The Gargoyle and the Romance Writer by Chloe Archer (Monsters Hollow Book #2)

TITLE: ⟫ The Gargoyle and the Romance Writer

AUTHOR: ⟫ Chloe Archer

SERIES: ⟫ Monsters Hollow Book #2

RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Welcome to Monsters Hollow, where love knows no bounds—even in a town full of monsters!

A quirky romance writer in hiding. A sexy gargoyle lover turned bodyguard. And a stalker that just won’t quit...

Ryder St. James

I assumed writing swoony romance novels about humans and Otherkind might attract some unsavory attention. But I never imagined I’d have an obsessive fan stalking me.

As a former foster kid, I’m pretty resilient but this situation is messing with my sleep and I’m on deadline for my next book!

About the only thing that can help at times like this is some regular mind-blowing…release. Trust me, solo methods just aren’t enough and hooking up with randos isn't my style. I need someone safe who can reliably rock my world in the bedroom and maybe help me with my research as a bonus!

Enter the hunky Scottish gargoyle who’s been flirting with me ever since I arrived to hide out in Mystic Hollow. We come up with an ideal no-strings and no-feelings arrangement.

After all, romance is just a fantasy I write about in my books--right?

Vash DarkWing

From the moment I met Ryder St. James, I wanted to know more about the bonnie, brave man who speaks his mind. With no filter.

When he proposes a few weeks of mutually beneficial shagging before his book tour starts, I immediately jump on the chance to, well, jump him. Just a bit of fun and maybe friendship.

Hell’s bells, but Ryder slips past all my defenses and wins my affections without even trying! Now, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep the man I love safe. Even if it means putting my heart as well as my life on the line.

The Gargoyle and the Romance Writer features an inappropriately curious novelist, a sexy Scottish gargoyle, a speciality harness for aerial…shenanigans, a creepy stalker, and true love for the win. This is the second book in the Monsters Hollow series and can be read as a standalone.

REVIEW: ⟫ I actually find this review difficult to write because this book was – different. I haven’t read the previous book in the series (I didn’t realise it was a series initially) so I had no previous knowledge of the characters. This possibly impacted my initial enjoyment as from the very beginning, we start the book on an incident that obviously harks back to the first one.

I found the characters to be a bit of a caricature on occasion – Max, for example, came across as a bit of a stereotype with the way he was described, his mannerisms and attire. This wasn’t necessarily a negative but I was a little thrown by it. I also struggled to connect with Ryder as a character – it felt very much like I should feel a certain way about him because of his upbringing, his attitude and his demeanour. It felt very much like he was written as a neurodivergent character whereby a lot of his mannerisms were ‘covered’ by his neurodivergence. It felt – maybe a little lazy? His inappropriate questions were not amusing after a few occasions of them happening, and I would have expected a man of his age to have better masking techniques.

I thought Vash was fascinating and I wish I had learned more about him – the bits we did find out about his home, actions and motivations was really interesting. The forum entries at the beginning of each chapter were fun to read and to try to guess who each person was. I thought the relationship between Vash and Ryder was nice – it built slowly with regard to the emotional aspect of things, and I liked how respectful, open and honest they were with each other.

I’m not sure if I would describe this story as steamy – there were sex scenes that were quite descriptive and explicit, but I didn’t connect with them very well and wasn’t as involved in them as I might have been. The best way that I can describe it is that I felt like I was told what they were feeling and experiencing rather than feeling it myself – the best sex scenes affect you on a visceral level and I didn’t get that from this story.

The stalker storyline felt under-developed but that might have been covered more in book one, so that is on me for not reading the first book. I did guess who the stalker was going to be but I don’t think it was meant to be a huge surprise by the time the confrontation took place. I did enjoy the confrontation, especially because Ryder proved himself more than capable of looking after himself which I appreciated – he wasn’t a damsel in distress.

The investigation into the magic within Mystic Hollow was intriguing and the arrival of a particular character definitely alludes to future stories. Overall, this was a pleasant read and I enjoyed the time I spent in Mystic Hollow. I’m not sure if I will try to read the first story, mainly because a lot of the plot might well have been spoiled for me by reading this first. I would recommend finding the rest of the series first so that you can enjoy things in the correct order.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Restless by Willow Thomas (Squad Goals Book #2)

TITLE: ⟫ Restless

AUTHOR: ⟫ Willow Thomas

SERIES: ⟫ Squad Goals #2

RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ The Cheerleader and the Football Star

Gio

Kissing Tucker Evans at a frat party was a stupid idea. He’s still getting over his cheating ex and there is no way I am anyone’s rebound guy.

Except when he gets injured, somehow I find myself volunteering to help look after him.

In every sense.

So maybe I will be his rebound. If I know what the score is going in, I can’t be hurt.

