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…
Code Red (Sierra View #2) by Max Walker
Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Code Red
SERIES: The Sierra View Series (book #2)
AUTHOR: Max Walker
PUBLISHER: Walking Press
LENGTH: 204 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 11, 2017
BLURB:
Caleb Forester, a charming nurse with a trademarked smile, is having a fine time at life. He left a terrible situation and found himself in a much better one at Sierra View, and for that, he was constantly grateful. He would have been perfectly fine without any waves rocking his boat.
Everything was just… fine.
Red Miller is the actor everyone wants to see on the big screen. Aside from having an overflowing bank account, Red was rich in charisma and sex appeal. From the outside looking in, anyone would have thought the action star and billionaire heir lived a great life with his girlfriend and millions of adoring fans.
The tidal wave came the day Red and Caleb first met, wiping out both their boats and showing them there was much more to life and love than they let themselves believe.
Caleb must now reckon with his past while Red with his future. When outside forces from all sides start pushing in, they both must find the strength to stop from crumbling or end up breaking from the pressure.
Code Red is the second book in the Sierra View series, although they can be read in any order. It’s a full-length, steamy gay romance and has no cliffhangers. Read More »
Crocuta Crocuta (Bound Gods #5) by Adrienne Wilder
Reviewed by Amber
TITLE: Crocuta Crocuta
SERIES: Bound Gods #5
AUTHOR: Adrienne Wilder
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 296 Pages
RELEASE DATE: June 2nd, 2017
BLURB:
For a god, what could be closer to heaven than living in a safe haven like Sanctuary, with an endless supply of ambrosia, delivered by the beautiful bodies of the Doxies in Alton’s harem?
But unlike the majority of the gods in Sanctuary who are less than human, Cerberus isn’t exotic or fantastical. His appearance, his…habits…have become the horror stories whispered on the lips of Doxies.
And while Cerberus might be immortal, his pride is not indestructible. Seeing the love of a Doxie for a monster like the Chimera, shatters it.
A chance encounter with an undocumented Doxie named Owen begins to transform Cerberus’s life. At least until Alton removes Owen from Cerberus’s care, banning the god from training the boy—to protect him from Cerberus’s animal nature.
In reality, Alton’s motives are far more frightening. And the truth could kill Cerberus and Owen both. Read More »
Gnarly by Mickie B Ashling
Reviewed by Kat and Caroline
TITLE: Gnarly
SERIES: World of Love
AUTHOR: Mickie B Ashling
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 172 Pages
RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2017
BLURB:
Dr. Ed Hollingsworth, widowed for five years, returns to San Sebastián, Spain, after a thirty-year absence. He seeks out his first and only male lover, pro surfer Javi Elizalde.
After surviving a near-fatal shark attack, Javi turned his back on the sport he loves and became a recluse.
Iker Lizaso, professional jai alai player, finds himself at loose ends now that his contract has expired. Forced to retire at thirty-eight, he returned to his home in the Basque Country to figure out what to do with the rest of his life.
Three different men, encumbered by their past, converge in a city famous for its food, summer festivals, and romantic promenades. Can they find happiness together? It’ll be difficult, maybe even improbable, considering their backgrounds, but Cupid’s arrow usually hits the mark, and this particular strike might be epic.
World of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the globe. Read More »
A Policy of Lies (A Policy of Lies #1) by Astrid Amara
Reviewed by PizzyGirl
TITLE: A policy of Lies
SERIES: A Policy of Lies #1
AUTHOR: Astrid Amara
PUBLISHER: Loose Id
LENGTH: 173 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 9, 2008
BLURB:
Twenty years ago, Levi Kaszeri survived a brutal rebellion on the mining colony of Tarus 9. Now as an aspiring reporter, Levi has a mission: to expose the massacre to the public, and bring the men responsible to justice.
But after a violent attack, he is rescued — then seduced — by Tiergan Seoras, a young doctor with a dangerous past and a slave tattoo.
