Category Archives: kindle unlimited

Iced Out by CE Ricci (Leighton U Book #1)

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Title: ⟫ Iced Out (Leighton U Book #1)

Author: ⟫ CE Ricci

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ All’s fair in hate and hockey.

My path to success never included an enemy as a teammate, especially one as infuriating as Quinton de Haas.

Clawing under my skin is his favorite pastime, only feeding the animosity between us as the years pass.

We’re as completely opposite as two people can be: the golden boy and the black sheep.

Constantly at odds or at each other’s throats.

The only thing we can agree on is hockey is our true love, and we’ll do whatever it takes to come out on top.

I never imagined that drive would lead me to do the unthinkable: falling into bed with my not-so-straight rival.

But athletes are a superstitious bunch, and when our hook-ups lead to victories, we tell ourselves we can’t stop.

Besides, it’s all for the sake of the team, right?

*Iced Out is the first in a five book stand-alone college sports romance series featuring two misunderstood rival teammates, pages of snarky banter, and more secret spicy times than any book should be filled with. Not suitable for anyone under 18 years of age.*

Review: ⟫ The trash talk between these two was epic! I love a good hockey story (even though I’ve never seen a hockey game in my life) and this one reminded me of the series by Saxon James and Eden Finley.

Are hockey players really as superstitious as this? I hope so – some of the things that they apparently do are hilarious, and the manner in which the author managed to bring that superstition into the story and make it work was brilliant. The socks – the socks, I need them!

Sorry, a teeny bit incoherent with this review because most of this book put me into such a good mood. The relationship that grew between Oak and Quinn was really sweet beneath all of the chirping and digging at each other, and I loved the way they slowly grew to accept each other – all of the bits that they kept hidden from other people slowly being revealed.

I didn’t like the little subplot with Braxton – for me, I think the way that Oak was written, he would have admitted it as soon as it became clear that the two of them had caught feelings for each other and not waited to be called out. I did like the fact that Quinn didn’t automatically forgive Oak, and that Oak had to actually accept responsibility for what he did and didn’t do, rather than it just being wiped clean.

This had a bit more hockey in than I am used to but I wasn’t opposed to it, and I think it definitely added to the story in terms of how it showed how in sync the boys were.

A fun, entertaining read with some very nice sexy times included!

The First and The Last by Jesse H. Reign

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Title: ⟫ The First and the Last

Author: ⟫ Jesse H. Reign

Rating: ⟫ 5/5

Blurb: ⟫ “Why would I choose, when anyone can see the two of you come as part of a package?”

That’s what she said. Those were the words that changed my life.

Until then Jules and I were friends. Best friends only. Best friends since before we could remember. We had to be. We were the last two wolves born into an ageing pack. Our pack was secretive and a little backward, but we had a great life. Sure, our alpha was a bit of a douche, but all alphas are douches. Everyone knows that. Thank God, Jules and I were both going to be betas.

The night new-girl Storm refused to choose between Jules and I, changed everything. The way I looked at him changed forever. He went from my goof-ball best friend, to being the hottest creature I’d ever seen. At the time I thought it was the end of the world.

It wasn’t the end of the world…It was just the beginning.

Then our first shift happened, and confusion hit harder.

Why was one of us acting distinctly douche-y? And why was the other running a fever and pleading for things only an omega would want?

The First and The Last is a paranormal omegaverse MM romance. It features a bi-awakening that happens during a shared experience with a woman. It contains a dash of knotting, a pinch of gratuitous violence, and a heat that’s hot enough to put your eReader at risk of melting. This story does not contain MPREG.

Review: ⟫ This book was the one that sent me down a Jesse H. Reign rabbit-hole, so I was surprised to find that it was the first foray into PNR.

