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Scales and Song by L Eveland (Monster in my Bed Book #2)

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Title: ⟫ Scales and Song: Monsters in my Bed Book #2

Author: ⟫ L Eveland

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ We were supposed to protect the world from monsters, not become them.

All I’ve ever wanted was to protect the people I love. That’s why I joined the military’s Elite Specimen Containment Unit.

When I learned they were experimenting on sentient monsters, however, everything changed.

Now, I have a new mission: protect a scaly winged monster named Bud and escort him to somewhere he’ll be safe from my superiors.

Yet, Bud’s so sweet and perfect, I can’t help but fall for him, even though I know it’s too dangerous for us to be together. It’ll be safer for us to go our separate ways, especially when we’re being hunted.

But I’ve only got so much willpower…

Though Scales and Song is the second book in the Monsters in my Bed series, it can be read as a stand-alone novel. It features a closeted and traumatized special forces soldier, the sweet cinnamon roll monster who loves him, and a HEA. Please see the interior for content warnings.

Review: ⟫ I’ve got complicated feelings about this book. In the first instance, the premise really reminds me of the Lily Mayne’s Monstrous series: monsters coming through a tear, being imprisoned by the army and experimented on; soldier falling in love with one. That’s not a bad comparison, but it did make it hard to shake from my head whilst I was reading.

I’m in the middle of reading the first book in the series, Kissed by the Krampus, as I enjoyed reading Scale and Song enough to want to go back to the beginning. I would say if you’re wanting a bit of monster-loving, with a side order of stoic soldier boy and conspiracy theory, this could well be the book for you. The love-making scenes were frequent and hot, and the lead characters Bud and Phoenix were interesting. As a gay man of colour, Phoenix was quite well written – his concerns about telling his family, the way in which he compartmentalised things, his feelings of isolation and betrayal – were all palpable.

However, I didn’t get as much of a sense of Bud. Maybe it was me and I was missing it, but I wasn’t sure how the music thing was such a calming influence on him, and I really didn’t get his magical abilities – they felt a little vague and definitely unexplored. It felt like some of them transpired at just the right moment with little to no real explanation of them.

The mating cycle’s influence on Phoenix wasn’t fully explained for me either, and I would have liked to know just a bit more about how and why he was reacting to Bud the way he was.

The main cast of characters was interesting – obviously, otherwise I wouldn’t have gone looking for the rest of the series – and it was obvious who else would be getting their own story. I did enjoy reading Scale and Song and would recommend it if you’re looking for something a bit different, with some kinky monster sex for good measure!

I received an ARC from GRR.

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.

Never Have I Ever: Submitted to my Enemy by Willow Dixon

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Title: ⟫ Never Have I Ever: Submitted to my Enemy

Author: ⟫ Willow Dixon

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ How could I not have realized the guy I’ve been chatting with online is the one person I hate?

Kai, the bad boy I broke my rules for. Who stomped all over my heart. Twice. He’s arrogant and annoying, and worse, he doesn’t even remember what he did to me.

He’s also my new presentation partner. I want nothing to do with him, but the more time we spend together, the more I realize he’s not the monster I’ve made him out to be. I want to keep hating him, but it’s hard when he’s made it his mission to get me to like him.

As if things weren’t messed up enough, enter MrWrong, the bossy as f*ck guy I’ve been chatting with online. Using an anonymous app was supposed to be an uncomplicated way to explore my more extreme interests. I didn’t count on meeting the only person who’s ever been able to give me not only what I want, but what I need.

I spent years denying my attraction to men to protect a broken heart. Now I have two guys I can’t stop thinking about.

F*ck my life.

Alex and Kai’s story is an enemies-to-lovers romance between classmates who discover they have more in common than they think. Expect lots of steamy, kinky conversations, and even hotter encounters when these classmates realize who they’ve been chatting with. It is the second novel in the exciting Never Have I Ever series but can be read as a standalone.

Review: ⟫ Well, this was full of surprises!! First of all, MrWrong has an absolutely filthy mouth on him and I am well and truly here for it. Secondly, someone needs to give Beck a smack around the head for not realising how much he was letting Alex down – you don’t have someone like that as your friend without realising how much damage you might cause by not being there for them.

The relationship(s) between Kai and Alex were complicated and interesting. I especially liked the hints the author dropped into things that could have revealed their connection earlier if they had been paying attention. The different sides to their personalities were represented in each scenario – there was the Alex that obeyed Kai’s every instruction and was his brat; the battling students working together; and the vulnerable young men who slowly let the other into the hidden sides of their lives until they all became entwined. It was beautifully done, and I really enjoyed the reveal and the very honest reaction to it.

