Book of the Week Poll
Welcome to the Love Bytes Book of the Week Poll!
Here are the books which achieved a 4.5 or 5.0 review last week from our reviewers.
As a reminder, the top two books from each week’s poll will roll into our Book of the Month poll at month’s end. Happy Voting!
Please scroll to the very bottom for the voting section.
POLL SCHEDULE:
This poll will remain open until at least 6PM, Amsterdam time next Friday. The actual closing time will vary depending on blog staff schedules…
Believe in the Wish by Christi Snow
Reviewed by Kat & Danielle
TITLE: Believe in the Wish
AUTHOR: Christi Snow
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 211 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 11, 2016
BLURB:
I buried my twin sister six months after she found out she had cancer. Her funeral was three months ago. Today is our birthday and it started with delivery of letters from her.
It seems she didn’t trust me to move on after her death. She knows me too well. But how can I go on when my other half is just…gone? That’s not something I can recover from with a snap of my fingers. But I also can’t ignore her instructions even though I’d be perfectly content to cuddle up with my buddy, Johnnie Walker, and call it a year.
She has a list of things for me to do and there are rules attached.
There’s one major problem besides the fact it’s been three months since I left the house. I have to do all these things with her jerk of an ex, Hawk Simmons. He abandoned her shortly after she found out she was sick. If that wasn’t enough to make this a really bad idea, the fact that he makes an appearance in all my nighttime fantasies probably does.
I don’t think I can do this, but I owe it to my sister’s memory to try….Read More »
Gargoyle Rising (Chronicles of an Earned #6) by Meraki P. Lyhne
Reviewed by Dan
TITLE: Gargoyle Rising
SERIES: Chronicles of an Earned #6
AUTHOR: Meraki P. Lyhne
PUBLISHER: eXtasy Books
LENGTH: 375 Pages
RELEASE DATE: May 19, 2017
BLURB:
At age eleven, Meino buried his dad next to where they had buried his mom less than six months earlier. All alone in the world, he seeks out the Gargoyles and uses his dad’s spell book to bring one to life. But he doesn’t understand the magic he’s using, and he can’t finish the spell. For the next twelve years, his dreams are haunted by the lonely cries of the Gargoyle. As an adult, Meino tries the spell again to get rid of the nightmares. This time it works—but once the magic is alive, it attracts the attention of the New Knight Templars, who want to destroy the Gargoyle.
Nathan and Lucien have settled into a routine at the school where Nathan is studying to be able to help the Order. Just as life is calming down, it all takes a turn. News that a protégé is in danger and that Nathan’s beloved Professor Nigel Gershman has died is just the beginning. Once again, Nathan and Lucien are moved about to assist the Order, and new magic brings out a hidden enemy….Read More »
Call the Coroner by Avril Ashton
Reviewed by Amber
TITLE: Call the Coroner
AUTHOR: Avril Ashton
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 359 Pages
RELEASE DATE: May 8th, 2017
BLURB:
A clash of wills between predators…
He’s been living underground for a long time, but the only thing guaranteed to bring Daniel Nieto back to the surface is the identity of his wife’s killer. With the whisper of one name, he puts it all on the line for vengeance. He’s got plans for Stavros Konstantinou.
The title of monster fits too well for Stavros to want to be anything other than what he is. Time spent in Daniel Nieto’s dungeon, chained and tortured, will never change that. Starved of food, sunlight and freedom, he waits for an opening to turn the tables on the only man who’s ever come close enough to scare him.
Somewhere between the slide of knife against skin, and the drip of blood on cold concrete, things change. Grief and hatred collide with lust and obsession, and this time Daniel and Stavros are on the same side. This time, they’re fighting a losing battle against a connection forged by much more than a love of violence and bloodshed.
In a war this bloodied, what do you do when the bodies start hitting the floor?
**Warning: Gun play, knife play, blood play, breath play. Non Con, Dub Con. Water sports. Triggers**…Read More
Before You Break (Secrets #1) by K.C. Wells and Parker Williams
Reviewed by Cindy and Cinnamon
TITLE: Before You Break
SERIES: Secrets Book 1
AUTHOR: K.C. Wells, Parker Williams
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 340 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 26, 2017
BLURB:
Six years ago Ellis walked into his first briefing as the newest member of London’s Specialist Firearms unit. He was partnered with Wayne and they became fast friends. When Wayne begins to notice changes—Ellis’s erratic temper, the effects of sleep deprivation—he knows he has to act before Ellis reaches his breaking point. He invites Ellis to the opening of the new BDSM club, Secrets, where Wayne has a membership. His purpose? He wants Ellis to glimpse the lifestyle before Wayne approaches him with a proposition. He wants to take Ellis in hand, to control his life because he wants his friend back, and he figures this is the only way to do it.
