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…
Campy (Ballsy Boys #4) by K.M. Neuhold & Nora Phoenix
Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Campy
SERIES: Ballsy Boys #4
AUTHOR: K. M. Neuhold & Nora Phoenix
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 295 pages
RELEASE DATE: January 4, 2019
BLURB:
What will happen when my secrets are exposed?
I’m lying to my mom about doing porn.
I’m lying to the Ballsy Boys about my life.
I’m lying to myself about who I am.
I pretend to be Campy, but I am Cameron. But does anyone even know the real me?
When I meet my new roommate, a sexy Texan cowboy and break-out TV star named Jackson, all my lies start to come out. He makes me want to be myself, but I’ve spun so many lies that I don’t even know who I am anymore. The more I fall for him, the more I worry that all my secrets will destroy us before we have a chance to be together.
Good thing Jackson has a stubborn streak and won’t give up so easily.
Boy Shattered by Eli Easton
REVIEWED by Jay V.
TITLE: Boy Shattered 
AUTHOR: Eli Easton
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 352 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 16, 2018
BLURB:
Brian
You’ll make it out of here, Brian. I swear.
I had everything—school quarterback, popular with girls, and my dad was proud of me. I told myself it didn’t matter no one knew the real me. And then I nearly died. Landon saved my life. He’s the bravest guy I know. He came out a few years ago, proud and fierce, and he ran into gunfire to help others. Me, I’m a mess. Can’t even stand to be in a room with the curtains open. But here’s the thing about losing it all: You get a chance to start over and be someone new. Only how can I move on when the two shooters who attacked our school were never caught? And why do I feel like I’m still in the crosshairs?
Landon
Will you kiss me?
When I came across Brian Marshall,the hottest guy in school, dying on the cafeteria floor, I did what anyone would do. I tried to save him. His request surprised me, but I figured he needed comfort, so I kissed him on the forehead. When he survived and came back to school, he was broken in body and mind. He still needed me, and soon we were unlikely besties. But what I saw at school that day woke me up. I want to demand action on gun control, lead protests, raise my fist. I’ll tear the world down if I have to. And if I can get the man of my dreams and save the world at the same time? I’ll take it. Only I didn’t understand that the horror at Jefferson Waller High wasn’t over.
Kiss Off (Valentine’s Inc #2) by Michelle Frost
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Kiss Off
SERIES: Valentine’s Inc #2
AUTHOR: Michelle Frost
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 76 pages
RELEASE DATE: January 17, 2019
BLURB:
Rough and tumble biker, Harold Jackson, has no interests beyond making sure his grandmother, MiMi, has everything she needs, stepping into the boxing ring every once in a while, and working his life away in his automotive garage, Jackson’s Auto. When a sassy little number walks into his life through an open bay door, Jackson doesn’t know what to think. Westley is witty, adorable, and has no qualms about going head to head with him. Then Westley announces that he works for Valentine’s Inc. and has been hired to help Jackson jump back into the dating scene. Will he dig his heels in or open himself up to find out what he’s been missing?
Work, school, work, repeat. Westley’s life feels like it’s on a constant loop running from one job to the next trying to make ends meet and pay for his online classes. Being a dating specialist for Valentine’s Inc. isn’t the most steady work, but it’s always an adventure. Only he never imagined someone’s grandmother hiring him to woo her grandson out of his shell. Jackson isn’t like anyone he’s ever been on a date with, for work or pleasure, but he’s determined to help the rough man let out more of the tender side he keeps under wraps, even if Westley can’t keep him for himself.
No Angel: A No Shame Holiday Romance (No Shame #5) by Nora Phoenix
Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: No Angel: A No Shame Holiday Romance
SERIES: No Shame #5
AUTHOR: Nora Phoenix
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 167 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 23, 2018
BLURB:
Indy and his chosen family are celebrating the holidays…in true No Shame style.
It’s time to say I do, and Indy couldn’t be more excited. Side by side with Noah, Josh, and Connor, he’s proud to take his vows with their friends watching.
But his post-wedding bliss is rudely interrupted when his past once again comes back to haunt him. And not just him, Connor gets some shocking news as well that leaves him reeling.
Before they can all share the best Christmas ever, they’ll need to come together as one family.
No Angel is the fifth book in the No Shame series, a continuing series that needs to be read in order (start with No Filter). You can expect the usual sexy shenanigans, some suspense, and a whole lotta love and emotions as we reconnect with all characters from the previous books.
Kiss Me Like You Mean it (Valentine’s Inc #1) by Jacki James
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Kiss Me Like You Mean it
SERIES: Valentine’s Inc. #1
AUTHOR: Jacki James
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 88 pages
RELEASE DATE: January 14, 2019
BLURB:
“When he kisses me, I feel like I’m home. Like I’ve found something I’ve been looking for my entire life.”