So why a 4/5? I (personally) think that Alex was intelligent enough to recognise the signs of ADHD and even though when he was younger, he was made to feel like he was just being lazy, etc., once he reached university I think he would have investigated further. That niggled at me throughout the book – especially as a parent to a child/young adult struggling with ADHD – so that affected my enjoyment somewhat.

I was surprised/pleased to discover that I’m actually in the middle of reading Step-Bully which includes a couple featured in this book – my magpie mind jumped to other things whilst reading it, so I haven’t finished it yet but I will be bumping it up on my TBR pile.

This was a really enjoyable book to read and I think you will find yourself rooting for Kai and Alex to get out of their own way to find love. Alex truly deserved the family he found with Kai, his mother and sister, and Kai had someone that was his in a way that he had never experienced.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Blaine's Beast by Joel Abernathy

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Title: ⟫ Blaine’s Beast

Author: ⟫ Joel Abernathy

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ It’s the coldest night of the year–the kind of cold that sinks its teeth into the bones of anyone unlucky enough to find themselves at nature’s mercy. Frostbitten and exhausted after getting kicked out of his home when he came out to his parents, Blaine is about to become the forest’s next victim.

But when the howling wolves surrounding him turn out to be a pack of cursed shifters who only want to help the trespasser on their territory, Blaine’s bad luck takes a turn for the better. As Blaine begins to uncover the secrets of this strange place straight from a fairy tale, he discovers that its beastly master may be more than he appears…

–

Blaine’s Beast is a standalone MM Monster Romance retelling of Beauty and the Beast that was previously published under the author’s pre-transition pen name as Blaine and the Beast. This story has been rewritten, but the foundations are the same.

Review: ⟫ This was lovely!! I could literally picture it all in my mind and I truly enjoyed it – think Beauty and the Beast but instead of being turned into household objects, the staff are werewolves!

The sex scenes were hot, but the part I liked the most was the growing relationship between the Beast and Blaine; their friendship and the trust that they built. The Beast was expecting Blaine to hate him and be terrified of him – instead he found someone who could look past the exterior to the man beneath. Not only that, he found someone who could love all sides of him which he had never expected.

If you know the Disney movie, you know most of how this story goes, and as such it was a really nice, relaxing read. There was minimal angst and as one of the first books of the new year, this was a good one.

Death's Bloom: A Bluebeard Retelling by Lily Mayne

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Title: ⟫ Death’s Bloom: A Bluebeard Retelling

Author: ⟫ Lily Mayne

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ He’s the most perfect man I’ve ever met, but something is… wrong.

I don’t see it at first. All I see is the gorgeous man with dark eyes and long hair and that unusual blue beard. The piercings and the tattoos, the beautiful smile. All I can focus on is the way he touches me, the sound of his voice in my ear, the perfect life he draws me into.

I hide it from him at first. The fact that… I think I’m losing my mind. That I keep seeing something lurking in the corners of rooms, keep hearing a terrible voice mumbling in the dead of night, keep seeing white eyes watching me in the dark.

Something is haunting me. Tormenting me. Trying to ruin this perfect life I now have with Theo, so I do my best to pretend that everything is fine. That I’m not terrified I’m losing my mind, or that a demon is stalking the halls every night trying to… get me.

Until I can’t pretend anymore. Until I realise… the monster in my nightmares and my perfect, loving boyfriend are not so different after all.

Death’s Bloom is an MM horror retelling of Bluebeard, as part of the collaboration Monsters & Mayhem: An MM Horror Collection, adapting some of your favourite classic horror stories with an MM romance twist.

Warning: This m/m love story contains explicit sexual content and is not suitable for young readers. It includes mild BDSM, including restraint and breath play, and MMM elements as well as graphic depictions of death, gore and violence, a somewhat toxic relationship and morally reprehensible characters.

Review: ⟫ This was juicy and dark and I was all the way here for it!!

It helps that I had forgotten the basis of the Bluebeard story, so as it unfolded it was all new to me. Ari and Theo were a match made in heaven – or hell, depending on how you look at it – and from the time they actually met, the chemistry was off the charts. Their relationship happened thick and fast, and was kinky as all heck. And I loved it. The consequences were vaguely terrifying – I mean, I read what was happening and it sent a shiver down my spine. I completely understood Ari’’s reaction – who the heck would you tell? And it was made even more fascinating when we got Theo’s side of things.

