IT IS THAT TIME AGAIN!
Welcome to our Book of the Month Poll for May 2018!
Here are your voter chosen top two from each week in no particular order. Please vote for your favorites and you can vote for as many as you want, but as with our Book of the Week Poll you only get one visit, so make it count!
Remember, the top two go through to the Book of the Year Poll!
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…
Unbroken (The Protectors #12) by Sloane Kennedy
REVIEWED by Jen B.
TITLE: Unbroken
SERIES: The Protectors #12
AUTHOR: Sloane Kennedy
PUBLISHER: Sloane Kennedy
LENGTH: 2075kb
RELEASE DATE: May 3, 2018
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Everything was supposed to go back to normal when I was rescued. It hasn’t. And I’m starting to think it never will because I don’t even know what normal is anymore…
It’s been two years since Aleks Silva was rescued by his older brother from the dark underworld of sex trafficking and every day since then has been a battle. Leaving the house, interacting with people, even doing something as boring as deciding what clothes to wear or what to eat for breakfast are tasks that most people take for granted. But for Aleks, they’re torture. Because freedom and choice are things that once came at a steep price and survival meant submitting to the whims of those who only saw him as a possession and plaything.
Until there was one man who saw him as something more…
I knew from the moment I saw him that I was going to get him out. But I also knew once I did, I’d need to let him go…
He’s known as Vaughn and nothing more. His job is to make sure secrets don’t get out and the possessions he’s been tasked with guarding never escape and tell their story. After eight years in a world where innocent kids are used to feed the darkest of depravities, Vaughn has seen things that would break even the strongest man. But he’s played it smart and built up a wall between himself and the darkness that threatens to consume him.
It wasn’t until he met a young man who had to be a thousand times stronger to survive the life he was forced into as a child that the first crack appeared in his carefully constructed wall.
Vaughn’s only job was to make sure young Aleks Silva remained the ugly little secret of one of the most powerful men in Chicago. It was one job he was more than happy to fail at, and when he eliminated the threat against Aleks and set him free, he was sure their paths would never cross again.
But fate has other plans…
Vaughn is the only man from my other life who never had a starring role in my nightmares… but he’s been in every one of my dreams. And I don’t know why…
When Aleks is suddenly abducted after leaving work one quiet spring evening, he’s certain he’ll never see his brother and family again. But terror quickly turns to relief when a familiar face once again comes to his rescue, along with all the feelings he’s always had but never quite understood around the dangerous, older Vaughn. Certain that Vaughn will make everything okay again like he did once before, Aleks knows he doesn’t even need to ask Vaughn to take him home. But when he does anyway, nothing he’s ever experienced prepares him for Vaughn’s answer… or the brutal betrayal that comes along with it.
I’m sorry, Aleks, I can’t do that.
Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault Against a Minor
*Can be read as a standalone novel but if you have not read any books in this series, you may want to at least read Book 6, Atonement, first. Atonement is the story of Aleks’s brother, Dante, and both brothers appear in each other’s books so it is helpful to know their backstories.
The Protectors series crosses over with some of my other series, so for the most enjoyment, they should be read in order, but it is not required. You can find the correct reading order at the beginning of each book. I’ve also bundled all my series in the correct reading order under the title of A Family Chosen: The Protectors and Barrettis.
Tank (Ballsy Boys #2) by K.M. Neuhold & Nora Phoenix
Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Tank
SERIES: Ballsy Boys #2
AUTHOR: K.M. Neuhold & Nora Phoenix
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 420 Pages
RELEASE DATE: April 28, 2018
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Tank
Shallow pretty boy, conceited fuckboy, immature assclown. Take your pick, they all apply to Brewer. The world is his ass buffet and we’re all on the menu. I’ve never hated anyone like I hate Brewer. But when Rebel pairs us to do a scene together, I have to admit I’m looking forward to taking all my irritation out on his…well, you get the picture. But when one scene turns into a whole fake relationship, I’m not sure we’re going to make it out of this without some bloodshed.
Brewer
Tank has got to be the most boring, stuck up ass I have ever met. That man does not know how to have fun, not even when he’s doing a scene. And if there’s one reason to smile, it’s working with me, right? All the more reason to keep my real self from him because he’d laugh me out of the room. But when we have to pretend we actually like each other, something unexpected happens. The more time we spend together, the more I see a different side of him…and dare to show a different side of me. What the hell is happening?
