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…
Freeman by Clare London
Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Freeman
AUTHOR: Clare London
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 240 pages
RELEASE DATE: January 21, 2018
BLURB:
Freeman’s return to the city is quiet, without fuss. Another client: another case. He’ll source what they need and be on his way. But he’s been missed by more people than he thought: his ex-wife, his ex-lover, and his ex-business partner. And at least one of them wants him the hell gone again.
Freeman – private, controlled – just does his job. But when he strikes up an unusual friendship with the young runaway Kit, trouble comes looking for both men, ready to expose secrets that can destroy their fragile trust. Yet, for Kit, Freeman’s more than ready for the challenge.
Full Bodied (Uncorked #2) by Shea Balik
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Full Bodied
SERIES: Uncorked #2
AUTHOR: Shea Balik
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 127 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 14, 2017
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Raise your wine glasses high to toast the men of Dahlonia while they discover the secret to happiness – LOVE.
For Nolan Woods, life had been a miserable existence that had left him lonely and depressed. Nothing had ever seemed to go his way. It was his own fault for being such a loser, but it would still be nice if just once he had something end up in his favor. Unfortunately, for that to happen he’d have to put down the food he loved so much.
West Baxter led a charmed life. In college, he and his friends had decided to open a winery, allowing him to travel and meet new people. It had been a playboy lifestyle but when he met Nolan Woods, he found himself longing to settle down instead. Too bad their new winery needed him out on the road to sell their wines it they ever hoped of being the success they had dreamed about.
Nolan’s misery had him taking drastic action to change himself. He never thought in a million years anyone would like him as he was. But before he could go under the knife, West had finally had enough of life on the road and seduced Nolan.
Suddenly Nolan no longer knew what to do. He didn’t believe West would ever be able to love him as he was, but if he told West his plans West just might realize what a loser Nolan was and leave him even sooner. Either way, Nolan had to pray that West would understand that Nolan could no longer be Full Bodied.
Mate (Forbidden Desires #3) by Piper Scott and Virginia Kelly
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Mate
SERIES: Forbidden Desires #3
AUTHOR: Piper Scott & Virginia Kelly
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 379 pages
RELEASE DATE: February 17, 2019
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Spitfire Disgrace Matthieu Boudreaux has one wish: to age out of the Pedigree he despises, then destroy it. With one year left before he achieves the first step of his goal, Matthieu finally has some hope for an independent future… until a surly Amethyst dragon by the name of Geoffrey Drake and his entourage show up at Matthieu’s cloister and inform him he’s been selected to be part of an ‘experiment.’
Geoffrey Drake, proud and stuffy legal counsel for the Amethyst clan, has been charged with ruining his own life. His mission? Deliver a potential mate to the son of the Amethyst clan’s most despised enemy—and the man he’s loved in secret for the last hundred years—Topaz dragon Ian Brand. Refusal is impossible. Dragons don’t consort with dragons, and should Geoffrey decline, he risks exposing them both.
Ian Brand, charming black sheep of the Topaz clan, is trapped between his forbidden love for an Amethyst dragon centuries his senior and his duty to his family. Chosen by his unhinged father to be the Topaz candidate for the mating experiment, Ian is faced with a terrible choice: run away with the man he loves and face the deadly consequences, or accept his fate with a broken heart.
But dragon magic, as Matthieu, Geoffrey, and Ian soon discover, works in mysterious ways. When an unforeseeable circumstance draws them all together and puts their futures at risk, they have no choice but to set their differences aside and work together to prove a new, startling truth…
What the dragon world knows about mates has been wrong all along, and it will be up to the three of them to prove it.
Mate is a 103,000 word steamy omegaverse mpreg-ish romance that will leave you in stitches. It contains an experiment gone awry, five eccentric peacocks, an unusually large number of whelps, an ancient Viking Daddy dragon, and science! For maximum enjoyment, Mate is best read following the events of Clutch and Bond.
Lust and Other Drugs (Mytho #1) by TJ Nichols
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Lust and Other Drugs
SERIES: Mytho #1
AUTHOR: TJ Nichols
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 217 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 2, 2019
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Police officer Jordan and dragon shifter Edra might have to work together, but they don’t trust each other—even if sparks do fly between them.