I really and truly loved this – it was very much a fairytale retelling, but with a demonic twist. Lily Mayne has a very distinctive style and I have very much enjoyed reading her Monstrous series This isn’t quite in the same vein, but the style is there so if you like that series, and you’re happy to go darker (and I don’t mean a little darker but a LOT), then you should really enjoy this!

The Alien Emissary by Eryn Ivers (Interspecies Alliances #0.5)

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Title: ⟫ The Alien Emissary (Interspecies Alliances #0.5)

Author: ⟫ Eryn Ivers

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ The metal tentacles tightened around Bryant’s wrists and for the first time in years he finally felt…safe.

When Bryant breaks into the ship of a powerful Qeshian emissary, he knows he might get caught. But he needs the money to save his daughter, and for her anything is worth the risk.

What Bryant doesn’t know is that Emissary Serihk can see everything that happens on his ship, and he’s got enough flex metal tentacles packed into its every nook and cranny to do something about it.

But when Serihk has Bryant bound and kneeling on the floor, the feelings the human brings out in him are far from vengeful..

Review: ⟫ This novella was sexy and sweet and an excellent introduction to the series. It includes a very interesting take on tentacle sex whilst also having a very human element to it.

Bryant’s reasons for doing what he’s doing set the scene very clearly for how much his daughter means to him – there isn’t much he wouldn’t do for her, and it’s been a weight on his shoulders for so long. Letting go – thinking that he has nothing to fight for any longer – frees him in ways he could never have imagined and he discovers something in Serihk he could never have even dreamed of.

Although we learn less about Serihk, what we do know shows him to be good. He has never felt the way that Bryant makes him feel and he struggles trying to find a way to show that – misunderstandings between the two of them make for some pining that is really sweet.

The side characters – Serihk’s bodyguard and Bryant’s daughter – are delightful, and I really enjoyed reading this story. The sex was tender, alien with more than a hint of BDSM, and I was fascinated by the idea of the entire ship being an extension of Serihk. This is the introduction to a series and I will be keeping an eye out for the following stories.

I received an ARC from GRR.

An Unexpected Gift by Harper Robson (Hot Dam Homes Christmas)

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Title: ⟫ An Unexpected Gift: a Hot Dam Homes Christmas

Author: ⟫ Harper Robson

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ Matt

Discovering you’re not as straight as you thought when you’re in your mid-forties is… well… interesting. But a one-night stand over a year ago turned my world upside down, and now I’m ready to explore that side of myself. But no matter who I date, no one compares to him.

Case

I’m the party guy, always down for a good time with only one rule: I don’t do repeats. I knew right away, though, that one night with Matt would never be enough. But when I woke up, he was gone, and I can’t get him out of my head.

When we somehow end up trapped together during the blizzard of the century, over Christmas, I’m not sure if it’s a gift or a curse. Should I hold tight to the rule that’s kept my heart safe for years? Or does it mean something that we’ve found each other again after a night neither one of us could forget?

Review: ⟫ This was such a sweet story, with both men being open to the idea that this person they met by chance could well be something new, something different.

Matt has never even considered the fact that he might be interested in men, having married his childhood sweetheart and only recently getting divorced. I liked how he didn’t freak out, how he allowed his feelings to guide him and I especially liked the way he let Case take the lead – their sex scenes were both sexy and sweet, with Case taking care of Matt so lovingly it was beautiful.

With Case’s past, I could well understand his cautiousness when it came to relationships – his experiences had taught him that life and love can be fleeting and he wanted to protect himself as much as possible Even so, when life gave him a second chance with Matt, I was really impressed with his willingness to dive right in, even whilst his brain was warning him of all the things that could go wrong.

Stuck in a luxurious cabin in the middle of a snow-storm seems like the right way to finally fall in love to me, and I appreciated the fact that the women in both of these men’s lives were prepared to tell them the whole truth, give them a bit of tough love, and a quick shove in the right direction.

This was a sweet, romantic, pleasing read for the Christmas holidays and I may keep an eye out for other stories in the Hot Dam Homes series.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Champagne Charade by Leighton Greene (Friends of Friends #5)

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Title: ⟫ Champagne Charade (Friends of Friends #5)

Author: ⟫ Leighton Greene

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ It was supposed to be fun – but things are getting too real, too fast.

After I got dumped, I never got around to telling my best friend. Why relive the pain? But his New Year’s Eve wedding is coming up soon, and I also never got around to removing my ex from the guest list.

Cue my current hookup and Dom-on-demand, Damon Kirk, joking that he could stand in as my ex. A fake name, a fake relationship…

It’s a terrible idea. Of course I’m not going to do it.

