Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE: Stars Collide 

SERIES: Written in the Stars, Book 1

AUTHOR: Mia Monroe

PUBLISHER: self-published

RELEASE DATE: January 6, 2020

LENGTH: 268 pages

BLURB:

He always gets what he wants. Until he meets me.

Above average intelligence is the only break life has given me. I studied hard, got the scholarship to my preferred school, and now I’m poised for my dream job.

That is, until Gabriel struts into my life lobbying for the position he didn’t lift a finger for. And who gets to train him? This guy.

Gabriel is many things- soccer star, golden boy, rival- but this is one thing that won’t come easy to him. I’ll prove I’m the better candidate for the position and somehow manage not to get lost in his eyes.

We spend our days talking about space, and when two stars collide, there’s always an explosion.

Stars Collide is a steamy, low angst, enemies to lovers, opposites attract, MM romance with a determined science major, a former athlete finding his way, a galaxy of assumptions, and only ONE bed. It is book one in the Written in the Stars series, featuring science-loving nerds and the men who fall for them.

Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  XOXO, Santa

AUTHOR:  Spencer Spears

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  285 pages

RELEASE DATE:  December 16, 2020

BLURB:

How do you ask your best friend to be your first time?

Blake: What do you do when you realize at age 20 that you might like guys?

If you’re me, you come up with a brilliant and foolproof plan:
Proposition the one gay guy you know to swipe your V-card over winter break.
In my case, that’s my childhood best friend, Henry.

Just one problem—Henry hates my guts.

That’s okay, though, because I’ve got a Plan B:
Download an app, find a guy to hook up with, and figure out once and for all if I’m as gay as my internet search history suggests.

One more little problem—before I can meet the guy I’m messaging online, I have to get through a week’s vacation with Henry and our families.

Henry, who can’t stand me, but who I can’t get out of my head.
Henry, who’s off-limits, but who I maybe kinda sorta kissed last night?
Henry, who’s spending an awful lot of time checking messages on his phone…

XOXO, Santa is a 70,000 word stand-alone gay romance novel with holiday sweetness, first-time steam, and a borderline-unhealthy level of snark. It features jock/nerd, friends-to-lovers, and online love tropes.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: The Defiant Alpha

SERIES: West Coast Wolves #2

AUTHOR: Susi Hawke

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 158 pages

RELEASE DATE: December 28, 2020

BLURB:

“Between the thick fur and my own nerves, it took longer than it should’ve to find the fluttering proof of his heartbeat. I’d known he was alive since he didn’t smell like death. No… he smelled like… home. Like my home. The one place where I would always belong. ”

Lucian Smith, unwanted at birth, is a defiant alpha who’d not only dare anyone to call him unclaimed, he’d proudly display the proof. He doesn’t want or need a pack other than the family he’s built with his crew—The West Coast Wolves. For so long, it was just them… an unlikely pack of alphas who took to the open road and helped where they could, doing random acts of kindness and expecting nothing in return.

Until the first of one of them stepped up when duty called and took his own pack to rule. This ended the brothers-in-arms’ days of riding wherever the road took them when fate conspired to give each of the brothers a pack to rule. Even Lucian… the unlikely defiant Alpha who would not only dare anyone to call him unclaimed, he’d proudly display the proof.

While out on a night’s ride, Lucian comes across a half-dead dog on the side of the road. After stopping to help, he discovers it’s no dog, it’s a shifter—an omega wolf. The true mate Lucian never dared hoped for is now in his arms, if he can just rescue him first. Little does he know there are a dozen more omegas who need saving, his mate is just the start.

With a secret over twenty years old and millions of dollars at stake, the people who stole innocent babies with plans for the ultimate payday won’t let go of them easily. Except… even omegas have hidden strength and their own ways to fight back. With the help of his crew, Lucian is in a unique position to help these lost young men and set right to old wrongs.

This is the second book about finding joy in a hard world, building a family, and discovering that life can surprise a person when they least expect it. Although this world has harsher themes than my previous books, it still has the same heart you’d expect. Plus a dose of my irreverent humor and all the naughty, knotty heat that comes with true mates. It wouldn’t be a Susi Hawke book without it. Note: possible trigger warning for mentions of stillbirth, medical abuse, and child abduction.

Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  The Gangster

SERIES:  Magic & Steam #2

AUTHOR:  C.S. Poe

PUBLISHER:  Emporium Press

LENGTH:  242 pages

RELEASE DATE:  January 12, 2020

BLURB:

1881—Special Agent Gillian Hamilton, magic caster for the Federal Bureau of Magic and Steam, has recovered from injuries obtained while in Shallow Grave, Arizona. Now back in New York City, Gillian makes an arrest on New Year’s Eve that leads to information on a gangster, known only as Tick Tock, who’s perfected utilizing elemental magic ammunition. This report complicates Gillian’s holiday plans, specifically those with infamous outlaw, Gunner the Deadly, who promised they’d ring in 1882 together.

