Divine River by Marina Vivancos

Title: ⟫ Divine River

Author: ⟫ Marina Vivancos

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ Mike is just fine being the grumpy wood-worker in town. Sure, maybe he’s not the epitome of happiness, but he doesn’t need some lively city boy coming onto his turf and turning his world upside down.

Mike has learnt to conform to the small-town expectations placed on him. He keeps who he loves—who he is—to himself. Turns out, it’s a lot tougher to stay in the shadows when city-slicker Jason’s sunshine personality beams straight at him.

Jason makes Mike feel seen. Makes him feel like it might just be okay to be himself.

The questions remain—is Mike brave enough to show the rest of the world?

Is he brave enough to let go…and fall in love?

Review: ⟫ This could have been a simple grumpy guy/little mr sunshine story but it was so much more than that. At the beginning of the story, Mike is essentially hiding away from life – he has limited relationships where he never relaxes, and he spends most of his time with his dog. His only outlet/opportunity to be himself is when he speaks to his sister on the phone.

All of this changes when Jason moves in next door, and a gentle friendship grows between the two of them. But Mike is still hiding aspects of himself – scared of rejection or misunderstanding – and it takes some real bravery to show Jason who Mike really is inside.

I liked the way that Jason didn’t push Mike beyond his comfort-zone too much, and when it came to the sides of Mike’s character that he had hidden from everyone, Jason was gentle and kind. Even when he didn’t completely understand, he didn’t push or try to make Mike explain something that simply was, and that was a major part of why I enjoyed his character.

This was a nice, simple read but at the same time, it made me think a lot about the masks we wear in front of people and the importance of having someone in your life that you can let everything out in front of. A beautiful read.

Unbreak Me by Jesse H. Reign

Title: ⟫ Unbreak Me

Author: ⟫ Jesse H. Reign

Rating: ⟫ 4.5/5

Blurb: ⟫ Young Englishman, David Hammond, discovers life on a remote farm in South Africa isn’t at all what he was expecting. He expected the change in climate to do him good. To lift his mood. He certainly didn’t expect farmer, Jonathan Rosseau, to be so rugged or handsome. It turns out, it’s more than the warm weather that gets David hot under the collar.

David deals with his emotions the only way he knows how. By keeping a diary. A very detailed diary. A diary you get to read.

Unbreak Me is a story about first love and coming out. It contains a dollop of angst, smatterings of self-deprecating humour, and enough steam to make your hair frizz.

Depression and self-harm are mentioned.

Review: ⟫ Oh, this book! Because I was on a Jesse H. Reign kick, I didn’t read the blurb – I just downloaded it and dived straight in. So I was a little confused with the format it took as the story is told in the form of David’s diary entries. Initially, I wasn’t sure where things were going, but slowly you get an idea of what has been going on and just why David is in South Africa.

Because you are reading diary entries, a lot of the extraneous details were removed – it was literally how David felt and experienced everything that was happening, and as such it was an intimate, sometimes heart-wrenching, always touching read. We can feel his lack of self-esteem and insecurities, his inner voice making it utterly clear why he was struggling as much as he was. And I fell a little in love with him reading his words – self deprecating but revealing a caring, sensitive young man, unsure of who he truly was but learning to accept everything that is within him as part of himself. It was beautiful.

Of course you fall in love with Jonathan as well – just the descriptions of him from David’s perspective were enough to make you need to fan yourself, let alone when he and David become lovers.

The book does cover aspects of self-harm and depression, and obviously everyone’s experience of this differs. I found it realistic and true to life, which is probably why David’s dilemma affected me so much – to find such happiness after experiencing such sorrow only to face the choices needed was heart-breaking.

The sex between David and Jonathan was steamy, sultry and absolutely downright filthy on occasion, and I loved it. It took me back to the days when I was first really discovering sex and they were excellent memories. This book cemented for me that the author is on my auto-buy pile as everything I’ve read has moved me – sometimes infuriated, sometimes made me cry – but always made me feel, and that is special.

Claiming Rys by Annabelle Jacobs

Title: ⟫ Claiming Rys

Author: ⟫ Annabelle Jacobs

Rating: ⟫ 3.5/5

Blurb: ⟫ All that time apart and yet the pull between them is as strong as ever…

Rys

Ten years ago Gabriel Mason betrayed me in the worst way. He made me question my instincts because I’d trusted him with a bone-deep certainty, and for that I will never forgive him.

Seeing him again after all this time sparks memories I thought I’d buried so far down they’d never surface. He’s as beautiful as I remember, but I’m older and wiser now, and I refuse to make the same mistakes again.

Gabriel

Rys Calder, wolf shifter and the biggest regret of my life. I loved him, and yet I didn’t share with him the one thing that eventually became our undoing. I broke his trust and I’ve carried that guilt for years. I knew seeing him again would hurt, but no matter how many times I’d imagined it, being on the receiving end of his cold stares and indifference hurt more than I’d anticipated.

Thrown together again with a killer on the loose, will the past continue to haunt them, or can they move past it and claim the future that fate always had in store for them?

Claiming Rys is an MM paranormal romance with second chances, fated mates, pining, angry alphas, and feisty ex-hunters.

Review: ⟫ This was a pretty straight-forward story of second chances, but with the added benefit of the Fae and fated mates and werewolves. Rys and Gabriel were young and in love and thought they had nothing but time – time to explain who they were and what they meant to each other.

Unfortunately, things caught up with them and because of a misunderstanding they were separated. Each suffered in their own way – Rys distrusted himself and his instincts, convinced that he had fallen for a hunter’s lies. And Gabriel paid the price for going against ‘his’ people in the worst way.

The situation they find themselves in is bigger than their misunderstanding, and although there is bad feeling they have to work together to try to save supernaturals from a dangerous poison that is causing them to go feral and be put down.

I really loved the plot idea and also the way that this was written, but something didn’t gel for me. I don’t know if it was because I was looking at the side characters and wondering which of them would be getting their own storyline, or because the culprit was too obvious.