Soon Levi finds all of his investigations leading him back to Tiergan. And he begins to fear that the best lover he’s ever had may also be his worst enemy. Read More »
Submissive Secrets (Crashing Heart #3) by Zane Menzy
REVIEWED by Roberta
TITLE: Submissive Secrets
SERIES: Crashing Heart #3
AUTHOR: Zane Menzy
PUBLISHER: Self Published
RELEASE DATE: April 16, 2017
LENGTH: 494 Pages
BLURB:
Sex taught him how to destroy others. Love will teach him how to heal himself.
Keegan Andrews and his father’s best mate should never have gone away together for his eighteenth birthday. The birthday Keegan lost his virginity after tricking the handsome womanizer into being his first-time. Still, Keegan can’t deny he enjoyed it and that he got a sadistic kick out of having his way with the arrogant Damon Harris. Now that Keegan’s eyes have been opened to the sexual power he possesses… he intends to use it.
Matt Andrews feels empty and lonely. It has been six months since his wife left him and moved back to London. The shy accountant worries if he will ever experience love again. His heartache is momentarily distracted when his estranged son Keegan turns up at his door and asks to stay. Matt relishes the opportunity to reconnect. But why has Keegan turned up unexpectedly and why has Matt’s best mate Damon suddenly stopped visiting? Matt doesn’t know it but Keegan and Damon have unleashed a chain of events that will send hearts crashing while long-forgotten feelings erupt back to life.
Submissive Secrets can be read as a standalone romance novel and has a HEA. It is the final book in the Crashing Hearts Series. The story contains explicit language, sex scenes, a wedding, and a life-sized My Little Pony. Read More
No Regrets (No Regrets #1) by Nicky James
Reviewed by Amber
TITLE: No Regrets
SERIES: No Regrets
AUTHOR: Nicky James
PUBLISHER: Encompass Ink
LENGTH: 408 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 13th, 2017
BLURB:
Life makes no promises, and sometimes, you draw the short straw.
Landon Johnston’s life came to a grinding halt seven months ago, when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
With the encouragement of his grandmother, Landon works his way out of his slump and tries to live life while he still can.
Deciding he doesn’t want to drag anyone else down his morbid path, Landon gives up all friendships and denies himself love. It’s better this way, because all he has to offer is eventual heartache and sadness.
While traveling the world, Landon meets Abel Matheson, a free-spirited, unedited, and nerve-grating man who was supposed to only be a one-night-stand.
Despite Landon’s insistence that he can’t form a relationship with his current diagnoses, Abel is persistent and will not be ignored.
Fighting against all his ingrained urges to run, Landon finds himself drawn down the road he swore he’d never take.
Intimacy grows and bonds form…
Only… Abel doesn’t know Landon is sick.
How can anyone love a man with no future?
Telling him might cause him to run, but staying silent means living a lie. A lie which will only reveal itself in time. Read More »
Slade by Kade Boehme
REVIEWED by Christie
TITLE: Slade
AUTHOR: Kade Boehme
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 179 Pages
RELEASE DATE: January 26, 2017
BLURB:
Johnny Slade wasn’t looking for a vacation, nor was he looking for love. A nomad, a journalist, an activist, a man who wants to change things for others even if he couldn’t for himself, Johnny was just looking for his next story.
Shane Moore lost a chance at college, but he’s never been weighed down by his lot in life. Working for his grandmother, helping his injured single father on the ranch, these are things that fulfill him. But now he wonders what his future might hold. Especially since everyone else is moving on around him.
But things happen in Abernathy, TX. Johnny gets stranded, Shane’s desire to help this guy who blew his mind is strong. After a few weeks in their own bubble of sex and surprising mutual interest, one will find home, the other will find adventure, and both will find that the future is most fun when you stop trying to hold on to your own way. Read More »
Ready For Love (Semper Fi, The Forever Faithful #1) by Stella Starling
Reviewed by Amber
TITLE: Ready For Love
SERIES: Semper Fi, The Forever Faithful #1
AUTHOR: Stella Starling
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 300Pages
RELEASE DATE: May 18th, 2017
BLURB:
Jake Hansen has been crushing on Gabe Byrne for half his life, but since Gabe is a straight, self-proclaimed commitment-phobe who moved away years ago to join the Marines, that crush is strictly a fantasy-best-enjoyed-in-private. And even when Gabe starts to flirt with him like crazy, Jake still knows better than to think it means anything.
