Category Archives: gay romance reviews

An Unexpected Gift by Harper Robson (Hot Dam Homes Christmas)

Posted on by
Reply

Title: ⟫ An Unexpected Gift: a Hot Dam Homes Christmas

Author: ⟫ Harper Robson

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ Matt

Discovering you’re not as straight as you thought when you’re in your mid-forties is… well… interesting. But a one-night stand over a year ago turned my world upside down, and now I’m ready to explore that side of myself. But no matter who I date, no one compares to him.

Case

I’m the party guy, always down for a good time with only one rule: I don’t do repeats. I knew right away, though, that one night with Matt would never be enough. But when I woke up, he was gone, and I can’t get him out of my head.

When we somehow end up trapped together during the blizzard of the century, over Christmas, I’m not sure if it’s a gift or a curse. Should I hold tight to the rule that’s kept my heart safe for years? Or does it mean something that we’ve found each other again after a night neither one of us could forget?

Review: ⟫ This was such a sweet story, with both men being open to the idea that this person they met by chance could well be something new, something different.

Matt has never even considered the fact that he might be interested in men, having married his childhood sweetheart and only recently getting divorced. I liked how he didn’t freak out, how he allowed his feelings to guide him and I especially liked the way he let Case take the lead – their sex scenes were both sexy and sweet, with Case taking care of Matt so lovingly it was beautiful.

With Case’s past, I could well understand his cautiousness when it came to relationships – his experiences had taught him that life and love can be fleeting and he wanted to protect himself as much as possible Even so, when life gave him a second chance with Matt, I was really impressed with his willingness to dive right in, even whilst his brain was warning him of all the things that could go wrong.

Stuck in a luxurious cabin in the middle of a snow-storm seems like the right way to finally fall in love to me, and I appreciated the fact that the women in both of these men’s lives were prepared to tell them the whole truth, give them a bit of tough love, and a quick shove in the right direction.

This was a sweet, romantic, pleasing read for the Christmas holidays and I may keep an eye out for other stories in the Hot Dam Homes series.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Champagne Charade by Leighton Greene (Friends of Friends #5)

Posted on by
Reply

Title: ⟫ Champagne Charade (Friends of Friends #5)

Author: ⟫ Leighton Greene

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ It was supposed to be fun – but things are getting too real, too fast.

After I got dumped, I never got around to telling my best friend. Why relive the pain? But his New Year’s Eve wedding is coming up soon, and I also never got around to removing my ex from the guest list.

Cue my current hookup and Dom-on-demand, Damon Kirk, joking that he could stand in as my ex. A fake name, a fake relationship…

It’s a terrible idea. Of course I’m not going to do it.

But when I run into my best friend unexpectedly, I can’t bring myself to interrupt his dream wedding, and the little white lie just…

Slips out.

It’s only for the wedding. Only for New Year’s Eve. One little charade…

I know Damon isn’t interested in anything real. I know all those kisses and hugs are just for show. But I still can’t help falling under his spell.

I have to remember: after the wedding – and the year – is over, so is our fake relationship.

The clock is ticking down…

But what if our charade isn’t just an act?

***

Champagne Charade is a 31,000-word novella wrapping up the kinky Friends of Friends series with humor, heart, and a whole lot of heat. Say goodbye to the old year and hello to the new with this fake relationship romance, including hookups pining for more, a winter wedding for old friends, and a fresh start for everyone at the stroke of midnight.

Review: ⟫ This was a lot of fun to read.

The beginning – oh my, it should come with a warning! The book begins with a scene between Damon and Tyler that is hot, kinky and dirty and I really thought that was how the rest of the book was going to go. Boy, was I surprised because this entire book was about feelings (interspersed with hot sex). Tyler doesn’t want to worry his friends, but he also doesn’t want to be pitied by them which makes things complicated. On the one hand, he’s doing this whole charade to ensure that his best friend, Jonny, is concentrating on his wedding rather than worrying about Tyler. On the other hand, he doesn’t want to find himself at the other end of well-meaning comments and match-making attempts that make him feel like a project.

Damon tells Tyler that he is using the fake relationship weekend as a way to avoid his ex, but it pretty soon becomes obvious that he has some intense feelings for Tyler that he is too scared to say, Which is how he finds himself in the uncomfortable position of lying to a bunch of strangers who seem to be watching his every move to figure out if he is good enough for their friend.

I really enjoyed catching up with the characters from the previous books and seeing how their HEA is going, but this story was most definitely about Tyler and Damon and about the need for them to confess the truth – to Tyler’s friends and to each other. A quick, satisfying read with some laugh out loud moments – wedding planning should come with a warning and a large bottle of alcohol – as well as some sexy ones, with a heart-warming happy ending.

