Monthly Archives: August 2025

Taste of Blood by A.J. Church (Cord & Asher Book #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ Taste of Blood
AUTHOR: ⟫ A.J. Church

SERIES: ⟫ Cord & Asher Book #1
RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ Forever is a long time for a vampire.

I always thought Asher Winston was my forever.
That’s why cutting him out of my life was like cutting off a limb.
But it had to be done.
If I’d stayed, we would have killed each other.
For ten years I avoided him.
Going through the motions.
Empty and alone.
And then that chance meeting on the street.
Now I’m caught in his web again.
I know where this will lead, but I don’t have the strength to end it.
Because as much as I hate it, the only time I can breathe is when he’s near me.

REVIEW: ⟫ This is the first book by A.J. Church that I have read and the premise sounded fascinating. I would say that because Cord and Asher were lovers in the past, the author threw us straight into the meat of the story, with the romance/relationship playing out against the background of a new threat to the vampires of the Crimson Guild. It’s difficult to tell which people we are meant to be rooting for – Dante is an arrogant user, Cord is confusing in the way he pushes and pulls with Asher, and Asher – I can’t put my finger on it. I understand that he loves Cord and wants to be with him, but I don’t understand why he didn’t try to fix things over the ten years that they have been estranged.

There were some pretty heavy descriptions of torture and bloodshed above the whole vampire thing meant that I was taken by surprise a few times – normally, such things aren’t quite as graphic. I’m very glad I knew that this ended on a cliffhanger otherwise I would be seriously ticked off. I am looking forward to part two and hope that it fulfils the promise in this.

Possibly too much ‘filler’ in this book – sometimes it felt like things were very stalled in the investigations, but I would also say that it made it easy to appreciate Cord’s frustration with how things were going. The cliffhanger itself did it’s job – I definitely want to know what happens next! I received an ARC from BookSirens.

Wilde’s End by Saxon James (The Wilde Men #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ Wilde’s End
AUTHOR: ⟫ Saxon James

SERIES: ⟫ The Wilde Men #1
RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ Hudson

Give me the smallest reason to make a bad decision, and I’ll jump in with both feet. Case in point: thinking that drunkenly buying an abandoned town with my brothers is a good idea.
As builders, we plan to renovate and flip the town, maybe turn it into something worth seeing, but the longer we’re here, the more things feel … off.
It’s not until a bearded mountain man breaks into my room in the middle of the night and threatens for us to get out of his town that I realize Wilde’s End isn’t as abandoned as we were told.
But there’s nothing waiting for me in the life I left behind, and in making his demands, Wilde has accidentally tapped into my competitive side.
Terrible decisions? Me?
Wilde can bring it on.

Wilde

I escaped to Wilde’s End twenty years ago, and since then I’ve dedicated my life to the town and the people who live there. Because if I focus on others, I don’t have the time or energy to face everything I’ve been running from.
The Bellamy brothers coming to town is like three horsemen of the goddamn apocalypse. They leave destruction in their wake, and when the eldest, Hudson, ignores my very kind request to leave, it’s time to take things into my own hands. Protecting this town is all I know how to do.
But I’ve never faced someone like Hudson.
His stubbornness matches mine, and his attitude has an irritating way of worming under my skin. The more I push him, the harder he pushes back, until we’re locked in a game neither of us will walk away from.
With his smart mouth, bullheaded recklessness and those damn eyelashes I’m starting to question whether I can win this one.
But if I lose, this town isn’t the only thing on the line.

REVIEW: ⟫ I’m struggling a little with this review. At the beginning, I was devouring this book – Wilde was fascinating, as was Wilde’s End and the Bellamy brothers were entertaining. However, the relationship between Hudson and Wilde was occasionally more than verging on toxic and I struggled with it. There was a long period of time when I wasn’t sure if they even liked each other and I couldn’t see a good way for things to end and for them to reach something resembling a happily ever after.

