The Taste of Ink by Daniel May (Taste of Ink #1)

Title: ⟫ The Taste of Ink 

Author: ⟫ Daniel May 

Blurb: ⟫ "If he gives you everything you need, then why are you here?" 

 Trinket has everything he wants, and it’s not enough. 

Perfect boyfriend, Siebold AKA ‘Zee,’ adores him. It took years of mutual pining to confess their feelings, and Trinket should be elated to finally have what he wanted — but the night of their confession went horribly wrong. 

Two years later their relationship has yet to recover. 

Zee has the love, the money, the unending patience, but it isn’t enough. Trinket is still insecure in bed — even afraid. Despite his best efforts, Zee can do no right. 

Tattoo artist Mini can do no wrong. 

From the minute he and Trinket met — when Trinket tried in vain to mend his relationship with a two-year anniversary tattoo — no taboo has been off the table. 

Trinket didn’t mean to cheat. 

But he also doesn’t mean to stop, or to leave his boyfriend. For the first time in his life, he plans to get everything he needs, or lose it all trying. Everything will change — not just for himself, but for the two men he can't possibly choose between. 

The Taste of Ink is book one in a high heat, slow burn MMM trilogy with a happy ending. This trilogy was originally published as a series of seven books: A Taste of Ink, Lost in the Linework, A Guilty Canvas, A Stanza on Skin, A Darker Palette, The Color of Need, and a Final Stroke. The Taste of Ink contains content from the first three books. It has been lightly revised, with a few small changes and an extended ending in the third book. 

Review: ⟫ First of all, if cheating is a trigger for you, then don’t even think about picking up this book – the storyline is all about the cheating and the effects on the main relationship and there is no way to avoid it. 

With that out of the way, holy moly, Daniel May has done it again! 

This book is so hot, it’s practically steaming. 

As a person who has more than their fair share of tattoos, I completely agreed with what Mini said: once you’ve had one, you’re already planning the second on and so on. However, I have never had the reaction that Trinket has, and I’ve certainly never had that interaction with any of my tattoo artists (shame!) 

Trinket is fascinating – he seems so completely unaware of himself, of his feelings and watching as Mini peels back the layers of his character whilst tattooing him is completely fascinating. 

And his relationship with Zee is a bit like car-crash TV. You almost read the story between your fingers, waiting for disaster to strike with how completely Trinket is stumbling through this situation. 

The story is about Trinket figuring himself out as a person apart from Zee, learning his power and also what makes him tick. 

It is also incredibly hot and steamy, with some sections that literally made me feel hot and bothered in the extreme. I cannot wait for the next in the series as I found myself desperate to find out what happens between Mini and Trinket when Trinket doesn’t have to go home to his lover. 

I’ve never ready anything like this and completely loved it. 5/5 from me. 

I received an ARC from GRR.

Bully in My Bed by Rue Whitney

Title: ⟫ Bully in my Bed 

Author: ⟫ Rue Whitney 

Blurb: ⟫ What are you supposed to say when the guy who shattered your world asks to pick up the pieces and gently put it back together? It’s a tale as old as time: Closeted bully picks on openly gay kid. Then the bully grows up to be a hot, confident, out-and-proud man while his punching bag grows up to be a hot mess. 

I’m Drew, the hot mess, and now my former bully, Beau, is on his knees, begging for me to let him make amends. 

Most people would be thrilled to get that kind of apology. I just want him to leave me alone so I can pretend high school never happened. But Beau is on a mission to make up for his past and I’m the last box he needs to check off. 

I decide one day of debauchery will be a good enough peace offering. But the next morning—and the next week, and the next month—he’s still there. In my life and in my bed. 

Is a guilty conscience keeping Beau around, or is there more than one reason I’ve been on this bully’s mind all these years? This is a stand-alone MM romance, with a HEA and no cliffhangers. It is loosely connected to the Giving In series. 

Review: ⟫ I must admit, I think the blurb for Bully in my Bed is misleading. 

