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…

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River Home (Accidental Roots #5) by Elle Keaton

Reviewed by Tori (Vicki)

 

TITLE: River Home

SERIES: Accidental Roots #5

AUTHOR: Elle Keaton

PUBLISHER: Dirty Dog Press

LENGTH: 200 pages

RELEASE DATE: February 16th, 2018

BLURB:

If you don’t know what you want, would you recognize it if you found it?

Miguel Ramirez is the definition of a pocho: a half-breed, whitewashed Mexican–American who doesn’t speak Spanish. He’s also unapologetically bisexual. Three years ago he arrived in Skagit a broken man, having barely managed to escape an abusive relationship. Slowly, he’s rebuilt his life. He’s tried hard to discard his deepest desires and be happy with what life has doled out. Family feels out of his grasp; no one really wants to keep a stray, after all. Except, maybe, a red-haired stranger with a galaxy of freckles who seems to encompass everything Miguel’s learned to avoid.

Nate Richardson is a focused, solid, reliable, career-minded Federal Agent with no time for relationships outside of work. Then he runs into Miguel with his sparkling green eyes, rakish smile, and outrageous sense of humor. Nate starts thinking about Miguel as more than just another guy. Nate was sure he didn’t care about sex and didn’t believe in love… until he met Miguel Ramirez.

Things quickly heat up between Nate and Miguel. Crime in Skagit is heating up as well. Nate is sidelined when the case he is working on reaches a frustrating standstill. In the meantime, unnerving incidents transpire, some literally on Nate’s doorstep. Will outside forces—or their own baggage—keep Miguel and Nate apart? What exactly is family, and can Miguel and Nate make one of their own?

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Once Upon a Wolf (Wayward Wolves #1) by Rhys Ford

REVIEWED BY CINDY AND ANNIKA

TITLE: Once Upon a Wolf

SERIES: Wayward Wolves Series, Book 1

AUTHOR: Rhys Ford

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 112 Pages

RELEASE DATE: February 16th, 2018

BLURB:

Gibson Keller’s days are fairly routine: wake up early, get some work done, drink lots of coffee, and take care of Ellis, his older brother, stuck in wolf form after coming home from the war. It’s a simple life made up of long runs on two legs—or four—and quiet evenings…. Until Ellis chases a handsome man off a cliff and into the frozen waters beside their cabin, changing Gibson’s life forever.

For Zach Thomas, buying an old B&B is a new start. Leaving behind his city life, he longs to find peace and quiet, and hiking the trails behind his property seems safe enough—right up to the moment an enormous black wolf chases him into a lake, nearly drowning him. Discovering werewolves are real astounds him, but not as much as the man who rescues him from the icy water, then walks into Zach’s heart as if he owns it.

Loving a werewolf—loving Gibson with all his secrets—has its challenges, but Zach believes their love is worth fighting for, especially since his heart knows the big bad wolf is really a prince in disguise.

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Rebel (Ballsy Boys #1) by Nora Phoenix & K.M Neuhold

Reviewed by Kat

 

TITLE: Rebel

SERIES: Ballsy Boys #1

AUTHORS: Nora Phoenix and K. M. Neuhold

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 248 Pages

RELEASE DATE: January 31, 2018

BLURB:

“I don’t do relationships, I break them.” ~ Troy
If there’s one thing life has taught me it’s that everyone eventually leaves. But that’s okay because I have a strategy: no friends, no boyfriends, limit repeat hook-ups, no sleep overs, and above all leave them before they leave me. I’ve put my break-up skills to work doing others’ dirty work for them.

The last thing I expected when I agreed to do an embarrassing breakup song and dance was to end up on the doorstep of the very recognizable—and stupidly sexy—Rebel. When you meet a man like Rebel you’d be insane not to make a move. And just because he has me tossing out every single one of my rules doesn’t mean I’m in trouble, right?
“I’m everyone’s friend, but no one’s everything.” ~ Rebel
I love working for Ballsy Boys, but when you make the kind of videos I do relationships are pretty damn impossible. Besides, guys find me sexy and want to either be with me or be me, but no one has ever cared enough to see the real me.

