Lyric by Wendy Rathbone (Love Sync Mates Season #2)

TITLE: ⟫ Lyric

AUTHOR: ⟫ Wendy Rathbone

SERIES: ⟫ Love Sync Mates – Season 2

RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Can an alpha athlete and a traumatized omega find true love?

Lyric is a famous alpha athlete, a dragon shifter racer known as the fastest flier in the world.

Jinn is a rare omega dragon shifter who finds himself in trouble one night when he meets an alpha at a bar who won't leave him alone and who ends up being his stalker.

When Lyric is on a break from racing and goes to spend time at his private roost in the middle of the woods, he sees an omega running naked through the foliage as if fleeing for his life. When he realizes the omega is being chased by a feral dragon, he fights the out-of-control dragon and protects Jinn with all his might.

A bond quickly forms between the two, so powerful and unexpected that each man begins to question if their feelings are real.

An MM dragon shifter romance with two men who discover they are each other’s true mate. Rescue, hurt/comfort, omega heat, needy omega, protective alpha, mpreg and an HEA.

This book is part of the Love Sync Mates multi-author series but can be read as a standalone. It is also set in the author’s own Alpha Dragons universe.

REVIEW: ⟫ I should preface this to say that I haven’t read any of the author’s Alpha Dragons universe so entered this cold.

I actually quite enjoyed this new spin on true mates and dragons, especially with the way the dragons were separate entities with their own views, thoughts and voices. I loved how respectful Lyric was of his dragon Lyrican once he understood why the dragon felt the way that it did – it said a lot about his character that he wasn’t arrogant and assuming that he knew best.

I didn’t get as good a read from Jinn and struggled to relate to him at all, especially when the details of his meeting with Colt were revealed – it just seemed utterly out of character and more than a little foolish.

I liked the relationship that built between Jinn and Lyric, that neither of them assumed things about the other and that they were sensible enough to question whether what they were feeling was real given the circumstances. This was a nice, pretty uncomplicated read and I enjoyed it.

I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews.

Pumped by Linden Bell (Mars Fitness #3)

TITLE: ⟫ Pumped

AUTHOR: ⟫ Linden Bell

SERIES: ⟫ Mars Fitness #3

RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ Love is co-parenting with my worst enemy.

Owen

Everest is an irresponsible, delinquent, attention-hungry man-child.

Ever since my brother married his sister, we’ve hated each other with an unrelenting passion. It was bad enough when I had to see him at occasional family gatherings, but now I’m living in a nightmare and he’s right here with me.

Everest

Owen is arrogant, uptight, snobby, and cold-hearted.

I don’t want to have anything to do with him, but I don’t have a choice. After a tragic accident, we’re forced to raise our niece together, but our grief and mutual animosity is turning the house into a pressure cooker. We have to make peace and learn to work together, if not for our sake, then for the little girl who’s already lost everything.

PUMPED is an enemies to lovers, forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract MM romance between a free-spirited personal trainer and his overbearing veterinarian brother-in-law. Expect reluctant cuddling, teasing as a love language, annoyingly hot backwards caps, pillow chastity barriers, pool wrestling, begrudging I love yous, and a little girl who has them both wrapped around her little finger. PUMPED is the third and last book in the Mars Fitness series, but can be read as a standalone.

REVIEW: ⟫ This was a satisfying end to the Mars Fitness series. Everest and Owen were the epitome of enemies to lovers, although the circumstances were painful in the extreme. I really appreciated the way in which their grief was handled – it wasn’t a one and done, there were times when things were bittersweet, times when there was panic – it was really nicely handled. I enjoyed the writing of Ivy as I know it can be difficult writing age appropriate children but this was handled deftly. The sex scenes were extremely hot – Everest and Owen seriously burned up the sheets – and catching up with the other guys at Mars was lovely.

I enjoyed this series and will be looking into the ones linking to it to join my TBR. I received an ARC from GRR.

