Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Pros & Cons of Obsession

SERIES: Pros & Cons #5

AUTHOR: AE Wasp

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 295 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 17, 2021

BLURB:

A jaded lawman on the wrong side of the law. A vigilante conman with a passion for justice. An obsessed stalker who wants them dead. If they’re going to have a future, they’re going to have to confront the past. 

★★★★★

When the past comes calling, there’s nowhere you can hide.

Once upon a time, a conman and a lawman walked into a bar. That conman turned the worst day of my life into the best. My name is Leo Shook. I’m an FBI Special Agent with a secret that could cost me my life.

As if it wasn’t bad enough that my association with Charlie got me suspended from the Bureau, but when Charlie died, he posthumously blackmailed me into babysitting his team of criminals while they ran around the country doling out Charlie’s brand of vigilante justice.

Then Charlie came back from the dead and things went from bad to worse.

Now I’m trapped in a freaky bunker by an obsessed stalker and Charlie is running around at this monster’s beck and call.

I don’t know where I am. I don’t know where Charlie is. I don’t know who my captor is. All I know is that if I don’t get out of here ASAP, I’m a dead man walking.

FIVE MEN. FIVE CHANCES FOR REDEMPTION.

One thing’s for sure, they’re no angels.

★Pros & Cons of Obsession is book 5 in the series and NOT a standalone. You’ll be much less confused if you’ve read the first four.★

Reviewed by True

TITLE: A Human’s Guide to Wooing an Asexual Incubi

SERIES: Against the Grain #2

AUTHOR: Nikole Knight

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

LENGTH: 194 pages

RELEASE DATE: July 23, 2021

BLURB:

The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.

Ellian has a problem, and his name is Felix Masters. When Ellie, a high society male succubus, joins Against the Grain, he has a foolproof plan: attend the support group for supernatural misfits, figure out how to correct his… abnormality, and then return to the Incubi compound to join his betrothed. For once in Ellie’s suffocatingly controlled existence, he will bring honor to his family name, regardless of the personal cost. As long as a certain awkwardly sweet human does not ruin his carefully laid plans.

Felix Masters has a problem, and his name is Ellian. Felix never meant to crash into a therapy group for magical oddballs, but that single stumble changes his world forever. Magic, glamour, and succubus tails are only the beginning, and when faced with a skittish Incubi dead set on self-destruction, Felix is determined to change Ellie’s mind and, with a little bit of luck, capture his heart as well.

An asexual succubus trapped by fate and expectation. An insecure human desperate to set him free. Join Felix and Ellie as they find acceptance, courage, and unconditional love in the one place they never expected: each other.

Against the Grain is a shared world trilogy full of awkward characters, hilarious meet-cutes, and hard-fought happily ever afters. Each book in this urban fantasy rom-com can be read as a standalone.

Possible triggering material includes: Supernatural culture “norms” that border on child abuse (past), emotional abuse, and dubious consent (non-graphic/off-page). One character struggles with a form of gender dysphoria and self-harm manifesting in a type of eating disorder. There is one instance of on-page marijuana use. Side note: mpreg exists in this magical race/universe, but it is not featured on page or experienced by the main characters.

Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Positive Raleigh

SERIES: The Lonely Heroes (Book 5)

AUTHOR: Sam E. Kraemer

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 252 pages

RELEASE DATE: September 7, 2021

BLURB:

Raleigh ‘Nemo’ Wallis

“Positive.” That’s the first thing I remember when I think about my time in the Navy as a SEAL on Team Two.  There were many missions and assignments during my time in, but that one word would define my Navy experience and shape the course of my life until I finally died.  I’d made the decision to live a celibate life, so nobody in my life had to hear the word for themselves because of one stupid decision I’d made years ago.

I’d suffered a lot of loss in my life, and for so many years I felt as if I was the black cloud in everyone else’s life so I did my best to stay detached from people as much as I could but still effectively do my job.  That was until I was hit with the dreaded “dying wish” from one of the few people I allowed into my heart.