It was a nice, easy, enjoyable read and I will probably keep an eye out for follow-up stories. I received an ARC from GRR.

Requited by Jesse H. Reign

Title: ⟫ Requited

Author: ⟫ Jesse H. Reign

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ If you've read Unrequited, and have been left longing for more of Andy and West's story - you are in luck.

Requited tells the story of roommates and best friends Andy Montgomery and West Baxter from West's perspective. It is a sweeping story of friendship that turns into longing that can't be ignored.

Be warned, this isn't a retelling of the same story, rather, it's an exploration of what would have been if West or Andy had had the courage to do one teeny, tiny thing differently.

Review: ⟫ I did read Unrequited and reviewed it here and finally got over my anger at the wasted TEN YEARS in that book to read the alternate version.

I think I’m glad I read it, although I’m still not sure. Wes is pretty much obsessed with Andy but hides it because he doesn’t want to lose the friendship that they have. Some of his actions are extremely dubious whilst dealing with this obsession and it was fascinating seeing this different side to him – in Unrequited, he seemed more together, confident and sure of himself. In Requited, we see his thought processes and feelings and it quickly becomes obvious that he hasn’t dealt with being bisexual and his attraction to other men during different periods of his life.

I did enjoy the opportunity to see Andy through outside eyes – strangely enough, in Unrequited he was the one who seemed to be lacking in confidence and self-assurance, whereas through Wes’s eyes, Andy truly has got it all together.

Overall, this book had a lot of sex scenes in it, but it also had a lot of talking – the talking that should have taken place in Unrequited to be honest – and I enjoyed that aspect of it. I also enjoyed the two of them realising all of the ways in which they have revealed that they cared but were too blind to see.

The relationship with Ashleigh was also explored through new eyes, and it became obvious a lot sooner that she and Wes were not suited to each other. I think, generally speaking, I enjoyed this chance to see the other side of things and it was worth the money I paid for it.

There was a lot more sex in this section of the books, which isn’t always a bad thing. Overall, I enjoyed this alternative look at what could have been if Wes and Andy had shown some gumption and spoken up and it was different enough to make it worth reading.

Follow the River by CE Ricci (River of Rain #1)

Title: ⟫ Follow the River (River of Rain #1)

Author: ⟫ CE Ricci

Rating: ⟫ 3.5/5

Blurb: ⟫ Follow the River is a full-length, mature, new adult bully/enemies-to-lovers MM (male/male) romance with dark themes. There will be triggering content for some readers. SPECIFIC TRIGGERS WILL NOT BE LISTED at the beginning of the book as they will be spoilers, so please be advised that if you have triggers, any at all, this book might not be for you.

I've never been one to back down from a challenge.

Rather than shy away, I grit my teeth and use it as an opportunity to prove myself.

Not just in football, but also in life.

Even when I was thrown through a loop in discovering I was bisexual, I embraced it. Owning it so no one can use it as ammunition against me.

But when Ciaráin Grady comes barreling into my life with his venomous tongue and amber eyes brimming with disdain, I realize every test of my character and strength could never have prepared me for the trial he holds.

One that toes the line of love and hate.

It's all-consuming and toxic.

Yet under the layers of revulsion he masks his face with, I see it. A glimmer of lust from deep within his secretive, broken soul.

And when we're thrown together under heinous circumstances, the distinction between enemy and lover begins to blur.

So...what is Ciaráin Grady to me?

I'm only certain that he is the greatest challenge of my life.

Review: ⟫ Firstly, I think I need to say that I am one of those people who feels that the author should have listed some of the triggers, simply because the warnings given were too vague. That’s my personal opinion and I know that others will disagree and that’s cool – that’s the point of opinions, right?

Some of this book really did shock me. I expected some of it – it’s enemies to lovers and listed as dark, so I wasn’t expecting sunshine and roses. However, I really wasn’t expecting what I would describe as outright sexual assault between the two main characters. I thought that River’s excusing of Rain’s actions by saying that he didn’t say no or fight him off were a dangerous thought process to have and more than potentially triggering for people.

The relationship between the leads was difficult and verging on toxic. There was more than one occasion when I found myself thinking that they should just leave each other alone because they were so bad for each other. However, the chemistry between the two of them was obvious and there was an almost morbid fascination in seeing just what they would do to each other.

When they were at the cabin and had begun to admit that this wasn’t simply a FWB situation – or more like enemies with benefits – I thought that some of their interactions were incredibly sweet. They were both such damaged creatures, with a skewed view of each other that a straightforward conversation might have aided, although probably not fixed.

I did sometimes find myself getting confused between Rain and River as in who was saying what, and their voices were occasionally too similar for me to differentiate between them. The sex between them was scorching – almost obviously with the chemistry between them – and there was no denying that there was something powerful there.

I feel that there should also have been a warning that this ends on a cliffhanger. This didn’t affect me as such because the following book was available immediately, but I think it would have irritated me a lot if that hadn’t been the case.

The writing was solid, the ‘mystery’ intriguing, and the chemistry between our two leads was strong, but overall I’m not sure I’m pleased to have read this story, not like I felt after reading Iced Out by the same author. If you do decide to read, do so with caution – the content is darker than you might expect, with explicit descriptions of child abuse that I’m still not sure were absolutely necessary.

Iced Out by CE Ricci (Leighton U Book #1)

Title: ⟫ Iced Out (Leighton U Book #1)

Author: ⟫ CE Ricci

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ All's fair in hate and hockey.

My path to success never included an enemy as a teammate, especially one as infuriating as Quinton de Haas.

Clawing under my skin is his favorite pastime, only feeding the animosity between us as the years pass.

We’re as completely opposite as two people can be: the golden boy and the black sheep.

Constantly at odds or at each other’s throats.

The only thing we can agree on is hockey is our true love, and we’ll do whatever it takes to come out on top.

I never imagined that drive would lead me to do the unthinkable: falling into bed with my not-so-straight rival.

