Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Whiskey Dreams

SERIES: On The Rocks (Book 1)

AUTHOR: Sam E. Kraemer

PUBLISHER: Kaye Klub Publishing

LENGTH:

RELEASE DATE: August 20, 2021

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He’s got rhythm while his new man’s got a record. Will history destroy their ballad, or can two beautiful souls sing in tune?

Country music star Kelso Ray Anderson found the passion he craved in his songs. Rejected by his religious family because of his sexual orientation, he regrets his painful visit home just before a massive European tour. But when he encounters his brother’s handsome friend who was his adolescent crush, he’s captivated by the melody stirring in his heart.

Tanner Bledsoe’s hopes were broken in prison. Determined to make the most of an opportunity offered by an old high school buddy, he never expected to blush like a teenager when he’s re-introduced to his pal’s magnetic brother. Falling hard and fast for the striking musician, Tanner’s terrified his wrongful incarceration will be a devastating deal-breaker.

Hellbent on giving their budding relationship a chance despite his looming international concerts, Kelso pours his musical soul into his troubled new man. But Tanner is torn apart by the agonizing choice between a once-in-a-lifetime love and doing what’s right to protect his partner’s dreams.

Will their undeniable spark find its place in loving harmony?

Whiskey Dreams, On the Rocks is the touching first tale in the On the Rocks M/M contemporary romance series. If you like captivating characters, sweet attractions, and tortured choices, then you’ll adore Sam E. Kraemer’s delicious escape.

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  Eagle Man and Mr Hawk

AUTHOR:  Dawn Sister

PUBLISHER:  Beaten Track Publishing

LENGTH:  243 pages

RELEASE DATE:  October 18, 2016

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Ethan isn’t good at first impressions. His job often gets in the way. It’s his dream job, one which suits Ethan’s big heart to a tee. His chosen career isn’t conducive to forming meaningful relationships, however, and it hasn’t really bothered him until now.

Then Alex appears on the scene… Bookish, shy, but gorgeous Alex, who might be put off by bad first impressions, and who Ethan thinks is quite possibly the most beautiful man he’s ever set eyes on.

Alex’s first impression of Ethan is not a particularly good one. In fact, he thinks the man is a raving lunatic, and their second and third encounter does nothing to change his opinion.

Ethan has his work cut out for him, if he is to pursue any kind of meaningful relationship with the irresistible Alex.

Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Denver’s Calling

SERIES: Cooper’s Ridge (Book 1)

AUTHOR: JJ Harper

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 304 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 19, 2021

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This book has previously been released in 2017. It has been re-edited and extended, but the story hasn’t changed.

When Denver’s long-term partner breaks up with him, he flees his life, his career, and his bright future as one of the country’s leading trauma surgeons. Ditching everything but his dog, Denver returns to the quiet town of Cooper’s Ridge and his parents’ ranch.
Leaving twelve years earlier, Denver knew he would never be accepted as a gay man in an unaccepting town. So, when he meets Kes—an old school friend—in the bar he owns, he is shocked to find him in an openly gay relationship. Something he never thought would happen here.

What surprises him even more is the instant, mutual attraction the three men have. Accepting a job in Kes’ bar, they dance around each other, wanting them but not believing he would ever fit in with a couple so obviously in love. But, they want him. And they are not prepared to let him go.

Denver takes a risk and accepts their offer of a night out, finding a side of himself he never knew existed. Not trusting himself to be enough for the two men, the desire blooming in him is unprecedented and he can’t deny it: he wants them as much.

He finds his life falling into place, all because of two men. Is it possible he found his forever in a place he never expected it?

Reviewed by True

TITLE: The Ballad of Crow and Sparrow

AUTHOR: V.L. Locey

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

LENGTH: 264 pages

RELEASE DATE: May 8, 2021

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Sometimes a man’s biggest blunder can turn into his greatest triumph.