That was when I became reacquainted with Benji Hoffman, a family friend from years ago.  I had no clue when I began protecting him while he was on the campaign trail he would be the one who would make me rethink my solitary life.  One question I couldn’t reconcile in my mind was how I could love him and not kill him?

o-0-o

Benjamin Hoffman

Running for the U.S. House of Representatives wasn’t a childhood ambition.  I was a lawyer by trade because it was the family business, but the opportunity to run for the General Assembly came up, and my best friend and partner-in-crime from our childhood encouraged me to run.

When I won the seat, I thought that would be as far as I’d go in politics.  Unfortunately, a sitting representative in the House was accused of spanking a member of his staff, and the man was forced to step down, retiring under the auspices of failing health.  Once again, I found myself on the campaign trail, only this time, it seemed as if someone was working behind the scenes to undermine me.

My financial director detected issues with my campaign account, and when my campaign office in my hometown went up in flames, I knew I had a problem on my hands.  Getting my backside kicked at a quick stop after a campaign rally had me saddled with something I never thought I’d need…a bodyguard in the form of my childhood crush, Raleigh Wallis.  How could I survive being with that man every day and not die of longing for him?

Raleigh had the stone-cold persona down, but he took my safety seriously.  Was it because he actually cared about me, or was it because someone he loved cared about me?  If I could get him to trust me enough to open up, maybe we could be friends?  God knew I wanted a lot more, but it seemed as if I was alone in my yearning.  I knew I loved Raleigh Wallis from the time I was fifteen.  Were his protective instincts toward me based on something more than a self-inflicted sense of obligation?

Please Note: This book contains material which may be offensive to some readers, and deals with difficult themes including character deaths and HIV/AIDS.  It includes graphic language, violence, adult situations, and descriptions of sexual activity between two, consenting adult males.  This fictional story is intended for adults over 18 and is approximately 96,000 words in length.  It is the fifth book in “The Lonely Heroes Series,” but it can be read as a stand-alone book.  I hope you enjoy it.

Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE: Declared

SERIES: Star Marked Warriors Book 2

AUTHOR: Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes

PUBLISHER: Self-published

LENGTH: 202 pages

RELEASE DATE:  September 9, 2021

BLURB:

An alien warrior, a kidnapped mate, and a traitor waiting to take everything from them both…

Wesley: I’ve always loved space. Give me Star Trek over Lord of the Rings any day. Since I was a kid, all I’ve wanted is to explore the great beyond, to boldly go and all that jazz. And with my feet firmly stuck on Earth, the way I reach for the stars is through developing video games. The biggest issue there? Well, I can’t keep a job beyond one project.

But all that staring at the night sky finally gets me somewhere when a tractor beam drops down from the sky in the Appalachian mountains and drags me up into an incredible spaceship full of big, scary, delicious-looking alien warriors. I’ve always fantasized about seeing the universe, but the reality—a handsy, grinning warrior—is so much more than I bargained for.

Jax: I have a problem—I am the son of Zul the Proeliator, greatest Thorzi warrior, and I have had no chance to honor my legacy on the battlefield. When our people were dying out, they took human mates and produced a generation of hybrid children. But the hybrid sons of the planet Thorzan are protected, privileged, and wasted. All my life, I have been companion and protector to Prince Kaelum instead of a proper warrior.

And now my enemies have come to believe that a younger generation of spoiled hybrids makes Thorzan ripe for invasion. When attack comes, it’s closer to home than expected, and I may be forced to choose between duty and protecting the beautiful man whose bright mind has caught my heart.

By popular cowriting duo Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes, Declared is an M/M SciFi alien romance with a hybrid warrior trying to prove his worth, a lost human looking for stable ground, and battles that will prove sometimes, the only thing a warrior can do when tested is survive.

Reviewed by Stephen K

TITLE: One Little Word

AUTHOR: F.N.Manning

PUBLISHER: Self-published

LENGTH: 204 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 28^th 2017 (Re-released June 2021)

BLURB:

What would you do if the most popular guy in high school asked you for a favor?

