Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Mastering the Flames

SERIES: The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #4

AUTHOR: SJ Himes

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 394 pages

RELEASE DATE: October 4, 2019

BLURB:

Guilt-ridden after the massacre of his family, Isaac Salvatore turned to binge drinking to escape the pain. Now twenty-four years old, Isaac is a recovering alcoholic woefully out of practice in the magical arts, leaving his fire affinity hanging on the edge of disaster. After a month of rehab, he returns to Beacon Hill and his family, determined to remain sober, learn to control his magic, and figure out a plan for his life that doesn’t involve drinking.

Constantine Batiste is the oldest, most powerful vampire in the city. Born in ancient Gaul, the bastard son of a Celtic king, his long life has been shrouded in tragedy and horrors. Recent mistakes have left him wary and determined to guard his clan from all foes. When two of his clan members fall victim to an ancient evil, he summons the Necromancer of Boston for aid. Accompanying his older brother to the Tower is the handsome young fire mage once wounded by Constantine’s arrogance, and their encounter reignites an attraction that burns within both Constantine and Isaac.

The answer to who is targeting the vampires of Boston is buried in the dark, early days of Constantine’s transition to an immortal life. Isaac finds himself saddled with a painful insight into the evil cutting a swath through the supernatural population of Boston. While his brother, Angel, takes over the hunt to find and stop the threat to the city, Isaac struggles to find a balance between helping his brother and finding his own purpose and place in the world, free from his brother’s shadow.

Falling in love wasn’t part of his plan, but mastering the flames that burn between him and Constantine soon becomes the most important thing in his life, even as an ancient evil seeks to destroy them.

Mastering the Flames is the fourth book in The Beacon Hill Sorcerer series and is not a standalone. The series should be read in order for maximum enjoyment and understanding of the plot and characters.

Reviewed by Kimberley

TITLE:  The Prince and His Bedeviled Bodyguard

SERIES: Paranormal Princes #1

AUTHOR: Charlie Cochet

PUBLISHER: Self Publishing

LENGTH: 122 pages

RELEASEDATE: September 19, 2019

BLURB:

Prince Owin

Being a fierce predator—not at all adorable, despite my graceful stature—the last thing I needed was a bodyguard. Especially a wolf shifter, whose presence alone was an insult to my princely principles. As Prince of the Ocelot Shifters, I prided myself on my infallible feline instincts, uncompromisable dignity, and flawless fashion sense. If having a canine follow me around at all times wasn’t bad enough, I now faced the most important moment of my entire life. The time had come to prove I was worthy of my crown. If only I could find a way to get rid of the pesky bodyguard.

Grimmwolf

When the King of All Shifters asked me to guard Prince Owin, I admit I had no idea what to expect. Cat shifters tend to be a little intense, not to mention kinda cranky. Owin was no exception, though he seemed crankier than most. Being his bodyguard was proving to be one of the greatest challenges of my life—but not nearly as great as convincing him there was something special between us. When Owin is faced with a perilous quest to prove his worth, I was determined to keep him safe, even if the same couldn’t be said of my heart.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Lucky

SERIES: Twirled World Ink #4

AUTHOR: J.M. Dabney

PUBLISHER: Hostile Whispers Press

LENGTH: 197 pages

RELEASE DATE: September 15, 2017 2nd edition

BLURB:

Welcome to Twirled World Ink where the crazies run the asylum.

When someone was asked to describe crazy, if they knew Lee “Lucky” Trenton they’d point at him. Accident prone and without a filter of any kind to tell him to shut up before he says something inappropriate he’s no one’s idea of a perfect partner. Growing up with parents who subscribed to a philosophy of Radical Honesty Lucky and his siblings were doomed from the womb. Lucky found a home away from home at Twirled World Ink, but he didn’t just find a place to belong. He’d found Priest.

Matthew “Priest” Beall ran away from his judgmental family the second he’d earned the money. He’d come in search of Gib Phelps a legend in the tattoo industry. If you wanted to learn the craft, then Gib was the man to beg an apprenticeship with, and he’d begged. Priest might have left the violence of his past behind, but when he closed his eyes it came back to torture him. The only place he felt safe was when his best friend Lucky let him sleep in his arms. He wanted more, but he didn’t think he deserved it.

Priest left his family behind without regret only to find a new one with the crew of Twirled World and the super weird Trenton family. Could he grab onto his new life or would the memories of the past ruin the happiness he’d gained?

Author’s Note: Although this is part of a series each book is stand alone and every book deals with a separate couple.

