Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Graveyard Shift

SERIES: Not Dead Yet #3

AUTHOR: Jenn Burke

PUBLISHER: Carina Press

LENGTH: 220 pages

RELEASE DATE: November 4, 2019

BLURB:

Shifting Into High Fear

Ghost/god Wes Cooper and his not-life partner, vampire Hudson Rojas, have settled into cohabitation in an upscale part of Toronto. So what if their hoity-toity new neighbors haven’t exactly rolled out the welcome mat for the paranormal pair? Their PI business is booming, and when a suspect they’ve been tailing winds up in the morgue, it’s alongside a rash of other shifters in apparent drug-related fatalities.

Now Wes and Hudson must connect the dots between the shifter deaths and an uptick in brutal vampire attacks across the city. Throw in a surprise visit from Hudson’s niece—who may or may not be on the run from European paranormal police (who may or may not exist)—and guardianship of a teen shifter who might be the key to solving the whole mystery (if only she could recover her memory), and Wes and Hudson have never been busier…or happier.

But when a nightmare from Hudson’s past comes back to haunt him, their weird, little found family is pushed to the brink. Mucking this up would mean Hudson and Wes missing their second chance at happily-forever-afterlife…

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Addiction

AUTHOR: Roberta Blablanski

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 145 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 16, 2019

BLURB:

Addiction can destroy your life. But if you destroy addiction, can you get your life back?

At twenty-eight, Owen Fredrikson is homeless, unemployed, and grappling with drug addiction. Before he let drugs take over his life, he had a pretty sweet job working the front desk of a fancy hotel, his boss was his best friend, and he had a loving fiancé.

After three years together, thirty-three-year-old middle school math teacher Dex Atterbury could no longer ignore Owen’s demons. Dex made the tough decision to part ways, leaving Owen destitute and Dex heartbroken.

When tragedy befalls Owen and Dex is called to his side, Owen has some tough decisions to make. Both men must determine how far they are willing to go to rebuild the life they once shared.

Can Owen conquer his addiction while facing his demons? And can Dex open his heart and trust Owen again?

Content Warnings:

Depictions of drug addiction, drug use and abuse, and drug withdrawal

Scenes of violence

Reviewed by Roberta

TITLE: Not Another Statistic

SERIES: A Yuri Sorenson Mytery Book

AUTHOR: J.M. Dabney

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 218 Pages

RELEASE DATE: September 24, 2019

BLURB:

Former Federal Agent Yuri Sorenson had left the bureau behind to become a private investigator. His ex-partner came to him asking for a favor, not knowing who else to trust. Yuri had always had a way of keeping his emotional distance from the people he protected, yet that changed the day Clarkson hesitantly limped into his life.

What happens when love is confused with pain? That’s the exact question Josh Clarkson had asked himself for years. He’d grown up in an overburdened foster care system, and from what he knew of love, he couldn’t expect anything but to be something tolerated. Was he meant to be more than a plaything or a piece of scenery? He could hope.

Two men who know nothing but being broken find that patience and acceptance are harder than losing hope. Is the leap of faith worth the reward of letting someone else in? Maybe they’ll find the strength to find out before the danger of Josh’s past tries to tear them apart.

Reviewed by Anna Lynn

TITLE: Flash Rip

AUTHOR:  Keira Andrews

PUBLISHER: KA Books

LENGTH: 290 pages

RELEASE DATE: Sept. 19, 2019

BLURB:

The most dangerous current is between them.

Training to be a lifeguard at an Australian beach is tough work, but Cody Grant loves a challenge. He spends long days in the sun and surf rescuing swimmers from treacherous rip currents while trying not to lust after senior lifeguard Liam Fox—who is deeply, painfully closeted.

Liam was supposed to be a football legend. Now in his mid-thirties, it’s been over a decade since his dream shattered along with his knee. Fans still recognize him regularly, and he’s terrified his sexuality will be discovered and his conservative parents will reject him. He has strict rules to protect his secret and keeps everyone at arm’s length. Liam never acts on his need to surrender after being shamed for it years ago by the first and only man he trusted.

Out and proud Cody fascinates Liam—and tempts him to break all the rules.

