inclusion of that interesting fairy-tale aspect is what kept me invested enough in The Pecan Children to keep reading until the end.
Quinn Connor (which is a pen name for two separate authors writing together) has an interesting story to tell, I simply felt it was told in a very predictable and rote way for the most part. The more fantastical aspects of this book is what saved it from becoming too familiar, but there was still so much of this book that felt like deja vu.
I still say you should check it out if you like unique folklore added to your fiction, if you like sapphic love stories, if you like ancestral mysteries, and if you love that eerie feeling of, “something’s not right in this town”.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Folk Fantasy/LGBTQ Fantasy/LGBTQ Romance/Magical Realism ...more
Two Chances is the second book in Lynn Burke’s LGBTQ Elite Escorts spin-off series. This book is mostly taking place, time-wise, concurrently with theTwo Chances is the second book in Lynn Burke’s LGBTQ Elite Escorts spin-off series. This book is mostly taking place, time-wise, concurrently with the first book in this series, One Night.
In One Night we met both of the main characters for Two Chances: Kellen, one of Elite’s LGBTQ escorts, and JJ, the lead detective on the criminal case that’s part of the central plot for One Night. Kellen and JJ come across one another briefly on the courthouse steps during One Night when JJ approaches Mason for a conversation and in this book we get to see that same interaction from both Kellen and JJ’s perspectives near the very beginning of the book.
On my spice meter, this book merits a 2 out of 3. The spice is explicit but not prolific or kinky. The chemistry between Kellen and JJ is something that can’t be faked, though, and these two have it in spades.
I’ve come to appreciate LGBTQ romance novels that take place at a more mature age. Both of the main characters in this book are middle-aged, and sometimes it’s refreshing to see both characters at the same point in their lives, needing a fresh start at a later stage. I love a good age difference or a good college love story, but sometimes people find themselves needing love later in life, too, and it’s nice to see those stories.
That’s why I had a hard time with the way both JJ and Kellen handled their individual issues. Their approaches didn’t match their professions or their ages. Both sex workers and police officers are often in need of therapy, yet neither of these men have sought help. It’s rather irresponsible. This is kind of what turned me a little sour on the book. It wasn’t enough to drop the rating significantly, though, because I still greatly enjoyed the read.
Lynn Burke continues to write consistently great romance novels and I’m happy to ride along.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. This review was written without compensation. Thank you.
Man, oh man this one was hot. Fire. Spicy filthy hot.
This is the third book in the Park Avenue Princes book series and hooboy Ella and Brooke knockedMan, oh man this one was hot. Fire. Spicy filthy hot.
This is the third book in the Park Avenue Princes book series and hooboy Ella and Brooke knocked this one out of the park!
Preston Abernathy is the diplomatic good boy of the Park Avenue Princes: Straight, has a long-term girlfriend, doesn’t go around boozing and carousing as much as the other guys, does a lot of volunteer work, and does all his homework. Right?
Preston’s been keeping secrets: He’s very gay, his girlfriend is his happy bestie beard, he doesn’t really want the life his parents have had planned out for him, he’s starting to chafe at the sight of all of his friends falling in love and being happy around him, and he’s been in love with his girlfriend’s father for years.
This book just hits so many of my buttons: age difference (around 20 years), sexy men in sharp clothing (AKA expensive clothing and suits), filthy talk, voyeurism/exhibitionism, let’s-have-sex-in-as-many-positions-as-possible, and these two are just so lovely together in general. They take care of one another and pay attention to one another. I don’t know if there’s a kink for getting off on the fact that someone is so turned on by your age, but that’s in there too. I don’t know what it is, but I love it and I want more of it.
Preston’s friendship with Serena, Archer’s daughter, is one of the most important cornerstones of this book and I’m so happy with how Ella and Brooke handled it. It could’ve been mishandled so easily in other authors hands. She’s written as strong, knowing, and competent but not so blase that she comes off as cold and uncaring. She’s warm and emotional and cares about both Preston and her father. I cared a great deal about what would happen with her and I’m happy with the result.
I highly suggest you read this if you haven’t gotten into the series yet and then go back and start at the beginning. If you’re looking for an endorsement for the next book if you’ve read the first two books, then know you won’t be disappointed in the least. It’s hot and I’m here for it.
I was provided a copy of this title by the authors. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. No compensation was offered or accepted in exchange for this review. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Age Gap Romance/Book Series/College Romance/Contemporary Romance/Forbidden Romance/Gay Romance/Kindle Unlimited/LGBTQ Romance/MM Romance/Romance Series/Spice Level 3 ...more
The Heart of Smoke is the third book in K. Webster’s Shameful Secrets book series, which are interconnected standalones follReal Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
The Heart of Smoke is the third book in K. Webster’s Shameful Secrets book series, which are interconnected standalones following members of the rich and somewhat eccentric Park family: this family doesn’t do conventional love and they sure do protect the hell out of one another.