However, I should have trusted Saxon James to pull out the win in the end. I really enjoyed Kennedy as a caring sibling, and the fact that he could lay some truth on Hudson whilst living his own truth was refreshing and just excellent in it’s execution. I am really interested in Kennedy and Ziggy which is apparently going to be the next book, and I would really like to know why Hartwell is the way he is! Ultimately, I enjoyed reading this one and feel that this could be a very worthwhile series. I received an ARC from Foreword PR.

Unsubmissive Omega by R. Gaen (Leongatha Pack Tales #4)

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TITLE: ⟫ Unsubmissive Omega
AUTHOR: ⟫ R. Gaen

SERIES: ⟫ Leongatha Pack Tales #4
RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Xander is a despised omega living in a house of alphas. And as if that weren’t bad enough, his uncle has plans to get rid of him by giving him to a Pack Alpha in a business transaction.

As an uneducated omega in a world dominated by alphas, Xander’s only defence is his terrible attitude, but that attitude could destroy his new pack, and lose him his one chance at happiness.

When he does finally realize who he can trust, will it be too late?

Content dubcon, explicit sex scenes between men, death of a side-character (& grief), public sex/exhibitionism, kidnapping

REVIEW: I liked the idea of this – an omega that wasn’t submissive, joining a pack unwillingly – sounded like it could be so much fun. I sympathised with Xander – his situation was absolutely awful. However, I struggled with how easily he accepted the things that were told to him – his paranoia around Darius should have extended to other people, or that was what I thought. I found Darius frustrating because he acted so naively about so many things – instead of looking deeper into things, or simply talking to Xander, he just seemed a bit ineffectual. The things he had done for his pack were impressive, but I just wanted more from him. I wanted to see his pack members accepting him as he was, not falling for lies that could be so easily disproved.

I was interested in Xeres, the Mage, and wonder if he’s going to be in another story. Perhaps I didn’t get the nuances involved in this because I haven’t read any of the previous books in the series. The sex was hot and there was a definite connection between Darius and Xander, but ultimately I was disappointed by this read. I received an ARC from Booksprout.

Omega Captive of the Golden Dragon by Wendy Rathbone (Alpha Dragons #3)

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TITLE: ⟫ Omega Captive of the Golden Dragon
AUTHOR: ⟫ Wendy Rathbone

SERIES: ⟫ Alpha Dragons #3
RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ I’m a set-omega and I’ve been sold by my wolf pack to the dragons as a breeder.

My name is Caylen. I’m a wolf shifter whose inner beast is missing. This means I cannot shift. As a set-omega, my pack can’t scent me and I’m officially a non-member. Worse, I have lost all rights and can be sold to the highest bidder.

Dragons are wealthy but omega-poor. To keep their population stable, they have become the biggest set-omega importers and pay the most for breeders.

My fate is in the hands of strangers. I’m afraid but refuse to show it.

On the auction block, someone bids for me with pure gold amid gasps and wonder. What does that even mean? What will happen to me?

MM romance, shifter, dragons, omegaverse, mpreg, first time, size difference, past trauma, rescue, HEA.

Note: This is book three of the Alpha Dragon series but is a standalone read.

REVIEW: ⟫ This was an interesting read based on the premise – a ‘set’ omega is one that cannot or does not have an inner beast. When Caylen presents as such, he knows that he will be sold from his pack and pre-empts the action of his parents.

He is bought at auction and transported to a place of utter isolation to live with an Alpha Dragon who is not only damaged, but wants nothing to do with him. The way in which both Varik and Caylen have suffered was pretty heart-wrenching. Varik in particular has been treated abominably by the people he should have been able to trust with his life and obviously is struggling with paranoia and fear. I did enjoy the relationship that built between the two of them – sleeping in front of the fire sounded so relaxing and seemed to be completely what they needed to let their guards down and see how alike they were. I really enjoyed the relationship between Variksan and Caylen – the respect between them, their desire for an honest connection was a pleasure to read.