2nd Edition **REEDITED**

REVIEWED by Anna Lynn

TITLE: Best Man

AUTHOR: Lily Morton

PUBLISHER: Self Published

SERIES: Close Proximity #1

LENGTH: 241 pages

RELEASE DATE: October 3, 2019

BLURB:

Zeb Evans doesn’t do messy.

The product of a disorganised and chaotic childhood, Zeb likes order and control, and as the boss of his own employment agency he can give that to himself. Life runs along strict lines and he never mixes business with pleasure. Everything in his life lives in neat, alphabetized boxes. Until Jesse.

Jesse Reed is Zeb’s complete opposite. He’s chaos personified. A whirling cyclone of disorder. He’s also charming and funny and a very unwanted distraction.

Which is why it comes as a complete surprise to Zeb to find himself asking Jesse to pose as his boyfriend for a few days in the country at a wedding.

Zeb doesn’t do impulsive, but as the time away progresses, he finds himself increasingly drawn to the merry and irreverent Jesse. But can he bring himself to break the hard-won lessons he’s learnt in life? And even if he can, how could Jesse be attracted to him anyway? He’s so much older than Jesse, not to mention being his boss.

Reviewed by Anabela

TITLE: Outside Looking In

SERIES: Browerton University #6

AUTHOR: A.J. Truman

PUBLISHER: Truman Books

RELEASE DATE: March 11, 2019

LENGTH: 258 pages

BLURB:

When it came to family, Nathan Hargrove has always been on the outside looking in.

Abandoned by his mother as a baby, ignored by his father, and bullied by his cousins, Nathan learned years ago that he’s the blackest of black sheep. He dulls his loneliness with casual sex, acid wit, and lots of booze. Fresh out of yet another stint at rehab, Nathan stumbles onto a clue that leads him to his late mother’s whereabouts. His search takes him halfway around the world to New Zealand to solve the mystery of why she left.

Liam Foster would rather deal with sheep than people. After catching his girlfriend and BFF cheating, he moves back to his family’s farm to connect with his roots and help his widower brother raise his kids. His other brothers want him to sell the farm so they can all make a big profit, but Liam needs one more year to prove he can succeed. When a handsome Brit wheeling designer luggage wanders onto his field, claiming to be the farmhand he advertised for, Liam is suspicious, but he can’t make it through lambing season by himself.

As Liam helps Nathan transform from Posh Spice to Old Macdonald, they realize they’re the perfect salve for each other’s tattered souls. But the longer Nathan holds off on telling the truth of what brought him to New Zealand, the harder it becomes for him to come clean. Because if he admits who he really is, it could shatter not only Liam’s family–but also Nathan’s one true shot at love.

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN is a slow burn, opposites attract M/M romance about lonely hearts finding redemption. It’s filled with humor, heart, and hot guys. And lots of sheep.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Penetration Test

SERIES: The Phisher King #3

AUTHOR: Clancy Nacht & Thursday Euclid

PUBLISHER: Eine Kleine Press

LENGTH: 278 pages

RELEASE DATE: September 13, 2019

BLURB:

Sequel to Rainbow Award-winning gay romantic thriller The Phisher King and its sequel False Flag.For years, brainy, charming FBI techie Sam Dupre has helped Hunter Walsh and Cal Riggs solve their cases. He’s also become one of Hunter’s closest friends, someone Hunter counts on when things get tough. After the events of False Flag, Riggs is no longer the agency’s golden boy, so when Hunter suspects a gay couple has been murdered in a hate crime in an exclusive gated community in Olympia, he takes the tip to Sam instead. While Riggs and Hunter contend with workplace politics and Riggs’s recovery, Sam Dupre drives the case forward, even securing a partner for his undercover field work: handsome, popular recent transfer Rob Crawford. Crawford’s a seasoned field agent who doesn’t bat an eye at posing as a gay married couple, but Sam can’t help feeling like Crawford’s mocking him. They rub each other in all the wrong ways in private even as they pretend to be a doting married couple in front of the neighbors…at least, until they start rubbing each other the right way. Sam’s dysphoria-and his HIV status-has held him back, but as he bonds with Crawford, he starts to feel seen for who he truly is. Surrounded by mystery and danger, now is not the time to blur professional lines, but how can Sam help himself?Featuring: An #ownvoices trans character feeling his oats, a dreamboat foreign terrorism agent trying his hand at a domestic (teehee) case, and a supercute adopted housecat. With a special appearance by Callum Riggs, excessive trolling by Hunter Walsh, and, of course, a happy ending!

Reviewed by Dan

TITLE: Guns n’ Boys: Unshaken          

SERIES: Guns n’ Boys – Book 9

AUTHOR: K.A. Merikan

PUBLISHER: Acerbi & Villani Ltd.