But athletes are a superstitious bunch, and when our hook-ups lead to victories, we tell ourselves we can’t stop.

Besides, it’s all for the sake of the team, right?

*Iced Out is the first in a five book stand-alone college sports romance series featuring two misunderstood rival teammates, pages of snarky banter, and more secret spicy times than any book should be filled with. Not suitable for anyone under 18 years of age.*

Review: ⟫ The trash talk between these two was epic! I love a good hockey story (even though I’ve never seen a hockey game in my life) and this one reminded me of the series by Saxon James and Eden Finley.

Are hockey players really as superstitious as this? I hope so – some of the things that they apparently do are hilarious, and the manner in which the author managed to bring that superstition into the story and make it work was brilliant. The socks – the socks, I need them!

Sorry, a teeny bit incoherent with this review because most of this book put me into such a good mood. The relationship that grew between Oak and Quinn was really sweet beneath all of the chirping and digging at each other, and I loved the way they slowly grew to accept each other – all of the bits that they kept hidden from other people slowly being revealed.

I didn’t like the little subplot with Braxton – for me, I think the way that Oak was written, he would have admitted it as soon as it became clear that the two of them had caught feelings for each other and not waited to be called out. I did like the fact that Quinn didn’t automatically forgive Oak, and that Oak had to actually accept responsibility for what he did and didn’t do, rather than it just being wiped clean.

This had a bit more hockey in than I am used to but I wasn’t opposed to it, and I think it definitely added to the story in terms of how it showed how in sync the boys were.

A fun, entertaining read with some very nice sexy times included!

The First and The Last by Jesse H. Reign

Title: ⟫ The First and the Last

Author: ⟫ Jesse H. Reign

Rating: ⟫ 5/5

Blurb: ⟫ “Why would I choose, when anyone can see the two of you come as part of a package?”

That’s what she said. Those were the words that changed my life.

Until then Jules and I were friends. Best friends only. Best friends since before we could remember. We had to be. We were the last two wolves born into an ageing pack. Our pack was secretive and a little backward, but we had a great life. Sure, our alpha was a bit of a douche, but all alphas are douches. Everyone knows that. Thank God, Jules and I were both going to be betas.

The night new-girl Storm refused to choose between Jules and I, changed everything. The way I looked at him changed forever. He went from my goof-ball best friend, to being the hottest creature I’d ever seen. At the time I thought it was the end of the world.

It wasn’t the end of the world...It was just the beginning.

Then our first shift happened, and confusion hit harder.

Why was one of us acting distinctly douche-y? And why was the other running a fever and pleading for things only an omega would want?

The First and The Last is a paranormal omegaverse MM romance. It features a bi-awakening that happens during a shared experience with a woman. It contains a dash of knotting, a pinch of gratuitous violence, and a heat that’s hot enough to put your eReader at risk of melting. This story does not contain MPREG.

Review: ⟫ This book was the one that sent me down a Jesse H. Reign rabbit-hole, so I was surprised to find that it was the first foray into PNR.

Sully and Jules were absolutely awesome – they fit together so incredibly well from the beginning and the awful summer that Sully spent without Jules really brought that home almost immediately. The interactions were so honest, so real, that I wondered when the penny was going to drop about their feelings for each other. The introduction of Storm, a female werewolf, could well have led to an epic falling out. Instead, it led to the two of them discovering a whole new dynamic. I was surprised – I didn’t expect things to be quite so explicit between the three of them, but it didn’t take away from the book, or make me feel like it should have been labelled MFM like some other stories have.

Once the two of them were sent away, things got even hotter. And I admit it, I was expecting the dynamics to be the other way around – I don’t know why, I just did. However, I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest – this book got ALL of that right and then some. I loved how the omega/alpha dynamic was explored, with the power shifting between them so that the balance was maintained.

I really enjoyed how things were built up between Jules and Sully – you could almost feel their skin itching as changes began, and then the way they dealt with things afterwards was incredibly hot. I was concerned about how things would go once they went home, but even then I was pretty well satisfied. I’m not quite sure how I feel about Sully’s mother – there is a part of me that feels like she could have been clearer with the boys about what was going on, and sending them away with no information or instruction felt a bit ‘Dumbledore-esque’.

As a final aside, I loved Mrs O’Malley and would have loved to see her fly!

The Isle of ... Where? by Sue Brown (An Isle Story - Book #1)

Title: ⟫ The Isle of … Where? (An Isle Story – Book #1)

Author: ⟫ Sue Brown

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ When Liam Marshall's best friend, Alex, loses his fight with colon cancer, he leaves Liam one final request: buy a ticket to Ryde, on the Isle of Wight, and scatter Alex's ashes off the pier. Liam is tired, worn out, and in desperate need of a vacation, but instead of sun, sea, sand, and hot cabana boys, he gets a rickety old train, revolting kids, and no Ewan MacGregor.

Liam would have done anything for his friend, but fulfilling Alex's final wish means letting go of the only family Liam had left. Lost, he freezes on the pier... until Sam Owens comes to his rescue.

Sam's family has vacationed on the Isle of Wight every year for as long as he can remember, but he's never met anyone like Liam. Determined to make Liam's vacation one to remember, Sam looks after him-in and out of the bedroom. He even introduces Liam to his entire family. But as Sam helps Liam let go, he's forced to admit that he wants Liam to hang on-not to his old life, but to Sam and what they have together.

Review: ⟫ I wasn’t sure what I was expecting from this story, but I definitely got more than I thought I would. Liam cuts a sorry figure – he’s lost his best friend, and pretty much his only link to the outside world. He has no family, very few friends, and has basically put his life on hold to see his best friend through the last months of his life.

The pain Liam is in is palpable and I felt for him so much. Sam was exactly what Liam needed – someone who, although he came across like a giant Labrador to begin with, actually had some depth to him. Sam saw someone he liked the look of and moved forward with no fear – or none that he let Liam see. The relationship between the two of them happened very quickly – understandable since it was viewed by both of them as a holiday romance with a definite end in sight.

