Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE: Mountain Topped

AUTHOR: K.M. Neuhold and Mia Monroe

PUBLISHER: Self-published

LENGTH:  221 pages

RELEASE DATE:  January 7, 2022

BLURB: 

Can a fantasy about being shared turn into something more? Bowen’s about to find out when he gets Mountain topped.

Is there a bigger gay cliché than falling in love with your straight best friend? Oh, I know; a random hookup with a dude from the gym.

I didn’t think I’d ever manage to fall for anyone other than the unattainable Hawthorne, but the more time I spend with Aldis the more I… like him.

As for my straight best friend… do straight guys usually stare so much when you’re wearing gray sweatpants?

I never thought the drunken admission of my deepest fantasy would lead to the three of us hooking up and Hawthorne looking at me like that. Now my best friend and my hookup-turned-more are bonding over their shared love of mountain climbing, the three of us are, ahem, exploring, and I’m hoping this is more than just a messy fling.

Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Navarro

SERIES:  Rebel Sky Ranch #

AUTHOR:  Kelly Fox

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  295 pages

RELEASE DATE:  December 28 , 2021

BLURB: 

My late wife made a bet with me: if I marry her brother, I have to take his last name.

“That’s the rule. You marry two Navarros, you become one of us.”

Renée always did have a sense of humor—even as she was dying—but I’ll never love anyone the way I loved her. Falling for my brother-in-law? Psh. Desi’s almost twenty years younger than me and far too pretty.

Besides, my son would never forgive me.

Still, it’s getting harder and harder to deny our chemistry with every encounter. I just want to pretend that none of this is happening.

God, what if I can’t keep pretending?

The worst kept secret at Rebel Sky Ranch is that I’m deeply, tragically in love with Wyatt Goodnight.

Not only is he my late sister’s husband, but he may have changed my diapers once upon a time. And his son, my best friend, hates the fact that I’m in love with his father.

Complicated doesn’t even begin to cover it.

There are times when I think I’m the only person who sees the real Wyatt. The man who sacrificed everything for my sister, who moved heaven and earth to try to save her. The man who wants a life beyond the ranch.

But he denies us, ignores his own feelings, and pretends that his hands don’t know the exact weight and measure of me.

What if he never sees how good we could be together?

Age gap, hurt-comfort, size difference.

Reviewed by Cindy

TITLE: Shouting Match

SERIES: Amore Matchmaking Book 1

AUTHOR: Pandora Pine

PUBLISHER: Self-published

LENGTH: 260 Pages

RELEASE DATE: January 11, 2022

BLURB:

After the death of his father, Capone Lombardi was tasked not only with keeping his father’s legacy alive, but also to look after his mother and three younger brothers. Putting his own love life on the back-burner, he’s spent the last five years ensuring the family restaurant, Lombardi’s, thrives. It’s pretty sad that the closest he’s gotten to cuddling is nearly being arrested by a ridiculously hot cop with a hard-on for speed limits.

Forty years old and sick of one-night stands and prowling the bar scene, Detective Fuller Sims goes to local Italian restaurant, Lombardi’s, one night for drinks. What he’s not looking for is the youngest Lombardi brother to talk him into his matchmaking scheme. But Fuller is tired of being alone, and Brando Lombardi insists he knows exactly where to find the man of Fuller’s dreams—his overworked older brother, Capone—the guy Fuller almost arrested a few hours earlier.

Taking a chance on each other, Capone and Fuller find out that Brando might have matchmaking skills after all. When a blizzard sets its sights on the rugged Maine coast, a shouting match between the new lovers sends Fuller out into the raging storm. Can Capone find him before it’s too late?

Shouting Match is book one in the exciting Amore Matchmaking series. It features four gay brothers, their eccentric mother, an ornery goat, and way too much pasta.

Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE: Clean Start at Forty-Seven

SERIES: Forty-Seven Duology, Book 1

AUTHOR: Nora Phoenix

PUBLISHER: Self-published

LENGTH:  261 pages

RELEASE DATE:  January 12, 2022

BLURB: 

I’m done hiding who I am.

Pretending to be straight, to be the loving, devoted husband and successful ER doctor everyone wanted me to be has been exhausting.

I numbed the pain any way I could, and in the end, it cost me everything. My job, my marriage, the relationship with my grown kids.

But now I’m in recovery, and for the first time, I’m living my true life as an out gay man.

I need to get my act together, to get healthy again. Benoni is my new personal trainer…twenty years my junior. He makes my mouth water and certain other body parts react. Oh, and he’s also my son’s best friend.

I’m forty-seven years old. It’s time for a clean start. But where does Benoni fit in?

