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…
Recent Release Review: Bearly Legal (Bear Brothers #1) by Kiki Burrelli
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Bearly Legal
SERIES: Bear Brothers #1
AUTHOR: Kiki Burrelli
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 118 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 8, 2017
BLURB:
Roscoe has finally freed his bear pack from the clutches of their cruel, former pack master, but not without difficulty and much violence. So, when he happens upon a young man, Sawyer, in his woods, Roscoe is suspicious, especially since Sawyer’s scent makes Roscoe want to claim him against every tree in the forest.
But, relocating his pack and starting over wasn’t easy and Roscoe’s rules have to be strict. He needs to be cautious while he figures out what he’s going to do about his inner beast wanting to claim the young–and human–Sawyer as his mate.
Sawyer may be young, but he’s been on his own for a while now and doesn’t react nicely to being told what to do–even if the person ordering him around is insanely sexy and can make his knees weak with a single word. Roscoe makes him feel whole, something he hasn’t felt before, but Roscoe also wants to hide him away.
And, it seems, for a good reason. There is distrust in Roscoe’s pack, and while Roscoe will not shy away from establishing his dominance, he refuses to rule with fear as their last pack master did.
It becomes clear to Roscoe that to have his boy and his pack, Sawyer will need a lesson in obeying his alpha’s commands if he is ever to be his mate. And if there is one thing Roscoe is very sure of, it is that Sawyer will be his. Read More »
Watermelon Kisses by Freddy MacKay
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Watermelon Kisses
AUTHOR: Freddy MacKay
PUBLISHER: Mischief Corner Books
LENGTH: 66 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 29, 2017
BLURB:
Life hasn’t been easy for Amir since he fled Iran after a brutal imprisonment. The trauma experienced at the hands of the guards left a dark spot on his soul. The one constant in his life since relocating to Chicago has been his lover—now husband—Esmail, whose steadfast love and support has soothed his wounded heart.
But this Shab-e Yalda, Amir wants to be the one giving his husband something special, because even after the darkest nights, the sun will rise again. Read More »
Alphabet Soup by CB Conwy
![Alphabet Soup by [Conwy, CB]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/410fgBjacKL._SY346_.jpg)
Reviewed by Cinnamon
TITLE: Alphabet Soup
SERIES: Alphabet Soup Book #1
AUTHOR: CB Conwy
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 212 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 17, 2017 (second edition)
BLURB:
Andy knows exactly what he needs: scenes hard enough to take him out of himself. Then he meets CK, and everything is turned upside down. CK is relaxed and gentle and nothing like what Andy’s looking for. Despite that, or maybe because of it, Andy’s still attracted to the stranger.
CK is new to the city and the club, but definitely not to the scene. Andy’s ideas of BDSM are very different from CK’s, but there’s still something about the man that draws CK. Something fascinating and completely unpredictable. The results can be amazing scenes or complete disasters. Andy is difficult to get to know, and CK has to work hard to find the reason for Andy’s erratic behavior. CK is nothing if not stubborn, though. He’s very determined to help Andy, and Andy’s ready for it, but there’s so much Andy’s trying to forget.
Like the conscientious Dom he is, CK guides Andy’s recovery, one scene at a time. Very much against his principles, CK finds himself falling in love with the man he’s trying to help. Now he has to fight not only Andy’s past, but his own conscience as well. Read More »
Happily Ever After by CB Conwy
Reviewed by Cinnamon
TITLE: Happily Ever After
SERIES: A Russian Bear Book #2
AUTHOR: CB Conwy
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 258 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 16, 2017 (second edition)
BLURB:
Mischa isn’t stupid; he knows that happily ever afters only happen in fairytales. Still, he had thought that as soon as Tom got over the horrible assault that almost tore them apart, everything would be better. Perhaps not fairytale happy right away, but better. Instead, they seem to be falling apart, and quite spectacularly so.
What Mischa hadn’t taken into account was the fact that violence have longtime consequences – consequences that are threatening to shake the very foundation of Tom and Mischa’s relationship. Because Mischa can handle Tom’s weakness, but he can’t face his own. He doesn’t have a choice, though. Not if they’re going to make it.
