Daddy's Boy by Romeo Preminger (Arizona Series Book #2)

Title: ⟫ Daddy’s Boy: Book Two in the Arizona Series

Author: ⟫ Romeo Preminger

Blurb: ⟫ Arizona started a new life when his birth daddy, Gaston Bondurant, found him living with a foster family and facing criminal charges for assaulting his abusive stepfather. Plucked from the squalor of rural Acadiana, Arizona was thrust into New Orleans high society and an elite New England boarding school.

Home for the summer, Arizona sets out to find his younger brothers and sister, who were scattered to different places when their family was torn apart. Along the way, he reunites with his tenth grade sweetheart, Preston Montclair, who still holds a torch for him.

But Arizona is struggling to figure out the man he’s supposed to be. He’s got an obligation to his daddy, who wants to mold him as his heir, but he’s also got a responsibility to his wayward siblings. It feels like he’s swimming against the rapids, trying to do both while figuring out if he belongs with his boyhood love or an educated man who can help him with his dream of being a famous writer.

Review: ⟫ After reading the first book, I was quite eager to get to the second so I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t get into it. We start from where the first book ended and follow Arizona to college, where he struggles to fit in with boys who have lived a privileged existence from the time of their birth – nothing at all like him.

I picked this up and put it down numerous times, before finally determining that I was going to bull through. And I finally realised why I couldn’t get into the book. I don’t like Arizona – like, at all. In the first book, I sympathised with his plight and supported many of his decisions – or at least, understood them. In this book, I found Arizona to be reckless, uncaring and selfish. Even the things that were happening to his ‘siblings’ all seemed to be based on how it made him feel – little about what they were suffering through.

His behaviour at school – the lack of empathy for what his actions could cause – really annoyed me. Admittedly, he’s a young man and there were times when he tried to show maturity and responsibility like when he and his friends went out to clubs, etc, but I just couldn’t find anything about him to like. And that meant that my investment in the story dwindled until I finished it because I felt like I should rather than because I wanted to.

It is a very well written story, evokes the era extremely well, and the writing style is engaging, but my feelings towards the MC, how he treated Preston, some of how he behaved at school meant that I lost any inclination to read further. I completely understand that this is a ‘me’ problem rather than anything to do with the book, and perhaps it was written intentionally to create this feeling. Either way, for me this book was a 3/5 and I’m not sure if I care enough to read the third and final book.

I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews.

Scapegoat by J.R. Gray (Working Dogs Book #1)

Title: ⟫ Scapegoat (Working Dogs Book One)

Author: ⟫ J.R. Gray

Blurb: ⟫ Special Agent Nolan Hudson

At seventeen, I ran. I joined the military and planned to never step foot in my home town again. Nothing could make me return to that hellhole and the pain I buried there, or so I thought— until I found myself on a plane to that very place.

Almost two decades later, I’m forced home to help find a missing nine year old. As a member of the most elite K9 special unit in the country, it was my job and you can’t exactly say no to the FBI. It should be easy, and I won’t have to face what I ran from.

However, the case is anything but simple and to make matters worse, I’m faced with the last person I ever wanted to see again: Officer Callum Stone— the sheriff’s son and the town’s golden boy. Only he’s not anymore—he’s a ruin of what he once was.

It’s Callum’s kid who’s missing, and all the feelings I’d spent almost twenty years running from rise to the surface. As secrets come to light, we realize our small town is hiding a lot more than we thought, and we’ll have to follow the trail of deception to get justice and maybe a second chance at love.

Scapegoat is a second chance MM romantic suspense, featuring a small town, some FBI K9 fun, and hurt/comfort vibes. It is the first book in J.R. Gray's Working Dogs series, which will be packed with action, suspense, and humor.

Review: ⟫ I read Sitting Ducks as part of the Your Book Boyfriend’s Boyfriend and really enjoyed it, so when the chance came to read Nolan’s story I leapt at it!

I didn’t enjoy this anywhere near as much as I liked Sitting Ducks. Initially, I wasn’t sure why – the parts I really enjoyed included Nolan’s relationship with Maddie, Snoop, the friendship between Hayes and Hudson, Knox and the procedural stuff. These were all top notch in my opinion.

