Himbo Hitman by Saxon James

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TITLE: ⟫ Himbo Hitman
AUTHOR: ⟫ Saxon James
RATING: ⟫ DNF

BLURB: ⟫ What do you do when you’re a hitman … who’s terrible at his job?

At first, I thought it would be an easy payday. A few pew pews for bad people, a couple of suitcases of cash for me. People have done worse for an honest living. Probably.

The problem is that after a couple jobs, I’ve never actually managed to unalive someone, and not for lack of trying. Apparently, a basic requirement of a hitman is being a good shot.

Despite my constant duck-ups–that my boss knows nothing about–I’m given another name, and I very nearly follow through. Only after obliterating this guy’s ear, and his fervent pleading to spare him, I’ve sent him into hiding and collected the cash anyway.

But wanted people are hard to hide, and bad guys don’t like paying big money for loose ends.

Now that Van Gogh has shown his face again—sans ear—I’ve scammed my way into his security team, which is sort of ideal since I’m now highly wanted as well.

Unfortunately, we have some “trust issues” to “work through” from our meet-shoot, and with the gorgeous bastard’s brother missing, he refuses to lay low until they’re reunited.

I’m not sold on the plan honestly, but this guy has me questioning my sexuality along with my career path, and I’m at the point where I’m determined to see a job through to the end.

Or die trying.

But hey, at least then I’d finally deliver a body.


REVIEW: ⟫ I don’t think I’ve ever not finished a book by Saxon James, and for it to be an ARC as well makes it even more unlikely. I don’t know if it’s because of recent ill health, a lack of connection with the characters or just a need for something different, but no matter how much I have tried to finish this one, I have failed. I don’t take it lightly that I was given an ARC and can only hope that I will be back on form sooner rather than later. My thanks to Foreword PR for the ARC I received and hopefully, better luck next time!

Demon and the Raven by Mary Calmes (Raven of the Woods #2)

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TITLE: ⟫ Demon and the Raven
AUTHOR: ⟫ Mary Calmes

SERIES: ⟫ Raven of the Woods #2
RATING: ⟫ ?/5

BLURB: ⟫ Speak of the devil…and he may just appear.

Xander Corey has never been happier. He’s in love, engaged to the man of his dreams, his friends are thriving, his land, Corvus, is safe, his community is booming, and he’s even back to working as a part-time librarian in Osprey, the tiny little town he calls home in Upstate New York. And yes, he’s a witch, though only a few are bothered about that.

But Xander is worried: Why is everyone so cranky? What’s happened to the bees in town? And who attacked his friend the nymph?

Chief of Police Lorne MacBain has issues of his own. He has a murder to solve that may or may not have something to do with magic. Before moving to town and falling in love with a witch, the supernatural was not a concern. But these days, both Xander and magic are an integral part of his life. His main priority is protecting the man he loves, yet that may prove harder than ever.

The evil stalking Xander and Lorne is real, and to fight it, they’ll have to figure out precisely what it is. If only that could happen before it kills them…

REVIEW: ⟫ Currently reading – review to follow.

No Pucks by J.R. Gray (Gods Versus Monsters Hockey #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ No Pucks
AUTHOR: ⟫ J.R. Gray

SERIES: ⟫Gods Versus Monsters Hockey #1
RATING: ⟫4/5

BLURB: ⟫ Finding out the guy I hooked up with is on my team isn’t the way I saw my first week of coaching going.

My name is Anthony Hawke, and I used to be a rising star in the NHL until someone purposefully tore my ACL, ending my career. I went from the top of my life to nothing in a matter of months.

I take a coaching job a thousand miles away as a fresh start, only to ruin it before I start.

Three months ago, I met him in a bar. Sexy and funny and built like a God—no names, just the best night of my life.

I never thought I’d see him again, but jokes on me, he’s a freshman on my team. Not only is he an insufferable playboy, but his father is the one who ruined my career.

I can’t lose this coaching job by sleeping with a player, but he won’t let it go. And if his father finds out, forget working anywhere in hockey again.

REVIEW: ⟫ I preface this by saying that I haven’t read any of the New York Gods series, which this author wrote with Andi Jaxon – I feel kinda guilty about that as I’ve had the first on on my kindle for over a year!

The blurb caught my attention – I loved the idea of a coach discovering his one night stand is actually one of his players – so I dived straight in. I know this is meant to be a grumpy/sunshine type thing, but I’m not sure that I would describe Logan as sunshine? He was upbeat and positive, especially considering his home-life, but not my definition of sunshine. Anthony was definitely grumpy though – I think it took nearly 75% of the book before he even smiled!

This was a nice enough read, a little surface maybe? There were a lot of time jumps – almost a fade to black of the two of them together and then it was the next morning or somewhere else. Logan’s father was a bit of a caricature bad guy and it seemed like all of his power was derived from his wife and father in law. It was a nice enough story, the chemistry between Anthony and Logan was good, and I even enjoyed the hockey. I will look out for more in the series and I will definitely dig out the collaborative stories written by JR Gray and Andi Jaxon!