Clean Start at Forty-Seven is part one of a duology, an emotional MM romance with an age gap, first time gay, loads of hurt/comfort, and the beginnings of a beautiful Daddy/boy relationship. It contains themes of opioid addiction and religious homophobia. Please check the trigger warnings in the front of the book.

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  Iris

SERIES:  Mike Bravo Ops #1

AUTHOR:  Eden Finley

PUBLISHER:  Self Published

LENGTH:  284 pages

RELEASE DATE:  January 20, 2022

BLURB:

Mike Bravo. Knights in shining … camo.

Iris

I live for adrenaline. The thrill of the chase. And because I work for Mike Bravo, a private black-ops firm, it’s my job to go into dangerous situations. But when we’re called in to extract a military team from a hostile situation, the thrill is so much better. Because one of those men happen to be the golden boy from my basic training days.

Brock “Saint” Harlow was a walking Captain America in the flesh. The perfect soldier.

Now my boss wants to recruit him, and I can’t wait to rub it in his face that he was rescued by me. The class clown. I’m not called Iris “I require intense supervision” for nothing.

Saint

Military life is all I’ve known since I was born. I was raised to be a soldier. But when a top-secret mission fails, I find myself suddenly discharged with nowhere to go. Mike Bravo saved my life, and they want me to join them, but there’s one small problem.

Isaac “Iris” Griffin.

He’s as irresistibly snarky as he always was, only there’s a big difference this time. I’m no longer closeted or scared to live my truth. And the truth is, I’ve always wanted him. It’s against Mike Bravo’s rules to fraternize with other team members, and I always follow orders. But something tells me Iris might be worth the insubordination.

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  Catching Out

SERIES:  Rail Riders #3

AUTHOR:  Nicky James

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH:  374 pages

RELEASE DATE:  January 20, 2022

BLURB:

Dodger Valmai is sure about three things:
He is straight.
He will ride the rails until the end of his days.
And there is a serial killer out on the lines.

When rail riders in the community start to go missing, Dodger is convinced the Canadian rail lines have their very own serial killer. When those same riders start turning up dead, he is determined to prove it and get justice for his long-lost comrades.

Brady Thompson has been studying the mythical rail killer and tracking his movements for the better part of a year in his quest to finally write his thesis and obtain his doctorate. But there are holes in his theory, and only one person can help fill in the gaps. He isn’t sure if requesting help from a homeless vagabond on a sketchy freight-hopping forum is the answer, but he is running out of options.
When Brady seeks Dodger out to help him prove a killer exists, Dodger can’t turn him down. With a little more evidence, and a little more proof, they can take their suspicions to the authorities and have the killer caught once and for all.

Dodger isn’t what Brady expects, and he’s unprepared when Dodger says he will only help under one condition: Brady must take to the rails too.
Will this cross-country journey give them the answers they’re looking for? Or will Brady and Dodger discover things they never expected as their summer adventure turns into much, much more.

** Catching Out is the third book in the Rail Rider series and should be read after End of the Line and Lost at the Crossing for full enjoyment. It is a bisexual-awakening novel filled with adventure, suspense, and self-discovery. **

Reviewed by True

TITLE: Got Me Looking

SERIES: Vet Shop Boys #3

AUTHOR: Casey Cox

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

LENGTH: 281 pages

RELEASE DATE: January 24, 2022

BLURB:

A jilted groom and a guy who doesn’t believe in monogamy fall in love? Yeah. Right.

After getting cheated on at my own goddamn wedding, I’m through with men. I’m approaching fifty, and all I’ve ever wanted is to settle down, get married, and live happily ever after. But yeah, that hasn’t exactly worked out great for me.

The last person I expect to understand me is Tate. Sure, he’s cute, curious, and clever. A firecracker with no filter who somehow manages to stay friendly and genuine at the same time. But he isn’t exactly a settle-down kinda guy. Oh, and did I mention he’s also twenty years younger than me?

There’s no way something could ever happen between the two of us, so how is it possible that Tate has got me looking at love––and him––in a whole new light?

Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Backslide

AUTHOR: Nicole Dykes

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 226 pages

RELEASE DATE: January 20, 2022

BLURB:

When you’re young, everything seems brighter, more hopeful, and like anything is possible.

Which is great. But it can also lead to so many mistakes.

Mistakes you promise yourself you’ll never make again.
You promise yourself you’ll be smarter, guard your heart, and make better decisions. And you won’t ever let anyone crush you again.

But what happens when you’re confronted with the past?

Nash Davis is settled and happy, helping his brother and his wife pursue their dreams.

But when his biggest regret comes crashing back into his life, will he have the strength he promised himself he’d have?

Can he keep his walls up? Or will Adrian Walker’s presence be too much?