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…
A Russian Bear by CB Conwy
Reviewed by Cinnamon
TITLE: A Russian Bear
SERIES: A Russian Bear Book #1
AUTHOR: CB Conwy
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 228 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 11, 2017 (second edition)
BLURB:
To Mischa, life is simple. Doms are Doms and subs are for spanking, flogging, and bossing around. Until he meets Tom, that is. Tom is deeply offended when the stranger in the bar takes him for some kind of slave boy. Well, offended and more than a little excited by the thought of surrendering to Mischa. Mischa being Mischa, their meeting results in Tom losing his virginity in a way that’s hotter than even his wildest fantasies.
Mischa is drawn to Tom and makes another appointment. And then another, initiating Tom to every kink Mischa knows. They aren’t scenes, of course, because Mischa has a “one boy, one scene” rule. But then again, Tom isn’t exactly like his usual boys, and Mischa finds himself falling in love, though nowhere near ready to admit it. Luckily, Tom isn’t exactly your stereotypical slave. Life is good — until Tom gets attacked, and Mischa has to fight harder than ever to make Tom realize that he isn’t going anywhere. Read More »
Second Chances (Matchmaker #1) by G.R. Lyons
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Second Chances
SERIES: Matchmaker #1
AUTHOR: G.R. Lyons
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 326 pages
RELEASE DATE: July 24, 2016
BLURB:
Nineteen-year-old porn star Remy Dawes loves his job at Matchmakers, a gay nightclub, but the fantasy he portrays every night doesn’t leave room for what he really wants: companionship, love, someone to come home to, someone just for him. Who would ever take seriously a kid who practically sells his body for others’ pleasure?
Thirty-five-year-old Chance Whitaker has sworn off dating younger men after having been cheated on one too many times, until the owner of Matchmakers convinces him to take a chance on Remy Dawes, a gorgeous kid who surprises Chance at every turn.
As things fall apart through meddling, death, and betrayal, will there be a second chance for two people to find love?
(Note: This story takes place in a fictional world, the same as the Shifting Isles series. There are multiple gods, different names for the days of the week, etc. A glossary is included with the story for those interested in the little worldbuilding details.) Read more
A Very Marian Christmas (Made Marian #7) Lucy Lennox
Reviewed by Kimberley
TITLE: A Very Marian Christmas
SERIES: Made Marian #7
AUTHOR: Lucy Lennox
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 246 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 20, 2017
BLURB:
12 Marian Men-A-Mating… I mean, A-Meeting
11 Blind Dates-A-Blinding
10 Lords-A-Leaping
9 Ladies Dancing (okay, maybe that’s Griff)
8 Kids-A-Complaining
7 Changes-A-Clothing
6 Love Junk Gadgets
5 **DRA-AAG QUEENS**
4 Calling Neighbors
3 Nosy Read More »
Daddy, It’s Cold Outside by Max Walker
Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Daddy, It’s Cold Outside
AUTHOR: Max Walker
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 195 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 19, 2017
BLURB:
All Jude Kensworth White wanted for Christmas was to be home with his family. He certainly didn’t need to be stuck in a cabin for a last minute work retreat. He considered not attending, but was assured things would be ok by his current boss and former childhood best friend, Logan.
Logan Clark needed Jude at the retreat. He knew Jude would have to be there for the entire thing to work in the first place. He was trying to get rid of his ghosts from Christmas past, and he knew there was no way to banish a ghost without looking it straight in the face first.
Neither of them were expecting the turn of events that leaves them both confronting their past and weathering the present.
It was beginning to look a lot like a complicated Christmas. Read More »
On Davis Row by N.R. Walker
Reviewed by Amber
TITLE: On Davis Row
AUTHOR: N.R. Walker
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 329 Pages
RELEASE DATE: November 27th, 2017
BLURB:
Nearing the end of a suspended jail sentence should unlock a brighter future for CJ Davis, only the chip on his shoulder is as hard to shift as his bad reputation. Born into a family of career criminals who live down Davis Road, an address the cops have dubbed Davis Row, his name alone is like a rap sheet that makes optimism impossible.
Brand-new parole officer Noah Huxley is determined to see the good in men like CJ. After all, he knows firsthand that bad things can happen to good people. His colleagues mock his doe-eyed optimism, but Noah soon sees CJ’s bad attitude and bravado are weapons he uses to keep people at a distance.