The bits I didn’t like: the relationship between Callum and Nolan. Which, as they were the MCs was obviously a bit of a problem. I didn’t like how easily Nolan forgave Callum for what he had done in the past, and I didn’t feel enough time was given to resolving all of that between them. I didn’t like that Nolan seemed to be doing all of the work between the two of them – initially,yes, I could see why that was but after a while, it just got tiresome! Flying back and forth across the country once a month whilst Callum didn’t reciprocate just bugged the heck out of me! There were times when I mixed up Nolan and Callum because they didn’t come across to me as two separate people – their voices were too similar. There were too many loose ends for me – there felt like there was a huge amount of build up with regard to the Sheriff with no pay-off (for me at least); the relationship between Nolan and his parents – what was up with that? How come after such an intense friendship where they shared everything, Nolan treated Hayes so shabbily?

I really enjoyed getting to know Knox better, and like I said the stuff with the dogs was brilliant – the Snoop thing completely cracked me up! I am working my way through J.R. Gray’s M/M catalogue and really enjoyed Pretty Obsessed, and I will be on the lookout for the next Working Dogs book, but this one just didn’t work for me.

3.5/5 for me, although obviously YMMV.

I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews.

Best Belly Buddies by Ki Brightly & M.D. Gregory

Title: ⟫ Best Belly Buddies

Author: ⟫ Ki Brightly & M.D. Gregory

Blurb: ⟫ In Need of TLC

Zayden “Z” Shoemaker has secrets. He’s been in love with Dare, his straight best friend, for longer than he can remember, and on top of that tragedy in progress, he has an odd quirk none of his ex-boyfriends could handle. After every nasty breakup, Dare is there to help him through the heartache—and wipe away tears.

The Port in Every Storm

Fern “Dare” Darrow is tired of seeing men break Zayden’s heart. As far as he’s concerned, no one is good enough for his Z. When Zayden’s current man cheats and sends him into a cocoon of blankets and despair, Dare steps up in his role of best friend. Dare doesn’t expect to walk in on Zayden in a vulnerable position, which causes Dare to seriously question his sexuality for the first time. Dare is shocked into examining his true feelings for his best friend.

Scared But Determined

After confessions from both men, Dare and Zayden must make a decision that could transform every piece of their relationship and life, especially since they already live together. They’ll either grow with the change or destroy the one friendship that has kept them sane. Dare isn’t a coward, and Z is stronger than he thinks, but they will need each other more than ever if they want to overcome a lifetime of expectations.

Review: ⟫ I’ve never heard of this kink outside of perhaps werewolf romance, so that was a new one on me. I was very interested in how it worked and how the writers were going to incorporate it without too much feminisation and I do think they did that very well.

The story was very sweet – friends who to the outside look like they’ve been dating for years, with one pining after the other – sounded right up my street. But this didn’t gel for me – at all. There seemed to be a lot of extraneous characters – some, I believe, who have books of their own – that got too much attention. Their work life also seemed to play a huge role in the story but didn’t actually add anything to it.

I liked how Dare didn’t just dive straight into things as soon as he admitted his feelings – his concerns about what Zayden was looking for based on the porn he had watched seemed valid and I liked the fact that they communicated. I liked Zayden’s character development in as much as he learned to stand up for himself more and accept that what he was looking for from a relationship wasn’t as out there as he might have initially believed.

But it just felt too long – very drawn out and almost laborious. I loved the idea of the Boudoir shoot, but I was completely thrown out of the story by what happened there. It just seemed completely out of character considering how concerned/hesitant Dare had been up until that point. It felt wrong and it bugged me.

Perhaps I just wasn’t in the right mood for this? I think it was overall very well written and it passed the time, but I can’t see me looking into the various other stories written in the verse.

3.5/5 from me.

Chosen by Nicholas Bella (Demon Gate Series Book #1)

Title: ⟫ Chosen (Demon Gate Series Book 1)

Author: ⟫ Nicholas Bella

Blurb: ⟫ Officer, Brian Cordero, didn't expect his life to be flipped upside down the day Raphael Ledeo sped past his patrol car in an Aston Martin. It was supposed to be a routine patrol stop, but the moment their fingers touched, his fate was sealed. He'd been chosen as Raphael's mate unbeknownst to him.

Now human no longer after he and Raphael bond, Brian has to figure out how to navigate life as a powerful demon. And that's just the beginning of his troubles. He discovers that there are eight gates to hell, and one of them – the worst one – is open, and a secret demon-hunting organization needs his help to close it. If that wasn't enough on his plate, his attraction to Raphael grows more intense the longer he tries to deny it. Brian considers himself straight, after all, and Raphael has been the only man he's been with.

But can he deny his desires any longer or will he have to finally admit his feelings for Raphael?

