Winner Take All by Ellie Roth (Longview Book #2)

TITLE: ⟫ Winner Take All

AUTHOR: ⟫ Ellie Roth

SERIES: ⟫ Longview Book #2

RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ “You cannot just send me a text with the words ‘I think he’s in love with me’ and expect me not to come over.”

When the most powerful magic user in the tristate area loses his powers, Shiki Gonzalez’s ranking goes from third place to second place overnight. Unfortunately, the one thing holding him back from finally claiming the title of grand champion is taking down his old enemy Michael Vernon, and despite eight years of trying, that’s the one feat Shiki has never been able to accomplish. This time, though, Shiki has a plan.

Mehmet Argitakos is thrown for a loop when his longtime crush Shiki approaches him with a Shiki will help Mehmet climb his way up the ranks of the advanced Blizzard tournament if Mehmet teaches Shiki how to fight like the former titleholder, Mehmet’s best friend Chris. But taking down Vernon is a cause Mehmet can definitely get behind—and Shiki’s notorious penchant for casual intimacy doesn’t hurt, either.

As the cold days of training blur into long winter nights, Shiki’s and Mehmet’s worlds slowly start intertwining. But guarded Shiki doesn’t let down the walls around his heart for anyone, and Mehmet wants to be something more than just the next warm body in Shiki’s bed. With the Blizzard on the horizon, will their partnership crack under the strain or evolve into something more?

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Winner Take All is a contemporary LGBTQ+ romantic fantasy that features a modern world imbued with magic, a slow-burn friends-with-benefits romance, found family vibes, tragic backstories, mild to moderate steaminess, major angst, and a happy ending for our protagonists (with a few plot threads left open for later books). Can technically be read as a standalone, but is best enjoyed after Just Like Magic.

REVIEW: ⟫ I actually struggled with reading this up until about 56%. I was enjoying it but because it was heavy on the training aspect of things and only alluding to the tragic backstory that would make sense of things, I felt that something was missing. I couldn’t connect well with either Mehmet or Shiki and was struggling. Miscommunication isn’t one of my favourite tropes and there was miscommunication aplenty in this story.

However, after 56%, this story flew by! The actual magical tournament, the relationship difficulties between Shiki and Mehmet, Vernon and the consequences of his actions – all of it flowed quickly and efficiently, with some hard-hitting emotional impacts that took me off guard. I remember reading the first Longview book and being a little disappointed in the romantic storyline – this time, I took notice of the ‘mild steam’ warning and wasn’t expecting more. However, the emotional aspect of things was really beautifully handled.

Seeing Mehmet come into himself – truly blossom into the competitor that he should always have been was so satisfying, as was the support from his friends. I enjoyed this story overall more than the first Longview book, with prickly, grumpy Shiki turning into my favourite character! The series seems to be getting better as it goes along, so if you enjoyed the first book then I heartily recommend reading this one.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Beyond Fate by Lee McCormick (Beyond Novella #1.5)

TITLE: ⟫ Beyond Fate

AUTHOR: ⟫ Lee McCormick

SERIES: ⟫ Beyond Book #1.5

RATING: ⟫ 5/5

BLURB: ⟫ “Maybe in our next life, things will be different? It can be you and me. Maybe we’ll finally fit. Soulmates, right? So maybe…”

Clay

I’ve been on a hundred jobs, but I’ve never met a person like Jayce Holden. He’s everything I shouldn’t want, wrapped in a protective package that seems hellbent on making sure I’m safe from his family. Making sure I’m his.

I'm not sure what I want... not when my mission is to kill his father, and Jayce is the only person who knows where to find him.

Jayce

I’ve had a dream of the same man my entire life. Sometimes, he’s soft and sweet… and sometimes, he’s trying to kill me. Sometimes he does.

When Clay walks into my life, I recognize him immediately. I know I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him, whatever it takes to make him mine… even if it means defying my family and putting everything on the line.