Both men know one simple mistake can change a life forever. At first glance, they might seem to be polar opposites. Yet underneath, they’re not that different at all. Read more
Red Popcorn Strings and Gumball Rings by Nell Iris
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Red Popcorn Strings and Gumball Rings
SERIES: 2017 Advent Calendar -Stocking Stuffers
AUTHOR: Nell Iris
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 45 Pages
RELEASE DATE: December 1, 2017
BLURB:
Christmas is coming, and young couple Casey and Ellis are very much in love. Unfortunately, they’re also the definition of dirt poor, and they don’t have the money for nonessentials like decorations. Or a turkey. Or gifts. Between the recent death of Casey’s beloved momma and Ellis’s estrangement from his family, all they have is each other.
When Ellis finds the saddest-looking Christmas tree south of the Mason-Dixon Line thrown away outside his workplace and brings it home to Casey, things look up. Life is still a struggle, but wealth isn’t always measured in money, and what seems worthless to others is often invaluable to the people who love it. Read more
A Perfect Christmas (The Den & Wolf’s Mate Series) by Kiki Burrelli
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: A Perfect Christmas
SERIES: The Den & Wolf’s Mate Series
AUTHOR: Kiki Burrelli
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 70 Pages
RELEASE DATE: November 20, 2017
BLURB:
How many alphas does it take to set up a Christmas tree? Conner is going to find out.
He has vowed to give his mate, Pippen, one perfect Christmas. His first perfect Christmas. Conner has the entire pack behind him to help so it should be easy…right?
Farley is excited to help, it will give him a chance to ignore how his second pregnancy isn’t going quite as well as his first. He should be happy with sugar plums and fairies dancing in his head, instead, he’s stuck thinking he isn’t good enough and isn’t working hard enough to be a good enough mate for his alpha, Oscar.
As if things in The Den weren’t hectic enough while they prepare for Christmas an angry neighboring pack returns with more than mistletoe on their minds. Read More »
Regret Me Not by Amy Lane
Reviewed by Tori (Vicki)
TITLE: Regret Me Not
AUTHOR: Amy Lane PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 119 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 4th, 2017
BLURB:
Pierce Atwater used to think he was a knight in shining armor, but then his life fell to crap. Now he has no job, no wife, no life—and is so full of self-pity he can’t even be decent to the one family member he’s still speaking to. He heads for Florida, where he’s got a month to pull his head out of his ass before he ruins his little sister’s Christmas.
Harold Justice Lombard the Fifth is at his own crossroads—he can keep being Hal, massage therapist in training, flamboyant and irrepressible to the bones, or he can let his parents rule his life. Hal takes one look at Pierce and decides they’re fellow unicorns out to make the world a better place. Pierce can’t reject Hal’s overtures of friendship, in spite of his misgivings about being too old and too pissed off to make a good friend.
As they experience everything from existential Looney Tunes to eternal trips to Target, Pierce becomes more dependent on Hal’s optimism to get him through the day. When Hal starts getting him through the nights too, Pierce must look inside for the knight he used to be—before Christmas becomes a doomsday deadline of heartbreak instead of a celebration of love. Read More »
Only with You by JD Chambers
Reviewed by Cinnamon
TITLE: Only with You
SERIES: Only Colorado Book #1
AUTHOR: JD Chambers
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 224 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 5th, 2017
BLURB:
“I guess if the worst thing I’m doomed to in life is mediocre sex, my life isn’t too bad.”
Self-starter and business analyst Zach Keller is living his dream life. He spends his days working from home in his favorite Tolkien t-shirts and pajamas while mothering his best friend-slash-roommate. The fact that his sex life is a bust and his love life is nonexistent? Unimportant. After his college boyfriend berated him for his unconventional desires, Zach doesn’t plan on sharing that part of himself ever again, anyway.
“I’m tired of feeling like I missed out on something by not going to college.”
Craig Pela isn’t lonely. He has tons of friends and weekends packed with activity. He hasn’t needed anyone since he left home at eighteen and never looked back. But everyone around him is moving forward in life, while he still works the same retail job at the same video game store, and it’s making him question his life choices. After all, he doesn’t want to be the loser still playing video games at fifty, does he?
As their relationship develops, Zach’s shy nature melts away to reveal an irrepressible geek that charms the pants off Craig. And Craig’s kind patience and ability to match him obscure quote for quote leaves Zach wondering if he’s finally met the man he can be his true self with. After all, how can someone else love you when you keep a part of yourself hidden? Read More »