RELEASE DATE:  September 30, 2019

BLURB:

“You can never understand what this man has done to me, for me, and with me.”

Seven years.

Domenico and Seth have been together for seven years. After trudging through blood, tears, fights, and painful compromises, they’ve finally arrived at a point where every day doesn’t feel like it could be their last.

Settled in their comfortable life, they decide to go on vacation to Singapore. But their romantic break turns into a nightmare when an old adversary appears, tempting Seth and Domenico away from the peace and quiet of their home in Argentina, and toward a new kind of future.

What begins as a wild goose chase could be their ticket back to Italy, but when Seth and Domenico step into the snares that have been set up for them, they can only count on each other to get through a reality so horrific that death might be mercy.

What their enemies don’t know though is that their bond is stronger than ever before, and attempting to tear them apart will bring destruction on anyone who tries.

For Domenico, Seth would walk through hell and back.

For Seth, Domenico would tear down the heavens.

Together, they are not to be f*cked with.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Red, White & Blew

SERIES: Welcome to Morningwood Omegaverse

AUTHOR: Kiki Burrelli

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 162 pages

RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2019

BLURB:

Professor. Single dad. His father’s former best friend…

There is no end to how off-limits Thatcher should be to Dylan. But Dylan is away from home for the first time. An artist at heart, he’s struggling at the normie law school where he’s desperately trying to stand in his father’s footsteps. He’s too gentle, too meek. The members of his family have become lawyers and protected Morningwood—the secretive shifter only community—for generations. Though Dylan is lonely, he can’t tell his dad about the new friend he’s found in Thatcher. His dad would only order Dylan to stay away, and Dylan can’t give Thatcher up. Not just yet.

Thatcher has his hands full as a newly single father. The single part isn’t new, but the father part is. Elijah was ten when services dropped him on Thatcher’s door and in the months since he’s scrambled to change his life from that of a bachelor to a responsible father. But he struggles to connect with his young son. The smartest thing he could do would be to put a stop to the feelings he has for Dylan. While Elijah loves spending time with him and when the three of them are together, it feels like they are a family, Dylan is a student. If the university doesn’t discover their relationship Dylan’s overbearing dad will. He never got over the way Thatcher left Morningwood over a decade ago and if he ever found out Thatcher was interested in his son, he’d go ballistic.

As their bond deepens and the end of term looms ahead, Dylan’s running out of time. The annual Morningwood 4th of July camp-out is on the horizon, yet another tradition Dylan has with his father and he realizes he will have to make a choice between his dad and the town he loves, or his mate and the family that accepts him just the way he is.

Red, White & Blew is the sixth book in the Welcome to Morningwood series, it features an age gap romance with student/teacher themes (that’s a lucky desk). But, it’s a Morningwood story, so there is no question about the HEA, or the steamy, funny bits in between!

Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Life According to Liam

AUTHOR:  V.L. Locey

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:   138 pages

RELEASE DATE:  October 2, 2019

BLURB: 

There’s always that chance that your heart’s desire is one click away.

Someone needs to pinch web designer/humor blogger/Pittsburgh Ravens mega fan Mike Kneller. Hard. For years, Mike has been living his life for his younger sister Kelly and his four-year-old nephew Liam. He’d opened up his home to Kelly when she found herself pregnant at sixteen and facing having a baby alone. Sure, his days are filled with skinned knees, snotty noses, and the occasional mishap with stuffed superheroes, but he’s perfectly happy because he loves Liam as much as he loves his baby sister. Giving up a social life and going to bed alone is a small price to pay. Little does he know that someone on the Ravens is about to show Ravens goalie Bryn Mettler one of his vlog posts. Of course he’s not going to believe it when his phone rings and the world-famous netminder—and his goalie crush—is on the other end. I mean, life doesn’t work that way for ordinary, hardworking uncles like Mike. Does it?

Bryn Mettler is a superstar athlete and a major part of the Pittsburgh sports society. He seems to have it all. He’s well-dressed, handsome, wealthy, an elite goaltender, a famed philanthropist, and the holder of numerous medals and trophies. To date, there are two things that have avoided him: lifting that big shiny silver cup over his head and finding a man to settle down with. Now that he’s over thirty, Bryn is finding the gay club scene is wearing thin. His teammates’ wives have decided it’s their duty to the team—and to Bryn—to find him Mr. Right. He’s relatively sure the man who’ll capture his heart surely won’t be found on a humor blog. Funny how life likes to take the things that you’re most certain about and flip them—and you—on its ear. When Bryn meets Mike, he is instantly drawn to the warm, funny, sexy man who shares his hectic days with thousands of Pittsburgh natives. Now he just has to convince Mike he is who he says he is so he can get to know him better. Thankfully, Bryn isn’t a quitter. But does he have what it takes to leap into life with Mike, Kelly, and Liam?