I did feel like the second half of the story was rushed – from the time they committed to each other, it felt a bit like a summary of their life rather than reading their story. It’s hard to describe any of this without spoilers and the situation they were in was pretty unique, so I was really wondering just how they were going to reach some kind of happily ever after and ‘normal’ life. The writing style was very easy to get into and the story was well told in general – just a little light at the end.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Pretty Mess by Lily Morton

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TITLE: ⟫ Pretty Mess
AUTHOR: ⟫ Lily Morton
RATING: ⟫ 4.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Kiss him, sleep with him, but don’t ever fall in love with him.

The first time Wes Archer steps into Jack of Clubs, an exclusive London pleasure club, he’s completely confident he can heed the tried-and-true advice about becoming an escort. Wes gives himself away for free with casual hookups all the time. Why not make some cash doing what he already loves? And cash is something he desperately needs. His brother’s gambling addiction has taken their family’s home, saddled Wes with insurmountable debts, and compromised his chances for finishing his degree.

Accepting an offer to spend a few hours of fun with a rich bloke will be a simple business transaction, right?

REVIEW: ⟫ Oh my goodness, this story was just so enchanting! Wes and his non-stop ability to find something to say made me laugh but he also made me want to cry sometimes. He was just such a good guy, with a lovely heart, a sense of humour that made me giggle even when it was inappropriate and the luck of a blind lemming. Cormac was harder to read but it quickly became obvious that although he might not want to be falling for Wes, he totally was. The background cast of characters were intriguing and entertaining; the story moved quickly but didn’t feel rushed and the sex scenes between Wes and Cormac were so hot! I read this book in one sitting, devouring it and wishing there was more even whilst I was so happy with how things ended. Lily Morton has a way of writing characters that are flawed and so human, and it’s what keeps me coming back to her books. My favourite is Charlie Sunshine but this one may well be joining the ranks of my top ten. This story left me with a smile on my face and a lightening in my heart – I cannot recommend it enough.

The Beast by J.R. Ward (The Black Dagger Brotherhood #14)

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TITLE: ⟫ The Beast
AUTHOR: ⟫ J.R. Ward

SERIES: ⟫ The Black Dagger Brotherhood #14
RATING: ⟫ 5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Nothing is as it used to be for the Black Dagger Brotherhood. After avoiding war with the Shadows, alliances have shifted and lines have been drawn. The slayers of the Lessening Society are stronger than ever, preying on human weakness to acquire more money, more weapons, more power. But as the Brotherhood readies for an all-out attack on them, one of their own fights a battle within himself . . .

For Rhage, the Brother with the biggest appetites, but also the biggest heart, life was supposed to be perfect – or at the very least, perfectly enjoyable. Mary, his beloved shellan, is by his side and his King and his brothers are thriving. But Rhage can’t understand – or control – the panic and insecurity that plague him . . .

And that terrifies him – as well as distances him from his mate. After suffering mortal injury in battle, Rhage must reassess his priorities – and the answer, when it comes to him, rocks his world . . . and Mary’s. But Mary is on a journey of her own, one that will either bring them closer together or cause a split that neither will recover from . . .

REVIEW: ⟫ CWell this had me in utter bits at numerous points of the story! JR Ward really knows how to turn the screws and this book was a doozy! It would have been far too easy to leave all of the Brothers happily mated, spawning young and living their best life, but that has never been the situation in Caldwell and Rhage is no exception. It was fantastic to return to his story with Mary, and being reminded of how he loves her was so special. It was also terrifying with V’s premonitions, the plotting and mischief going on, and all of the medical drama. Like, oh my goodness, I was really holding my breath at some points. And yes, I had more than one cry.

I don’t want to spoil this (even though it’s quite old and most people will have read it by now) but suffice to say, I was held hostage by the storytelling and completely enjoyed my return to Rhage, his Mary and their dinosaur. The ending made me so happy, I was squeeing with joy and I am looking forward to reading the further adventures with everything going on. Highly recommended and as a P.S. I cannot wait to see if we get this far in the TV adaptation because I think it would be amazing to watch this on screen!

