Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE: Fakers

AUTHORS: Lucy Lennox & May Archer

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 311 pages

RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2020

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Brooks Johnson’s Words To Live By:

When returning to Licking Thicket, TN, for the first time in ten years to reunite with your nosy neighbors, heart-broken ex-girlfriend, and matchmaking mama who never quite believed you were gay, it’s best to bring a fake boyfriend as backup…

Just don’t be surprised when your ex-girlfriend does the same.

And when her incredibly hot fake boyfriend becomes the one island of calm in a sea of bovine-based insanity, it’s best to exercise caution… especially when he pushes you up against the rough barn wall to check you very thoroughly for splinters…

Just don’t be surprised if you fall head-over-hooves in love with him.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Raw Justice

SERIES: The Asylum Fight Club #5

AUTHOR: Tibby Armstrong & Bianca Sommerland

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 525 pages

RELEASE DATE: May 21, 2020

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Ambition can be deadly.

The right kind of exposure is all porn star Keiran Stone needs to reach his ultimate goal of opening his own restaurant, until an ill-fated audition ends with a near-deadly confrontation on the doorstep of Anniston Falls, New York’s infamous gay fight club. Rescued by one of the club’s members, Kerian is offered a job as The Asylum’s chef, and taken under the club’s protection.

He finds more than a recipe for success.

Top-tier fighter, Dallas Stephens, enjoys a variety when it comes to play outside the ring. As a switch, he finds satisfaction at both ends of the whip. Commitment never appealed to him with relationships or careers, but Keiran’s sweet temptations whet Dallas’s appetite for more than a one-night-stand. Inside and outside of the sub’s kitchen.

Ordering off the menu can be dangerous.

As Keiran fights to establish his own place within The Asylum, threats to the club’s foundation leave both men caught in the crossfire. Love and loyalty show them they’re exactly where they belong, in the most important battle either will ever face.

Surviving it is another story.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Public Enemy, Undercover Lover

AUTHOR: Amanda Meuweissen

PUBLISHER: JMS Books LLC

LENGTH: 194 pages

RELEASE DATE: May 23, 2020

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Isaac Ford seeks help from the detective who put him in prison — now security consultant, Andrew Wen — after an unexpected prison break weeks before his release. Despite an almost twenty-year age difference and being on opposite ends of the law, the attraction between them culminates in a one-night stand that teeters Isaac between turning himself in and returning to a life of crime. His decision is made for him when he discovers a young man waiting for him at his safe house — the son he never knew existed.

Months later, Isaac has been reconnecting with his son, Dalton, and started a security consultancy of his own, looking for a fresh start. His past catches up to him, however, when he runs into Andrew at the police station, both seeking information on a new thief. Andrew isn’t happy Isaac left that night or that he’s been encroaching on his business, but the passion between them rekindles as trying to one-up each other turns sexual. Neither plan to let anything more come of their tryst until Andrew finds out about Dalton, who he knew in college, and a theft at Dalton’s job forces Isaac and Andrew to work together.

Dalton playing matchmaker complicates things. What’s worse is how easily Isaac and Andrew keep giving in.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Fearing the Dream

SERIES: Everyone’s Mechanic #2

AUTHOR: Ann Marie James

PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing

LENGTH: 177 pages

RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2020

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What happens when a man who is always alone meets a man who never is?

Sergei is the leader within the Russian immigrant community in Raleigh and the head of his family. He is a successful businessman who has carefully cultivated his intimidating persona, not correcting people when they believe him to be the head of the area’s Russian mob. Everyone comes to him if they have a problem. His problem is that he doesn’t know how to tell them no, especially his sister.

Stuart spends a lot of time alone, working from home as a graphic and website designer. He doesn’t want to be alone, but it’s simply how things have worked out. Stuart was devastated when his mother let his stepfather kick him out of the house as soon as he graduated high school. Working two—and sometimes three—jobs to put himself through college didn’t leave him a lot of time to socialize. He has had to look out for himself for a long time now and finds it hard to let anyone in. Becoming friends with Lee Clark at Everyone’s Mechanic is one of the best things that has ever happened to him and it leads to him meeting Sergei.

Sergei has to break through Stuart’s protective shell and give him a home and family. Stuart needs to teach Sergei that it’s okay to have boundaries, even with loved ones.

Reader advisory: This book contains references to homophobia, domestic abuse, sexual teacher/student relationship not involving main characters, familial abandonment and drug use with its potential consequences. It is best read as part of a series.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Blood Evidence

SERIES: Serial Investigations #2

AUTHOR: Rhiannon D’Averc

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 200 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 15, 2019

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A missing person’s case…

… A murder investigation?

Private detectives Ram and Will got their name in the news by catching a high-profile serial killer, and now they’re getting more clients. When they’re hired to find a missing person, all they’re worried about is having to spend a night away from home. They go to check his last known sighting in Kent, staying in a quaint country inn.

Little do they expect that Serial Investigations London are about to get thrust into a new murder investigation – one that happens right under their noses.