Love's Ace by Lee McCormick

TITLE: ⟫ Love’s Ace

AUTHOR: ⟫ Lee McCormick

RATING: ⟫ 4.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ There’s no good. No evil. No angels and demons. There’s love and there’s hate… and somewhere between the two, lust finds a way to thrive. It tips the scale. It burns everything to ash.

Wren — Cupid

We’re created from birth to unite soulmates and stop the monsters that would tear them apart. We’re trained to fight, to kill… and born without the ability to feel the thing we give. A cupid can’t feel love. A cupid can’t have a soulmate. And a cupid can’t fall in love with their sworn enemy, with the monster they’re destined to destroy. Until… Theo.

Theo — Enmity

When the world breaks a human, the Enmity can find a place in their heart and turn them into creatures of pure rage. The world has broken me over and over again until I’m not sure there’s anything left but anger. Hatred. Fear. I don’t believe in love, or soulmates… I don’t believe there’s anything out there that could stitch together the wounds that left me vulnerable to the monster I’m becoming. Until… Wren.

~~~

Love’s Ace is a dual POV enemies to soulmates MM Romance with a jaded cupid, a broken man turning into a monster, and the red string that connects them both. Expect high heat, high emotions, and an HEA that defies all odds.

REVIEW: ⟫ Dang, Lee McCormick did the thing! Not gonna lie, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Cupids and Anti-cupids fighting it out on earth but, my goodness, this book dragged me in from the very beginning and I didn’t stop reading until I’d finished.

Wren has been a cupid for over a century but feels next to nothing. Cupids are not allowed emotions and Wren has become more than accustomed to feeling nothing. Until he meets Theo – a man on the verge of turning into Wren’s sworn enemy, the Enmity.

Theo has lost everything and cannot think of the last time he felt something good. Which is why when his body begins burning with hate and only the touch of a Cupid can stem the pain, he has no idea how to handle things.

The way that these two hated each other initially was intense – you could feel Wren’s desire to kill Theo and just get things over with, and Theo almost wanted to give in to the hatred and lust for violence inside him. But then circumstances meant that they needed each other, until it wasn’t about the circumstances, it was about how they made each other feel.

The tension was palpable, the sexual tension was there in spades, but this entire story was just about emotion and how the right person can make you feel like you’d do anything for them. I loved the lore behind everything (although I can’t help but feel the way they created Cupids was unbearably cruel), and I absolutely loved the characters we were introduced to. This is a fast paced, romantic, sexy, touching and painful story to read and I almost wish I hadn’t finished it because now I’m left with all of these feelings!

A fantastic read and it solidified Lee McCormick as an auto-buy for me. I don’t know how much it fits with Valentine’s Day just being around the corner, but this dark romance definitely worked for me!

I received an ARC from GRR.

Goodbye Note by J.R. Gray

TITLE: ⟫ Goodbye Note

AUTHOR: ⟫ J.R. Gray

RATING: ⟫ /5

BLURB: ⟫ I’m living the dream, playing summer festivals to massive crowds.

My band is on fire, my best friend by my side and we’re on top of the world.

I fell for him in the heat of the summer. I fell for the stars in his eyes.

The way he said my name. I’ll never love anyone the same.

But our story ended when it was just beginning.

Fame gave me more than I could ever imagine, but I’ll forever suffer the cost.

The summer of love and loss would forever be a stain on my heart.

I used to think life didn’t come with second chances, until we’re reunited for a world tour as dual headliners.

Only he thinks I’m happily married, when in reality, my life is crumbling.

My team won’t let me announce my divorce, leaving him to believe I’m off limits.

We gave up on forever and I’d give anything for another shot at love.

REVIEW: ⟫ Currently reading – review to follow.

My Big Gay Secret Wedding by D.K. Sutton (Wedding Disasters #3)

TITLE: ⟫ My Big Gay Secret Wedding

AUTHOR: ⟫ D.K. Sutton

SERIES: ⟫ Wedding Disasters #3

RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ That feeling when you wake up married to your best man…

