Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Crime and Chaos

SERIES: Thin Blue Line #3

AUTHOR: Patricia Logan

PUBLISHER: Westburg Publishing

LENGTH: 296 pages

RELEASE DATE: April 30, 2019

BLURB:

Homeland Security Investigators Pope Dades and Felix Jbarra have been partnered for six months and the excitement on and off the job keeps getting better. Working together every day is generally routine but when the partners are assigned to supplement the Secret Service on a VIP protection detail, things really begin to heat up.

An alternative energy conference is being held in Los Angeles. When Felix and Pope learn they’ll be bodyguards to a Saudi Arabian prince, they’re expecting rides in fancy limousines, a stay at the world-famous Beverly Wilshire Hotel, and exotic food. What they don’t expect is being once again thrown into the line of fire… literally.

Someone has put out a hit on Prince Ali ibn Abd Pasha and the killers want it carried out on US soil to embarrass the Americans in retaliation for US news coverage over the murder of one of their journalists late last year. Felix and Pope only learn of the danger to the prince when a Secret Service agent friend is nearly killed.

Pope and Felix dive headfirst into another exciting case but when they learn the man they’re guarding might be involved in arms trafficking because of ties to Mills Lang, they are forced to once again call on their buddies at the ATF.

Action, intrigue, and danger abound in the thrilling conclusion of the Thin Blue Line series.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: A Step too Far

SERIES: Too Far #2

AUTHOR: H.L. Day

PUBLISHER: Self Published

RELEASE DATE:  June 3, 2019

BLURB:

Two men. Three identities. An unstoppable attraction.

Desperate for his luck to change, Jake Spencer manages to land a dance contract with Dmitry Gruzdev. The job has plenty of perks including a simmering lust between him and Dmitry’s hulking brute of a bodyguard, Mikhail. Life is finally looking up. Except as the shine wears off, it becomes clear that Jake’s stepped into a world of darkness and depravity where Bratva answers to no one and allies are not what they seem.

Mikhail’s hiding a secret: there is no Mikhail. He’s simply a front for undercover operative, Ryan Harris. A means to gain access to Dmitry. Ryan’s not stupid. There’s no way he’s going to get distracted by a pretty face, no matter how attractive Jake might be. That would be far too dangerous for all concerned. Only it’s not that simple and before Ryan knows it, the line between personal and professional begins to blur spectacularly.

Lust develops into more. Secrets start to unravel. Ryan’s got an impossible choice to make: keep Jake safe or maintain his cover. But how much does Dmitry know? The hunted may be about to become the hunter, blowing both men’s worlds to pieces and leaving them with nothing.

Can a relationship built on lies ever lead to love?

Warning: This book contains a seductive dancer prone to getting into trouble, a gruff man who’s anything but, and a villain that just won’t go away.

Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Picking Up the Pieces

AUTHOR: Annabella Michaels

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 169 pages

RELEASE DATE: May 30, 2019

BLURB:

Two Shattered Hearts

Brody Murphy feels as if he’s lost everything when his best friend and partner, Paul, dies in the line of duty. Partners on the force for years, Paul Donovan was all Brody had. Paul accepted Brody as he was—standoffish from a childhood in the foster system, bisexual in a police force that wasn’t entirely welcoming, Brody is now adrift. Wracked by survivor’s guilt and grief, Brody devotes what’s left of his heart to help Paul’s widow and her children. And when his partner’s oldest child returns home a grown man, Brody is torn between what he thinks he should do and what his heart wants.

Grief Binds Them

Cooper Donovan is in his senior year of college when the unthinkable happens. His father dies, and Cooper returns home to be with his family, and help his mother with his little sisters. So many things were left unsaid between Cooper and his father, a fact that weighs heavily on his heart. College helped Cooper learn more about who he was and what he wanted from life, and with Brody Murphy comes unexpected feelings and complications.

Hope Leads Them Home

Brody and Cooper forge a connection that leaves Brody conflicted, Cooper determined, and both men wounded by their shared grief. While Brody struggles with why he lived, and Paul died—he had no one and nothing, and Paul had everything to live for, Cooper sees a man who deserves love and happiness under the grief. Tension rises when Brody and Cooper can’t deny what’s happening between them. Both men are picking up the pieces of their previous lives and putting together a new future, one where hope and love heals, and home is in each other’s arms.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Melting For You

SERIES: Neighborhood Shindig #1

AUTHOR: A.M. Arthur

PUBLISHER: Briggs-Kings Books

LENGTH: 137 pages

RELEASE DATE: June 13, 2019

BLURB:

After his father’s heart attack, Isaiah Morrell gave up cooking in his own high-end Atlanta restaurant to return home to Reynolds, North Carolina, in order to help his father Thomas heal and to keep an eye on his business Neighborhood Shindig. A collection of food trucks and other small businesses, Shindig is a popular destination in this college town, but Isaiah longs for the fast pace of a big-city kitchen. Until he meets Joel…

Joel Fisher has been out of commission from a serious illness for the better part of a year, but now he’s ready to reclaim his life—except his apartment has been sublet, his partner is missing, and their shared food truck is stripped of everything not attached. In short, Joel has nothing. After an uncomfortable night sleeping on the food truck floor, Isaiah and Thomas Morrell give Joel an offer he can’t refuse: a rented room in their house, as well as their help creating a new food truck concept. Joel hates accepting charity, but he’s hit rock bottom and has nowhere to go but up.

