Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Jaxson’s Nemesis

SERIES: Maiden Voyage (book 3)

AUTHOR: TL Travis

PUBLISHER: Sapphire Publishing

LENGTH: 3104 KB

RELEASE DATE: June 25, 2021

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Jaxson Duvall, bass player for the band Maiden Voyage wasn’t born into wealth or fame. He achieved it with hard work and a need to prove himself. To whom, well, that is the million-dollar question right there. When his foolish antics threaten to bankrupt him, it’s time for him to stop acting like a spoiled brat and grow the hell up before his band brothers find a new bassist.

Shephard “Shep” Newsome was the opposite. Thrust into the limelight at birth and cast out damn near the same way. When his indiscretions tarnished his family name, his father said no more. Humiliated, shamed, and shunned, he moved away to begin anew but trouble still seemed to find him. Tired of running, he puts down roots only to find himself right smack in the middle of it once again.

What happens when a Rockstar with more money than brains clashes with his neighbor who has a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas?You have a recipe for disaster… or rage-infused love.

Maiden Voyage series must be read in order as each book starts where the last one ended but is from another band members point of view:

1 – Ryder’s Guardian
2 – Derek’s Destiny
3 – Jaxson’s Nemesis
4 – Shadow’s Light

Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Kim & Skip

SERIES: Men of Memphis Blues (Book 0.5)

AUTHOR: Sam E. Kraemer

PUBLISHER: Kaye Klub Publishing

LENGTH: 39 pages

RELEASE DATE: June 25, 2021

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★Kimber “Kim” Donlyn★

Mistakes… I can’t say I’ve made any. I couldn’t have imagined some of the things that came my way, but I wouldn’t change them for anything because if I did, I wouldn’t be the man I am, nor would I have the people I love. I live my life without regrets because life is too short… That’s a lesson I would prefer to skip, but that’s not possible.

I’m a drag queen—Gimme Dong—and I co-own a drag club, Ben Dover’s Dragtime Cabaret. I’ve had men come and go in my life, but one stuck around—in a most peculiar way. Our relationship isn’t for everyone, but it works for us. I’ll never find another man like mine. Here’s how my grand love affair started…

• •◆◆◆••

★Stephen “Skip” Mitchell★

I’m a baseball scout for the Miami Sharks, and I’m a cliché—I find a boy in every port. One night I get some life changing news, and I don’t want to be alone with it. Down the block from my apartment, there’s a bar, and lo-and-behold—there’s a stool that fits me well. The bartender is just the eye candy I need, but he becomes much more than I can imagine I’d want… or need.

Finding the person who is made for me is a blessing. I find my priorities change in ways I’d have never believed. This is the beginning of a story I never thought I’d tell.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Honeypot

SERIES: The Phisher King #4

AUTHOR: Clancy Nacht & Thursday Euclid

PUBLISHER: Eine Kleine Press

LENGTH: 279 pages

RELEASE DATE: June 22, 2021

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It’s been a long road to recovery since FBI Agent Cal Riggs and his hacker boyfriend Hunter Walsh’s last showdown with the treacherous Justin Barnes. His betrayal during False Flag left Cal and Hunter scarred and shaken. As their friends Sam Dupre and Rob Crawford dealt with domestic terrorism in Olympia during Penetration Test, Hunter and Cal fought to regain a sense of normalcy that never materialized.

The Bureau under the Trump Administration takes a punitive attitude toward Cal’s passion of fighting white nationalism, and his employment there grows less tenable by the day. Meanwhile, Hunter deals with the uncertainty of Barnes’s continued freedom by taking extreme steps to enhance the security of the condo he shares with Cal. No part of their lives has escaped Barnes’s poisoned touch.

When a shady corporate lawyer shows up on the doorstep while Cal’s at work, Hunter takes the meeting and discovers Barnes’s plan B: In his absence, he wants to bequeath his mercenary company, Dark Sun, to his former FBI partner and lover, no other than Callum Riggs. But what is Cal going to do with Barnes’s mercs? Can he really leave the Bureau he’s been part of since graduation?

But life in the private sector is dangerous, too. Enemies hide in plain sight in Dark Sun’s every office, and there’s no knowing who still supports Barnes and his deadly extremist agenda. Is the mercenary company an olive branch from Barnes to the men he betrayed, or is this the honeypot that will secure their demise?

CW: Violence, brief sexual violence (not between MCs; no rape), white nationalist terrorism

Reviewed by Taylin

TITLE: Rare Vigilance

SERIES: Whitehorn Agency #1

AUTHOR: M.A. Grant

PUBLISHER: Carina Press

LENGTH: 267 Pages

RELEASE DATE: June 22, 2021

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Everything has a price. Especially the truth.

From the author of Prince of Air and Darkness comes the first in a thrilling new paranormal series.

Former Marine Atlas Kinkaid knows not to ask questions about the clients he protects at the behest of the elite Whitethorn security agency. Just like he doesn’t like anyone asking about his scars—scars left by a mysterious attack that haunts his every waking moment.

Consumed by the need to find out what happened to him, Atlas takes a job providing security to Cristian Slava, the indolent—and gorgeous—son of a notorious businessman. Cristian seems to be just another entitled client, but when nights at the club turn into secret meetings and people start going missing, Atlas realizes there’s more to Cristian—and to protecting him—than meets the eye.

But the same people who are after Cristian have something Atlas desperately craves: they know exactly what happened the fateful night he was attacked—and are willing to tell him everything…

For a price.

Reviewed by Cheryl K

TITLE: Nothing Special VIII: SWAT Ed.: Fox & Bull

SERIES: Nothing Special #8

AUTHOR: A.E. Via

PUBLISHER: Via Star Wings Books

LENGTH: 290 Pages

RELEASE DATE: March 24, 2021

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A fox can set many traps to catch his target—but this one only needs one to catch his.

Dominic “Bull” Walker is used to the simpler things in life. Give him his own land to work, a strong horse, and twelve hours of daylight, and he is a contented man. But when someone threatens to take away the successful ranch that took him two years to rebuild, he’ll accept any help he can get to defend it.

Mandel “Fox” Tucker is a sixth-generation SWAT soldier. It’s embedded in his bones to protect and serve his community. So when he gets word of the vandalism occurring on the Walker Ranch, he quickly volunteers the free time he has, thanks to his recent suspension.

The brief visit Fox had with Bull four months ago had been a contentious—but powerful—encounter. Therefore, he’s not surprised when he shows up on his doorstep unannounced and has to pull out some of his best tricks to get past the six-foot-four, stubborn Texan.

Fox is only there to safeguard what’s most important to Bull. But being on the ranch brings an awareness to him that he embraces with both hands. Nature, peace… love—things he never found in the city.

This book contains the love story of two new characters. It is a part of a series but can be read as a standalone.

There are no multiple pairings or sharing. Ends in a very HEA.

Trigger Warning: Mild police violence. Scenes are not graphic.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Falling Awake IV: Retribution

SERIES: Falling Awake #4

AUTHOR: Kristoffer Gair

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 236 pages

RELEASE DATE: June 19, 2021

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“Some people are so low, they gotta look up to see Hell.”

The death of Thomas Reis continues to ripple through the lives of those connected to his case fourteen years later. Andrew O’Donnell and Lawrence Boggs have already fallen, but three more pick up where the others left off, and each for his own reason.

One believes in justice, the second loyalty, and the third desperately seeks a reason to live. All three, however, share the same final end game; Retribution.

The hunt begins.

Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Defiance

SERIES:  Rebellion #2

AUTHOR:  Annabelle Jacobs

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  258 pages

RELEASE DATE:  June 24, 2021

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Returning to their pack was always going to be dangerous, but is the fight for freedom worth the cost?

Cole and Logan return to London, ready to execute their plan of connecting with the human resistance. But with both of them blamed for the deaths resulting from Cole’s escape attempt, they receive a less than warm welcome from the McKillan pack.

