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…
Hearts and Hazelnuts by Kris T. Bethke
Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Hearts and Hazelnuts
SERIES: States of Love – Oregon
AUTHOR: Kris T. Bethke
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 103 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 29, 2017
BLURB:
Mechanic Jordan Hart is down on his luck, so he gladly accepts a temporary job servicing tractors at a hazelnut farm in Newberg, Oregon. He doesn’t expect to be attracted to his boss, Beckett Shaw. Still working on embracing his bisexuality, he’s reluctant to start anything, but Beckett’s gentle coaxing convinces Jordan to take a risk.
Beckett has vowed not to get involved with anyone until he can restore the Shaw Farms name as a leader in hazelnuts. But there’s no denying his interest in the shy mechanic who shows up at his door. Just as they begin to find a balance, outside forces threaten to tear them apart. Job opportunities force Jordan out of the Portland area he loves so much. But when danger comes too close to Beckett, Jordan must decide if he can follow his heart to the Willamette Valley… and straight back to Beckett. Read More »
Manny’s Surprise Baby (Bodyguards and Babies #3) by S.C. Wynne
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Manny’s Surprise Baby
SERIES: Bodyguards and Babies #3
AUTHOR: S.C. Wynne
PUBLISHER: Wynne Wynne Publishing
LENGTH: 203 Pages
RELEASE DATE: October 29, 2017
BLURB:
Pierce MacPherson is a solar eclipse omega with a chip on his shoulder. He was in a horrible relationship where his alpha sold him to other alphas for their pleasure, and now that he’s free, he definitely has a thing against alphas.
Seth Rider works for Shield and he’s an alpha with no desire to settle down with one woman. But when he discovers that a one night stand eight years ago produced a daughter he’d never heard of, he steps up to the challenge.
The problem is, Seth doesn’t know the first thing about raising a kid. Pierce has some experience working with kids and when they meet, Pierce is guilted in to helping out for a week. It’s only supposed to be one week. But when Seth starts having unusual sexual feelings toward Pierce, things get a little complicated. And when the two men give into their urges, and Pierce gets pregnant, things get even more muddled. Read More »
No Limits (No Shame) by Nora Phoenix
Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: No Limits
SERIES: No Shame series
AUTHOR: Nora Phoenix
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 300 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 26, 2017
BLURB:
Josh is convinced he’ll never find someone who’ll love him the way he is. He’s not exactly a catch with his PTSD, which has transformed him into a homebody most of the times. Sweet, maybe, but also boring as hell. Plus, there’s that submissive tendency he recently discovered and is dying to explore. His complicated relationship with Noah and Indy don’t make it easy, either. When Connor shows interest in him, he can’t believe the sexy cop would look at him twice, let alone make an effort to get to know him. When he does, Josh discovers they have more in common than he’d ever thought possible.
Connor had survived the ordeal that left his best friend and fellow Marine dead, but that survival came at a price. He’s a robot, going through the motions, but barely alive. Until fate intervenes when he meets Josh. The vulnerable man triggers all kinds of protective and dominant urges in Connor, but what would a cute guy like Josh want with an inexperienced, closed-off, bossy steamroller like him?
When Connor discovers his past endangers Indy, all hope for a future between him and Josh seems lost. After all, there’s no way Josh will ever choose Connor over Indy’s safety and Noah’s lifelong friendship. When a crisis hits, can Connor prove he’s strong enough to deal with everything that’s thrown his way? Read More »
New Game, Start by C.S. Poe
Reviewed by Chris
TITLE: New Game, Start
SERIES: 2017 Dreamspinner Advent Calendar – Stocking Stuffers
AUTHOR: C.S. Poe
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 38 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 1, 2017
BLURB:
Reclusive medieval scholar, Edgar Royal, has a crush. On a guy. Not a big deal, except that said guy, Walter Chase, is a famous online gamer who has no idea Edgar even exists. Edgar has harbored these feelings for nearly a year, and when Walter announces on Twitter that he’ll be visiting New York City as a guest at the GamerOn convention, Edgar decides he’ll be one of the thousands of fans who responds to the message.
He definitely doesn’t expect to be singled out by the humble, gorgeous, out-and-proud heartthrob. And when it comes to dealing with people, Edgar’s skills are pretty nonexistent. Even with Walter giving all the right signals, Edgar lacks the courage do anything about the mutual attraction growing through their online courtship. He’s always been better with the written word, so maybe the perfect Christmas gift will say what he cannot. But if Edgar can’t get the present to Walter before the convention ends, he may miss out on the boyfriend of a lifetime. Read More »
Imperial Demons by Naomi Clark
Reviewed by Dee
TITLE: Imperial Demons
SERIES: Blood Canticles #4
AUTHOR: Naomi Clark
PUBLISHER: Evernight Publishing
LENGTH: 251 Pages
Release Date: November 5, 2017
BLURB:
Magic can make you mad. Love can make you dangerous.
Tristesse is gone, taken between worlds to be the bride of a sadistic demon prince. And Lola will do anything to get her back. Crossing into Gehenna is only the start. Hunted by monsters and accompanied by allies she can’t trust, Lola must endure the horrors of the demon world, and embrace the darkness of demon magic. If it doesn’t consume her, it might just save both her and Tristesse.
But in Gehenna nothing is guaranteed. Nothing except pain Read More »
One Man’s Trash by Marie Sexton
Reviewed by Caroline
TITLE: One Man’s Trash
SERIES: The Heretic Doms Club Book 1
AUTHOR: Marie Sexton
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 305 Pages
RELEASE DATE: November 13, 2017
BLURB:
After four tours in Afghanistan, Warren Groves couldn’t settle into civilian life. For the last twelve years, he’s survived by working odd and often illegal jobs for some of Denver’s less fortunate. His personal life is equally unsatisfactory. He can barely remember the last time he had sex, let alone the last time he got to use somebody hard and rough, the way he likes. Fate intervenes when a favor for a friend leads him to a pretty young rentboy named Taylor Reynolds.