As Mischa and Tom struggle to rebuild their relationship, it turns out that happily ever after is damn hard work. It’s also wildly kinky, because Tom and Mischa have to build a new trust in the playroom as well. One scene at a time, Mischa and Tom explore their new limits, and that’s the kind of work that Mischa likes. After all, that’s what badass Doms do. Read More »
On Your Knees, Prospect (Kings of Hell MC #3) by K.A. Merikan
Reviewed by Dan
TITLE: On Your Knees, Prospect
SERIES: Kings of Hell MC #3
AUTHOR: K.A. Merikan
PUBLISHER: Acerbi & Villani Ltd
LENGTH: 341 Pages
RELEASE DATE: December 6, 2017
BLURB:
— There is freedom in blacking boots for the right man. —
Jake. Kings of Hell MC Prospect. Obedient. Desperate for approval.
Vars. Dominant. Stern. Undead.
Jake is itching to become a patched member of the Kings of Hell MC.
For two years he’s toiled as the only prospect. So when a new guy swans in and thinks he’ll get a patch in no time just because he’s got friends in high places, Jake is there to stand in his way.
Only that the guy is older, more experienced, drives a Harley, and has the kind of boots Jake craves to lick.
But he won’t.
Because he only fucks patches.
Vars is ready to find a new home in the Kings of Hell MC after a messy relationship led him straight to hell. In comparison, the pretty, blue-eyed prospect could be just the pleasant rebound he needs.
The boy is a brat, but that could be amended with a firm hand and a gag.
If only Jake was ready to admit to his submissive needs, Vars would gladly take him under his wing.
That is, until he finds out something inhuman resides inside of Jake.
Vars didn’t cheat death only to call out to it again.
But stuck together in one room, keeping each other’s secrets, they might just have to become allies, no matter how unwilling. Because if there is something Vars can’t resist, it’s a boy with pleading eyes. Read More »
A Love Song for the Sad Man in the White Coat by Roe Horvat
Reviewed by Cinnamon
TITLE: A Love Song for the Sad Man in the White Coat
AUTHOR: Roe Horvat
PUBLISHER: Beaten Track Publishing
LENGTH: 230 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 15, 2017
BLURB:
Simon had always expected love to feel different than this. Whether it was his Catholic upbringing or the poetry he’d read – Simon had thought that true love would be uplifting, fulfilling, that it would give a meaning to his loitering, and add joy to his leisure. But not this kind of love. This love was a flesh-eating monster, sharp-clawed and evil-eyed, ravishing his mind with medieval cruelty.
Dr Simon Mráz is a respected specialist and lecturer at the Charles University in Prague. He is a serious man, responsible. His students call him The Cruel Doctor Frost not because he’s unkind, but because of his unwavering, ice-cold composure. As a psychiatrist, he values sanity. And sanity can be found in work, restraint, and self-control.
Not many know of that one time in the past when The Cruel Doctor Frost lost his cool. His ill-advised, secret affair with a student left Simon deeply wounded. Since that day, every minute of Simon’s life has been a struggle to remain sane, functioning. He’s managed so far – as long as he is needed, as long as his work makes a difference, Simon can scrape together enough strength to get up in the morning and run off the nightmares. But when his friends begin drifting away, his beloved protégé becomes independent, and the man who bereaved Simon of his precious sanity might return… Simon’s mind and body stop responding to his impressive willpower. Read More »
Christmas Grace by C.L. Miles
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Christmas Grace
SERIES: 2017 Advent Calendar – Stocking Stuffers
AUTHOR: C.L. Miles
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 53 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 1, 2017
BLURB:
Christmas has been a lonely time of year for Aaron since losing his family fifteen years ago. But now he’s seeing Craig, and though Aaron is sure they belong together, both have been hurt in the past, so they’re taking things slowly. So far, Craig has been supportive of Aaron’s struggles with anxiety—struggles that cost Aaron relationships in the past.
