Tag Archives: rating: 4

The Cop by Tom North

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TITLE: ⟫ The Cop
AUTHOR: ⟫ Tom North
RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ Gus is a hardened Cop, lonely and gristled – Can street boy Theo tame him?

Gus has been a Cop all his adult life – he has seen it all but he has never found love. He is married to the job. He rescues Theo, who is caught up dealing drugs for a gang and there is an instant spark. Worried that Theo will suffer in jail or contiue his life of crime, Gus offers to take him in. But can Theo clean up? And Can Gus admit his feelings?

This is a steamy read with plenty of heart, sure to quench you thirst for sexy romance.

REVIEW: ⟫ This was actually an incredibly sweet story beneath the street crime, drug dealing corrupt cops and thugs!! Gus and Theo were really lovely together – I loved the fact that Gus didn’t judge Theo and how Theo was able to accept the help from Gus despite his life being so precarious. I liked the way they related to each other, the sex scenes were hot but didn’t take over the story, and I really loved Gus riding to the rescue! I will definitely look out for more stories by this author and was very pleased to have received an arc from Booksprout.

His Mate by Allegiance by Mel Aitches

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TITLE: ⟫ His Mate By Allegiance
AUTHOR: ⟫ Mel Aitchess

SERIES: ⟫ Lunetti Pack #3
RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ M M mafia shifter PNR with a bite (and a knot).

Rocco is being punished and he doesn’t like it. He probably shouldn’t have stalked the police chief’s son, but he’d been bored and no one ever should’ve noticed. His powers as an air witch skilled in illusion are too valuable for the Elemental Mayhem MC to let him go, so they’ve forced him into this sham of a wedding. They’re lucky the wolf shifter is so hot or he’d never go along with it. All bets are off once he can prove he was betrayed.

Emilio spent the last fifteen years away from New Trinity City refining his crafts—street art and assassination—but he’s still loyal to the Lunetti Pack. Unlike his traitor father. He’d do anything for his Alpha. Even marry a witch he’s never met. Coming home for his arranged marriage is the perfect excuse to hunt the source of the dangerous weapons entering the city. He has every intention of being a widower within a year, until he realises his fiancé is his fated mate. How is he supposed to arrange an unfortunate accident for his husband with his wolf whining about forever in his ear?

His Mate By Allegiance is an MM mafia shifter paranormal romance. It features arranged marriage, fated mates, shadow hands, and other paranormal play, including knotting. There is no mpreg in this world.

REVIEW: ⟫ Rocco and Emmy were absolutely amazing together – they are both possessive and stalkerish, keeping themselves away from their pack and MC because of things in the past. The story was fast paced and interesting, with the MC and Pack having to work together against the threat of outsiders wanting to destabilise the area.

With this going on in the background, Rocco and Emmy managed to have an unusual courtship, with lots of banter, sexual tension and deep feelings developing. I loved the descriptions of Emmy’s art; I thought Rocco’s family was so funny and sweet, and I really enjoyed visiting with all of these characters again. Very pleased I read this and looking forward to the next in the series. I received an ARC from BookSirens.

The Allure of Ruins by Mary Calmes

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The Allure of Ruins – Mary Calmes

TITLE: ⟫ The Allure of Ruins
AUTHOR: ⟫ Mary Calmes
RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ Paxton Walsh has a comfortable life, which wasn’t always the case. But ever since he left his tumultuous life on the West Coast, trading it for a new beginning on the East Coast, things have settled. He can thank himself for the change, but also his boss and friend, Colton Gates. Their relationship is…a bit too codependent and close for most people to understand, but it works perfectly for them. So what if thoughts can be conveyed with a glance? That doesn’t really mean anything. Or at least not what other people think.

But now a threat from Pax’s past is back, shattering that hard-won peace. With Pax in danger and needing protection, Colton immediately steps up and takes him in. Without distance, though, without retreating to separate homes, both men have to be honest about their feelings. The truth is, Pax was hurt, body and soul, and if he reaches for Colton and finds they can’t be more, he’ll lose everything. If Colton does the same and it doesn’t work, he’ll lose Pax, his best friend and the person who knows him better than anyone. With both of them terrified of the what-ifs, it might be too hard to have faith and jump. If only they could both be brave.

REVIEW: ⟫ I am a die-hard Mary Calmes fan and have been for a very long time! I know what I’m getting when I read one of her books – they’re reliable in the almost dangerous codependency of the romantic couples, the one character that absolutely everyone adores and want to be around, the chemistry is off the charts and the sex is epic. Guaranteed pleaser!