Because falling in love with your straight bestie? Not just a cliche, but a guaranteed recipe for disaster.
…right?
Growing up, Gabe never saw “Little Jakey” as anything more than the kid who always liked to tag along after him and his brothers, but somehow, being friends with Jake has become the best part of his day. And after a seven-month deployment? Seeing Jake is the one thing he’s looking forward to the most.
He just didn’t expect that hanging out in person again would be so confusing… or keep blurring the lines about just how straight he is… or keep making him want things that he never thought he would.
Things that seem a lot like forever. Read More
Kade and Cameron by A.D. Ellis
Reviewed by Cinnamon
TITLE: Kade and Cameron
SERIES: Something About Him Book 6
AUTHOR: A.D. Ellis
PUBLISHER: self published
LENGTH: 395 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 15, 2017
BLURB:
Cameron Lewis is left reeling when his perfect life—two beautiful children, an adoring husband, and a house on the lake—is ripped apart by loss.
Kade Ramsey is living the American dream with a wife, two amazing children, and a comfortable job. But dreams are often only illusions, and Kade discovers his life isn’t all he thought it to be.
Kade and Cam have been friends for years. When their lives begin to fall apart, they turn to each other for support. Is friendship all they share? Or will their need for each other drive them down an unexpected path?
Kade & Cameron is a first-time-gay, out-for-you, friends-to-lovers, hurt/comfort story. Read More »
Trustworthy (A Policy of Lies #2) by Astrid Amara
Reviewed by PizzyGirl
TITLE: Trustworthy
SERIES: A Policy of Lies #2
AUTHOR: Astrid Amara
PUBLISHER: Loose Id
LENGTH: 161 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 9, 2017
BLURB:
Ten years ago, lovers and best friends Ivo Toreli and Robert Mackenzie were separated by death.
But sometimes life gives you second chances. Life…and a lot of cybernetic enhancements.
Trust Agent 505 may not remember who he was before he worked security for Trust Insurance, but now his prisoner thinks he knows him. This revolutionary named “Mack,” who has stolen one of Trust’s prized possessions, seems to think Agent 505 is named “Ivo,” someone from his past. Someone he once loved more than anyone on any of the inhabited worlds.
Ivo doesn’t remember any of it, of course. But if he’s going to get Trust’s property back from the revolutionaries, he’s going to have to play along.
And if playing along also means sleeping with a handsome, humorous, and slightly dangerous ex-soldier, all the better, right? Read More »
Vice City (Vice City #1) by S.A. Stovall
REVIEWED by Jen B.
TITLE: Vice City
SERIES: Vice City #1
AUTHOR: S.A. Stovall
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 234 Pages
RELEASE DATE: June 20, 2017
BLURB:
After twenty years as an enforcer for the Vice family mob, Nicholas Pierce shouldn’t bat an eye at seeing a guy get worked over and tossed in the river. But there’s something about the suspected police mole, Miles, that has Pierce second-guessing himself. The kid is just trying to look out for his brother any way he knows how, and the altruistic motive sparks an uncharacteristic act of mercy that involves Pierce taking Miles under his wing.
Miles wants to repay Pierce for saving his life. Pierce shouldn’t see him as anything but a convenient hookup… and he sure as hell shouldn’t get involved in Miles’s doomed quest to get his brother out of a rival street gang. He shouldn’t do a lot of things, but life on the streets isn’t about following the rules. Besides, he’s sick of being abused by the Vice family, especially Mr. Vice and his power-hungry goon of a son, who treats his underlings like playthings.