Until I meet Troy. He has no problem whatsoever with my job, but he’s determined to keep me at a distance. For the first time, a hook-up alone is not enough. I want more with him. Hell, I want everything. But he resists at every step until I’m about ready to give up. What do I need to do to show him that this is real and worth fighting for?
***Rebel is the first book in the Ballsy Boys Series and is a super sexy MM romance with plenty of good times. While this book and this series do contain some instances of sex outside of the main relationships, they DO NOT contain cheating.

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BFF: Best Friend’s Father by Devon McCormack

Reviewed by Becca

 

 

TITLE: BFF: Best Friend’s Father

AUTHOR: Devon McCormack

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 297 pages

RELEASE DATE: February 13, 2018

BLURB:

A beach vacay with my best bud since college seems like the perfect opportunity to relax, catch some rays, and enjoy a couple of nights on the town. When I find a girl who’s eager to mess around with me, I figure I’ve got it made.
Then I meet the intense, hot-as-hell, tattooed Eric Westright, who wrecks my world…in the best possible way.
He awakens something within me-something that’s always been here, but that’s never pulled so powerfully…not until I looked into those solemn blue eyes and felt the red-hot spark of his touch.
There’s something about this chemistry that’s so intoxicating, and the more I get to know him, the harder it becomes for me to resist these impulses that overtake me-that leave me wanting him to show me what it feels like to have a man inside me.
I know he’s fighting too. It’s so wrong, but every kiss, every caress, every stroke feels so right. We shouldn’t act on these urges, but we can’t help ourselves.
First he claims my body, then he claims my heart.
And before I know it, I’m in too deep with my best friend’s father…

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Second Wind by Aimee Nicole Walker

Reviewed by Annika

AUTHOR: Aimee Nicole Walker

PUBLISHER: Chasing Rainbow Press

RELEASE DATE: February 14, 2018

LENGTH: 236 pages

BLURB:

Second Wind: A new strength or energy to continue something that is an effort. After an amicable divorce, Lincoln Huxley is ready to embrace the sexuality he repressed for more than two decades. Rush Holden is no longer willing to settle for closeted men or those who don’t share his dreams of marriage and fatherhood. A chance encounter on a lakeside pier is the second wind they both need. Or will it just be a painful reminder of all they had lost? Second chance: an opportunity to try something again that failed one time. Rush and Lincoln have shared a lot of firsts—friendship, young love, and heartbreak. Cruel reality forced the two men to choose paths that took their lives in different directions. Twenty-five years later, they get a second chance to fall in love with each all over again. Can it really be that simple, or will the same issues ruin their happiness a second time? Happily ever after: to live happily for the rest of one’s life. Rush and Lincoln know that love and life can’t be defined by words alone. Patience, commitment, and the determination to do whatever it takes will be the only way the two men achieve their happily ever after.

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Somwhere over Lorain Road by Bud Gundy

Reviewed byDonna

 

TITLE: Somewhere Over Lorain Road

AUTHOR: Bud Gundy

PUBLISHER: Bold Strokes Books

LENGTH: 266 Pages

RELEASE DATE: February 13, 2018

BLURB:

For more than forty years, the stain of horrific allegations against their father has haunted the Esker sons. When three little boys were murdered in 1975, their dad was suspected of the crimes. The immense strain of the unsolved case shattered the family, sending the brothers reeling into destinies of death, flight, and, in the case of Don Esker, shame-filled silence.