It quickly becomes clear that they have both caught feelings, and I enjoyed the fact that apart from initial hesitancy, they were both upfront and honest about how they were feeling.

Through the course of the story, Liam finds a whole new family and raft of friends, proves himself to be Sam’s hero, and manages to say goodbye to his best friend with dignity and love.

This is a low-angst story, with a great cast of characters – villains included – and I really enjoyed reading it and have gone looking for the next in the series. The Owens family were entertaining, and I loved seeing Liam blossom beneath their clear-cut affection, as well as Sam’s honest care and love.

Unrequited by Jesse H. Reign

Title: ⟫ Unrequited

Author: ⟫ Jesse H. Reign

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ Andy Montgomery is an artist and a dreamer. It isn’t long before the person he’s dreaming about is his college roommate, West Baxter.

West is cheerful and popular, a jock and a genius. Despite Andy’s best intentions, he develops a maddening crush on West. As their friendship deepens, so does his crush. It changes from an innocent flutter to the type of longing that defines a lifetime.

The problem? West is straight, so this epic love is unrequited…or is it? 

Review: ⟫ There were huge chunks of this book that seriously worked for me. The relationship between Wes and Andy during college was absolutely awesome, from the initial assumptions, to the way they became each other’s person.

The pining at college was handled masterfully but sometimes Andy came across as a complete masochist (I’m talking about him listening to Wes with girls here). There were hints that feelings were reciprocated, but I felt that Andy’s inability to see them for what they were read quite true – at that age, you don’t always trust your instincts and he had friends telling him that Wes was completely straight so it was understandable.

Where things went a little astray for me was the TEN YEARS that passed. Ten years where Andy pined, didn’t allow himself to find love, and just seemed to be in permanent self-destruct mode. And Wes did nothing about it – I don’t care how unsure you are, if you are free you sure as heck don’t watch your best friend self-destruct without doing something other than that one conversation.

When they did get together, things went fast and were hotter than heck, and that definitely made up for a lot. Overall, I really did enjoy reading the book, hence the 4/5. I half want to read the second book called ‘Requited’ for Wes’s perspective, but I need to get over the anger of those ten years first!

Face Off by Marina Vivancos (Alpha Omega Hockey Series Book #2)

Title: ⟫ Face Off (Alpha Omega Hockey Series Book #2)

Author: ⟫ Marina Vivancos

Rating: ⟫ 5/5

Blurb: ⟫ Orion’s life turns upside down when someone outs him as the first Omega in the NHL…that anybody knows of. Now, he has to wrestle with the decisions he made throughout his life to keep that secret hidden—including the man he left a decade earlier.

Problem is, that man is Gabriel McKenna, Captain of the Gotham Hounds. Seeing as Orion captains the Brooklyn Cats, their relationship is more one of hate than love at the moment.

Or so he wants to tell himself.

Orion has enough difficulties dealing with idiots on the ice thinking they can put him on his knees just because they know he’s an Omega. He doesn’t need to suddenly reconnect with his old flame. Doesn’t need to deal with the feelings he thought he’d buried long ago.

Orion is trying to escape the memories of the best year of his life, but the past is catching up with him. After the way Orion left, after all the fights on the ice, he doesn’t know if he deserves a second chance…

But he might want one anyway.

This book is a steamy rivals-to-lovers story with a complicated past. It is the second book in the Alpha Omega Hockey series but can be read as a standalone.

Review: ⟫ I was a little wary of reading this book – although I liked the first one in the series, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped. But this book actually blew me away! I was engrossed from the very first page when Orion was outed as an Omega – the first one to actually be known about in the Hockey league.

The story is told with some flashbacks – to his rookie year when he met Gabby and how things progressed between them, to how things were now where he and Gabby were known to throw down on the ice. It was fascinating, painful and engrossing to see how things progressed – from the way Orion accidentally became the Omega to go to for all of the others hidden in the league, to the way things between he and Gabby moved forward now that what could be seen as the major barrier being removed.

I felt for Gabby the most – he had no idea why Orion ended things between them all those years ago, and his bitterness was understandable. Yet this wasn’t one of those silly misunderstandings that make you roll your eyes – Orion’s reasons were more than valid, and the fact that they managed to talk about it and see each other’s point of view was special.

The relationships Orion had built up over the years were a pleasure to read, and the fact that his team completely had his back was refreshing – it would have been easy for there to be a complete 180 in how his team-mates treated him once they knew.

I also have really enjoyed the fact that Orion is a man of colour, yet that’s not made a big deal of. He just is. Instead of it being used as a plot point, it was just a fact in the story and that was incredibly refreshing.

The sex between Orion and Gabby was extremely hot – the nesting scene for some reason made me tear up and squirm in equal measure – and this book has completely reaffirmed my desire to read more of Vivancos’ work. It was a pleasure to read – from the hockey games, to the relationship building, the chirping – everything. An easy 5/5 from me.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Sainted by Jesse H. Reign

Title: ⟫ Sainted

Author: ⟫ Jesse H. Reign

Rating: ⟫ 5/5

Blurb: ⟫ Falling for my kidnapper is a terrible idea.

He’s a bad man and I don’t mean trash like your ex. I mean seriously bad. I mean dangerous. You can tell just by looking at him; black eyes, a menacing scowl, and a nose that’s been badly broken in the past.

He is my arch nemesis. My mortal enemy. My singular obsession.

I was afraid of him when we met. He took me against will and kept me chained to a bed. Me, Damon Alexander Beckett of BeckIT fame and fortune. Well, the joke’s on him because I’m going to make it my life’s mission to destroy him. But first, I have to survive being his captive. He’s here all the time. Watching me. His heavy male presence never more than five feet away, dark, glinting eyes tracking down my body.

When he propositions me indecently, I am shocked and outraged. As I should be. Seriously, the audacity of him is unreal.

It’s obvious I should say no. It goes without saying. Any sane person would laugh in his face.

So why am I sinking to my knees?