I received an ARC from GRR.

The King's Delight by Sarah Honey

Posted on by
Reply

Title: ⟫ The King’s Delight

Author: ⟫ Sarah Honey

Rating: ⟫ 4.5

Blurb: ⟫ King Leopold of Lilleforth rules his kingdom well. He’s handsome, intelligent, and charming. It’s no wonder the neighbouring kingdoms are eager to provide him with a princess to marry. There’s just one problem—Leo has no interest in princesses. His tastes tend more towards handsome young men who enjoy a good spanking.

Felix Hobson left the kingdom of Lilleforth as a teenager to train as a groom. While he was away he learned a lot, and not all of it had to do with horses—although riding crops were definitely involved. Now an adult, Felix is home to take up the position of royal groom, where he hopes he’ll have plenty of opportunities for a roll in the hay.

When Felix mistakes Leopold for a horse thief and attempts to seduce him, Leopold is delighted by the irreverent, attractive lad, and sparks fly. Their arrangement is all fun and games, right until they both fall hard and fast. But while what they have together is a delight, there’s no way it can last—can it?

They’ll have to navigate a visiting princess, an assassination attempt, and a
kidnapping if they want a chance to find out.

Review: ⟫ This was a romp almost in the style of The Princess Bride and it definitely worked for me. Felix and Leopold were a delightful couple who showed mutual respect and understanding as well as scorching hot chemistry. I loved the characterisations, the world building and the story-line as the two of them fell in love and handled things within the kingdom.

Matthias and Sophia were lovely together, and I found Mother and the stable-lads charming and amusing. Low angst, relatively steamy and more than a little kinky, I really enjoyed reading this story and will be looking into the collaborations by this author as well as any future solo efforts.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Daddy's Stepstalker by Gianni Holmes

Posted on by
Reply

Title: ⟫ Daddy’s Stepstalker

Author: ⟫ Gianni Holmes

Blurb: ⟫ He’s been Daddy since he won me my first stuffie at a carnival booth.

Even when he married her and became unavailable.

For years Daddy Shaw’s all I’ve ever wanted.

But he still sees me as the innocent boy he took in.

It’s a giggle how sweet he thinks I am.

He has no idea of the things I have done.

Of how I’ve stalked him…

…fantasized about him

… killed for him.

Will he still think of me as his little angel when he finds out I’m rotten to the core

Review: ⟫ Oh wow, this book was a study in contrasts! Ari was an absolute delight – completely committed to Shaw and keeping him safe, whilst pretty much acting like a psychopath to anyone else. There were so many layers to him, it was absolutely fascinating reading and I really enjoyed it as each one was peeled back and you got to know him better.

I really liked Shaw. He was out of his depth but once he had committed to Ari – and knew what he was getting into (kinda) – he really was all in. He showed such care for Ari in a way that few people in his life had done previously, and it made the obsession understandable. Even once he found out some of the lengths that Ari had gone to, Shaw did his best to impose rules to keep them both safe and sane. Sane was not the byword here though – the two of them together were pretty much all the way bonkers and I was so here for it!

There were many aspects to their relationship, some of which were a complete surprise to me, although in the context of how the two of them were together, it made sense. and I believe the author provides a comprehensive list of trigger warnings at the beginning of the book. I chose not to read them because I don’t have particular triggers (so far) but I would advise anyone who is concerned to make sure to read these warnings.

I am looking forward to the next book in the Daddy’s Little Deviants series, and happily give this book a 4/5.

I receieved an ARC from GRR.

Maximus by Stella Rainbow

Posted on by
Reply

Title: ⟫ Maximus

Author: ⟫ Stella Rainbow

Blurb: ⟫ Maximus

The wellness check on the nephew of a murdered man was supposed to be just that: a wellness check. I had work to do, evildoers to catch but everything changed the moment I saw Kym.

For the first time in my long existence, I’d found something more important than my work. But with evil brewing in the shadows, my realm needed me more than ever.

I had no idea what to do with these feelings.

Kym

After the mysterious way my uncle died, I’d grown wary of every stranger I came across. I knew something was off about my uncle’s death, but I had no proof and no one who would believe me.

When I’d spotted the huge, intimidating man lurking outside my shop one times too many, I was sure he knew something. There was something about him that told me I could trust him, but that couldn’t be right.

I had no idea how my life would be turned upside down by him.

Review: ⟫ I’m still not sure how I feel about this book. I really enjoyed the world building as it sounds absolutely fascinating, with Soul Collectors, the afterworld and burning chasms. However, the relationship between Kym and Maximus didn’t grab me the way I was hoping. I really liked the way in which Maximus allowed Kym to get used to the idea of falling in love – it might have been fated for him, but he didn’t expect Kym to just fall in line. And the underlying plot-line story was really interesting. But I guess I just felt like I didn’t get enough of either – I wanted to know more about the overarching plot or I wanted it to concentrate on the romance, and it didn’t do enough of either.