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: In the Eye of the Wind

AUTHOR: Katherine Wyvern

PUBLISHER: Evernight Publishing

LENGTH: 268 pages

RELEASE DATE: January 16, 2019

BLURB:

Born in the northern wastes of Kaleva in the middle of a devastating war between light and darkness, Rikko’ has found his way south to the warm shores of the Circled Sea, the first elver to ever turn pirate.

Forbidden by the rules of the Andalouan court to pursue such an ungentlemanly career, Gael can only dream of ever becoming a doctor, and his medical studies remain unfinished until his aunt the Queen sends him on a covert mission to the pirate city of Beyas’kahl.

And here, after one night with Rikko’, all his loyalties are put to the test.

Queen Amata has reigned for three decades, and she always used her men cunningly. But even the best player can miscalculate, and her blunder places Gael first in slavery, then in a naval battle, and finally, worst of all, face to face with Rikko’s darkest and deadliest side.

From such darkness, is there any coming back? Is there any hope of love for Gael, or redemption for Rikko’?

Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Rocket Science

AUTHOR: K. M. Keuhold

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 357 pages

RELEASE DATE: September 27, 2019

BLURB: Relationships aren’t rocket science. If they were, I might stand a chance of figuring one out.

Elijah

Saying I’ve had a crush on my best friend’s older brother, Pax, most of my life is like saying the big bang was just an explosion. It’s true, but I’m not sure that quite captures the essence of its true enormity.

I know he’s only hanging out with me because I’m new in town and getting my PhD doesn’t leave me with much time to make friends. And even if it did, my strength is mathematics, not friend-making. What I don’t understand is why he kissed me… why he seems to want to keep kissing me. I don’t think my advanced physics knowledge is going to help me figure this one out. But I think for once I’m okay with not knowing, as long as Pax and I don’t know together.

Pax

He’s still the awkward nerdlet I remember…he’s also probably the cutest, most tempting man I’ve laid eyes on. I know I should keep my hands off him, but this thing between us is like a force of nature. I want to be his first everything. He says we’re nothing more than atoms crashing into each other. I’m no scientist but I don’t think either of us are braced for the explosion.

**** Rocket Science is a stand alone MM romance featuring an inexperienced nerd, a cocky player, and a satisfying HEA

REVIEWED by Jay V.

TITLE: The Hitman’s Guide to Staying Alive Despite Past Mistakes

AUTHOR: Alice Winters

SERIES: The Hitman’s Guide #2

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 336 pages

RELEASE DATE: September 26, 2019

BLURB:

Jackson

Now that Leland’s decided to give up his life as a hitman and take a walk on the mild side, we’ve been enjoying a simple life of taking down bad guys the legal way. I didn’t know he would be just as reckless as a PI, but it’s not my fault if I happen to enjoy helping him hunt down the occasional criminal. If only I could keep the house from being overrun by Leland’s gun shrine—or stop him from making our cases “more exciting” by terrorizing people into confessing. Overall, life seems perfect, right?

Wrong.

We’ve been called in to investigate a suspicious murder committed by someone claiming to be the Sandman. When we find a note on the victim’s body, we realize that this could ruin our lives forever.

Leland

I wasn’t involved in the murder. It might look like my writing and my note, but I wouldn’t do that to Jackson—especially after I promised him that I wouldn’t take a hit ever again. At least, not without telling him. I’m finally starting to learn that we’re stronger together, and I’m not going to jeopardize that.

Luckily for both of us, this copycat doesn’t know who he’s dealing with. Game’s on, fake Sandman. You think you can mess with me? Well, maybe you can, but that’s beside the point, because I will protect Jackson no matter what, even if I almost drown him in the process. (Really, that wasn’t my fault. He should learn how to swim better.)

REVIEWED by Jen B.

TITLE: Coast to Coast

SERIES: Arizona Raptors

AUTHORS: R.J. Scott and V.L. Locey

PUBLISHER: Love Lane Books

LENGTH: 199 Pages

RELEASE DATE: September 29, 2019

BLURB:

When opposites attract, it’s not just the team that’s in for a shake-up.