Orphaned at fourteen, Crow Poulin now has to hunt and trap the White Mountains of Arizona, as his father had taught him, all alone. It’s a lonely existence, until one morning, while checking his trap line, Crow finds more than a rabbit in a snare. He stumbles across the outlaw Jack Wittington lying half dead in the wilds. He takes the wanted man in, heals him, and in return for saving his life, the smooth-talking criminal invites Crow to join his family. Starved for human interaction and a father figure, Crow leaves the mountains behind for what he assumes will be a brighter future.

Six years pass. Crow is now a man, as well as a member of the Wittington Gang. He may be considered an outlaw, but his father’s morals are warring loudly with the lifestyle of his adopted family. When the gang decides to rob a train, Crow has no choice but to go along to keep a tight rein on the more bloodthirsty members. It doesn’t take long for the scheme to go horribly astray.

Instead of gold-filled coffers, the gang finds Spencer Haughton, son of cattle baron and railroad tycoon Woodford Haughton, cowering in the family’s opulent private car. The outlaws grab the sickly heir in hopes of ransoming him off. Things then go from bad to worse for them when the law rides down on the Wittington hideout and Crow is given Spencer to hide until the ransom is paid. The pretty young man is nothing at all like anyone Crow has ever met before. Delicate, refined, well-educated, and possessed of a singing voice to rival the songs of the birds in the trees, Crow slowly finds himself falling for the winsome rich boy. But can two such opposite souls find the love they’re both seeking in each other’s arms?

Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: What We May Be

AUTHOR: Layla Reyne

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 2540 KB

RELEASE DATE: August 16, 2021

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What we were… 

Sean found love once, with his college roommate, Trevor, and Trevor’s best friend, Charlotte.
The missing piece, Sean made it possible for Trevor and Charlotte to find love too.
But then Sean left and took the love with him.

What we are… 

Now an FBI agent, Sean is back in town, ten years later, to investigate a murder.
A case that pits him against his ex-lovers—Charlotte, a local detective, and Trevor, a literature professor sucked into the Shakespearean mystery.
Everyone guards their hearts, but before long, desire sparks anew the feelings that burned hot a decade ago. That still burn true.

What we may be… 

Love is within their grasp again, but as the killer escalates, it’s more than just their hearts and futures on the line.
Sean, Charlotte, and Trevor will need to work together to solve the case.
If they can’t, lives will be lost and pieces of their love gone for good.

Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  String Theory

AUTHORS:  Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James

PUBLISHER:  Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH:  307 pages

RELEASE DATE:  June 29, 2021

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For Jax Hall, all-but-dissertation in mathematics, slinging drinks and serenading patrons at a piano bar is the perfect remedy for months of pandemic anxiety. He doesn’t expect to end up improvising on stage with pop violinist Aria Darvish, but the attraction that sparks between them? That’s a mathematical certainty. If he can get Ari to act on it, even better.

Ari hasn’t written a note, and his album deadline is looming. Then he meets Jax, and suddenly he can’t stop the music. But Ari doesn’t know how to interpret Jax’s flirting—is making him a drink called Sex with the Bartender a serious overture?

Jax jumps in with both feet, the only way he knows how. Ari is wonderful, and Jax loves having a partner who’s on the same page. But Ari’s struggles with his parents’ expectations, and Jax’s with the wounds of his past, threaten to unbalance an otherwise perfect equation. Can they prove their double act has merit, or does it only work in theory?

Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Change of Plans

SERIES: Plans, #3

AUTHOR: Addison Albright

PUBLISHER: JMS Books

LENGTH:  102 pages

RELEASE DATE:  July 17, 2021

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Sequel to The Best-Laid Plans

Once upon a time, two handsome young princes fell in love, faced down adversity, and lived happily-ever-after … until one romantic evening, they unwittingly ate a confection laced with a mind-wiping toxin.

Crown Prince Efren of Zioneven blindsided Prince Marcelo of Sheburat when he used The Contingency Plan embedded in a peace treaty to marry the naïve young prince. Now, Marcelo is shocked again when he awakens in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar land, in the arms of a stranger who’s taking such liberties!

Will that ignominious new beginning to their relationship doom their chances at rekindling their love? Or will Efren’s giddiness and the less formal surroundings of Zioneven propel them toward a more teasingly fun rapport?