Starting With Cake by October Arden

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TITLE: ⟫ Starting with Cake
AUTHOR: ⟫ October Arden
RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ “I love you.”

The words hang in the air, as unsettling as the box of snack cakes shoved into Cain’s hands. Russel—the twitchy, socially oblivious office worker who speaks like an alien observing human customs—has never spoken to Cain before today. And Cain, a janitor with a body that betrays him—anxiety, IBS, and a heart still bruised by his ex—doesn’t know how to respond.

Rejecting Russel should be simple, but Russel doesn’t understand rejection.

The snack cakes become elaborate desserts. The awkward confessions grow more persistent, and when Cain’s apartment burns to the ground, leaving him with nothing but the clothes on his back, Russel offers him a bed—temporarily.

Except Russel doesn’t do boundaries.

He cooks meals tailored to Cain’s stomach, remembers Gabby’s love of painting, and helps Angel with his math issues, all without being asked. He sees Cain—his pain, his fierce love for his found family—and cares without expectation.

But letting someone in means confronting the parts of himself he’s spent years locking away. And Russel’s love isn’t the kind you walk away from unscathed.

A hauntingly tender queer love story about the bodies we’re given, the families we choose, and the love that rewires us.

REVIEW: ⟫ The second book that I’ve read by October Arden this month, the way this story began was straight up crazy. I’m not gonna lie, I thought Russell was going to turn out to be some stalker, which to be fair, he kinda did. But Russell was one of the loveliest characters I’ve read. Honest, literal, caring and so-so in love with Cain, it would be really difficult to dislike him and I can well understand why Cain found himself falling in love.

There were aspects I didn’t like – the ex partner plot-line bugged the heck out of me – but the cast of characters was so engaging, different and entertaining that I really enjoyed this book. I’m adding a couple of more books by the author to my TBR and will keep an eye out for future stories. Recommended!

Headmates by October Arden (Inside Book #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ Headmates
AUTHOR: ⟫ October Arden

SERIES: ⟫ Inside #1
RATING: ⟫ 4.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ At six-and-a-half feet tall, Luke should be impossible to miss. Instead, he’s spent his life being overlooked, dismissed, forgotten. So when brilliant, magnetic Jaime starts pursuing him with unusual intensity, Luke doesn’t question it. He’s just grateful someone finally sees him.

What Luke doesn’t know is that Jaime shares his body and consciousness with Alex—his headmate, protector, and the man he’s loved for eleven years. What Luke can’t see is that when Jaime looks at him, he’s seeing someone else entirely.

Because Luke looks exactly like Alex would if he had his own body.

As Jaime becomes obsessed with touching Alex through Luke’s skin, their perfect bond begins to fracture. Alex watches helplessly as the man he loves betrays what they’ve built together. And Luke falls deeper for someone who’s using his body to love a ghost.

When the truth comes out, it will destroy everything they thought they knew about love, identity, and what it means to be real.

An intense, emotional queer romance about the dangerous space between want and need.

For fans of TJ Klune’s hurt/comfort and Eli Easton’s emotional complexity.

REVIEW: ⟫ This is the first book by this author that I have read but as soon as I finished, I went to see what else I could find. The second book incorporating DID that I read this weekend, this book was a trip. I couldn’t get a grip on Jamie – I kept trying to figure out what his deal was. Luke – I felt so bad for Luke, ready to accept the scraps from the table as long as it meant he could continue to be with Jamie – heartbreaking. Alex – who we don’t spend a huge amount of time with – made so much more sense to me. Obviously he was jealous and scared – the thought that he might be replaced was terrifying. I completely understood why the cliffhanger happened when it did but boy, I was cursing because I wanted to know what happened next immediately.

This was fascinating, innovative and satisfying and I look forward to the next instalment. I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews.