Category Archives: gay romance reviews

Stacked by Linden Bell (Mars Fitness #2)

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TITLE: ⟫ Stacked

AUTHOR: ⟫ Linden Bell

SERIES: ⟫ Mars Fitness #2

RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ Preston and I have been best friends and roommates since the first day of boarding school. If it weren’t for me, he’d never step away from his precious dissertation, not to eat, not to shower, not for anything.

I might have been in love with him for ages, but Preston has never expressed any interest in anyone other than his research. That’s fine, there are plenty of guys at Mars Fitness who can help me get my rocks off.

Then one day, the sexiest man alive walks through the front door and sweeps me off my feet. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted, except there’s just one problem. He wants my heart, but how can I give it to him when I’ve already given it to Preston?

Stacked is a best friends to lovers, gay-awakening, nerd/jock MM romance between co-dependent roommates. It is the second book in the Mars Fitness series and can be read as a standalone. Happily ever after guaranteed.

REVIEW: ⟫ Oh my goodness, has there ever been anyone as utterly oblivious as Preston?! This story made me smile, laugh cry – the relationship between Sawyer and Preston was absolutely beautiful, but I honestly don’t know how Sawyer put up with Preston! He’s literally been in love with him since puberty but Preston is so oblivious to anything that isn’t his research that he had zero clue until it suddenly looked like he might lose Sawyer to someone else.

I loved Sawyer’s Mom and Preston’s childhood sweetheart, Madison, but Preston’s parents were a complete nightmare and those were the bits that upset me the most. In the end, I found myself thinking the same as Sawyer – Preston needed to be kept safe, happy and loved because he didn’t experience that when he was growing up and he deserved all the love. In the end, Preston deserved the love he found with Sawyer and I adored the epilogue!

I received an ARC from GRR.

Ripped by Linden Bell (Mars Fitness #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ Ripped

AUTHOR: ⟫ Linden Bell

SERIES: ⟫ Mars Fitness #1

RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ Sometimes heartache is a blessing in disguise.

I thought my life was perfect, and then I walked in on my boyfriend sleeping with my best friend.

The only person I can turn to now is Donnie, the silver-fox spin instructor who lets me crash at his place. Donnie’s a lot older and he’s still grieving his late husband. My dreams of being a filmmaker have disintegrated along with my relationship.

The worst of life has brought us together. Do we dare create something beautiful out of it?

Ripped is an age gap, nerd/jock, hurt/comfort MM romance between roommates who cuddle while watching classic movies. Expect low angst steamy shower rooms, teary confessions, disapproving family, and brand new beginnings. It is the first book in the Mars Fitness series and can be read as a standalone.

REVIEW: ⟫ Ripped literally started with one of our main characters getting his heart ripped out and I felt so awful for Connor. That situation was straight out of anyone’s nightmares and I was so relieved when he found his way to Donnie and Donnie not only understood his pain, but could completely empathise.

I really loved the way that this story didn’t try to minimise Donnie’s past relationship – his late husband was shown with love and sensitivity, without taking away from the new romance. His relationship with his late in-laws was so lovely and he completely deserved the way that they viewed him.

I also really enjoyed the fact that Connor was able to realise that how he had felt for his ex wasn’t a patch on how he felt for Donnie. It would have been so easy for there to be some big misunderstanding or belief that it was all a rebound, but both men were mature enough to accept that what they were being given was the real deal, deserving of their time and effort, and I really appreciated that.

The background characters at the gym were entertaining and I have an inkling that some of them feature in other books by the author – if so, I will have to search them out. This was a beautiful love story – with an awfully sad beginning – that made me feel all soft and happy inside.

I very much enjoyed reading this and will definitely read the rest of the series when it’s released. I received an ARC from GRR.

