Reviewed by True

TITLE: Heathcliff and the Sexy Whippet

AUTHOR: A.M. Fox

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

LENGTH: 60 pages

RELEASE DATE: December 4, 2020

BLURB:

A Christmas feel-good tale of snowy, cobbled streets, unfulfilled desires and the sexiest whippet in Yorkshire!
When bubbly Sean Miles applies for a job with a film company, little does he realise what he’s getting into. As an experienced dog groomer, he’s great with fur and claws and loves a poochie cuddle, but has never offered human treatments. Until now.
Heath Mailer is playing the character of Heathcliff. Dark, brooding and intense, the lead actor can scowl aplenty but when he’s in trouble he doesn’t know how to ask for help. Who’s going to offer a hand to Mister Moody?
Forced to work together, Sean and Heath discover some unusual techniques that not only aid the production but also get to the heart of what ails the lead actor. Whoever said dog therapy can’t work on people?

Reviewed by Anna Lynn

TITLE:  Finding Forgiveness

SERIES:  Finding Series #4

AUTHOR:  Sloane Kennedy

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

RELEASE DATE:  January 24, 2016

LENGTH:  228 pages

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He was only there for a business deal…
A couple of days…that was all it was supposed to take for property developer Roman Blackwell to decide if the strip of land just south of Dare, Montana would be the perfect spot for his next luxury resort. He wasn’t interested in repairing his frayed relationship with his half-brother who’d moved to the small town a few months earlier and he definitely wasn’t interested in doing anything more than scratching an itch when he checked out the gay club near his hotel. But when his plans for a quick hook-up are waylaid after he steps in to save a young man being brutalized, Roman finds himself building an emotional connection he never saw coming.

One bad decision changed everything…
College student Hunter Greene has spent 18 months trying to forget the one night he gave in to temptation and made a decision to hide one lie by telling another. But the guilt of knowing he shattered another young man’s life to protect his own secret shame is slowly destroying him and he knows that soon even his spiral into a dangerous pattern of self-destructive behavior won’t be enough to keep his entire world from imploding. But the last thing he’s looking for is someone to save him.

But fate works in mysterious ways…
Forced to return to the town he grew up in, the last person Hunter expects to run into is the mysterious savior who changed everything with one soul shattering kiss. While he can’t deny his attraction to Roman, Hunter knows that he’ll never be free to act on it and once Roman discovers the terrible secret he’s hiding, it won’t matter anyway.

Because some things just can’t be forgiven…

REVIEWED by Jen B.

TITLE: Ira

SERIES: Vendetta #4

AUTHOR: Leigh Kenzie

PUBLISHER: Leigh Kenzie

LENGTH: 182 Pages

RELEASE DATE: December 3, 2020

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Allesandro
My fury consumes me. Nobody is safe from it. I will bring my Emilio home. I will rebuild my empire. I’ll demolish anyone standing in my way.

Emilio
He thinks he has me beat. He thinks he’s in control. If there’s one thing Master taught me, I make my own destiny. I’ll claw my own way out and when I do they’d better prepare. Nobody has ever seen the likes of me.

What happens when vengeance and fury twist together?

Trigger warnings: Contains graphic violence, extreme sexual situations, and homophobic scenes. Please see inside for more warnings.

This is a continuous series. The first three books must be read prior to this one.

Reviewed by True

TITLE: Loverman

SERIES: Sydney Stories #1

AUTHOR: B.D. Roca

PUBLISHER: Self-published

RELEASE DATE: November 12, 2020

LENGTH: 271 pages

BLURB:

Once, they were enemies. Maybe they still are. But now that they’re lovers, the stakes are life and death.

For Kemp Lansey, his one-time stepbrother, Charles Durant, should be off limits.

He walked out of Charles’ life eight years ago. Kemp had secrets to keep—terrible secrets that weren’t his own to spill—secrets that put Charles off limits. Secrets that if Charles knew, could be weaponised to wreck the life of someone Kemp loves.

But Charles has pushed back into Kemp’s life, into his bed. This time Kemp can’t fight their red-hot chemistry.

Kemp tells himself it’s just convenience—for both of them. Kemp’s the high-profile lead singer in a band, but Charles isn’t interested in Kemp’s reflected fame and glory. And Charles, heir to a massive fortune, knows that Kemp isn’t in it for his millions. What binds them together are the dark, unbreakable bonds formed years back, when they were living in the luxurious Durant beachfront compound. The place where it all began. The place where it should have ended.

Keeping it just physical should be simple. Easy. But what happens when the ghosts of the past start crowding in? What happens when a series of bloody, violent break-ins makes it clear Kemp’s not the only one with something to hide?