The Heart of Smoke has us turning our attention to Jude Park, a reclusive member of the Park family who spends the majority of his time hiding away in a shared house with his grandfather behind a mask due to extensive burns from attempting to rescue his mother from a house fire when he was a teenager. Now it’s twenty years later and the Park family patriarch, Nathan, is bringing in a therapist named Tate Prince to help everyone in the family–especially Jude.
I was drawn to this book because I’m almost always drawn to forbidden romances where the forbidden aspect is a violated therapist/patient dynamic and because I enjoyed the first book in this series (The Teacher of Nothing). This book looks and sounds a lot hotter and more forbidden than it actually read as, in my opinion.
It’s a slow burn. I didn’t expect that and I didn’t enjoy it. I don’t enjoy slow burn romances at all, especially when it comes to forbidden romance. There has to be a very interesting story at hand to convince me to enjoy a book when slow burn is at work, and the story here wasn’t interesting enough to distract me from that. The writing wasn’t so terrific, the characters weren’t so interesting, the setting wasn’t distracting enough. All I could keep thinking about was, “I’ve read so many books in a similar vein and this isn’t offering me anything much different”.
What this book did end up offering me that felt like this book was above average was the interfamilial relationships. I greatly enjoyed the different Park family members and how they interacted with one another and with Tate behind closed doors in their therapy sessions.
Otherwise, the book was just a little above average. I’m sure if you love K. Webster it’ll totally slake your thirst for her work.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. No compensation was offered or accepted in exchange for this review. Thank you.
Finally! Finally we’re fully in Project Watchtower for The Watch series, the second Necessary Evils spin-off series by the genius Onley James (the firFinally! Finally we’re fully in Project Watchtower for The Watch series, the second Necessary Evils spin-off series by the genius Onley James (the first spin-off series being Jericho’s Boys). We’re starting off with The Bone Collector, which considering that’s the notorious name one of the project’s instructors, Park, went by when he was still active in the field (and the second book is going to be called The Sin Eater, which was the field operative name of the head of the project), it seems that all the books in The Watch series are going to be titled after field operative names. I’m down.
I’m not going to go over the whole synopsis with you. That’s just blase. Let’s go over the tropes you know, and then I’ll go over what I found of interest that doesn’t come across in the blurb, shall we?
*Age-Gap Romance (oh yeah, it’s a good gap, too!) *Teacher/Student (this one’s a little loosely interpreted, since Park, one of our MMCs, doesn’t teach much in this book because Gift, our other MMC, isn’t one of the students learning his speciality)
Tropes that the blurb doesn’t mention:
*Older brother/younger brother dynamic (they aren’t brothers, but Park insists on Gift using the honorifics for those roles) *Daddy k!nk (Ohhhhhh yes. Our Park is a Daddy Dom and our Gift is his sweet baby boy (no ageplay)) *Semi-public k!nk, virginity k!nk, slight degradation k!nk, edging, impact play, filthy talk *Touch him and you die *Gift is manipulative, secretive, touch-starved, and needy *Park is a possessive mofo *Park is essentially Gift’s legal guardian and full-time bodyguard
Besides the extremely high heat rating of this book (it is super dooper freaking hot, you guys) and how well-written that spice is (good lord, Onley is trying to kill us all, ffs), it needs to be known this book is FUN. It’s hilarious. It’s like “Necessary Evils: High School Edition”. Imagine if the Mulvaneys, Jericho’s Boys, The Feelings Faction (IYKYK), and Elite Protection Services ALL went to the same boarding school. Some are there on merit via scholarship and some are there because they have connections. Some are there because they have both money and merit. There’s all genders, all walks of life, neurotypicals, neuroatypicals, geniuses, people of average intelligence…you get the picture. The point of the place is for the neuroatypicals to be matched with an emotional support human to keep them tethered to their humanity. It’s brilliant. It’s volatile. It’s going to either be wildly successful or they’re going to burn the world down. Either way, I’m going to have a wild-ass and fun time reading to see what they do while they screw each other into every available surface and torture the bad guys along the way.
Please be mindful of your own mental health before attempting to read this book and read the list of CW/TWs before you start. I don’t ever need them but you might. Take care of you....more
The Pro vs. the Fan is the third book in Nicole Dykes’ On the Track motor sports romance series. I was really looking forwarReal Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
The Pro vs. the Fan is the third book in Nicole Dykes’ On the Track motor sports romance series. I was really looking forward to this entry in the series because I adore Cooper (the zealous animal shelter volunteer no one seems to able to say no to) we met in the previous book and because I’m a huge fan of “motorycycle” racing (I’m using quotes because there are a whole lot of different types of racing that involve motorcycles of different types).