Tank is the second book in the Ballsy Boys Production series. It can be read as a stand-alone, but it more fun reading in order. Expect plenty of laughs and a lot of sparks.
Nobody’s Prince Charming (Road to Blissville #3) by Aimee Nicole Walker
Reviewed by PizzyGirl
TITLE: Nobody’s Prince Charming
SERIES: Road to Blissville
AUTHOR: Aimee Nicole Walker
PUBLISHER: Chasing Rainbows Press LLC
LENGTH: 238 pages
RELEASEDATE: March 21, 2018
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Fire and ice. Oil and water. Vodka and decisions. That’s what Darren McCoy and Wren Davison are: two opposites that shouldn’t mix well. Dare believes in fairy tales, true love, and happily ever after. Wren believes in fast cars, freedom, and no-strings sex. What can these two men possibly have in common? A magnetic pull strong enough to obliterate logic and reason.
For more than a year, Dare and Wren have worked together at the Curl Up and Dye Salon. Dare has pursued the mysterious, brooding man, and Wren has resisted his provocative charm. Then one day, something happens that allows the men to see each other in a new light. Wren learns that Dare hides a heavy heart behind his brilliant smile. Dare realizes that beneath Wren’s gruff exterior beats the heart of a prince.
Passions ignite once the men stop fighting their attraction, but will it be enough to overcome their differences? Is Wren the prince that Dare is looking for? Can Dare teach Wren that true love does exist?
Nobody’s Prince charming is a modern-day fairy tale where some princes ride Harleys, and castle walls are built to scale. It is the third book in the Road to Blissville series but can be read as a standalone book. This book contains sexually explicit material and is intended for adults eighteen and over.
Once Burned by Alexa Land
Reviewed by Dan
TITLE: Once Burned
SERIES: Firsts and Forever #15.5
AUTHOR: Alexa Land
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 210 Pages
RELEASE DATE: February 10, 2018
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Cameron Doyle is an arson investigator who’s learned he can’t trust anyone.
Ignacio Mondelvano is an artist with a secret that could tear them apart.
A year ago, shy, quiet Cameron had his trust shattered by a sociopath who used him to gain information on an arson case. Ever since then, Cam’s been keeping the world at arm’s length, and he didn’t start out as the most trusting person to begin with.
Then Ignacio Mondelvano saunters into his life. The sexy Spanish painter could have anyone he wants. Much to Cam’s surprise, what Ignacio wants is him.
What begins as a bit of harmless fun at a charity bachelor auction soon turns into so much more. But when secrets are revealed and Cam’s trust is shaken, can their love survive? Or has Cam been burned too badly to believe in second chances?
Sin and Tonic (Sinners #6) by Rhys Ford
Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Sin and Tonic 
SERIES: Sinners #6
AUTHOR: Rhys Ford
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
RELEASE DATE: May 11, 2018
LENGTH: 270 pages
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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.
Guardian Spirits (Spirits #3) by Jordan L. Hawk
Reviewed by Chris
TITLE: Guardian Spirits
SERIES: Spirits #3
AUTHOR: Jordan L. Hawk
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 260 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 18, 2018
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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.
Face the Music (Replay #1) by K.M. Neuhold
Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Face the Music
SERIES: Replay #1
AUTHOR: K.M. Neuhold
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 294 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 20, 2018
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Lincoln
I thought there was only one thing I needed to make me happy. I was so sure becoming a rock star would heal the dark corners inside me. But every time I walk onto the stage, with a roaring crowd screaming my name, all I can think about is the boy I left behind. All I want to do is rewind and make a different choice.
Jace
I thought I hated Lincoln when he ghosted me ten years ago and destroyed my heart. I thought I hated him when he wrote a chart-topping hit about our idyllic young love. But I’ve never hated him as much as I do right now, standing in front of me like he has every right to be in my world again. He’s not the rock god I thought he was…he’s still that same lost boy I used to love. Can I ever trust him with my heart again?
***Face the Music is the first book in the Replay series. Each book in the series will focus on a different band member getting a second chance at love. Each book can be read as a stand-alone. This book contains descriptions of self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and sexy times.
Whisper by Tal Bauer
Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Whisper 
AUTHOR: Tal Bauer
PUBLISHER: Self Published
RELEASE DATE: April 26, 2018
LENGTH: 951 pages
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The truth is complicated.
