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…
Dim Sum Asylum by Rhys Ford
REVIEWED by Christie
TITLE: Dim Sum Asylum
AUTHOR: Rhys Ford
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 240 Pages
RELEASE DATE: June 9, 2017
BLURB:
Welcome to Dim Sum Asylum: a San Francisco where it’s a ho-hum kind of case when a cop has to chase down an enchanted two-foot-tall shrine god statue with an impressive Fu Manchu mustache that’s running around Chinatown, trolling sex magic and chaos in its wake.
Senior Inspector Roku MacCormick of the Chinatown Arcane Crimes Division faces a pile of challenges far beyond his human-faerie heritage, snarling dragons guarding C-Town’s multiple gates, and exploding noodle factories. After a case goes sideways, Roku is saddled with Trent Leonard, a new partner he can’t trust, to add to the crime syndicate family he doesn’t want and a spell-casting serial killer he desperately needs to find.
While Roku would rather stay home with Bob the Cat and whiskey himself to sleep, he puts on his badge and gun every day, determined to serve and protect the city he loves. When Chinatown’s dark mystical underworld makes his life hell and the case turns deadly, Trent guards Roku’s back and, if Trent can be believed, his heart… even if from what Roku can see, Trent is as dangerous as the monsters and criminals they’re sworn to bring down….Read More »
Owning It (Metropolis #3) by Riley Hart and Devon McCormack
Reviewed by Amber
TITLE: Owning It
SERIES: Metropolis #3
AUTHOR: Riley Hart and Devon McCormack
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 408 Pages
RELEASE DATE: May 30th, 2017
BLURB:
Just out of an eighteen-year marriage, the last thing Jackson expects the first time he visits a gay bar is for a sexy, drunk, twenty-six-year-old twink to mistakenly climb into his Jeep. The twink part he’s good with, the drunk part…not so much. As far as Jackson’s concerned, the boy should come with a warning label. But Derek is not as flighty as Jackson thought…he’s actually pretty incredible. Getting to know the wild, funny man is a breath of fresh air. And when Derek calls him Daddy? Christ, he never thought something like that would feel so right.
Derek has serious daddy issues, and his name is Jackson. He’s stubborn and controlling…and ever since Derek woke up in the silver fox’s condo, he can’t get Jackson out of his mind. Maybe because no matter how many times he throws himself at him, Jackson doesn’t take the bait. And maybe because Jackson is the one person who sees him for who he really is. But Derek loves a challenge, and he’s eager to rock Jackson’s world.
Jackson isn’t interested in a meaningless hookup. He wants the real Derek, not just the sassy jokester everyone else sees. But it’s not easy for Derek to open up. He feels much safer guarding his heart. And Jackson needs to figure out the balance between living for himself and the mountain of responsibilities weighing him down. Derek and Jackson must find the common ground between hookup and commitment—if they can’t own their issues and work together to overcome their faults, they could smother the flame between them that’s just beginning to ignite….Read More »
A Nice Normal Family by John Terry Moore
Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: A Nice Normal Family
AUTHOR: John Terry Moore
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 350 Pages
RELEASE DATE: September 30, 2016
BLURB:
Jackson “Jacko” Smith is dyslexic, but like many people affected by the learning disability, he is highly intelligent. His best friend Sammy Collins helps him get through school and unlocks his potential. Jacko progresses through the ranks of local government until Mother Nature intervenes and the straight boy and the gay boy become a couple.
As Jacko and Sammy start a family and challenge social mores, Jacko enters politics, horrified at the direction the Australian government is taking. With Sammy by his side, he can achieve anything and rises through the ranks to the highest office in the land, driving Australia away from its British colonial roots and engaging with its neighbors in Asia like never before. Economic growth results, and while most Australians are supportive, a small group of extremists might endanger everything Jacko has built—including his life.