From Coast to Coast by J.J. Mulder (Offsides Book #4)

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TITLE: ⟫ From Coast to Coast

AUTHOR: ⟫ J.J. Mulder

SERIES: ⟫ Offsides Book #4

RATING: ⟫ 4.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ NHL forward Remy Stone steps off the plane in Calgary a newly divorced man. While he doesn’t necessarily want to live in Canada, the trade offered a good excuse for a fresh start and he means to capitalize on it.

Defenseman Grayson Brody has played most of his career with Calgary, but has long fallen out of love with his team. After coming out, he has struggled with his teammates and management, and wishes he’d never done it at all.

With the addition of Remy Stone shaking everything up—both on the ice and off—things start looking up for the first time in years. What starts as a friendship between them, turns into a casual, friends-with-benefits relationship.

Except a casual relationship with a teammate is fraught with complications; particularly when it starts to feel less casual to Grayson, and neither of them are sure what the future looks like for them.

REVIEW: ⟫ This book was absolutely delightful! Remy made me laugh, mainly because he was just so open and honest about everything – if he had a thought, he shared it! And Grayson – I would absolutely LOVE to see this made into a film just so that we could have a physical representation of him because he sounded absolutely lush!

We all need a friend like Alex – blunt, honest, caring and thoughtful, as well as being in a very helpful profession – and I loved catching up with the characters from the previous books. The relationship between Grayson and Remy was really lovely, with both of them doing their best to be honest about where they were and how they felt. I was rooting from them from the very beginning and really appreciated how genuine they were with each other. Even when Remy was trying to figure out what he wanted from the future – with Alex providing the necessary nudge to face some realities – he realised quickly how he had been messing up and addressed it.

I have really enjoyed all of the books in this series but in terms of the romance, this might be my favourite. Well – apart from Carter but that’s a different series by the same author so that doesn’t count! I received an ARC from GRR.

His Brutal Heart by Leighton Greene (West Coast Mobsters #2)

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Title: ⟫ His Brutal Heart (West Coast Mobsters #2)

Author: ⟫ Leighton Greene

Rating: ⟫ 5/5

Blurb: ⟫ The ultimate forbidden love: a Mafia Boss and his captive.

I’m a man without mercy. A Mafia heir.

Brutality was all that ever made sense to me…

Until I saw him.

Unfortunately, he happens to be the sole witness to my latest crime.

That should mean one thing.

Elimination.

But one look into those pleading blue eyes, and I lost myself.

I let a beauty live…

But – beast that I am – I’ve locked him away.

Little by little, he charms his way out of his cell and into my bed, until I begin to wonder which of us is the real prisoner.

After all, I’m the one trapped by my own brutal heart.

And that oh-so-innocent beauty I took and kept?

He has secrets of his own.

Secrets that could destroy me.

***

His Brutal Heart is the second book in the West Coast Mobsters series. Follow the men of the Los Angeles underworld in this page-turning romantic suspense series as they find love, danger and mystery in the most unexpected places.

Each book in this series tells the love story of a different couple who find their happy ending, as well as a resolution to the mystery they’re investigating, but there are cliffhangers to the wider suspense plot for the series.

Content advisory notes are available to view on the Copyright page via Look Inside or by downloading the sample.

Review: ⟫ I have crawled out of my sickbed to write this review immediately because I just HAD to!

I absolutely adored the first book in the West Coast Mobsters series and must admit when I started reading this one I was thrown a little. The tone was different, more sombre. Jack was a major flirt from the get-go, whereas Sandro is dark, sombre and threatening and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. Teddy came across as cute and sweet but I wasn’t sure how I felt about him either.

But then I found that I was racing through the book, trying to figure out the mystery and absolutely falling in love with Teddy and Sandro together. There are a lot of suspects – like, A LOT – and it was fascinating watching as Teddy helped Sandro through the unconventional means of Cute Crims and they tried to untangle what was going on.

