REVIEWED by Jen B.

TITLE: Dealing in Death

SERIES: Death and the Devil

AUTHOR: L.J. Hayward

PUBLISHER: L.J. Hayward

LENGTH: 176 Pages

RELEASE DATE: August 30, 2019

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Ethan Blade—assassin extraordinaire, cold-blooded killer, heartless monster, and . . . retiree?

I’ve spent my whole life dealing in death, efficiently eliminating targets while fighting to preserve a sense of self and morality, to avoid becoming as detached and ruthless as my siblings. I thought I had succeeded. Then I met Jack Reardon—contrary, handsome, forgiving, and far too good for the likes of me—and my life was tipped upside down. When he asked me to move in with him, he didn’t specify that I had to quit my job, but I wanted to—for myself, not for him. I should have known it wouldn’t be that easy.

My old instincts—“Ethan Blade”—are soon tempted out of retirement by a job offer I can’t afford to refuse and by an old hook-up of Jack’s he’d be a fool to refuse. While falling prey to my own temptation, Jack struggles with his. Which is precisely when the true danger exposes itself—one of my siblings with no such sense of self or morality. Only pain. And he is prepared to rain it down on me and Jack, unless I can square the Ethan Blade I want to be with the one I need to be, in time to save us both.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Rescue

SERIES: Men of Hidden Creek season 4 #3

AUTHOR: Alison Hendricks

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 284 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 30, 2019

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“I don’t need you to rescue me.”

Tiberius “The Beast” Caulville is the bad boy of the NFL: an arrogant PR nightmare who doesn’t care about his public image. But when an off-season fight lands him in hot water, he’s forced to hide out in Hidden Creek and clean up his act with the help of the one person who doesn’t buy it.

Caleb Brower has lived in the shadow of his manipulative ex-boyfriend for years. One breakout client will give him the freedom he needs, if he can withstand that client’s outrageously inappropriate behavior. But Caleb is used to entitled athletes, and can tell there’s more to Ty than the mask he wears.

Volunteering at his uncle’s dog rescue could save Ty—or bury him under the fears he thought he’d left behind. Caleb can’t help being drawn to the broken man beneath the bluster, and soon business gets personal. Can he show the rest of the world the sweetheart Ty really is?

Welcome to Hidden Creek, Texas, where the heart knows what it wants, and where true love lives happily ever after. Every Men of Hidden Creek novel can be read on its own, but keep an eye out for familiar faces around town! This book contains a pair of irresistible rescue dogs, a Beast who’s really a softie, and plenty of healing for two lost souls.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Shipping the Captain

SERIES: Valentine’s Inc. Cruises #6

AUTHOR: Nora Phoenix

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 197 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 29, 2019

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Brantley Phipps doesn’t need a boyfriend. In his line of work, relationships are impossible. All he wants is one night of fun before he starts his three-month rotation as Assistant Hotel Director on a cruise ship.

He scores the jackpot with a hot older guy who hits all his yes, please buttons and who wants the same thing as him. Talk about a night to remember. That should last him a while…

Until he discovers that his one-night stand is none other than the legendary Captain Silver Fox aka his boss for the next three months. Oops.

Still, it shouldn’t be an issue because Brantley doesn’t do coworkers and Fox is known for being strict as hell about not dating employees. That should make things easy, if not for that pesky attraction that keeps flaring up whenever they’re in the same room.

It’s gonna be a long three months…

Shipping the Captain has an age gap, yummy steamy scenes, a Caribbean setting, and a summer fling that turns into an embarrassing case of falling for the boss. It’s the sixth book in the Valentine’s Inc. Cruises series but can be read as a complete standalone. The only connection in the series is the shared premise of the Valentine’s Inc. cruise.

TITLE: Save Me: An Omegaverse Story

SERIES: Finding Free #1

AUTHOR: A.M. Arthur

PUBLISHER: Briggs-Kings Books

LENGTH: 254 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 29, 2019

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Alpha Gaven Freel was taught by his doting beta parents to protect and respect omegas, and he sees those parents as shining examples of how to love his future mate. Except he’s only nineteen and still a university student, so Gaven has plenty of time to find his omega bondmate—but fate has other plans, and he scents his omega from across a crowded waiting room. Too bad his bondmate is the son of his parents’ oldest enemy.