If anyone finds out Jordan’s a mytho sympathizer, it could kill his career. No one can know that he frequents the satyr dens and uses the drug Bliss. A dead satyr might not get much attention, but two dead humans who appeared to overdose on Bliss? That shouldn’t even be possible.
And it might not be an accident.
Edra, Mythological Services Liaison, has been covering up mytho crimes to protect the community’s reputation. With a mayoral election looming, the last thing his people need is a scandal like this one.
To get a murderer off the streets, Jordan and Edra will be spending a lot of time together, and it won’t be easy to keep up with their deceptions. Or keep resisting each other.
Blindsided (Fake Boyfriend #4) by Eden Finley
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Blindsided
SERIES: Fake Boyfriend #4
AUTHOR: Eden Finley
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 290 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 18, 2019
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Miller:
When Talon left to play pro ball six years ago, the hole in my chest confused me. I focused my heartache into making my own NFL dreams come true, and by the time I was drafted, the longing I had for my best friend was buried deep. Now he wants everything to be like it was in college, but we can’t have threesomes and be reckless like we once were. The media storm would be enough to break both our careers.That’s not my biggest concern though. The torch I had for him burns brighter after so long apart, and there’s nothing I can do about it. Marcus Talon is straight.I need to stay away from him.
𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧:
Years ago, Miller and I made a pact that we’d win a Super Bowl together. When I’m offered a position on his team in Chicago, I don’t hesitate. I move across the country to chase a dream that’s a decade old.Only, now that I’m here, he’s avoiding me every chance he gets. If he was anyone else, I’d cut my losses.But this is Shane Miller–the guy who makes everything better just by existing in my universe. The guy I’d do anything for. The guy who’s more to me than a brother, a friend, or even a teammate.I’m not going to let him get away.
**Blindsided is a full-length MM novel with a HFN/HEA and no cliffhanger. Unlike the other books in the Fake Boyfriend universe, Blindsided does not contain a fake boyfriend trope.**
Thrown to the Wolves (Big Bad Wolf #3) by Charlie Adhara
Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: Thrown to the Wolves
SERIES: Big Bad Wolf #3
AUTHOR: Charlie Adhara
PUBLISHER: Carina Press
LENGTH: 263 Pages
RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2019
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Agent Cooper Dayton is going to meet his boyfriend’s werewolf family. Unarmed. On their turf.
And he’s bringing his cat.
When Agent Cooper Dayton agreed to attend the funeral for Oliver Park’s grandfather, he didn’t know what he was getting into. Turns out, the deceased was the alpha of the most powerful werewolf pack on the eastern seaboard. And his death is highly suspicious. Regardless, Cooper is determined to love and support Park the way Park has been there for him.
But Park left him woefully unprepared for the wolf pack politics and etiquette. Rival packs? A seating order at the dinner table? A mysterious figure named the Shepherd? The worst is that Park didn’t tell his family one key thing about Cooper. Cooper feels two steps behind, and reticent Park is no help.
There are plenty of pack members eager to open up about Park and why Cooper is wrong for him. Their stories make Cooper wonder if he’s holding Park back. But there’s no time to get into it…as lethal tranquilizer darts start to fly, Cooper needs to solve the mystery of the alpha’s death and fight for the man he loves—all before someone else dies.
Honeythorn by Marina Vivancos
Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Honeythorn
AUTHOR: Marina Vivancos
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 307 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2019
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Omega Milan Pryor knows his duty. He must travel North through the continent towards the snow, the cold, and his new betrothed. They say that Lord Alpha Raphael Ledford, the man he is to marry, is as artic as the weather of his land. But Milan has always been an optimist. Perhaps he might find friendship in the arranged marriage. Even love.
It doesn’t take long for Milan to realize that all the rumours about Lord Raphael are true. Reclusive, distant, frigid. Milan finds himself unwelcome in what he must now call his new home. He’s used to fighting for what he wants—but can he survive a husband as cruel as Lord Raphael?
Being bonded to one who rejects you is a painful thing. Will Milan be able to win his husband’s regard? What terrible secret is Lord Raphael keeping, and will Milan be able to discover it before it’s too late?