When a stipulation in his father’s will throws Mark back into a family that disowned him, he has only two things on his mind; buying his way out of contractual obligations and running in the opposite direction as fast as he can. When neither option pans out, he finds he is now a one-third owner of the struggling Arizona Raptors hockey team, and that is just about the worst thing he could have happened to him. Not only does he hate hockey, but the Raptors are a bottom-of-the-league team, rife with jealousies and anger in a locker room that only knows self-pity. How is he supposed to help turn things around when the only way to start fixing things is to form an alliance with the estranged siblings he’d run from fifteen years earlier?

Then there’s Rowen Carmichael, a stubborn, opinionated, irritating man with superiority issues and questionable taste in music. Butting heads with Rowen, who he’d never even wanted to hire in the first place, is one thing, but there is no way in hell that he will allow the growing attraction to the new coach become anything more. Until with everything on the line, he has to make decisions that will change his life forever.

After years of collegiate coaching, Rowen is given an offer that he simply can’t refuse, although perhaps he should. When he’s presented with the chance to take one of the worst teams in the league and mold them into a future cup contender, the challenge is just too alluring to pass up. He leaves his beloved Ontario behind and moves west to the arid city of Tucson where he is faced with a broken team, shoddy management, and players overflowing with resentment and bigotry.

Never in his twenty years of hockey has he ever seen such a raging dumpster fire of an organization. Yet there’s something about this team and this city that compels him to roll up his sleeves and start dismantling. He has his eye on a new associate coach that’s bound to make waves and several key players who should be sent packing. Now all he has to do is convince the new owners of the team that his choices are for the best. If only Mark Westman-Reid, one of three siblings who now own the Raptors, wasn’t so damned rock-headed, so damned snooty, and so damned appealing his job might be a bit easier.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Mad Cat, Franz and the Bomb

AUTHOR: Tony McAndrew

PUBLISHER: Wild Wolf Publishing

LENGTH: 3296 kb

RELEASE DATE: May 14, 2018

BLURB:

Cat is peculiar, she always has been. She grew up talking to the evil three that no one could see, which forced her into years of therapy. Maybe it’s because she’s a creative genius, tapped into the frequency where concept takes form and manifests, either way things got better when she met art gallery owners Teddy and Perry.

Seven years later it feels like all of that is the distant past, but the past is never forgotten, the ghosts of it walk among us and watch us, even as we sleep. He looks so real, is her mind playing tricks on her? He looks as three dimensional as you, as me, except he’s bound to here. Cat can see him, she can’t help but see him, and now she’s witnessed walking through the streets arguing with a new invisible friend.

Are any of these beings truly friends? The past should be forgotten, right? But what if forgetting the past puts us in danger? What Cat is about to do is explosive, it’s dangerous, and she no longer cares who calls her Mad Cat.

REVIEWED by Jen B.

TITLE: Goalie Interference

SERIES: Hat Trick

AUTHORS: Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn

PUBLISHER: Carina Press

LENGTH: 304 Pages

RELEASE DATE: September 30, 2019

BLURB:

It’s goalie vs. goalie in this brand-new enemies-to-lovers hockey romance from Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn…

Ryu Mori has had a stellar season as goalie for the Atlanta Venom. So when he’s called into management’s office, he’s expecting to hear he’s the new starting goalie for the team, not that some new guy—an incredibly hot, annoyingly bratty rookie—is here to compete for his spot.

Not everyone gets to play in the best league in the world. Emmitt Armstrong knows that, and he’s not about to waste the opportunity after grinding his way from the bottom to the top. If the Venom is looking for a meek, mild-mannered pushover, they’ve got the wrong guy.

Ryu doesn’t want to admit the other goalie’s smart mouth turns him on. Beating Armstrong at practice feels good, sure, but there are other, more fun ways to shut his rival up.

In this league, it’s winner takes all. But there’s more to life than winning, and if Emmitt and Ryu can get past their egos and competitive natures, they might just discover they work better as partners than they ever imagined possible.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Synful Dreams

SERIES: Sun’s Playground #1

AUTHOR: Shea Balik

PUBLISHER: Siren-Bookstrand Inc

LENGTH: 126 pages

RELEASE DATE: July 12, 2017

BLURB:

Syn Evans was a Dom who believed he had the world at his fingertips. That was until until he’d made the biggest mistake of his life. It had taken witnessing his friends find love and even getting married that made him realize he needed to man up and make amends with the one man who still owned his heart. Even if that meant groveling.PJ had been devastated when Syn had left him, but he’d somehow managed to get over the love of his life. Or so he thought. It wasn’t until Syn waltzed back into his life that PJ understood he not only hadn’t gotten over Syn or the need he had to submit to his Dom, but he was still in love with him. The only question was, could he find a way to forgive Syn for leaving him all those years ago and find a path for their future?