Cody is practically half Liam’s size and age, but has the confidence and compassion to take charge and give Liam the release, affection, and acceptance he desperately craves. But how long can a secret affair satisfy their hearts? As if saving lives isn’t hard enough, Cody faces his greatest challenge yet convincing Liam to trust him and find the courage to live out loud.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Breaking Barriers

SERIES: Hart Medical Center #1

AUTHOR: Shea Balik

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 144 pages

RELEASE DATE: January 11, 2020

BLURB:

Detective Jamal Tuma was used to life not going his way. As an omega in an alpha dominated world, he’d experienced more than his fair share of bigotry when he’d decided to enter the police force. His life had been put in danger more times than he could count for no other reason than alphas above him thought it wouldn’t matter if he’d died on the job. Yet, in the six years he’d been a cop, he’d never come quite so close to death as he did when an alpha doctor didn’t feel it necessary to treat his gunshot wound.

Brace Jacobs had never given much thought to the omegas in their world. As a doctor, he’d taken an oath to heal, no matter their color, creed, sex, or even their omega status. But not everyone felt the way he did. It didn’t sit well with Brace, but he didn’t go out of his way to fix the problem, either. That was until Detective Jamal Tuma came through those doors and nearly died with Brace’s hands deep in his body as he fought to save the omega.

Warning: Hijinx and mayhem will ensue, as these two fight the world around them, as well as their own ridiculous preconceived notions, as they hope to build a future together. But that might be easier said than done when there are stalkers, assholes, idiots, and one very determined Patient Care Coordinator, who will kick everyone’s ass while planning a circus, if that’s what it takes for them to begin Breaking Barriers.

Reviewed by Anabela.m

TITLE: Love Has No Direction

SERIES: Love Can’t Book 3

AUTHOR: Kim Fielding

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 218 pages

RELEASE DATE: January 14,2020

BLURB:

Yet another series of poor decisions lands Parker Levin back in his mother’s house, working at her coffee shop, and feeling like a failure. Then he learns his ex-boyfriend has died by suicide and things go from bad to worse. When he meets a handsome stranger, he doesn’t have much left to lose.

Ten years ago Wesley Anker made a grave mistake. Since then he’s lived in near isolation, supporting himself by making custom furniture and only rarely connecting with other people. When he attempts to make amends, he encounters Parker, a beautiful and colorful young man, and he agrees to Parker’s impulsive request to join him.

Together, Parker and Wes find quick friendship and fierce attraction. But Wes’s past demons haunt his footsteps, and Parker’s struggle to plan a future has him stumbling through life. Then they uncover evidence that suggests Parker’s ex’s death might not have been a straightforward suicide, and every path seems to lead to dead ends and destruction. Can Parker and Wes find their way to lasting love when the route is hidden?

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Truth

SERIES: Wolves of Walker County #1

AUTHOR: Kiki Burrelli

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 226 pages

RELEASE DATE: December 24, 2019

BLURB:

One touch is all it takes …

Riley is in hiding. He always knew his curse would get him in trouble, and now it has driven him to a gloomy island, hours away from Seattle. At least he gets to keep his job in social work and sure, Walker County is a little isolated, and the wealthy recluses who live on the other side of the bay are odd, but he’s lucky just to still be alive.

…to know the truth.

Branson Walker left his pack family ten years ago along with his three cousins. At eighteen, their families demanded the four young men fight to the death to decide who would become the pack’s next leader. The cousins refused and have made a good life for themselves, despite the schemes concocted by their manipulative families constantly trying to drag them back. The four Walker men want nothing to do with pack life, its rules or the blind loyalty it requires.

When Branson meets Riley on a call, he realizes immediately there is something different about the human. After a first date that turns into a first morning, Branson knows he must face his family—if only to ensure Riley’s protection. But when something happens, something none of them could have possibly expected, he knows talking won’t keep Riley safe, he must claim his human, and with his cousins’ help, become the pack they were always meant to be.

Truth is a full-length 80k gay romance and the first book in the Wolves of Walker County with steam, humor, magic, and intrigue as well as a surprise pregnancy that will change everything. For maximum enjoyment, this quartet should be read in order.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Howling on Hold

AUTHOR: E.J. Russell

PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing

LENGTH: 287 pages

RELEASE DATE: January 13, 2020

BLURB:

Sometimes it’s harder to teach a young dog new tricks.

