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…
Death’s Angel (Immortals prequel) by Michael Mandrake
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Death’s Angel
SERIES: Immortals prequel
AUTHOR: Michael Mandrake
PUBLISHER: Triad Literary
LENGTH: 159 pages
RELEASE DATE: July 5, 2019
BLURB:
Death’s plan for revenge is derailed by his lust for one of the Creator’s angels.
Being second to Michael has never sat well with Allerio. Feeling slighted, he travels beyond the heavens, meeting a creature who informs him of his Father’s secrets. With curiosities niggling him, he challenges his god, seeking freedom from stringent rules. Though the prize might look wonderful on the surface, it comes with a heavy price the angel will bear for eternity.
Death’s banishment was only the beginning of his descent. Since then, he’s concocted a scheme to overthrow the highest being, proving him to be a liar. Although confident his plot will succeed, he convinces one of High’s top helpers to assist him. However, Death never intended for feelings of affection to consume him. Suddenly wrecking God’s perfection isn’t as important anymore.
Two gods join forces and become bonded in more ways than one. Can they overcome their emotions to achieve their ultimate goal?
Death’s Angel is the prequel story to Immortals, chronicling the very beginning of Lucifer’s ascent as the god of the third and fourth planes. This story involves male pregnancy and mating.
Warning: On page violence, extreme torture, and death. Look inside for further triggers.
Raised by Wolves (Underdogs #8) by Geonn Cannon
Reviewed by Jess
TITLE: Raised by Wolves
SERIES: Underdogs #8
AUTHOR: Geonn Cannon
PUBLISHER: Supposed Crimes
LENGTH: 221 pages
RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2019
BLURB:
The wolf has returned.
Ari is reluctant when she’s summoned to Seattle’s Millionaire’s Row by Vivian Burroughs, given their history with rich clients, but the money is too good to refuse. Vivian reveals that she’s dying, and fears one of her four children might attempt to steal a valuable tapestry hanging in her house. She plans to lock the room where it hangs and leave the key with Ari until the will is read. The job seems simple enough until the day arrives and the room is unlocked to reveal the tapestry has vanished. Now Ari has to stay on the case to figure out not only which of the heirs is responsible for taking the artwork, but how they managed to get it out of a locked room.
With time running out before all her suspects leave town, Ari has to figure out who took the priceless tapestry and how they did it, while also facing an outside force which may do the unthinkable and come between her and Dale.
Fox Hunt (Shifter U #4, Dreamspun Beyond #37) by J. Leigh Bailey
Reviewed by Becca
SERIES: Shifter U #4, Dreamspun Beyond #37
AUTHOR: J. Leigh Bailey
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 248 pages
RELEASE DATE: July 2, 2019
BLURB:
Outfoxing their enemies will be a bear of a task.
Aspiring journalist and fox shifter David ends up with a target on his back after hacking the Moreau Initiative, the shifter world’s greatest enemy. But he won’t let that stop him from the campus tour road trip that’ll help him become the next Anderson Cooper… even if his family insists he travel with a grumpy grizzly bear bodyguard.
Buddy Brady is older, sexy, and too damn distracting for David, and as the sexual tension builds, so does the suspicion around the repeated attacks—first in Chicago, then in New York. Someone is tracking them, and all clues point to a traitor in the shifter ranks. Worst of all, they could be after David’s family….
I’ve Got You by Becca Seymour
Reviewed by Becca
AUTHOR: Becca Seymour
PUBLISHER: Rainbow Tree Publishing
LENGTH: 1915 kb
RELEASE DATE: July 2, 2019
BLURB:
When a single dad and a newly outed veterinarian meet by chance, it takes red-cheeked conversations, a tentative friendship, and the willingness to put their hearts on the line to show these men they’re made for each other.
Single dad Davis Jackson is busy balancing his coffee shop and being the best dad he can be. That doesn’t mean he’s not lonely. After a fumbling encounter with a man who looks as gorgeous as he does unhappy, Davis is left wondering who the mystery man is.
All Davis knows is that he has never felt such an instant attraction to anyone before, but when he discovers the brown-eyed man’s identity, it’s clear the recently out-of-the-closet veterinarian is lost and quite possibly broken.
The Swap by Annabella Michaels
Reviewed by Kat
AUTHOR: Annabella Michaels
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 189 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 21, 2018
BLURB:
When their daughter goes off to college, Samuel and his wife Gayle begin to take stock of their lives. Realizing they’re best friends and not in love with one another, the two agree to an amicable split. Nervous about jumping back into the dating world, they accept a friend’s invitation to attend a swap party.
Tossing their keys into a bowl and leaving it up to fate to decide who they’re paired with is too tempting to resist. But when Samuel is faced with an audacious young man who strikes up a conversation, the attraction to men he’s kept buried for so long comes rushing back.
At twenty-two years old, Oliver Hughes is one of the most sought after male models in the world. Sassy and bold, with a penchant for wearing high heels and a touch of makeup, Oliver’s life is what he always dreamed it could be. Except for one thing…
Yearning to fall in love and settle down, Oliver’s grown bored of meaningless hookups with shallow, fame seeking guys. While attending a swap party, his last-ditch effort to find someone who doesn’t know who he is when they meet, Oliver finds himself drawn to a handsome, older man. One who’s endearingly unaware of his own appeal.
As their relationship grows, something sinister and dark threatens what they’ve managed to build. What will it take for Oliver and Samuel to survive, and is their happily ever after doomed from the start?
Kiss of Leather (Cedar Falls #13) by Shea Balik
Reviewed by Becca
SERIES: Cedar Falls #13
AUTHOR: Shea Balik
PUBLISHER: Siren-Bookstrand Inc
LENGTH: 116 pages
RELEASE DATE: July 20, 2016
BLURB:
Eddie Wollard has been beaten down by life. If his constant screw ups didn’t reinforce what a loser he was, his Uncle Ira was more than happy to remind him every chance he got. No one could ever love a klutz like him.