Marcelo and Efren have forgotten more than their love. On their journey home to Zioneven, their Best-Laid Plans went awry when Marcelo was abducted. Now, neither remembers the unexpected strength of character and ingenuity Marcelo manifested to survive his harrowing ordeal, or Efren’s frantic search for his new husband.

Were Marcelo and Efren specifically targeted for the Forget-Me-Not poisoning, or were they the victims of a random assault? Is this new attack related to Marcelo’s abduction and his sister’s death? Will Marcelo revert to his old mild-mannered, unassuming self, or will he step up to prove he’s the same brave man his new family claims he is amid the fresh danger swirling around them?

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Puzzle

SERIES: White House Men #6

AUTHOR: Nora Phoenix

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 298 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 4, 2021

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Branson loves his job as an analyst for the CIA. Working on the investigation into the assassination of the president is fascinating, and even more so when Ryder, a geeky forensic accountant without a filter, joins the team.

But Ryder doesn’t seem to like Branson. At all. And when he explains to Branson why, Branson is forced to face an uncomfortable truth in the mirror Ryder holds up. Somewhere along the way, he lost sight of who he really is.

As they make crucial breakthroughs in the investigation, Branson is determined to change and earn Ryder’s approval. It seems to work when his tentative friendship with Ryder gets benefits added to it. Really good benefits thanks to a bossy bottom who knows what he wants and Branson having just the right tool for the job.

Sparks fly high between them, and much more is at stake than Branson ever thought possible. Can he become a man worthy of Ryder’s love? Can he show Ryder, who’s got his own wounds and baggage, that he has truly changed?

Puzzle is the sixth book in the White House Men series, a continuing MM romantic suspense series set in the White House that needs to be read in order. It ends with a HEA.

Reviewed by Stephen K

TITLE: Last Romance

AUTHOR: Matt Burlingame

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 363 Pages

RELEASE DATE: July 1^st 2021

Garrett spent his life preparing for “one day.” One day he’d meet the man of his dreams. One day he’d have a family. One day he’d travel to all the places he’s dreamed of seeing. Then came the one day he hadn’t prepared for. The day he was told his “one days” were about to run out. Will that be enough to make Garrett stop dreaming and finally start living?

Last Romance is a moving look at 48 year old Garrett Gilmore who is grappling with the reality of falling in love with 29 year old actor Justin Dixon, who has agreed to be his companion through the final months of his life. Is the feeling mutual or is the younger man just acting the part out of kindness? Enter David Wong, a muscular, take-charge cruise director who makes no bones about his carnal interest in Garrett.

A plethora of colorful characters, challenging situations, and existential realities round out this passionate, raw, and at times sexually charged, tale of humanity, and the lesson that it is never too late to find chosen family and true love.

Reviewed by True

TITLE: Seb’s Summer

SERIES: Maine Men #3

AUTHOR: K.C. Wells

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

LENGTH: 282 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 14, 2021

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Steamy summer nights with a hot older man aren’t the smooth sailing Seb expects.

A mysterious older guy

Seb Williams has one plan for the hot, sultry nights of his summer vacation—to get laid. What isn’t on the agenda? Running his uncle’s fishing business. Seb has no choice but to help his family. So it’s goodbye, Ogunquit’s gay bars and hook-ups.
And it’s hello, Cape Porpoise, a quaint, quiet fishing harbor. A small town that promises to be boring AF until he meets Marcus Gilbert. His summer prospects start to look promising. Silver fox—hell yeah. Hot bod? Check. Slow sultry gaze? Oh yes!

Only one problem. Marcus Gilbert plays hard to get.

A hot distraction

Cape Porpoise is exactly how Marcus remembers it from long-past childhood, and just what he needs. A sabbatical to get his life back on track, and work on his book. Peaceful surroundings. The calm of the ocean.

Perfect—until Marcus’s boat is well and truly rocked by a hot, younger guy.

Marcus can’t ignore the lure of Seb’s lean frame and gorgeous eyes. One night can’t hurt, right?

Except one night leads to another, and another.

It’s just a summer fling—until it isn’t, and the pair are suddenly in uncharted waters.