Because Charles has dangerous secrets of his own.

Secrets that will either send Kemp away, or bind them together, forever. Because, maybe, it’s more than just sex.

Can either of them risk it all to find out?

Reviewed by Valerie and Larissa

TITLE:  Merry Measure

AUTHOR:  Lily Moton

PUBLISHER:  Self-Pubished

LENGTH:  204 pages

RELEASE DATE:  December 2, 2020

BLURB:

Arlo Wright’s introduction to his sexuality came when he saw his older brother’s best friend, Jack Cooper, in his sweaty football kit. Unfortunately, he didn’t have long to enjoy the revelation because he promptly knocked himself out on a table.

Relations between them have never really moved on from that auspicious beginning. Arlo is still clumsy, and Jack is still as handsome and unobtainable as ever.

However, things look like they’re starting to change when Arlo finds himself sharing a room with Jack while on holiday in Amsterdam at Christmas. Will the festive spirit finally move them towards each other, or is Arlo just banging his head against a wall this time?

Reviewed by Donna

TITLE: Casual Magic

AUTHOR: Dan Ackerman

PUBLISHER: Supposed Crimes

LENGTH: 195 Pages

RELEASE DATE: December 1, 2020

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Wesley “West” Archer made a deal with the Devil for a failed high school crush. Now he answers questions for demons–a seedy job his family can never know about.
Kit is the seediest, sexiest demon who has ever come to West for help, smelling of cigarettes, covered in tattoos, with ripped jeans and tousled hair. Despite every instinct telling him to get Kit out of his life, West agrees to help the other man look into the murder of which he’s been falsely accused. He also agrees to a date or two along the way.
Helping Kit makes West reevaluate his prejudices and whether or not he should come clean to his family about the company he’s kept. Maybe a deal with the Devil doesn’t have to ruin his life.

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  His Assistant

AUTHOR:  Alexa Land

SERIES:  His Chance #3

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH:  213 pages

RELEASE DATE:  November 28, 2020

BLURB:

I knew going to work for movie star and party boy Harper Royce was a mistake.

It was a bigger mistake to sleep with him, but here we are.

At least this situation is temporary. I’m on the verge of a major breakthrough with my musical career, and then my days of working as a personal assistant are over. As long as I don’t fall for Harper, this should all work out just fine.

If only he wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous, but I can resist a pretty face. When he starts showing me his vulnerable side, though? Well, now I’m in trouble.

This light-hearted, opposites attract gay romance features a spoiled Hollywood A-lister, his long-suffering assistant, and a loopy chicken. It’s set in the world of Alexa Land’s Firsts and Forever and His Chance Series, but it absolutely can be read as a stand-alone.

Reviewed by Cindy

TITLE: Bound

SERIES: Chinatown Demons Book 1

AUTHOR: Rhys Ford

PUBLISHER: Rogue Firebird Press

LENGTH: 105 Pages

RELEASE DATE: November 30, 2020

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Chinatown, San Francisco.

A different place — another time— and where the city’s streets keep secrets, shadowy mysteries SFPD Inspector Spencer Ricci needs to dig through after he finds himself on a case involving a dismembered, mummified man in a restaurant’s locked storage room.

Spencer drags around a lot of baggage, including an ongoing battle with the bottle and a long career as an LAPD detective he’d set fire to in a blaze of booze-soaked mistakes. San Francisco is supposed to be a new start but his old ghosts haunt him, beckoning him back into his self-destructive bad habits. Bad habits that include contemplating doing dirty things with the wrong kind of guy and this time, it’s a sleek, cold-tempered medical examiner named Xian Carter with a complicated reputation.

For a century-old demon, Xian Carter is content with his secretive life. Hiding his nature from the mundane world, he blends in with the city’s inhabitants as best he can but even the best of predators make mistakes. Delving into the mysteries of the dead provide a welcome distraction from endless nights and hiding in plain sight amuses him, until something supernaturally wicked comes knocking on his door with an extremely hot, broody Inspector close behind.

Murder makes for strange bedfellows and this one is no exception. The twists and turns of the case leaves Xian and Spencer on a wild goose chase after clues but Xian can only hope there’s a human at the end of the trail—because the last thing San Francisco needs is another predator.

Reviewed by Anna Lynn

TITLE:  The Hookup and the Hedonist

SERIES:  The Hedonist Series #8

AUTHOR:  Rebecca James

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

RELEASE DATE:  November 13, 2020

LENGTH:  296 pages

BLURB:

Can I even be called a biker when I can’t ride anymore?

