Reviewed by Anabela

TITLE: Eating Stars

AUTHOR: Angel Martinez

PUBLISHER: Mischief Corner Books

LENGTH: 121 pages

RELEASE DATE: May 26, 2020

BLURB:

Flee. Scatter. Take your mates and your offspring and run.

A new Science Fiction Romance from Angel Martinez

The escape pods fall to Earth one by one over the course of weeks, a mysterious and diverse alien diaspora, each pod containing a different alien race and leaving the world’s governments scrambling to deal with this unexpected immigration. Serge Kosygin, still grieving and isolated after his husband’s death, watches events with gray disinterest until one day he witnesses a pod crash for himself while driving home. Two of the alien visitors have died, but one survives, badly injured, and Serge is determined that if this alien is also going to die, it won’t be under the harsh lights of a government facility.

Devastated by the loss of his life mates in their desperate effort to reach safety, the knowledge that Een is the last Aalana in this sector of the galaxy only compounds his sorrow. He wakes in an alien dwelling under the care of one of the native dominant builder species, a being who appears to share nothing with Een besides a bipedal structure. Slowly, with the help of his patient and kind host, he discovers they are more similar than he imagined as they share harmonies and his host assists him with language acquisition.

Their tentative first contact soon evolves into a deepening friendship, a balm for two grief-weary souls. They’ll need each other and their growing bond for the troubles lurking just ahead.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Never Let Go

SERIES: The Men of River Gorge #4

AUTHOR: Jacki James

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 137 pages

RELEASE DATE: May 15, 2020

BLURB:

One retired Navy officer used to being in charge.

One younger man who doesn’t want anyone telling him what to do.

Donovan McCall spent twenty years in the Navy, and he’s looking forward to an uneventful retirement where no one answers to him. He’ll raise his rabbits, take care of his chickens, and enjoy the quiet life he’s building on his farm in River Gorge.

He’s planned for everything. Well, everything except a sexy young tattoo artist who steals his heart and challenges him to rethink what he really wants.

Maverick has always liked stronger, older men, but that doesn’t mean he wants someone to order him around. Or does it?

When they both realize what they crave is the exact opposite of what they thought they wanted, Donovan and Maverick will have to work together to figure out how to get what they really want. Each other.

This is an MM romance book is intended for adults age 18 and older. It is age gap and contains a mild Daddy/boy dynamic.

REVIEWED by Jen B.

TITLE: The Devil Inside

AUTHOR: Nicky James

PUBLISHER: Nicky James

LENGTH: 294 Pages

RELEASE DATE: May 26, 2020

BLURB:

Their love was innocent and pure…
Until they were forced to believe differently.
Until they were brutally schooled on the “right” way to love.

Oakland is not gay.
Jameson is not gay.

Being gay is wrong. It is immoral. It is a sickness they must fight. It is the devil inside that needs to be purged.

At least that’s what they’ve been conditioned to believe.

They’ve spent years trudging through the wreckage left behind after eight months in conversion therapy as teenagers.

When their lives collide again fifteen years later, the denial they’ve lived with for years gets harder and harder to fight.

They loved each other once. Can two broken men find a way to love each other again?

**Please heed trigger warnings. Use Look Inside feature before purchasing to view them**

Reviewed by Dan

TITLE: Borderland

AUTHOR: F.E. Feeley Jr & Jamie Fessenden

PUBLISHER: Beaten Track Publishing

LENGTH: 230 Pages

RELEASE DATE:  June 1, 2020

BLURB:

They were young.

In the prime of life and recently married.

And then the diagnosis came.

Cancer.

George and Jason make arrangements to travel back to George’s home state of Vermont so he may pass away in the town where he grew up, but a terrible storm diverts the couple into the gates of an out-of-the-way hotel called Borderland.

Sure, the employees are well dressed and polite. Sure, the food and entertainment are old-time fare. But it’s all a schtick, right?

Or is there something far more sinister at work here?