Review: ⟫ Oh my, yes! I wasn’t sure what I was letting myself in for when I began reading this, but it was a rollicking, sexy ride! When Damon is kidnapped, he makes his feelings perfectly clear – he is not here for it and he fully intends to make his kidnapper’s life a complete and utter misery.

When A$$hole (as Damon calls him) took the job to kidnap Damon, he was expecting a run of the mill, easy job. Instead, he gets a mouthy, obnoxious, sexy brat who winds him up, exhausts him and fascinates him in equal measure. These two together alternatively cracked me up with their behaviour towards each other – talk about being determined to one-up each other – and made me wonder just how they were going to get their HEA.

The way Saint and Damon interacted was pure gold, and I was laughing more than once reading the story. I was seriously invested in how things turned out, especially when the kidnapping took a turn for the unexpected. Damon was an excellent character – he knew exactly who he was, until suddenly he didn’t and Saint was bringing things out that he had never expected. Saint was more of a surprise with how vulnerable he allowed himself to be and how he interacted with Damon.

I don’t want to spoil anything by revealing more of what happens in this story, but I will say that the sex scenes were steamy as all get-out, with some twists that I wasn’t expecting. The ride towards their HEA was like a roller-coaster and I was gutted and exhilarated in equal measure I raced through the story. This is the second Jesse H. Reign book I’ve read over the last 24 hours and I’m off to look for more!

Jon and Mack's Terrifying Tree Problems by A.J. Sherwood

Title: ⟫ Jon and Mack’s Terrifying Tree Problems

Author: ⟫ A.J. Sherwood

Rating: ⟫ 4.5/5

Blurb: ⟫ It’s like a bad game of Telephone.

Grant locates a murdered teen in McMinnville. He calls Jon.

Jon locates the girl’s ghost. He calls Mack.

Mack talks to the ghost who leads them to more ghosts. Who lead them to even more ghosts.

And why are all the murder victims buried under trees?

The boys are ready for this game to end, please. (Donovan especially.)

Tags:

Jon’s World crossover, hail hail the gang’s all here, oh look we meet Grant, trees are not to be trusted, according to Donovan, ya’ll pray for Donovan, there’s so many ghosts, the ghosts have some WORDS to share, car sex, bondage sex, Mack has plans, so of course they get ruined, BAMF female cops, Jon and Mack are ready for this case to be over, please and thank you, serial killer(s)? running amok, people get tombed, literally, Eli’s mad she missed the fun, Mack would like to say: Don’t use Jon as a battery, seriously don’t do it

Review: ⟫ There is not a chance that you’ll be able to follow this story unless you’ve read the other ones in the series so don’t even try!

As a fan of Jon, Mack and all of the others, it was really fun to dive back into this world. I did get lost a few times and had to remind myself of who was who and who did what, but once I’d got my memories back, it was full steam ahead. I loved how this story showed new sides to the powers these guys had (who even knew it was possible to use Jon as a battery even if it was a supremely bad idea), whilst solidifying what you already knew about them.

I wouldn’t say there a was a lot of romance in this book, although there were a few steamy sex scenes. It was more about the mystery they find themselves in the middle of, and how they all came together to figure it out and solve the crime.

I thought Jon and Mack were complete idiots a few times, especially towards the end, but they did so good in the end that I forgave them. The reason for the rating of 4 instead of 5 is because the book did get confusing a few times, and as I haven’t read the previous books in a while, I felt a little lost and I wouldn’t be surprised if other people felt the same.

It was brilliant to be back in this universe, and I look forward to reading more about the adventures of our guys – maybe a little recap/glossary in the beginning of the next book?

Wish by Cambria Hebert (Westbrook Elite #3)

Title: ⟫ Wish (Westbrook Elite #3)

Author: ⟫ Cambria Hebert

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ For me, choice might as well be a wish.

My parents died in a fiery car crash when I was barely sixteen.

I’m gay.

I’m also totally in love with my brother.

I didn’t choose any of that. In fact, I’ve tried like hell to deny it. But here I am in all my gay, brother-loving, no-parentals glory.

Technically, Max isn’t my brother. Not by blood anyway. That should make it less ick, right?

Considering he calls my parents mom and dad, probably not.

Also, did I mention he’s straight?

So that’s me: the freestyle swimmer doing my best to keep my sexuality on the down-low while simultaneously wishing my feelings for Max will evaporate into thin air.

Too bad he acts like he’s my keeper and my heart shakes every time his eyebrow ring glints in the sun or he levels his opaque stare on me with an intensity matched by nothing else.

My desire to keep my personal life personal drowns at the bottom of the pool when a fellow Elite lets everyone in on my business, which throws Max into macho protective mode all over again.

Enough is enough, though. I’m forcing myself to move on.

Maybe the best way to forget about my forbidden crush is to find a new one.

I have options. More than I realized.

Unfortunately, none of them are leather-wearing, tattoo-sporting, motorcycle-riding grumpholes.

So here I am wishing for Max while someone else wishes for me.

Someone who decides if they can’t have me…

No one will.

Please note that WISH contains homophobia. There is also mention of off-page child abuse and parental death. This book also contains a male/male sibling-esque relationship and mentions of male assault. Some readers may find these things uncomfortable.

Review: ⟫ I haven’t read the first two books in this series because I wasn’t in the mood to read M/F, but it didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of this book as it was all set up very well and I could infer pretty much everything I needed to know.

The story is mainly told from the perspective of Wes, who is completely and utterly in love with Max. Like, imprinted from a very early age. But because of the way they were brought up and the circumstances behind it all, he felt very much alone and as if the whole idea of being with Max was an impossibility – which is understandable – they were brought up as brothers, despite Max’s parents being very much alive.

I thought that the story did a good job of showing Wes’s feeling of loneliness and isolation, fear of being outed due to a previous incident, as well as his inner turmoil for his feelings. I felt for him – deeply – because it very much seemed as if he was surrounded by people who cared but that he was wrapped in a bubble and couldn’t quite bring himself to reach out and accept the hands of love and acceptance that were there for him. I very much enjoyed his interactions with Rinkin – he didn’t back down, didn’t allow himself to be cowed, and showed himself to be a strong person beneath his quiet exterior.