Solid plan.

Tucker

Kissing Giovanni Russo at a frat party was a brilliant idea. There was more chemistry in that one kiss than there ever was with my ex.

Now I just have to convince him to give me a chance.

Sharing a bed at his parents house leads to some epic fun times, but he has it in his head that I just want a rebound.

With Gio I want everything.

Restless is a cheerleader/football player MM romance. It has overly helpful friends, forced proximity, one bed, and an accidental grand gesture.

REVIEW: ⟫ I should preface this by saying that I haven’t read Squad Goals Book #1, so many of the characters in this story were unknown to me. That isn’t to say that it can’t be read as a standalone as I very quickly caught up with who was who, and how the ‘lines’ mingled.

Squad Goals was a fun, light, sexy read with both Gio and Tucker being very sweet, loving guys who were just figuring out what they wanted in life. Tucker was cheated on by his ex and, quite rightly, was hurt by it. However, the hurt wasn’t personal to the ex – it was more the general ego bruising that was the issue. Unfortunately, Gio has obviously had experience being the rebound person before and is determined that it isn’t going to happen again. Even for Tucker.

I really liked the way that Tucker didn’t push Gio’s boundaries – he was respectful, understanding and honest about how he felt, and it was good to see both leads be so clear and upfront. The ‘helpful’ friends made me laugh – I loved the idea of just how petty one character was known for being – and I also really liked how supportive they all were in their own, distinct ways.

Gio’s parents made me laugh out loud a few times – his Mom was just absolute gold in her attitude and behaviour, and again, I liked how supportive they were to their son and his friends. I wish there had been a bit more cheerleading involved but that’s a minor quibble. All in all, this was a light, fun read with a decent bit of steam and enjoyable characters.

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review and have downloaded the first book so that I can catch up on what I missed.

Bromantic Puckboys by Eden Finley & Saxon James

TITLE: ⟫ Bromantic Puckboy

AUTHOR: ⟫ Eden Finley & Saxon James

SERIES: ⟫ Puckboys Book #6

RATING: ⟫ 4.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Bilson

The idea of moving away from Seattle was a joke at first.

I have too many failed relationships here. Too much baggage.

So when I find myself signing with Nashville and leaving everything behind, I’m hopeful a new start will cure me of my attachment problems.

I fall fast and hard, and I’m quickly realizing it’s not so easy to escape my emotional damage. That follows no matter where I go.

When my new teammate, rookie goalie Miles Olsen, attaches himself to my side, the media are excited to exploit our bromance. Little do they know, he’s doing me a favor by keeping me away from making mistakes with women.

That’s the deal we made at the beginning of the season, but as time goes on, and we’re both going through a dry spell, Miles suggests a different arrangement. One I’ve never contemplated. One I shouldn’t consider.

One I can’t stop thinking about.

Miles

My first day as starting goalie for Tennessee is made mildly more terrifying by coming face to face with NHL veteran Cody Bilson. Hero worship? Me? Never!

He reminds me of my old frat buddies; loyal, kind, easy to trade banter with. But my dude is lost and trying to find himself again--without getting married this time.

I want to help him, and while my suggestion might not be conventional, it sure as hell is effective. The only way to make sure he doesn't marry a woman again? Blow off steam with a man instead.

We're both straight, we're both single, and we're both down for a good time.

After all, what are teammates for?

REVIEW: ⟫ This book was an absolute delight! Bilson isn’t just unlucky in love – he’s an absolute idiot about it, and he’s self aware enough to know that something has to change. Moving cities and teams, he decides he needs to work on himself and his abandonment issues but finds that it can be a lonely road he’s walking. Miles has finally stepped up to the big leagues – this is his chance to show what he can do in the goal and he’s determined to start things off on the right foot.

I adored both of these men for different reasons. Bilson because he’s putting in the work to figure himself out, despite how hard it’s proving to be. Moving cities to get away from his four exes and find himself is drastic but necessary, and I admire that about him. Miles is cocky, self assured, a little submissive, and more than a little eager to please. He’s the weird youngest kid who despite appearances to the contrary, isn’t sure of who he is or who he wants to be.

Put the two of them together and from the very beginning, the wise-cracks and banter take off and they never stop. It’s not even about an unconventional attraction – neither of them takes the time to think about just what it says about them that they are open to the idea of ‘helping each other out’.

Names and faces from the Queer Collective as well as Frat Wars appear aplenty, and life within the NHL as viewed through these eyes sounds like an absolute blast! We meet a few new people who I can only hope will feature in future books, but this is most definitely all about Bilson and Miles.

Their relationship is just so simple, even when it gets complicated, and I loved how in tune they were with each other, as well as their ability to be honest and open. From the very beginning, Bilson accepts all of Miles – whether it’s his rocks or Annette – and Miles gets Bilson in a way no one else ever has.