That’s why werewolves embark on a Howling: a three-year rite of passage in which they’re sent to a group residence to wrestle with their wolfy instincts and assimilate into the Wider World. But Tanner Araya’s Howling is almost over, and he could be called back to his remote pack at any moment. His twenty-first birthday might be his last chance to act on his strongest instinct and finally kiss Chase Denney.

Chase is RA at the Howling residence affectionately dubbed “the Doghouse,” and he takes his job seriously. So seriously that when he realized he was developing feelings for a resident, he forced himself to keep Tanner at a distance. But now that Tanner’s twenty-one, he’s not Chase’s charge any longer. They could be friends or—if Chase is lucky—something more. At least until they both return to their home packs for good, as tradition demands.

It would take a miracle for them to get together—especially when the other Doghouse werewolves insist on “helping.”

Warning: Many Frisbees are harmed in this story, forgiveness is not always easier than permission, and the five-second rule does not apply.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Azaran

SERIES: Brotherhood of Ormarr #1

AUTHOR: Jacki James

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 139 pages

RELEASE DATE: May 20, 2019

BLURB:

Azaran~

I was born a dragon rider. A member of the Brotherhood of Ormarr, son of Cadmar, and the eldest of four sons. I was raised to defend the innocent and protect the secret of the dragons, but when I was eighteen, my parents were brutally murdered and the training and care of my brothers fell to me. My entire adult life has been spent helping my brothers grow into the strong, brave dragon riders they were born to be. Now that the youngest of my brothers is close to adulthood, the last thing I need is someone else to worry about—someone else to be responsible for. If only the handsome doctor fate had chosen for my mate wasn’t so perfect for me.

Toby~

AlI I ever wanted was to help people, that’s why I became a doctor, but I quickly learned that modern medicine was more about the all-mighty dollar and less about saving lives. It wasn’t long before I was doubting my life choices. A vacation to the ocean was supposed to leave me refreshed and ready to get back to work, but instead, I found myself pulled into a world I never knew existed. A world where dragons are real, men fight like medieval warriors, and my soulmate has his very own bat cave. Azaran thinks the last thing he needs is a mate to worry about. Good thing I don’t need anyone to take care of me. My sexy dragon rider, on the other hand, needs someone to take care of him, and I think I’m just the man to do it.

Azaran is the first book in The Brotherhood of Ormarr series. While each book focuses on a different couple, the overall story arc continues in the next installment. For maximum enjoyment, we suggest reading in order. Azaran is a m/m romance, and is recommended for adults 18 years and older.

Reviewed by Anabela

TITLE: The Captain and the Squire

SERIES: Captivating Captains #5

AUTHORS: Catherine Curzon & Eleanor Harkstead

PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing

LENGTH: 214 pages

RELEASE DATE: January 14, 2020

BLURB:

A sexy city boy and a country squire will set the countryside alight!

Tarquin Bough is a tweedy squire with an ambitious fiancée who controls his every move. He’s also the owner of the finest collection of saucy artefacts in the world. From Christine Keeler’s eyelash to the Virgin Queen’s dildo, they’re all safe in Tarquin’s care.

Christopher Hardacre is a city-slicker with the tighest jodhpurs and the most smackable bottom in London. He’s given up the ratrace for a country life as captain of the village rowing team. The only trouble is, he’s lost his money to a ruthless scam and Bough Bottoms is his last hope of a home.

But Chris hasn’t reckoned on his late uncle’s will. The house comes with a sitting porcine tenant and if Chris can’t look after his newly-acquired pet pig, he’ll lose his inheritance and his last chance at happiness.

When Tarquin sees Chris it’s lust at first sight, but dare he be honest about his feelings in a village where being gay is bound to be a hot topic? As soon as Chris and Tarquin get together, it’s the hottest summer this little corner of England has ever known.

With a scheming local hotshot out to turn the beloved pig into sausages, can the captain and the squire save everybody’s bacon?