So Pierce does the absolute last thing he should do if he wants to keep breathing—he leaves the Vice family in the middle of a turf war. Read More »
New Beginnings: Abel’s Journey (No Regrets #2) by Nicky James
Reviewed by Amber
TITLE: New Beginning’s: Abel’s Journey
SERIES: No Regrets #2
AUTHOR: Nicky James
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 278 Pages
RELEASE DATE: May 14th, 2017
BLURB:
**TRIGGER WARNING**
(self-harm, depression, anxiety, substance abuse)
Life is beyond our control. It can bring joy, laughter, and happiness, then turn around and rip your heart out of your chest without warning.
Abel Matheson received a cold dose of life’s reality six months ago, when the man he loved most, lost his fight against cancer.
Free-spirited, easy-going Abel, doesn’t know how to cope with the rotting, festering grief growing inside him. What was once an easy life, has become a struggle to put one foot in front of the other.
His grades are slipping, his job is suffering, money is tight, and the nightmares plaguing his sleep are relentless. Something has to give. He can’t keep going like this.
Desperate to end his suffering, Abel falls back on old habits. Self-destructive habits he knows are wrong.
Every time he tries to stand, he ends up face-first in the mud.
On the advice of a counselor, Abel makes attempts to find a support system to help him handle his grief. Unexpectedly, during his quest toward healing, Abel makes a connection with the most unlikely of people.
His mind wants to rebel against the man who stands before him. Run far and fast in the other direction. But his heart forms a bond that annihilates his fear.
Why this man of all people?
Sometimes you find help and love where you least expect it. Read More »
Love Wanted by John Inman
Reviewed by Dan
TITLE: Love Wanted
AUTHOR: John Inman
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 270 Pages
RELEASE DATE: June 19, 2017
BLURB:
When it rains, it pours. Not only has Larry Walls been evicted from his apartment, but his hours have also been cut at the department store where he works, leaving him facing homelessness.
Meanwhile, Bo Lansing, a total stranger to Larry, toils at a dead-end job as a fry cook while attending night classes to become a certified chef. When the school closes its doors without warning, leaving Bo in the lurch for thousands of dollars in tuition, his dream of becoming a chef is shattered and his financial troubles spiral.
Desperate for a new beginning, each man answers an ad for live-in help posted by a wealthy recluse, and wonder of wonders, they are both hired! Just as their lives begin to improve, a young Kumeyaay Indian named Jimmy Blackstone joins the workforce at the Stanhope mansion.
When Mr. Stanhope’s true reason for hiring the young men is discovered by one of the three, a fourth entity makes its presence known.
Greed.
With all these players vying for position in a game of intrigue orchestrated by one lonely old man and a mischievous ghost, can a simple thing like love ever hope to survive the fray? Read More »
Spoils of War by Hannah Walker
Reviewed by Dan
TITLE: Spoils of War
AUTHOR: Hannah Walker
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 254 Pages
RELEASE DATE: June 10, 2017
BLURB:
Jecks Cordant, High General of the Kabarian army was used to life being a certain way. Jecks knew things didn’t tend to change when you were at the top of your career. He was wrong. In one moment, because of one small letter, his entire world tilted. Everything was different.
Being forced into a marriage he didn’t want, with a prince he had nothing in common with, Jecks watched his life crumble around him. Yet, he could do nothing other than go along with the plans for the sake of peace and the thousands of lives at risk in both empires.
Calling on the support of his friends, he makes the journey to meet his fiancé. Along the way, he meets a man he never expected to find— one he could fall in love with. Battling the enemies intent on stopping the peace deal from going ahead, and his own heart, Jecks steels himself for what the future holds— a life of loneliness and regrets.
Forced to confront feelings he can’t afford to explore, and fighting to bring peace to both lands, Jecks will stand together with his men and fight for what is right, even if it’s sacrificing his own feelings. His duty to Kabaria is more important than the love of a man.
With enemies out to stop them, and danger meeting them around every corner, Jecks must learn to trust while ignoring the growing emotions he shouldn’t feel. With their goal in sight, Jecks knows he must honor the duty given him, but once he arrives at the castle, he finds his problems have only begun. Read More »