Reviewed by Cheryl

TITLE: The Forgotten Dead

SERIES: OutFoxing the Paranormal #1

AUTHOR: Jordan L. Hawk

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 178 Pages

RELEASE DATE:  April 15 2022

BLURB:

Parapsychologist Dr. Nigel Taylor doesn’t work with psychic mediums. Until, that is, a round of budget cuts threatens his job and an eccentric old woman offers him a great deal of grant money. The only catch: he must investigate a haunted house with a man she believes to have a true gift.

Oscar Fox, founder of the ghost-hunting team OutFoxing the Paranormal, has spent his life ignoring the same sort of hallucinations that sent his grandmother to an insane asylum. When he agrees to work with the prestigious—and sexy—Dr. Taylor, he knows he’ll have to keep his visions under wraps, so his team can get a desperately needed pay day.

Soon after Nigel, Oscar, and the OtP team arrive at the house, the questions begin to pile up. Why is there a blood stain in the upstairs hallway? What tragedy took place in the basement? And who is the spirit lurking in the closet of a child’s bedroom?

One thing is certain: if Oscar can’t accept the truth about his psychic abilities, and Nigel can’t face the demons of his past, they’ll join the forgotten souls of the house…forever.

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  Be My Best Man

AUTHOR:  Con Riley

PUBLISHER:  Figment Ink

LENGTH:  313 pages

RELEASE DATE:  September 7, 2017

BLURB:

~ Will Jason’s third time as a best man lead to first-time love for Vanya?

After fleeing violence in Moscow, student teacher Vanya Petrov winds up lonely in a run-down London hostel. At least visiting the Bond Street store where his roommate works lets him practice his English, but as Vanya’s vocabulary expands, so does his isolation, especially when he sees happy couples planning their perfect weddings.

According to Jason Balfour, weddings are a waste of time and money. After all, he’s been best man for his brother twice already. Saying that a third marriage will end in divorce too leads to an angry ultimatum: to save his relationship with his brother, Jason must meet his fiancée, at last, and make a good first impression.

Jason’s need to dress to impress brings him and Vanya together. Language is no barrier to falling in love with the young and fragile Russian, and neither is their age difference. But Vanya’s bruised soul carries secrets that could rip them apart. As the wedding draws near, Vanya must confess, and soon, or risk losing Jason—his own best man in Britain.

Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Concocted

SERIES:  Fakers #1

AUTHOR:  Zoe Lee

PUBLISHER:  Foolish Endeavors LLC

LENGTH:   213 pages

RELEASE DATE:  April 12, 2022

BLURB:

I’m already on my second chance in Hollywood when a proposal video of scowly, intimidating studio head Argus Waterbury and me goes viral. Except… the sexy silver fox and I met a minute before the video was recorded and it was a proposition, not a proposal.

There’s no way I’ll let one silly misunderstanding ruin everything I’ve worked for, not when I love what I do. So when Argus concocts the perfect Hollywood fairytale, I jump in with everything I’ve got. Good thing Argus has some reputation problems of his own that an engagement to an actor like me can solve. If Argus can learn how to fake being in love with me… and if I can remember it’s fake…

Reviewed by Cindy

TITLE: Constantly Cotton

SERIES: Flophouse #2

AUTHOR: Amy Lane

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 370 Pages

RELEASE DATE: April 5, 2022

BLURB:

When Jason Constance rescued a busload of kidnapped children, he didn’t expect a parade. He didn’t expect to be hunted by mobsters and the military either. Wounded and half out of his mind, Jason finds himself at the tender mercies of an angel-faced nurse named Cotton.

Cotton has just flunked out of porn, and as far as he can tell, he’s flunking life too. Having an injured colonel in his bed seems par for the course, but he’s too busy keeping Jason alive to question how fate brought him there.

But fate isn’t done with them. When they go on the run from the mobsters who shot Jason, there should be no time to fall in love, but neither man seems suited for an average life—or relationship. Jason and Cotton can probably survive homicidal mobsters and rogue military operations. The question is, can they survive the work they’ll have to do to forge a place just for them?

Reviewed by True

TITLE: Plaything

SERIES: My Kinky Housemate #2

AUTHOR: Colette Davison

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 302 pages

RELEASE DATE: April 12, 2022

BLURB:

Can being Beau’s housemate and plaything, transform into forever love?

A one-night stand with my housemate wasn’t the best idea, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting seconds.

Beau is unexpectedly everything I want. He respects me and accepts me the way I am. He takes charge but relinquishes control to me when I feel the need.