On Christmas Eve, Aaron is closing his bookshop when Craig surprises him with a specially planned evening. Will this be the night they take that final step and deepen their physical relationship? Aaron hopes so, but things aren’t that simple. Craig has been keeping a secret…. Can Aaron take his place as part of a family again and accept the love he’s missed for so long—or will he find that some deceptions are too big to be forgiven, even with the help of some Christmas grace? Read More »
Sicken of the Calm (Fox Lake #1) by Marina Vivancos
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Sicken of the Calm
SERIES: Fox Lake #1
AUTHOR: Marina Vivancos
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 225 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 4, 2017
BLURB:
Joaquin would never forget the boy who came out in the middle of the school cafeteria when they were both fifteen. Would never forget his bright eyes and clenched fists, in defiance of the rest of the world. Ezra. His unapologetic bravery was something that would haunt Joaquin who, despite being the captain of his high school football team, was too reserved to come out before college, let alone approach the boy he admired from afar.
Joaquin is in his third year at Fox Lake University when he sees Ezra again. Joaquin expects the distance between them to remain unbreeched, but Ezra, as brash and impetuous as he was in high school, crashes into his life. At first, it’s just a shared class project, but it doesn’t take long for things between them to heat up. Before Joaquin knows what’s happening, he’s squirming on a chair as Ezra watches him jerk off, those clear, intent eyes pinning him in place. This starts a friends-with-benefits relationship with the aim of exploring a submissive and Dominant dynamic in bed, dipping a toe in the BDSM world together.
However, nothing is ever so simple. As their sexual relationship amps up, so does their friendship deepen, fed by those gentle moments after sex, underbelly-soft and vulnerable. As Joaquin gets to know Ezra better he realizes that his assumptions about who Ezra is, and even the assumptions he has made about himself, have to be challenged in order to break the cycles that may lead to their relationship breaking apart. Read More »
Gemini Keeps Capricorn by Anyta Sunday
Reviewed by Cinnamon
TITLE: Gemini Keeps Capricorn
SERIES: Signs of Love Book #3
AUTHOR: Anyta Sunday
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 268 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 18th, 2017
BLURB:
Sometimes, one stubborn Capricorn is all it takes… to drive Wesley Hidaka to crazy, flirtatious lengths.
Wesley loves annoying his RA, Lloyd Reynolds. He just can’t help it. Lloyd is focused, decisive, grounded. He has this amusing ability to follow rules.
Of course Wesley wants Lloyd to break one… or three hundred.
Sometimes, one smirking Gemini is all it takes… to have Lloyd laying down the law and marching Wesley straight back to his dorm room.
It doesn’t stop Wesley teasing again. And again. And again…
But damn. Lloyd doesn’t crack easily. He’s full of principles. He’s unshakable.
He’s the perfect friend to have when Wesley needs help. Like with his truant brother and his old high school principal.
Sometimes, one little lie is all it takes… to find Wesley fake-engaged to his off-limits RA.
What can he say? It seemed like a good idea at the time… Read More »
In the Blood (Metahuman Files #4) by Hailey Turner
Reviewed by Amber
TITLE: In the Blood
SERIES: Metahuman Files #4
AUTHOR: Hailey Turner
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 373 Pages
RELEASE DATE: December 15th, 2017
BLURB:
Running out of time.
Captain Jamie Callahan is frustrated with his team constantly being at the mercy of the enemy in order to further the MDF’s goals. To make matters worse, his father’s political campaign is ramping up and Jamie’s every move is being watched by the media. He is acutely aware of all the eyes trained on him, his team, and Staff Sergeant Kyle Brannigan in particular. Meanwhile, Kyle would give anything to stay in the shadows, but he refuses to leave Jamie’s side, no matter the scrutiny. Staying out of the spotlight becomes impossible when their families are threatened and vital choices about their future together can no longer be ignored.
Desperate measures.
Staff Sergeant Alexei Dvorkin and Agent Sean Delaney are enjoying their time together as a couple when Sean’s past catches up with him. As Alpha Team’s long-running mission gets derailed in the worst way possible, Alexei discovers the enemy is playing for keeps, and neither he nor Sean are in any position to beat the odds and win the game. As for Sean, he’s worried that even if they make it out alive, Alexei may never forgive him for giving into the enemy’s demands.
Stand your ground.
Manipulation is the name of the game, but Jamie is done playing by everybody else’s rules. So is the rest of Alpha Team, because if there’s one thing Jamie’s team knows? It’s that they’re a family—and you don’t mess with family unless you want to get hurt. Read More »