Tag Archives: 09_25

Body Count by L Eveland (Wayward Sons #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ Body Count
AUTHOR: ⟫ L Eveland

SERIES: ⟫Wayward Sons #1
RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ Death is his business, and I live to serve.

Theo
Mortician River Laskin is a monster, a narcissistic sociopath with blood on his hands, but he’s also my savior.

When he rescues me from a human trafficking ring, the last thing on my mind is vengeance. I need to pull my life together and figure out how to survive in a world where I don’t exist. Without someone to tell me what to do, I’m lost. River is all I have to cling to, the only thing that makes sense in this terrifying new world.

But he and his family of murderous psychopaths have other plans, mafia connections, and murder on their minds.

River
I knew from the moment I saw him that Theo was mine. Mine to protect, mine to break, mine to put back together again.

My favorite toy.

I will use every resource at my disposal to find the men who hurt him and make them pay, whether he wants me to or not. It’s not up to him.

I’ll burn every bridge, turn over every stone, dig up every body until I get what I want.

And what I want now is vengeance for Theo. The Devil himself couldn’t stop me. I dare him to try.

Body Count is the first novel in the Wayward Sons series, a series standalone of dark MM romances that follows the Laskin brothers as they battle their inner demons and find love.

REVIEW: ⟫ More than anything else, this book reminded me of Onley James and her Necessary Evils series. Part of a made-family of psychopaths and sociopaths who take out the people who deserve to die, River is bored and looking for some entertainment when he comes across Theo. But this isn’t some casual meet and greet – River ends up buying Theo and it leads to the discovery of human trafficking going on beneath his family’s nose.

I enjoyed meeting the members of this surreal family – War might be my favourite although Shepherd is quite high up there – and the way in which they operated was fascinating. I loved the Greeks and the Russians working together, and found Izzy completely captured my imagination. The relationship between Theo and River was actually incredibly romantic – River had no idea how to deal with emotions and the fact he was willing to ask his family for help in expressing how he felt about Theo was so touching. The sex was off the charts hot and I found it engrossing. I’ve downloaded the next book in the series because I really want to read more of this couple and find out what happens with War wanting a family of his own.

Tempting Frey by Roe Horvat (Bears of Beauville #2)

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TITLE: ⟫ Tempting Frey
AUTHOR: ⟫ Roe Horvat

SERIES: ⟫ Bears of Beauville #2
RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Oliver

I’ve been in love with Theodore Frey for as long as I can remember. When I turned eighteen, I ignored the acceptance letter from the best college I’d applied to, as well as the facts that Frey was my dad’s best friend, the mayor of Beauville, the scariest bear shifter in the mountains, and twenty years older than me.

Armed with an outrageous set of lingerie and a great deal of naiveté, I showed up on his doorstep. I thought he was my fated mate and that we’d be together forever.

As a reasonable adult, Frey did the only thing he could have done: he rejected me.

Four years later, I’m back in Beauville. I’ve changed, but one thing hasn’t. Frey is still the only alpha I’ve ever wanted.

Frey

I’ve never told my best friend what happened the night Oliver came to my house. No need to make things awkward. Especially since our sheriff is a protective hothead when it comes to his only omega son.

I’ve caught glimpses of Oliver over the years, and that clumsy teen is long gone. Even though I’ve tried to keep my distance, his blue-green eyes haunt my dreams.

Now he’s back for good, working at the town hall right under my nose, and I’m climbing the walls. I’ve never seen anything sexier than Oliver putting me in my place. Beautiful, sharp, and full of fire… he’s everything I’ve ever wanted.

With his father watching my every move, I’m barely holding it together. If Oliver so much as crooks his finger at me, I don’t think I’ll be able to resist.

Tempting Frey is the second book in the Bears of Beauville series—a standalone MM omegaverse romance featuring bear shifters, fated mates, and mpreg. HEA, no cliffhangers.

REVIEW: ⟫ Oh man, the second-hand embarrassment I had on Oliver’s behalf had me scarlet! There’s no doubt that Frey did the right thing but that was so difficult to read! When Oliver returned after college, he seemed far more secure and confident in himself and Frey was slowly able to realise what he had known all along – Oliver was his Omega and he wanted to claim him. I enjoyed the story although the plot was very simple and so was the execution. This felt like a low stakes story, with little angst (after the beginning) and I enjoyed reading it. I liked seeing people from the previous part and hints of what was to come. A good read.

Flagrant Foul by Jesse H. Reign (Totally Pucked #3)

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TITLE: ⟫ Flagrant Foul
AUTHOR: ⟫ Jesse H. Reign

SERIES: ⟫ Totally Pucked #3
RATING: ⟫ 5/5

BLURB: ⟫ He’s my brother’s best friend. I’m the annoying kid who followed him everywhere.