The Allure of Ruins was a good book but it wasn’t great. I didn’t connect with Paxton at all and because we didn’t get Colton’s point of view, he didn’t click with me either. The relationship between the two of them was interesting – I would have actually liked to have seen what happened when they first began working together and how their relationship progressed from there – but that wasn’t the focus of this story. I thought the plot involving Gen was wasted – as a bad guy, his actions were predominantly in the past so he wasn’t the fearful figure that he could have been. I also didn’t pick up on certain clues regarding law enforcement so that side-plot took me very much by surprise.

I still enjoyed reading this but it wasn’t up there for me. I absolutely adore reading ‘He Said He Said’ which is part of Mary’s monthly newsletter and would have much preferred if this had been a collection of the stories told there! Still worth a read but not her best.

Bend Him Break Him by MN Bennet

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TITLE: ⟫ Bend Him, Break Him
AUTHOR: ⟫ MN Bennet
RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ Grumpy Goths and Himbo Jocks Hate to Love Each Other

Colton has always walked the line of golden boy meets bad boy. It helped catapult his popularity as the starting pitcher in his first year of college and during the scandalous exposé when he came out as bi. But Colton struggles with the accolades he receives, balancing who he is versus who he was versus who he’s expected to be. Because before Colton was a queer icon for star athletes, he was a closeted bully who made one guy’s life completely miserable.

Isaac hates Colton. But to be fair, Isaac hates everyone—maintaining an icy distance from even his closest friends. Mostly, Isaac wants to shove Colton off the pedestal he’s been placed upon. Just because he came out publicly doesn’t mean he’s some sort of hero. It doesn’t help that Isaac once fawned over the closeted jock in high school. He cared deeply for Colton and did everything he could to please the star athlete, even keeping their private rendezvous a secret. Which meant Isaac paid the price of utter humiliation, taunting, and bullying as the weirdo loner gay guy with a creepy crush.

When Isaac catches Colton cheating on an exam, he plans to ruin his enemy by destroying his academic standing and costing Colton his baseball scholarship. Isaac wants nothing more than to see Colton kicked out of campus. But when the jock offers to do anything to keep this a secret, Isaac decides to test the lengths Colton is willing to go to make things right between them. Isaac’s over secrets, but this is an opportunity unlike any other. He presents an ultimatum that’ll push Colton to the edge of his limits. In this sordid hate-fueled lust, all Isaac wants is revenge and all Colton wants is redemption.

REVIEW: ⟫ I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one as I have never read this author before.

Colton was fascinating – a strange mix of confident and strong, along with a desperate desire to be loved, he was a people pleaser to the core. Which was a strange thing to think considering how he treated Isaac when they were young teenagers together. It was fascinating watching as his inner sub came out, along with bratty tendencies, and ultimately the ability to become his true self.

I loved Isaac – I loved the fact that even though he hated Colton initially, he still had reservations about what he was doing, as well as a strong ‘moral’ core whereby he went scorched earth on anyone who upset Colton. Their relationship was interesting from the perspective that Isaac didn’t take it easy on Colton – sexually and academically – yet insisted that he didn’t care whilst sorting out Colton’s schedule, making sure he ate well and ultimately giving him a found family through the GSA.

The sex scenes were frequent and hot; I’m going to give a trigger warning for planned assault and some homophobia displayed by Colton’s team mates. I’m pleased that I took a chance on an author I’d never read before and have already downloaded another book!

I received an ARC from BookSirens.

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!

Worthy by Michele Lenard (Adrenalin Series #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ Worthy
AUTHOR: ⟫ Michele Lenard

SERIES: ⟫Adrenalin Series #1
RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ Okay, I might have a reputation as a playboy, but I swear that’s not my fault.

Cade – When your small tourist town is lacking in single people, your only option for company is the temporary kind. And if given the choice between sleeping alone or sleeping around, well, can you blame me for choosing the latter?

If you think about it, I’m a victim of circumstance. A product of my environment. And that suits me just fine. Or it did, until a sexy stranger knocked me over, literally.

The newcomer is an angel to my devil. The type A to my slacker, working on a PhD thesis while I do everything in my power to delay taking over the family business. We should be totally incompatible. Yet somehow, I feel more at ease with this outsider than people I’ve known my whole life.

For the first time in—ever—I don’t want to be just a fling, but how do I win over a relationship prone genius when I’m a notorious flirt? That’s not even the worst part. Did I mention I’m crushing on a guy, and until I met him, I considered myself straight?

This opposites attract MM romance features a small-town bad boy, the studious boy next door, townspeople who love an excuse to wear a costume, and a not safe for work drinking game.

REVIEW: ⟫ This is a really sweet story about two men finding someone who thinks they are worthy of everything good and the struggle they have to make it work between the two of them. I really enjoyed the whole summer romance aspect of things, especially as both Maddox and Cade do anything and everything possible to ensure the other knows how special they are. The town was fascinating – I love the idea of the costumed bike rides and parades – and the bakground characters were interesting enough that I had an idea who was going to be the next in the series as I was reading.