The Legend Next Door by Jesse H Reign (Totally Pucked #2)

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TITLE: ⟫ The Legend Next Door
AUTHOR: ⟫ Jesse H Reign

SERIES: ⟫Totally Pucked #2
RATING: ⟫ 4.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ I didn’t think hockey was the game for me…now I’m obsessed.

My new neighbor, Ben Stirling, is a beautiful, famous ex-player. A living NHL legend. A single dad with sad eyes and a smile I feel in my knees.

I’ve never met anyone like him. He’s what would you’d get if you squeezed masculinity through a sieve. He’s the grit. The pulp. The hard stuff that leaves a sweet taste in your mouth. On top of that, he’s kind and funny, and did I mention he’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever laid eyes on?

Obviously, he’s straight.

And obviously, that’s fine.

It’s not like I’m going to flirt with him. Or fall for him.

REVIEW: ⟫ Okay, so as soon as I saw that Jesse H Reign had a new book out, I bumped it up my TBR pile and I am so glad that I did. I was wondering how this was going to go, with a widower who has a young son and a younger man who seemed more than a little easy-going in terms of what he wanted from life.

However, I should have trusted in Jesse – and from the first page, I totally did! Ben just about broke my heart in the first few chapters – the pain, loss and anguish he was feeling came through so clearly that I was almost in tears. Luca was an absolute delight and he reminded me of my nieces and nephews at his age – it’s so nice when an author writes a child as a child rather than a young adult. The bond between Luca and Ben was incredibly touching and he was an amazing father.

Then we have Jeremiah – or Jelly as he is affectionately called. There isn’t a thought in this man’s head that he doesn’t spill out of his mouth, or worse. Jelly was absolutely delightful – from his self-pep talks, his affection for Luca, and his absolute adoration of Ben. The whole ‘biggest fan’ made me giggle far too often, and I loved when Jelly was forcing Moop to watch Hockey as a zealous new convert.

The bi-awakening was underplayed, which I appreciated – this wasn’t so much about Ben discovering that he liked men as well as women. It was more about him recovering from the loss of his wife, realising that he can find love again, and being open to whatever form that took. The two of them together were really beautiful – I really loved how Jelly encouraged Ben to talk about anything and everything – especially silly things. And the way that they reacted to each other – I’m actually thinking of a scene where they’re not even in the same house that was incredibly sexy and touching at the same time.

We had a small cameo with our duo from ‘Poetry on Ice’ which reminded me of just how much I loved reading them. But this book – this book was all about Ben, Jelly and Luca making a new ‘three person’ unit, and I am here for it. Big up supportive in laws who had no issue with Ben moving on, even with a man – and I look forward to the next in the series.

Blitz’d by Lee McCormick & RS McKenzie (Evergreen University #1)

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Blitz’d – Lee McCormick & RS McKensie

TITLE: ⟫ Blitz’d
AUTHOR: ⟫ Lee McCormick & RS McKenzie

SERIES: ⟫ Evergreen University #1
RATING: ⟫ DNF

BLURB: ⟫ Zander

Kissing my rival shouldn’t have felt so good.

Finding out my girlfriend has been cheating on me for months makes me do something crazy: kiss my rival to make her jealous. I wasn’t supposed to like kissing Kerian Slade. He’s a psycho who demands things of me…things I shouldn’t want. But there’s something about Kerian that draws me in, and now that I’m caught in his web, he won’t let me go.

Kerian

The number one rule: don’t care about people.

Caring is a distraction, and emotions are messy… and messy is something I hate. Which is why I’m confused when the messiest player I’ve ever met—my rival—kisses me and turns my world on its head. Zander Braithe is sweet, emotional, and straight. That doesn’t stop him from coming back for more, and that doesn’t stop me from realizing I’ll burn the world down to make him mine.

Blitz’d is a dark themed MM romance between two rival football quarterbacks and a kiss that changes everything. It contains high heat, unexpected sweetness and a possessive quarterback that thinks stalking is a love language and a NFL hopeful that wants to love him despite his initial misgivings.


REVIEW: ⟫ I love a dark MM romance and thought this sounded like just my kind of book. Unfortunately, I found myself disliking both of the MMCs and the way the premise came about was just too much for me. I hate not finishing books which is why this has carried over for about three months but I think it’s time for me to admit that I’m not going to finish it. YMMV.

One Honeymoon, Two Hockey Bros, Three Little Words by Oslo Fox

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TITLE: ⟫ One Honeymoon, Two Hockey Bros, Three Little Words
AUTHOR: ⟫ Oslo Fox
RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫On his Hawaiian honeymoon, a jilted groom wakes up in the arms of his best man.

Ethan Lavallee’s life revolves around two things: hockey and hockey.

When his fiancée leaves him at the altar, his best bro and D-partner, Jean-Luc Bergstrom, whisks him away on what should have been his honeymoon.