Really loved reading this and it made me want to re-read the rest of the Puckboys and maybe go back a little further to Frat Wars and beyond! An easy 5/5 from me.

Lights, Camera, Passion by Isabel Lucero

TITLE: ⟫ Lights, Camera, Passion

AUTHOR: ⟫ Isabel Lucero

RATING: ⟫ 2.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Playing a lead role in a book-to-movie adaptation with a wild fan base? Sign me up! The only downside is that I’m cast alongside Jacoby “Heartthrob” Hart—Hollywood’s golden boy. If only they knew he was an uppity, pompous snob.

We don’t get along, and if you’re reading the tabloids, you’d assume it was because I “stole” his girlfriend, but they have it all wrong. Jacoby and his cold shoulder started this, and now we’re set to play lovers. The only thing I’d love to do is strangle him, but I’m a professional.

Behind the scenes, we’re either bickering or avoiding each other, but when the cameras start rolling, I can’t believe how much chemistry we have.

One night, during a passionate argument, something happens that I never anticipated. The chemistry that started out as an act turns into much more behind closed doors, but we both have secrets, and Hollywood is a hard place to keep those.

Lights, Camera, Passion is an enemies-to-lovers story between two supposedly straight actors who don't get along but are cast to play lovers in a book-to-movie adaptation. Expect bickering, banter, tension, chemistry, and a couple of revelations straining to burst free from the closet.

REVIEW: ⟫ I wanted to like this so very, very much. The idea of a closeted gay actor and a bisexual actor acting together in a book adaptation and falling in love – just the idea made me squeal with delight. Unfortunately for me, this just didn’t do it.

The actual filming was over so quickly and barely covered – for some reason, I expected there for be more of the actual ‘film’ involved in the story. The relationship that built between Roman and Jacoby also felt really perfunctory. Yes, they were both attracted to the other before they met to film. And I could see how the tabloids would have played up the whole ‘romantic rivals’ thing from them both dating the same actress. But there were far too many misunderstandings that felt contrived and unnecessary.

I felt like we spent a lot of time with Jacoby going back and forth about his desire to hide his sexuality, whereas Roman’s feelings about his parents were handled in less than one chapter – I was disappointed because the point was made that his feelings about his parents played a huge role in his public persona. I wanted that to be explored more and definitely felt a little less time on Jacoby and more on what made Roman tick would have helped the story.

Their relationship was portrayed as very steamy and passionate, but I didn’t feel it. Reading their love-making scenes I felt quite removed – I guess the best description would be it felt very much like telling me what they were feeling rather than making me feel it with them. I just found myself very removed from the whole thing and that was disappointing.

It’s a shame because I think the story idea was brilliant and I would have loved to have felt more immersed in the whole thing. Obviously, YMMV, but for me this wasn’t a success.

The Marie Sinclair Reader by Marie Sinclair

TITLE: ⟫ The Marie Sinclair Reader

AUTHOR: ⟫ Marie Sinclair

RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ The Marie Sinclair Reader: six stories and novellas that are the perfect morsels of romance. From first times and first loves to meet cutes, sensuous seductions, and second chances, these stories are sometimes sweet, sometimes steamy, but always with an HEA.

Might Delete Later: An epically clichéd breakup leads to the cutest of meet-cutes with love at first text, delicious pastries, and the best dog face ever.

Chef’s Kiss: A sensuous seduction of wine, food, and desire turns a failed romantic dinner into a brand new chance at love.

Man Down: Unrequited love and frustration as volatile as the whitewater rapids that bring a bar owner everything he’s ever wanted with his ex-head bartender if he can only let nature run its course.

Nothing Like a Summer Romance: First loves. First times. It’s everything you could hope for in a summer romance. Maybe.

Same Old Love: A former child actor turned winemaker and a spiraling, out-of-control rock star get a second chance at the love they were never able to have.

Voir Dear: Jury duty a bore? Not when you find yourself sitting next to the guy you haven’t been able to stop thinking about since he sent your travel mug flying into traffic.

REVIEW: ⟫ I’ve not read any Marie Sinclair so this seemed like a good opportunity to see if I liked her work. Some of the novellas worked better for me than others – I enjoyed Voir Dear and Nothing Like a Summer Romance the most, although each story was written well. Considering they were novellas, each protagonist was well defined with appropriate backstory and motivations, and the background cast of friends/characters were well done. Occasionally the stories felt a little ‘dense’ descriptively – Chef’s Kiss went into SO much detail about the food and the wine, which for me felt a bit much – it felt like a lot of research went into it and they were determined to get it into the story. Overall, I think it was a nice introduction to the author for me and I would look out for other stories.

I received an ARC from GRR.