Sully and Jules were absolutely awesome – they fit together so incredibly well from the beginning and the awful summer that Sully spent without Jules really brought that home almost immediately. The interactions were so honest, so real, that I wondered when the penny was going to drop about their feelings for each other. The introduction of Storm, a female werewolf, could well have led to an epic falling out. Instead, it led to the two of them discovering a whole new dynamic. I was surprised – I didn’t expect things to be quite so explicit between the three of them, but it didn’t take away from the book, or make me feel like it should have been labelled MFM like some other stories have.

Once the two of them were sent away, things got even hotter. And I admit it, I was expecting the dynamics to be the other way around – I don’t know why, I just did. However, I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest – this book got ALL of that right and then some. I loved how the omega/alpha dynamic was explored, with the power shifting between them so that the balance was maintained.

I really enjoyed how things were built up between Jules and Sully – you could almost feel their skin itching as changes began, and then the way they dealt with things afterwards was incredibly hot. I was concerned about how things would go once they went home, but even then I was pretty well satisfied. I’m not quite sure how I feel about Sully’s mother – there is a part of me that feels like she could have been clearer with the boys about what was going on, and sending them away with no information or instruction felt a bit ‘Dumbledore-esque’.

As a final aside, I loved Mrs O’Malley and would have loved to see her fly!

The Isle of … Where? by Sue Brown (An Isle Story – Book #1)

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Title: ⟫ The Isle of … Where? (An Isle Story – Book #1)

Author: ⟫ Sue Brown

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ When Liam Marshall’s best friend, Alex, loses his fight with colon cancer, he leaves Liam one final request: buy a ticket to Ryde, on the Isle of Wight, and scatter Alex’s ashes off the pier. Liam is tired, worn out, and in desperate need of a vacation, but instead of sun, sea, sand, and hot cabana boys, he gets a rickety old train, revolting kids, and no Ewan MacGregor.

Liam would have done anything for his friend, but fulfilling Alex’s final wish means letting go of the only family Liam had left. Lost, he freezes on the pier… until Sam Owens comes to his rescue.

Sam’s family has vacationed on the Isle of Wight every year for as long as he can remember, but he’s never met anyone like Liam. Determined to make Liam’s vacation one to remember, Sam looks after him-in and out of the bedroom. He even introduces Liam to his entire family. But as Sam helps Liam let go, he’s forced to admit that he wants Liam to hang on-not to his old life, but to Sam and what they have together.

Review: ⟫ I wasn’t sure what I was expecting from this story, but I definitely got more than I thought I would. Liam cuts a sorry figure – he’s lost his best friend, and pretty much his only link to the outside world. He has no family, very few friends, and has basically put his life on hold to see his best friend through the last months of his life.

The pain Liam is in is palpable and I felt for him so much. Sam was exactly what Liam needed – someone who, although he came across like a giant Labrador to begin with, actually had some depth to him. Sam saw someone he liked the look of and moved forward with no fear – or none that he let Liam see. The relationship between the two of them happened very quickly – understandable since it was viewed by both of them as a holiday romance with a definite end in sight.

It quickly becomes clear that they have both caught feelings, and I enjoyed the fact that apart from initial hesitancy, they were both upfront and honest about how they were feeling.

Through the course of the story, Liam finds a whole new family and raft of friends, proves himself to be Sam’s hero, and manages to say goodbye to his best friend with dignity and love.

This is a low-angst story, with a great cast of characters – villains included – and I really enjoyed reading it and have gone looking for the next in the series. The Owens family were entertaining, and I loved seeing Liam blossom beneath their clear-cut affection, as well as Sam’s honest care and love.

Unrequited by Jesse H. Reign

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Title: ⟫ Unrequited

Author: ⟫ Jesse H. Reign

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ Andy Montgomery is an artist and a dreamer. It isn’t long before the person he’s dreaming about is his college roommate, West Baxter.

West is cheerful and popular, a jock and a genius. Despite Andy’s best intentions, he develops a maddening crush on West. As their friendship deepens, so does his crush. It changes from an innocent flutter to the type of longing that defines a lifetime.

