That’s what Riley and Danny are. Just two commitment-phobes who sleep around (one-night stands only, please and thank Do you have a platonic soulmate?
That’s what Riley and Danny are. Just two commitment-phobes who sleep around (one-night stands only, please and thank you) and then spend almost all of their free time together. They have keys to each other’s places. They come and go as they please. They know one another better than anyone else on the planet. Riley’s even in the know about the supernatural world, despite being a human because he’s Matty’s best friend and Matty’s husband is a vampire…it’s all very complicated. But Riley wouldn’t have it any other way (except he hates his job). Danny certainly wouldn’t either (except he wishes he didn’t have the constant threat of his old pack hanging over his head). Yup, they’re just platonic soulmates.
Who had sex one time a few years ago before they became best friends. Unbelievable, mind-blowing, once-in-a-lifetime sex. Which they’ll never repeat. Nope.
I love Lark Taylor. Sometimes I forget I only heard of her and her books in January, because she’s now an auto–buy author and I can’t get enough of her books. They always feature captivating and endearing characters, are unspeakably hot, are well-plotted, and slot in well with her already-existing books. I love when an author’s books connect, even if it’s tangential, because it feels almost like an easter egg hunt when you start looking for the connections. (If you’re a Sadenverse reader then you know what I’m talking about.)
Danny’s story is the last in for the Damned Connections series, and it was a very loose thread that needed to be tied up from the second book in the series, Justice. Finally we get to see the pack Danny left behind, the reason he left, and learn what he needs to do to resolve that situation. I didn’t find this book as touching on an emotional level as Justice, but I did love the idiot x idiot trope. It’s another win for Lark Taylor and we’re off to visit the angels next!
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.
The Dalton twins are so close they almost can’t exist apart from one another. One has a hangover, the other has a How close are you to your siblings?
The Dalton twins are so close they almost can’t exist apart from one another. One has a hangover, the other has a sympathy hangover. One’s depressed, the other feels it too. They know one another so well they can pretend to be one another; point in fact, they’ve been getting away with this very thing since middle school. Or, they were until Benny Dalton went and fell in love during the fall semester. Now it’s spring and Emmett Dalton is starting to feel like a frayed thread. He’s lonely, kind of lost, and can’t sustain pretending to be his twin anymore. He’s too full of secrets, even ones his twin doesn’t know.
We first met Emmett Dalton (in Franklin U 2) back in the second book, Saxon James’ A Stealthy Situation, with Emmett being the one to take Benny’s statistics classes for him since Benny isn’t good at math. While Benny was swooning over their classmate Harrison, it turns out Emmett was swooning over someone too: their stats professor, Jonah.
Twincerely Yours offers up a lot of great tropes, including some of my favorites:
Popped is one of the strongest romance anthologies I’ve read in quite awhile, full of great first-time stories fWhat was the last anthology you read?
Popped is one of the strongest romance anthologies I’ve read in quite awhile, full of great first-time stories from some of my favorite LGBTQ indie romance authors working right now. Some dip into these authors’ existing universes and some look like they could be the start of something special all on their own in the future (I’m looking at you, Lily and Cora!).
My rating of this anthology isn’t rooted in anything more substantial than the quality of the anthology as a whole. I’m not looking to nitpick short stories included in a charity anthology that’s meant to go to a good cause. These authors donated their time, effort, and IP to this project, and others donated production materials and labor to put this all together. It’s an honorable project and I don’t think subjecting it to extended scrutinization is a worthy endeavor.
That being said, I’m going to go over the stories I loved best and tell you what I loved about them!
There’s a huge thrill that comes with being a long-time fan of both Saxon James and Eden Finley and their “Sadenverse”, and that’s when you get blastsThere’s a huge thrill that comes with being a long-time fan of both Saxon James and Eden Finley and their “Sadenverse”, and that’s when you get blasts from the past as your new main characters and get to watch the new generation fall in love. In A Stealthy Situation we’re getting a call from the CU Hockey series in the form of Benny Dalton, one of the Chaos Twins from both Line Mates & Study Dates and Puck Drills & Quick Thrills (don’t worry, Emmett’s in here too).
The Chaos Twins fell out of love with hockey before they could be drafted and fled to California in order to get away from the pressure that had surrounded them all their lives. The pair of them still love to sow a little chaos, which is why they take great pains to make sure no one in San Diego knows the Dalton Twins exist. They each go to a different school, they keep their appearances identical, they dress similarly, and don’t go out in town at the same time. They rely on each other to get through anything and everything, which is why things start to go awry when Emmett is suddenly expelled from his university and takes to crashing on a mattress in Benny’s bedroom at the DIK frat house.