When a huge investor says his company is interested in funding Clay’s latest project he’s thrilled. At least he is until he realizes the investor not only believes Clay is gay but wants him to bring his boyfriend along on a Valentine’s Day ski weekend to pitch the project to the rest of the board.
When Trevor’s best friend Cassie tells him she can’t find anyone to go on a ski weekend with Valentine’s Inc.‘s newest client he agrees to go. After all, he owes Cassie big time and her job as the matchmaking services branch manager means a lot to her. Plus, it won’t hurt him to pretend to be a straight guys boyfriend for a weekend if it gets him a free ski trip, right?
Trevor is the perfect boyfriend, and it isn’t long before the lines between pretend and real blur causing Clay to wonder if maybe he isn’t quite as straight as he always assumed he was. Neither man is sure what is real and what’s for show, but one thing Trevor knows is that when Clay kisses him it doesn’t feel pretend at all; when he kisses him it feels like he means it.
If I Ever (Hell or High Water #4) by S.E. Jakes
REVIEWED by Jen B.
TITLE: If I Ever
SERIES: Hell or High Water
AUTHOR: S.E. Jakes
PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing
LENGTH: 303 Pages
RELEASE DATE: January 21, 2019
BLURB:
Some ghosts refuse to stay buried . . .
Prophet and Tom have been through the wringer more times than they can count, both as partners in the field and in life. Yet despite it all, they’ve built something great together. But now they need to protect it again: Prophet’s old nemesis, John Morse, is back and threatening everything he loves.
Prophet is driven enough to take John down alone, and with a chance to do exactly that on the table, he runs with it, risking himself in the process. But trusting Tom to help him is so much more than mission critical.
It’s the final stand, and with Tom and his team behind him, Prophet’s in for the fight of his life. Then a figure from his past goes missing, and the consequence of an old mission rears its head. As complications and destruction mount all around them, getting out alive becomes the most important mission of their lives.
Typhoon Toby (Forces of Nature #2) by R.L. Merrill
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Typhoon Toby
SERIES: Forces of Nature #2
AUTHOR: R.L. Merrill
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 233 pages
RELEASE DATE: January 22, 2019
BLURB:
On the surface, Toby Griffiths appears to have it all—talent, money, a brilliant mind, and model good looks. With his best friend, Reese, he’s built an empire as a singer/songwriter.
But beneath that glittering exterior, Toby suffers the lasting effects of abuse. To keep his tempestuous past where it belongs, he insists on anonymity with lovers—no names, no personal information. But a vacation fling in Bali changes all that, and he can’t get his recent playmate out of his mind.
Therapist Spencer Hart left Bali with a bad case of pneumonia and a broken heart. Although he’s recovering, he’s shocked to find his secretive partner on TV, and he’s determined to see him again. Spencer arranges to attend one of Toby’s fundraising galas, and their reunion is tense.
Toby tries to stick to his rules… until a New Year’s kiss with Spencer washes away the last of his resistance. But Toby is a man with secrets, and when the storm comes ashore, it could devastate not just his professional life but his fledgling love affair and his longtime partnership with his best friend.
Will Spencer stand by his side and help him weather the storm as Toby faces his worst fe
Christmas-Panther Style (Delta Force-Team Panther, Book 5) by Annabella Stone
Reviewed by Roberta
TITLE: Christmas-Panther Style
SERIES: Delta Force-Team Panther, Book 5
AUTHOR: Annabella Stone
PUBLISHER: Self Publish
LENGTH: 158 Pages
RELEASE DATE: January 5, 2019
BLURB:
Their world was turned upside down…
With booms, kabooms and bullets flying after a mad dash across continents on a rescue mission in a plane painted like Santa’s sleigh.
Join some friends old and new as they chase the enemy none of them ever wanted. One of their own.
Find out who is on the Naughty List this year, in Christmas Panther Style.
The Devil’s Breath by A. Nybo
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: The Devil’s Breath
AUTHOR: A. Nybo
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 200 pages
RELEASE DATE: January 22, 2019
BLURB:
Henri’s stalker has left him with a paradoxical legacy: his mind rebels at the thought of being touched—the very thing his body craves.
For three years Henri has fought to overcome the horrors of the past. Now on the other side of the world—after leaving Australia for Canada—Henri’s nemesis is hunting him with maniacal focus. Trying to escape, he meets Birch, a kind horse trainer, who’s confounded by Henri’s idiosyncrasies even as he is drawn to him. But when Birch discovers the truth, he encourages Henri not to just survive, but to live.
Maybe even to love.