Or will Milan perish along with his heart?
[This story takes place in an alternate universe regency-ish era. It is a non-shifter Alpha/Omega novella.]
The Yuchae Blossom (World of Love #26) by Asher Quinn
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: The Yuchae Blossom
SERIES: World of Love #26
AUTHOR: Asher Quinn
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 162 pags
RELEASE DATE: April 5, 2019
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Can two men find happiness in a country that doesn’t accept their love?
When Jack Calloway is transferred to his firm’s South Korean branch on Jeju Island, he’s assigned a valet, the beautiful but shy Song Woo-bin. He stirs feelings Jack has rarely experienced for another man, but everything seems to be against them—Jack is older and Song Woo-bin’s supervisor. He is just beginning to understand the new culture surrounding him even as he accepts his own desires for the first time, and Song Woo-bin is closeted, inexperienced, and estranged from his family. Their path to each other is full of obstacles and societal disapproval. Will the two men eventually come together amid the clash and complement of Eastern and Western culture… and find a home among the yuchae blossoms?
Todd Sweeney: The Fiend of Fleet High by David Pratt
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Todd Sweeney: The Fiend of Fleet High
AUTHOR: David Pratt
PUBLISHER: Hosta Press
LENGTH: 174 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 2, 2019
BLURB:
Every gay boy needs an ally who will kill for him. And no boy could have a better ally than Todd Sweeney. When Todd’s best friend, Toby Ragg, is threatened by homophobic guidance counselor Ashford Squeers, Todd swings into action. But he swings just a bit too hard. Enter best pal Nellie Lovett, who has very creative ideas for making the mess disappear. But then Fleet High bad boy Ryan Plouf threatens Toby and Nellie. Suddenly, Ryan is missing, too, and local cop Tarron Littey is asking some very inconvenient questions. Meanwhile, Toby’s parents threaten to put him in a gay conversion camp. Can Todd and Nellie save Toby before the cops discover just what happened to Fleet High’s worst? To find out, dig in and devour Todd Sweeney. And yes, it’s okay to use your hands.
Santori Reloaded (The Santori Trilogy #3) by Maris Black
REVIEWED by Jen B.
TITLE: Santori Reloaded
SERIES: The Santori Trilogy
AUTHOR: Maris Black
PUBLISHER: Maris Black
LENGTH: 199 Pages
RELEASE DATE: March 13, 2019
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PETER SANTORI is living the dream. He’s got a hot gangster boyfriend named Gio who treats him with the respect he deserves. It’s a fairy tale come true. He may not know much about what’s going on in Gio’s business, but that’s okay with him. He’s perfectly fine with sitting around and looking pretty.
But when disaster strikes, Peter’s world is turned upside-down. Now he must make some tough decisions, and those decisions could make or break him.
MICHAEL KAGE SANTORI is fascinated with his uncle Peter’s journals. Not only does the story play out like a Shakespearean tragedy, but it could hold the key to why his life turned out the way it did.
Complicated.
But Kage has a lot more to worry about besides his uncle’s diaries. He’s lost his boyfriend, and the only way to get him back is to play hardball with some real bad guys.
Follow Kage and Jamie, and Peter and Gio as their story concludes in Santori Reloaded, the final chapter in the Santori Trilogy.
Stay Awhile (Escape from the Holidays) by Kassandra Lea
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Stay Awhile
SERIES: Escape from the Holidays
AUTHOR: Kassandra Lea
PUBLISHER: Mischief Corner Books LLC
LENGTH: 33 pages
RELEASE DATE:
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The holidays are usually a whirlwind of busy activity for Anson—decorating, baking for friends—but this year, his heart isn’t in it. He’d hoped coming out to Daly as asexual would be the right thing to do. Since then, he hasn’t heard a word from the handsome photographer.
Now Daly’s suddenly shown up at his front door, asking Anson to trust him, to come with him. He doesn’t dare hope in case this is just another build up to a bigger heartbreak.
Part of the 2018 “Escape from the Holidays” Series
I might have misread this, but Santori Reloaded doesn’t seem to be an option to choose here. That would be my vote. Thanks!
It’s fixed now. Thanks for pointing that out. I’m so sorry