Ryan Miller’s intellect goes beyond his smart mouth. So when a desperate jock approaches him with a wild plan, he knows getting close to a gorgeous straight boy is a terrible idea. But being openly gay and a science geek in a small town means his social calendar is wide open. And besides, Ryan has a plan of his own…

As a junior, Luke Chambers is already high school royalty. The captain of the baseball team, he has a seemingly endless supply of friends. Yet none of them can help when he screws up. Instead, he must depend on the one classmate who seems to hate him. Luke’s sure it can’t get worse, but he just might be falling for the nerdy guy anyway.

Fearing his feelings, Luke wants to return to his normal life. Ryan wants a boyfriend who wants him back. And when someone else is willing to be that guy, Luke must speak up or risk losing Ryan before ever really having him. If one little word brought them together, how many words will it take to make Ryan stay?

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  Not What It Seems

AUTHOR:  Nicky James

PUBLISHER:  Self Published

LENGTH:  314 pages

RELEASE DATE:  September 6, 2021

BLURB:

Renowned psychiatrist Dr. Cyrus Irvine takes his job and his life very seriously. He is well-respected in his field and has worked hard to get where he is. But he’s lonely.

When called in to evaluate a murder suspect, the last person he expects to find is the man he slept with a few months ago. The man who ghosted him and wounded his fragile heart.
Ethically, he should turn around and walk away, but he doesn’t. For as much as Cyrus understands the human brain, he can’t understand the pull he feels toward the patient.
One session with River Jenkins and Cyrus is sure of three things: River and everything about his preliminary diagnosis is a lie, his feelings toward River haven’t gone away, and despite his professional code, he isn’t going anywhere.

Someone needs to get to the bottom of this.
Cyrus’s world is turned upside down as he and River team up to find the truth.
During their quest for answers, Cyrus discovers the hardest part of his decision isn’t the risk to his career, it’s the risk to his heart.

Reviewed by Anna Lynn

TITLE:  Tourist Attraction

SERIES:  Destination Daddies

AUTHORS:  Luna David and Honey London

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH:  166 pages

RELEASE DATE:  August 26, 2021

BLURB:

When an ER doctor rescues an accident-prone boy on a tropical island getaway, is it true love or just a tourist attraction?

Gavin doesn’t do relationships. Sure, he’s a Daddy, but he’s married to his job. So a kinky vacation to Turks and Caicos, where he can find a boy-of-the-week, is exactly what he needs to temporarily sate his Daddy desires. What he doesn’t need is to find an awkward and brilliant boy in the Miami airport who makes him question everything before his vacation has even begun.

Ollie needs a Daddy… and a doctor as well. He inadvertently injures himself on a daily basis so when he literally stumbles into Gavin, it seems like a match made in heaven. Ollie regularly relies on his trusty first aid kit, but when he learns Gavin isn’t looking for something serious, Ollie realizes he can’t put a bandage on a broken heart.

Will Gavin be able to make room in his life for the perfectly imperfect Ollie after they return to Miami, or will a week of playing doctor become nothing more than a fond memory?

Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE:  Lancelot

SERIES: Theriot Family Book 3

AUTHOR: Silvia Violet

PUBLISHER: Self-published

LENGTH:  282 pages

RELEASE DATE: September 9, 2021

BLURB:

When I met Julian, I wanted to hate him. He’s my opposite in every way.

I’m impulsive. A rule breaker. A criminal.

He likes things quiet and orderly.

But when I made demands, he stood his ground, and I knew I had to have him. I never imagined a mousy, uptight librarian could push all my buttons, but he does.

To win him over though, I’ll have to do the impossible: Prove that occasionally, I can be reserved and restrained. And show Julian that he can trust a criminal with his heart.

Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE: Tapped by My Roommate

SERIES:  Thrust Into Love Book 3

AUTHOR: DJ Jamison

PUBLISHER: Self-published

RELEASE DATE: September 9, 2021

LENGTH: 354 pages

BLURB:

Ethan Greene: Shy geek, newly bi-curious, and…propositioning his gay roommate?