There are some very hot moments which were extremely well written and evocative, and the build up between them, how they fell in love was really interesting to read. I enjoyed this and will look out for more in the series. I received an ARC from GRR.

Fey Sovereignty by S.Rodman (Fey Lords Book #4)

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TITLE: ⟫ Fey Sovereignty
AUTHOR: ⟫ S.Rodman

SERIES: ⟫ Fey Lords #4
RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ Falling in love is not part of my mission.

I’m undercover as the pet of a fey prince.

The fey have conquered Earth. Getting rid of them is impossible, but putting someone on their throne who is more amenable, is not.

Prince Llywelyn Y Mabinogi is very keen on overthrowing his brother, and very welcoming of human help.

He is vain, arrogant, obnoxious. Not too bright. In short, he is the perfect candidate.

So here I am, in the midst of the fey court. Pretending to be his pet so I can see all, hear all. Learn all.

But I’m learning things I never expected.

Such as Llywelyn being not at all what he seems.

I’ve never met someone so lonely. So touch-starved. So needy.

He has terrible screaming nightmares about someone called Iestyn.

So many secrets I need to uncover. But some things are becoming clear.

Years as a Special Agent haven’t totally frozen my heart.

And being a prince doesn’t save you.

Fey Sovereignty is a sizzling gay romance containing enemies to lovers, forced proximity, only one bed, undercover, a redemption arc, ‘he needs me’, and a secret relationship.

Happily ever after is guaranteed.

Each book in the Fey Lords series follows a different couple. This means each book can be enjoyed as a standalone. However, this book redeems a villain from the previous books, so will be more fun if the other books have been read (Especially Fey Regency).

Please note this story includes content that will be upsetting for some readers. If further information is needed, please use the “Look Inside” or sample feature to view the copyright page, where a full list can be found. Alternatively, this information can be viewed on the author’s website.

REVIEW: ⟫ I wasn’t sure how S Rodman was going to redeem Llewelyn so was quite intrigued before I began reading this book. It takes you instantly into the action – a secret agent has accepted a new mission as the pet of Llewelyn, with a plan to usurp the throne and get the Fey out of power. It should have been a simple task for Ethan, but from the very beginning Llewelyn didn’t meet his expectations.

It was interesting learning more about the rules and regulations that rule Fey society, although some of them are incredibly barbaric. I was fascinated by Llewelyn’s secret and the way he behaved with Ethan. It was truly heartbreaking learning his ‘romantic’ history and how he had been used and abused – no wonder it messed with Ethan’s perceptions of him. This was a story about finding someone who accepts all of you and Llewelyn has definitely earned his happily ever after. I really wasn’t sure how they were going to get there in the end – things seemed impossible, with the heartbreaking disconnect between Llewelyn and his brothers, spies within court and Ethan’s agency hovering in a menacing fashion. I really enjoyed how Rodman managed to get these two their happily ever after – it made my little romantic heart sigh with happiness!

Party of Three by C. Travis Rice (A Sapphire Cove Suite Secrets Novella)

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TITLE: ⟫ Party of Three
AUTHOR: ⟫ C Travis Rice

SERIES: ⟫ A Sapphire Cove Suite Secrets Novella
RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ C. Travis Rice’s Suite Secrets Novellas are steamy, standalone stories in the beloved universe of Sapphire Cove, a beautiful luxury resort on the sparkling Southern California coast, where strong-willed heroes release the shame that blocks their hearts’ desires.

“Jealousy was your word, babe. Not mine.”

Buckley Mitchell lives to put people back together again. The charming, warmhearted EMT is exactly who you want holding your hand in the ambulance after you’ve broken a bone. And he’s just the boyfriend Mateo Cano needs to help him embrace his sexuality after years of repressing his true self. But Mateo hasn’t been entirely truthful about the complicated relationship between him and his best friend from his Marine Corps days, the accomplished crew chief who saved his life during a training accident gone wrong. Why did Master Sergeant Jeff Braxton vanish from Mateo’s life right after Mateo and Buckley got together?

When Buckley and Jeff meet for the first time at Sapphire Cove, a posh oceanfront resort in Southern California, a more complicated history is revealed. But Buckley isn’t jealous. In fact, he’s something else altogether. Something excited…and hungry. He’s spent the past year bringing Mateo’s fantasies to life. Now it’s his turn to have his fantasies realized. And to do it, Mateo will partner with the handsome older Marine who taught him everything he knows in the bedroom, turning their lavish villa at Sapphire Cove into a gateway that brings secret passions to life. Will their wild weekend be little more than a fling? Or will it change all three of their lives for the better?