Now we’re playing for the same team.

Sev Delorean is an NHL D-man with an excess of swagger and stickhandling techniques that made him world famous. He’s the bane of my existence and my reason for living.

He’s strictly off limits though. My brother has made that perfectly clear.

I can’t have him, but I can obsess over him.

REVIEW: ⟫ My absolute favourite part of this (apart from Mae) was that Teddy understood. This book was by turns aggravating, confusing, inspiring and beautiful – very much like the relationship between Sev and Teddy! It always surprises me how Jesse H. Reign manages to have such different characters in each story and yet inspire such adoration and love from me for these people – and seeing people popping up from previous stories is like seeing old friends again.

I adored this book – Teddy was out of his mind, but Sev wasn’t far behind – and his chaos was fabulous to watch. I would kill to see a video of Teddy dancing in the goal and Sev’s response – it sounds freaking brilliant! Actually, I lied – my favourite part was Sev’s response to Teddy being knocked into the goalpost and his reply to his manager – I cackled so hard reading what he said!

Yeah, my love for Jesse H Reign continues unabated and I cannot wait to see what’s going to happen to Nate!

Just This Once by Garrett Leigh (Men of Porth Luck #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ Just This Once
AUTHOR: ⟫ Garrett Leigh

SERIES: ⟫ Men of Porth Luck
RATING: ⟫ 5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Love hurts. Love heals. Love stays. The Men of Porth Luck series is a steamy, gritty, and emotional MM small-town romance collection chock full of angst, deep connections, and healing soulmate love.

A broken soldier. A guarded nurse. A love that shouldn’t happen—and yet…

“Of course it f**king does.”
Mal’s just passing through. Skylar’s the small-town nurse who fixes everyone but himself. Mal swears he won’t fall, but Sky’s smile hides shadows he can’t ignore.

Those pewter-grey eyes.
That sun-kissed hair.
That ink.

We’re a mistake waiting to happen.
Inevitable. Excruciating.
So what’s the harm in Just This Once?

🔥 Steamy MM romance
💔 Hurt/comfort & gritty angst
🏡 Small town, big hearts, found family

REVIEW: ⟫ Oh damn, my heart hurts! I knew Skylar’s story would wreck me and yet I still thought that I was in some way prepared. I really, really wasn’t. Mal is an action man through and through, which is what makes his reason for leaving the special forces so difficult to bear. Add to that returning to Porth Luck where, despite his family and friends being there, he doesn’t feel he belongs and life, choosing to keep living, is hard. He meets Skylar and discovers that they are entangled way before they ever even kiss.

THEN things get dramatic! If you’ve read any of the Rebel Kings, you know the tangled webs that these people are constantly battling their way through. Finding out just why Skylar wants nothing to do with the motorcycle club that is in his blood is more like a war than a simple battle. These men – I’m including Jack and Sol in this – are so hard-headed and yet so soft-hearted that whenever I read one of their tales, my heart bleeds for them. I read a huge chunk of this book through tears and that was before Skylar finally broke down and explained some things to Mal. I have such a book hangover, it’s taken me half of the day to be able to pull my thoughts together to even attempt to write a review.The I love yous, the ending – absolute bliss and as always, Garrett Leigh makes the pain worthwhile!

I received an ARC from Foreword PR.

Full Body Hit (Book #1 & #2) by Marina Vivancos (Alpha Omega Hockey #5 & #6)

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TITLE: ⟫ Full Body Hit (Book 1 and Book 2)
AUTHOR: ⟫ Marina Vivancos

SERIES: ⟫ Alpha Omega Hockey Book #5 and #6
RATING: ⟫ 4.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ A scentless Omega. A grumpy hockey legend. An anonymous hookup app that turns everything upside down.

Chase Spalding finally has his shot at the NHL—and a place on the New Orleans Spirits, the team his longtime idol, Auston Mazdaki, plays for. As a scentless Omega, Chase is used to hiding in plain sight, wearing a synthetic profile and keeping his head down. But under the confidence is a boy who aches to be seen, touched, and claimed.

Auston is a veteran in every sense: older, jaded, and done pretending he wants more from the game—or anyone. He’s not interested in rookies, least of all one with a blank scent and too many secrets.

But when two lonely men connect on an anonymous hookup app, they find what they didn’t know they were missing. In the safety of digital walls, Aunix and Charlie explore kink, power, and Daddy/boy dynamics, praise, obedience, and the kind of care neither thought they deserved.