Reviewed by Cheryl

TITLE: The Edge of the World

AUTHOR: Garett Leigh

PUBLISHER: Fox Love Press

LENGTH: 223 pages

RELEASE DATE: January 16,  2020

BLURB:

Shay Maloney is living his dream—on tour with his pirate/folk-rock band. But you can’t know where you’re going until you know where you’re from, and that’s where moody filmmaker and researcher Ollie Pietruska comes in.

The band’s management persuades Shay to let a television company film a documentary about his roots beyond his adoptive Irish family, and Ollie comes into his life knowing more about Shay than Shay’s ever known about himself.

But while Ollie holds the key to Shay’s past, he’s also hiding deep scars. Even as the hardships of the tour bring them closer, Ollie’s demons threaten the blossoming romance. They might both reach the breaking point before Ollie realises he’s been standing on the edge of the world for too long, and it’s Shay who holds the key to his future.

A friends-to-lovers, rock star, road-tripping romance, with a guaranteed happily-ever-after.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Nine Small Sips

SERIES: Tales of Bryant #2

AUTHOR: V.L. Locey

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 108 pages

RELEASE DATE: June 10, 2019

BLURB:

Life for Isamu Taylor is now a Cinderella story that includes a Manhattan loft, a new position in the hottest LGBT film production company in New York City, and an upcoming wedding in Bryant Park to his very own handsome prince.

He’s come a long way from that struggling film student with ratty sneakers and shaggy hair. Isamu is now living an urbanite’s fairy tale with that happily ever after just around a bustling city street corner.

But as all wedding planners know, even the best laid plans seem to go awry, and Isamu and Brian’s wedding is no exception. But love—both old and new—is in the air, so nothing can go too badly, right?

Reviewed by Donna

TITLE: His Fake Prison Daddy

AUTHOR: Thursday Euclid & Clancy Nacht

PUBLISHER: Eine Kleine Press

LENGTH: 216 Pages

RELEASE DATE: January 15, 2020

BLURB:

When eighteen-year-old hacker Elias Stuyvesant ends up in a maximum security state prison, he’s woefully unprepared despite his time in juvie. On day one, he’s thrown in with a man known as the Santa Fe Slayer, Ambrose Hughes.
Hughes is quiet, disfigured, and weirdly urbane. Elias was so young when Hughes committed his crimes that he has only the faintest idea what Hughes is in for. However, Hughes makes clear that Elias is his ideal victim type…and there’s no one to protect Elias from the much larger man with his prison-jacked body and that hard gleam in his dark eyes.
Whoever paired them has it in for Elias; that much is obvious.
Elias is terrified of Hughes, but he soon realizes the other prisoners are worse. If Elias is going to survive, he’ll have to choose the lesser of the evils: To preserve himself, he’ll need Hughes for his Daddy. And given Hughes’s skewed morality, they’ll have to fake it till they make it.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Their Property

SERIES: Four Mercenaries #3

AUTHOR: K.A. Merikan

PUBLISHER: Acerbi & Villani Ltd

LENGTH: 265 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2019

BLURB:

— Bruised not broken. Loved. Always. —

Clover’s life was perfect a year ago. He’d found four men to love, each essential to making him whole. Each one of them tough in their own way, part of a crew of mercenaries living on the wrong side of the law.

Tank was his loving Daddy, Pyro the wild one always pulling him into mischief, Boar taught him how to cook, and Drake showed him how to use knives in a wholly different fashion.

All Clover wanted was to finally be an equal in the group. So he trained, he pushed, and risked, but when real danger stared him in the face, he broke like a twig.

Now, with one of his lovers taken, Clover can’t find a way back to his former self. Each of the relationships they’d so meticulously built is fractured, and might never be the same.

If their group is to ever be whole again, Clover needs to find the courage he’s lost, but that means facing the monster who scarred him, and truths none of his men want to confront.

*

THEIR PROPERTY is a dark gay harem contemporary romance, book 3 in the “Four Mercenaries” trilogy. The story contains scenes of explicit violence, offensive language, morally ambiguous characters and lots of scorching hot, emotional, explicit scenes.

Reviewed by Dan

TITLE: The Gift

SERIES: Love in O’leary – Book 2

AUTHOR: May Archer

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

LENGTH: 358 Pages

RELEASE DATE:  January 4, 2019

BLURB:

Daniel

I suck at relationships and don’t trust anyone, but there are reasons for that. For one thing, every person I’ve ever cared about has let me down. The only recent exception: O’Leary’s town veterinarian…my new best friend.