BEYOND FATE is a dual POV novella that follows Jayce and Clay into the future for their shot at finding happiness in their next life. While connected to the Beyond universe, this is a uniquely crafted story set in the future to give two characters their very deserved happily ever after. Expect high heat, an assassin and the son of a mafia boss fighting for their chance at love, and the HEA that everyone demanded.

REVIEW: ⟫ I was one of those people who read the first book in this series and felt bad for Jayce and Clay, so when I heard that the author was going to release a novella featuring the two of them, I was so here for it. And this did not disappoint. Set in a non-disclosed future, Clay is an assassin for the government who does whatever is needed in order to get the job done. Including putting himself into the position to have to handle a serious sexual assault – all in a day’s work. But then the giant mechanic that keeps watching puts himself in the middle, messing up Clay’s plans for getting close to the big boss and suddenly, all bets are off.

The tension between Clay and Jayce is palpable from the very beginning and getting to see what they are thinking through the dual POV is excellent for understanding just what the heck is going on. Jayce has memories – dreams of Clay – that have been going on for a very long time and just wants to figure out what the hell is going on. And maybe see if Clay could be the one person in the horrid existence he is living that can make it all worthwhile. Clay, on the other hand, is discovering that there are things about his past and himself that he has no memories of and Jayce just happens to be one of them.

Despite being a novella, the story doesn’t rush straight into a relationship between the two of them. Instead, it simmers in the background whilst the story of a son desperate to get out from underneath the thumb of his evil father and the government assassin who should be using said, unknown son in order to get to the father hurtles along with a sense of impending doom hanging over everything. The interactions between Clay and Jayce get more and more intense, and things throw us into meeting characters that we completely and utterly hate (I’m talking Nick here) as well as hopefully someone we’ll meet again (Rhys) and this story grabs you and doesn’t let go.

I’m beyond excited for the next instalment and really pleased that Clay and Jayce got the action and romance that they deserved. A very satisfying novella and I recommend giving this author a read!

I received an ARC from GRR.

Eternally Blessed by Garrett Leigh (Rebel Kings MC Book #7)

TITLE: ⟫ Eternally Blessed

AUTHOR: ⟫ Garrett Leigh

SERIES: ⟫ Rebel Kings

RATING: ⟫ 5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Locke

Three is the magic number. I gave them my heart, and they gave me theirs. But the downside of living my best life is that I have everything to lose. And sometimes it’s not the obvious thing that can rip it all away.

It’s fate.

It’s chance.

It’s the worst luck in the world for the soul who least deserves it, and the one cruelty I can’t take.

The one storm we can’t weather.

I’m not a religious man. Not even close. But I’m praying right now.

For her. For him. For me.

Cos there is no us without him, and I won’t survive it if everything we’ve fought for is nothing but a dream.

Eternally Blessed is the seventh instalment in the bestselling Rebel Kings MC series. An MMF romance with strong MM romance content, hurt/comfort, angst, found family, forced proximity, single dad, and friends-to-lovers tropes.

Content warnings for everything you’d expect from a gripping biker romance.

REVIEW: ⟫ Oh my heart!! What the hell, Garrett Leigh, I know I should have been prepared for how much this was going to rip my heart out of my chest but somehow, I wasn’t.

The cliffhanger that had me alternately screaming and worried cumulated in this book, and I finally understand why this couldn’t have gone into one book. There was SO much going on in this book – so much Locke, Orla and Nash went through – its really difficult to review without giving spoilers.

It seemed incredibly unfair that after everything that has happened to the Rebel Kings (but Locke in particular), that this is where things began in this novel. It was almost as if life waited until Locke finally took a breath and began to see how happy he could be, then cruelly ripped it out of his hands and plunged him back into hell. I was actually really angry – there’s unfair, there’s well damn, and then there is this book. I don’t understand how Garrett Leigh keeps managing to do this to me!

As always, the action and intrigue was top-notch, with all of the brothers we have come to know and love showing their fealty and love for each other. Alexei remains a favourite – I love his pithy comments and inability to show people how he feels apart from with violence, surveillance and sarcasm; Saint – I freaking adore Saint – but one of the favourite parts of this book for me was when the O’Brien’s were out without supervision – man, that was freaking awesome. And Orla is a queen indeed.