Anonymous identities. Age gap. Grumpy/Daddy Alpha x rookie Omega. Praise, power exchange, and all the tenderness kink can hold.

When the truth comes out, love is the hardest—and most rewarding—game they’ll ever play.

REVIEW: ⟫ I’m going to start this with a warning – you need to make sure you have part 2 before you begin to read part 1, quite simply because you will not want to wait to find out what happens.

This book took me by surprise for so many reasons. I absolutely loved the fact that despite his mother, Chase was able to step out of his comfort zone and make friends – Sammy alone is utter gold, but Nathan cracked me up so many times just because he was so completely oblivious to so much of what was going on.

Auston – I wasn’t sure how I felt about him. I understood the roots of his trauma (which is more than he can say initially) but he irritated the heck out of me because he didn’t question things more. He assumed so much about Chase that occasionally I wanted to give him a shake and tell him to pay attention to the man and forget about the scent. But then the whole online thing happened and I got to see Auston for who he was without all of his baggage. And as an Alpha, this guy was absolutely amazing. He talked Charlie down so many times, encouraged him to embrace his inner Omega and was willing to try new things to be the best for his omega. The joint next building almost took me out, especially with how dedicated Charlie was to getting it right and Auston just being so adoring and understanding – just, so so awesome.

The chemistry between these two burnt up the page and showed how incredible intimate and special an online relationship can be. They really brought out the best in each other and once they realised who the other was, this transferred so well to real life. The PR incident where they played chase was fun because we got to see them being free and fun together during a time when they really didn’t understand each other or even care about the other.

The less said about Chase’s mother the better – she sounded so incredibly bitter and downright nasty and my heart broke for Chase so many times. The way in which Sammy dealt with her had me giggling with joy and when Auston tried to help Chase come to terms with the fact that he was allowed to be angry with his mother for the things that he did, I wanted to cry. The happily ever after was hard-won but I also liked how some things weren’t just solved because they found each other – they were still putting in the work and it was so worth it.

Suffice it to say, this was an excellent addition to the Alpha Omega Hockey series and I really enjoyed reading these two books back-to-back. Grab them both – you won’t regret it!

The Weight of Duty by N.Y. Lysk

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TITLE: ⟫ The Weight of Duty
AUTHOR: ⟫ N.Y. Lysk
RATING: ⟫ 3.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Now that the twins are of age, their uncle takes them in hand to teach them their marital duties. Twincest, Uncle/Nephew, dubcon, body modification. Dark.

REVIEW: ⟫ Oooh this was a dark one! I thought I knew what I was setting myself up for but I was still surprised!! There was a hopelessness in what was happening, a kind of slow acceptance of how unfair everything was, how life changed simply because he was born second that really got to me. I don’t want to give too much information in case it acts like a spoiler, but man this was dark and kinda heavy. Saying all of that, I did enjoy reading it and it kept my attention even as I gasped in horror more than once!

Off-Ice Misconduct by S. Legend (Daddies of the League #8)

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TITLE: ⟫ Off-Ice Misconduct
AUTHOR: ⟫ S. Legend

SERIES: ⟫ Daddies of the League Book #8
RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ Ace McKinnon

If you don’t want me, you want to be me.

Being so popular, my extracurricular activities crashed my GPA risking my NCAA eligibility. I asked my professor if there was any way to bump my grade. Let’s just say we worked out a clandestine deal.

Look, life is short, okay? My mom’s proof of that. The most beautiful female hockey player there ever was, died too soon.

But let’s see … captain of the hockey team, president of Alpha-Sigma, full-time course load, and looking after said hockey team and frat members around the clock.

Is it any wonder I have to persuade a few professors to help me with my grades?

Professor VanCourt doesn’t even look like a professor. It looks like someone abducted him from the wilderness and dropped him in the classroom. His feral eyes give “raised by wolves”, and I might have been the first human he’s talked to in a while, judging by how many of his words are grunts.

This guy is so not gonna let me “work out a deal”. He’s set on putting me in my place.

Luke VanCourt

His body is a conduit for power, all the force in the world his to harness. It bends to his will.

That’s probably why everyone trips over themselves for him. They probably want to be controlled by all that wild power.

Not me. I want to restrain it. Keep it under my thumb. Keep him under my thumb.

My brother has no issues keeping his team perfectly obedient on the ice, but he needs help with them off the ice.

Ace McKinnon is the key.

All I need to do is make him comply, and the rest will fall into line.

But I’ve never claimed to be a saint. What’s wrong with having fun while I do it?

Daddies of the League is a college ice hockey shared world, where you’ll find Daddies both on and off the ice. Skate into your newest obsession and grab them all. Off-Ice Misconduct features an MM age-gap relationship with the kind of possessiveness that will make you shiver and morally gray heroes.