When my almost-wedding to a popular media influencer implodes and goes viral, we head to Vegas to drown our sorrows and hide from the paparazzi. Everything is under control. Right?

But then I wake up naked, hungover, and married to my straight best friend.

A quick annulment is the perfect solution. Until it’s not.

I need to break free from my controlling father and stay in med school to gain access to my trust fund and the truth about my mother’s disappearance. The only way to do that is to prove my independence.

Mac and I agree to pretend our accidental marriage was intentional. Pretend Mac isn’t exactly straight. Pretend I'm madly in love with my best friend.

The hard part? All this pretending feels way too real.

Every kiss and touch from Mac feels more authentic than the last, making it difficult to hide how much I want our marriage to be forever.

Mac has been the only constant in my life. My best friend. My whole world.

But with our divorce only a signature away, I risk losing everything. Mac included.

Can what happened in Vegas be forever?

My Big Gay Secret Wedding is a low angst M/M romance and the third book in the Wedding Disasters series. It features best friends to lovers, waking up married, demi-awakening, fake relationships, small towns, and found family. It can be read as a standalone but is better read as part of the series. There is no cheating and a guaranteed HEA.

REVIEW: ⟫ I’m in so many different minds about this book. I should preface this by saying that I haven’t read any of the other books in the series, which, although this can be read as a stand-alone, I feel like I missed a few hints and connections whilst reading.

There were quite a few times when I felt pulled out of the story, but honestly it was mainly when it came to Mac’s refusal to swear. I don’t know why he doesn’t swear, but the words he chose instead just seemed kinda silly and each time it happened, it pulled me out of focus. There were a lot of plot lines in this story, including what happened to Rainn and Zye’s mother, the background of Mac’s father being an alcoholic, what happened between Zye and Mac – and honestly, it felt like they were superfluous. It was all a bit much and there were a few occasions when I wanted to just slide past sections.

Mac being unsure of his sexuality and his insistence that he wasn’t gay was also a bit of a niggle for me. However, Mac and Rainn were both very much there for each other – they weren’t just best friends in name, they also showed how much they cared for each other. The scenes between the two of them when they were alone were romantic, sweet and touching and I very much enjoyed the two of them together.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Sexy Possessed Roommate by X Everett (Planchette Playboys)

TITLE: ⟫ Sexy Possessed Roommate

AUTHOR: ⟫ X Everett

SERIES: ⟫ A Planchette Playboys Novella

RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ This demon knows your heart's desire.

There’s only two rules for the party I’m hosting at my fraternity this weekend: don’t mess around with straight boys OR Ouija boards. When my hot, hunky college roommate gets possessed by a demon, I quickly find out why… but I keep asking myself, “Why not?”

SEXY POSSESSED ROOMMATE (Planchette Playboys Book #1) is a steamy M/M dark romance novella with elements of horror and the paranormal, death, possession, and humor. Tropes include friends-to-lovers, bi awakening, forbidden love, and size difference. This first-person, past-tense tale has a happy ever after, but trigger warnings include a dirty-talking demon, light bondage and degradation, homophobia, non-graphic death, and acts of the occult. Though this book is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone novella.

With contributions from indie horror author Xtopher

REVIEW: ⟫ This was well written with an interesting premise. Crispin was an interesting character, although sometimes he came across as really indecisive: one moment he was completely against using the board, the next he was like ‘yeah sure’. Stacio sounded absolutely lush and I loved the imagery the author created of the two of them together. I can think of at least two characters that I imagine are going to be featured and that sounded fun. It was a nice, easy read that I enjoyed. I received an ARC from BookSirens.

Candy Hearts : Volume #2 by Various Authors

TITLE: ⟫ Candy Hearts

AUTHOR: ⟫ Various

SERIES: ⟫ Volume #2

RATING: ⟫ /5