There are a few issues, however. Ellis is straight. Stubborn. And sexy. Wayne knows he has to put his own feelings aside to be what Ellis needs. What surprises the hell out of him is finding out what Ellis actually requires….Read More »
Five-Sided Heart by Max MacGowan
Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: Five-Sided Heart
AUTHOR: Max MacGowan
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 246 Pages
RELEASE DATE: May 16, 2016
BLURB:
Noah Trevelyan has lost his moorings. Disowned over his sexuality as a teenager, he hasn’t been back to his home on the Outer Banks since his fisherman father kicked him out. But when he returns for the Old Man’s funeral, he discovers his father left him the house and boat in his will. Noah must choose whether to stay or go, but he won’t be alone. There’s Ian, working to overcome the emotional scars left by a domineering ex-boyfriend, and Ty, a cheerful housekeeper who’s struggling to take care of his Alzheimer’s-stricken aunt. There’s Joshua too, running from the destruction of his old life, and Gabriel, who was once beaten and left for dead, and doesn’t know how to survive on his own.
Will they find in each other the strength and courage to keep living—and learn, together, how to love again? A polyamorous relationship is the last thing any of them expected to find in the Outer Banks, but it might be what they need most, and it might even be their redemption—if they can keep their group from breaking apart under the pressure….Read More »
Arctic Restitution (Arctic Absolution #3) by Lynn Kelling
Reviewed by Caroline
TITLE: Arctic Restitution
SERIES: Arctic Absolution Book 3
AUTHOR: Lynn Kelling
PUBLISHER: Fantastic Fiction
LENGTH: 80,000 Words
RELEASE DATE: May 23, 2017
BLURB:
As he approaches his twenty-second birthday, the three-year anniversary of the brutal attack in an alley that nearly cost him his life in a few different ways, Jaye Larson thinks he’s left behind the ghosts from his years spent incarcerated, but when he’s delivered a mysterious letter with terrifying implications, old monsters rear their ugly heads. His normal new life in remote Zus, Alaska, with his lover, Dixon Rowe, the heart of a found-family that supports Jaye in ways he’s never before dreamed possible, is threatened by old deals and ties he begins to fear may never be broken. While old alliances strive to draw Jaye backward, Dixon and the rest of their family are called to step up to keep him steady. When the letter turns out to be just the first clue in a chain leading both Jaye and Dixon back inside the walls of the Federal Corrections Institute of Sheridan, Oregon, all of them are left facing carefully-held secrets and terrible new truths that refuse to be ignored….Read More »
Delivering Dante (Made Marian # 6) Lucy Lennox
Reviewed by Kimberley
TITLE: Delivering Dante
SERIES: Made Marian # 6
AUTHOR: Lucy Lennox
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 288 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 30, 2017
BLURB:
AJ: I know Dante’s story better than anyone. After all, I was the one who rescued him from his homophobic, abusive father eight years ago. Since then, I’ve kept my distance, but when I run into him at the Marian House gala and he doesn’t recognize me, I can’t resist the incredible, sensitive man he’s become.
I would do anything to protect Dante Marian, but what if his past keeps me from being part of his future?
Dante: Every new relationship has obstacles, it just turns out that ours involves my bumbling inexperience (ugh), an octogenarian naughty toy party (don’t ask), and being on the run in an RV with Aunt Tilly (it involves the Secret Service— no really, don’t ask).
When my biological father takes his homophobic views on a national platform, the only way to stand up for what I believe in is to claim my past and confront him. So now it’s time to decide: do I put the past behind me and walk away from AJ for good or face my biggest fear and fight for what’s mine?
Fair warning: Dante and AJ’s story contains frequent detailed scenes of man parts touching, little old ladies being inappropriate (this time with, ah, props), and two hearts finding their HEA when they least expect it.
