May 2025 ⟫ Book Reviews Round Up

book reviews header 0525

Every month, I try to post a round up of the books I have read and reviewed. They will mostly be M/M books, but occasionally something a little different slips in. These are the books I have read in May 2025.

Books are sourced through Gay Romance Reviews, Foreword PR, Indie Author Creative, Booksprout, BookSirens, Author ARCs and Kindle Unlimited but although some books are gifted, all views are my own honest opinion.


Fey Sovereignty by S Rodman ⟫ Fey Lords #4 ⟫ 4/5 ⟫ Kindle Unlimited

Fitch by N.R. Walker ⟫ Wylde Street Boys #2 ⟫ 3.5/5 ⟫ Kindle Unlimited

The Legend Next Door by Jesse H Reign ⟫ Totally Pucked #2 ⟫ 4.5/5 ⟫ Kindle Unlimited

No Pucks by J.R. Gray ⟫ Gods Versus Monsters Hockey ⟫ 4/5 ⟫ Kindle Unlimited

One Honeymoon, Two Hockey Bros, Three Little Words by Oslo Fox ⟫ 3.5/5 ⟫ Netgalley

Three Times As Dirty by Sara Hurst ⟫ A Holt Family Novel ⟫ 3.5/5 ⟫ Indie Author Creative

April 2025 ⟫ Book Reviews Round Up

Every month, I try to post a round up of the books I have read and reviewed. They will mostly be M/M books, but occasionally something a little different slips in. These are the books I have read in April 2025.

Books are sourced through Gay Romance Reviews, Foreword PR, Indie Author Creative, Booksprout, BookSirens, Author ARCs and Kindle Unlimited but although some books are gifted, all views are my own honest opinion. <hr>

Lustful Nights by Ashley Rayne ⟫ Peaches Book #1 ⟫ 3.5/5 ⟫ Indie Author Creative

Forever Rebel by Garrett Leigh ⟫ Rebel Kings #11 ⟫ 5/5 ⟫ Foreword PR

Off Limits by Willow Dixon ⟫ Legacy Mechanics #4 ⟫ 4.5/5 ⟫ Foreword PR

The Other Half of Me by Aiden Wilde ⟫ Straight Friends Fall in Love #1 ⟫ 3.5/5 ⟫ BookSirens

The Price of Ice by N.J.Lysk ⟫ 4.5/5 ⟫ Gay Romance Reviews

Pucked Up by Frankie Abraham ⟫ 3.5/5 ⟫ Gay Romance Reviews

Royal Crush by E.M.Lindsey ⟫ 4.5/5 ⟫ Gay Romance Reviews

The Sin Eater by Onley James ⟫ The Watch #2 ⟫ 4.5/5 ⟫ Author’s Patreon

Worthy by Michele Lenard ⟫ Adrenalin Series #1 ⟫ 4/5 ⟫ Gay Romance Reviews

Three Times as Dirty by Sara Hurst – Part One (A Holt Family Novel)

TITLE: ⟫ Three Times as Dirty (Part 1)
AUTHOR: ⟫ Sara Hurst

SERIES: ⟫A Holt Family Novel
RATING:
⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ One Marine. One Bodyguard. One Top too many.

A night at the club and a hook up before getting stuck on a ship in the middle of the Pacific with a few thousand sailors and Marines. That was all I’d had planned.

But…

Then I caught sight of Declan Holt from across the crowded club, and I had to have him.

He was smart and sassy and so, so sexy. We didn’t waste any time getting to know one another in a dark corner, but one taste wasn’t enough. Back at my place, I discovered we were more alike than I thought.

Aren’t opposites supposed to attract? At least that’s what I’ve always heard.

Now, here I am embarking on—God, I can’t believe I’m saying this—a relationship, thanks to a drunken night in Vegas, with my sexual twin in some aspects and my exact opposite in others.

What could possibly go wrong?

** Hayden & Declan’s story continues in Three Times as Dirty: Part Two. You will need to read Part Two for their HEA which will be found once they meet Marcie. **

REVIEW: ⟫ Having read the blurb, I was aware that this wasn’t a complete story – the author made it absolutely clear that the third member of this triad wouldn’t appear until the second book, so there was no surprise there. I read this as a mm romance, with a view to things opening up.

The relationship between the two men started from a very hot one night stand, and I enjoyed their interactions, the way that they opened up to each other and the way that they handled things initially – two tops meeting was bound to cause a clash and I loved how they were together. I liked how welcoming the Holt family were to Hayden and the fact that they were encouraging Declan to be honest – it was very much appreciated that they didn’t go the whole ‘what if he’s a gold-digger’ route.

However, the cliffhanger made me feel so mad! The secret that Declan was keeping was ridiculous and utterly obvious to anyone with half a braincell. I seriously don’t understand how Hayden didn’t figure it out – maybe not the full figures but the basic concept should have occurred to him. I also didn’t understand why he was giving Mara so much power – he knows how toxic she is and what an evil person and yet, he still allowed her that success. It was truly mind-boggling and it made the ending so much more irritating.

I will probably get part two to find out how they fix things between them as well as introducing a third, but given the choice now I would probably wait until both parts were available before reading.

I received an ARC through Indie Author Creative.

Lustful Nights by Ashley Rayne (Peaches Book #1)

TITLE: ⟫ Lustful Nights
AUTHOR: ⟫ Ashley Rayne

SERIES: ⟫Peaches Book #1
RATING:
⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Lennox

A string of bad boyfriends has me questioning my taste in men.

They’re either jealous of my job as a dancer at a strip club, or they use it as an opportunity to try hooking up with my friends. It also doesn’t help that my big brother is the definition of overprotective, meaning nobody is ever good enough for me.

When I notice his best friend—his very straight, very good-looking best friend—at the club where I work more than once, I wonder if maybe he’s not as out of my reach as I once thought he was.

Jensen

My life is pretty simple, which is totally fine with me. I work remotely, spend time with my best friend, Nick, and ride my motorcycle. I’ve had a few girlfriends here and there, but nobody recently, and definitely not anyone serious.

When my boss has his bachelor party at a local all-male strip club, I know I have to make an appearance. Then I notice a fit body attached to a familiar face. I wasn’t expecting to see my best friend’s brother dancing onstage, but I also wasn’t prepared for the feelings watching him perform brought out in me. But even if I wanted to explore anything with Lennox, am I willing to risk my years-long friendship for him?
​​​​​​​
Lustful Nights is the first book in the Peaches series about a group of friends who work at a strip club. You can expect a confident bi-awakening, a virgin MC falling for his brother’s best friend, and game nights with strip poker.

REVIEW: ⟫ I don’t think I’ve read very much from this author so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Lennox is very confident – he’s come into his own now that he’s dancing at a strip club, following his calling educationally and just generally feeling like his own person. Now if only he could find love!

Jensen comes across as a very simple character – he follows his heart and how he feels, and falling for Lennox requires only a mild shift in his attitude as he’s only ever been with women before. I liked the fact that these two communicated so well with each other – they asked questions in a fun way of getting to know each other, and even when they were nervous they didn’t shy away from the difficult conversations.

The conflict between them and Nick was handled relatively respectfully – I did find Nick to be more than a little overbearing, although I understand that Lennox’s taste in the past has been less than stellar. There were quite a few sex scenes, which (for me) didn’t actually add much to the story. I did like the fact that both Lennox andd Jensen were switches and so there wasn’t as much emphasis on Lennon losing his virginity as to be obnoxious. This was a nice example of falling for your brother’s best friend and I quite enjoyed reading it.

I received an ARC through Indie Author Creative.