I came to O’Leary for a fresh start. To pare things down to essentials. To forget about the failures in my past. The last thing I need is complications, and most definitely

Not. A. Boyfriend.

Julian

I’ve lived in O’Leary my entire life and learned to fly under the radar a long time ago. I do what’s expected, say what’s expected, and keep to myself as much as possible. It’s a hell of a lot simpler spending my time working with animals than trying to interact with actual people. The one unlikely exception: the gorgeous guy who moved to a cabin just outside of town and somehow became my best friend.

But friendships are complicated, and one morning I find myself accidentally telling the whole town the biggest lie of my life. Which is how Daniel Michaelson, my very straight, very hot best friend becomes my fake boyfriend, even though he’s most definitely

Not. My. Lover.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Smolder

SERIES: Ignite #2

AUTHOR: Nora Phoenix

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 230 pages

RELEASE DATE: January 10, 2020

BLURB:

In a world where it’s every man for himself, all they can do is hold on to each other…

A slow burn MMM survival romance. The second book in an exciting trilogy!

Austin, Mack, and Tan have found a safe spot at the deserted farm. They have food and shelter, but what will the cost be of defending their little slice of heaven?

Unexpected visitors keep showing up, and it becomes harder and harder to tell friends from enemies…and the line between right and wrong becomes more and more blurred.

They grow closer and closer, finding comfort with each other, but when disaster strikes and threatens what has blossomed between them, will they find a way through this?

While the world around them burns, all they have are each other.

Smolder is the second book in the suspenseful Ignite series, a slow burn MMM romance set in an alternative world. The romance heats up in this second book, and the men will find their happy ever after in book three.

Reviewed by Anabela.m

TITLE: Whiskey and Moonshine

AUTHOR: Elizabeth Noble

PUBLISHER: Self-published

LENGTH: 265 pages

RELEASE DATE:  January 1, 2020

BLURB:

Drunk on love.

Like a well-aged whiskey, master distiller and old-money entrepreneur Malone Kensington is elegant and refined. Unfortunately he’s also a perfectionist who is more dedicated to the success of his generations-old company than his own love life.

That company needs a public spokesman.

What Colton Hale lacks in sophistication, he more than makes up for with the charisma that’s allowed him to survive on the street from a young age and charm his way into the lucrative—if overwhelming—public position at the Kensington Distillery. When Mal takes Colt under his wing, hoping to polish off his rough edges, opposites attract and a passionate romance blossoms despite the differences in age and background. But can it survive a Kensington Board of Directors who believe Colt is nothing but a gold digger and a kidnapper determined to profit from the love of Mal’s life—dead or alive?

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Mud and Lace

SERIES: Rainbow Place #4

AUTHOR: Jay Northcote

PUBLISHER: Jaybird Press

LENGTH: 226 pages

RELEASE DATE: April 25, 2019

BLURB:

When Wicksy falls for drag queen Charlie, they discover that both sexuality and gender can be fluid.

Simon Wicks—Wicksy to his rugby teammates—has only ever been interested in women. But when he sets eyes on Lady Gogo, a drag queen who performs at Rainbow Place, he can’t stop thinking about her. He knows there’s a guy behind the fishnets and make-up, but he’s ready to explore his fantasies, and Lady Gogo is game for making them come true.

Charlie adores performing in drag. It allows him to indulge in his love of cross-dressing while earning some extra cash. Fooling around with a mostly straight guy in secret seems like a fun diversion, and gives him the chance to explore his feminine side. He feels safe wearing the mask of his confident alter ego, because the real Charlie is hidden from view.

When Wicksy sees more of the guy behind the make-up and glitter, his attraction to Charlie persists, and he realises he’s bisexual. In turn, Charlie begins to understand and accept his gender fluidity. As their mutual journey of self-discovery brings them closer, the secrecy becomes increasingly hard to deal with. If they’re going to have a future together, they both need to find the courage to show people who they really are.

Although this book is part of a linked series, it can be read and enjoyed as a standalone.