Years later, Don returns to the family home in North Homestead, Ohio, to help care for his dying father in his final months. His dad longs for the peace that will only come with clearing his name. If Don can find the killer, he can heal his family—and himself. His own redemption begins when he becomes romantically involved with Bruce, who joins the hunt and forces Don to confront the unthinkable answer they’ve uncovered

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The Easy Way (The Way Home #1) by May Archer

Reviewed by Amber

TITLE: The Easy Way

SERIES: The Way Home #1

AUTHOR: May Archer

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 270 Pages

RELEASE DATE: September 10th, 2017

BLURB:

Camden Seaver had it easy – a loving family, plenty of money, and the freedom to follow his dreams while his older brother, Sebastian, took charge of the family business. But when a tragic plane crash killed his parents, all the responsibilities he never wanted landed firmly on his shoulders. Now saddled with his crazy, grief-stricken brother and his dad’s multimillion dollar company, Cam doesn’t trust in dreams anymore. He’s forgotten what “easy” feels like.

FBI Agent Kendrick “Cort” Cortland learned the hard way that he couldn’t depend on anyone but himself. Before joining the FBI, the one constant in his life was his foster brother, Damon – and then Damon disappeared. Now, Cort is determined to find his brother and to bring down the man responsible for ruining Damon’s life, Sebastian Seaver. He’s got nothing left to lose.

When Cort’s investigation leads him to Seaver Tech…and Camden Seaver…what started as a quest for revenge and a one-night deception quickly turns into far more than either man bargained for. But how can either man trust in something that seems so easy? As long-held secrets are revealed, the attraction between Cam and Cort becomes combustible – an undeniable love that will either make or destroy them. Will Cam and Cort let their conflicting loyalties drive them apart? Or will they decide that sometimes love is the easy way?

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Smoldering Flame ( Rekindled Flame #2) by Andrew Grey

Reviewed by Tammy

 

 

TITLE: Smoldering Flame

SERIES: Rekindled Flame, #3

AUTHOR: Andrew Grey

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 177 pages

RELEASE DATE: February 13, 2018

BLURB:

Sometimes the strongest flames take the longest to ignite.

Firefighter Dean’s life revolves around his very ill son, Sammy. Caring for Sammy and working to make ends meet leave Dean time for little else, and romance isn’t something he can even consider – no matter how much he longs for someone special to join their family. Because money is tight, Dean couldn’t be more grateful to the photographer who does Sammy’s session free of charge.

After growing up in the foster care system, Marco knows how to rely on himself, and his hard work is about to pay off – he’s poised on the cusp of fame and success he could only have imagined as a lonely child. When Dean brings Sammy into Marco’s studio, Marco can see they’re struggling, and both the boy and his father stir Marco’s heart. The slow burn between the two men isn’t something either expected, but neither wants to lose the possibility of a loving future. With Dean’s dangerous and possibly life-threatening career and Marco’s demanding one, can romance and forever find a place to fit?

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Cam Boy (Murmur inc #3) by Quinn Anderson

Reviewed by Becca

 

TITLE: Cam Boy

SERIES: Murmur Inc, #3

AUTHOR: Quinn Anderson

PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing

LENGTH: 279 pages

RELEASE DATE: February 12, 2018

BLURB:

After years of making minimum wage, college dropout Josh Clemmons may have found his salvation. Murmur Inc., a local adult entertainment company, is hosting auditions for new performers, and Josh has been invited to try out. If he can make it as a porn star, he can kiss his money troubles goodbye.
Mike Harwood is a loud-and-proud professional adult entertainer. In the past three years, he’s starred in dozens of films, and he’s very good at what he does. But as focused as he’s been on work, he’s neglected everything else, including his love life. He’s so used to faking attraction, he can no longer tell when something real is staring him in the face.
Josh gets the job, but when porn fails to live up to the fantasy, he quits to do cam work instead. But he can’t stop thinking about the one scene he filmed, and the captivating man he filmed it with. Their chemistry is undeniable, but Mike knows better than to mix business with pleasure. Then again, with true love on the line, this unorthodox office romance may need a second take.