Axl Rhodes just moved to Cedar Falls. Axl had promised he would slow down and smell the roses, but he hadn’t counted on it being quite so…slow and boring. Then he meets Eddie Wollard, a man who fascinates him. Now he just has to convince Eddie how well they fit together. But even in a small town like Cedar Falls, nothing is ever that easy.
Can Axl show Eddie they belong together? More importantly, can he convince Eddie of the pleasure that can be found with the Kiss of Leather?
Unwritten Law (Steele Brothers #1) by Eden Finley
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Unwritten Law
SERIES: Steele Brothers #1
AUTHOR: Eden Finley
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 189 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 2, 2018
BLURB:
Being an identical twin doesn’t come without issues.
No one can tell us apart, not even our parents sometimes. We don’t usually use that to our advantage, but it comes in handy when my brother needs help breaking up with his boyfriends—which happens more than I’d care to admit. I know it’s enabling him, but I can’t say no to Anders. I will do anything for my twin. The breakups always go the same; they’re swift and simple.
Until Reed.
He’s everything I’ve fantasised about but never allowed myself to have. When I give in to temptation and begin to freak out, it’s not because he’s a guy. It’s because he thinks I’m my brother, and I can’t bring myself to tell him the truth.
**Unwritten Law is a 52,000 word stand alone with a HFN/HEA guarantee and no cliffhanger. It contains a mistaken identity trope. Please check trigger warnings in the front matter.**
Love, Trust and Secrets by LA Bryce
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Love, Trust, and Secrets
AUTHOR: LA Bryce
PUBLISHER: JMS Books LLC
LENGTH: 300 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 29, 2019
BLURB:
For a man on the run, is finding love a good enough reason to stay? And for a man who doesn’t want to leave, is a secret enough reason to walk away?
Even though a bad situation brings Tyler and Jarod together, they quickly find the good in their relationship. But when Tyler falls in love and finds the feelings returned, he’s forced to question if his and Jarod’s relationship is worth risking his freedom, his life, and their hearts.
Jarod knows Tyler is hiding something, but his fear of scaring Tyler away has him accepting Tyler’s silence. But instead of keeping Tyler close, Jarod’s avoidance ultimately leads to Tyler being taken away, leaving Jarod clueless and unable to help the man he loves.
Love, Trust, and Secrets is a story whose main focus is the love between two men and all the trials and tribulations that come with that love.
That Magical Moment (Vale Valley season 2 #1) by Connor Crowe
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: That Magical Moment
SERIES: Vale Valley season 2 #1
AUTHOR: Connor Crowe
PUBLISHER: Fated Fire Foundry
LENGTH: 95 pages
RELEASE DATE: January 25, 2019
BLURB:
Like your favorite Hallmark movie…only way more gay.
An omega too busy helping others to find his own happily ever after…
Nathan Willis doesn’t need an alpha. At least, that’s what he keeps telling himself. He’s content enough crafting magical clothing for the people of Vale Valley, thank you very much. When a spell backfires, he becomes part of his very own Cinderella story–now if only he could forget the handsome alpha who mistook him for someone else…
A sweet-toothed alpha looking for a place to call home…
A wolf without a pack, Caius Valens longs for someone to treasure and take care of. It’s hard to find someone to get close to when they don’t know you’re a shifter. His travels lead him to Vale Valley and the local Chocolatier’s Gala, where he falls into his very own fairy tale. Right down to the mysterious beauty disappearing at the stroke of midnight.
Can they find their way back to one another before the spell breaks? And will both men find themselves along the way?
Welcome back to Vale Valley, where love is always in the air and magic lies around every corner.
That Magical Moment is the first book in the Vale Valley Valentine’s series. If you’re looking for a sweet and steamy small town open to everyone in need of love and a home, you’ve come to the right place. This book contains magical clothing, incredible edible sculptures, way more than a dozen roses, and a feel-good happily ever after. Grab a glass of wine, a box of chocolate, and curl up with this heartwarming holiday read.
The Importance of Being Kevin by Steven Harper
REVIEWED by Jen B.
TITLE: The Importance of Being Kevin
AUTHOR: Steven Harper
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 218 Pages
RELEASE DATE: July 2, 2019
BLURB:
Kevin Devereaux’s life can’t get worse. He’s on probation. He’s stuck with an unemployed ex-convict dad. And he lives in a run-down trailer on the crappy east side of town. To keep his probation officer happy, Kevin joins a theater program for teenagers and falls hard for Peter Finn, the lead actor in the show—and the son of the town’s leading family. Despite their differences, Peter returns Kevin’s feelings, and for the first time, Kevin learns what it means to be in love.
But Peter’s family won’t accept a gay son—let alone a boyfriend from the wrong side of the tracks—and in their conservative town, they must keep the romance secret. Still, they have the play, and they have each other, so they’ll get by—
Until a brutal attack shatters Kevin’s life and puts Peter in danger of going to jail for murder.
A Series of Fates Anthology (A Series of Fates #1-3) by C.C. Dado
Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: A Series of Fates Anthology
SERIES: Series of Fates #1-3
AUTHOR: C.C. Dado
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 238 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 14, 2018
BLURB:
The Series of Fates Anthology
Easter Valley is a place for shifters to thrive, protect each other, and be themselves. It’s also a place for friendships, laughs… and love. From the Alpha to the shyest of pack members, these mates find their way into each other’s arms in this trio of romantic comedy tales, and while the path to love can be bumpy when fate is involved, the endings are always happy.
Stories include:
Denying Fate
Embracing Fate
Fearing Fate