Max annoyed the hell out of me, but at the same time I could understand the bind that he was in. He was struggling with his upbringing, the promises he had made, and general feelings of not being enough. More than sufficient to mess with anyone. However, the lengths he went to in order to keep track of Wes were unfair if he wasn’t going to step up, and I really liked how he was called on it by the people around him.

The story is engaging and entertaining, although a few times it did veer off into soap-opera land (yes, I’m looking at you Veronica), and it kept me entertained throughout. The sex scenes were hot – in fact, they were very hot – and I really enjoyed reading it. One of the better brothers-in-love stories that I’ve read and I will be checking out further works by the author.

A Hellhound Called Derek by Michelle Frost (Mated to the Human #1)

Title: ⟫ A Hellhound Called Derek

Author: ⟫ Michelle Frost

Rating: ⟫ 3/5

Blurb: ⟫ Touch his mate and you’ll wish for the fires of hell.

Alpha of the Hellhound enforcers, Derek doesn’t think he has time for a mate until the Paranormal Council of the city gives him one.

Hollis is smart, funny, vulnerable…human, and his police commissioner uncle has designs to use Hollis’s new mating for his own ends.

He’ll learn quickly not to mess with a hellhound’s mate. 

Review: ⟫ Okay, I can’t imagine that I’ll be the only person who jumps on this book simply because the title sounds entertaining, right? This is quite obviously setting up a new series and for me, that kinda ruins it. The romance between Derek and Hollis felt a bit perfunctory to the story – it was very sweet, and despite being a sort of insta-love thing, they took things relatively slowly. It felt for me like what was going on between them was in the background – instead, we learned about other characters who were being set up for the future, the politics behind the whole arranged marriage thing, and that was pretty much it.

Derek was an absolute sweetheart up until he wasn’t, when he went all grr argh to save his mate which was nice. And Hollis was written as a sweet, lacking in self-esteem, and in need of someone to bolster his confidence to make him realise what he was capable. Ultimately, I felt like I was being set up for the stories of the other candidates more than anything and I was a bit disappointed.

I was looking forward to any of the Hellhound lore and reveal which was set up to be a huge thing, but again, that was rather disappointing. Saying that, I will keep an eye out for more in the series because it was set up very well and the writing was confident and assured. Overall, I wish there had been more concentration on this story rather than setting up the next.

Scales and Song by L Eveland (Monster in my Bed Book #2)

Title: ⟫ Scales and Song: Monsters in my Bed Book #2

Author: ⟫ L Eveland

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ We were supposed to protect the world from monsters, not become them.

All I’ve ever wanted was to protect the people I love. That’s why I joined the military’s Elite Specimen Containment Unit.

When I learned they were experimenting on sentient monsters, however, everything changed.

Now, I have a new mission: protect a scaly winged monster named Bud and escort him to somewhere he’ll be safe from my superiors.

Yet, Bud’s so sweet and perfect, I can’t help but fall for him, even though I know it’s too dangerous for us to be together. It’ll be safer for us to go our separate ways, especially when we’re being hunted.

But I’ve only got so much willpower…

Though Scales and Song is the second book in the Monsters in my Bed series, it can be read as a stand-alone novel. It features a closeted and traumatized special forces soldier, the sweet cinnamon roll monster who loves him, and a HEA. Please see the interior for content warnings.

Review: ⟫ I’ve got complicated feelings about this book. In the first instance, the premise really reminds me of the Lily Mayne’s Monstrous series: monsters coming through a tear, being imprisoned by the army and experimented on; soldier falling in love with one. That’s not a bad comparison, but it did make it hard to shake from my head whilst I was reading.

I’m in the middle of reading the first book in the series, Kissed by the Krampus, as I enjoyed reading Scale and Song enough to want to go back to the beginning. I would say if you’re wanting a bit of monster-loving, with a side order of stoic soldier boy and conspiracy theory, this could well be the book for you. The love-making scenes were frequent and hot, and the lead characters Bud and Phoenix were interesting. As a gay man of colour, Phoenix was quite well written – his concerns about telling his family, the way in which he compartmentalised things, his feelings of isolation and betrayal – were all palpable.

However, I didn’t get as much of a sense of Bud. Maybe it was me and I was missing it, but I wasn’t sure how the music thing was such a calming influence on him, and I really didn’t get his magical abilities – they felt a little vague and definitely unexplored. It felt like some of them transpired at just the right moment with little to no real explanation of them.

The mating cycle’s influence on Phoenix wasn’t fully explained for me either, and I would have liked to know just a bit more about how and why he was reacting to Bud the way he was.

The main cast of characters was interesting – obviously, otherwise I wouldn’t have gone looking for the rest of the series – and it was obvious who else would be getting their own story. I did enjoy reading Scale and Song and would recommend it if you’re looking for something a bit different, with some kinky monster sex for good measure!

I received an ARC from GRR.

Only One Coffin by A.J. Truman

Title: ⟫ Only One Coffin

Author: ⟫ A.J. Truman

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ I’m stuck sharing a coffin with the world’s perkiest vampire. This vacation is going to suck.

After centuries of eternal existence, and still mourning the loss of my lover to vicious slayers, I needed a few days of peaceful solitude at the Hotel Draugr.

But thanks to a double-booking mishap, I’m forced to share my coffin with Kilroy, a freshly bitten vampire who loves his new afterlife as much as he loves hanging ten. My unexpected room-mate is determined to show me how “totally awesome” being a vampire can be.

Doesn’t he know vampires don’t do sunshine of any kind?

Through epic snowball fights and midnight meetups at vampire speakeasies, the ice around my not-technically-beating heart begins to melt. And during days sharing our too-small coffin, one part of me has trouble staying dead.

Maybe this budding relationship has teeth…that is, if we can evade the slayers closing in on the hotel.