Sandro has an absolutely filthy mouth and things between the two of them were hotter than hot – like, take a cold shower then come back ready to dive back in kind of hot. Him falling in love with Teddy was so obvious and it was heartening how sincere Teddy was in his feelings for Sandro – he has been more than obsessed for the longist time and to finally spend time with Sandro has made all of his fanboy dreams come true. But there’s more, and their relationship is actually really beautiful. Sandro finally accepting that he is beautiful and that what Teddy feels for him is real was painful and lovely at the same time, which made the entire betrayal situation so much more painful.

Jack and Miller were here, moreso Jack because of his commitment to assist Sandro. And we get the face-off between the two of them that we have been waiting for and can I just say? Film this ish because it would be so completely epic watching them duke it out.

As always, the intricacies of being in a Mafia family are handled beautifully – you know that these are not the good guys, but don’t care because it is so completely and utterly fascinating. I did not see the initial twist coming – I kick myself because the clues were all there and once it was revealed I could see it immediately. I am pleased to say that I figured out the main thing but to be honest, even that held a surprise for me in the reasoning.

I know, I know, I’m trying not to do spoilers so it’s like I’m speaking in code, so I guess what I really want to say is that this was an epic second story in the series and I would give much to live in Leighton Greene’s brain and speak to the characters directly so I didn’t have to wait for the stories to be written.

As per my previous deep, dark desire, Julian is getting his book next and I am so extremely excited for it, my hands are shaking!

I received an ARC from GRR.

Be Mine, Twisted Valentine by Gianni Holmes (Corrupt Cupid #1)

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Title: ⟫ Be Mine, Twisted Valentine

Author: ⟫ Gianni Holmes

Rating: ⟫ 3.5/5

Blurb: ⟫ Fifteen years ago, I helped put my abductor behind bars.

And shunned the events of my traumatic past.

I’ve lived a content life with my wife.

Until the dreaded phone call.

Duncan Whittaker’s out on parole.

The first time I confront him, I intend to kill him.

But when we’re face to face, everything changes.

I’m still codependent on him.

Duncan’s the only man who’s ever made me feel desire.

He’s also the one who held me captive for almost a year.

Isolated me from others to make me grateful for his presence.

Deprived me of sensation to make me crave his unwanted touch.

Duncan Whittaker’s the sadist who broke me in the name of revenge.

Now his twisted obsession is about to ruin my life a second time.

And God help me, but I don’t know how to stop him.

I… may not want to stop him.

Be mine, Twisted Valentine is part of a multi-author collab. Ditch the hearts and flowers and step into the dark world of Corrupt Cupid. Each book can be read as a standalone, but why not grab each and every deranged romantic tale as you slip into a place where darkness rules?

Review: ⟫ I have flu, so this review is probably going to be shorter than normal – apologies for that.

Be Mine, Twisted Valentine was not even what I would call a twisted valentine story – it was just straight up twisted. It just seemed like everyone in this story was all the way effed up and I felt like I was reading a car-crash. How the heck was there going to be anything even resembling a HEA in this story? The person I felt for the most was Teddy’s wife – she was the only one who didn’t deserve all of the stuff that went on in this story.

Teddy was obviously traumatised by what happened to him all of those years ago, and no surprise considering what we learnt about how Duncan treated him. Did he not get therapy? He obviously didn’t get support from his father, but surely someone could have looked a little deeper and seen how he was feeling.

And Duncan was like a man completely obsessed. As soon as Teddy was anywhere near, he seemed to lose all sense of survival instincts or common-sense. This book was a trip, and I hurtled through it because I was really fascinated with all of the characters and wanted to see how they got their HEA – or their version of it.

If you like your stories a little bit trippy, a lot dark, and more than a little unhinged, this one if for you!

I received an ARC from GRR.

Claiming Rys by Annabelle Jacobs

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Title: ⟫ Claiming Rys

Author: ⟫ Annabelle Jacobs

Rating: ⟫ 3.5/5

Blurb: ⟫ All that time apart and yet the pull between them is as strong as ever…

Rys

Ten years ago Gabriel Mason betrayed me in the worst way. He made me question my instincts because I’d trusted him with a bone-deep certainty, and for that I will never forgive him.