I was also disappointed not to learn more about Kym’s abilities. The fact that he was a kitsune wasn’t really explained apart from his very cute ears and his tail, and he seemed to adapt to the whole idea of it far too easily.

It was a nice, easy read but I was a little disappointed. I might read more in the series, especially MistVale. 3/5 from me.

I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews.

Pretty Puppy by Morticia Knight

Posted on by
Reply

Title: ⟫ Pretty Puppy

Author: ⟫ Morticia Knight

Blurb: ⟫ Breaking Daddy Lee’s heart wasn’t intentional, but Ash has paid the price in misery ever since. Surely, a teensy little lie and a bit of scheming to get Lee back won’t backfire…

Ash first met Daddy Lee when he was a young pup and just beginning his kink journey. If only he hadn’t been so flighty and full of himself, he could’ve seen what a rare treasure he had in the handsome older Dom. But now that Ash is back in town, he’s determined to make Lee’s heart go pitter-patter again by being the best doggone boy ever.

Five years ago, luxury resort owner, Lee Petrovsky, fell too hard and fast for the pretty Asher Griffin. Ever since then, he’s resolved to seek out only older, more mature boys. There’s only one problem—no one has ever crushed the walls of steel around his heart the way Ash did. That doesn’t mean he’d ever take him back, though. No one makes a fool out of him and gets a second chance.

Can Ash prove to Lee that this time it isn’t just a case of puppy love?

Note: Pretty Puppy is the fifth book in the steamy Command & Care M/M Daddy romance series and can be read as a standalone. Each book shares a common theme, but no characters overlap. If you like puppy play, a dose of hurt/comfort and a strict Daddy Dom whose heart melts for his boy, then you’ll adore Morticia Knight’s second chance romance.

Review: ⟫ I expected more background when I read this – perhaps more about the relationships Lee had been in since Ash, or just how Ash crashed and burned. Instead, we were pretty much straight into the scheme Ash has concocted to get back into Lee’s life, and how badly it was going to fail.

This was a really fun and easy read, and I especially enjoyed the puppy play and having an insight into Champ’s mindset whilst he was a puppy – I’ve never read an author who’s gone into that much depth and I really appreciated it. There was a scene that perhaps needed a warning (for some people – I didn’t mind it) with a particularly intense sexual act, but overall I got exactly what I was expecting from this story and enjoyed it.

Solid 3/5 and I may look into the rest of the series.

I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews.

Sins of Yesterday by Romeo Preminger

Posted on by
Reply

Title: ⟫ Sins of Yesterday

Author: ⟫ Romeo Preminger

Blurb: ⟫ The first book in Preminger’s Southern Gothic, family secrets epic: the Arizona series.

It’s 1984, and fifteen-year-old Arizona is doing his best to take care of his younger brothers and sister while their daddy drives a truck cross-country and spends his pay-check on booze and gambling. In small town southeastern Louisiana, his family is known as the lowest of the low, and they say it’s on account of a family curse that’s so ugly, no one would dare speak of it.

Then Arizona’s daddy loses his job, and things go from bad to worse. He baits Arizona into a fight, and their brawl results in him and his brothers and sister being split up by Social Services. Arizona is determined to make a better man of himself and take care of his siblings, but he’s up against a world controlled by adults, small town prejudices, and unfathomable family secrets that will change everything he thought he knew about himself.

Review: ⟫ I had no clue what I was getting into reading this story.

It sucks you in with it’s almost casual telling of events, events so horrific that there were a couple of times I had to go back and re-read what I had taken in. This poor boy goes through so much it’s just awful, and it seems like every single time he gets a break, things get worse.

When he finally found love, real love, my heart lifted. Even when it became apparent that Nicholas wouldn’t be able to follow Arizona out into the world, the fact that Nicholas was happy for him to fly and thrive, trusting that he would come back, made it all worthwhile.

School was just how I imagined it to be – perhaps because Arizona is only two years older than me I could imagine just the type of thing he faced. But to find that school wasn’t the worse thing that was going to happen to him – I didn’t expect that. And perhaps I should have been prepared, but I wasn’t.

It does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, which I think people should be warned about, but I am heading into the second book once I’ve taken an emotional break.

The writing is engaging – almost slowly hypnotic in that you can ‘hear’ the accents and how people spoke. I haven’t read any Southern Gothic books before so didn’t know what to expect. Depending on how this trilogy ends, I may dip my toe further into the genre.

A very solid 4/5 for me and I am looking forward to reading more.

I received an ARC from GRR in return for an honest review.