REVIEW: ⟫ I don’t think I’ve ever read anything by C.Travis Rice and I definitely haven’t read any of the Sapphire Cove series. I must admit, when I first got into the story I thought it was just going to be a bit of a sex-fest between the three characters (which I wasn’t averse to). However, the book goes a little deeper than that. Each of the men has their own issues: fear abandonment, PTSD from a life threatening incident, a fear of being the outsider and each of these themes was addressed in the relationship that grew between them

The storytelling was easy to read, with frequent sex scenes, but I really appreciated that talking was emphasised – we got a lot of their mental thoughts but they also communicated with each other as to what was happening.

The background story about Mateo’s family was a bit irritating, especially with what felt like a lot of hypocrisy on the part of his parents, but that didn’t take away from the fact that this was an interesting, sexy read with a satisfying end. I would definitely read more of these works (depending on the size of my TBR pile) and would say that it’s well worth a shot for dipping your toe into a new series.

I received an ARC through Netgallery.

#NotJason by Jennifer Cody (Banshee House #1)

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TITLE: ⟫ #NotJason
AUTHOR: ⟫ Jennifer Cody

SERIES: ⟫The Banshee House #1
RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ Sean:

When I meet Luke at an Ultimate Frisbee tournament, he’s instantly just the kind of guy I want to get to know better. That he’s the one who asks me out? Well, I’m not going to say no. Our first date goes off without a hitch. He is literally everything I could ever want in a man. Nerd and jock, shy and excitable, competitive in the bedroom yet submissive just the way I like it. It’s not until our second date that I realize why.

I don’t know why these twins are trying to play me, but I’ve got a competitive streak a mile wide, and I will win this game, no matter who started it.

#NotJason is a 35k MMM paranormal romance with twins vying for the love of a single man, a flirty, naked landlord, and freckles in dark places. The Banshee House boys all have interesting kinks, and Sean’s includes the fantasy of millions of men worldwide come true: a twin BJ. There is a Daddy/boy (not age play) relationship in this book, along with consensual and light humiliation kink, and a non-traditional fated mate trope filtered through the skepticism of a take-charge boyfriend.

REVIEW: ⟫ I picked this up to read because of the #NotJason story that I vaguely remembered. As long as you don’t take this too seriously, it’s actually quite entertaining. Obviously the idea that twins are dating one man without telling him could be very problematic, hence needing to suspend a little bit of believe.

I absolutely adored just how Sean was able to tell the difference between Liam and Luke – that was not something the twins could have planned for and made me giggle for quite some time. The members of the Banshee House were entertaining and the story galloped along at an enjoyable pace.

I enjoyed reading this and have move on to the author’s Diviner series based on how much I enjoyed reading this.

Pumped by Linden Bell (Mars Fitness #3)

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TITLE: ⟫ Pumped

AUTHOR: ⟫ Linden Bell

SERIES: ⟫ Mars Fitness #3

RATING: ⟫ 4/5

BLURB: ⟫ Love is co-parenting with my worst enemy.

Owen

Everest is an irresponsible, delinquent, attention-hungry man-child.

Ever since my brother married his sister, we’ve hated each other with an unrelenting passion. It was bad enough when I had to see him at occasional family gatherings, but now I’m living in a nightmare and he’s right here with me.

Everest

Owen is arrogant, uptight, snobby, and cold-hearted.

I don’t want to have anything to do with him, but I don’t have a choice. After a tragic accident, we’re forced to raise our niece together, but our grief and mutual animosity is turning the house into a pressure cooker. We have to make peace and learn to work together, if not for our sake, then for the little girl who’s already lost everything.

PUMPED is an enemies to lovers, forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract MM romance between a free-spirited personal trainer and his overbearing veterinarian brother-in-law. Expect reluctant cuddling, teasing as a love language, annoyingly hot backwards caps, pillow chastity barriers, pool wrestling, begrudging I love yous, and a little girl who has them both wrapped around her little finger. PUMPED is the third and last book in the Mars Fitness series, but can be read as a standalone.

REVIEW: ⟫ This was a satisfying end to the Mars Fitness series. Everest and Owen were the epitome of enemies to lovers, although the circumstances were painful in the extreme. I really appreciated the way in which their grief was handled – it wasn’t a one and done, there were times when things were bittersweet, times when there was panic – it was really nicely handled. I enjoyed the writing of Ivy as I know it can be difficult writing age appropriate children but this was handled deftly. The sex scenes were extremely hot – Everest and Owen seriously burned up the sheets – and catching up with the other guys at Mars was lovely.

I enjoyed this series and will be looking into the ones linking to it to join my TBR. I received an ARC from GRR.