Reader Advisory: This book is filled with sarcastic demons, devilish charm, enough steam to fog up all of the windows in your home or car. And a plot that will keep you engaged until you finish the last page. 18 and older. Content may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.

Review: ⟫ I went into this story vaguely aware that some people found there were problematic issues with the mating of the two MCs, and the warnings that content might be sensitive to readers. I wasn’t expecting the straight up rape up scene that I read. I must admit, that threw me quite a bit – I’ve read dub-con and non-con, but this was just – nope. I think that the warnings given need to be clearer as they are too euphemistic for what actually happened on page.

The main character, Brian, was horrible – as in, I couldn’t find a single redeeming quality about him. He blundered around, getting himself into all kinds of trouble with secret societies and demon royalty with the subtlety of a dumper truck. He whined, constantly. His attitude towards women was abhorrent, and I was barely 30% of the way through the story before I decided that I really couldn’t give two sh1ts what happened to him. He was a complete dumbass.

Raphael was one-dimensional at best, and you would think considering his age, he might have handled things better. He was barely on page (mainly because Brian was such a dumbass but I digress), but when he was there, it was all about how pretty he was whilst he acted like a complete AH.

I was actually intrigued by the idea of the gates of hell, working to close them as well as secret societies and all sorts of demons, but it just wasn’t there. It was all about how powerful Brian’s demon was (told, not shown), him eating souls and sex. That was it. I know it was episode one, but there was pretty much nothing here that made me want to go back for episode two. I have read other Nicholas Bella books and enjoyed them, so I was a little disappointed in this one. I didn’t even find the story that dark – perhaps all of that will come in further episodes when it gets more into the demon gates? Or maybe I’m just a bit too dark in myself!

2.5/5 from me.

To Whom It May Concern by A.M. Johnson

Title: ⟫ To Whom It May Concern: A For Him Novella 

Author: ⟫ A.M. Johnson 

Blurb: ⟫ To whom it may concern, I can't be sure what you're into, that being said, if you like sexy and sweet romance with a whole lot of quirk, keep reading… 

Ever since Clay Saxon's parents passed away a year ago, he's been stuck in a rut, running their business, and suffering from the worst writer's block ever. 

But when Syrus Albie, aka yellow sweater guy, (you'll see) walks into The End Book Store, Clay's mundane little world turns to sunshine. 

I don't want to ruin it, but I can definitely say, when an introverted as hell narrator finally meets his favorite author and crush, all of his usual protocols go up in flames. 

Set in the For Him World, this stand-alone is the perfect introduction or addition to this steamy MM collection. 

Sincerely yours, 

A.M. JOHNSON 

Review: ⟫ I’ll preface this by saying that I haven’t read any of the ‘For Him’ verse that is mentioned in the blurb so went into this blind. I don’t think it made any real difference – I may have missed out on cameos that are from the other books, but it didn’t affect my enjoyment. 

This was a very sweet, soft, gentle read, with a socially awkward Syrus moving from a slight case of hero worship to love with a genuinely nice guy in Clay. There was no real angst in this book, just two guys meeting each other when they needed someone in their world and finding that they meshed really well. 

The communication between the two of them was a very strong point for me – perhaps because I recently read a book where I was almost screaming at the two main characters to just talk to each other – and Clay and Syrus made a lovely couple. I don’t know if I’ll look into the rest of the series, but this was a nice interlude. 

3.5/5 from me. I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews.

His Boy To Cuddle by Morticia Knight (Naughty or Nice Season 2)

Title: ⟫ His Boy To Cuddle (Naughty or Nice Season 2) 

Author: ⟫ Morticia Knight 

Blurb: ⟫ Dear Santa, 

I just recently moved to Boston and would love to find a sweet, pretty boy to spend the holidays with. I’m a fit, thirty-eight-year-old Daddy who loves to cuddle, pamper and kiss up a storm. Spankings and punishments? Not so much. With that in mind, I’d prefer a nice boy. 

Naughty in bed? That’s a different story! I’m all about heating up the sheets and keeping my boy satisfied. 

All Littles are welcome, any age, but if he likes dolls and frilly things—even better. I love me a femme boy who knows what he wants. 

I need to be up-front, though, Santa. This is a no strings attached arrangement for the week leading up to Christmas only. A long-term relationship isn’t what I’m searching for right now and be sure to let any potential boys know I’m not a wealthy dude. 

I can’t shower him with lots of presents but I can sure shower him with tons of affection! 

Thanks, big guy. I hope you can fulfil my wish. 