This book didn’t end up being anything like I’d thought it would be and I was disappointed. It wasn’t a total wash, but it wasn’t a match to the two previous books either.
Cooper is a fantastic character, if a bit of a LGBTQ romance cliche. I’m an absolute sucker for any characters who are animal lovers, though. The larger issue for this book was Maverick. Not only did Maverick feel two-dimensional–he felt absolutely bland.
This entire book felt rushed. The chapters were incredibly short. The spice scenes were abrupt and without feeling. There were no cool racing scenes like in previous books to liven things up, and the plot just felt rather aimless.
Is it a worthwhile read? Yes. I love Nicole Dykes and I love Cooper.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. No compensation was offered or accepted in exchange for this review. Thank you.
I’ve been so excited for this novella. You wouldn’t be my greedy, grabby hands! Pansexual camgirl? Genderfluid stalker? High spice, low plot? Dark romI’ve been so excited for this novella. You wouldn’t be my greedy, grabby hands! Pansexual camgirl? Genderfluid stalker? High spice, low plot? Dark romance? Oh yes, please and thank you to all of it!
This novella was a bit of a fun project for Dana Isaly, sprung forth from her brain when she saw the cover (Can you blame her? It’s a great cover!). Clara is a camgirl, just trying to get by on her own in Boston. She works in a coffee shop during the day and cams by night.
Io is a private investigator, of sorts. They’ve been hired by Clara’s father to find her. The guy’s sketchy though, so Io’s been taking their time to study Clara thoroughly to really make sure they’ve got the right girl. Yeah. That’s totally why they’ve been taking their sweet time and fobbing off the client with excuses as to why there are no answers yet. It’s not because Io’s obsessed.
As Io works to gain Clara’s trust online, her obsession grows into a sense of possession and a hard protective streak. Clara needs to learn some lessons.
This book isn’t meant to be anything but what’s advertised: an erotic thriller novella with low plot, high spice, gender fluid and pansexual representation, a camgirl, and a masked stalker. The spice is very nice, though it’s mostly solo until the back end of the story. When those couples scenes hit, though, BOY HOWDY was I here for it. Io and Clara were smokin’ hot together. Steam up the windows and burn up the sheets.
Terrific novella just in time for Halloween. Loved it.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
I’m convinced Lark Taylor is magic, because I can’t stop reading her books. Ever since I read Patience I’ve binged her books and with every single droI’m convinced Lark Taylor is magic, because I can’t stop reading her books. Ever since I read Patience I’ve binged her books and with every single drop of knowledge that more words are coming from her I become like Veruca Salt: “Don’t care how–I want it now!”
So of course I signed up for Justice when it became available, and I loved every single one of its nearly 500 pages. Yes–this book is almost 500 pages long and I don’t regret a single page. From the start, this book is absolutely captivating and it takes you on a roller coaster of emotions. By the time it ended I had soaked my t-shirt and my pillow in a substantial amount of tears from ugly crying but I was also so soft for the HEA and so squirmy from the filthy-hot spice Lark Taylor does so well.
Sebastian (you remember Sebastian, right?), the vampire assassin from Taylor’s The Reckless Damned series, is a prickly guy that everyone in the Supe Group (my phrase) pretty much loathes and only shows up when it’s time to get stuff done because Toby (the manager of The Closet) is his cousin and he generally doesn’t want the supernatural world to go cattywampus. It would be bad for business. Well, he’s been sticking around town, if only sticking to the shadows, because a human friend of the Supe Group has caught his interest: Matty. We heard of Matty at the end of Luck of the Devil because he’s mainly Lucky’s friend and he’s a sunshine precious cinnamon roll. He must be protected at all costs. Sebastian feels that way too. Adamantly. He lives to see Matty smile every day. So one day, when Matty isn’t smiling so much anymore and he starts to look a little haunted, Sebastian gets a little invested in finding out why.
Thus begins their story. Well, for Matty that is.
These two were the definition of hurt/comfort for me. They wrecked one another completely only to stitch one another back up so completely my heart grew three times its size by the end of the book. The sexual chemistry between them was fire, as was the spicy scenes. I love size difference and filthy talk and this was excellent for that.
The supporting cast played their role to a T. Everyone has made their opinions on Sebastian known from clear back deep into the beginnings of The Reckless Damned books. Their opinions play an important part in this book, if only so Matty can but heads with everyone as he insists they’re wrong. It’s so sweet and so kind.
I loved this book so much. It’s another Lark Taylor win and now we’ll finally, finally get Toby and Blaise’s book!
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. No compensation was offered or accepted in exchange for this review. Thank you.
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