Taylor’s spent the last few years on his own, working as a hustler, going home with anybody who’ll give him a warm meal and a place to sleep. He enjoys having a bit of force used against him, and he makes Warren an offer he can’t refuse — all the sex he wants, as rough and dirty as he likes, in exchange for room and board.
At first, Warren thinks he’s struck gold. Taylor’s the perfect roommate — he cooks, he cleans, and he’s dynamite in the sack. But Taylor has some dark demons in his head and some even darker cravings. Falling for somebody as volatile as Taylor is dangerous enough, but when Taylor’s urges turn truly self-destructive, it’ll be up to Warren to decide just how far to let things go. Read More »
Connor & Ash (Barista Boys) by A.E. Ryecart
Reviewed by Danielle
TITLE: Connor & Ash
SERIES: Barista Boys
AUTHOR: A.E Ryecart
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 227 Pages
RELEASE DATE: June 15th 2017
BLURB:
When you live in the shadows, it’s hard to believe in the light
Each time Ash Hemsby strips off for a stranger in a hotel room or gets down on his knees in a back alley, a little piece of his soul dies. But debt is a hard task master, and money lenders don’t take IOUs.
From a shadowy corner of a hotel bar, Connor O’Brian watches the rent boy’s clumsy attempts to ply his trade. Beneath the younger man’s brash exterior Connor senses desperation and vulnerability, and his heart goes out to him, because he too bears the scars of living crushed and defeated.
A whispered conversation, a key exchanged, and the deal is struck. Yet the night turns out in a way neither expects.
A chance meeting brings Connor face to face with the man he can’t stop thinking about, and he’s determined not to let him get away a second time. Ash owes Connor for what happened that night in the hotel, but what was meant only to be the fulfilment of a promise begins to feel like something more.
Step by step, they begin to mend what is broken in the other. But life has a habit of tripping up the unwary. A random discovery, a scribbled, desperate note and a race across London brings each man face to face with the secret shame they have only ever wanted to keep hidden.
Secrets and half-truths have kept Connor and Ash in the shadows. Only the raw, heart wrenching truth can lead them out of darkness and into light. But is it already too late, and will the shadows reclaim them?
Connor & Ash is the third instalment in the Barista Boys series. Each book charts the lives and loves of the men who work in a funky little cafe in the heart of London’s Soho.
Barista Boys, where it’s not just the coffee that’s hot. Read More »
Snow Falling by Davidson King
Reviewed by Cinnamon
TITLE: Snow Falling
AUTHOR: Davidson King
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 166 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 28, 2017
BLURB:
After running from a past destined to kill him, Snow has been hiding on the streets.
Tell nobody your name.
Tell nobody your secrets.
Trust nobody!
These are the rules of the streets.
His entire life changes when he saves an eight-year-old boy from a violent end.
Christopher Manos is one of the most powerful crime bosses in the country.
Don’t ask anyone to do something you aren’t willing to do yourself.
Secrets can get you killed.
Trust nobody!
These are the rules he lives by.
When his eight-year-old nephew disappears, he never expects the boy’s savior to end up being his own.
A man with a dangerous past and a man with a dangerous future find love amidst murder and mayhem. But with Snow’s life being threatened at every turn, will Christopher’s best be enough to prevent Snow Falling? Read More »
Tainted by Our Choices by M.K. Lee
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Tainted by Our Choices
AUTHOR: M.K. Lee
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 223 Pages
RELEASE DATE: February 8, 2017
BLURB:
Meet Jack. A successful environmental officer working within an industry that is so very far from his childhood dream of saving the planet that he no longer recognizes himself. How he’s found himself in Houston, Texas, where he has no one, and nothing but his work for company, he tells himself repeatedly he doesn’t know. But when the place that became home had the heart sucked right out of it, and all around him was the remnants of a life he wouldn’t get to have, Jack ran, at the first opportunity given to him.
On a bright, sunny morning, Jack sees a face so familiar to him that he knows it better than his own, one that takes him back first to a beach in his childhood home of Tampa Bay, and second to a college in Boston where Jack learned and lost his heart.
Tarred by our choices is the story of first crushes, loves, and heartbreaks, and the fallout that left Jack clinging to his past. Join him on his rediscovery of himself, as a chance meeting reminds him of the life he always wanted to lead. Is he brave enough to live it? Read More »
The Remaking of Corbin Wale by Roan Parrish
Reviewed by Chris
TITLE: The Remaking of Corbin Wale
AUTHOR: Roan Parrish
PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing
LENGTH: 226 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 27, 2017
BLURB:
Last month, Alex Barrow’s whole life imploded—partner, home, job, all gone in forty-eight hours. But sometimes when everything falls apart, better things appear almost like magic. Now, he’s back in his Michigan hometown, finally opening the bakery he’s always dreamed of. But the pleasure of opening day is nothing compared to the lonely and beautiful man who bewitches Alex before he even orders.
Corbin Wale is a weirdo. At least, that’s what he’s heard his whole life. He knows he’s often in a fantasy world, but the things he feels are very real. And so is the reason why he can never, ever be with Alex Barrow. Even if Alex is everything he’s always fantasized about. Even if maybe, just maybe, Corbin is Alex’s fantasy too.
When Corbin begins working at the bakery, he and Alex can’t deny their connection any longer. As the holiday season works its magic, Alex yearns for the man who seems out of reach. But to be with Alex, Corbin will have to challenge every truth he’s ever known. If his holiday risk pays off, two men from different worlds will get the love they’ve always longed for. Read More »