A confession seems to solve the case, but is it genuine? With suspicions running high, the duo still have to find time to sniff out the whereabouts of their client – and avoid getting arrested themselves.

With Ram hitting the bottle harder than ever and Will fighting to stay in control, they might be about to lose more than just the case.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Up for Heir

SERIES: Rosavia Royals #1

AUTHOR: Stella Starling

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 316 pages

RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2020

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A playboy heir needs: a man to marry, right now.

After spending half his life dodging his duty to the crown, the rebel heir to the Rosavian throne has been told in no uncertain terms that it’s time to settle down. Prince Leopold has one month and a vetted list of suitable princesses, and he will announce his engagement during Rosavia’s Royal Ball. But Leo’s got his own ideas about what really suits him…

Royal Librarian Edvin Blom is good at not attracting attention. Shy and self-conscious of his stutter, he’s used to being overlooked and more than happy to stay in the background. At least, until the Crown Prince with a wild reputation shows up at the library’s new opening and decides to flirt with Edvin’s sister…

Edvin isn’t at all what Leo thought he wanted, but turns out to be everything he can’t stay away from. Edvin’s been burned by falling for someone out of his league before, though. And believing that Leo has really fallen for him? While Edvin’s drowning in his own doubts and insecurities, that might prove impossible… unless love gives them both a reason to come up for air.

Welcome to the tiny European country of Rosavia, where roses ramble over alpine slopes and princes fall for the men of their dreams. Every Rosavia Royals book happens simultaneously, so books can be read on their own, or in any order… but keep an eye out for familiar faces around the palace!

REVIEWED by Jay V.

TITLE: Rising Magic

AUTHOR: Tara Lain

SERIES: Superordinary Society #2

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 262 pages

RELEASE DATE: March 24, 2020

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Even as a baby mage, Dash Mercury dreamed of going to Arcantaria, the barely whispered about school for superwizards. When he’s invited at eighteen, making him the youngest student in Arcantaria history, Dash is less excited because he has to leave behind the only good friends he’s ever had—Carla, BeBop, Khadija, Fatima, and most of all, the guy he loves, werewolf mage Jazz Vanessen. At Arcantaria, the other students treat Dash like dirt until he manages to join the exclusive Olympus Club… a group with an agenda. A scary one.

No one—not even the students—knows where Arcantaria is located, so Jazz is desperate when he picks up danger vibes from Dash. He and his friends set out to find the school and break in. When they realize what the club is training Dash to do—and the dire consequences if he succeeds—they know the human race is in danger, and they’ll have to step up and save it.

But first they have to save themselves.

Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Royally Screwed

AUTHOR:  Lynn Van Dorn

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  75,000 words

RELEASE DATE:  June 30, 2020

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Take one betrothal gone awry…

Prince Angelo is destined to marry Prince Yuri. Never mind that Angelo isn’t gay and didn’t choose to be saddled with a moony-eyed princeling who is determined to ruin Angelo’s life. Then one day Yuri goes too far and Angelo has to take matters into his own hands.

Add one doomed arranged marriage…

Prince Yuri is destined forever to pine after Prince Angelo. Arranged marriages are archaic and awful enough without being stuck for life with someone you want who will never, ever in a million years want you back. Still, for someone who claims to want nothing to do with Yuri, Angelo is surprisingly possessive.

And you just might get one unexpected romance.

Two men, thrown together by fate and scheming parents, shouldn’t have a prayer of finding a happy ever after. But fate can be fickle, and love can exist where you never thought it could.

Royally Screwed is a 75,000-word M/M novel featuring royalty, a poorly-thought-out betrothal, one prince in need of a firm hand, a second prince who isn’t as straight as he always thought, drunken texting, bickering, practice kissing, odious British nobility, and falling in love despite all the reasons why you shouldn’t.

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  The Making of Jonty Bloom

AUTHOR:  Barbara Elsborg

SERIES:  Unfinished Business #1

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  241 pages

RELEASE DATE:  July 1, 2020

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Finding his fiancé in bed with his brother was bad enough, finding out they’re getting married is the final blow.

Devan Smith needs to cool his anger. He needs to forget the lies and betrayals and work on resetting his life. When his boss orders him to scope out a remote hotel for a possible buyout, Devan’s only interested in getting the job done and getting out. What he’s not interested in is the guy with the piercings, bleached hair, and the smart, kissable mouth behind the reception desk.

Working the hotel reception is the only thing that’s stable in Jonty Bloom’s unstable life. His best friend has had a terrible accident, his ex refuses to move on, and his eight-year-old self is still waiting for his mother to collect him from school. Jonty needs his job. What he doesn’t need is the rude, arrogant, and hot as they come guy who’s rocked up demanding he be let into his room right now.

Thrown together by a freak accident, Devan and Jonty’s lives entwine, and neither wants to loosen the knot. Can the irrepressible Jonty be the reset Devan needs? Can Devan be the making of Jonty Bloom, or will secrets drive them apart?