Seeing him again after all this time sparks memories I thought I’d buried so far down they’d never surface. He’s as beautiful as I remember, but I’m older and wiser now, and I refuse to make the same mistakes again.

Gabriel

Rys Calder, wolf shifter and the biggest regret of my life. I loved him, and yet I didn’t share with him the one thing that eventually became our undoing. I broke his trust and I’ve carried that guilt for years. I knew seeing him again would hurt, but no matter how many times I’d imagined it, being on the receiving end of his cold stares and indifference hurt more than I’d anticipated.

Thrown together again with a killer on the loose, will the past continue to haunt them, or can they move past it and claim the future that fate always had in store for them?

Claiming Rys is an MM paranormal romance with second chances, fated mates, pining, angry alphas, and feisty ex-hunters.

Review: ⟫ This was a pretty straight-forward story of second chances, but with the added benefit of the Fae and fated mates and werewolves. Rys and Gabriel were young and in love and thought they had nothing but time – time to explain who they were and what they meant to each other.

Unfortunately, things caught up with them and because of a misunderstanding they were separated. Each suffered in their own way – Rys distrusted himself and his instincts, convinced that he had fallen for a hunter’s lies. And Gabriel paid the price for going against ‘his’ people in the worst way.

The situation they find themselves in is bigger than their misunderstanding, and although there is bad feeling they have to work together to try to save supernaturals from a dangerous poison that is causing them to go feral and be put down.

I really loved the plot idea and also the way that this was written, but something didn’t gel for me. I don’t know if it was because I was looking at the side characters and wondering which of them would be getting their own storyline, or because the culprit was too obvious.

It was a nice, easy, enjoyable read and I will probably keep an eye out for follow-up stories. I received an ARC from GRR.

Face Off by Marina Vivancos (Alpha Omega Hockey Series Book #2)

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Title: ⟫ Face Off (Alpha Omega Hockey Series Book #2)

Author: ⟫ Marina Vivancos

Rating: ⟫ 5/5

Blurb: ⟫ Orion’s life turns upside down when someone outs him as the first Omega in the NHL…that anybody knows of. Now, he has to wrestle with the decisions he made throughout his life to keep that secret hidden—including the man he left a decade earlier.

Problem is, that man is Gabriel McKenna, Captain of the Gotham Hounds. Seeing as Orion captains the Brooklyn Cats, their relationship is more one of hate than love at the moment.

Or so he wants to tell himself.

Orion has enough difficulties dealing with idiots on the ice thinking they can put him on his knees just because they know he’s an Omega. He doesn’t need to suddenly reconnect with his old flame. Doesn’t need to deal with the feelings he thought he’d buried long ago.

Orion is trying to escape the memories of the best year of his life, but the past is catching up with him. After the way Orion left, after all the fights on the ice, he doesn’t know if he deserves a second chance…

But he might want one anyway.

This book is a steamy rivals-to-lovers story with a complicated past. It is the second book in the Alpha Omega Hockey series but can be read as a standalone.

Review: ⟫ I was a little wary of reading this book – although I liked the first one in the series, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped. But this book actually blew me away! I was engrossed from the very first page when Orion was outed as an Omega – the first one to actually be known about in the Hockey league.

The story is told with some flashbacks – to his rookie year when he met Gabby and how things progressed between them, to how things were now where he and Gabby were known to throw down on the ice. It was fascinating, painful and engrossing to see how things progressed – from the way Orion accidentally became the Omega to go to for all of the others hidden in the league, to the way things between he and Gabby moved forward now that what could be seen as the major barrier being removed.

I felt for Gabby the most – he had no idea why Orion ended things between them all those years ago, and his bitterness was understandable. Yet this wasn’t one of those silly misunderstandings that make you roll your eyes – Orion’s reasons were more than valid, and the fact that they managed to talk about it and see each other’s point of view was special.