At twenty-two, omega Frey Porter has already gone through multiple heats without an alpha. He’s desperate to find a mate, but his sire Monte Porter won’t settle for just any alpha for his only omega son. Frey will one day access a sizable trust fund—no gold diggers allowed into the wealthy Porter family. When Frey insists younger alpha Gaven Freel is his bondmate, Monte is skeptical about the pairing. And Gaven’s parents are skeptical right back, worried Monte might use the situation to punish Gaven for decades-old hurts.

Monte surprises everyone by negotiating a fair financial agreement that limits Gaven’s access to Frey’s trust fund and by allowing them to mate. Gaven has no interest in money, only in being the best alpha possible to Frey, and with Frey’s next heat months away, they have plenty of time to date and get to know each other. Frey is intimidated by Gaven’s huge extended family, but he also adores their camaraderie and genuine love for each other. Frey wants his future to be with the Freels.

Gaven is busy making plans for their life together when the unthinkable happens—Monte serves Gaven with papers dissolving the mating agreement. Papers Frey signed, too, and stands by. Devastated by losing his bondmate, Gaven sinks into a deep depression even his best friends can’t get him out of. But Frey also has a terrible, life-altering secret he’s keeping from Gaven, and he’ll have to learn to trust in the strength of the mating bond in order to save them both from darkness.

SAVE ME is the first book in the brand-new “Finding Free” omegaverse series, which is a spin-off of the fan-favorite “Breaking Free” series. This is an original universe featuring mpreg, A/B/O dynamics, heats, knotting and an alpha-dominated society that is starting to see advances in omega rights. Content warnings for dark themes apply. See interior blurb for additional warning.

REVIEWED by Anabela M.

TITLE: Mischief Maker

AUTHOR: Andi Lee

Series: Animal Lark #1

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 200 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 13, 2019

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What to expect when your pet rat is expecting, or how to fall in love at a pet show.

Jamie Hewett rescues and breeds prize-winning fancy rats. While he’s surrounded by supportive, animal-loving friends, his ex-boyfriend has never been one of them. One embarrassing breakup later, he definitely isn’t looking for love again, but perhaps a rebound relationship might ease his broken heart.

Liam Donnelly’s quirky dating life is the subject of a popular vlog, and his viewers have interesting ideas on where he might find romance. When they suggest he take Mabel, his new rat, to a pet show, he’s up for the adventure.

Although they can’t deny their growing interest in each other, neither Jamie nor Liam believes in love at first sight. They’ve both had bad luck with men, and Jamie isn’t pleased that Liam makes a living as a serial dater. On top of that, others are conspiring to keep them apart, and Jamie is left holding the baby—or twenty-plus babies—when their fur children have no trouble making a connection. Will a YouTube ukulele serenade convince Liam that Jamie’s love for him—and their unborn rat children—is for real?

Reviewed by Donna

TITLE: Accidental Prophet

AUTHOR: Bud Gundy

PUBLISHER: Bold Strokes Books

LENGTH: 264 Pages

RELEASE DATE: June 11, 2019

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Intelligent, handsome, and struggling to make his rent, thirty-year-old Drew Morten loses his only meaningful relationship when his grandmother dies. A famous television anchor, Claudia Trenton, leaves Drew the legacy of her secret memoir. From the fate of a vanished medieval prince to a top-secret NASA study about a mystifying space object, her unreported discoveries hum with wonder.

But history merges with the present and upends Drew’s life when he has a terrifying revelation. Teaming up with a brilliant woman who receives the same vision and a handsome man whose arrival is either fortuitous or sinister, Drew follows the clues in his grandmother’s memoir and races against time to save the world from an apocalyptic nightmare about to be unleashed in downtown San Francisco.

As catastrophe looms, so does the question: Who, or what, is the real enemy?

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Fatal Frost

SERIES: Druid’s Curse #4

AUTHOR: Shea Balik

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 189 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 23, 2019

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No way was Arne going to allow fate to chain him to a guy who thought all creatures, even those determined to kill you, were worthy of saving. Arne was a Viking warrior, death was his thing and he was damned good at it.

Dermot Kincaid believed all of God’s creations deserved respect. He was a pacifist at heart, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t stand up for himself. Even when that meant getting retribution against the asshole who thought he was better than anyone else.

When Arne and Dermot are attacked, they must find common ground so they can work together to defeat the enemy. If they can’t, they may not just risk losing, but they also risk their hearts developing a Fatal Frost.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Luck of the Ship

SERIES: Valentine’s Inc. Cruises #5

AUTHOR: Michele Notaro

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 198 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 26, 2019

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You won! I have two tickets for the Valentine’s Inc. Singles Cruise in August. All expenses paid for you and a friend.”

Elio~

When I get a call about winning a cruise, at first I think it’s a scam, but when they start sending me the info—and the tickets—I realize it’s the real deal. My best friend was supposed to go with me, but when he dropped out at the last minute, I don’t want to go alone. Somehow he convinces me to call Lamar, the guy I went on one date with a few months ago and haven’t been able to get out of my head. Lamar agrees to go, and now I’m panicking because the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen is going with me… Me, the nerdy, dorky guy that’s so nervous I can hardly speak when I’m around him.

Lamar~

I’ve been working for Valentine’s Inc. for a while now, so I’ve been on a ton of dates. So many men, I usually forget them after a few days, and none that I want to date for real. But then there’s Elio. It’s been months, and the sweet, shy guy never called me, but I still find myself thinking about him. And then he contacts me, asking me to go on a cruise, and I jump at the opportunity. For one thing, I’ve never been able to travel, so I want the experience; for another, it’s Elio. I’ve been drawn to him since we met, and now I’ll have a whole week where he won’t be able to run from me again.

Maybe with a little luck, Elio and Lamar will find the one thing they didn’t know they needed: love.

Luck of the Ship is a standalone contemporary romance following Elio and Lamar (Dakota’s best friend from Color My Kiss). It is intended for adults 18+.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Today

SERIES: Single Dads #2

AUTHOR: RJ Scott

PUBLISHER: Love Lane Books Ltd

LENGTH: 197 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 21, 2019

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When the world labels a man and judges them blindly, is it possible to ever find love?

Firefighter Eric is on the front line, battling the threat of nature’s destruction in the California grasslands alongside his CalFire team. Focused and calm, even in the direst of situations, he has a strong affection for his fire truck, loves his career, and has best friends he can rely on. All he needs now is love, but that seems to be impossible to find. At his friend’s wedding. Eric falls in lust at first sight with the shy, slim and sexy Brady, even if Brady isn’t the type of guy he usually goes for. What Eric longs for is an equal in his bed, not a smaller guy who might want Eric to role-play big strong firefighter every time they have sex. He wants to find someone he can be vulnerable with, someone who will love him for his soft heart and quiet ways.

Brady’s life plans grind to a halt when his niece and nephew lose their parents in a tragic accident, and he becomes a dad overnight. His Developmental Coordination Disorder rules his life, but he fights both DCD and the fears that chase him every day, to give Maddie and Lucas a home. Agreeing to go to a friend’s wedding is a decision he regrets long before he even gets there. But, he refuses to give in to his fear, even if he might do something that makes him a target for people’s comments and laughter. Meeting Eric, a huge man with a gentle voice and a flair for chivalry, he falls hard. Now, if only he can let himself get past his panic that Eric would never want someone like him, then maybe he could fall in love for real.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Fresh Pickens

SERIES: Cedar Falls #21

AUTHOR: Shea Balik

PUBLISHER: Siren-Bookstrand Inc.

LENGTH: 146 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 15, 2017

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Several years ago Charles Jackson made a mistake, a big one. He bullied several people for being gay. When his mama found out, she gave him a tongue lashing that still stung years later. Charles had been trying to change since then but the residents of Cedar Falls wouldn’t give him an opportunity to prove it.

Austin Reed hadn’t wanted to give Charles a chance, but the more he got to know Charles, the more he found the man funny, sweet, and nothing like the bigoted bully he had been.

Now, the two must find a way to forgive the past and move into the future if they hope to find their happily ever after.

Warning: As usual the residents of Cedar Falls will butt their noses in where they aren’t wanted, but are needed.

TITLE: The Long Way Home

SERIES: Sequel to Mark of Cain

AUTHOR: Kate Sherwood

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 308 Pages

RELEASE DATE: August 30, 2019

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Sean Gage grew up full of hate and aggression, and losing his legs in a car accident has only made him more bitter. He was suicidal before the wreck, so now, with no legs? What the hell has he got to live for?
The world has been much kinder to Paul Gill. He’s spent most of his life cushioned from harshness, first by his family, and then by his wealthy boyfriend. He knows he should stand on his own, but he can’t deny how much easier it is to just go along with their goals for him.
When Sean comes to Paul’s clinic for physiotherapy, they clash. Paul’s a responsible professional, and Sean? Well, Sean’s an asshole. But as they work together on Sean’s rehabilitation, they discover that maybe they aren’t as different as they initially seem. Maybe Sean can teach Paul how to fight, and Paul can teach Sean that sometimes a fight isn’t necessary.

Reviewed by Taylin

TITLE: The Arrangement

SERIES: Homestead Legacy #1

AUTHOR: Alex Jane

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

RELEASE DATE: August 30, 2019

LENGTH: 194 Pages

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New York.

Gabriel Webster’s pack is in trouble. His father’s failing health and his mother’s untimely death mean that the vultures are circling. It won’t be long before his family’s assets are stripped and his pack disbanded. When an offer of help arrives in the form of a marriage of convenience, he has little choice but to accept.

The arrangement would be the perfect solution, if not for one thing. Gabriel is to marry Nathaniel Hayward, the Alpha who was badly injured in the accident that killed his brother ten years before—and the man Gabriel has been in love with for as long as he can remember.

Trapped in a business arrangement masquerading as a marriage—in a strange, empty house with a damaged husband who barely tolerates him — isn’t what Gabriel expected from life.

But sometimes the last thing we want is the beginning of something more.
And an ending can be the start of something beautiful.

Reviewed by Taylin

This is a Series Review of The Pinkerton Man Series (Books 1 – 3)

AUTHOR:  C.J. Baty

PUBLISHER:  Self Published

TITLE: The Pinkerton Man

LENGTH: 216 Pages

RELEASE DATE:  May 28, 2017

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BOOK ONE: THE PINKERTON MAN

Stiles Langberry leaves England under the dark cloud of blackmail. He resettles in America with a new name, becoming a Pinkerton Agent. His new employer sends him undercover to a brothel that serves homosexual men, where prostitutes are being murdered.

In the course of his investigation, he becomes involved with Paul, one of the prostitutes. Complicating matters, one of the suspects draws Stiles like no man before him. Stiles knows he must stop the killer before he strikes again.

Amazon

TITLE:  Murder In New York

LENGTH: 182 pages

RELEASE DATE:  May 24, 2018

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Coming back to New York to see her ailing father, Lizzie Ferguson did not expect to find him healthy and newly married to a much younger woman. She, also, didn’t expect to connect with an old lover and childhood friend or be accused of killing her father. But, life has a way of knocking you to your knees when you least expect it.

Stiles Long had always regretted that the killer, from his first case as a Pinkerton Agent, had got away. Now, in New York it was happening again. The Hotel Astor Bar was a meeting place for men who enjoyed the company of men. And, some of them were being brutally murdered. When one of the suspects from the original case appears at the hotel, Stiles is torn between his desire to stop a killer and kiss the man senseless.

Two different cases, but some of the faces overlap from one to the other. Stiles and Lizzie are in a race to discover who the killers are before another body gets added to the count.

Amazon

TITLE:  Aces Up

LENGTH: 312 pages

RELEASE DATE:  June 25, 2019

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Stiles Long emphatically did not want his lover, Michael O’Leary to go on the assignment he had been given. He didn’t care that Michael was an amazing poker player or that his commander thought Michael was the perfect man for the job. He almost lost Michael once. He couldn’t go through that again.

Michael needed this. He needed to prove that he was able to take care of himself. He didn’t need Stiles to take care of him. He needed to be Stiles’ equal. The poker game in Durango, Colorado was his chance to prove that. The fact that Stiles didn’t want him to go didn’t matter. Michael had to do this.

Lizzie Ferguson was Stiles partner in the Pinkerton Agency. She was a good agent. That didn’t mean, she had to like being dressed in satin and lace, showing way too much of her body to total strangers. Lizzie knew there was more going on at Maverick’s Saloon, and it might just cost her life.

None of them suspected that a simple poker game would turn into a deadly nightmare. If the three of them weren’t careful, one of them might just end up the next victim.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Diable

SERIES: Demonica Origins #3

AUTHOR: Pelaam

PUBLISHER: MLR Press

LENGTH: 108 pages

RELEASE DATE: July 4, 2019

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When Slayer Henri and his Intermediary Sébastien are sent to Paris to deal with attacks by vampires, they find the truth is worse still.

They also find unexpected allies in a family of gargoyles who help protectmankind.

Paris is under attack by demonic forces and it will take the united talents of humans, gargoyles, and vampires if they are to be defeated.

Sébastien also finds that his mate is the last creature on earth he would have expected.

When the time to fight comes, can Sébastien survive, or will his life be forfeit in the depths of the dungeons of the infamous Cardinal Richelieu.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: A Swan’s Love Song

SERIES: Vale Valley season 3 #3

AUTHOR: M.M. Wilde

PUBLISHER: Knight Ever After Publishing

LENGTH: 84 pages

RELEASE DATE:  July 7, 2019

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True love is the only magic Sean has ever wished for…

After being rescued from a vicious gang of thieving swans by fellow swan shifter Kellan, Sean is starting over in the magical town of Vale Valley. Despite being so young, he aches to find his Alpha so he can begin his forever after. And once he’s spent lots of time with Kellan and Vic’s adorable hatchling, he also dreams of having an egg of his very own.

Avi is Vale Valley’s recently hired fire chief and an eagle shifter. He can’t keep his eyes off the blond cutie who’s a server at the Vale Valley Inn restaurant, but he’s so busy with his job. In addition, he’s much older than the delectable Sean. Avi decides he should probably just behave and keep his wings to himself.

Sometimes all a fated mate needs is a swift kick in the ass. When Sean repeatedly fails to convince Avi they were meant to be, he enlists the help of his new friends. Too bad there’s an old enemy skulking around who can’t wait to ruin everything…

Note: A Swan’s Love Song is the fourth book in Season 3 of the Vale Valley series. Each installment of the series can be enjoyed without reading the others. However, reading A Swan for Christmas and A Hatching for Valentine’s from Seasons 1 & 2 would add to the enjoyment of this book. This mpreg, age gap romance novella features a swan and eagle who are fated mates and struggling to figure out this whole love thing. So grab a tall, cool glass of lemonade, put your feet up and enjoy a sweet dose of smexy mpreg.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Scoring in Cedarwood

SERIES: Cedarwood Pride #3

AUTHOR: Megan Slayer

PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing

LENGTH: 150 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 13, 2019

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Book three in the Cedarwood Pride series

Tanner Fox wasn’t sure being traded to the Cedarwood Wildcats was the right path for his life, but if Dr. Dane Bloom is part of the package, then he’ll play for keeps.

Tanner “Foxy” Fox knows he can do one thing—play baseball. His days in the outfield are numbered, but he’s a fan favorite. Everyone wants a piece of Foxy—almost everyone. The Anti-Gay Coalition wants nothing of a gay player on the town baseball team, but Tanner isn’t about to back down, especially when he lands sponsorship from the silver-fox doctor in town.

When Dr. Dane Bloom opts to sponsor the baseball team, he knows he’s going to be asked to sponsor a player. Having a younger man living in his home and invading his trust? Why not? Dane’s not wild about opening up, but when he sees Tanner, something in him shatters. He wants to get to know Tanner, beyond the Foxy façade to the man inside. Can he and the player find a way to score in Cedarwood, or will the coalition and self-doubts keep them apart?

Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Gentleman Wolf (Capital Wolves Duet #1)

SERIES:  Capital Wolves

AUTHOR:  Joanna Chambers

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  216 pages

RELEASE DATE:  August 26, 2019

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An elegant werewolf in Edinburgh…

1788. When Lindsay Somerville, the most elegant werewolf in Paris, learns that the man who held him in abject captivity for decades is on his way to France, intent on recapturing him, he knows he must leave the Continent for his own safety. Lindsay cannot take the risk of being recaptured—he may have been free for a century but he can still feel the ghost of his old chains under his fine clothes.

… on a mission…

While he’s in Edinburgh, Lindsay has been tasked with acquiring the “Naismith Papers”, the writings of a long-dead witchfinder. It should be a straightforward mission—all Lindsay has to do is charm an elderly book collector, Hector Cruikshank. But Cruikshank may not be all he seems, and there are others who want the papers.

… meets his match

As if that were not enough, while tracking down the Naismith Papers, Lindsay meets stubborn architect Drew Nicol. Although the attraction between them is intense, Nicol seems frustratingly determined to resist Lindsay’s advances. Somehow though, Lindsay can’t seem to accept Nicol’s rejection. Is he just moonstruck, or is Nicol bonded to him in ways he doesn’t yet understand?

Note: this is the first book of a duology – the story continues and will complete in the second book, Master Wolf.