BLURB: ⟫ What's sweeter than a low angst queer romance at Valentine's Day? How about twenty-three of them in one anthology to help support a good cause?

Each novella in the Candy Hearts Anthology, volume 2, is overflowing with red-hot romance and all the good feels. This volume is all about wrong numbers—wrong phone numbers, addresses, office numbers, seats, and more. If you enjoy serendipity, then you’ll love this collection.

The Candy Hearts Anthology will be available for a limited time, and all proceeds will benefit the Rainbow Railroad.

The participating authors in this volume ⟫

Anna Sparrows * BA Tortuga * Becca Seymour * Beck Grey * Bix Barrow * BL Maxwell * CD Rachels * Chantal Mer * D.K. Sutton * David Gray * E.M. Denning * Hinsel Meyer * Jem Wendel * Lee Blair * London Price * Marie Sinclair * Merry Farmer * Minerva Howe * Riley Long * Rye Cox * Stella Rainbow * Susan Scott Shelley * Victoria Gillilan * Zoe Lee

REVIEW: ⟫ Currently reading – review to follow. I received an ARC from GRR.

Not Catching Love by Saxon James (Accidental Love #5)

TITLE: ⟫ Not Catching Love

AUTHOR: ⟫ Saxon James

SERIES: ⟫ Accidental Love #5

RATING: ⟫ 5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Xander

There’s something seriously wrong with me.

For once, I’m not talking about the health anxiety that randomly pops up and wreaks havoc on my life. I'm talking about, well, everything else.

All my roommates have found someone to love them, and it hurts to see the guys who used to have me at the center of their worlds pair off and grow up, especially when it’s a reminder of everything wrong with me. I’ve always had an issue with relationships. With forming a connection with people outside of Seven, but this is more.

Because I want to find my someone.

Except the one person my brain has latched onto is the one person I can never have. The one person who’s there to help me when my panic attacks get too much.

Nurse Derek.

Derek

I should never have offered to treat Xander Moore.

And now here I am years later, my life on hold, while I wait day in and day out for the call that Xander needs me. It always comes, and I always answer, but I’m starting to dread those visits.

Lately, I’m looking at Xander in a way a medical professional should never look at their patient.

When Xander starts volunteering at the same nursing home that I do, I get to see a new side of him. The artistic, charismatic side that draws the residents in. I get glimpses of a man who’s so much more than his anxiety, and it does nothing to help my feelings for him.

When lines begin to blur, I have no choice but to stop treating him. That at least allows us to be friends. The only problem is, being friends isn’t enough for either of us.

It’s wrong, unethical, and unprofessional, but my heart won’t listen. It’s decided on Xander, and it doesn’t want to wait. Neither does Xander.

But if I want to keep my job, I have to resist.

I just wish he didn’t make that so difficult.

REVIEW: ⟫ Serious bit first – I am blown away by how well Saxon James handled Xander’s mental health issues. There was no magic cure, no easy way out or through – this took solid work, determination and a whole lot of love from the people who cared about him.

Now, onward into the last adventure with the Bertha Boys, and Saxon saved the best until last. Derek may well be one of my top ten favourites of her characters – it was how open he was, how caring, how understanding – he was absolutely everything that our Xander needed. And then some.

I literally steamed through this read with only a couple of bathroom breaks and I don’t regret a thing. Well, other than this was the last Bertha story because oh my goodness, I am going to miss these guys. I spent pretty much the entirety of the last few chapters reading through tears because it was all just so absolutely right. Like – Derek completely understood how Xander felt about Seven and Molly and wasn’t needlessly jealous; how much all of the boys love each other; Aggie – oh my goodness, Aggie – we all need an Aggie in our lives.

The volunteering at the retirement home touched me so deeply, especially since Xander didn’t water himself down even the slightest and yet still showed so much care for these people. I just – I could ramble for a very long time about all of the different things I loved about this story, but suffice it to say I began February with an excellent book, a snuffly nose from the quiet sobbing and a deep desire to see these books made into a series!!