Tag Archives: mm arc reviewers

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.

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.

Pretty Mess by Lily Morton

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TITLE: ⟫ Pretty Mess
AUTHOR: ⟫ Lily Morton
RATING: ⟫ 4.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ Kiss him, sleep with him, but don’t ever fall in love with him.

The first time Wes Archer steps into Jack of Clubs, an exclusive London pleasure club, he’s completely confident he can heed the tried-and-true advice about becoming an escort. Wes gives himself away for free with casual hookups all the time. Why not make some cash doing what he already loves? And cash is something he desperately needs. His brother’s gambling addiction has taken their family’s home, saddled Wes with insurmountable debts, and compromised his chances for finishing his degree.

Accepting an offer to spend a few hours of fun with a rich bloke will be a simple business transaction, right?

REVIEW: ⟫ Oh my goodness, this story was just so enchanting! Wes and his non-stop ability to find something to say made me laugh but he also made me want to cry sometimes. He was just such a good guy, with a lovely heart, a sense of humour that made me giggle even when it was inappropriate and the luck of a blind lemming. Cormac was harder to read but it quickly became obvious that although he might not want to be falling for Wes, he totally was. The background cast of characters were intriguing and entertaining; the story moved quickly but didn’t feel rushed and the sex scenes between Wes and Cormac were so hot! I read this book in one sitting, devouring it and wishing there was more even whilst I was so happy with how things ended. Lily Morton has a way of writing characters that are flawed and so human, and it’s what keeps me coming back to her books. My favourite is Charlie Sunshine but this one may well be joining the ranks of my top ten. This story left me with a smile on my face and a lightening in my heart – I cannot recommend it enough.

Headmates by October Arden (Inside Book #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ Headmates
AUTHOR: ⟫ October Arden

SERIES: ⟫ Inside #1
RATING: ⟫ 4.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ At six-and-a-half feet tall, Luke should be impossible to miss. Instead, he’s spent his life being overlooked, dismissed, forgotten. So when brilliant, magnetic Jaime starts pursuing him with unusual intensity, Luke doesn’t question it. He’s just grateful someone finally sees him.

What Luke doesn’t know is that Jaime shares his body and consciousness with Alex—his headmate, protector, and the man he’s loved for eleven years. What Luke can’t see is that when Jaime looks at him, he’s seeing someone else entirely.

Because Luke looks exactly like Alex would if he had his own body.

As Jaime becomes obsessed with touching Alex through Luke’s skin, their perfect bond begins to fracture. Alex watches helplessly as the man he loves betrays what they’ve built together. And Luke falls deeper for someone who’s using his body to love a ghost.

When the truth comes out, it will destroy everything they thought they knew about love, identity, and what it means to be real.

An intense, emotional queer romance about the dangerous space between want and need.

For fans of TJ Klune’s hurt/comfort and Eli Easton’s emotional complexity.

REVIEW: ⟫ This is the first book by this author that I have read but as soon as I finished, I went to see what else I could find. The second book incorporating DID that I read this weekend, this book was a trip. I couldn’t get a grip on Jamie – I kept trying to figure out what his deal was. Luke – I felt so bad for Luke, ready to accept the scraps from the table as long as it meant he could continue to be with Jamie – heartbreaking. Alex – who we don’t spend a huge amount of time with – made so much more sense to me. Obviously he was jealous and scared – the thought that he might be replaced was terrifying. I completely understood why the cliffhanger happened when it did but boy, I was cursing because I wanted to know what happened next immediately.

This was fascinating, innovative and satisfying and I look forward to the next instalment. I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews.

May 2025 ⟫ Book Reviews Round Up

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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