The problem? West is straight, so this epic love is unrequited…or is it? 

Review: ⟫ There were huge chunks of this book that seriously worked for me. The relationship between Wes and Andy during college was absolutely awesome, from the initial assumptions, to the way they became each other’s person.

The pining at college was handled masterfully but sometimes Andy came across as a complete masochist (I’m talking about him listening to Wes with girls here). There were hints that feelings were reciprocated, but I felt that Andy’s inability to see them for what they were read quite true – at that age, you don’t always trust your instincts and he had friends telling him that Wes was completely straight so it was understandable.

Where things went a little astray for me was the TEN YEARS that passed. Ten years where Andy pined, didn’t allow himself to find love, and just seemed to be in permanent self-destruct mode. And Wes did nothing about it – I don’t care how unsure you are, if you are free you sure as heck don’t watch your best friend self-destruct without doing something other than that one conversation.

When they did get together, things went fast and were hotter than heck, and that definitely made up for a lot. Overall, I really did enjoy reading the book, hence the 4/5. I half want to read the second book called ‘Requited’ for Wes’s perspective, but I need to get over the anger of those ten years first!

Sainted by Jesse H. Reign

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Title: ⟫ Sainted

Author: ⟫ Jesse H. Reign

Rating: ⟫ 5/5

Blurb: ⟫ Falling for my kidnapper is a terrible idea.

He’s a bad man and I don’t mean trash like your ex. I mean seriously bad. I mean dangerous. You can tell just by looking at him; black eyes, a menacing scowl, and a nose that’s been badly broken in the past.

He is my arch nemesis. My mortal enemy. My singular obsession.

I was afraid of him when we met. He took me against will and kept me chained to a bed. Me, Damon Alexander Beckett of BeckIT fame and fortune. Well, the joke’s on him because I’m going to make it my life’s mission to destroy him. But first, I have to survive being his captive. He’s here all the time. Watching me. His heavy male presence never more than five feet away, dark, glinting eyes tracking down my body.

When he propositions me indecently, I am shocked and outraged. As I should be. Seriously, the audacity of him is unreal.

It’s obvious I should say no. It goes without saying. Any sane person would laugh in his face.

So why am I sinking to my knees?

Review: ⟫ Oh my, yes! I wasn’t sure what I was letting myself in for when I began reading this, but it was a rollicking, sexy ride! When Damon is kidnapped, he makes his feelings perfectly clear – he is not here for it and he fully intends to make his kidnapper’s life a complete and utter misery.

When A$$hole (as Damon calls him) took the job to kidnap Damon, he was expecting a run of the mill, easy job. Instead, he gets a mouthy, obnoxious, sexy brat who winds him up, exhausts him and fascinates him in equal measure. These two together alternatively cracked me up with their behaviour towards each other – talk about being determined to one-up each other – and made me wonder just how they were going to get their HEA.

The way Saint and Damon interacted was pure gold, and I was laughing more than once reading the story. I was seriously invested in how things turned out, especially when the kidnapping took a turn for the unexpected. Damon was an excellent character – he knew exactly who he was, until suddenly he didn’t and Saint was bringing things out that he had never expected. Saint was more of a surprise with how vulnerable he allowed himself to be and how he interacted with Damon.

I don’t want to spoil anything by revealing more of what happens in this story, but I will say that the sex scenes were steamy as all get-out, with some twists that I wasn’t expecting. The ride towards their HEA was like a roller-coaster and I was gutted and exhilarated in equal measure I raced through the story. This is the second Jesse H. Reign book I’ve read over the last 24 hours and I’m off to look for more!

Jon and Mack's Terrifying Tree Problems by A.J. Sherwood

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Title: ⟫ Jon and Mack’s Terrifying Tree Problems

Author: ⟫ A.J. Sherwood

Rating: ⟫ 4.5/5

Blurb: ⟫ It’s like a bad game of Telephone.