Through the love and the strength of their partnership, Jacko and Sammy rise above their ordinary lives. Because love is never ordinary….Read More »
Sunset at Pencarrow by Lou Sylvre and Anne Barwell
![Sunset at Pencarrow (World of Love) by [Sylvre, Lou, Barwell, Anne]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51UIXshBPvL.jpg)
Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Sunset at Pencarrow
SERIES: World of Love | New Zealand
AUTHORS: Lou Sylvre & Anne Barwell
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 129 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 7, 2017
BLURB:
Kiwi Nathaniel Dunn is in a fighting mood, but how does a man fight Wellington’s famous fog? In the last year, Nate’s lost his longtime lover to boredom and his ten-year job to the economy. Now he’s found a golden opportunity for employment where he can even use his artistic talent, but to get the job, he has to get to Christchurch today. Heavy fog means no flight, and the ticket agent is ignoring him to fawn over a beautiful but annoying, overly polite American man.
Rusty Beaumont can deal with a canceled flight, but the pushy Kiwi at the ticket counter is making it difficult for him to stay cool. The guy rubs him all the wrong ways despite his sexy working-man look, which Rusty notices even though he’s not looking for a man to replace the fiancé who died two years ago. Yet when they’re forced to share a table at the crowded airport café, Nate reveals the kind heart behind his grumpy façade. An earthquake, sex in the bush, and visits from Nate’s belligerent ex turn a day of sightseeing into a slippery slope that just might land them in love….Read More »
The Ties That Bind by S. Davidson
![The Ties That Bind by [Davidson, S.]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41d9vu%2B5nEL.jpg)
Reviewed by Cinnamon & Dan
Content Warnings:
Be warned. This is not a romance. It is a gritty tale of real life issues in the 1990’s.
It contains graphic depictions of physical, mental and drug abuse as well as teenage male prostitution
Other trigger warnings would be major spoilers.
TITLE: The Ties That Bind
AUTHOR: S. Davidson
PUBLISHER: Encompass Ink Publishing
LENGTH: 427 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2017
BLURB:
Flashback 1990’s – Rollerblades, bungee jumping, the laptop, cellular phones the size of bricks, and AIDS – the gay men’s cancer
This is a story about love, friendship, and family. It is a story about growing up, about trying to change the past and the realization that no matter how fast, or how far we run, that The Ties That Bind us as children, many times come back to haunt us as adults.We become part of the life of a young counselor, Morgan, who specializes working with homeless, male hustlers. He seems like an angel from heaven to many. He cares deeply for every one of his boys and would literally die to save them from harm. He deprives himself of life’s basic needs in order to reach just one more, but why?Morgan has his own agenda to work out, his own demons to exorcise. While avoiding his own past, he meets a particular young man, Greg, who is able to see through this well-crafted, public image. Greg sees Morgan’s pain and denial. It is in this discovery, this role reversal that Greg, a life-long hustler begins to heal himself. He helps Morgan come to terms with his own violent past. Greg becomes his strength, the knife to cut the rope and release the guilt Morgan has denied for years. Just as they both begin to heal, Greg discovers the truth.The Ties That Bind can sometimes be very restricting but many times we find that The Ties That Bind can also provide our strength.
The Ties That Bind are necessary for the sustenance of life.….Read More »
Draakenwood (Whyborne & Griffin #9) by Jordan L. Hawk
Reviewed by Sarina
TITLE: Draakenwood
SERIES: Whyborne & Griffin #9
AUTHOR: Jordan L. Hawk
PUBLISHER: Widdershins Press
LENGTH: 246 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 2, 2017
BLURB:
Someone is killing members of the old families…and the evidence points to Whyborne.
Widdershins has been unusually quiet for months. But now a mysterious creature from the Outside is on the loose, assassinating members of the town’s old families by draining their blood. Whyborne and Griffin set out to solve the mystery—but as the evidence piles up, the police begin to suspect Whyborne himself is the murderer.