Nothing’s ever simple. He might be the Mister Right I didn’t know I was looking for, but he has family issues and we’ve agreed to keep our fling secret from our housemates.

Will he ever want me to be more than his secret plaything?

Plaything is an mm D/s romance. It includes sexy role-play, cross-dressing, spanking, breath play, and a small amount of hurt/comfort. It’s the second book in the My Kinky Housemate Series and, while it can be enjoyed as a standalone, you’ll find out more about the housemates in book one, Sugar Bunny.

Trigger warning: mentions of drug addiction.

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  Hand Picked

SERIES:  Sunday Brothers #2   

AUTHOR:May Archer

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH:  299 pages

RELEASE DATE:  April 11, 2022

BLURB:  

Once upon a time, I moved to Vermont… and wound up accidentally sort of married. Webb Sunday is the straight single dad next door. He’s lumberjack-gorgeous, Strong and steady as the trees in his family orchard, A grumpy fairytale prince…

And entirely off-limits.

Or so I thought.

Until the drunken night the two of us walked into a bar… And landed ourselves in the middle of small-town history. Who knew hand-fasting was still a thing? The town of Little Pippin Hollow did. And once this bunch of meddling Vermonters gets wind of our accidental betrothal, they are determined to see us seal the deal. But while the chemistry between us is hot enough to melt the winter cold, Webb isn’t interested in a relationship…

And I’m not sure how long I can keep pretending I don’t want our hand-fasting to be real. Because while the man might not be the happily ever after I came to Vermont for… He’s looking more and more like the one who’s been hand-picked for me.

Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: To Not Date My Best Friend

SERIES: The Simple Rules #2

AUTHOR: Gianni Holmes

PUBLISHER: Coco Nutz Publishing

LENGTH: 264 pages

RELEASE DATE: April 12, 2022

BLURB:

What do you do when you meet the man of your dreams, but you’re already engaged? You become best friends and hope for the best.

BAZ

It was a meet-cute that should have come with a happy ending. I was hardly at my best when I caught Andy snapping photos of me topless in the name of street photography. I fired angry words at him. In exchange, he gave me his jacket to keep me warm. Thus began our friendship and an unrequited crush on a man who was about to get married.

ANDY

After a photography assignment in the Middle East left me scarred, I have no choice but to face the many issues in my life—my marriage is over, my wife has moved on, and I may never hold another camera between my hands. But there’s no hurdle I can’t get over once I have my best friend, Baz, in my life. When he tries to transition from a stylist to a journalist at the magazine where he works, he enlists my help in writing a column. How can I prove to him that moving from best friends to lovers makes sense when he’s determined to prove the opposite?

To Not Date My Best Friend is a bi-awakening romance between a plus-sized stylist who’s claimed his place in the fashion world and a bi-curious photographer who happens to be his best friend. This book can be read as a standalone and has mild angst in some parts.

Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE:  Death of the Moon

SERIES:  Secrets of the Moon #1

AUTHOR:  S.A. Pavlik

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  321 pages

RELEASE DATE:  April 14, 2022

BLURB:

A werewolf with secrets.

Alec Channing has lived a long life, and he’s just going through the motions, lost in his troubled past, until fellow werewolves and shifters start dying around him. An increase in werewolf attacks only adds to Alec’s problems. As his past closes in, his only hope lies in one man—an unaware human whose vanilla and spice scent and easygoing attitude draw Alec in. However, Alec can’t help but worry about what will happen when that man uncovers the truth about Alec’s preternatural world.

A homicide detective who is out of his depth.

Detective Damien O’Connor joined the Columbus Police Department to bring closure to victims and their families—closure that he never got for himself. But when none of the evidence adds up for what should be a routine death investigation, he’s floundering. As the bodies continue to pile up, the sweet man who has caught Damien’s eye is at the center of the storm. When closely guarded secrets start to emerge, can Damien reconcile himself to an entirely new reality—and solve the case that might also save the man he’s come to care for?

Death of the Moon is Book One of the Secrets of the Moon trilogy, an 84k-word M/M, paranormal crime/mystery romance, with an HFN ending. While there is a complete story arc in this book, there are plot threads that will carry on throughout the trilogy. There is language and explicit intimate scenes not suitable for readers under the age of 18. Warnings: MC with PTSD, past torture implied through flashbacks, dealing with grief.

Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Summer Boy

SERIES: All American Boy Series

AUTHOR: TL Travis

PUBLISHER: Sapphire Publishing

LENGTH: 115 pages

RELEASE DATE: April 14, 2022

BLURB:

Summer romance is not for those who are led by their heart.

