Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Job Hunt

SERIES: The Power of Zero #1

AUTHOR: Jackie Keswick

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 306 pages

RELEASE DATE: May 13, 2015

BLURB:

You don’t greet your new boss dressed like an underage rent boy. But when Jack Horwood—ace hacker and ex-MI6 operative—opens the door to Gareth Flynn, he’s too busy to worry over details like that. And anyway, his potential new boss is his former commanding officer – the same guy Jack has had a crush on since he was seventeen. So he should understand, right?
When he applied for the job in Nancarrow Mining’s corporate security division, Jack had hoped for peaceful days repelling cyber attacks. Maybe a bit of corporate espionage on the side. His plans didn’t include rescuing abused children, hunting pimps, or dealing with his overly protective and hot-as-hell boss, Gareth Flynn.
Walking away is not an option. Jack never takes the easy way out. More than that, meeting Gareth raises old ghosts that Jack needs to put to rest. Rescuing kids. Taking risks. Saving the day. Jack can do all that—but deciding what to do about his attraction to Gareth isn’t the sort of cloak-and-dagger game Jack plays well. Yet Gareth, strong and smart and always on hand when needed, might be Jack’s salvation.

Reviewed by Taylin

TITLE: Rescue Me

SERIES: Under The Uniform #2

AUTHOR: T.A. McKay

PUBLISHER: Aubergine Publishing

LENGTH: 145 pages

RELEASE DATE:  July 12, 2018

BLURB:

Sometimes the universe puts you in the right place at the right time, but you can’t always see it at the time. When River Bennett is attacked by a group of men, he can’t see anything good coming out of it. That is until the policeman who rescued him appears at the hospital to interview him.

Madden Sanders.

River had spent his youth lusting over his one-time best friends brother, but when life split them apart, he didn’t think he would see either of them again. Yet here Madden is, standing in front of River in a police uniform and looking better than he did back in high school.

Madden can’t believe that it’s little River Bennett that he’s just saved from being seriously hurt. He remembers his little brother’s best friend, and he also remembers the things he used to imagine about him. When those same feelings come back, it confuses Madden, especially since he has a boyfriend. That doesn’t stop the pull between the men, and when friendship threatens to become more, Madden will need to decide what to do.

The only problem is that when he decides, Madden then needs to prove to River he doesn’t see him as less. He doesn’t see him as weak. What he actually sees is the man of his dreams, but will River ever believe him? Will River let Madden see behind the mask where he hides?

And when the universe puts them in the right place again, will they be able to work out who is rescuing who?

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Bond

SERIES: Forbidden Desires #2

AUTHOR: Piper Scott & Virginia Kelly

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 306 pages

RELEASE DATE: November 10, 2018

BLURB:

Adorably naive and shockingly brilliant Harrison Lessardi only needs two things in life: his pet iguana, Steve, and his undying love of science. That is until he witnesses his best friend lay eggs, and a third must-have strolls into his apartment—the sardonic and mischievous Everard Drake.
Everard Drake, celebrated doctor of the tremendously wealthy Drake family, has one goal in mind when he arrives at the scene of his youngest brother’s latest disaster: incinerate Harrison Lessardi. Unfortunately for Everard, the moment he spots Harry, incineration becomes an impossibility—he must have the gorgeous beta as his own, even if it means holding him captive on his estate.
But something else lurks behind Everard’s interest in Harry—something that tugs at Everard’s soul in impossible ways, and that will send Everard and Harry down a rabbit hole of discovery that will change the world as they know it.
An alpha and a beta can’t share a bond.

Reviewed by Kimberley

TITLE: Blood Vigilance

SERIES: My Vampire and I # 9

AUTHOR: J.P. Bowie

PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing

LENGTH: 150 pages

RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2019

BLURB:

In a future Los Angeles, vampires are forced to protect themselves from roving gangs intent on ridding the city of the undead.

In the year 2038, vampires might have civil rights, but that doesn’t mean the population treats them with civility. Master Vampire Marcus Verano wants to put an end to the violence, but the charter they signed states that no human must be harmed in any confrontation.

To that end, the Vigilance group is formed to patrol the streets of downtown Los Angeles and take care of trouble from roving street gangs before it escalates.

Ross Delaney, owner of popular downtown bar The Bitter Brew, comes to the aid of vampire Tristan Munro when he is attacked. Ross is intrigued by the vampire and asks him to return the following night—which he does…and many nights thereafter.