A Stealthy Situation is cute and sweet, with a great sense of humor to it. I love a good cinnamon roll and snark monster dynamic, and that’s exactly what Harrison and Benny have. Benny has a deliciously morbid sense of humor that I adore and insults being used as a love language is something I myself use on an everyday basis, so I can totally be book bffs with him.
I thought the supporting cast really came in clutch here for comic relief and emotional support, and I thought the disability rep was very well done.
I can’t wait for Twincerely Yours (which comes at the end of FU 2) so I can read Emmett’s story!
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.
Franklin University is back, and The Hook Up Mix-Up reminded me right away of how much I loved this series and how I wasn’t wrong to look forward to iFranklin University is back, and The Hook Up Mix-Up reminded me right away of how much I loved this series and how I wasn’t wrong to look forward to it returning this summer. The authors behind FU and FU 2 definitely saw the success that came with the first season of these books and understood the assignment: Take all of that, rewind it back, and build on this universe in an interconnected, tangential way.
Riley Hart decided to build The Hook Up Mix-Up on top of the foundation of her FU book from 2023, Playing Games (the story of Brax and Tyson, who feature heavily in this book). In Playing Games we were introduced to Perry, Tyson’s half-brother, who is one of the MMCs in this book. The other MMC is Theo, a student at Franklin U.
This is your pretty standard bi-awakening, friends-to-bed buddies-to-lovers plot, but that simply doesn’t matter one bit, no matter how much I’m almost always down to read those two tropes combined, because the thing that makes this book worth reading is THEO.
Can I just say Theo is so cute and sweet I wanted to reach into the book, drag him out, and adopt him? I was like that gif of Kristin Bell fawning over a sloth while reading this book the entire time. I almost spent the entire book wondering how anyone could possibly not fall in love with him (before I remembered not everyone loves a people pleaser and that being a people pleaser isn’t always the healthiest thing for your mental wellbeing).
It’s not like Perry is a slouch. It was funny watching how oblivious to how in his deep in his feels he was long before he actually realized it. The boy was done for long before he knew it and it was absolutely adorable to read.
This book does have its hot and spicy moments, but not as spicy as some other authors’ books in this series might end up being. I didn’t find that upsetting in this instance because I was too busy loving Theo and Perry and their burgeoning relationship. Definitely a stellar start to FU season.
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.
We’re almost at the end of this delicious series and we get a call back to book one in the form of Caleb, the first person to make friends with JT wheWe’re almost at the end of this delicious series and we get a call back to book one in the form of Caleb, the first person to make friends with JT when he came to study at Astor. You may recall him warning JT about the Park Avenue Princes, and it turns out that knowledge was direct insider information since he used to be one of them. He’s Travis McKinney’s stepbrother.
I love forbidden romances, especially of the stepbrother variety. Salacious Park Avenue Prince is enemies-to-lovers, with a bi-awakening, forced proximity, a secret romance, and a manwhore who falls fast, first, and hard. (Then there’s pining. So much pining). This installment is spicier than the last one, but not as spicy as Scandalous Park Avenue Prince (book 3, and still my favorite one).
A lot of the animosity in this book is based on miscommunication and what feels like willful misunderstanding, which isn’t a trope I like all that much no matter who’s involved. I did enjoy the chemistry between Travis and Caleb a lot, but that’s probably because I just enjoy Travis as a character a whole lot (I have throughout the whole series). I can’t put my finger on what exactly feels off about the character development in this book, but it feels like the relationship evolved but the characters didn’t evolve with it. I don’t know if that makes sense to anyone else but me, but there it is.
The spice is absolutely excellent, with dirty talk I love, lots of physicality, voyeurism, solo play, and a touch of exhibitionism. The romantic bits were exactly what I wanted to see, which is always nice. There was also no third-act break up, which isn’t an easy feat to accomplish when the miscommunication trope is in play. I was absolutely grateful for that.
As always, a great read from Ella and Brooke, and now we get a handful of months to wait before we finally get East’s story.
I was provided a copy of this title by the authors. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
I could just leave this review at, “It’s Onley James, it’s in the Necessary Evils universe, of course I gave it five stars do you even know me?”, but I could just leave this review at, “It’s Onley James, it’s in the Necessary Evils universe, of course I gave it five stars do you even know me?”, but I made a promise to myself that this year I’d try and post more reviews for ebooks I read and love and not just leave star ratings for them online. This task got away from me for most of February because I had more titles to read than days in the month, but this is the first Onley James title of 2024, so I’m taking the time out to write a review for Rogue because it simultaneously reminded me of why I fell in love with Onley’s work in the first place and why I’ve grown so obsessed with how the Necessary Evils universe has grown and expanded into the wonderful, violent, slutty three-headed creature it is now.