The relationships Orion had built up over the years were a pleasure to read, and the fact that his team completely had his back was refreshing – it would have been easy for there to be a complete 180 in how his team-mates treated him once they knew.

I also have really enjoyed the fact that Orion is a man of colour, yet that’s not made a big deal of. He just is. Instead of it being used as a plot point, it was just a fact in the story and that was incredibly refreshing.

The sex between Orion and Gabby was extremely hot – the nesting scene for some reason made me tear up and squirm in equal measure – and this book has completely reaffirmed my desire to read more of Vivancos’ work. It was a pleasure to read – from the hockey games, to the relationship building, the chirping – everything. An easy 5/5 from me.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Scales and Song by L Eveland (Monster in my Bed Book #2)

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Title: ⟫ Scales and Song: Monsters in my Bed Book #2

Author: ⟫ L Eveland

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ We were supposed to protect the world from monsters, not become them.

All I’ve ever wanted was to protect the people I love. That’s why I joined the military’s Elite Specimen Containment Unit.

When I learned they were experimenting on sentient monsters, however, everything changed.

Now, I have a new mission: protect a scaly winged monster named Bud and escort him to somewhere he’ll be safe from my superiors.

Yet, Bud’s so sweet and perfect, I can’t help but fall for him, even though I know it’s too dangerous for us to be together. It’ll be safer for us to go our separate ways, especially when we’re being hunted.

But I’ve only got so much willpower…

Though Scales and Song is the second book in the Monsters in my Bed series, it can be read as a stand-alone novel. It features a closeted and traumatized special forces soldier, the sweet cinnamon roll monster who loves him, and a HEA. Please see the interior for content warnings.

Review: ⟫ I’ve got complicated feelings about this book. In the first instance, the premise really reminds me of the Lily Mayne’s Monstrous series: monsters coming through a tear, being imprisoned by the army and experimented on; soldier falling in love with one. That’s not a bad comparison, but it did make it hard to shake from my head whilst I was reading.

I’m in the middle of reading the first book in the series, Kissed by the Krampus, as I enjoyed reading Scale and Song enough to want to go back to the beginning. I would say if you’re wanting a bit of monster-loving, with a side order of stoic soldier boy and conspiracy theory, this could well be the book for you. The love-making scenes were frequent and hot, and the lead characters Bud and Phoenix were interesting. As a gay man of colour, Phoenix was quite well written – his concerns about telling his family, the way in which he compartmentalised things, his feelings of isolation and betrayal – were all palpable.

However, I didn’t get as much of a sense of Bud. Maybe it was me and I was missing it, but I wasn’t sure how the music thing was such a calming influence on him, and I really didn’t get his magical abilities – they felt a little vague and definitely unexplored. It felt like some of them transpired at just the right moment with little to no real explanation of them.

The mating cycle’s influence on Phoenix wasn’t fully explained for me either, and I would have liked to know just a bit more about how and why he was reacting to Bud the way he was.

The main cast of characters was interesting – obviously, otherwise I wouldn’t have gone looking for the rest of the series – and it was obvious who else would be getting their own story. I did enjoy reading Scale and Song and would recommend it if you’re looking for something a bit different, with some kinky monster sex for good measure!

I received an ARC from GRR.

Never Have I Ever: Submitted to my Enemy by Willow Dixon

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Title: ⟫ Never Have I Ever: Submitted to my Enemy

Author: ⟫ Willow Dixon

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ How could I not have realized the guy I’ve been chatting with online is the one person I hate?

Kai, the bad boy I broke my rules for. Who stomped all over my heart. Twice. He’s arrogant and annoying, and worse, he doesn’t even remember what he did to me.

He’s also my new presentation partner. I want nothing to do with him, but the more time we spend together, the more I realize he’s not the monster I’ve made him out to be. I want to keep hating him, but it’s hard when he’s made it his mission to get me to like him.