Now Whyborne must both clear his name and stop the horrors the monster threatens to unleash. His only hope: an alliance with his old enemies the Endicotts.
Because something terrible lurks in the Draakenwood, and it will stop at nothing to seize control of the maelstrom itself.
Draakenwood is the ninth book in the Whyborne & Griffin series, where magic, mystery, and m/m romance collide with Victorian era America…Read More »
Reviewed by Tori (Vicki) TITLE: Spring Break
SERIES: Accidental Root #3
AUTHOR: Elle Keaton
PUBLISHER: Dirty Dog Publishing
LENGTH: 258 Pages
RELEASE DATE: June 6th, 2017
BLURB:
Sometimes a guy needs a break. Carroll Weir got one–but it wasn’t what he expected.
All he dreams of is escaping dreary, damp Skagit, WA, for a warmer climate. Instead, Federal Investigator Carroll Weir is assigned to a cross-agency case involving geoduck smugglers and a very dead Fish and Wildlife Detective.
Sterling Bailey, the regular bartender at the Loft, likes to think of his customers and employees as family since he doesn’t have one of his own. Exhausted and tense, Carroll Weir wanders in one night and one thing leads to another. All in a night’s work, right?
Who murdered Fish and Wildlife Detective Peter Krystad? Does the killer have Weir in his sights? Things begin to heat up between them but Sterling and Weir will have to move past their personal history in order to change the course of their future.
The spark burning between them is hot enough to scald, unless they’re careful somebody’s going to get burned….Read More »
Growing His Dream (Planting Dreams, #2) by Andrew Grey
Reviewed by Tammy
TITLE: Growing His Dream, (Sequel to Planting His Dream)
AUTHOR: Andrew Grey
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 200 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 9, 2017
BLURB:
Love can grow in even the harshest conditions.
Life has been a struggle for Lachlan Buttar ever since his mother passed away and left him unprepared to take care of himself. He’s gone from homeless to staying with a local minister, but it soon becomes clear he will be better off, and safer, on his own. Fortunately, Foster and Javi agree to take Lachlan in and offer him a real home on their dairy farm.
It’s there that Lachlan meets another of the workers, local farmer Abe Armitage. Though the attraction between them is instant, Abe refuses to act on it until Lachlan returns his interest. By then, strong feelings have taken root, and a passionate romance quickly blossoms. But both men carry baggage that could crush any chance of happiness together, particularly since Lachlan witnessed a crime, and there are those who will do anything to make sure he cannot reveal what he’s seen….Read More »
Master’s Blood (The Shifter’s #6) by M.D. Grimm
Reviewed by Sarina
TITLE: Master’s Blood
SERIES: The Shifters #6
AUTHOR: M.D. Grimm
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 192 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 4, 2013
BLURB:
Three days after the Agency infiltrated the headquarters of the Knights, an organization that killed, tortured, and experimented on shifters, Chief Anu sends Agent Poe on assignment: find Nordik, the powerful bear shifter who controls Sanctuary, and offer alliance.
Agent Poe already has his hands full with shifters who need help and a kidnapped agent who needs rescue. Poe has never failed a mission, but he finds members of the Knights who escaped the raid inside Sanctuary, raising suspicions about Chief Anu.
Poe’s goals change once more when he discovers he and Nordik have a mutual attraction they can’t resist. Keeping shifters safe becomes more complicated, and more important, than ever….Read More »
Riding the Circuit (Riding Cowboy Flats #3) by Julia Talbot
Reviewed by Sarina
TITLE: Riding the Circuit
SERIES: Riding Cowboy Flats #3
AUTHOR: Julia Talbot
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 73 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 7, 2017
BLURB:
Rodeo cowboy Frost Barton spends most of his time on tour, and that’s the way he likes it. But when his dad dies suddenly, Frost returns to southern New Mexico to attend the funeral and help his mom decide what to do with their small family ranch. Frost is already considering retiring from bull riding and planting his itchy feet in the ground. Meeting horse trainer Matt Morales just adds another pull in that direction, though Frost still isn’t sure he’s ready to give up the circuit—even if Matt makes settling down look mighty tempting.