Only One Coffin is a grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, paranormal MM romcom featuring a 300-year age gap, coffin cuddling, and a vampire bro who wears flip flops no matter how cold it is outside.

Review: ⟫ With a neat twist on a few tropes such as age-gap, grumpy sunshine and forced proximity, Only One Coffin is mainly played for laughs. The puns drop thick and fast, blood is substituted for some truly entertaining food items and the relationship between Kilroy and Magnus is a sweet, fun read.

Magnus is still in mourning for the lover taken from him by the humans, and is making his annual trip to hide away in a frozen hotel when he is suddenly forced to face the reality of the fact that the rest of the world is still living. Kilroy comes along at a time when probably no one else would try to drag Magnus out into the world again, and is stagnating and, no pun intended, slowly dying.

Kilroy was most definitely one of those glass-half-full people that can be incredibly irritating or endearing depending on the mood you are in. He took being changed into a vampire as a ‘whoa, dude’ thing rather than a path to depression. I loved the idea of a group of vampires who help ‘newbies’ get on their feet, and on the whole Kilroy was fun in a seeing the world from a new perspective.

I did find the constant corrections to Kilroy saying things like good morning and good night a bit irritating after a while – yes, we get it, Magnus’s character is a little stuffy and formal but literally every single time someone said something like that, it felt like overkill. This gave me ‘Hotel Transylvania’ vibes, which was fun, and I did love how casually things like turning into a bat, etc. were discussed.

I would describe this as a nice, easy read, with an interesting take on the whole vampire life, and a sweet love story.

Never Have I Ever: Submitted to my Enemy by Willow Dixon

Title: ⟫ Never Have I Ever: Submitted to my Enemy

Author: ⟫ Willow Dixon

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ How could I not have realized the guy I’ve been chatting with online is the one person I hate?

Kai, the bad boy I broke my rules for. Who stomped all over my heart. Twice. He’s arrogant and annoying, and worse, he doesn’t even remember what he did to me.

He’s also my new presentation partner. I want nothing to do with him, but the more time we spend together, the more I realize he’s not the monster I’ve made him out to be. I want to keep hating him, but it’s hard when he’s made it his mission to get me to like him.

As if things weren’t messed up enough, enter MrWrong, the bossy as f*ck guy I’ve been chatting with online. Using an anonymous app was supposed to be an uncomplicated way to explore my more extreme interests. I didn’t count on meeting the only person who’s ever been able to give me not only what I want, but what I need.

I spent years denying my attraction to men to protect a broken heart. Now I have two guys I can’t stop thinking about.

F*ck my life.

Alex and Kai’s story is an enemies-to-lovers romance between classmates who discover they have more in common than they think. Expect lots of steamy, kinky conversations, and even hotter encounters when these classmates realize who they’ve been chatting with. It is the second novel in the exciting Never Have I Ever series but can be read as a standalone.

Review: ⟫ Well, this was full of surprises!! First of all, MrWrong has an absolutely filthy mouth on him and I am well and truly here for it. Secondly, someone needs to give Beck a smack around the head for not realising how much he was letting Alex down – you don’t have someone like that as your friend without realising how much damage you might cause by not being there for them.

The relationship(s) between Kai and Alex were complicated and interesting. I especially liked the hints the author dropped into things that could have revealed their connection earlier if they had been paying attention. The different sides to their personalities were represented in each scenario – there was the Alex that obeyed Kai’s every instruction and was his brat; the battling students working together; and the vulnerable young men who slowly let the other into the hidden sides of their lives until they all became entwined. It was beautifully done, and I really enjoyed the reveal and the very honest reaction to it.

So why a 4/5? I (personally) think that Alex was intelligent enough to recognise the signs of ADHD and even though when he was younger, he was made to feel like he was just being lazy, etc., once he reached university I think he would have investigated further. That niggled at me throughout the book – especially as a parent to a child/young adult struggling with ADHD – so that affected my enjoyment somewhat.

I was surprised/pleased to discover that I’m actually in the middle of reading Step-Bully which includes a couple featured in this book – my magpie mind jumped to other things whilst reading it, so I haven’t finished it yet but I will be bumping it up on my TBR pile.

This was a really enjoyable book to read and I think you will find yourself rooting for Kai and Alex to get out of their own way to find love. Alex truly deserved the family he found with Kai, his mother and sister, and Kai had someone that was his in a way that he had never experienced.

I received an ARC from GRR.

The Tech by Amy Lane (Long Con Adventures #5)

Title: ⟫ The Tech – A Long Con Adventure

Author: ⟫ Amy Lane

Rating: ⟫ 4.5/5

Blurb: ⟫ Can two quiet con men who lost their childhoods find their places as a part of a family—and with each other?

Ever since he watched his father die, Etienne Couvier has kept to himself. Under the tutelage of his adoptive family, the Salingers, Tienne grows into a gifted forger and artist. But no matter how hard they try to draw him into their midst—and despite the singular pull their friend Stirling Christopher has on his emotions—he resists.

When computer tech Stirling lost his foster parents, he found shelter and love with the Salingers. Stirling knows first-hand what Tienne has been through, so when an attacker shatters Tienne’s self-imposed isolation, Stirling urges him into the Salinger crew. Maybe they can finally explore the quiet attraction between them.

Then the Salingers announce their next project: an inquest into the mysterious deaths of Stirling’s adoptive parents. They descend on the Caribbean for answers, with Stirling and Tienne the quiet centers of the human justice-seeking hurricane. As they stretch out of their comfort zones, they learn that being family means someone always has your back. Hand in hand, they’ll solve the mystery. They might even be able to live with the consequences—as long as they do it together.

Amy Lane’s Long Con series follows a crew of civic-minded thieves on their quests for justice, adventure, and love. Fans of Leverage, heist movies, and romantic suspense will love The Tech.

Review: ⟫ Someone just needs to film this ish, release behind the scenes stuff, audition tapes, the whole thing because this series is just something else!

