Reviewed by Anna Lynn

TITLE:  Stripped

SERIES:  Four Bears Construction #6

AUTHOR:  K.M. Neuhold

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH:  171 Pages

RELEASE DATE:  July 2, 2021

BLURB:

A ripped, transgender construction worker and a tweed-wearing, tortoise-shell-cozy-knitting, bear of a professor… Somebody’s getting stripped.

The last place I expected to run into my childhood camp crush was at the local university, looking all kinds of cute in a tweed jacket with a nervous blush. I’ve always had a bit of a thing for the nerdy professor type.

Demetri says he doesn’t date. I want to believe that it’s true and not that he’s not interested in a transgender man like me. If all he can offer me is friendship, I’m more than happy to take it.

Coy looks during sweaty workouts, rainy nights on his couch watching him knit shell cozies for his pet tortoise… I’m falling for him whether I want to or not.

Can I break down his walls and prove to him that he can trust me with his heart? And can I trust him with mine?

Reviewed by Anna Lynn

TITLE:  You Are Cordially Invited

SERIES:   Auckland Med #5

AUTHOR:  Jay Hogan

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH:  255 pages

RELEASE DATE:  June 17, 2021

BLURB:

There’s a wedding in the air at Auckland Med, but Reuben wonders if they’ll survive the stress long enough to say, ‘I do’. Cam is directing the entire operation with his combat eyeliner in place, whilst the wedding party is doing its best to ignore him. The pressure is mounting and the cracks are beginning to show.

There’s a bachelor party to survive.
The paparazzi to outrun.
A wedding outfit to confirm.
A rugby game to win.
A jerk of a father to cope with.
A stunning opportunity to consider.
A relationship to untangle.
And a shocking event that could derail everything.

With the universe conspiring against them, Reuben and Cam will have to summon every scrap of belief they have in each other to make it to their vows.

Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE: Chasing Fate

SERIES:  Friendship and Desire Book 2

AUTHOR: Mia Monroe

PUBLISHER: Self-published

LENGTH: 204 pages

RELEASE DATE: July 16, 2021

BLURB:

Hooking up with your friend is a totally acceptable way to pass the time until your soulmate shows up. Right?

I’m on a mission – happily ever after or bust. I just know my handsome, successful, bearded prince is out there waiting for me to find him. I’ve had my cards read a million times. This is my destiny. True, it’s been a challenge navigating the dating scene, but you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince.

So when my childhood bestie reappears after years apart, announcing his desire to reconnect, it’s a pleasant distraction to introduce him to my world and help him acclimate again. He’s not my type at all, but he’s fun enough to pass the time with. Burnt out from chasing yet another potential Mr. Right, I offer a friends with benefits deal. I could use a bit of fun.

If only Diego had some of the qualities I’m looking for in a mate. Just because he’s funny, sweet, charming, and incredibly good at — um, anyway, he’s just not the one. He couldn’t be. The cards wouldn’t steer me wrong.

But the longer we do this, the more I wonder, are we just blowing off steam or are we chasing fate?

Chasing Fate is a fun and steamy friends to lovers story featuring a devout believer in bearded princes, pining, sexual awakening, friends with benefits, and finding out maybe destiny doesn’t always work out the way you think it will. It is book two in the Friendship and Desire series featuring men finding out that maybe they were always more than friends.

Reviewed by True

TITLE: Summer Kisses

SERIES: Kiss Me #2

AUTHOR: Charlie Novak

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

LENGTH: 226 pages

RELEASE DATE: July 15, 2021

BLURB:

Two chefs. Two summers. One shot at a second chance.

Aaron’s Plan
Then:
1. Get a better job
2. Learn more skills
3. Get money for restaurant
4. Don’t fall in love with Josh

Now:
1. Finesse menu
2. Stop being angry at Josh
3. Swear less (Ben’s idea)
4. Stop wanting to kiss Josh
5. Get Michelin stars
6. Stop being in love with Josh

Josh’s Plan
Then:
1. Start new job
2. Try not to burn out
3. Don’t fall in love with Aaron
4. Seriously. Don’t. It will only end badly…

Now:
1. Survive the summer
2. Get a new job?
3. Don’t get involved with Aaron again
4. Don’t think about kissing him
5. Don’t think about his smile
6. Don’t think about how much you still love him

Summer Kisses is a 78,000-word contemporary MM romance featuring two chefs with a complicated history, clashing egos, cheese toasties, and two summers that will change everything. It is part of the Kiss Me series and can be read as a standalone.

Content Warning: This novel contains mentions of drug use and issues of alcohol abuse.

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  The Dating Experiment

SERIES:  Better With You #2

AUTHOR:  Briar Prescott

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH: 280 Pages

RELEASE DATE:  July 20, 2021

BLURB:

Jamie:
Three years ago, I sold my soul to the devil.
Also known as my boss. Same thing.
Here’s the deal. Connor Quinn is arrogant, impossible to please, cold as ice, and prone to find flaws in everything.
Since that fatal day three years ago, many a murder plan have been made and many a weapon considered.
Until…
I accidentally get to know him better, which is unfortunate, since it turns out that underneath Connor’s icy exterior, there’s a man shaped by past hurts and difficult life lessons.
Which means I’m in a bit of a pickle since it also turns out I might kind of like the bastard…

Connor:
For as long as I can remember, I’ve chased calm. I’m the exact opposite of an adrenaline junkie with my pursuit of peace and quiet.
My rules are simple. I don’t make terrible decisions. I don’t make mistakes. And I don’t do chaos.
Until Jamie.
He’s an anomaly. A glitch in the system. Unpredictable. Distracting. Confusing.
But now I’ve accidentally gotten to know him better, and it turns out he’s also warm. And funny. And interesting. And with him, the world gets just a tiny bit quieter.
And I fit just a tiny bit better.

Reviewed by Jen B.

TITLE: Sleight of Hand

SERIES: The Kings: Wild Cards #3

AUTHOR: Charlie Cochet

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 208 Pages

RELEASE DATE: July 6, 2021

BLURB:

Former Special Forces Green Beret, Sacha “Joker” Wilder, is well-versed on the subject of demolitions. As a silent partner of Four Kings Security, Joker spends his days working alongside his brothers-in-arms and his best boy, Chip—a bomb-sniffing Belgian Malinois with sass. Years of military and private security experience have prepared Joker for almost anything, except the explosive attraction between him and Giovanni Galanos.

When Gio returns from his travels abroad, everyone is charmed by the handsome billionaire philanthropist, but in Joker’s experience, anyone who’s too good to be true usually is. Gio is hiding something, but the more time Joker spends around Gio, the more his walls start crumbling, leaving him exposed and at risk of losing his heart, something he swore he would never do. Love is for suckers, and that’s not him.

For years Gio has dedicated his life to his charity work, helping people around the globe, but when things go horribly wrong during one particular trip, Gio decides it’s time to come home for good. The desire for family, and a certain ex-Green Beret with a chip on his shoulder, has Gio eager to restart his life Stateside. For all of Sacha’s blustering and griping, no one makes Gio feel safer. If only Sacha could see how right they are for each other.

Danger lurks in the shadows as someone sets their sights on Gio, and secrets are forced into the light. If Gio and Joker are to have any kind of future together, they’ll have to face difficult truths, because where love is concerned, it’ll take more than sleight of hand to make things work.

The Kings: Wild Cards series is a spin-off of the Four Kings Security series.