While it can also be read on its own, Delivering Dante is the sixth in the Made Marian series. Each book tells the story of one of the Marian brothers’ search for true love.
Trigger Warning: Delivering Dante includes references to domestic violence and conversion therapy....Read More »
Enemies like You (Enemies with Benefits #0.5-1) by Joanna Chambers and Annika Martin
Reviewed by Amber
TITLE: Enemies like You
SERIES: Enemies with Benefits #1
AUTHOR: Joanna Chambers and Annika Martin
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 318 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 15th, 2017
BLURB:
They’re dangerous men. Absolute enemies. And totally hot for each other.
Two years ago, the men in Will’s unit were killed in an ambush because they were betrayed. Now Will has a chance to go after the corrupt billionaire who sold them out.
One problem: the billionaire’s bodyguard. Nobody knows what he looks like; they only know him by the trail of bodies he leaves behind.
Will their passion destroy them both?
Kit’s a hardened assassin who’ll do what it takes to protect his boss. But when Will moves on the billionaire at an elite party, things with Will and Kit take an unexpected—steamy—twist.
Now Kit has to convince Will to walk away–from his quest for justice, and from the red-hot passion that’s spinning out of control.
Will has never met anyone like Kit. He’s arrogant. Gorgeous. Lethal. The most expensive bodyguard money can buy.
And Will can’t seem to resist him.
A simple command in Kit’s cut-glass accent makes Will want things he’s never wanted, do things he’s never done. Their red-hot chemistry is off the charts.
Just one problem: Will has vowed to kill the billionaire that Kit is hell-bent on protecting.
And Kit has secrets, too—his own reasons for sacrificing his soul, piece by painful piece, to keep one of the worst men on earth alive…Read More
Cold Shadow (Cold Country #2) by Mercy Celeste
REVIEWED by Caroline
TITLE: Cold Shadow
SERIES: Cold Country Book 2
AUTHOR: Mercy Celeste
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 308 Pages
RELEASE DATE: May 9, 2017
BLURB:
There’s no such thing as a Happily Ever After.
Special Agent Drew Walker thought he’d never return to Tennessee after that horrific Christmas. Two and a half years later, a serial killer with a strange fascination with mutilation drags him into Nathan Truman’s jurisdiction once again.
For Nathan Truman having the ‘Feeb’ around dredges up a past, he would prefer to forget. For nearly three years, he’s been able to put it all behind him and focus on his career, family, and Quinn.
The past few years have done Quinn Anders a world of good. He’s happy, healthy, sober, and raising his daughter with the love of his life.
As the days pass and tensions flare it becomes obvious that the events of that night, all those years ago, never truly ended for one of them.
The secrets and lies that bind the three may just destroy them all….Read More »
Caring For Riggs by Bonnie Dee
Reviewed by Cinnamon
TITLE: Caring For Riggs
SERIES: Love Off Leash
AUTHOR: Bonnie Dee
PUBLISHER: self published
LENGTH: 99 Pages
RELEASE DATE: May 20, 2017
BLURB:
Love, loss and finding a forever home.
After years abroad, Kyle Skelton returns to New York to plan his grandfather’s funeral. Weighed down by guilt about neglecting the prickly old man who once looked after him, Kyle is determined to find a good home for Gramps’s senior dog. The last thing he needs as he confronts his complicated past is the distraction of the handsome next door neighbor who’s been taking care of Riggs.
Darrell Baines is prepared to despise his neighbor’s grandson on sight. He believes this stranger is only interested in valuable things Vince may have left behind. But after witnessing the renewed bond between Kyle and Riggs and learning more about the unhappy teenager who fled New York years earlier, Darrell’s hard stance softens. It’s easier to forgive when Kyle is heaping blame on himself.
Darrell is almost too comfortable in his quiet routine, while Kyle has never found a place that felt like home. As these opposites walk their dogs together, unexpected friendship grows. A late night adventure adds passionate fuel to the fire, but Kyle is only passing through so a chance for anything more than a fling seems impossible.
When Kyle’s never-met father arrives for the funeral and Riggs’ health takes a turn for the worse, Kyle’s emotional turmoil reaches critical mass. Will his fragile new bond with Darrell be the powerful lifeline he has always needed?…Read More »
eeps…this list is like a who’s who of all my favorite authors. Wow…I need to catch up on my TBR list. Humbled to be included…thank you! smiles…