Cole gets a second chance, but it’s not without restrictions, and he must toe the line and do whatever it takes to fit in. But earning the trust of his alpha and fellow shifters comes at a price.

For Logan, being close to Cole and unable to touch him is a daily torment, but watching from the sidelines while Cole learns what it means to be a McKillan enforcer is pushing him to his limits.

Both men must play their parts to perfection if they want Cole to be accepted into the pack, and that means doing what’s asked of them, no matter the cost.

Reviewed by Taylin

TITLE: Beyond The Ruby River

SERIES: Immortal Jewels #3 of 3

AUTHOR: Lee Colgin

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

LENGTH: 265 Pages

RELEASE DATE: June 17, 2021

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Can an incubus half-breed find love with a mortal man, or are they destined to pine for each other forever?

In Ancient Egypt when the pharaohs ruled the banks of the Nile, Mahu led a simple, if somewhat melancholy, life. Making papyrus filled his days. His needs were provided for, but deep in his soul, Mahu longed for companionship.

Dakarai, born of a demon mother and a human father, craved independence. A young incubus constantly in the shadows of his full-blooded siblings, Daka set out to forge a life of his own.

While a starving Daka roams the streets hunting for a meal, the sight of a beautiful man walking alone stops him in his tracks. The handsome stranger is just what he needs to quench his spiraling thirst.

But Mahu turns out to be more than Daka bargained for, and his heart falls for the lonely man.

When betrayal shatters their foundation, can Daka and Mahu find their way back to each other, or is each soul destined to long for the other for all eternity?

***

Beyond the Ruby River is an MM Paranormal Romance featuring a steamy love story, a second chance romance, and the mysteries of an ancient world. This is book three of a series but can be read as a standalone with its own happily-ever-after.

Reviewed by Taylin

TITLE: Courting Nightfall

AUTHOR: Amanda Meuwissen

PUBLISHER: JMS Books LLC

LENGTH: 170 Pages

RELEASE DATE: June 19, 2021

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Zen is a darkling — half human, half dark elf — in a world that hates him, protected only by having been raised by the Order of the Sun to become a priest. He continues to fail to rise above being an acolyte despite having come of age and longs for a different life, one he only glimpses in dreams when he is with a mysterious, beautiful man he wishes was real.

After encountering an adventuring party made up entirely of other half-races, Zen is drawn to accompany them on their quest to find and destroy a fabled vampire lord. However, the pull he feels toward those lands might be more fated than he realizes.

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE: Code Red

AUTHOR: N.R. Walker

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 102,000 words

RELEASE DATE: June 24, 2021

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Maddox Kershaw is the main vocalist of the world’s biggest boy band. He’s at the top of every music chart, every award show, every social media platform, and every sexiest-man-alive list. He’s the bad boy, the enigma, the man everyone on the planet wants a piece of.

He’s also burned out and exhausted, isolated and lonely. Not in a good headspace at the start of a tour.

Roscoe Hall is Maddox’s personal manager. His job is high-flying, high-demand, high-profile, and he loves it. Maddox has consumed his entire life for the past four years. Roscoe knows him. He sees the real Maddox no one else gets to see.

He’s also in love with him.

When the tour and stress become too much, when the world begins to close in, Roscoe becomes Maddox’s lifeline. But as Maddox knows already, and as Roscoe is about to learn, the brighter the spotlight, the darker the shadow.

Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Shiftless

SERIES:  Night Shift #3

AUTHOR:  T.A. Moore

PUBLISHER:  Rogue Firebird Press

LENGTH:  117 pages

RELEASE DATE:  June 19, 2021

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Night Shift is the city’s thin, silver line- and some nights it’s thinner than others.

It isn’t the fact he almost died last night that’s thrown Night Shift officer Kit Marlow. He’s used to that. It’s the fact that instead of a werewolf trying to rip his throat out, it was his friend and colleague who tried to put him in the ground.

Well, ‘friend.’