I expected a hot, semi-revenge falling in hate/love story but that wasn’t what this was. I learned quite a bit about what goes on behind the scenes for influencers, and there were some intriguing ideas in the story. 

I didn’t like Beau or Drew. 

To be honest, I thought Drew was insipid, with a tendency to be swayed by whoever he was with. I also didn’t find it even slightly believable. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that I didn’t like any of the characters – they were all kinda one-dimensional and irritating. 

The idea of a secret club where gay influencers and business people could get together and mingle without fear of being outed sounded really interesting – instead, it came across as very sleazy and I found it uncomfortable. 

The relationship between Drew and Beau was also a bit blah and by the end of it, I still found myself unsure if Drew was with Beau because he actually loved him or because he couldn’t figure out what else to do. 

More than likely, the issue is mine – I went into the story expecting one thing and didn’t like what I got instead. YMMV. 

I received an ARC from GRR.

Debunked by Pandora Pine (Haunted #2)

Title: ⟫ Debunked - Haunted? #2 

Author: ⟫ Pandora Pine 

Blurb: ⟫ Ghost hunter Marlowe Bond is shocked when Peyton West, the man who spent the last two years doggedly debunking his paranormal investigations, calls for help after allegedly being attacked in his home by a spirit. 

After a night in the house, Marlowe’s not sure anything more than a well-staged hoax is the culprit. Along for the ride is Marlowe’s boyfriend, artist Trip Cahill. Trip is expecting your standard low-grade paranormal activity, but gets more than he bargained for when Peyton explains that he’s being haunted by the ghost of Jordan Finch, a businessman who was killed fifteen years ago by his wife’s teenaged hitman. 

Is the spirit of Jordan Finch plotting the ultimate revenge for his murder, or is this “haunting” another in a long line of fantasies for Marlowe to debunk? 

Debunked is book two in the new Haunted? series and features a quirky ghost hunter, his witchy boyfriend, and a disinterested cat named after a Stevie Nicks song. Fact or fiction, haunting or hoax, join Trip and Marlowe as they work together to uncover the truth, no matter what it might be. 

Book one in the series, Haunted, is available through the Your Book Boyfriend's Boyfriend promotion 

Review: ⟫ It’s my bad that I didn’t read all the way to the bottom of the blurb to find out that book #1 was in YBBB promotion, as when I began reading I realised that I really needed to read that one – I was thrown into the story straight away and felt lost until I realised that book 1 was a must. 

After reading book 1, I felt like I stood a better chance of having a grasp on the characters and would be able to fall into the story better. I have enjoyed reading about ghost catchers, etc. in other book series, so was really hopeful – I’ve also read previous Pandora Pine and enjoyed it. 

This book didn’t do it for me. 

I didn’t gel with either Trip or Marlowe and thought Peyton was irritating. The storyline was interesting and well-written, but I found that I couldn’t get past my feelings about the main characters enough to enjoy it. There were crossovers with previous books, but I found myself getting a bit confused with who was who, and who did what. 

I did finish the book but I didn’t really get any satisfaction from it. This is one of those series that I can’t see myself going back to, unfortunately, but obviously YMMV. 

I received an ARC from GRR.

We Choose You by Katy Manz

Title: ⟫ We Choose You 

Author: ⟫ Katy Manz 

Blurb: ⟫ We Choose You: Choice Verus Fate Book One 

James and Aidan didn’t need fate. They had each other. Alpha James and Beta Aiden love each other and don’t care what fate has to say about that. Mating doesn’t need to be based on pheromones and scents. And kids? There were many ways to build a family. 

When fate comes knocking years later, James does what any wolf in his situation would—he runs away. He has a mate he loves more than anything, and they’re just about to get everything they want: a family. He can’t risk losing everything because Fate decided to be a butt. 

Omega Riley scented his fated mate once months earlier, and the wolf ran away. He is coming to terms with his singledom. Everything is going as well as it can, that is, until his fated mate’s children walk into his classroom. 

We ChooseYou is book one in the sweet with knotty heat MM shifter mpreg romance series: Choice Vs. Fate. It features an alpha wolf shifter who mated his beta best friend, the omega sent by fate, true love, twins who will steal your heart, adorable babies, and a guaranteed happy ever after. 

