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 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 Jen B.

TITLE: Surviving the Merge

SERIES: Chadwick #1

AUTHOR: C.P. Harris

PUBLISHER: C.P. Harris

LENGTH: 322 Pages

RELEASE DATE: May 26, 2020

BLURB:

My name is Justin, and when I was seventeen, I fell in love with a boy named Damon.

Damon was sick, only I didn’t know it at the time. And like any disease left untreated, it festered and burrowed into the unaffected areas of us, until we were both so far from healthy, we were killing one another. Then a tragedy sparked our implosion.

With nothing of us remaining to salvage, I was left to pick up the pieces, while Damon found his escape in the abyss. Leaving me alone with Blake.

Damon and Blake are two halves of a whole. But Damon is the coldest part of darkness, and Blake the warmest part of light. Which form of ecstasy would you choose?

I love Blake with a ferocious intensity akin to the peeling back of skin. But Blake isn’t Damon. And Damon was gone—until now.

What once threatened to tear us apart has become our catharsis.

Outnumbered in the relationship with the man who was my life, I’ve begun to learn more about love than I ever thought possible.

**An M/M romance and book one in the Chadwick trilogy.
Can be read as a standalone, but reading in order is recommended as the characters make appearances in all three books. Surviving the Merge contains explicit sex and graphic language.

Author’s note: For those that appreciate warnings, please use the Amazon “look inside” feature to find them within the first several pages.

Reviewed by Donna

TITLE: The Second and His Bonded

SERIES: Kincaid Pack #2

AUTHOR: Kiki Clark

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 85 000 Words

RELEASE DATE: June 8, 2020

BLURB:

As the son of an enemy, Kieran never expected to find a family with the Kincaid Pack… or a true mate’s bond.

After barely escaping his abusive family, wolf shifter Kieran McAllister struggles to find his place in the Kincaid Pack. Especially with the pushy but gorgeous second-in-command showing up every time Kieran turns around… and making him want things he shouldn’t.

The traumatized wolf who continuously refuses Bennett Young’s help has begun to haunt his dreams. But if there’s one thing he knows, it’s that tiger shifters don’t have mates. So why can’t Bennett get Kieran’s sad eyes out of his head?

Despite their differences, Kieran and Bennet find something they never expected in each other. Just as their bond begins to grow though, Kieran’s past threatens to destroy the very pack they both have been fighting to protect.

REVIEWED by Jay V.

TITLE: Just My Luck

AUTHOR: Alice Winters

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 342 pages

RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2020

BLURB:

When I’m tossed into the trunk of a car, I realize that what little luck I have has finally run out—especially when I find that Tony, the man who’d abducted me, is planning on using me to get back at my father. My chances for escape look pretty bleak when I’m handcuffed to Tony’s bodyguard, an intimidating man named Shepherd who apparently loves tight shirts and seems to be amused by making my life miserable. Soon, though, I learn that Shepherd has a heart and a brain. And sometimes, those two things can be a bigger weapon than anything in a time like this. I just have to learn how to wield them.

After Shepherd gets me away from Tony’s men, I discover that he’s a survivor, a fighter, and the only person who seems willing to help me when it feels like the whole world is against me. At first, I’m not sure if I can trust the man, but the more we get to know each other, the more I realize that he’s funny and kind of sweet. He’s determined to protect me, but he doesn’t know all of my secrets. He doesn’t know that Tony isn’t the only one looking for me. But together, as we face betrayal and taking down the worst monster of all, we’re determined that we will be the lucky ones after all.

Reviewed by Donna

TITLE: A Sweet Man

SERIES: The Men of Halfway House #7

AUTHOR: Jaime Reese

PUBLISHER: Romandeavor, Inc

LENGTH: 361 Pages

RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2020

BLURB:

Gabriel “Bull” del Toro loves his fast-paced globe-trotting job, but aches for an honest relationship and the trust that comes with it. After a few too many heartbreaks, he’s nearly given up hope of finding that special someone.
Until Ben.
Born deaf, Ben is used to working twice as hard for what he wants, but risking a newfound friendship on an impossible dream is scary. After all, there’s one lesson he’s learned: everything is temporary—freedom, friends, even family.
Neither man expects the undeniable spark between them or for every moment together to fuel that connection. For the first time, a happily ever after is within reach, but they must trust that the dream of acceptance, family, and a place to call home is more than a sweet fantasy.
It can be forever.

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE: Pieces of Me

AUTHOR: N.R. Walker

SERIES: Missing Pieces #2

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 196 pages

RELEASE DATE: June 26, 2020

BLURB:

Justin’s recovery is slow, but any step forward is a win in Dallas’ eyes. Having always been a source of strength for Justin, even before the accident, Dallas is trying to find his feet again as he struggles to get some normalcy back in their lives.

But now, with added financial pressures and Justin’s ongoing medical needs, Dallas isn’t sure how much longer he can be the strong one.

As missing pieces of Justin’s memory return, Justin realizes the physical side of their relationship is another piece of the puzzle he desperately wants to put back together. And as he gets to know Dallas all over again, he realizes what his mind can’t remember, his heart can’t forget.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: When I First Saw Red

SERIES: Soldiers and Mercenaries #2

AUTHOR: Kasia Bacon

PUBLISHER: The Order Universe

LENGTH: 212 pages

RELEASE DATE: June 5, 2020

BLURB:

RED:

Lázhien’s human. A common Imperial soldier. And my soulmate.

How could fate get it so wrong?

The demon in me craves this bond with every shred of his being. He pushes me to accept it. This time I won’t yield to his demands.

LÁZHIEN:

Red’s a lust demon, a whore and a stuck-up snob.

The most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. Pain in the arse. And he hates my guts.

I’d be an idiot to pursue him. Yet something about him compels me to make him mine.

When I First Saw Red is a complete and standalone short novel with an HEA ending, featuring a couple of reluctant fated soulmates—a demon and a human—trying and failing to defy destiny.

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE: Fakers

AUTHORS: Lucy Lennox & May Archer

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 311 pages

RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2020

BLURB:

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 Sadonna

TITLE:  Royally Screwed

AUTHOR:  Lynn Van Dorn

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  75,000 words

RELEASE DATE:  June 30, 2020

BLURB:

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.