Now Marlow’s been framed for a murder he didn’t commit by a man who’s committed more than his fair share. Half the cops in San Diego want to see Marlow behind bars for what he’s supposedly done, and the other half want him dead before he can tell his side of the story. The problem is that he can’t tell them apart.

There’s only one person in town that Marlow can trust, even though he knows he shouldn’t drag Cade Deacon into his problems. The sharp-tongued CEO of a private security firm might have gotten close to Marlow over the last few weeks, but taking on the SDPD is a lot to ask.

Marlow doesn’t have much choice, though. If he can’t clear his name before the last full moon of the month sets, he might not see another one. That’d be a shame since Marlow would really like to spend the night with Cade without needing protective gear.

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE: Ache

AUTHOR: Marley Valentine

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH:

RELEASE DATE: June 22, 2021

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I couldn’t tell you when I fell in love with Gael Herrera, but I wish I knew how to make it stop.

Falling in love with a straight man is a rookie mistake. But falling in love with my soon-to-be-married-to-a-woman best friend is nothing but heartache.

Through all the years, and all the men I’ve fooled around with, he’s always been at the back of my mind. An unrequited crush I wish I could shake. A dream that was never going to come true.

When I whisk him off to a surprise bachelor party weekend in Vegas, I surrender to the idea that this is an opportunity for me to finally let go of my feelings for him and say goodbye.

But after a heated exchange and an even hotter kiss, everything I thought I knew about our friendship changed.

Maybe I had it wrong. Maybe, after all this time, we were more than best friends. Maybe, just maybe, he felt it too.

Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Without a Doubt

SERIES: Love Starts Here (book #1)

AUTHOR: E. M. Lindsey

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 223 pages

RELEASE DATE: June 17, 2021

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How did the worst date of his life turn in to the man of his dreams?

Carter Winter’s not sure there’s anything worse than watching the man he’s on a date with slip his number to the bartender… except maybe finding out six months later that his bad date is his new boss who doesn’t seem to remember Carter or that night.  He wants to run, but he also knows he can’t pass up this opportunity.  After all, it’s been his dream to work at London Enterprise, and he can’t turn it down now, even if it means working as a PA for Rhys London.

Fortunately, Rhys seems like an entirely different man.  And while Carter doesn’t want to trust him, that isn’t easy when Rhys makes him want to believe in second chances.  Carter’s been burned before, but being graced with one of the man’s rare smiles, Carter finds himself absolutely helpless against the racing beat of his heart.

Rhys London has never been a man of feeling.  Spending most of his life running his company and cleaning up after his destructive brother, he hasn’t had time for things like love.

Until his business partner hired Carter Winter—a bright, beautiful man who makes Rhys want to feel.

And while Rhys is used to losing out and shutting off his heart, something about Carter makes him want to reach for the unreachable.  After all, Carter is the first person he’s ever met that makes him believe in love, without a single doubt.

Without A Doubt is the first book in a romantic, light-hearted, small town trilogy.  It contains no cheating, and a happily ever after.

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE: Liam

SERIES:  Love at the Haven #4

AUTHOR:  Stella Shaw

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH: 170 pages

RELEASE DATE:   June 18, 2021

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The brawny Dom and the beautiful Diva—and the secrets they keep

A personal trainer and part-time escort, Liam is burly, bossy, and perfectly cast as the resident Dom at the Haven Hotel. And if anything falls outside that box—like the lacy lingerie he keeps hidden in his gym bag—that’s easily ignored, right?

Felix’s career as a successful model means being at the beck and call of anyone who requires him. He’s expected to be satisfied with glamour, money, and subservience. No one would ever believe his secret desire to take control.

When Liam agrees to show the outrageously pretty and delicate Felix around Liam’s infamous Room 8, neither one expects the disobedient desire that sparks between two such opposite men. Felix is looking for a lover who’ll let him call the shots, whereas Liam is fighting the desire to submit. Their passion and power could make for a kinky role reversal.

They just have to surrender to their deepest needs.