Because now, Marcus’s past threatens to tear apart their future.

Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: The Two Stars Collision

SERIES: College Boys of New Haven #3

AUTHOR: Hayden Hall

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 233 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 11, 2021

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When an adorable force meets an irresistible object they might just fall in love.

Miles

Studies astrophysics? Check.  Loves Star Wars? Check.  Still a virgin at twenty-one with zero experience in real life? Double-check.

I didn’t want any fanfare around my twenty-first birthday. But when a series of unfortunate accidents confirming Ramsey’s rules of randomness takes place right in front of my eyes, I find myself dancing with the hottest, most popular jock on campus.

Liam makes me feel special. He makes this night one to remember. He becomes the very first boy I ever kissed. Except it’s all a charade. He’s just making his crazy ex-girlfriend crazier and I’m happy to play along. Call it a kissing practice. But when the door is closed and his ex isn’t around to see us, are we still faking it? Or are we the crazy ones?

Liam

Am I going through one helluva breakup? Yes I am. Am I coping with it by dancing with the first guy who accidentally pissed my ex off? You bet I am.

Hayley and I were supposed to spend our lives together. Well, that was the plan until she changed the plan. She’s now hooking up with some random caveman and I’ll be damned if I’m just going to stand here and watch. Oops, the nerd just kissed me; and you can bet your life I kissed him back. Now she knows what it feels like.

And I discover it feels way better than I expected.

The Two Stars Collision is the third book in the College Boys of New Haven series, but it fully works as a standalone. If this is your first encounter with the series, feel free to start here! You will find a nerd/jock pair, opposites attract, gay for you, and a happily ever after.

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  The Summer of Us

AUTHOR:  Lily Morton

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  222 pages

RELEASE DATE:  November 22, 2016

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It’s going to be a long hot summer.

John is an exceptionally good lawyer. He’s driven, arrogant, and hides a warm heart beneath a façade of cool politeness. He’s used to people disliking him, but for some reason, when meeting Matt in London, the other man’s open dislike bothers him.

He’s therefore surprised to find himself offering Matt a place to stay in his villa in the South of France while he’s working nearby. He’d actually planned to spend the summer working on his book and plotting to get his ex-wife back. However, his perfect plans take a blow as the long hot summer progresses and the two men get closer, and John starts to nurse an unexpected attraction to his houseguest from hell.

Matt is John’s polar opposite. He’s warm, funny, sociable, and scruffy. He loves people, and they love him back. However, to his consternation, he hates John. His arrogance, public school voice, and the air of superiority that he carries around aggravate Matt unbearably. So the idea of staying in his home with just him for company sounds torturous and not in a good way.

However, as the summer days slip by, he’s forced to realise that maybe he’s not such a good judge of character because underneath that arrogance is a warm, vulnerable man who’s incredibly sexy. The only problem is that while Matt is gay, John is straight, and Matt now wants him more than he’s ever wanted anything in his life.

See what happens when two men who think they have nothing in common apart from a past mutual hatred find out that they might be each other’s future.

Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Dawn’s Desire

SERIES:  Prairie Smoke Ranch #1

AUTHOR:  V.L. Locey

PUBLISHER:  self-published

LENGTH:  

RELEASE DATE:  August 14, 2021

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Amid fossils, yarrow, and cattle, two men are about to discover a love bigger than the Wyoming sky.

When Nate Pearson left heartache behind in the big city, he never looked back, he couldn’t bear to. Suffering and loss propelled him westward, but once he laid eyes on the Tetons, he knew he’d found a place where he could hide and heal. For over twenty years, the Prairie Smoke Ranch has been his refuge and his salvation. Working under the pale blue sky, he’s been able to keep the pain buried. Then one day while digging a cattle watering system, Nate and his hands unearth a mound of dinosaur bones that will change his life forever.

Once news of the discovery reaches the local university, paleontology professor Bishop Haney arrives with several undergrads to spend the summer excavating and cataloging the find. At first, Nate is unimpressed with the laid-back, surfer dude with the ocean blue eyes. But as the two opposites get to know each other, Nate discovers Bishop might be the balm his aching soul needs.