The two men stand on the cusp of a romance that needs to be explored intimately and privately. But when Gillian’s residence is broken into by a magical mechanical man who tries to murder him on behalf of Tick Tock, he and Gunner must immediately investigate the city’s ruthless street gangs before the illegal magic becomes a threat that cannot be contained.

This might be their most wild adventure yet, but criminal undergrounds can’t compare to the dangers of the heart. Gillian must balance his career in law enforcement with his love for a vigilante, or lose both entirely.

The novel-length follow-up to The Engineer, in the exciting new steampunk series, Magic & Steam.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Click

SERIES: White House Men #3

AUTHOR: Nora Phoenix

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 327 pages

RELEASE DATE: January 20, 2021

BLURB:

He doesn’t just want the friendship or the benefits. He wants it all.

Rhett, the White House photographer, is tired of everyone treating him like he’s fragile. He wants a life of his own. Punch his V-card. A boyfriend.

Making new friends is a good first step, even if it’s with his boss, Calix, who’s fifteen years his senior. Calix is kind and protective, and he encourages Rhett to spread his wings.

When Rhett stumbles, Calix is there to catch him, and what started as friendship, grows into a mutually beneficial arrangement. Friends with benefits. Kind of.

But Calix still mourns his dead husband, so what happens when Rhett wants to extend their arrangement…indefinitely? He doesn’t just want the friendship or the benefits. He wants it all.

Meanwhile, the investigation continues, and the plot gets more and more complicated…and more dangerous. How far will the terrorists go to accomplish their goal?

Click is an MM romance with hurt/comfort, an age gap, a sweet virgin, and a friends with benefits arrangement. It’s the third book in the White House Men series, a romantic suspense series set in the White House, that needs to be read in order. Click ends with a happily ever after, but the suspense plot ends on a cliffhanger and will be continued in the rest of the series.

Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  His Compass

SERIES:  His #2

AUTHOR:  Con Riley

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  306 Pages

RELEASE DATE:  January 14, 2021

BLURB:  

Tom has one rule: don’t sleep with the crew. A second chance with a younger, gorgeous deckhand tempts him to break it.

After a busy season as a charter-hire skipper, Tom yearns for some downtime. His lonely heart also aches for adventure with someone special, but paying his bills has to come first. A surprise sailing contract and huge bonus offer his first glimpse of freedom for years. There’s only one catch: he must crew with Nick, a deckhand who jumped ship once already.

Nick’s as young and untested as the new yacht they’re contracted to sail, and he’s just as gorgeous. Forced to spend a month as Nick’s captain, Tom discovers depths he hadn’t noticed. He’s captivated, and happier sailing with Nick than he’s been in forever. However, their voyage is finite, and both men keep soul-deep secrets.

As the contract draws to an end, they must get honest about what’s in their hearts if they want to share a life at sea, and love, forever.

Featuring an age gap that’s only a number, forced proximity that makes hiding attraction impossible, and a yacht that’s nothing but trouble, His Compass is the second novel in the His Contemporary MM Romance series from Con Riley.

♥ This shared-world series starts with His Horizon, but each book follows a different couple, and can be enjoyed as a standalone novel complete with a fulfilling happily ever after. ♥

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Brought to Light

SERIES: Magic Emporium #2

AUTHOR: Eliot Grayson

PUBLISHER: Smoking Teacup Books

LENGTH: 4342 kb

RELEASE DATE: January 21, 2021

BLURB:

A hitman and a fae walk into a café…

Callum always gets the job done—whether he likes it or not—but this job isn’t like any other. The target’s too young, too pretty, and too appealing for comfort, and the clients are offering more threats than cash. And either the target poisoned his hot chocolate or he’s going crazy, because now magic stores and wizard-looking dudes are appearing out of nowhere. It’s really not Callum’s day.

Linden’s on the run, and the human realm’s a good place to hide from evil sorcerers who think Linden’s the answer to a prophecy. But his enemy has found a way to send a very human and very dangerous assassin after him—a man who could kill Linden with one hand. Linden should be terrified, but his knees go weak for all the wrong reasons.

When Linden’s family is taken hostage, spending the night with Callum ought to be the last thing on his mind, but Linden can’t resist the chance to fulfill his deepest fantasies before sacrificing his own life. Callum knows he should walk away—it’s not his fight. But the beautiful fae is under his skin and now protecting Linden and his family feels more important than his own survival. A human learning to feel. A fae learning to trust. Can two worlds merge into one true love?

Brought to Light is part of the Magic Emporium Series. Each book stands alone, but each one features an appearance by Marden’s Magic Emporium, a shop that can appear anywhere, but only once and only when someone’s in dire need. This book contains explicit scenes, a magic flashlight, a prophecy that doesn’t quite work out the way anyone expects, and a guaranteed HEA.

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  The Bookseller’s Boyfriend

AUTHOR:  Heidi Cullinan

SERIES:  Copper Point: Main Street #1

PUBLISHER:  Dreamspinner Presds

LENGTH:  229 pages

RELEASE DATE:  January 19, 2021

BLURB:

Bookshop owner Jacob Moore can’t believe his longtime celebrity crush, author Rasul Youssef, is moving to Copper Point. For many, the chance to meet the playboy novelist would be a dream come true, but Jacob dreads it. You should never meet your heroes.

You definitely shouldn’t pretend to be their boyfriend.

Rasul came to this backwater town for an academic residency—a necessary evil, since he’s burned through his advance without finishing the book that goes with it. But he’s also getting distance from a toxic relationship. Quiet, reserved Jacob isn’t his type, but their charade gives Rasul a respite from the social media circus surrounding his breakup, and Jacob’s charming apartment proves the perfect setting to write.

Of course, prolonged exposure reveals that Jacob’s reserved exterior hides a thoughtful, intelligent man who sets Rasul’s imagination—and heart—alight.

Every day Rasul reveals himself to be more than Jacob ever dreamed he could. Jacob tries to be content with friendship and the professional overlap between author and bookseller, knowing a shooting star like Rasul could never make a home with Jacob in a small town like Copper Point.

Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  They Met at the Library

SERIES:  Meet Cute Chronicles #1

AUTHOR:  Nell Iris

PUBLISHER:  JMS Books

LENGTH:  65 pages

RELEASE DATE:  January 16, 2021

BLURB:

Adrian, book-lover extraordinaire, adores his job at the small community library. He gets to share his passion with other people and help them with all book-related questions and issues. When a big, hulking man walks into the library, looking terrified, Adrian’s skills are tested in a completely different way.

Manne’s relationship with books is uneasy, to say the least. He’s dyslexic and events in his past have made him fearful of books and turned libraries into his worst nightmare. But when the quirky, bowtie-wearing librarian steps in to help, the experience turns positive.

Their banter is easy and their chemistry instant. But can an accidental meeting turn into something more? Can someone who has trouble reading ever fit into the life of a man whose passion is the written word?

Reviewed by Cheryl K

TITLE: The Murder Between Us

AUTHOR: Tal Bauer

PUBLISHER: Tal Bauer

LENGTH: 280 pages

RELEASE DATE: January 28, 2021

BLURB:

It was just one night.
It was just one mistake.

FBI Agent Noah Downing had questions about his sexuality that a single night in Vegas should have answered. But dawn finds him on a plane back to Iowa, back on the trail of a vicious serial killer who disappeared six years ago and has suddenly resurfaced. There’s nothing like a murder investigation to escape an existential crisis.

FBI profiler Cole Kennedy is still reeling after finding a heart-stopping connection with a seemingly perfect man, only for him to vanish. When he’s sent to Iowa to profile the killer terrorizing America’s heartland, he finds more questions than answers – both about the murderer and about Noah, the last man he ever expected to see again.

A twisted secret stretches between Cole and Noah, tangled with questions they both have about each other. But now, thrown together, they’ll have to unravel the killer’s profile and follow his trail… back to the very beginning, to where everyone’s questions are answered once and for all.

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  Home Plate

AUTHOR:  Christina Lee

SERIES:  Easton U Pirates #2

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH:  256 pages

RELEASE DATE:  January 29, 2021

BLURB:

Dominic Girard

My final baseball season with the Easton U Pirates feels bittersweet. I’d like to go out on a high note, graduate, and focus on the family business. But a certain pitcher is making senior year a challenge. Not only because Maclain is stubborn as hell, but because he makes me feel things I never have about another guy. With each snarky comment and hard-won grin, he reveals a little more of himself, and before I know it, I’m in over my head.

Mason Maclain

I’ll be graduating college this year, which also means the end of baseball, a sport I’ve played my entire life. It feels like a significant chapter is coming to a close, leaving behind a void I’m unwilling to face. Something else I don’t want to face? The impossibly charming Pirates catcher, whose quick wit and killer smirk poke holes in all my defenses. With each lingering look and quiet exchange, I want to push him away and pull him closer at the same time. I’ve never felt this intense draw before, and there’s no way I’ll ever admit it.

When Coach proposes a team-building activity to improve our chemistry on the field, little does he know things are heating up behind the scenes as well. A flicker of a connection sparks into a firestorm, and soon Girard and I are experiencing things for the first time—together. But outside the haven of our hotel room, reality infringes all too soon. I’m clinging to my fraying relationship with my dad, and for Girard, coming out is still scary, loving family or not. Resisting the pull to Girard seems futile, but I struggle at every turn. Any longer and I’ll lose the only person who makes my pulse thud quicker than a fastball over home plate.

There’s a pitcher-and-catcher joke in there somewhere.