Review: ⟫ I really liked the premise of this story and was looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, for me, it was never truly fleshed out enough to live up to its potential. There seemed to be very little in the way of character development and what felt like big time jumps with no rhyme or reason. Just as an example, they met with the twins and the next thing you know they’re parents; the relationship between James and Aiden was barely explored, and when Riley joined them it became even more sparse. 

I think if there had been more depth to each ‘section’ – Aiden and James, the kids, meeting and getting to know Riley – this would have read so much better. I would imagine if you’re looking for something sweet and surface to read, this would satisfy, but for me it never quite got off the ground. 

I received an ARC from GRR.

A Foot in the Door by Vinni George (An Open Doors Novel)

Title: ⟫ A Foot in the Door – an Open Doors Novel 

Author: ⟫ Vinni George 

Blurb: ⟫ The student… 

If he wants a job when he finishes grad school, Tanner Brown needs to get a foot in the door. But when he arrives at the country’s largest statistics conference to find he has nowhere to stay, he’s not sure it’s worth it. Especially when he realizes his hot faculty crush just witnessed his embarrassment from a front row seat. 

The professor… 

Dr. Beckett James is happily focused on his career until one of his former students slides into his line of sight. Tanner is brilliant and engaging, and when he ends up without a room, Beckett has no choice but to offer him a place to stay for the weekend. Even if it means testing his restraint. 

The problem… 

When their conference fling turns into an on-campus complication, Tanner and Beckett will have to control the variables that threaten to keep them apart or risk losing their chance at a happy ending before it’s even begun. 

  A Foot in the Door is the third full-length novel in the Open Doors series featuring a statistics professor who makes a mean curry, a ginger-haired student with a bright future, and an offer neither can refuse. 

Review: ⟫ I should admit that numbers and I don’t get along very well. Maths was one of my worst subjects and I hate it to this day. Maybe that’s why this book never really got going for me? There seemed to be a lot of talk about statistics and data that either went over my head or just made me switch off. 

The relationship between Tanner and Beckett was going full tilt from quite early on in the book but I wasn’t sure I was feeling the chemistry. Then the fly in the ointment hit and I just – for some reason, it annoyed me. They could get past the idea of dating as ex-student and professor but the whole Mentor thing caused such a melt-down? All Beckett would have had to do was talk to his friend and explain. I don’t know, it just annoyed me so much that the rest of the book kinda passed in a blur of annoyance. 

I’ve enjoyed other books by this author so can only assume that this couple just happen to be a miss for me. The story is well written and engaging, with a relatively low-angst rating, and I’m sure a lot of people will enjoy reading it. It just wasn’t for me – we didn’t add up! 

I received an ARC from GRR.

Blitzed by S.E. Harmon (Rules of Possession #3)

Title: ⟫ Blitzed (Rules of Possession #3)

Author: ⟫ S.E. Harmon

Rating: ⟫ 4.5/5

Blurb: ⟫ NFL tight end Andrew McAdams isn’t thrilled to be sidelined with an injury. He’s even less thrilled about his legal troubles. Community service is the only thing standing between him and jail so...yeah. That’s a no-brainer. It's not all bad news, though. He gets to work with Jesse Fox, who is as gorgeous as he is guarded. And there's no rule saying he can't do his hours and have a little fun. Right?

Wrong. Jesse may have to put up an athlete using his center as a "get out of jail free" card, but that's where he draws the line. And who cares if Andrew is unexpectedly sweet and thoughtful? The people in Jesse’s life think he should get a life outside of charity work and find love. And maybe he will. But it won't be with a playboy NFL player wearing an ankle monitor as an accessory. Besides, anyone who dated someone like that would be thrust into the public eye. Jesse has worked hard to become someone else—someone better—and he's not about to dig up the past.

That's just not a game he's willing to play.

Too bad it’s not in Andrew’s nature to give up on something he wants. It may have started as simple attraction, but now it’s much more than that. He doesn’t just want Jesse for now…he wants Jesse for always.