Welcome to the Borderland Hotel, where you may check in, but you’ll never, ever leave.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Gay With Me

SERIES: WITSEC #3

AUTHOR: Patricia Logan

PUBLISHER: Westburg Publishing

LENGTH: 283 pages

RELEASE DATE: February 20, 2020

BLURB:

ATF special agent Kane Delancey has a new boyfriend. After nearly losing Luca to a monster, he knows how precious life can be. He was repentant when he returned to fall on his sword with Luca but as things have turned out, it was probably the most intelligent thing he’s ever done. If he thought life was full before meeting the handsome young jeweler, he’d been fooling himself. Luca is sweet, kind, and the funniest person Kane has ever met.

Luca never expected to see Kane again but after a season of losses, the two men reconnect to find that they need each other now, more than ever. It seems that Kane no longer has reservations about the two of them and Luca can’t be happier about it. How the straight-acting Fed and the young club kid are going to blend their very different lives is a question they’ll be grappling with in the coming months. Seeing the hopeful look on Luca’s face when they discuss the problem, only helps Kane realize that there is no real choice at all.

With a serial killer targeting young men on a WITSEC hitlist with bombs, Kane and the rest of his team at the LAPD, ATF, and FBI scramble to find the man and arrest him before one more person dies. The fact that Luca was nearly a victim the last time, scares Kane to death. Join Kane, Luca, and a cast of characters as they track down a murderer in the newest installment of the WITSEC series before it’s too late.

Reviewed by Taylin

TITLE: Always You

AUTHOR: Nell Iris

PUBLISHER: JMS Books LLC

RELEASE DATE: May 30, 2020

LENGTH: 40 Pages

BLURB:

Thom Novak feels like a walking cliché: the gay guy desperately in love with his straight best friend, Lee. But he’s willing to keep his feelings hidden, to do whatever it takes, as long as they stay friends forever.

Lee Conway loves sharing an apartment with Thom, his best friend since birth, and would be happy doing it for the rest of his life … no matter his current girlfriend’s opinion on the matter. But he’s never been known for being in contact with his emotions.

When something happens to upset the status quo, Lee pulls away. Has Lee learned how Thom feels about him? Will it mean the end of their friendship? Or is there another reason Lee needs time to think? A more … hopeful reason?

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE: The D- in 403B

AUTHOR: Jess Bryant

PUBLISHER: Blue Lemon Press

LENGTH: 266 pages

RELEASE DATE: June 4, 2020

BLURB:

Sometimes a change of address can change your whole life.

Declan Ward has been called a lot of things in his life. Drug baby, delinquent and dirty little gay boy just to name a few. As a child in foster care, he heard it all and as an adult he knows better than to worry about what other people think of him. But when he gets into a war of words with his neighbor, he earns a new nickname and this time, it’s one he likes, one he decides he should definitely live up to.

After all, the new guy never actually said what it was the D stands for in his letters, but Declan has a few ideas and would be more than happy to show him.

Brett Coburn is a mature, respectable adult. He doesn’t get into arguments and he doesn’t name call like a kid on the playground. It doesn’t matter that the guy in 403B is the best-looking man Brett has ever laid eyes on. He’s a dickhead and Brett has the letters to prove it. That’s why nobody is more surprised than Brett when their thinly veiled threatening letters take a turn for the fun and flirtatious.

Is it possible they have more in common than they realized? Can they overcome the rough start to their friendship and turn it into something more? Or if they let their relationship become about more than just the “D” are they both bound to end up brokenhearted?

REVIEWED by Jay V.

TITLE: Love In Progress

AUTHOR: Logan Grey

SERIES: Heartbelt Records #3

PUBLISHER: Self Published

RELEASE DATE: June 2, 2020

BLURB:

After years of hustling their music and uploading vlogs, Jayce and Blaine have finally landed the record deal of a lifetime.

When the label gets a taste of their chemistry on screen, the album vision is changed from a lyrical tale of two friends to one of a budding romance.

And that’s not all.

Even when the cameras stop rolling, Jayce and Blaine are expected to sell their new story.

The thing is, for Jayce, it’s a little too easy to play the role of ‘boyfriend’ instead of ‘best friend’, until he realizes it’s not pretend at all.