But when I run into my best friend unexpectedly, I can’t bring myself to interrupt his dream wedding, and the little white lie just…

Slips out.

It’s only for the wedding. Only for New Year’s Eve. One little charade…

I know Damon isn’t interested in anything real. I know all those kisses and hugs are just for show. But I still can’t help falling under his spell.

I have to remember: after the wedding – and the year – is over, so is our fake relationship.

The clock is ticking down…

But what if our charade isn’t just an act?

***

Champagne Charade is a 31,000-word novella wrapping up the kinky Friends of Friends series with humor, heart, and a whole lot of heat. Say goodbye to the old year and hello to the new with this fake relationship romance, including hookups pining for more, a winter wedding for old friends, and a fresh start for everyone at the stroke of midnight.

Review: ⟫ This was a lot of fun to read.

The beginning – oh my, it should come with a warning! The book begins with a scene between Damon and Tyler that is hot, kinky and dirty and I really thought that was how the rest of the book was going to go. Boy, was I surprised because this entire book was about feelings (interspersed with hot sex). Tyler doesn’t want to worry his friends, but he also doesn’t want to be pitied by them which makes things complicated. On the one hand, he’s doing this whole charade to ensure that his best friend, Jonny, is concentrating on his wedding rather than worrying about Tyler. On the other hand, he doesn’t want to find himself at the other end of well-meaning comments and match-making attempts that make him feel like a project.

Damon tells Tyler that he is using the fake relationship weekend as a way to avoid his ex, but it pretty soon becomes obvious that he has some intense feelings for Tyler that he is too scared to say, Which is how he finds himself in the uncomfortable position of lying to a bunch of strangers who seem to be watching his every move to figure out if he is good enough for their friend.

I really enjoyed catching up with the characters from the previous books and seeing how their HEA is going, but this story was most definitely about Tyler and Damon and about the need for them to confess the truth – to Tyler’s friends and to each other. A quick, satisfying read with some laugh out loud moments – wedding planning should come with a warning and a large bottle of alcohol – as well as some sexy ones, with a heart-warming happy ending.

I received an ARC from GRR.

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!

Omega for Sale by Beau Brown

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Title: ⟫ Omega for Sale

Author: ⟫ Beau Brown

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb: ⟫ Omega Atlas Payne never imagined he’d be at The Auction being ogled by rich alphas. He had bigger plans for his life that didn’t include being an incubator to some alpha’s offspring. But when his father disgraces his family name, it’s either sell himself to the highest bidder or starvation.

Alpha Dante Stone is still grieving the loss of his omega a decade later. He has zero interest in taking a new omega. Still, he’s inexplicably drawn to the young omega who seems completely out of place at The Auction.

When it looks as if the nastiest alpha at The Auction is about to win Atlas, something inside Dante snaps, and he buys Atlas himself.

But once he has Atlas in his home, he has no idea what to do with him. He craves Atlas but is too guilt-ridden to give either of them what they instinctively want.

Then fate steps in and things get crazier.

Review: ⟫ Obligatory I haven’t read this author before, which I’m surprised at because I do enjoy reading omegaverse and Mpreg on occasion.

Atlas has found himself in a dire position through no fault of his own and is now selling himself at The Auction – and he’s caught the attention of a pretty unsavoury Alpha.

Dante Stone is at The Auction through obligation rather than desire – he has no need for an omega as having lost is fated mate he has absolutely no interest in acquiring a new omega. However, something about Atlas catches his eye and he finds it impossible to allow the beautiful omega to fall into the hands of an alpha who has proven to be abusive in the past. Unfortunately, he then has to figure out what to do about said omega – whilst fighting feelings he hasn’t felt in a very long time.

To be perfectly honest, Dante was a bit of an AH at the beginning (and quite a long way into the story), and to the author’s credit, he didn’t try to even pretend that it was okay. His behaviour towards Atlas was rude, confusing and despicable and his grief was no excuse. On the other hand, Atlas was ungrateful, stubborn and on occasion really rude so they made quite the pair.

The chemistry between them was palpable and there was more than one occasion when I wanted to slap both of them upside the head and tell them to get out of their own way. Fortunately for me, we had Ronin for that (I really liked Ronin) and Finlay proved himself to be a good friend to both of them.

I would call this relatively low on angst, but there were definitely ups and downs for the couple before they found their HEA. I absolutely hated Mrs. Gentry and wouldn’t have been anywhere near as forgiving as Atlas with regards to the things she said and did. The sex scenes were steamy and I enjoyed reading this and am happy to see that the author has quite a substantial back catalogue for me to explore.

I received an ARC from GRR.