DareDaddy 

His Boy to Cuddle is part of the Naughty or Nice Season Two multi-author series. Each book can be read as a stand-alone, but there are so many Daddies looking for some holiday magic to bring them their perfect boys, why not grab them all? 

From this novella, you can expect a super shy boy who prefers nighties over PJs, a spectacular vintage Barbie collection, first times, and a muscular, bearded Daddy who can’t keep his hands off the prettiest boy he’s ever seen. 

Review: ⟫ I’ve never read a femme Little story before and that was what initially attracted me to reading this. An added benefit was that the Daddy in the story wasn’t wealthy – most of the other books I’ve read, money hasn’t been a problem which I think can sometimes skew the dynamic. 

This story was very sweet with excellent communication between Jaxon and Tracy. Although there were a few other characters, the focus was predominantly on the new couple, with Tracy learning about what he needed as a Little and Jaxon realising that he wanted more from the arrangement than he had initially thought. 

Lots of festive romance, playing with dolls and a little bit of sex. A solid 3.5/5 and I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews.

Moth by Lily Mayne (Monstrous #5)

Title: ⟫ Moth 

Author: ⟫ Lily Mayne 

Blurb: ⟫ When I—along with my best friend and his big purple monster boyfriend—come across a fortress-like raider camp while journeying across the monster-infested Wastes, we stop to deliver a message. 

Somehow, that simple pit stop turns into a seemingly impossible quest to get this camp’s missing leader out of the prison where he’s being held and forced to fight monsters and other humans. And I know exactly where it is, because I’ve been there. 

 Problem is, I’m making this journey with the prickliest and most arrogant guy I’ve ever met, who seems to immediately hate me on sight. 

Oh, and he’s also half monster. 

So there’s that. 

And he’s in love with a raider who definitely does not love him back, and he seems determined to take it out on me. So there’s also that. But I’m not going to rise to his childish insults and barbed words. I’m not. 

I’m also going to try very hard to ignore how mind-numbingly beautiful he is, even when he’s scowling at me. 

But the longer we’re out here together, the more I learn about my prickly half monster companion Moth. I realise there’s a reason he’s so closed off and angry. There’s a reason he hates everyone. There are secrets he’s been keeping, and when I find out what they are, I want to do everything in my power to help him—even though he’s telling me he can’t be helped. 

Moth is Book Five of the Monstrous series, a post-apocalyptic m/m fantasy series that features monsters and human men falling in love. It is best to read the series in order. 

Warning: This m/m love story contains explicit sexual content and is not suitable for young readers. It also contains graphic depictions of death and violence. 

Review: ⟫ Oh Moth!! 

My heart broke for this half-monster – I knew there had to be a good reason for what had happened in previous books, but I never imagined this. 

Lily Mayne pulled out the stops with this one – all of her monsters are beautiful, alien and scary in their own way, but Moth with his vulnerabilities, differences and awful childhood just about broke my heart. 

I devoured this in one sitting, then re-read it immediately to pick up all of the things that I might have missed, and I will probably re-read it again. This is another one of those series where each subsequent book somehow manages to replace your current ‘favourite’ couple, and Moth and Charlie most definitely did that. 

I loved Charlie. I loved how affable he was, how kind and understanding, how strong and unflinching. His loyalty to the people he cares about was palpable and what he did for Moth – building him up, listening, understanding and ultimately loving him – was just beautiful. 

More world building, catching up with our previous favourites and Cat – this was just such a brilliant book. I cannot wait for Lilac’s book, if only so we can finally see him wield that machete! An easy 5/5 from me.

Only for Ollie by Lisa Henry (Starcrossed #3)

Title: ⟫ Only for Ollie (Star Crossed Book 3) 

Author: ⟫ Lisa Henry 

Blurb: ⟫ Xander Finch is a top-ranked MotoGP rider, desperate to get back to the circuit after an injury. He’s going stir-crazy in his parents’ house in Ventura while he works on his recovery. Xander has tunnel vision when it comes to his sport—it’s all he’s ever wanted to do in life. 

When he hires a massage therapist to help speed up his recovery, he’s not expecting the guy to completely flip his universe on its head. 

Ollie Baker is living in his car after a disastrous break-up and jumps at the chance to earn some extra cash through massage. Xander Finch might be hot as hell, but Ollie’s not going there. He’s never going to let some rich guy screw him over again. 

Besides, Xander’s straight. Isn’t he? 