Grant locates a murdered teen in McMinnville. He calls Jon.

Jon locates the girl’s ghost. He calls Mack.

Mack talks to the ghost who leads them to more ghosts. Who lead them to even more ghosts.

And why are all the murder victims buried under trees?

The boys are ready for this game to end, please. (Donovan especially.)

Tags:

Jon’s World crossover, hail hail the gang’s all here, oh look we meet Grant, trees are not to be trusted, according to Donovan, ya’ll pray for Donovan, there’s so many ghosts, the ghosts have some WORDS to share, car sex, bondage sex, Mack has plans, so of course they get ruined, BAMF female cops, Jon and Mack are ready for this case to be over, please and thank you, serial killer(s)? running amok, people get tombed, literally, Eli’s mad she missed the fun, Mack would like to say: Don’t use Jon as a battery, seriously don’t do it

Review: ⟫ There is not a chance that you’ll be able to follow this story unless you’ve read the other ones in the series so don’t even try!

As a fan of Jon, Mack and all of the others, it was really fun to dive back into this world. I did get lost a few times and had to remind myself of who was who and who did what, but once I’d got my memories back, it was full steam ahead. I loved how this story showed new sides to the powers these guys had (who even knew it was possible to use Jon as a battery even if it was a supremely bad idea), whilst solidifying what you already knew about them.

I wouldn’t say there a was a lot of romance in this book, although there were a few steamy sex scenes. It was more about the mystery they find themselves in the middle of, and how they all came together to figure it out and solve the crime.

I thought Jon and Mack were complete idiots a few times, especially towards the end, but they did so good in the end that I forgave them. The reason for the rating of 4 instead of 5 is because the book did get confusing a few times, and as I haven’t read the previous books in a while, I felt a little lost and I wouldn’t be surprised if other people felt the same.

It was brilliant to be back in this universe, and I look forward to reading more about the adventures of our guys – maybe a little recap/glossary in the beginning of the next book?

Wish by Cambria Hebert (Westbrook Elite #3)

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Title: ⟫ Wish (Westbrook Elite #3)

Author: ⟫ Cambria Hebert

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ For me, choice might as well be a wish.

My parents died in a fiery car crash when I was barely sixteen.

I’m gay.

I’m also totally in love with my brother.

I didn’t choose any of that. In fact, I’ve tried like hell to deny it. But here I am in all my gay, brother-loving, no-parentals glory.

Technically, Max isn’t my brother. Not by blood anyway. That should make it less ick, right?

Considering he calls my parents mom and dad, probably not.

Also, did I mention he’s straight?

So that’s me: the freestyle swimmer doing my best to keep my sexuality on the down-low while simultaneously wishing my feelings for Max will evaporate into thin air.

Too bad he acts like he’s my keeper and my heart shakes every time his eyebrow ring glints in the sun or he levels his opaque stare on me with an intensity matched by nothing else.

My desire to keep my personal life personal drowns at the bottom of the pool when a fellow Elite lets everyone in on my business, which throws Max into macho protective mode all over again.

Enough is enough, though. I’m forcing myself to move on.

Maybe the best way to forget about my forbidden crush is to find a new one.

I have options. More than I realized.

Unfortunately, none of them are leather-wearing, tattoo-sporting, motorcycle-riding grumpholes.

So here I am wishing for Max while someone else wishes for me.

Someone who decides if they can’t have me…

No one will.

Please note that WISH contains homophobia. There is also mention of off-page child abuse and parental death. This book also contains a male/male sibling-esque relationship and mentions of male assault. Some readers may find these things uncomfortable.

Review: ⟫ I haven’t read the first two books in this series because I wasn’t in the mood to read M/F, but it didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of this book as it was all set up very well and I could infer pretty much everything I needed to know.