On September 11th, 2001, Kris Caldera was a junior member of the CIA’s Alec Station, the unit dedicated to finding and stopping Osama Bin Laden.
They failed.
Ten days later, he was on the ground in Afghanistan with a Special Forces team, driven to avenge the ghosts that haunted him and the nation he’d let down. On the battlefield, he meets Special Forces Sergeant David Haddad. David – Arab American, Muslim, and gay – becomes the man Kris loves, the man he lives for, and the man he kills for, through the long years of the raging wars.
David Haddad thought he’d be an outsider his whole life. Too American for the Middle East, too Arab for America, and too gay to be Muslim. It took Kris to bring the parts of himself together, to make him the man he’d always wanted to be. But the War on Terror wreaks havoc on David’s soul, threatening to shatter the fragile peace he’s finally found with Kris.
When a botched mission rips David from Kris’s life, Kris’s world falls into ruin and ash. A shell of the man who once loved with the strength to shake both the CIA and the world, he marks time on the edges of his life. The days bleed together, meaningless after losing the love of his life.
After being captured, tortured to the edge of his life, and left for dead by his comrades, David doesn’t know how much of himself is left. He vanished one day in the tribal belt of Pakistan, and the man who walks out almost a decade later is someone new: Al Dakhil Al-Khorasani.
But strange rumblings are whispering through the CIA. Intelligence from multiple sources overseas points to something new. Something deadly, and moving to strike the United States. Intercepts say an army from Khorasan, the land of the dead where the Apocalypse of Islam will rise, is coming.
And, at the head of this army, a shadowy figure the US hasn’t seen before: Al Dakhil Al-Khorasani.
David is coming home.
Alpha’s Submission (Irresistible Omegas #2) by Nora Phoenix
Reviewed by Becca and Kat
TITLE: Alpha’s Submission
SERIES: Irresistible Omegas #2
AUTHOR: Nora Phoenix
PUBLISHER: self-published
RELEASE DATE: May 26, 2018
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Four men, brought together by fate, connected in more powerful ways than they’d ever imagined.
Lidon, Vieno, Palani, and Enar are finding their way in their complicated relationship. For Vieno, it’s easy. He thrives in the care of his men, taking his place as their omega and focusing on rebuilding the ranch.
For Enar, it’s a lot harder to find his role…and himself. His struggles to accept himself and his place in the relationship create tension between him and his mates.
Palani keeps digging into the Melloni gene and the fraud case Lidon alerted him to. His investigation reveals a conspiracy that is bigger than any of them expected, and it endangers them all.
Lidon discovers powers he never knew he possessed. When his mates and his home are threatened, he steps into a legendary identity. With the help of new friends that become family, Lidon vows to protect what’s his.
Alpha’s Submission is an MMMM mpreg romance and the second book in the Irresistible Omegas series. It is not a stand-alone but continues the story from the first book. It ends with a HEA for our four men, but the suspense storyline will continue in the next books.
The Rest of Forever (The Firsts and Forever Series – Book 16) by Alexa Land
Reviewed by Dan
TITLE: The Rest of Forever
SERIES: The Firsts and Forever Series
AUTHOR: Alexa Land
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 308 Pages
RELEASE DATE: May 25, 2018
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Does love stand a chance between two very different long-time friends?
Mike Dombruso’s life is anything but glamorous. He’s a shy, nerdy accountant and a widower with three young sons, whose world revolves around his kids.
In many ways, Yoshiro Miyazaki is Mike’s polar opposite. He’s a confident, sophisticated tattoo artist who seems to have it all, from his successful business to his stylish loft apartment and rock star boyfriend.
Their unlikely friendship has spanned more than a decade, and Mike is surprised when he realizes he’s fallen for the best friend he’s ever had. After Yoshi breaks up with his boyfriend, Mike sees a window of opportunity. But he has some decisions to make.
Should he risk their friendship for a shot at something more, and is he really ready to explore his bisexuality for the first time? Most of all, can the young widower let go of the past and take a chance on love again?
And even if Mike decides to give it a try, will Yoshi really be willing to trade life in the fast lane for kids and carpools?
This friends-to-lovers and opposites attract MM romance is part of Alexa Land’s bestselling Firsts and Forever Series, but each book is written to stand alone, so jump in anywhere. Please note: it contains adult content and is intended for mature readers.