Matt is old enough to know better, but he falls for Frost anyway. They only have so much time to spend together before Frost goes back on tour, but Matt believes they might have something special. He keeps the home fires burning while Frost earns his living, but Matt hopes he can convince Frost to come home—to stay….Read More »
Their Life As They Live It by AM Arthur
Reviewed by Caroline
TITLE: Their Life As They Live It
SERIES: Perspectives Book 4
AUTHOR: AM Arthur
PUBLISHER: Briggs-King Books
LENGTH: 239 Pages
RELEASE DATE: May 8, 2017
BLURB:
“Happiness is not a goal…it is a by-product of a life well lived.”
–Eleanor Roosevelt
Bernard “Bear” Henson is a blessed man. He is happily married to the love of his life, he co-owns a successful business, and his grown son is desperately in love with a wonderful partner. But Bear knows all too well how precarious that happiness is, so he lives every day with love in his heart and gratitude for everything he has—especially his husband Richard Brightman. Richard has been HIV-positive for thirty years and every new day is a gift.
When Richard becomes unexpectedly ill and is rushed to the hospital, Bear braces for his beautifully constructed life to come crashing down. A hard-won life full of ups and downs, illnesses and setbacks, love and anger, and a lot of regret for how certain things went down. Certain things involving Bear’s alcoholic ex-wife Debbie and the start of Bear’s relationship with Richard. But the past can’t be changed, only remembered and studied.
As Richard fights for his life, Bear reflects on the last thirty years of their entwined lives. College days, his shotgun wedding to Debbie, his unexpected feelings for Richard, and the proudest moment of Bear’s life: the birth of his son Gabriel. Bear’s life with Richard is woven with love, heartache, regret, joy, and everything else in between. They’ve overcome every obstacle that’s come their way, and they’ll overcome this new illness, too. Period. Bear simply isn’t ready to live his life without Richard in it.
Note: This is the fourth book in my Perspectives series, and while it can be read as a standalone, readers will have a much richer concept of these characters if you’ve at least read book two, The World As He Sees It. Warnings for spousal abuse (not between the two heroes) and cheating….Read More »
Switch Hitter (Shifter Hardball #3) by Cheyenne Meadows
Reviewed by PizzyGirl
TITLE: Switch Hitter
SERIES: Shifter Hardball #3
AUTHOR: Cheyenne Meadows
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 200 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 5, 2017
BLURB:
Shifter Hardball: Book Three
Tucker Wilde’s life is in a tailspin. Twenty-four hours ago, he was one of the top second basemen in the all-shifter professional baseball league. Now, he’s lost his starting spot to a rookie, been dumped by his girlfriend, and had a night of explosive passion with a man—a teammate at that. He can’t get Dixon out of his mind—even though Tucker still believes himself to be straight. With his career in jeopardy, he’s unsure where to turn or how to fix the mess.
Dixon Foxx is a baseball prodigy, though a perfectionist father stole any joy he might find in the game. He only sticks with it because it’s all he knows—and because of Tucker, the man Dixon’s wanted since they met. His dreams come true one night, only to turn into a nightmare the next morning when Tucker blows off their incredible time together as a drunken mistake, never to happen again.
The life of a switch hitter is all about mixing things up. Tucker excels at it. Only this time, the game isn’t on the line—his heart is….Read More »
Caught! by JL Merrow
Reviewed by Cinnamon
TITLE: Caught!
SERIES: Shamwell Tales Collection
AUTHOR: JL Merrow
PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing
LENGTH: 337 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 5, 2017
BLURB:
Bow ties are cool . . . but secrets, not so much.