The story is mainly told from the perspective of Wes, who is completely and utterly in love with Max. Like, imprinted from a very early age. But because of the way they were brought up and the circumstances behind it all, he felt very much alone and as if the whole idea of being with Max was an impossibility – which is understandable – they were brought up as brothers, despite Max’s parents being very much alive.

I thought that the story did a good job of showing Wes’s feeling of loneliness and isolation, fear of being outed due to a previous incident, as well as his inner turmoil for his feelings. I felt for him – deeply – because it very much seemed as if he was surrounded by people who cared but that he was wrapped in a bubble and couldn’t quite bring himself to reach out and accept the hands of love and acceptance that were there for him. I very much enjoyed his interactions with Rinkin – he didn’t back down, didn’t allow himself to be cowed, and showed himself to be a strong person beneath his quiet exterior.

Max annoyed the hell out of me, but at the same time I could understand the bind that he was in. He was struggling with his upbringing, the promises he had made, and general feelings of not being enough. More than sufficient to mess with anyone. However, the lengths he went to in order to keep track of Wes were unfair if he wasn’t going to step up, and I really liked how he was called on it by the people around him.

The story is engaging and entertaining, although a few times it did veer off into soap-opera land (yes, I’m looking at you Veronica), and it kept me entertained throughout. The sex scenes were hot – in fact, they were very hot – and I really enjoyed reading it. One of the better brothers-in-love stories that I’ve read and I will be checking out further works by the author.

A Hellhound Called Derek by Michelle Frost (Mated to the Human #1)

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Title: ⟫ A Hellhound Called Derek

Author: ⟫ Michelle Frost

Rating: ⟫ 3/5

Blurb: ⟫ Touch his mate and you’ll wish for the fires of hell.

Alpha of the Hellhound enforcers, Derek doesn’t think he has time for a mate until the Paranormal Council of the city gives him one.

Hollis is smart, funny, vulnerable…human, and his police commissioner uncle has designs to use Hollis’s new mating for his own ends.

He’ll learn quickly not to mess with a hellhound’s mate. 

Review: ⟫ Okay, I can’t imagine that I’ll be the only person who jumps on this book simply because the title sounds entertaining, right? This is quite obviously setting up a new series and for me, that kinda ruins it. The romance between Derek and Hollis felt a bit perfunctory to the story – it was very sweet, and despite being a sort of insta-love thing, they took things relatively slowly. It felt for me like what was going on between them was in the background – instead, we learned about other characters who were being set up for the future, the politics behind the whole arranged marriage thing, and that was pretty much it.

Derek was an absolute sweetheart up until he wasn’t, when he went all grr argh to save his mate which was nice. And Hollis was written as a sweet, lacking in self-esteem, and in need of someone to bolster his confidence to make him realise what he was capable. Ultimately, I felt like I was being set up for the stories of the other candidates more than anything and I was a bit disappointed.

I was looking forward to any of the Hellhound lore and reveal which was set up to be a huge thing, but again, that was rather disappointing. Saying that, I will keep an eye out for more in the series because it was set up very well and the writing was confident and assured. Overall, I wish there had been more concentration on this story rather than setting up the next.

Only One Coffin by A.J. Truman

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Title: ⟫ Only One Coffin

Author: ⟫ A.J. Truman

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ I’m stuck sharing a coffin with the world’s perkiest vampire. This vacation is going to suck.

After centuries of eternal existence, and still mourning the loss of my lover to vicious slayers, I needed a few days of peaceful solitude at the Hotel Draugr.

But thanks to a double-booking mishap, I’m forced to share my coffin with Kilroy, a freshly bitten vampire who loves his new afterlife as much as he loves hanging ten. My unexpected room-mate is determined to show me how “totally awesome” being a vampire can be.

Doesn’t he know vampires don’t do sunshine of any kind?

Through epic snowball fights and midnight meetups at vampire speakeasies, the ice around my not-technically-beating heart begins to melt. And during days sharing our too-small coffin, one part of me has trouble staying dead.