Working with seemingly uptight Isaiah is actually pretty fun, and the pair bonds over a challenge to create a unique grilled cheese sandwich. Light flirting melts into a deeper connection neither man expects, but Isaiah isn’t in Reynolds for much longer, and Joel can’t get attached to the gorgeous professional chef. As Isaiah’s feelings for Joel strengthen and grow, he entertains the idea of staying in Neighborhood Shindig for good—but Joel hasn’t asked him to…

Welcome to Neighborhood Shindig, a friendly place where you can snack on a lamb kebab while getting your hair done, pick up your favorite herbal tea blend, and then go listen to live music under the pavilion. We’re happy to have you.

Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Change of Heart

AUTHOR: K. M. Neuhold

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 276 pages

RELEASE DATE: June 17, 2019

BLURB:

Does my husband’s heart still miss me now that it beats in the chest of another man?

Lub-dub

A heartbeat more familiar than Easton’s own

Lub-dub

He vowed to love his husband until death do they part. And then the worst happened.

Lub-dub

His heart kept another man alive. River. A stranger in the world with Easton’s husband’s heart pumping the blood that warms his skin. Does his heart ever miss Easton without knowing why?

Lub-dub

Sweet, kind, beautiful, River. Easton never meant to meet him…never meant to know him…never meant to fall for him.

Lub-dub

Easton loved River’s heart long before he ever met him, but is it possible he’s falling in love with his mind and soul too?

***Change of Heart is a stand alone story with strong hurt/comfort themes, mild bi-sexual awakening themes, and a HEA

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: To Have and To Hold: Taken

SERIES: Criminal Delights #15

AUTHOR: Abigail Kade

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 172 pages

RELEASE DATE: June 7, 2019

BLURB:

My name is Worthington Winters, and I have a confession before I die. I know he’s a killer. I know one day he’ll even kill me, but I don’t care. Because I feel more free with my captor than I ever did with my husband.

My husband courted me, seduced me, ensnared me, then subjugated me in my own home. He pushed and I would bend. Until, one day he pushed too far, and I pushed back. I escaped and thought I was free, but I was so wrong.

Now, my Captor has me in his grasp. He’s supposed to squeeze me until I give him the information I took from my husband. I’ll never do it, so I know I’m destined to die. But, he’s beginning to see beyond my scars, my shriveled heart, and he’s forcing me to look, too.

As he makes me look into the darkest depths of my soul, I finally find my truth, who I truly am and want to be. As strange as it may be, through the sweetest pain and most exquisite torture he inflicts, I’ll finally feel free.

The truth may give me a new life I never existed. If I can survive.

This book is part of CRIMINAL DELIGHTS. Each novel can be read as a standalone and contains a dark M/M romance.

Warning: These books are for adult readers who enjoy stories where lines between right and wrong get blurry. High heat, twisted and tantalizing, these are not for the fainthearted

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Mated Under the Mistletoe

SERIES: Vale Valley #1

AUTHOR: Connor Crowe

PUBLISHER: Fated Fire Foundry

LENGTH: 152 pages

RELEASE DATE: December 1, 2018

BLURB:

Like your favorite Hallmark Christmas movie…only way more gay.

A Dragon In Denial…

Sebastian Wallace spread his wings (literally) and left Vale Valley for business school in the city the moment he was able. Ambitious and full of big ideas, he wanted to find his own place in the world. With an MBA under his belt and a startup business venture in New York, things are looking up. Until he gets the call that his mother has passed away and left him The Dozing Dragon, her bed and breakfast, in the will. Sebastian returns to his hometown, hoping to make it a quick trip. But when he reconnects with a sweet omega in the Valley, everything changes.

A Haunted Omega…

Will Sterling can see things no one should. In a town full of shifters and other paranormals, you’d think seeing ghosts would be no biggie. Afraid of his own power, Will does his best to live a “normal” life and keeps himself busy at the local garden shop. But things are starting to change in Vale Valley. The yearly fireworks show ended five years ago when a stray rocket sent the place up in flames. And now The Dozing Dragon’s sudden closure fills Will with dread for what might come next. When the owner’s son returns to town, dare he hope for a better future?

With Sebastian’s help, can they save the Dozing Dragon and bring back the fireworks in time for Christmas? And does Will’s secret power hold the key to both?

Mated Under The Mistletoe is the first book in a multi-author series about Vale Valley, a small town open to everyone in need of love and a home. Each installment can be read as a standalone.

It contains way too many dirty jokes, plants with a mind of their own, mpreg, and more sweets than Willy Wonka’s factory. Pull up a chair, grab your hot cocoa, and settle in for this heartwarming holiday read!

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Burning For You

SERIES: Neighborhood Shindig #2

AUTHOR: A.M. Arthur

PUBLISHER: Briggs-Kings Books

LENGTH: 154 pages

RELEASE DATE: June 27, 2019

BLURB:

Bran Foxwell has crushed on Joel Fisher from afar for years, and now that Joel is happily in love with another guy, Bran has lost his chance. But when uber-sexy Keenan Pratt stumbles over an upset Bran, it’s the perfect opportunity for a no-strings hookup. Except sex with Keenan is hotter and more intense than Bran ever imagined, and despite their no-strings agreement, both men agree to an actual date.

As the middle triplet, Keenan Pratt is devoted to his brothers and they’ve spent the last ten years supporting and protecting each other. When Keenan has the chance to screw around with his own long-time crush Bran, it’s an itch he can’t wait to scratch. But there’s chemistry there neither of them expects and, slowly but surely, what should have been a single hookup turns into more.

But when their family is targeted, the Pratt brothers circle the wagons hard, and Keenan pulls away from Bran exactly when he should be leaning on the other man. Bran wants to be there for Keenan, but old habits run deep and if Keenan can’t learn to trust, he risks losing the best relationship he’s ever had.

Welcome to Neighborhood Shindig, a friendly place where you can snack on a lamb kebab while getting your hair done, pick up your favorite herbal tea blend, and then go listen to live music under the pavilion. We’re happy to have you.