The Tech is about Stirling and Tienne, two young men who have been through far too much in their young lives who are not quite sure how they fit in with the Salinger’s team of loveable rogues. After all, they’re not the action-men – they’re the ones who create forgeries and sit on the computers doing all of the background stuff. They’re not the heroes or the mainstays of the family.

Amy Lane manages to create an action movie about family – found or by blood – whilst also weaving a love story between two young men who are not quite like everyone else. And she does it masterfully.

The latest con isn’t so much a con as a gift, and the whole family is in on it. We catch up with everyone from Michael and Carl, to learning more about Josh and Grace, to seeing more about how life doesn’t stay still. Felix and Danny have only just really settled into being together again with Julia by their side and Josh recovering when they have to consider how they will cope with a new person being within their midst (Leon is back and I am here for it because Julia deserves all the love).

I’m not sure there’s a man out there who could actually handle Molly – I feel like she needs someone who will be happy to be in the background, acting as a safe place for her to fall whilst allowing her to shine. But I kinda do need her to get her HEA too.

There are so many people to weave into this story that I think that might actually be part of the issue and why it’s a 4.5 instead of a 5 for me. It’s far too easy to get lost if you haven’t read everything that’s come before, and even if you have, cliff notes would really help. This Long Con adventure is turning into such a sprawling creation, that it’s in danger of getting out of control with so many characters and stories intertwined that it can be a little overwhelming.

Actually, thinking about it, maybe that’s why I related to both Stirling and Tienne so much – sometimes the Salingers as a group are just a bit much. I also found myself paying a lot of attention to Grace and worrying about him. His worry that he might become superfluous to Josh now that the young man is truly recovering touched my heart so much and I felt for him.

The love-making scenes were incredibly sweet whilst also being utterly filthy,and I adore the thought of Stirling researching all of the things he wanted to do and then putting his research into practice. The bad guys get their comeuppance in the best way, and the whole story was completely and utterly as described – think Guy Ritchie movie, or Ocean’s Eleven if that isn’t ageing me too much!

If you want a story that keeps you fully engaged, cheering, laughing and crying, then you can’t go wrong with picking up one of the Long Con Adventure stories and this is a worthy addition.

I received an ARC from the author.

Blaine's Beast by Joel Abernathy

Title: ⟫ Blaine’s Beast

Author: ⟫ Joel Abernathy

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ It's the coldest night of the year--the kind of cold that sinks its teeth into the bones of anyone unlucky enough to find themselves at nature's mercy. Frostbitten and exhausted after getting kicked out of his home when he came out to his parents, Blaine is about to become the forest's next victim.

But when the howling wolves surrounding him turn out to be a pack of cursed shifters who only want to help the trespasser on their territory, Blaine's bad luck takes a turn for the better. As Blaine begins to uncover the secrets of this strange place straight from a fairy tale, he discovers that its beastly master may be more than he appears...

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Blaine's Beast is a standalone MM Monster Romance retelling of Beauty and the Beast that was previously published under the author's pre-transition pen name as Blaine and the Beast. This story has been rewritten, but the foundations are the same.

Review: ⟫ This was lovely!! I could literally picture it all in my mind and I truly enjoyed it – think Beauty and the Beast but instead of being turned into household objects, the staff are werewolves!

The sex scenes were hot, but the part I liked the most was the growing relationship between the Beast and Blaine; their friendship and the trust that they built. The Beast was expecting Blaine to hate him and be terrified of him – instead he found someone who could look past the exterior to the man beneath. Not only that, he found someone who could love all sides of him which he had never expected.

If you know the Disney movie, you know most of how this story goes, and as such it was a really nice, relaxing read. There was minimal angst and as one of the first books of the new year, this was a good one.

Death's Bloom: A Bluebeard Retelling by Lily Mayne

Title: ⟫ Death’s Bloom: A Bluebeard Retelling

Author: ⟫ Lily Mayne

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ He’s the most perfect man I’ve ever met, but something is… wrong.

I don’t see it at first. All I see is the gorgeous man with dark eyes and long hair and that unusual blue beard. The piercings and the tattoos, the beautiful smile. All I can focus on is the way he touches me, the sound of his voice in my ear, the perfect life he draws me into.

I hide it from him at first. The fact that… I think I’m losing my mind. That I keep seeing something lurking in the corners of rooms, keep hearing a terrible voice mumbling in the dead of night, keep seeing white eyes watching me in the dark.

Something is haunting me. Tormenting me. Trying to ruin this perfect life I now have with Theo, so I do my best to pretend that everything is fine. That I’m not terrified I’m losing my mind, or that a demon is stalking the halls every night trying to… get me.

Until I can’t pretend anymore. Until I realise… the monster in my nightmares and my perfect, loving boyfriend are not so different after all.

Death’s Bloom is an MM horror retelling of Bluebeard, as part of the collaboration Monsters & Mayhem: An MM Horror Collection, adapting some of your favourite classic horror stories with an MM romance twist.

Warning: This m/m love story contains explicit sexual content and is not suitable for young readers. It includes mild BDSM, including restraint and breath play, and MMM elements as well as graphic depictions of death, gore and violence, a somewhat toxic relationship and morally reprehensible characters.

Review: ⟫ This was juicy and dark and I was all the way here for it!!

It helps that I had forgotten the basis of the Bluebeard story, so as it unfolded it was all new to me. Ari and Theo were a match made in heaven – or hell, depending on how you look at it – and from the time they actually met, the chemistry was off the charts. Their relationship happened thick and fast, and was kinky as all heck. And I loved it. The consequences were vaguely terrifying – I mean, I read what was happening and it sent a shiver down my spine. I completely understood Ari’’s reaction – who the heck would you tell? And it was made even more fascinating when we got Theo’s side of things.

I really and truly loved this – it was very much a fairytale retelling, but with a demonic twist. Lily Mayne has a very distinctive style and I have very much enjoyed reading her Monstrous series This isn’t quite in the same vein, but the style is there so if you like that series, and you’re happy to go darker (and I don’t mean a little darker but a LOT), then you should really enjoy this!