Behind Robert Emeny’s cheerfully eccentric exterior lies a young heart battered and bruised by his past. He’s taken a job in a village primary school to make a fresh start, and love isn’t part of his plans. But then he’s knocked for six–literally–by a chance encounter with the uncle of two of his pupils.
Sean Grant works in pest control, lives on a council estate, and rides a motorbike. Robert is an ex-public schoolboy from a posh family who drives a classic car. On the face of it, they shouldn’t have anything in common. Yet Robert can’t resist Sean’s roguish grin, and passion sparks between them even after an excruciatingly embarrassing first date.
Too bad the past Robert’s hiding from is about to come looking for him. His increasingly ludicrous efforts to keep his secrets are pushing Sean away–but telling the truth could make Sean leave him for good….Read More »
Action (Murmur Inc. #2) by Quinn Anderson
Reviewed by Amber
TITLE: Action
SERIES: Murmur Inc. #2
AUTHOR: Quinn Anderson
PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing
LENGTH: 366 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 5th, 2017
BLURB:
Pete Griflow is the last person anyone would suspect of being a porn star. He’s quiet, gawky, and can’t even talk to guys without turning red. But on camera, he’s a different person. In the porn world, he’s Jaden Prime, a coquettish power bottom who’s been tantalizing fans for over a year now.
Pete is in a rut, though, and he knows it. And what’s worse, his boss knows it. If he can’t reignite his passion for the biz, he’s going to have trouble paying his none-too-cheap college tuition.
When Pete is given the opportunity to star in a huge summer production, sparks fly between him and his costar, Kyle Darko. Kyle is Pete’s opposite: he’s daring, achingly sexy, and in love with the sex industry. Their chemistry is palpable on and off screen, but dating on a porn set is tricky. Even pros struggle to separate fantasy from reality, especially with a script dictating their seduction. But what’s building between them can’t be ignored, and it’s so much more than getting some “action.”…Read More »
Conning Colin by Brad Vance and Elsa Winters
![Conning Colin: A Gay Romantic Comedy by [Winters, Elsa, Vance, Brad]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51-XUwx1DYL.jpg)
Reviewed by Cinnamon
TITLE: Conning Colin
AUTHOR: Brad Vance and Elsa Winters
PUBLISHER: Zirconia Publishing, Inc.
LENGTH: 60 000 words
RELEASE DATE: June 2, 2017
BLURB:
“Whatever else is or isn’t true, I just lost my cherry to the hottest man in the world.”
“Whatever else is or isn’t true, I just lost my cherry to the hottest man in the world.”
Colin O’Neill has been in a rut for some time now. Whether it’s his acting career or his newly-discovered identity as a gay man, he can’t seem to get any traction in his job or his love life. What he needs is a change. What he needs is a shock to his system. What he needs is Hamilton.
“Your first time… You ready for it?”
Hamilton. Dillinger. Harrison. He goes by different names to fulfill a world of different fantasies, but he’s most popular as Hamilton, the escort who acts and dresses like he’s worth a million bucks. Few people know the man behind the character, Henry Davis. He’s yet another New Yorker living on the financial edge, cobbling together jobs in the sex industry to make a living. Henry wants nothing more than to drop the facade, to live in cargo shorts and an old Mets t-shirt, working as a screenwriter, to be free from playing the part of the high class lover. But first, he’s got to write the perfect screenplay…
“I had a breakthrough recently. Being with you has been… life-changing. I realized one day that I didn’t have to be me, you know?”
As “Hamilton” guides Colin into becoming a confident gay man, Henry is inspired by Colin’s journey to write his screenplay. Meanwhile, Colin’s transformation makes him more confident as an actor, landing him bigger and bigger parts. Then a Hollywood studio wants Colin for a lead role, and magically, the part seems like it was written just for him…
Now Colin and Henry are on a collision course. What will Colin think when he finds out that Hamilton is really ordinary Henry, the struggling artist? Will Colin feel conned when he finds that the perfect Hollywood part contains all the secrets that Colin confided in “Hamilton”?