And that's not a game he's willing to lose.

Review: ⟫ I kinda went into this expecting a relatively shallow book about two guys falling in love, with the NFL and a community centre in the background. But this book was so much more than that.

Jesse has had a tough life and is doing everything he can to pay it forward and ensure that others don’t have to struggle the way that he did. In doing so, he’s protecting his heart – especially after his last relationship with a closeted NFL player and how that turned out. That doesn’t mean he’s blind – he can see that Andrew McAdams is a fine looking man and is attracted to him, but that doesn’t mean he has to make the same mistake again.

I really liked Jesse – I liked how aware he was of his flaws and weaknesses; how he could look at his past and the people who let them down and acknowledge that loving them might be something he couldn’t stop but that didn’t mean he had to let them in. I especially liked how he was at the Centre – it shone out of him how much the place, the people and the kids meant to him and he sounded like an exceptional person.

Andrew McAdams took me by surprise. It would have been so easy for him to be some dumb jock trying to get into Jesse’s pants, with no appreciation for what he had and no understanding of why Jesse was the way he was. Instead, he proved himself to be sensitive, caring and just an outright good person who it was practically impossible not to love.

They made a lovely couple, even if they spent almost 75% of the book trying to deny that that’s what they were. Both of these characters were so well written, with a brilliant supporting cast including Blue and Kelly from the previous Rules of Possession books, and an underlying plot that was enthralling, amusing and touching in so many ways.

I motored through this book even though I was completely exhausted and wanted to sleep because I needed to see Andrew and Jesse get their HEA. I have enjoyed every book I have read by S.E. Harmon and this was no exception – well worthy of a read and unputdownable in the best way.

North's Pole by Leta Blake (Camp Bay Christmas Story)

Title: ⟫ North’s Pole

Author: ⟫ Leta Blake

Rating: ⟫ 3.5/5

Blurb: ⟫ Located on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille in beautiful Northern Idaho, Camp Bay Chalet is a discrete and cosy B&B, popular with both locals and minor celebrities for its fabulous holiday weekends.

The pic seen around the world….

The son of Hollywood royalty, North Astor-Ford has lived his entire life in the public’s eye. He knows better than anyone that someone is always watching.

So when one not-so-innocent picture meant for a hook-up accidentally ends up cross-posted across all his social media, North is left humiliated and scared. With no one to turn to, he flees to Camp Bay Chalet to be close to the one person he used to count on to protect him from the world.

Liam’s life has been in a holding pattern since the moment North fired him three years ago, even if it was for the best. A romance between a bodyguard and his client would’ve caused exactly the sort of scandal Liam was hired to prevent.

Now that North is back in his orbit, Liam’s going to do what he does best, protect North from the world. And maybe, just maybe, the charm of a Camp Bay Chalet Christmas will be enough to both heal North and bring about the romance they’ve both always wanted.

North’s Pole takes place in the Camp Bay shared universe, but can be read as a stand-alone. Look for more of the Camp Bay universe in Stolen Christmas by Marie Sexton.

Review: ⟫ Despite the raunchiness of the initial subject matter, this was a very sweet, quite romantic story with some sexy times thrown in. North was a really sweet guy – slightly naive and perhaps even gullible considering his upbringing, and not the brightest bulb in the box. His humiliation and anguish at the accidental pic that went around the world was palpable and actually made me think about real-life celebrities and wonder how they cope when sex tapes, etc. get released.

Liam was the official white knight – riding to the rescue and taking care of North the way he always did in the past. I thought it was really interesting the circumstances behind him getting fired – both he and North actually handled that with maturity and quite a lot of dignity.

Camp Bay sounds absolutely lovely, especially around Christmas time and this was all-in-all, a lovely Christmas read. The ages of the MCs bothered me a bit – they both seemed so long to be riding into the sunset, but the epilogue definitely helped there – and I quite enjoyed the read. I haven’t read any other books set in the Camp Bay verse but I will keep a look out.

I received an ARC from GRR.