Clutch (Forbidden Desires #1) by Piper Scott and Virginia Kelly
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Clutch
SERIES: Forbidden Desires #1
AUTHOR: Piper Scott, Virginia Kelly
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 240 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 6, 2018
BLURB:
Bookish, snarky, and fiercely independent Nate Boudreaux leads a solitary life. Between teaching classes at the university and working toward his PhD, he doesn’t need a partner to occupy his time, and he certainly doesn’t need a man like Alistair Drake complicating his future.
Alistair Drake, black sheep of the tremendously wealthy Drake family, is more interested in adding another notch to his bedpost than another zero to his bank account. When a Grindr message brings him to Nate’s doorstep, then straight to his bed, he has no reason to believe that what they share will be more than a simple hookup, until, three months later, a tug on his soul informs him otherwise.
For the Drake family has a secret—one that will force Nate and Alistair together as much as it will demand that they be torn apart. One that Alistair and his brothers have carried all their lives… and one that Alistair and Nate’s future children will carry, too.
Bound to each other by the three precious impossibilities, Nate and Alistair have no choice—no matter the consequence, they will fight for their forbidden clutch.
Clutch is a 64,000 word steamy omegaverse mpreg-ish romance that will leave you in stitches. It contains a Grindr hook-up gone very wrong (or very right); giant magical lizards; a pig named Olive; a wank throne; and a HEA, right down to the white picket fence.
Ten by Tia Fielding
Reviewed by Cindy
TITLE: Ten
SERIES: Love by Numbers Book 1
AUTHOR: Tia Fielding
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 227 Pages
RELEASE DATE: January 15, 2019
BLURB:
Can two broken men build one life?
Ten years.
That’s what Makai lost for a crime he didn’t commit. He’s been exonerated, but the abuse he suffered in prison isn’t so easy to leave behind. He heads to the one place he remembers being happy: Acker, Wisconsin, where he spent summers with his grandpa. Unfortunately, not everyone wants Makai there.
Ten days.
That’s how long Emil, now twenty-one, was held prisoner as a teenager. The mental and physical injuries he suffered at the hands of a drug trafficking ring still haunt him.
Nightmares, anxiety, and PTSD challenge the connection forming between Makai and Emil, though together, they might find a way to move beyond their pain and into a future—and a relationship—that both had thought impossible.
Now they just have to convince Emil’s father, the town sheriff. It won’t be easy with danger closer than they know….
Femme Faux Fatale (Dreamspun Desires #70) by Susan Laine
Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: Femme Faux Fatale
SERIES: Dreamspun Desires
AUTHOR: Susan Laine
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 190 Pages
RELEASE DATE: November 20, 2018
BLURB:
Mystery. Murder. Men in silk stockings. Hollywood nights are heating up.
Hardboiled Los Angeles PI Cain Noble is hired by wealthy and gorgeous Camille Astor to find her husband and a priceless work of art, both of which have disappeared.
At the nightclub owned by Mr. Astor, Cain encounters the mesmerizing Lily Lavender, who has the body of a goddess and the sultry voice of an angel—but is really a young man named Riley who attracts trouble like a magnet.
What’s a private dick in the vein of LA’s bygone era and a cross-dressing burlesque starlet to do when faced with the hidden decadence and lethal dangers of the Hollywood Hills? They have their work cut out for them because they haven’t even scratched the surface of an elaborate scheme more twisted than anyone could ever have imagined.
The Princess of Baker Street by Mia Kerick
Reviewed by Cheryl
TITLE: The Princess of Baker Street
AUTHOR: Mia Kerick
PUBLISHER: Harmony Ink
LENGTH: 156 pages
RELEASE DATE: January 22, 2019
BLURB:
When she was a child, Joey Kinkaid, assigned as a boy at birth—wearing Mom’s purple sundress and an imaginary crown—ruled the Baker Street neighborhood with a flair and imagination that kept the other kids captivated. Day after day, she led them on fantastic after-school adventures, but those innocent childhood days are over, and the magic is gone. The princess is alone.
Even Eric Sinclair, the Prince Eric to Joey’s Princess Ariel, has turned his back on his former friend, watching in silence as Joey is tormented at school. Eric isn’t proud of it, but their enchanted youth is over, and they’ve been thrust into a dog-eat-dog world where those who conform survive and those who don’t… well, they don’t. Eric has enough to deal with at home, where his mother has abandoned him to live in isolation and poverty.
But Eric can’t stay on the sidelines forever. When Joey finally accepts her female gender and comes to school wearing lip gloss, leggings, and a silky pink scarf, the bullies readily take the opportunity she hands them, driving Joey to attempt suicide and leaving Eric at a crossroads—one that will influence both their lives in not just the present, but the future.
Is there a chance the two teens can be friends again, and maybe even more?
The poll didn’t come with my email.