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…

Reviewed by Dan

TITLE: Roughnecks and Butterflies

SERIES: Ore 5

AUTHOR: Meraki P. Lyhne

PUBLISHER: eXtasy Books Inc.

LENGTH: 184 Pages

RELEASE DATE:  May 18, 2018

BLURB:

Straight out of college, Ethan scored a coveted job on the mining planet Ore 5. So how the hell did he ended up working in a strip club?

What should have been the start of a life with lots of money, a prestigious job, and adventures in space, quickly turned sour as the promised job got downsized while Ethan was in route to Ore 5. Now there, he doesn’t even have enough money for the return ticket to Earth.

Stuck in the outer skirts of the housing for the miners, he quickly finds that his usual standards are impossible to uphold. A new coworker opens up a new world to him, and in this world, the center of gravity is a big tattooed strip club owner named Ryder.

On the outside, Ryder is a player—promiscuous and superficial. And he has no problem throwing a punch if patrons get too frisky with his dancers. But he has hidden a side of himself since he came to Ore 5.

Both Ethan and Ryder see themselves differently from what others see. One is a body-conscious, chubby accountant—the other is a sex-symbol who has become the center of attention of every gay man on the planet. Even a few straight ones who want to prove that they are man enough to win the challenge.

They have one thing in common, but will their differences keep them too far apart?

Stuck in the outer skirts of the housing for the miners, he quickly finds that his usual standards are impossible to uphold. A new coworker opens up a new world to him, and in this world, the center of gravity is a big tattooed strip club owner named Ryder.

On the outside, Ryder is a player—promiscuous and superficial. And he has no problem throwing a punch if patrons get too frisky with his dancers. But he has hidden a side of himself since he came to Ore 5.

Both Ethan and Ryder see themselves differently from what others see. One is a body-conscious, chubby accountant—the other is a sex-symbol who has become the center of attention of every gay man on the planet. Even a few straight ones who want to prove that they are man enough to win the challenge.

They have one thing in common, but will their differences keep them too far apart?

Reviewed by Roberta

TITLE: Restraint

SERIES: Power Exchange Book 4

AUTHOR: AJ Rose

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 354 Pages

RELEASE DATE: April 27, 2018

BLURB:

Who brings a Glock on a honeymoon?

Not retired detective Gavin DeGrassi. When his husband Ben asks who he plans to shoot, Gavin has no answer. They’re spending three weeks in Ben’s family cabin near Seattle, not chasing down bad guys. Or are they?

Ben finds evidence the car accident that claimed his parents’ lives more than fifteen years ago was not so accidental. To avenge the Haversons, Gavin dusts off his detective skills and unknowingly paints a target on their backs. Suddenly, Ben is the prime suspect in a crime and the message couldn’t be clearer: drop the investigation or suffer untold consequences.

Gavin will stop at nothing to ensure Ben’s safety and bring the Haversons’ killers to justice, but without help, they’re sitting ducks. Gavin must make unlikely allies in his quest to clear Ben’s name and stop a ruthless crime syndicate. But with his loyalties divided, how far is too far in his quest for justice?

Reviewed by Annika

TITLE: Sin and Tonic

SERIES: Sinners #6

AUTHOR: Rhys Ford

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

RELEASE DATE: May 11, 2018

LENGTH: 270 pages

BLURB:

Miki St. John believed happy endings only existed in fairy tales until his life took a few unexpected turns… and now he’s found his own.

His best friend, Damien, is back from the dead, and their new band, Crossroads Gin, is soaring up the charts. Miki’s got a solid, loving partner named Kane Morgan—an Inspector with SFPD whose enormous Irish family has embraced him as one of their own—and his dog, Dude, at his side.

It’s a pity someone’s trying to kill him.

Old loyalties and even older grudges emerge from Chinatown’s murky, mysterious past, and Miki struggles to deal with his dead mother’s abandonment, her secrets, and her brutal murder while he’s hunted by an enigmatic killer who may have ties to her.

The case lands in Kane’s lap, and he and Miki are caught in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. When Miki is forced to face his personal demons and the horrors of his childhood, only one thing is certain: the rock star and his cop are determined to fight for their future and survive the evils lurking in Miki’s past.

Reviewed by Chris

TITLE:  Guardian Spirits

SERIES:  Spirits #3

AUTHOR:  Jordan L. Hawk

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH:  260 pages

RELEASE DATE:  May 18, 2018

BLURB:  

Psychic medium Vincent Night and his lover Henry Strauss have spent months striving to uncover the dark secret harbored by Vincent’s dead mentor, James Dunne. Their only clue comes from a journal: Dunne was seeking to restore the Grand Harmonium, an artifact meant to breach the walls between life and death.