Maybe this budding relationship has teeth…that is, if we can evade the slayers closing in on the hotel.

Only One Coffin is a grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, paranormal MM romcom featuring a 300-year age gap, coffin cuddling, and a vampire bro who wears flip flops no matter how cold it is outside.

Review: ⟫ With a neat twist on a few tropes such as age-gap, grumpy sunshine and forced proximity, Only One Coffin is mainly played for laughs. The puns drop thick and fast, blood is substituted for some truly entertaining food items and the relationship between Kilroy and Magnus is a sweet, fun read.

Magnus is still in mourning for the lover taken from him by the humans, and is making his annual trip to hide away in a frozen hotel when he is suddenly forced to face the reality of the fact that the rest of the world is still living. Kilroy comes along at a time when probably no one else would try to drag Magnus out into the world again, and is stagnating and, no pun intended, slowly dying.

Kilroy was most definitely one of those glass-half-full people that can be incredibly irritating or endearing depending on the mood you are in. He took being changed into a vampire as a ‘whoa, dude’ thing rather than a path to depression. I loved the idea of a group of vampires who help ‘newbies’ get on their feet, and on the whole Kilroy was fun in a seeing the world from a new perspective.

I did find the constant corrections to Kilroy saying things like good morning and good night a bit irritating after a while – yes, we get it, Magnus’s character is a little stuffy and formal but literally every single time someone said something like that, it felt like overkill. This gave me ‘Hotel Transylvania’ vibes, which was fun, and I did love how casually things like turning into a bat, etc. were discussed.

I would describe this as a nice, easy read, with an interesting take on the whole vampire life, and a sweet love story.

Point of No Return by N.R. Walker (Turning Point Series : Book #1)

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Title: ⟫ Point of No Return (Turning Point Series: Book One)

Author: ⟫ N.R. Walker

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ Matthew Elliot is one of LA’s best detectives. He’s been labelled the golden boy of the Fab Four; a team of four detectives who’ve closed down drug-rings all over the city. He’s smart, tough and exceptionally good at his job.

He’s also a closeted gay man.

Enter Kira Takeo Franco, the new boxing coach at the gym. Matthew can’t deny his immediate attraction to the man his fellow cops know as Frankie. But in allowing himself to fall in love with a man known to his colleagues, Matthew risks outing them both. Matt and Kira work to keep their relationship and private lives hidden from Matt’s very public life, fearing it would be detrimental to their careers.

But it’s not the other cops who Matthew should be worried about finding out his deepest, darkest secret… it’s the bad guys.

Review: ⟫ When you’re less than 33% through a book and I love yous have been exchanged, you know things are about to get gnarly. And, boy, did they get gnarly in this book.

I really liked both Kira and Matt – they were both in an extremely difficult position with regards to their careers so it made perfect sense that they didn’t want to risk being caught initially. And I really loved how they both respected that for each other, communicated about it, and found ways to be together anyway.

The romance was quick but it made sense, and seeing them together was really sweet and lovely, especially once Kira’s parents were on the scene. However, when the bad guys came into play, things got really scary and nasty and I was almost biting my nails. The manner in which they were outed was really scary and worked very well, and I thought the reactions of Matt’s colleagues was realistic.

I hated what happened to Kira and was with Matt all the way in wanting to kill the bad guy – he definitely deserved a good killing. I also really loved the way the fabulous four put everything aside to figure things out and the way it all happened was masterful – I was practically cheering when I read it.

What I didn’t like? I didn’t like Kira flirting with someone else to pay Matt back for something, although I could understand why he was mad. I also didn’t like the ending because it felt like a HFN rather than a HEA. I’m just really glad that I don’t have to wait to read the next book because I would probably be seething. I would definitely recommend giving this a read if you are looking for something hot, sweet and thrilling and am planning on heading into book two as soon as my TBR pile goes down a little!