REVIEW: ⟫
So a few arcs overtook this on the tbr pile so I’m only just finishing it. This was entertaining although a little confusing on occasion. I haven’t read any of the other Daddies books in the series, but Luke was an absolute trip and I loved him so much! Him and Ace together were a potent duo and I adored how Luke took Ace under control and made his life better. Obsession, but good obsession. Not sure how I feel about Coach but I guess I’ll find out in the next book!

Kiss-Fist by E.M. Lindsey & Cora Rose (Deaf Hearts #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ Kiss-Fist
AUTHOR: ⟫ E.M. Lindsey & Cora Rose

SERIES: ⟫ Deaf Hearts #1
RATING: ⟫ /5

BLURB: ⟫ Whoever convinced me to join the gym needs to be hung, drawn, and quartered. Or, at the very least, suffer with a pillow hot on both sides every night, because this? This is terrible.

Running? No thank you.

Lifting? Who needs biceps anyway.

Now, I will say the eye-candy is nice. Especially my new personal trainer with the tattoos and dimples. But that’s all he can ever be: eye candy.

Because he’s fit and I’m not.

He’s gorgeous and I’m, well, me.

He’s hearing…and I’m Deaf.

For some people that might not be an issue, but for me, I have rules. And I’m a stubborn man who will not break them, not even for that sexy crooked smile that almost makes me forget my own name.

But I don’t date men who can’t speak my language, and while we can say plenty with our bodies, that’s where our communication ends.

Still, the longer I spend with him, the more I’m starting to realize there may be more to this relationship than frantic, feral office hook-ups. After all, he might be the first hearing person to learn sign for me. And he’s one of the first people I’ve ever known to make me feel worthy.

So maybe, just maybe, that’s worth a little compromise.

Kiss-Fist is the first book in the Deaf Hearts series and can be enjoyed as a stand-alone. It’s a spicy MM enemies to lovers rom-com featuring a grumpy professor, a sunshine gym-bro, and their swoon-worthy happily ever after.

REVIEW: ⟫ Currently reading – review to follow.

Outsiders by October Arden (Inside Book #2)

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TITLE: ⟫ Outsiders
AUTHOR: ⟫ October Arden

SERIES: ⟫ Inside Book #2
RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ “To love them both, he has to stop being afraid of himself.”

After losing them both, Luke isn’t giving up. He refuses to be just another outsider—he wants to be part of the system, not just orbiting around it. Jaime and Alex need him. Even if Alex hates him. Especially if he does.
As Luke pushes deeper into their world, Alex fights him every step of the way. But even rivals can learn to trust. Even enemies can fall in love.

And in the middle is Jaime, still struggling to hold on while the two people who love him most finally see each other clearly.

A queer psychological slow-burn MM romance with enemies-to-lovers heat, mental illness recovery, and found family bonds that can’t be broken—even by trauma.

REVIEW: ⟫ I really wasn’t sure where things were going to go in part 2. I felt so bad for Luke – out of all three of them, he was the one who was used the most and it broke my heart because not only did he accept it, he expected it. There was a part of me that wanted him to pull away from Jaime and Alex, to find himself without them, but as the story progressed, I understood him so much better.

This book concentrates more on the relationship between Luke and Alex and it was utterly fascinating. Both of them have Jaime as their focus and yet they find ways to bond and learn about each other. Alex becomes far more open to the idea that Luke loves Jaime almost as much as he does and that opens his heart in unexpected ways. I read this in one sitting (so much for a good night’s sleep!) and it was well worth the bags under my eyes today. I am truly looking forward to the final instalment and finding out where the author takes us as well as this delightfully flawed but beautiful threesome. I received an ARC from the author.

Not Gentlemen by N.Y.Lysk

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TITLE: ⟫ Not Gentlemen
AUTHOR: ⟫ N.Y.Lysk
RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ Two alphas (jocks, bullies, stuck in post-season training) into improvised bondage, hand-over-mouth while fucking, really turned on by noncon scenes, love ganging up together

Warnings: non-con, consent is negotiated & then ignored, bondage, gag, lingerie.

REVIEW: ⟫ Well this was a lovely bit of nasty/naughty deliciousness! I really loved the fact that from the very beginning, you could sense that Chalent was trying to deny what it was he wanted. We didn’t get as much insight into Yan – the story was told completely from Chalent’s POV.

This hit me at just the right time – dirty, sexy, nasty – this was a short that I may find myself re-reading. Sometimes I’m here for the plot and other times, I really just want something down and dirty and this was most definitely it!

I received an ARC from the author.