Rogue is about Levi, one of Jericho’s boys, and Shiloh, a seemingly terrified bunny of a boy who was sent by his older brother to kill Levi. But this is the Necessary Evils universe–attempted murder ranks up there with kidnapping as a courting ritual. Poor bunny Shiloh can’t pull the trigger, Levi takes it from him when he pulls him in to kiss him to cover up the attempt from the security cameras, and you just know the two imprinted on one another like duckies.
Levi and Shiloh aren’t as cute as Arsen and Ever (from Paladin), but they’re so sweet to one another. My heart broke for Shiloh time and again because no one had ever had the time or capability to take care of Shiloh beyond basic necessities before. It was so obvious that underneath all of that trauma there’s a huge heart waiting to love everyone. Definitely a plus for the Feelings Faction, and a great bestie for Ever.
One of my favorite parts in the whole book was watching the Feelings Faction take care of Shiloh when Levi didn’t know how to and Levi trusting them to do it. It’s okay to admit that you might not have all the answers for your partner’s problems and letting people you love and trust help you.
I don’t need to talk about the spice, do I? I mean, it’s Onley James.
All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
Miles and Bilson, despite their (not significant) age gap, are both just a couple of man children. Miles is a rookie goalie, has youngest child syndroMiles and Bilson, despite their (not significant) age gap, are both just a couple of man children. Miles is a rookie goalie, has youngest child syndrome, and is an overgrown frat boy from the frattiest frat to ever frat (which would, if you can’t guess, the Sigmas from Saxon’s Frat Wars series, which you should definitely read. For science.), except with lots of bromotions and LGBTQ members. Bilson is in a state of arrested development: He was raised by a coterie of nannies, butlers, maids, and other household staff and never had models around to show him what love looked like, or what a healthy relationship might look like. By the time Bilson was an adult all he longed for was affection and attention, which led to a disastrous four marriages (and the subsequent four divorces), and numerous failed relationships. He’s a serial monogamist who’s in love with love.
When Bilson transfers to Nashville from Seattle it’s the same day Miles is starting his rookie year with the same team. It’s the shared excitement of a fresh year, a fresh start, and a sense of camaraderie that leads these two to a fast friendship and a close bromance.
The Puckboys books never fail to entertain in any way. They’re funny, sweet, hot, spicy, and heartwarming. Eden and Saxon have built such an intricate universe of characters that finding the easter eggs hidden in each of their books becomes a fangirl’s treasure hunt and treat with each read. I love how, with each Puckboy book, the worries about coming out lessen more and more thanks to the efforts of the Queer Collective and the worries of each couple shift more to their own personal dynamics. There will never be a day I don’t recommend a Puckboys 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. Thank you.
Possessive Park Avenue Prince picks up almost right after Scandalous Park Avenue Prince left off, with cinnamon roll Park Avenue Prince Gavin moving iPossessive Park Avenue Prince picks up almost right after Scandalous Park Avenue Prince left off, with cinnamon roll Park Avenue Prince Gavin moving in with resident bad boy Park Avenue Prince, Daire so he doesn’t have to listen to his brother’s noisy bedroom activities anymore. Could Gavin have asked for his own apartment in the Towers? Well, yes, but he’s neer lived alone before, and Daire has a two bedroom and offered it up so why not?
Then there’s the fact Daire knows things about Gavin none of the other Princes know and Gavin feels safer around Daire than most other people. There’s that.
I’m not going to lie to you: This book wasn’t what I expected and I didn’t dig it as much as I did the previous three installments in this series. It felt uneven in almost every way and I had issues with the chemistry between Gavin and Daire. Does that mean I didn’t enjoy the heck out of it? No, not at all! I always enjoy Ella and Brooke’s books. They’re excellent authors and they craft enjoyable and sexy gay romance novels. This series has been excellent up until now and I believe it’s unrealistic to expect every reader to adore every book in a series as much as the other. We’re only human–we’re going to have our favorites. Right now, I still love Scandalous PAP the most. That could change with the upcoming release of Salacious PAP, but who knows?
Just know, if you love very grumpy boys with very low self-worth, precious cinnamon roll boys who decide to put on some devil horns to get what they want, possessive alphaholes, jealous good boys, and a sumptuous helping of “touch him and die” (where he actually might mean it), then you’ll love this 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. Thank you.
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
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.
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.
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’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.