For Jonah Thomas, life is wake up, eat breakfast, go to work at his family’s restaurant Ahoy Matey’s. Lather, rinse, repeat. Next! His hometown, the sleepy little Stoney Brook, Maine, doesn’t offer much for someone like Jonah.

He’s not really living and has no clear path in front of him. Jonah merely…exists.

Party boy, Micah Hannigan is determined to enjoy the summer before his final year of college. Stoney Brooke, Maine is not on his bucket list. Two weeks there with his family is a life sentence, especially when his friends are living it up on the beaches of Florida where he should be.

Micah has plans, lots of them but he’d never factored in meeting the beautiful and intriguing Jonah Thomas.

It’s crazy how love always finds a way when you least expect it.

Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Hired: Hadley

SERIES: The Foster Brothers #2

AUTHOR: Nora Phoenix

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 325 pages

RELEASE DATE: April 8, 2022

BLURB:

USA Today bestselling author Nora Phoenix continues the contemporary gay romance series The Foster Brothers with Hadley, who falls for the worst guy possible: his grumpy billionaire boss.

Sebastian LeClerc is richer than Midas. He’s also a grumpy a**hole, a playboy, and the world’s worst boss. At least, according to Hadley, who was crazy enough to take the job as Sebastian’s PA.

Big mistake. Huge.

Sebastian may look like Richard Gere, but he’s nowhere near that charming. Everyone cowers and seeks cover when he’s in the room. Hadley can’t believe Sebastian’s really that bad and that there has to be a reason for his bad attitude, but he seems to be the only one.

Except Sebastian does seem to appreciate Hadley, calling him his sunshine. And when something nice comes out of his mouth on occasion, Hadley’s heart is all aflutter.

Oh no.
It can’t be.
Has Hadley fallen for his boss?

Hired is the second book in The Foster Brother series, a contemporary MM romance series about four men who chose to be brothers that can be read as stand alones. It has a grumpy billionaire boss, a sunshiney assistant, falling for the boss, hella hot chemistry, and a sweet guy who soaks up praise like a dying plant.

Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Uprising

SERIES:  Rebellion #3

AUTHOR:  Annabelle Jacobs

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  258 pages

RELEASE DATE:  April 7, 2022

BLURB: 

Isaac had lost Michael once. He wouldn’t survive a second time…

Michael

Five years ago, he became the alpha of the most influential London pack. Responsible for monitoring and suppressing the human resistance, also known as the Candidate Evacuation Group.
A group he’d secretly founded.
Now exposed and on the run, labelled a traitor by his peers, he finds refuge in the home of the man he left behind. The only man he’s ever loved.
For Michael, that love burns as bright as it always has, but they’ve been apart a long time. He can’t expect Isaac to still feel the same.
But he can hope.

Isaac

When Michael left for London after the war, he took Isaac’s heart with him, promising to return when the time was right. But that took longer than either of them expected.
Now he’s back, with the whole of the Shifter Alliance Party out for his blood. But being together is hard. Long-buried feelings bubble to the surface, and rekindling an old romance is low on the list of priorities—they have a rebellion to fight.
Isaac will protect Michael with his life.
Always.
But trusting him with his heart again isn’t nearly as easy.

Uprising is an angsty MM paranormal romance with second chances, suspense, and all the feels.

Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Blood on Holly

SERIES: Serial Investigation #9.5

AUTHOR: Rhiannon D’Averc

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 90 pages

RELEASE DATE: November 1, 2021

BLURB:

The first Christmas is always special…

William Wallace is a nerd. Friendless, alone, and focused on his studies. Now he’s training to join the police force, the last thing he expects is to find someone who actually wants to spend Christmas with him. Anything is better than another year around the table with Ambassadors and politicians, with formal talk and wine.

Julius Rakktersen is a rockstar. He doesn’t have to take anything seriously, because he knows he can get away with it. But the trouble is, he can’t trust that anyone actually likes him for himself – and not just because of his father’s name. This year, things might be different. Anything would be better than facing his father over turkey and sprouts.

Join the boys for a Christmas interlude in this novella, set years before Bloodless – soon after they first met in training. With no crimes or cases, get to know them – and their feelings for each other – a bit better before jumping back into the action. And look out for a special appearance from another old friend…

Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Devin’s Boys

SERIES: All American Boy Series

AUTHOR: Layla Dorine

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 165 Pages

RELEASE DATE: April 11, 2022

BLURB:

Coming home was supposed to be the end of something, until Mikal barreled into his life….and he wasn’t alone.