With a life-long friendship and life-changing careers on the line, they’ll have to put their feelings aside and fake it ‘til they make it, or watch their dreams go up in flames.

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE: Conventionally Yours

AUTHOR: Annabeth Albert

SERIES: True Colors #1

PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks Casablanca

LENGTH: 400 pages

RELEASE DATE: June 2, 2020

BLURB:

When two “big name fans” go head-to-head at a convention, love isn’t the only thing at stake.

Charming, charismatic, and effortlessly popular, Conrad Stewart seems to have it all…but in reality, he’s scrambling to keep his life from tumbling out of control.

Brilliant, guarded, and endlessly driven, Alden Roth may as well be the poster boy for perfection…but even he can’t help but feel a little broken inside.

When these mortal enemies are stuck together on a cross-country road trip to the biggest fan convention of their lives, their infamous rivalry takes a backseat as an unexpected connection is forged. Yet each has a reason why they have to win the upcoming Odyssey gaming tournament and neither is willing to let emotion get in the way―even if it means giving up their one chance at something truly magical.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Ravenous

AUTHOR: John Inman

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 262 pages

RELEASE DATE: June 2, 2020

BLURB:

Terrible things are happening in the tiny town of Spangle, California. Creatures never before seen explode from the shadows. Hunter becomes prey. Man becomes food.

After seeing his lover torn apart before his eyes, Terry Jones sets out with his little pug, Bruce, to escape the mayhem. Secluding himself in a mountain cabin, he lies low, expecting death at every moment. So lonely he almost welcomes it.

From the dreadful emptiness of this terrifying new world where every breath might be his last, a stranger appears. And beyond all imagining, love enters the picture yet again.

With someone at last to hold, Terry rediscovers his zest for life–and his fear of death.

Finally, with Jonas James at his side, he finds the courage to fight back.

Reviewed by Anabela.m

TITLE: Stupid Love

SERIES: Stumbling into Love Book 1

AUTHOR: Riley Hart

PUBLISHER: Self published

RELEASE DATE: May 20, 2020

LENGTH: 227 Pages

BLURB:

Elijah

Out of all the apartments in Atlanta, I ended up with the worst neighbor. Shaw Hastings is a headache. He’s so full of himself it makes me crazy. Our official language is snarky banter–which I don’t enjoy, I swear. I’ve got eyes for my bestie Danny, anyway. I need to figure out if he feels the same, so I email an advice column written by a serial dater, who’s just as annoying as Shaw. Now, I’m asking myself why am I thinking less about Danny and having a blast virtually flirting with Anonymous?

Shaw

I don’t know why I like my adorable neighbor, Elijah Coleman. We’ve got nothing in common, yet somehow he’s both boring and kinda fun. He reminds me of this guy who emailed my advice column, so it shouldn’t be surprising that–oops–they’re the same person. Imagine me then offering to help Elijah get Danny in real life just because it means spending time with him. We go from angry neighbors, to frenemies taking dancing lessons together, to a flirtatious friendship where I enjoy making him happy.

No matter how much we fight it, Elijah and I are stumbling toward the L word. It’s messy and scary, but then he smiles, strikes a beautiful dance pose, or kisses me, and suddenly it’s not so bad. He’s ruining me, and I sort of like it. Stupid love. Unfortunately, with my track record of running scared, I just might wreck the only real relationship I’ve ever had.

Stupid Love is a low angst, frenemies to lovers story, with an anonymous advice column, flirty emails, banter and other fun shenanigans. There’s no love triangle or cheating in this book.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Crossroads Showdown

SERIES: Crossroads #3

AUTHOR: Keta Diablo

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 62 pages

RELEASE DATE: November 21, 2011

BLURB:

Tough PI, Frank McGuire, attempts to help the FBI locate three abducted children from a small town in West Virginia. While channeling his inner spirit for assistance, he mistakenly calls forth a ghost. As Frank races against time to locate the missing girls, he receives help from the most unlikely of sources. To complicate matters, Rand has decided its time Frank commit to their relationship—or run the risk of Rand being gone when he returns.