Tag Archives: mm review

Confession by Rina Saint (Constantine Brothers #2)

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TITLE: ⟫ Confession
AUTHOR: ⟫ Rina Saint

SERIES: ⟫ Constantine Brothers #2
RATING: ⟫ 5/5

BLURB: ⟫ I’ve been keeping secrets from my boss. I have to. Because how the hell do you tell a straight man that you’ve been in love with him for years?

If he found out, everything would collapse, and I’ve worked so hard to hold my life together, all these pieces that I don’t deserve: a home, a position, trust. But it’s only getting harder because he keeps watching me, keeps touching me—and I can’t handle it.

I try to tell myself that it’s in my head, but it’s not. Something’s changed between us, and I don’t understand. I don’t know what to do, and I’m terrified that I’m going to do something really, really stupid.

I just have to lock down. I’m good at that. I’ve been doing it for years. I don’t need anything. I swear I don’t. But then he touches me again, unnecessarily, like he’s trying to figure something out, and everything I tell myself I don’t need, everything I can’t have anyway, feels very much like everything I can’t live without.

REVIEW: ⟫ I grabbed this as soon as I finished reading ‘Possession’ and it looks like very little time has passed since that book. Vitali is dealing with his guilt that he didn’t find Roman or save him from his captors, as well as how blind he feels he was about his uncle.

And this whole new view on Quinn that has taken over his mind is driving him insane. I really enjoyed reading as Vitali began to understand what was happening to him, and I especially loved the way that he handled Quinn – the imagery of this bodyguard giving in so completely was incredibly sexy. I loved the ongoing plot regarding what happened to Roman, as well as Vitali trying to consolidate their power in the territory – the double crossing of double crossing was mind bending and so well done. Yeah, really enjoyed this one, especially the strange family that the Constantine brothers made with Lucas, Sasha and Quinn. A very good duology that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Possession by Rina Saint (Constantine Brothers #2)

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TITLE: ⟫ Possession
AUTHOR: ⟫ Rina Saint

SERIES: ⟫ Constantine Brothers #1
RATING: ⟫ 5/5

BLURB: ⟫ I’m a beast pacing around my cage waiting for the next fight. It’s all I have, those brief moments of rage and destruction. It’s a sort of freedom. Then I go back into the cold, dark emptiness.

That’s why I don’t speak anymore. What’s the point? I stopped being human a long time ago. I’ve given up on anything but that cycle of violence and isolation—until they throw him into my cage. They expect me to kill him as soon as he gets me through my injuries. That’s what I usually do. People thrown in with me make so much noise with their begging that I have to kill them to shut them up. But Lucas is different. He’s quiet. Lost. He intrigues me.

So I don’t kill him. I claim him instead.

At first, my handlers are happy. They think he makes it easier to manage me. Control the beast by controlling its possession. Beasts are simple like that.

What they don’t realize is that he’s waking up the man I used to be—and that man is a hell of a lot more dangerous than the beast.

* Possession contains dark and potentially triggering content. A content list can be found in the ebook sample.

REVIEW: ⟫ I do enjoy a bit of the dark themes every now and then, so reading the description for this fascinated. Oh my! This was seriously dark – an underground fighting ring with no escape, a young man sold to pay off debts, the murderous beast he’s locked away with. But dang, I did not expect this to hit so hard.

My heart absolutely broke for Roman, especially when he began trying to speak to Lucas because he needed to communicate. He was trying so hard, so determined to protect his new possession. The way the two of them built a relationship in such extreme circumstances, the way that Lucas understood and accepted what Roman could afford to give him was awesome. I also loved the fact that ultimately, Lucas wasn’t a victim – he was strong enough to make some really tough choices and I appreciated the different sides to his character.

As soon as I finished this, I downloaded the next book in the series because I wanted more and I can see that I will be reading all that I can find of Rina Saint’s catalogue this week – looks like my TBR has a new author!

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!

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.

Red On His Lips by J. Tomala (Blood on His Lips Book #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ Red On His Lips
AUTHOR: ⟫ J. Tomala

SERIES: ⟫ Blood on his Lips #1
RATING: ⟫ 3/5

BLURB: ⟫ “So, are you a witch?”

“It depends,” Lars said, leaning just that little bit closer.

Valerian had thought the boy was timid, afraid even, but that wasn’t the case at all. Or maybe Valerian had lost his edge over the last fifty years and didn’t look scary anymore.

“On what?”

“Do you need a witch?” Lars asked pointedly, stressing the you.


The last things Valerian expected to see on the random inspection of his brothel was a wild, pretty thing with blood on his lips. And for some reason, he can’t look away from the boy or leave him there.