Fate seems to intervene when Henry and Vincent are offered a job investigating the haunted orphanage where Dunne lived as a youth. But the ghosts of the orphanage don’t rest easily, and the lovers soon find themselves in a battle to locate the Grand Harmonium before it falls into the wrong hands—and unleashes evil upon the world.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Where Do I Start?

SERIES: Why You?

AUTHOR: Chase Taylor Hackett

PUBLISHER: Lyrical Press

LENGTH: 266 pages

RELEASE DATE: October 17, 2017

BLURB:

Fletcher Andrews never believed in promises. Or monogamy. Or love. When you’re tall and gorgeous, New York City is one big all-you-can-eat buffet of hot young actors, models, and baristas. Even when living happily with Roger, his sweet, sexy violinist boyfriend, Fletch can’t resist an occasional taste. Too bad you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s thrown you out for cheating with half the cast of Disney on Ice.
Two years and a chance meeting later, Fletch desperately wants Roger back. Roger’s new boyfriend, Jeff, will do anything to stop that from happening. But Fletch has a plan to make amends. And with a little help from friends, colleagues—even Roger’s Scottish terrier, Haggis—they might find that the love you don’t believe in can sweep you right off your feet . .

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: The Deadly Lies

SERIES: The Delingpole Mysteries #2

AUTHOR: David C. Dawson

PUBLISHER: DSP Publications

LENGTH: 210 pages

RELEASE DATE: December 5, 2017

BLURB:

Dominic and Jonathan are on their romantic Spanish honeymoon, and things are perfect… except Dominic has kept a secret from his husband. He’s failed to tell Jonathan that he plans to meet his former lover, Bernhardt, who is speeding on his way from Germany to present Dominic with a mysterious gift.
But Bernhardt is killed in a suspicious car accident. Shortly before he dies, he sends Dominic a bizarre text message that will take the newlyweds on a hair-raising adventure.
Lies upon lies plunge Dominic and Jonathan into an internet crime that could destroy the lives of millions of people. What is the mysterious Charter Ninety-Nine group? And will their planned internet assault force Dominic to choose between the fate of the world and the life of his lover?

Reviewed by PizzyGirl

TITLE: Nudging Fate

SERIES: Dreamspun Beyond #20, Enchanted Occasions #1

AUTHOR: E.J. Russell

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 224 Pages

RELEASE DATE: May 15, 2018

BLURB:

An Enchanted Occasions Story

Not exactly a match made in Valhalla.

Half-norn event planner Anders Skuldsson is under strict orders from Asgard not to meddle with Fate. But with Enchanted Occasions’ latest booking—a competition for the hand of Faerie’s one true prince—crashing around his ears, it’s really difficult to toe that particular line. But if Andy pretends to be a contender for the prince…. It’s only temporary, so Odin can’t blame him. Right?

Conall of Odstone’s half-brother, Prince Reyner, was supposed to choose a mate before being crowned and wed. But the idiot left Con to impersonate him. Again.

When Con meets Andy, his anger turns to desire… and despair. Even if Andy forgives him for his imposture, how could someone eligible for a prince’s hand settle for the court outcast? And the double-deception isn’t their only obstacle. Unless Andy makes the right choice, their fates could be sealed by…well… Fate.

Reviewed by Amber

TITLE: The Claiming

SERIES: Bound Gods

AUTHOR: Adrienne Wilder

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 190 Pages

RELEASE DATE: March 29th, 2018

BLURB:

What begins as a day of celebration, the Claiming of two Doxies to a single god, transforms into a spiraling path of cataclysmic change.

Hearts will break.

Friendships will shatter.

And betrayal to those closest to the heart of the Association are only a small price to pay for the protection of the gods’ most precious possessions…

Doxies.

Reviewed by Chris

TITLE:  Lock Nut

SERIES:  The Plumber’s Mate Mysteries #5

AUTHOR:  J.L. Merrow

PUBLISHER:  Riptide Publishing

LENGTH:  330 pages

RELEASE DATE:  May 14, 2018

BLURB:  

Still waters run deadly.

Tom Paretski, plumber with a talent for finding hidden things, and his private investigator fiancé Phil Morrison have been hired to locate a runaway husband, Jonathan Parrot. The job seems simple enough—until their quarry turns up dead in a canal, and a photofit of Tom’s face is splashed all over the news, making him chief suspect.

The widow, petite ex–porn star Lilah Lovett, is convinced her husband was killed by his gay lover, but Tom and Phil aren’t so sure. Worried they may have precipitated Jonathan’s death, they’re determined to find the real killer. But with a web of incestuous ties linking the suspects, it’s hard to know who to trust. Especially when a second victim dies a gruesome death.

Meanwhile, with their wedding looming and them sharing a house now, Tom’s worried it may all be too much, too fast. The last thing he needs are the mixed messages Phil seems to be sending out. They’ll need to get back on the same track if they want to make it to their honeymoon together—and alive.