Reviewed by Anna Lynn

TITLE:  Try Me

SERIES:  Extracurricular Activities #2

AUTHOR:  Neve Wilder

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

RELEASE DATE:  August 5, 2020

LENGTH:  347 pages

BLURB:

Two rivals. One law internship. A whole lot of objectionable activity.

It wasn’t always this way between us.
We were best friends growing up.
Competitive? Yeah.
Ruthless? Definitely.
Neither of us liked to lose.

But the intense chemistry?
That’s new.
The hatred in his eyes?
That’s new, too.

I should let it go.
There’s too much bad blood between our families. Between us.
But I can’t.
I don’t think he can, either.

Now we’re gunning for the same internship.
If he thinks I’ll back down, he’s dead wrong.

Once upon a time, I lost everything.
I won’t let it happen again.

Go ahead. Try me.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Fisher’s

SERIES: Takoda Outreach Center #2

AUTHOR: Sammi Cee

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 136 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 11, 2020

BLURB:

A MM Contemporary Romance

Fisher knows what it’s like to be hungry. He’s dedicated his life to feeding those in need, and now that he’s offered sanctuary to two homeless teenage boys, that mission has never felt more personal.

Officer Marcus LeBleu is the newest volunteer at Takoda Outreach Center. He lives for upholding the law, and giving back to the community he serves, but he’s also found something he wants for himself—the handsome, yet cranky, Fisher.

Fisher is determined to protect the boys which means keeping their secret.

Marcus is determined to break down his walls so he can help him.

Will the truth be more than their new relationship can weather or can they find a way to save the boys without either man compromising his beliefs?

Takoda Outreach Center: When you’re holding hope in the palm of your hand… Deliciously sweet stories of finding your happily ever after where you least expected it.

*** Trigger warning: References to off-page past sexual abuse of a minor.

Reviewed by Anna Lynn

TITLE:  Screwed

SERIES:  Four Bears Construction #4

AUTHOR: K.M. Neuhold

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

RELEASE DATE:  September 2, 2020

LENGTH:  205 pages

BLURB:

I’ve had my fair share of less than proud relationship moments, but waking up married to my brother-in-law’s best friend is a new low.

A drunken wedding to a man who already rejected me once? Check. A hefty bet about how long it will last? Check. My feisty new husband, determined to make our friends pay up? Double check.

I’ve never managed to make a real relationship last nearly a year, there’s no way Daniel will stick around long enough to win this bet. The only problem is the longer he stays, the more the lines blur between what’s real and what’s for show. Does he feel it too or am I totally screwed?

REVIEWED by Jay V.

TITLE: The Hitman’s Guide to Tying the Knot Without Getting Shot

AUTHOR: Alice Winters

SERIES: The Hitman’s Guide #3

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 346 pages

RELEASE DATE: September 15, 2020

BLURB:

Leland

Is a nice little wedding with Blow-up Randy and Jackson My Love too much to ask for? Clearly, because someone’s trying to kill one of us… again. Generally, this would be my thing and I would jump right in singing my murder song, but they want Jackson dead and I will do anything (and I mean anything) to keep him alive—including and not limited to: ten Dobermans, bulletproof glass, and dragging Cassel in with the promise of more Jerebear. These people have no idea what they’ve done targeting the man I love because I’m coming after them. But when it feels like everything might be lost, I start to understand that I have a family now who will stand by my side and do everything they can to make sure we end this on our terms.

Jackson

When someone attacks me, it’s clear they want something from me. The issue is that I have no idea who they are or what they’re after. And if I don’t figure it out soon, I’m afraid Leland is going to smother me with his overprotectiveness (or put me in a bubble at the top of a tower). The issue is that time is ticking and with the price tag on my head, there’s no telling who is coming for me or when. Together, Leland and I have to decipher who is telling the truth in this game of life or death because I have plans to marry the man of my dreams and no one is going to stop me—especially with Leland by my side.

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  Love Me Whole

AUTHOR:  Nicky James

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH:  378 pages

RELEASE DATE:  January 12, 2018

BLURB:

One man, six identities. Can anyone love him whole?

Twenty-eight-year-old Oryn Patterson isn’t like other people. Being an extremely shy, social introvert is only part of the problem. Oryn has dissociative identity disorder. He may look like a normal man on the outside, but spend five minutes with him, and his daily struggles begin to show.