I have a passion for a lot of things: wildlife biology, Godzilla, bowties…
But when it comes to people, I’m more timid.
Which is why I’m stuck with a toxic ex-girlfriend who’s holding my lizard hostage.

I need to face her–and save my dignity.
But a little backup won’t hurt, right?

My roommate is the perfect wingman.
Rhett is assertive and charismatic. The kind of guy people respect.
And when he meets my ex, he’s also the kind of guy to get protective.

I take comfort in his strength, even as I envy it.
But when he kisses me, things get awkward.

Frustrated by the tension between us, I turn to a hookup app for answers.
I don’t mean to proposition my roommate. Really.
It’s just a weird fluke–a mortifying one.

But Rhett has a proposition of his own.
He wants to help me explore my curiosity.
But he’s a bartender who practically flirts for a living, and I’m in way over my head.

It could all end in heartbreak.
Unless I find the courage I’ve been seeking my whole life.
Can I be bold enough to ask Rhett Hayes to be mine?

Tapped By My Roommate is Book 3 of the Thrust into Love series featuring a flirty bartender, a timid but passionate geek, and a mistaken app hookup that encourages these two roommates to explore friendship and love. It can be read as a standalone.

Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Miles High

SERIES: The Grimm Tales of Smoky Vale (Book 4)

AUTHOR: Gianni Holmes

PUBLISHER: Coco Nutz Publishing

LENGTH: 398 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 31, 2021

BLURB:

RUBBLE
One look at a raggedy Miles who crashes the clubhouse and every instinct in his body is to keep and protect. Then he hears three words that would seal his fate.
When Miles no longer needs his protection, Rubble must find an excuse to see him again. But Miles’s hot and cold reaction is sending Rubble mixed signals.

MILES

Miles’s desperate search for a protector leads him right into Rubble’s arms. For the second time.
The huge biker, covered in tattoos, should scare him, but with the enormous threat at his back, all Rubble provides is comfort. He makes Miles feel safe…for the time being.
Everyone thinks the threat to Miles is gone, but there’s an even bigger enemy that’s been haunting him for years. Miles has already caused the demise of one biker. The last thing he needs is for another to be killed while protecting him.
As the darkness that lurks inches closer, what will it take for Miles to trust Rubble to protect him?

Miles High is a protector romance with a sweet virgin, who finds himself embroiled in the pits of an underground operation, and the biker who’ll risk his neck to save him. This book has light Daddy kink, a gruff biker trying to avoid the use of too many f-bombs, illicit activities. Trigger content includes physical, psychological, and sexual abuse

READING ORDER

• Boyfriend Booked 
• Biker Daddy
• Dresses & Cuts
• Fable’s Foes
• Boys Night Out 
• The Mortician 
• Something Old, Something New
• Miles High

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: A Right to Know

SERIES: Count Durham Quad #7

AUTHOR: Jude Tresswell

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 159 pages

RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2021

BLURB:

“A son! A child! How? Why? Fuck! Phil! You can’t have! And does this sperm-child want to see you?”

Abandonment, trust, suspicion and compromise—integral parts of a mystery that involves industrial espionage, sperm donation and coming to terms with oneself and the truth.

Sperm donors know that now, under UK law, offspring who reach eighteen have the right to learn a donor’s identity and last known address, but Phil Roberts donated before the law was changed. He is shocked and dismayed to learn that he has a son called Lewis who intends to visit. Phil’s husband, Raith, is furious—and very scared.

What does Lewis Lennon really want? The man he has always called ‘dad’ is dead. Was his death suicide or was he murdered? Lewis wants Phil to find out. So, Phil, Raith, Mike and Ross, the County Durham Quad, plus their special friend, Nick, are embroiled in another investigation, but, as always, their relationships come under scrutiny too.

Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Five Dead Herrings

SERIES:  Quest Investigations

AUTHOR:  E.J. Russell

PUBLISHER:  Reality Optional Press

LENGTH:  160 pages

RELEASE DATE:  September 4, 2021

BLURB:

Something’s definitely fishy about this case…

On my last stakeout for Quest Investigations, I nearly got clotheslined by a grove of angry dryads. I expected my bosses to reprimand me, but instead they handed me my first solo assignment. Me! Matt Steinitz, the only human on the Quest roster!

Okay, so the mission isn’t exactly demanding. Obviously, the bosses wanted to give me something they think I can’t screw up. I’m determined to show them what I can do, however, so I dive right in with no complaints.

At first glance, it looks as simple as baiting a hook: A selkie’s almost-ex-husband is vandalizing his boat with unwanted deliveries of deceased sea life. All I have to do is document the scene, tell the ex to cease and desist, and present the bill for property damages. Boom. Mission accomplished, another Quest success, and as a bonus, I get to keep my job.

But then things get…complicated. Suspicious undercurrents muddy up my oh-so-easy case. Nothing is as clear as it should be. And the biggest complication? My inappropriate attraction to the client, who may not be as blameless as he claims.

Turns out those dead herrings aren’t the only things that stink about this situation.

Dammit.

Five Dead Herrings is the first in the Quest Investigations M/M paranormal mystery series, a spinoff of E.J. Russell’s Mythmatched paranormal rom-com story world. It contains no on-page sex or violence, and although there is a romantic subplot, it is not a romance.

Reviewed by Taylin

TITLE: Servitude

SERIES: Reagalos #1

AUTHOR: Rebecca Cohen

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

LENGTH: Approx 280 pages

RELEASE DATE: September 2, 2021

BLURB:

Lornyc is good at keeping secrets, because secrets can get you killed.

Lornyc’s forbidden relationship with Methian, heir to Xenetra, has caused him enough grief. Ripped from his life as a student to fulfil a magical contract as punishment for his family’s past, he now has to play valet to Methian for ten years. It’ll be hell on their already strained relationship.

And with his city of Katraman under attack, Lornyc needs to connect to the powers he’s been hiding. If he can’t master his powers and find the leader of the plot, he could lose everything he knows and loves: his family, his future as High Lord, and Methian.

Trigger warning: mind control, attempted assault

Previously published, this second edition has been edited and reworked for release.

Tags:
Secret relationship, Magic and mayhem, What’s this thing on my arm? Romanus you old reprobate, Coming of age, Temporal vampires (sort of). Lornyc’s just about had enough! Methian needs to deal with it, Orbs are shiny, Ooh pretty blue sparkles, Didn’t see that coming, Lornyc looks good in valet clothes, Not ready but no choice, Youngest ever High Lord, That’s gotta hurt, Magical belly rumbles, Pseudo-Regency, Seriously they wear frockcoats, This is just the beginning…

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  Firefly Lane

SERIES:  Briar County #1

AUTHOR:  Riley Hart

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH:  269 pages

RELEASE DATE:  September 7, 2021

BLURB:

At forty-three, Holden Barnett is getting along just fine. His job as a pilot keeps him from getting restless, and he’s got a man who doesn’t want promises for the future. One phone call from his estranged sister changes everything. She needs his help, so Holden drops everything and heads to Harmony, a small town in Briar County, which represents everything he’s tried to avoid in life.

Monroe Covington is forty-five and happy. He loves his life—running his store, helping at his family’s farm, and spending his days with his best friend, Lindsey, and their son, Wyatt. Sure, half the town likes to forget he’s gay, and he’d love for the queer population to be bigger, but Roe makes do. He misses dating, relationships, and a man to hold at night, but at least he gets new eye candy when Holden, the brother of the woman who’s renting his cabin, shows up.

The attraction is instant, the friendship not far behind, but between Holden’s initial relationship status, family complications, and the two of them wanting different things, they’re a disaster waiting to happen…only it doesn’t feel that way, not with how much time they spend talking, laughing, and eventually, tumbling into bed, a field, or the back of a truck together. The closer they get, the more Holden realizes that just being fine isn’t enough, and Roe begins to see that his life isn’t as complete as he thought. Now, if they could only sort out the rest of it…