When their friendship deepens into something more, Xander discovers that Ollie makes him feel a way that nobody ever has before, and maybe motorbikes aren’t his only passion after all. Navigating Xander’s newly discovered demisexuality isn’t the only challenge they’ll have to face if they’re going to be together, because Ollie’s been burned before. It’s hard for him to trust Xander, to believe that he’s really willing to make room in his life for Ollie as well as his racing—assuming he recovers enough to race at all. 

Only for Ollie is the third book in the Star Crossed series, where regular guys meet famous ones, and sparks fly. 

Review: ⟫ Ooh I wanted to slap Xander! There was so much about him that I absolutely loved – the way that he was willing to accept a new view of himself, his kindness, his understanding and the way he treated Ollie was special. Just seeing him as a human being and doing what he could to help whilst remaining respectful and accepting boundaries. 

But the risks he took with his health made me want to slap him. I could well imagine the pressure he was under and it was very realistic – as long as people don’t see the spells he’s suffering from, he can get his life back. As someone who suffers with vertigo and has far too many spills, I know how easy it is to hope no one saw and try to go about your day like everything is fine. 

But the difference is, I’m not putting people in danger. He could have cost someone their life with his actions and I liked the way that this wasn’t brushed under the carpet – there were repercussions for what he did and he learned his lesson. 

Ollie was a cupcake who deserved absolutely everything in life, and it’s about time life handed it over in spades. The way he was accepted by the Finch family and open to their support and love despite how he has been treated in the past was lovely to witness and I really enjoyed his growth in the book. 

I loved reading this – learning more about MotoGP without becoming overwhelmed, the relationship that grew between Ollie and Xander, and the supporting characters – it was all extremely enjoyable. 

I haven’t read any of the other Star crossed books but I will keep an eye out for them. Thoroughly enjoyed and recommend. 4/5 from me – I received an ARC from GRR.

Suddenly Beck by Vawn Cassidy (Belong to Me #1)

Title: ⟫ Suddenly Beck (Belong to Me Book 1) 

Author: ⟫ Vawn Cassidy 

Blurb: ⟫ A surprisingly sweet, sinfully sexy, and deliciously hilarious romp along the Cornish coast. 

Nathan Elliott has run away from home at the age of twenty-six. His teenage rebellion may have come ten years late, but better late than never. Leaving behind a world of wealth and privilege, and a strict patriarchal family that would never except a gay son, he’s ready to embrace life and make up for lost time, but nothing’s ever that simple. 

A coin toss, a delayed train, and a wrong bus later, and Nat finds himself in a small bay in Cornwall being hauled out of the ocean by a gorgeous stranger and wondering how the hell his life got so off track. 

Beck Ainsley lives life by a very simple ethos, don’t get attached, don’t get involved and don’t fall in love. He’s been there, done that and got the t-shirt that reads I’m a gullible idiot. Now, he keeps his life simple; all he needs is his dog, his art, his rambling sea cottage overlooking the bay and a few choice waves to surf. 

He’s not looking for love or commitment, but when he ends up plucking a posh boy from London with incredible blue eyes from the ocean, Cupid doesn’t just shoot him with an arrow, he decides to club him senseless with the bow too. 

One simple agreement. A summer fling, a chance to act on the insane attraction between them with no strings attached, and at the end of the summer they walk away. 

There’s just one problem, fate is a fickle and capricious creature, and she has no intention of letting them walk away unscathed. They’re about to discover that sometimes the heart wants, what the heart wants… 

From author Wendy Saunders writing as Vawn Cassidy, comes this hot and sweet, first time, MM romance that will leave you laughing out loud and fanning yourself from the heat… 

Review: ⟫ This story was completely delightful! 

I adored Nat – the way he was determined to be free and experience everything; and Beck sounded completely delicious. There is a certain amount of suspending disbelief required, but this book is so well worth that. Full of love, laughter (Molly cracked me up so much), a family dealing with grief and a young man finding himself and true love – who could ask for more? 

The descriptions made me want to visit Cornwall again (I went about 25 years ago and there was nothing but wind and rain), and the whole story was just so sweet and enjoyable. The cast of characters were really cool – I come from a big family so it was fun watching the dynamics of the Ainsley clan and it brought back so many memories. I loved the surfing aspect, especially the family tradition – the description was so vivid and evocative, I almost felt like I was there. And the sex scenes were steamy as all hell – I wasn’t expecting the level of dirty talk but I LIKED IT a lot! 

Happily rounding up from 4.5/5, I received an ARC from GRR.