Oryn shares his life and headspace with five distinctively different alters. Reed, a protective, very straight jock. Cohen, a flamboyantly gay nineteen-year-old who is a social butterfly. Cove, a self-destructive terror, whose past haunts him. Theo, an asexual man of little emotion, whose focus is on maintaining order. And Rain, a five-year-old child whose only concern is Batman.

Vaughn Sinclair is stuck in a rut. When his job doesn’t offer the same thrill it once did, he decides it’s time to mix-up his stagnant, boring routine. Little does he know, the man he meets during an impromptu decision to return to college is anything but ordinary.

Vaughn’s heart defies logic, and he finds himself falling in love with this strange new man. But how can you love someone who isn’t always themself? It may not be easy, but Vaughn is determined to try.

Reviewed by Cheryl

TITLE: To Die For

SERIES: Joker’s Sin #2

AUTHOR: Davidson King

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 224 pages

RELEASE DATE:  July 22 2020

BLURB:

Managing the bar at Joker’s Sin, a gay nightclub, is Max’s dream job. Where many seek fame or fortune, he’s living his best life, surrounded by family and friends. The only thing he doesn’t have is the guy to complete him.

Lane, AKA Sparkles, sees too much of the person he used to be when he looks at Max, and none of it is good. But the stubborn man won’t let up, and when Sparkles’s past threatens to unravel his whole life, it’s Max who steps in to save him.

Can these two opposites push past their differences to see just how right they are for each other? Will they get a chance before it all falls down around them? Or is their love one to die for?

(While it is book 2 in the Joker’s Sin Series, it can be read as a standalone)

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Press

SERIES: White House Men #1

AUTHOR: Nora Phoenix

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 365 pages

RELEASE DATE: September 21, 2020

BLURB:

Henley is off-limits for Levar. So why can’t he stay away?

Five years ago, Levar survived a terrorist attack. The bombing left its scars, but he’s picked up his life. He loves working for the vice president—who is openly bisexual—as his press secretary.

Levar can’t afford a pesky attraction that proves to be frustratingly stubborn. Worse, those highly combustible sparks are with the very last person he should be falling for: Henley Platt, a well-known reporter covering the White House.

Henley may not be Levar’s enemy, but he’s definitely not his friend. He can’t be, not when their jobs put them on opposite sides. Henley is absolutely off-limits, even when he shows his appreciation for the sexy lingerie Levar loves to wear.

When the terrorists strike again with a devastating blow to the White House, Levar and Henley lean on each other for support. The sparks become a raging fire that won’t be doused, but what happens if they’re found out?

Press is the first book in the White House Men series, a romantic suspense gay romance series set in the White House. Think The West Wing but gay, and with less politics. Each book has a new love story with a happily ever after, but the suspense plot will continue throughout the books, so the series needs to be read in order. Press has 100k words. TW for terrorism and violence.

Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Short Stack

AUTHOR:  Lily Morton

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  330 pages

RELEASE DATE:  October 2, 2020

BLURB:

What happens after the happy ending?

Drawn together for the first time, this is a collection of Lily’s short stories about the much-loved men from her Mixed Messages and Finding Home series. Follow them through awkward marriage proposals, birthdays, a fraught babysitting job, and a very drunken Eurovision Song Contest party.

It includes stories previously written for her website and readers’ group, along with deleted scenes and four brand new and exclusive short stories – Bad Valentine, Marrying Jude, Babysitting Billy, and House Hunting.

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE: Off Balance

AUTHOR: Jay Hogan

SERIES: Painted Bay #1

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 396 pages

RELEASE DATE: September 29, 2020

BLURB:

When Judah Madden flees his tiny suffocating home-town in New Zealand, for the dream of international ballet stardom, he never intends coming back. Not to Painted Bay. Not to his family’s struggling mussel farm. Not to his jerk of a brother. Not with his entire life plan in shreds. And certainly not into the tempting arms of Morgan Wipene, the older, ruggedly handsome fisheries officer who seems determined to screw with Judah’s intention to wallow in peace.

But dreams are fickle things. Shatter them and it’s hard to pick up the pieces. Hard to believe. Hard to start again.

But the hardest thing of all? Finding the courage to trust in love and build a new dream where you least expected it.