The solution to this is to take him home, give him a job, and call him into his parlor every night, pretending he’s only there to elevate Valerian’s boredom. They say the boy is a witch, and when Valerian looks at him in the candlelight, he believes it. How else could he explain his impulsive behavior? His growing attachment to Lars, the feelings blooming in his chest?

Lars should hate Valerian Wilk, after all he’s ended up in the vampire’s brothel, because his stepfather owed him money. But as soon as Valerian Wilk walks into the room, something inside him awakes, tells him to get closer to the man. Mouthing off to the owner of the brothel pays off for him. He’s bundled up and taken to Wilk’s townhouse to be his gardener, but that’s not all he does. Every evening, he sits with Lord Wilk in the parlor and talks to him. Soon he starts looking forward to these hours when they can be alone, and his feelings for the handsome vampire grow and deepen.

But Lars is a mortal witch and Lord Wilk a powerful immortal vampire. Would he even want someone like Lars at his side and in his bed?

This is the first book in the ‘Blood on his lips’ series, but can be read as a standalone title.

REVIEW: ⟫ There was a lot to enjoy about this book – the vampire lore was very interesting and well done. However, as my first read from this author, it just didn’t grab me. There were time jumps – to allow for one of the male reads to age up appropriately – but apart from maybe a character making mention of months or years passing, there was little indication that any time had passed. The relationship between Valerian and Lars was very insta-love but not in a passionate way. It’s difficult to describe and maybe that’s my problem – there seemed to be no reason why they fell for each other. We never find out if part of Valerian’s attraction to Lars is because of his witch blood; the fight against bad vampires was short, didn’t feel particularly clear and was anticlimatic. I wanted to enjoy this more than I did which is a shame because I can’t see myself reaching for book two. Obviously YMMV but this one didn’t work for me at all.

Fey Empire by S. Rodman (Fey Lords #5

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TITLE: ⟫ Fey Empire
AUTHOR: ⟫ S. Rodman

SERIES: ⟫ Fey Lords #5
RATING: ⟫ 4.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ My mother raised me to worship monsters. Now she’s given me to one.

I was born into her cult, raised on stories of the fey, of the magic slumbering in my blood, of the glory that would come when they returned to conquer Earth.

I was taught to kneel, to serve, to prepare myself for the day I would give up my magic. My body was never mine. It was a gift waiting to be claimed.

She always said it would be a fey prince.

I didn’t think that was possible. I thought it was a myth she clung to. A story to make obedience feel holy.

But now the portals have been opened. The fey have returned.

And I’ve been offered to Prince Selwyn Y Mabinogi, a creature with antlers, cat-slitted eyes and a smile that seems false.

My magic is the offering. My body is the vessel. My submission is the key.

He says he is proud I’m to be his. That he’ll gladly take my magic… and everything else I have to offer.

He touches me like I already belong to him. Speaks to me like I’m precious. Breakable. His.

I was never taught how to want. Never meant to enjoy any of this.

But my body answers to him like it was made for this.

And I’m starting to wonder if maybe it was.

REVIEW: ⟫ This might end up being my favourite of this series so far. Lawrence (Laurie) was such a sweet character, despite the utter torment his life up until his marriage was. The entire story is told from Laurie’s point of view, and there were incidents from previous books where we get to see another perspective. All of the intrigue and politics were fascinating and one of the things I love about these books is when one of the ‘baddies’ gets their comeuppance. And this time it was excellent – I felt so proud of Laurie in those moments, I was grinning like a fool. It was excellent to catch up with the other pets and Princes and I am fascinated by where things are going to go next.

I received an ARC from BookSirens.

August 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 August 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.

The Beast by J.R. Ward ⟫ Black Dagger Brotherhood #14 ⟫ 5/5

Beyond Hate by Lee McCormick ⟫ Beyond #3 ⟫ 4/5 ⟫ Kindle Unlimited

Headmates by October Arden ⟫ Inside #1 ⟫ 4.5/5 ⟫ Gay Romance Reviews

The Cop by Tom North ⟫ 4/5 ⟫ Booksprout

Omega Captive of the Golden Dragon by Wendy Rathbone ⟫ Alpha Dragons #3 ⟫ 3.5/5 ⟫ Gay Romance Reviews

Pretty Mess by Lily Morton ⟫ 4.5/5 ⟫ Kindle Unlimited

Saving Sparrow by C P Harris ⟫ Slow Burns and Tragic Beginnings #2 ⟫ 5/5 ⟫ Kindle Unlimited

The Shadows by J.R. Ward ⟫ Black Dagger Brotherhood #13 ⟫ 4.5/5

Starting With Cake by October Arden ⟫ 4/5 ⟫ Author ARC

Unsubmissive Omega by R. Gaen ⟫ Leongatha Pack Tales #4 ⟫ 3.5/5 ⟫ Booksprout