Reviewed by Donna

TITLE: Tracefinder: Choices

SERIES: Tracefinder #3

AUTHOR: Kaje Harper

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 429 Pages

RELEASE DATE: July 30, 2020

BLURB:

An ex-cop and a psychic on the mend find their safe haven threatened by vandalism, arson, and the shadow of their dangerous past.
After overusing his Talent till he almost died, Brian wants nothing more than a quiet job on the farm, with Nick to come home to. He’s trying to start a new life, despite bad dreams he can’t shake, vandalism close to home, and his sister’s problematic baby on the way.
Nick gave up the police force and moved to North Carolina to be with Brian, and he doesn’t regret it. But he’s at loose ends, with no real work, the lurking specter of Brian’s brother Damon hanging around, and a worry in the pit of his stomach that Damon’s old enemies might still be after Brian. Nick’s keeping his eyes open and his gun loaded.

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  Just Friends

AUTHOR:  Saxon James

SERIES:  Never Just Friends #1

PUBLISHER:  May Books

LENGTH:  259 pages

RELEASE DATE:  August 27, 2020

BLURB:

Roo

Five years ago, I walked away from Sunbury, Oregon, and left my best friend behind. The move was supposed to get my life on track. I even had a list.
Life changing epilepsy surgery. Check.
See the world. Check
Get over my straight best friend … Not exactly.
No matter where I go or who I meet, I can’t let Tanner go. I’m back to tell him how I feel. To get the closure I need once and for all. Only now I’m here and falling for him all over again, it’s getting harder to say the words.
Because once I have my closure, I’ll be gone. And this time it will be for good.

Tanner

When my best friend, Roo, left for Australia, it was the worst day of my life. I thought we’d have each other always. But Roo needed the surgery so I let him go, thinking he’d come straight back.
Five years is a long time.
Now he’s here, all I want is to hold on tight. I need to show him what he means to me. The problem is, I’m not exactly sure what that is. My draw to him has always been confusing and different—everyone in town says so. But I struggle to understand it. All I know is I won’t survive him leaving again. And I’ll do anything to make him stay.

Just Friends is a best friends-to-lovers romance with an oblivious MC, only one bed, and terrible kangaroo jokes.

Reviewed by Anabela

TITLE: The Captain and the Baker

SERIES: The Captivating Captains #7

AUTHOR: Catherine Curzon & Eleanor Harkstead

PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing

RELEASE DATE: August 25, 2020

LENGTH: 179 pages

BLURB:

When a hot-tempered TV chef and a mild-mannered baker meet on the rugged Cornish coast, they’ve got the perfect ingredients for a red-hot snack.

Sweary and stressed celebrity chef Jake Brantham is the captain of several floating restaurants. When he’s sent to the idyllic village of Porthavel to turn a pirate ship into the next gastronomic sensation, it’s the last place on earth he wants to be.

Locryn Trevorrow is the bakery king of Cornwall. From the humble pasty to a wedding cake fit for a mermaid queen, there’s nothing he doesn’t know about the art of baking. He lives in a cosy world of gingham and ganache, but at night he goes home to his smugglers’ cottage alone.

When he’s adopted by a lost kitten, Jake soon discovers that there’s more to Portavel than cream teas, lobster pots, and the annoyingly fastidious Locryn. As the village prepares for the wedding of its favourite young couple, Jake and Locryn find themselves as unlikely matchmakers for two locals who’d given up on love.

Torn between the call of Hollywood and the kisses of Locryn, will Jake choose a mansion in Beverly Hills or a cottage on the Cornish coast?

Reviewed by Anna Lynn

TITLE:  Wood

SERIES:  A True Lover’s Story #2

AUTHOR:  A.E. Via

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

RELEASE DATE:  August 8, 2020

LENGTH:  362 pages

BLURB:

This isn’t a romance about billionaires, movie stars, or models. This is a story of two ordinary, working-class men, dealing with life’s real problems, and trying to find love along the way.

It’s been a long seventeen years but Herschel Wood Jr. is finally a free man and he’s looking forward to reconnecting with his old cellmate, Bishop Stockley, who promised him a place to stay and some help getting back on his feet. Wood had a good life once upon time when he’d owned one of the most successful tattoo shops on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront – until a fatal accident that was his fault cost him everything.

Now at forty-six years old, all Wood wants is to work in another shop on the beach and find a mature, easygoing man to settle down with. But when he gets to his new place and finds he has to share the small trailer with Bishop’s childhood friend, he wasn’t expecting a sexy, smart-mouthed brat that enjoys pushing a man to his limits.

Wood pressed in so tight until there was only air and misunderstanding between them, his mouth mere inches from Trent’s parted lips. “You wanted to get a reaction out of me you annoying, immature little shit… now you’ve got one.”

Trent Armstrong has never been considered a catch. He’s a twenty-nine year old laborer, an ex-con, and not the easiest person to get along with. Everyone he’s ever cared for has walked out of his life without a backward glance, so he’s used to the loneliness. His foul mouth and quick temper are a great defense mechanism and a good way to keep unwanted people away.