As a Vigilance member, Tristan is partnered with Leah, a fiery red-haired female who resents being subjugated by humans—and male vampires. It isn’t long before she rebels against the Vigilance and seeks vengeance on humans, holding Ross hostage and defying Marcus and Tristan.

Can she be stopped, or will her actions destroy the Vigilance…and the growing relationship between Ross and Tristan?

Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of violence and death.

Reviewed by Roberta

TITLE: Bitten By Fate

SERIES: Regent’s Park Pack Book 6

AUTHOR: Annabelle Jacobs

PUBLISHER: Self Publish

LENGTH: 215 Pages

RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2019

BLURB:

Daryl plays with fire and gets burned by fate…

Former Primrose Pack member Jason Black happily accepted his role as beta in the new Regent’s Hill pack, knowing that merging the two was the best decision for everyone involved. Daryl Easton is loyal and honest but wary of change. The joining of the two packs wasn’t his preferred outcome, and he’s struggling to see all the newcomers as pack, including those now working alongside him.

When the alpha council proposes a two-week pack-building course to help improve troubled relationships, Jason and Daryl are sent along as backup. It soon becomes clear that the unit members and their betas won’t be the only ones taking part in tasks—Daryl and Jason will have challenges of their own to complete.

With the full moon adding to the rising tension, emotions are volatile, and tempers flare among the unit members. Jason and Daryl become closer than either of them expected, but with such opposing views on relationships, a messy outcome seems inevitable unless Daryl can let go of the past.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: A Body in a Bathhouse

SERIES: A Mitch O’Reilly Mystery #1

AUTHOR: Brad Shreve

PUBLISHER: Beeson Press

LENGTH: 242 pages

RELEASE DATE: March 14, 2019

BLURB:

Nearly bankrupt, wise-cracking private investigator, Mitch O’Reilly, divides his time accepting any investigation gig that comes his way, while half-heartedly running his Eye Spy Supply shop in a forgotten Los Angeles strip mall.
Two tours in Afghanistan have left Mitch a broken man whose social life amounts to enduring his fun-loving sister, Josie, and hooking up with anonymous men he meets online. That may change when he gets his big break. A beloved comedy scriptwriter is murdered at a bathhouse, and Mitch is hired to prove the innocence of the club custodian. In addition, the flirtatious club manager, Trent Nakos, has Mitch reexamining his belief that there should be no emotional entanglements associated with sex.
While Mitch investigates the bathhouse murder, he learns there’s more to investigate than just a dead body. He must choose between continuing a case that could finally put him on the map or drop the case to protect the one he loves.

Reviewed by Donna

TITLE: Hidden Powers

SERIES: Superordinary Society #1

AUTHOR: Tara Lain

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 269 Pages

RELEASE DATE: March 13, 2019

BLURB:

Jazz Vanessen is weird—and not just because he’s a werewolf. For most of his life, he’s felt different from his alpha male brothers and friends. Since he’s adopted, he can’t even blame it on family.
Now eighteen, Jazz meets his idol, the social activist Lysandra Mason, and her breathtaking nephew, Dash Mercury. When Dash is around, even stranger things start to happen, including Jazz falling hopelessly in lust. Not only is Jazz having visions, making people disappear, and somehow turning invisible, but somebody’s following him and threatening to reveal his pack’s secrets to the world.
Together with Dash and Jazz’s equally amazing friends—Carla, BeBop, Khadija, and Fatima—they discover the danger is even more lethal than they thought, and Jazz’s weirdness may save all their lives.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Better Together

AUTHOR: BL Maxwell

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 322 pages

RELEASE DATE: May 15, 2018

BLURB:

Since being thrown out of his home by his parents, Caden has been struggling to survive on the streets.

He lives in constant fear, stresses over his next meal, and dreads trying to find a safe place to sleep at night. He eventually finds an unlocked car and settles in to sleep, but is soon interrupted when someone steals the car. With little choice but to ride along, Caden soon learns that first impressions aren’t always correct.
Seventeen-year-old Damario has been raising his little brother and sister by himself since his parents were deported. He never knew how hard it was going to be paying the bills and making sure there was always food on the table. Or how hard it would be to hold his family together when they all depended on him to do it. He finds himself stealing cars to make ends meet, but he never expected to find someone sleeping in the back of one of them. And he really didn’t expect this stowaway to change his life.
When Damario brings Caden home, it was supposed to be just for a shower and a hot meal, but he can hardly kick him out onto the streets again. There is no way he could have seen that by saving Caden that night, he was also saving himself. When Damario’s world starts to fall apart, they both realize that the answer to all of their problems is helping each other, and although the world tries to drive them apart, they really are better together.