For Devin McKay, music has been his lover, his drug, and his best friend for as long as he can remember, but there was always something he denied himself while he pursued it. Now that his band has broken up and he’s returned to his hometown of Stoney Brook, he’s settled into a new, somewhat drunken routine, while he tries to get accustomed to this new phase in his life. The last thing he expected was an old friend to send a troubled young musician his way.

Mikal needs help, or rather, his best friend, Moon, needs help getting over the blinding bouts of stage fright that have been plaguing him for the last year. He’ll do anything to get to the root of Moon’s issues, even follow along with the unorthodox methods Devin prescribes for them. After all, Devin was a success in the industry, while Mikal and Moon have been struggling to get a foot in the door.

They aren’t the only ones struggling. Moon’s longtime friend with benefits, Derrick, spends most days rudderless and pretending to be okay. There are things he needs that Moon tries desperately to give him, but Moon has needs too. All their pieces have jagged edges, but with a little twisting and turning, and a lot of songs, they might discover a way they can all fit.

Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE: Halfway Down

SERIES: The Boys of Horseshoe Lake #1

AUTHOR:  B. Ripley

PUBLISHER:Self-Published

LENGTH:225 pages

RELEASE DATE:  March 30, 2022

BLURB:

Alex

I don’t know how to be alive anymore.

I didn’t plan for this, didn’t ask for this, yet here I am.

Six months ago, the man I love offered me a promise I couldn’t accept. He couldn’t see the darkness inside me that had lived there since my brother’s death when we were just children. He didn’t know how broken I was, how unworthy of his love I felt. Why would he love me when my own parents couldn’t?

The day I stepped into the water was the day he learned of the monster I truly am but instead of running away Robin stayed by my side. He loves me more than I will ever deserve and I will spend the rest of my life making sure he knows how sorry I am.

I don’t know how to be alive anymore, but for him I will try.

Robin

I don’t know how to trust anymore.

I didn’t plan for this, didn’t ask for this, yet here I am.

For two years, Alex and I appeared to be on the same page, heading for a lifetime of moments together. One decision changed everything and I don’t know how to let go of the fear that lingers deep inside me. I spend my days watching him, waiting for the phone call to tell me that he’s gone again and this time he won’t be coming back.

When tragedy strikes our lives, I am terrified that this will be the moment I lose him again but I have to believe that we can make it through. I love Alex more than he thinks he deserves, but I will spend the rest of my life making sure he knows he is cherished.

I don’t know how to trust anymore, but for him I will try.

Halfway Down is a MM Romance featuring two men in love trying to survive the waves that keep crashing into their shores. Trigger warnings: suicidal ideation (intense depiction of depressive episodes), suicide attempt/death (drowning – graphic detail), traumatic childhood (kidnapping, molestation, murder – mentioned without graphic detail), the death of a character within the narrative

Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Pretty Boy

SERIES: All American Boy Series

AUTHOR: K.C. Kassidy

PUBLISHER: Ten28 Publishing LLC

LENGTH: 178 Pages

RELEASE DATE: April 12, 2021

BLURB:

Finn

It’s true what they say. Possessing a pretty face has its perks, especially one I’ve relied on since I began modeling at seventeen. It’s paid for my college education and sent me around the world – all without taking a single dime from dad.

But it never got me what I truly wanted: his approval.

That’s the reason I’m in Stoney Brook, Maine.

To make a difference and prove to my dad I’ve changed.

What I don’t expect in this lobster fishing town is to catch feelings for a certain lobsterman. But Mason Proctor reeled me in, hook, line, and sinker.

Mason

I’m a homebody whose twenties are passing me by.

Something I hadn’t realized until I met Finn Caldwell, the pretty boy who breezed into town and hooked me with his smile. I want to be more like him; daring and fun.

The problem is my dad’s lobster business keeps me anchored down in a job, a town, and a future I don’t want.

I’ve played the role of good and loyal son long enough. I need to break free and live life on my terms. But I don’t have it in me to cut ties and tell my parents the truth.

Finn and I may be different, but we both have something to prove. He needs to prove his worthiness to his father.

I only need to prove my bravery to one man.

Myself.

New All American Boy MM series:

Ahoy, mate! Welcome to Stoney Brook, Maine, a quaint New England town filled with hot lobstermen, entertaining establishments, and the annual summer Tall Ships Festival where you may get swept away in the sea of love.

Come aboard and fly your LGBTQIA flag to find love as tourist season is in full bloom in this small, coastal fishing town.

The All American Boy Series is proud to deliver brand new gay romance books by 9 authors in a shared world experience. All books are standalone but may include cross-over in characters or scenes.