From the moment the tattooed, silver-haired man walked into the house there had been nothing but tension, side-eyeing, and sparks between them. Trent has always held back a side of himself that he’s nervous to explore, and without warning Wood’s voice, his maturity, that maddening scent, and even his damaged past all trigger feelings that Trent thought he’d buried long ago.

Trent went completely still when Wood dragged his nose over his forehead and down the side of his face. His voice was shaky, and his breaths were hot and swift along Wood’s throat. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I’m doing what you want me to do.” Wood whispered. “I’m playing your bullshit game, Trent.”

Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  The Sugared Game 

SERIES:  Will Darling Adventures

AUTHOR:  K.J. Charles

PUBLISHER:  KJC Books

LENGTH:  241 pages

RELEASE DATE:  August 26, 2020

BLURB:

It’s been two months since Will Darling saw Kim Secretan, and he doesn’t expect to see him again. What do a rough and ready soldier-turned-bookseller and a disgraced shady aristocrat have to do with each other anyway?

But when Will encounters a face from the past in a disreputable nightclub, Kim turns up, as shifty, unreliable, and irresistible as ever. And before Will knows it, he’s been dragged back into Kim’s shadowy world of secrets, criminal conspiracies, and underhand dealings.

This time, though, things are underhanded even by Kim standards. This time, the danger is too close to home. And if Will and Kim can’t find common ground against unseen enemies, they risk losing everything.

A 1920s m/m romance trilogy in the spirit of Golden Age pulp fiction.

Reviewed by Danielle

TITLE: Confused Hearts

SERIES: A Hometown Jasper Novel #2

AUTHOR: Nicky James

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 253 Pages

RELEASE DATE: August 6, 2020

BLURB:

Knox

Let me get one thing straight.
I am not in love with my best friend.
My heart isn’t broken, and there is no he who’s going to swoop in and magically make it all better. Whatever that crazy psychic says, it’s not true!
I’m Knox MacKenzie, and I’m straight as an arrow. I like girls—even though they don’t always like me back.
If my heart beats a little faster and my tummy gets a bit wobbly when the local bartender sets his fascinating eyes on me, it’s no one’s business but my own.

Lucky

Unrequited love might suck, but it brought the loneliest man in small-town Jasper to my brewery. Knox has no idea how transparent he is—even when the batty old psychic tells him the truth to his face.
But Knox is convinced he’s straight.
He’s convinced she’s confused.
Well, I’m convinced those looks we share mean more.
What Knox needs is a friend to help him forget his broken heart and figure out who he truly is.

A low-angst, bisexual awakening, MM romance novel.

Reviewed by Anna Lynn

TITLE: Off-Balance

SERIES: Peachtree #1

AUTHOR: Brigham Vaughn

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

RELEASE DATE: August 3, 2020

LENGTH: 391 pages

BLURB:

Love doesn’t always add up.

Russell Bishop is a rising star at Vantage Marketing, but when he slips on a coffee spill, he never expects to land in the lap of luxury—and the chief financial officer’s bed.

Russ has worked hard to get where he is and doesn’t need Stephen Parker to take care of him. But as they wrestle to balance love and finances, the tables are turned when Stephen’s father dies.

It’s Russ’s turn to take care of Stephen, opening his eyes to the true depth of his feelings—and what he can bring to the relationship. If Russ can find the strength, he can be Stephen’s support, his heart, and his hope for the future.

Reviewed by Valerie and Sadonna

TITLE:  Better Than People

AUTHOR:  Roan Parrish

PUBLISHER:  Carina Adores

LENGTH:  336 pages

RELEASE DATE:  August 25, 2020

BLURB:

It’s not long before their pet-centric arrangement sparks a person-centric desire…

Simon Burke has always preferred animals to people. When the countdown to adopting his own dog is unexpectedly put on hold, Simon turns to the PetShare app to find the fluffy TLC he’s been missing. Meeting a grumpy children’s book illustrator who needs a dog walker isn’t easy for the man whose persistent anxiety has colored his whole life, but Jack Matheson’s menagerie is just what Simon needs.

Four dogs, three cats and counting. Jack’s pack of rescue pets is the only company he needs. But when a bad fall leaves him with a broken leg, Jack is forced to admit he needs help. That the help comes in the form of the most beautiful man he’s ever seen is a complicated, glorious surprise.

Being with Jack—talking, walking, making out—is a game changer for Simon. And Simon’s company certainly…eases the pain of recovery for Jack. But making a real relationship work once Jack’s cast comes off will mean compromise, understanding and lots of love.

Reviewed by Jess

TITLE: Your Pleasure

AUTHOR: L.J. Hamlin

PUBLISHER: JMS Books

LENGTH: 2,401 words

RELEASE DATE:  October 2, 2019

BLURB:

Poppy has had a crush on her friend and neighbour for ages. Who wouldn’t? But afraid to make her feelings known, Poppy would rather keep her dreams to herself than sacrifice the friendship.

Vivacious Jamie can get any girl she wants. She is gorgeous, sexy, outgoing, and confident, but she has one major disadvantage — a severe illness. Often ridden by pain, Jamie fears she’ll be a burden in any relationship.

When Poppy unexpectantly walks in on Jamie, checking up on her, she is overwhelmed by what she finds. Will the two women confess their mutual attraction? In which direction will the sparks fly?