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Governing Passions

SERIES: Love in a Changing Climate #2

AUTHOR: Chris Cheek

PUBLISHER: 2FM Limited

LENGTH: 512 pages

RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2020

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“How could I trust him not to do the same thing again? Politics were his life; how would he react if all he’d worked for was threatened? The danger was that, confronted with choices over his career and his personal life, he would choose his career.”

Dan Forrester is a rising star of the government, but he has a secret that he keeps well hidden from family, friends and colleagues – he’s gay. He also deeply regrets his callousness towards the one man with whom he could have formed a meaningful relationship.

Luke Carter is now a successful environmental consultant working on a government contract. When the two meet again, it is an encounter that will change both their lives for ever.

Set against the backdrop of Brexit, Governing Passions explores what happens when political and personal lives collide. Can Dan’s career survive? More importantly, when faced with a choice between love and duty, does he want it to?

Often shocking in its exposé of life in the corridors of powers, Governing Passions casts light on a period in recent history that has affected us all. It is also a tender love story that explores the cost that people still pay for being true to their sexuality.

Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  His Horizon

SERIES:  His #1

AUTHOR:  Con Riley

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  319

RELEASE DATE:  June 30, 2020

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A His MM Romance Novel

Temperatures rise when there are two cooks in Jude’s kitchen…

Jude’s drowning in guilt when he can’t save his family business single-handed. The last person he expects to throw a lifeline is Rob, a rival chef who once beat him to first place in a cooking contest.

Two chefs working together won’t be easy. Not when Rob is everything Jude isn’t—popular, extroverted, and a one-time hook-up. What’s worse is that Rob wears his heart on his sleeve while Jude’s still in the closet.

Jude’s dilemma doesn’t end there. Rob’s rescue package comes with conditions that mean sharing everything from the profits to Jude’s sleeping quarters. 

Sleeping with the enemy will either be a disaster or signal a much brighter future, but only if Jude can meet Rob’s final condition and love him in the open.

Featuring opposites who attract, rivals to lovers, and an out-for-you storyline dripping with hurt-comfort feelings, His Horizon is the first in a shared-world series of standalone MM romance novels from Con Riley.

Reviewed by Cheryl

TITLE: Just Like That

SERIES: Albin Academy #1

AUTHOR: Cole McCade

PUBLISHER: Carina Adores

LENGTH: 136 pages

RELEASE DATE:  June 30, 2020

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Summer Hemlock never meant to come back to Omen, Massachusetts…

But with his mother in need of help, Summer has no choice but to return to his hometown, take up a teaching residency at the elite Albin Academy—and work directly under the man who made his teenage years miserable.

Professor Fox Iseya.

Forbidding, aloof, commanding: psychology instructor Iseya is a cipher who’s always fascinated and intimidated shy, anxious Summer. But that fascination turns into something more when the older man challenges Summer to be brave. What starts as a daily game to reward Summer with a kiss for every obstacle overcome turns passionate, and a professional relationship turns quickly personal.

Yet Iseya’s walls of grief may be too high for someone like Summer to climb…until Summer’s infectious warmth shows Fox everything he’s been missing in life.

Now both men must be brave enough to trust each other, to take that leap.

To find the love they’ve always needed…

Just like that.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: More Than Everything

SERIES: Superbia Springs #2

AUTHOR: Rachel Kane

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 309 pages

RELEASE DATE: May 27, 2020

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Some things even a billionaire can’t buy.

Dalton Raines always gets what he wants, and the first time he steps into Superbia Springs, he knows he wants to buy it. There’s only one thing standing in his way: Noah.

For the first time in his life, Noah Turnstock felt safe, living with his friends in the old mansion they’d inherited. Finally he’s in a place no one can take away from him.

Until the house catches Dalton’s eye.

Dalton knows the way to get Noah on his side. He knows how to wine and dine a man like this, to get him so wrapped up he’ll agree to anything. Except…he’s never run into anyone like Noah before.

It was supposed to be seduction. Then it turned into something more.

When a visitor from Noah’s past shows up, he realizes he will never be accepted into Dalton’s life. And when Dalton’s family meets Noah, their reaction could lose Dalton everything.

They can’t have each other. They’re from different worlds. But their hearts say otherwise. Their hearts say they can have everything they want.

Reviewed by Cheryl

TITLE: Everybody Burns

SERIES: The Enhanced World #6

AUTHOR: Victoria Sue

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

LENGTH: 291 pages

RELEASE DATE:  June 16, 2020

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Eli was only seven years old when he had been given to monsters.

Sixteen years later he finally gets the chance for revenge, and with his enhanced abilities changing, nothing and no one is gonna stop him, especially a new partner that seems to see right through the black holes in his soul.

Agent Daniel Connelly left Washington trying to keep his sanity, but the images of the innocent victims are still haunting him and knows the horror in Eli’s eyes is exactly what he is trying to forget.

Everybody Burns is a story about two men falling in love. Except, one doesn’t think he is capable of it.

And the other doesn’t think he deserves it.