Their easy friendship has always been the one relationship he could count on, but suddenly, sharing a bed in a romantic Hawaiian villa has Ethan questioning everything he thought he knew about himself.

As his feelings for Jean-Luc evolve from friendship to something more, Ethan must decide if he’s brave enough to risk their partnership on and off the ice for a chance at real love.

A steamy gay m/m friends-to-lovers dual POV romance novel featuring a double bi-awakening and a Hawaiian honeymoon with only one bed.

REVIEW: ⟫ Talk about oblivious! Ethan didn’t seem to have any idea whatsoever that he was basically married to Jean-Luc – he simply enjoyed doing whatever his D-man partner told him to do! Jean-Luc was a little aggravating – his flirtatious nature was fine, but he lost it when he thought Ethan was doing the same. The lack of communication between the two of them was comical although occasionally irritating – they both made decisions for each other based on assumptions that would have been so easy to sort out. I wasn’t expecting the sub/dom aspect to things, although it was nicely done and fit with the two characters. This was a fun read, albeit occasionally irritating with the miscommuncation, and I enjoyed it.

I received an ARC from Netgalley.

April 2025 ⟫ Book Reviews Round Up

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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

The Other Half of Me by Aiden Wilde (Straight Friends Fall in Love #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ The Other Half of Me
AUTHOR: ⟫ Aiden Wilde

SERIES: ⟫Straight Friends Fall in Love #1
RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ MATTY

We hadn’t spoken for years. Then, out of the blue, Chad messages me. He’s getting divorced. He needs to get away.

Did I want to go camping with him again, like we did when we were young? Is he forgetting what happened between us before, why we stopped speaking in the first place?

CHAD

People think I am the straightest of straight guys, the bro-est of the bros.

Kara wanting to divorce me wrecked my heart. I just need to get away, two old friends, the sun on our skin, hiking, fishing, swimming in the river.

But when he reminded me of what happened between us before, I felt new things.

He was always the half other of me, but can he make me whole?

Sometimes, a love comes along that will make you change how the world sees you, and how you see yourself.

THE OTHER HALF OF ME is a steamy, high-quality MM gay romance with a theme of straight guys secretly falling in love, and old friends becoming lovers, with a straight-to-gay / gay-for-you trope.

If you love sexy but emotionally satisfying journeys of romantic self-discovery (some angst), as well as beautiful writing and all the classic romance beats with a happy-ever-after ending (HEA), then this novel is for you.

REVIEW: ⟫ This was a quick, easy read – I haven’t read anything else by the author that I can remember so I went into it with no preconceptions. I must admit, I didn’t like Chad – I didn’t like the fact that he only reached out to Matty because he was getting divorced; I didn’t like the whole frat-boy jock thing that he had going on, and he came across as really conceited, even when he was being self-deprecating. Matty, on the other hand, came across as more than a little beaten down by life – being scared of his sexual orientation during his formative years meant that he wasn’t sure who he was apart from being Dylan’s father. I felt that he was possibly too easy going – Chad basically just asked for anything and Matty gave it over.

Matty’s mother was the ‘bad’ guy with her attitude towards homosexuality and, although she redeemed herself slightly with her love for Dylan, she wasn’t a character I enjoyed reading. I think that I could quite enjoy reading more of this series – I like the gay-for-you trope when it’s handled well so I will look out for more by this author.

I received an ARC from BookSirens.

Pucked Up by Frankie Abraham (A Dark MM Hockey Romance)

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TITLE: ⟫ Pucked Up
AUTHOR: ⟫ Frankie Abraham
RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ A romance about men who don’t play fair and the game that changes everything.

I shattered his collarbone in front of twenty thousand screaming fans.
One reckless hit. One sickening crunch. One choice I’ll never take back.
I thought I’d buried my hockey career—and myself—in the woods.
But now he’s standing on my porch.
Noah Langley, the rookie I destroyed.
He says he wants the truth, but I see it in his eyes. The way he watches my hands. The way he leans closer when he thinks I won’t notice. He doesn’t want closure. And he doesn’t want revenge.
He wants pain.
He wants me.
And God help us both, I want him too—wrecked and ruined.


REVIEW: ⟫ This was a very interesting style of writing that I think could be a little like marmite – you’re either going to love it or hate it. I found it difficult to get into at first – there was a lot of chopping wood and internal dialogue, as well as what felt like a lot of symbolic conversations. My biggest issue was not feeling anything for the two main character – I think the desire to make this dark meant that too much was left unsaid and I couldn’t see how they were attracted to each other, let alone how they fell in love.

I don’t think it helps that the original blurb that I read for this was different/incorrect – it meant that I went into the story expecting one set-up and got another. The writing is coherent, can be evocative and the story is well constructed but it didn’t have the coherence I needed and the darkness I expected barely materialised. I will look out for more from Frankie Abraham and am glad that I gave this a try.

I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews.

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

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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.