Four years ago, Adam Gamble suffered a head injury that left him with sporadic absence seizures that have limited his autonomy. Hating how much he’s come to rely on his club brothers, Adam decides to move out of the clubhouse.
After failing to rekindle a past relationship, NYPD detective Tyson McCormick is wary of getting into another one anytime soon. An unexpected lunchtime hookup is just what he needs, but afterward, he can’t seem to get Adam out of his mind.
When the two start seeing each other, Adam worries that once he tells Tyson about his condition, things will change between them. Both men want to take things slow, but sometimes love has other ideas.

Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Music of My Heart

SERIES:  Elves After Dark

AUTHOR: Morgan Mason

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  120 pages

RELEASE DATE:  November 20, 2020

BLURB:

In the North Pole, Nym works as an Observer. It’s his job to watch over the children of the world and report back to Santa on who’s being naughty and who’s being nice. Falling in love with one of his charges, however, would not only be cause for removal from his post, but falling in love with a human child and watching him grow into a beautiful young man, would be cause for banishment. Humans don’t know elves and Santa really exist.

Nym cannot help his amorous feelings for the talented Josiah Patterson, and as Josiah has since turned eighteen and passed out from under Nym’s watch, it’s been months since Nym has observed him. With Josiah away from his close-knit family at college, Nym hastily decides to leave the North Pole for the first time to take Josiah the only Christmas present he might receive that year.

One thing Nym never expected, however, was for Josiah to be able to feel Nym’s emotions.

With a nudge of support from an unexpected ally, is it possible for Nym to find the happiness he so desires with Josiah? Can an old elf and a young human truly be free to love each other?

Reviewed by Taylin

TITLE: Operation Fake Relationship

AUTHOR: Jay Northcote

PUBLISHER: Jaybird Press Ltd

RELEASE DATE: November 28, 2020

LENGTH: 163 Pages

BLURB:

Can a fake relationship between best friends turn into the real thing?

After years of estrangement from his parents, Nick is finally going home for Christmas, but not without backup. He wants moral support, so his best friend and flatmate, Jackson, agrees to pretend to be his partner so he can go with him.

It’s easy for Jackson to be convincing when his feelings for Nick are as genuine as ever. He put his crush on the back burner long ago, but acting out a role he’d love to play for real is harder than he imagined. Holding hands, kissing under the mistletoe, even sharing a bed for the sake of the charade… He can’t help wondering what he’s let himself in for, and whether his heart can take it.

Emotions run high as Nick grapples with family issues, and the sexual tension between him and his best friend becomes difficult to ignore. But if he and Jackson give into the temptation to be fake boyfriends with benefits over the holiday, what will it mean for their future as friends once Christmas is over?

Contains: best friends to lovers, pretend boyfriends, daddy issues, mistletoe, and a happy ending—of course.

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE: Ship of Fools

AUTHOR: Sophia Soames

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH: 174 pages

RELEASE DATE:  November 30, 2020

BLURB:

 Andreas Mitchell is single, stupid and bored, and should have a good long think about the amount of bad life choices he has made lately. Instead he heads straight for the one guy he knows will become his worst mistake yet.

Luca Germano makes no choices at all, instead he lives quietly in the background, and prefers the safety of his own hand to risking his heart. And someone as pretty and fearless as Andreas Mitchell, is the last person on earth he should let into his life.

Especially at Christmas.

This is a work of fantasy and fiction. This story contains descriptions of sexual roleplay and consensual violence, and elements of mild BDSM, which are not intended to be taken seriously, or imitate real life. Please read with caution if these themes might trigger or upset you.

Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE: How to Evict a Hot Jock in Three Weeks

SERIES: How to Love Book #2

AUTHOR: Anyta Sunday

PUBLISHER: self-published

RELEASE DATE: November 28, 2020

LENGTH: 226 pages

BLURB:

THE UPTIGHT CURATOR . . .

Let’s list all the reasons why Logan Stone is the worst roommate for Alexander Kress to share his beloved house with.

He:

 loves possum (over-sized rodent) for dinner

 keeps worms in the fridge and hunts fishes with a spear

 thinks monster trucks are theatre

 is clearly hiding something behind that twinkle in his eye

Plus he’s straight—and sexy. And Alexander needs to stop shivering.

THE CHEEKY THESPIAN . . .

Logan couldn’t have scripted it better.

Just one more day of obnoxious shenanigans and Alexander would evict his method-acting ass. Except, maybe he needs two days. Maybe a few more—

What is this man made of?

It’s almost like . . .

Shit. The cute curator knows what he’s up to. But he doesn’t know Logan knows he knows . . .

Wait. Back up. Did he just say cute?