As if things weren’t messed up enough, enter MrWrong, the bossy as f*ck guy I’ve been chatting with online. Using an anonymous app was supposed to be an uncomplicated way to explore my more extreme interests. I didn’t count on meeting the only person who’s ever been able to give me not only what I want, but what I need.

I spent years denying my attraction to men to protect a broken heart. Now I have two guys I can’t stop thinking about.

F*ck my life.

Alex and Kai’s story is an enemies-to-lovers romance between classmates who discover they have more in common than they think. Expect lots of steamy, kinky conversations, and even hotter encounters when these classmates realize who they’ve been chatting with. It is the second novel in the exciting Never Have I Ever series but can be read as a standalone.

Review: ⟫ Well, this was full of surprises!! First of all, MrWrong has an absolutely filthy mouth on him and I am well and truly here for it. Secondly, someone needs to give Beck a smack around the head for not realising how much he was letting Alex down – you don’t have someone like that as your friend without realising how much damage you might cause by not being there for them.

The relationship(s) between Kai and Alex were complicated and interesting. I especially liked the hints the author dropped into things that could have revealed their connection earlier if they had been paying attention. The different sides to their personalities were represented in each scenario – there was the Alex that obeyed Kai’s every instruction and was his brat; the battling students working together; and the vulnerable young men who slowly let the other into the hidden sides of their lives until they all became entwined. It was beautifully done, and I really enjoyed the reveal and the very honest reaction to it.

So why a 4/5? I (personally) think that Alex was intelligent enough to recognise the signs of ADHD and even though when he was younger, he was made to feel like he was just being lazy, etc., once he reached university I think he would have investigated further. That niggled at me throughout the book – especially as a parent to a child/young adult struggling with ADHD – so that affected my enjoyment somewhat.

I was surprised/pleased to discover that I’m actually in the middle of reading Step-Bully which includes a couple featured in this book – my magpie mind jumped to other things whilst reading it, so I haven’t finished it yet but I will be bumping it up on my TBR pile.

This was a really enjoyable book to read and I think you will find yourself rooting for Kai and Alex to get out of their own way to find love. Alex truly deserved the family he found with Kai, his mother and sister, and Kai had someone that was his in a way that he had never experienced.

I received an ARC from GRR.

The Alien Emissary by Eryn Ivers (Interspecies Alliances #0.5)

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Title: ⟫ The Alien Emissary (Interspecies Alliances #0.5)

Author: ⟫ Eryn Ivers

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ The metal tentacles tightened around Bryant’s wrists and for the first time in years he finally felt…safe.

When Bryant breaks into the ship of a powerful Qeshian emissary, he knows he might get caught. But he needs the money to save his daughter, and for her anything is worth the risk.

What Bryant doesn’t know is that Emissary Serihk can see everything that happens on his ship, and he’s got enough flex metal tentacles packed into its every nook and cranny to do something about it.

But when Serihk has Bryant bound and kneeling on the floor, the feelings the human brings out in him are far from vengeful..

Review: ⟫ This novella was sexy and sweet and an excellent introduction to the series. It includes a very interesting take on tentacle sex whilst also having a very human element to it.

Bryant’s reasons for doing what he’s doing set the scene very clearly for how much his daughter means to him – there isn’t much he wouldn’t do for her, and it’s been a weight on his shoulders for so long. Letting go – thinking that he has nothing to fight for any longer – frees him in ways he could never have imagined and he discovers something in Serihk he could never have even dreamed of.

Although we learn less about Serihk, what we do know shows him to be good. He has never felt the way that Bryant makes him feel and he struggles trying to find a way to show that – misunderstandings between the two of them make for some pining that is really sweet.

The side characters – Serihk’s bodyguard and Bryant’s daughter – are delightful, and I really enjoyed reading this story. The sex was tender, alien with more than a hint of BDSM, and I was fascinated by the idea of the entire ship being an extension of Serihk. This is the introduction to a series and I will be keeping an eye out for the following stories.

I received an ARC from GRR.