I know this is a bit rambly and incoherent – I wanted to be sure to give no spoilers because this is a book that needs to be read without ‘warnings’ so that you can appreciate every single twist and turn. Ultimately, trust the process – trust that Garrett might throw you high into the air, take your breath away and send you plummeting to earth with no safety net – but in the end, oh the ending was just sublime.

I really can’t express my love for this entire series coherently, but suffice it to say I will be waiting for the next book and may just take the time to marathon read all of the books again. An easy five from me.

Rogue by Onley James (Jericho's Boys Book #2)

TITLE: ⟫ Rogue

AUTHOR: ⟫ Onley James

SERIES: ⟫ Jericho’s Boys Book #2

RATING: ⟫ 5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Levi Akira’s existence is far from ideal. His mother's addiction consumes their lives, his academic standing is crumbling, and the convenience store he works at is a constant target for ruthless robberies. But amidst the chaos, Levi finds solace in only three things: his tight-knit group of friends, protecting his neighbourhood as one of Jericho’s Boys, and streaming his favourite video game, where he assumes the role of Rogue—a hero who will break the rules for the greater good.

Shiloh Mizrahi’s hope has all but dwindled. With one brother unjustly imprisoned, and the other a sadistic puppeteer, he endures daily torment at the hands of the latter. And his latest demand? Get close to Levi at any cost.

In the midst of another ordinary night shift, Levi's world is upended when a captivating and terrified stranger appears, brandishing a weapon and claiming he has been forced to kill Levi by his own brother. Levi, torn between self-preservation and an instinctive aversion to harming the vulnerable boy, takes a bold leap—he kisses him. And then, just like that, the boy disappears into the night, leaving Levi haunted by his memory.

Driven by an unshakeable connection, Levi's path crosses with Shiloh's once more, igniting a passionate bond that refuses to be extinguished. However, Shiloh harbours a labyrinth of secrets, torn between loyalty and desire. With his brother's freedom dangling in the balance, can Levi and Shiloh navigate the treacherous path to be together, or will Levi forever remain a hero confined to the online realm?

REVIEW: ⟫ I started reading this on Onley’s Patreon but Real Life got in the way and I decided to save it until the book was published.

I’m so glad I did because Levi and Shiloh’s story deserved to be devoured in one sitting, along with a box of tissues and a soothing cup of tea. If you’ve read the Necessary Evils stories, you know that these people meet their person and imprint like a duckling and Levi is no exception. But this time, he meets the love of his life at the end of a gun.

Shiloh broke my whole damned heart for so many reasons: Micah was a grade A A*hole who loved nothing more than torturing Shiloh mentally and physically, and as such Shiloh is expecting nothing good from his life. Which is why when Levi prevents him from committing murder on camera with a stunning kiss, he imprints just as much as the other man does.

Levi’s pain was of a whole different kind and man, this is where the tissues really came in handy. This boy had been through it and is still dealing with it in the form of his alcoholic mother. The only reason Levi hasn’t broken is his found family with Jericho and the rest of the Murder Muppets. Shiloh takes him completely by surprise but from the beginning, Levi is all in.

I admit that there were three ‘background’ characters that really grabbed me: Malachi, Shiloh’s brother was like ‘woof’ – I cannot wait to read more about him; Seven being flippant, bratty and downright needy made me laugh and LONG for his story; and then we met Enzo. OH MY GOODNESS. Seriously, these two didn’t interact that much on paper, but they burned up the room together in the short amount of time we spent with them and I am relishing finding out Enzo’s backstory. Which is coming – right?

Like the other stories in this series, this was wild, violent, sexy ride and I was more than happy to hold on to the ‘oh sh!t’ bar and make the most of it. Shiloh and Levi did not disappoint in any way, although reading what the two of them have gone through really made me feel kinda bleak more than once or twice.

Some of the Mulvaneys made an appearance, including Avi and Asa (I can never get enough of these two), and we got to see the family in action as they helped Levi help Shiloh. But this was definitely all about the Murder Muppets, with an excellent mix of old characters whilst allowing the newer ones to shine. Obviously I’m a big Onley James’ fan so it’s no surprise that this scored a five from me, but I would definitely say the tissues are needed for this one – it felt so much more emotionally wrenching, which would make sense since the Muppets are not psychopaths – they’re human, with past trauma, a need to belong and find someone to love. Which is precisely why they work so well.

Also, don’t forget to grab the bonus epilogue because it was the absolute cherry on the top of the cake!

Brodie Winters The Chosen One Chronicles Volume 1 by Dion Marc

TITLE: ⟫ Brodie Winters The Chosen One Chronicles

AUTHOR: ⟫ Dion Marc

SERIES: ⟫ The Chosen One Chronicles Volume #1

RATING: ⟫ 2.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Brodie Winters is the Chosen One, but he doesn't want to be…

Brodie Winters wants nothing more than to retire and have a little fun for once. Unfortunately for him, demon-slaying is more just than a career.

Moonhaven was supposed to be the safest city in America, the perfect choice for an Elemental Channeller seeking a sense of normalcy away from demonic forces. But Brodie was never destined for the for the Chosen One, danger lurks in every shadow.

So much for settling down.

As Brodie tries to focus on starting college and exploring the queer scene, a series of disappearances drags him back to battling powerful supernatural forces. As it turns out, Moonhaven is rife with evil.

A natural-born protector, Brodie can't help but get involved, threatening his dreams of living a normal life. Worse yet, his new friends may not be able to escape the paranormal either, and it's not going to be pretty.

'The Chosen Brodie Winters' is a serialised novella series containing three episodes in each volume. The story contains action, humour, gory horror and high heat. Written by bestselling Author Dion Marc, this story promises to be everything a kinky 90s fanboy of the supernatural could ask for.

REVIEW: ⟫ I struggled with how to rate this story. It was very similar to watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer inasmuch as that’s pretty much what Brodie is, although he actually uses magic and as far as I can recall, there weren’t any stakes involved. It was full of interesting creatures of the night, new friends that tried to help Brodie in his mission, and the vampire who became interested in Brodie definitely gave off ‘Angel’ vibes. As a dedicated Buffy fan, I was most definitely here for that side of things and enjoyed the different take on the supernatural aspect of things with the vampires.

However, there were aspects of the story that I really struggled with.

* As an experienced demon-slayer, I found myself extremely sceptical about the night out that Brodie went on with his friend – I am referring to the Wolves and Lambs evening. I couldn’t believe that Brodie would be that irresponsible and cavalier with his and his friend’s safety, especially when it came to offering himself up on a silver platter. He would be more than aware of the dangers that such an offer represented and even sex-addled, it seemed out of character;

* There were more than hints of non-con in his dealings with Adam and I basically got the extreme ‘ick’ with what happened with Adam and his friends. I truly don’t believe that Brodie was in any position to give informed consent and the whole thing didn’t sit well with me at all. Adam took away Brodie’s ability to say yes or no, and the rest of the jocks were obviously perfectly happy with that. I didn’t have an issue with the numerous partners aspects of things – I just felt that it more than skirted the line into assault.

* The lack of discussion regarding certain aspects of the play that Brodie and Adam engaged in together was also disturbing. Kinks should be discussed beforehand and the fact that Brodie wasn’t experienced/aware of his interest in such activities made me feel that, again, it erred too far over into non-con. No kink shaming, but the synopsis I have seen on Amazon and Goodreads does not give warning for some of the activities engaged in and I think that that is a mistake.

All that being said, most of the writing was solid, the storyline was engaging and as a serialised novella, it was an entertaining read. There was a little frustration with where things ended but then I would imagine the point was to grab the reader and keep them coming back for more. The Order sound like they could be intriguing and Brodie’s vampire admirer will no doubt be back and getting closer to our male lead.

I’m still not sure if I’m going to try to read more of this. My concerns above are still quite fresh in my mind and I would want far more trigger warnings before I went into the next volume. I love the premise, I’m just not sure if I want to wander further down this road, especially with so little warning. I haven’t seen any other reviews that have the same concerns so it might well be that I am being over-sensitive, but I do think that some warnings should be given so that people going into the story can prepare themselves.

Just Like Magic by Ellie Roth (Longview Romance book #1)

TITLE: ⟫ Just Like Magic

AUTHOR: ⟫ Ellie Roth

SERIES: ⟫ Longview Romance

RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ The witches are rioting again.

Figures. They overreact to everything.

Anwer Alexander, son of the notoriously anti-magic governor, has everything he wants in life: a good job, amazing parents, and an annoying brat of a younger sister. But when his sister Shay manifests the same kind of magic powers that get countless teenagers kicked out of their houses, Anwer has to scramble to find her a witch who can show her how to control them—and make sure their parents don’t find out.

Christian Lewis, the most powerful magic user in the tristate area, doesn’t know what to do with himself when the Alexander siblings ask him to teach Shay in exchange for Anwer helping Chris with a life-changing ritual. But no matter how much he hates their parents, Chris has never been able to say no to mentoring a newbie magic user from a toxic household—even though her scowling older brother infuriates him.

As the long summer days grow warmer, Anwer and Chris find themselves slowly drawing closer to each other over Shay’s training. Sparks fly when Shay decides that she wants to compete in the Santiago, the largest magic tournament of the year, but will the five-day competition be the beginning of something more or the end of everything Anwer and Chris hoped for?

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Just Like Magic is a contemporary LGBTQ+ romantic fantasy that features a modern world imbued with magic, a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance, found family vibes, tragic backstories, mild to moderate steaminess, major angst, and a happy ending for our protagonists (with a few plot threads left open for later books).

*Content warnings available on website.

REVIEW: ⟫ I am in two minds about this story. Admittedly, it did say that it was slow burn so I wasn’t expecting insta-love or anything like that. However, as the first book in a series, there was a lot of world-building and plot that had to be fitted in and as such, for me personally, the romance part of things did suffer.

The characters were nicely written – Chris and Anwer both had good reasons for the way they felt, it wasn’t manufactured, ignored or blown out of proportion. The plot was extremely interesting and the metaphor of children with magic being thrown out of their homes hit home without feeling like you were being bashed over the head.

I enjoyed the magic tournament and the things that happened there – it was brilliant to see Chris in his element and demonstrating his power, rather than us just being told that he was an incredibly powerful magic user. The additional characters were also well-rounded and not just there to pad out the background.

I found Anwer’s parents to be a little of a caricature but then it would be difficult to give them more depth when they weren’t the main thrust of the story. I was very interested in the persecution of the magic users and how it was described and I will be looking out for further stories in the series in the hope that it is examined in more depth.

The romance between Chris and Anwer was sweet – when we did spend time with them, it was possible to see them falling in love with each other and the reason why. I especially enjoyed when Chris was training Shay and Anwer was struggling to fight his fear/hatred of magic whilst falling under Chris’s spell. There were certain aspects of things that I wasn’t very happy with – especially with regard to how much it was made into a thing that being magic was an integral part of who people were – but that definitely falls under the category of YMMV. Overall, I thought it was an enjoyable read and I am looking forward to reading more in the series.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Arranged Salvation by Jacey Davis (Arranging Love Book #3)

TITLE: ⟫ Arranged Salvation

AUTHOR: ⟫ Jacey Davis

SERIES: ⟫ Arranging Love Book #3

RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Bastion: Making that phone call was the hardest thing I’d ever done. But also the best. I was terrified of what would happen once I asked my half-brother for help, but I had no other choice. I’d do anything to protect the baby growing inside of me. Even if that meant escaping my husband’s home and possibly putting everyone’s life in danger in the process. It was the most selfish thing I’d ever done but for the most selfless reason.

I knew there would be consequences for my actions, but I never expected I’d have to pretend I had a fated mate. But being tied to an alpha like Arden wasn’t a hardship. He was kind, sweet, caring, and protective. He was everything I never thought an alpha could be. He was showing me that the world wasn’t as terrible as I believed, and that maybe not all alphas were cruel. I just wished fate was kind to me for once and he was truly my fated. But I knew better than to hope for too much and was grateful for what I did have with Arden.

Arden: I always knew I was a smidge overprotective. Caring for my pack was my love language. But nothing compared to how intense those feelings were toward Bastion. I had sensed…something…between us when I met him all those months ago but hadn’t thought much of it. Now that he was mine, though, even if it was just on paper, that caretaker side that was always just under the surface had its moment to shine. I’d do anything to protect Bastion.

Anything.

With the government breathing down our throats and the political climate getting more heated every day, I might be putting that to the test.

Arranged Salvation is book three in the Arranging Love series. Each book is an interconnected standalone with new MCs and at least an HFN for the couple. It is strongly recommended that you read the previous books, as there is an overarching storyline that continues throughout the series. However, it would be possible to read this one without those. Arranged Salvation is a slow-burn, plot-heavy MPreg omegaverse featuring a traumatized omega trying to protect his baby, an overprotective alpha with a soft side, a fake fated mating, and a lot of people doing anything they can to undermine them.

It is an alternate reality omegaverse with adult themes and explicit content. It is not meant for those under 18. This book contains on page MPreg. This is a world where omegas have very few rights and are essentially owned by their alpha guardian or mate. There is also a biological kink element where alphas are biologically inclined towards dominance while omegas are inclined towards submission.

Content warning: societal repression of a group of people, on-page violence, detailed mentions of abuse, undiagnosed PTSD, panic attacks, on-page MPreg, and off-page SA, and ongoing abuse (not by MCs) that is described. There is also a consensual Daddy kink dynamic between the MCs and very light age regression. Please see the book for a more detailed warning.

REVIEW: ⟫ There felt like simultaneously a lot to take in and yet not a lot happening on-page with regard to the central romance. I had read a previous book in this series, Arranged by Fate so the characters and premise were familiar to me. At the front of this book is a very helpful list of characters, how they fit into the story and who they are currently partnered with, as well as a list of triggers.

We are thrown straight into the action with Bastion locked away in a cupboard, finally calling for help from Lyric. It definitely felt like I needed to have read the previous books as it immediately referred to things that had happened previously, but I was able to guestimate what I had missed. Bastion’s plight – being at the mercy of his evil alpha – was described very well, as was his emotional state, so I was settled in for some hurt/comfort.

However, I would say that there were so many politics going on, the main couple didn’t get as much focus as I would have liked. This was definitely slow-burn, with things being very plot-heavy for a large amount of the story, often to the detriment of the romantic side of things. I wanted to see more of the interactions between Arden and Bastion, and however much I enjoyed the world building, I feel that the romance should have featured more heavily.

As mentioned, there is light age regression, which was handled smoothly and sweetly; however, the Daddy kink wasn’t explored as much as I was hoping. I was impressed with the fact that Daddy/boy was recognised as a ‘normal’ dynamic between mates and therefore no-one seemed to bat an eyelid at Bastion calling Arden ‘Daddy’ a few times.

After a while, the cast of characters felt like they became a little unwieldy – when they were trying to escape from government retaliation I knew there were a large number of people I should care about, but after a while they just became names on a page, and this was a shame.

I think the main issue I had with this story was that I wasn’t expecting it to be so politics heavy, and although it was interesting I feel that it got in the way of the building of the relationship between the two main characters. I also think it can be difficult to handle so many previously established relationships deftly enough to satisfy people’s desire for an update on previous favourites whilst dedicating enough time to the ‘featured’ couple.

It was a good addition to the series, and the writing is easy to read and understand. I didn’t “feel” as much as I wanted to but I think that might just be a me thing and YMMV. Well written, a solid entry in the series but I would definitely suggest reading the previous books to be able to know who everyone is and where they belong.

I received an ARC from GRR.