Tag Archives: rating: 5

For The Fans by Nyla. K

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Title: ⟫ For The Fans

Author: ⟫ Nyla. K

Rating: ⟫ 5/5

Blurb: ⟫ Kyran Harbor is everything I’m not.

Rich. Popular. A superstar football player who’s awfully broody for someone who has it all. Basically, he’s a preppy jock who hates me. Oh, and he’s also my stepbrother.

That’s right. We’re stuck together, sharing a school, a house… A bathroom. Honestly, I wouldn’t care… If he wasn’t such an uptight control-freak who messes with me just because we’re different.

I had every intention of avoiding him when we got to college… Until abrupt misfortune forces us both into a compromising position.

Now the grouchy jerk I was hoping to evade might be the only person who can help me out of it.

Avi Vega is everything I despise.

A dreamer. A flake. An artist who smokes too much weed and thinks aliens exist. And by some sick cosmic joke, he’s now my stepbrother, following me on what should’ve been my escape plan.

It was already a disaster. Add a sudden financial disruption to the mix, and let’s just say my options are heavily limited.

If I want to stay an all-star quarterback on the way to the NFL, I’ll need to do something drastic. Unfortunately for me, and my desperate desire for control, the perpetually smiling stoner has a plan.

Maybe we can stop hating each other just enough to pull this off. As long as we remember we’re only doing it… for the fans.

**For The Fans is a full-length standalone MM forbidden romance with an HEA. This book contains sensitive subject matter that could make some readers uncomfortable. Please heed foreword warnings and proceed with caution.

Review: ⟫ I wasn’t expecting this story – not in any way, shape or form. I certainly wasn’t expecting to feel so much for both Avi and Kyran. The premise was interesting enough to grab my attention, and initially, the story (although good) followed a well-worn path. Stepbrothers are forced into proximity to each other, then forced to rely on each other and get physical. I was also a teeny bit squeamish about the whole thing with Kyran being paid to do things with Avi.

But very quickly, the story became so much more than that. It was obvious something was going on with Kyran – the way he bolted from what he was doing with Avi, the confusion and anger he displayed – it was intriguing and mysterious and kept me reading.

The sex scenes were hot, and the banter between the two of them was even hotter – Not_His_Baby has got to be one of the best handles I’ve ever seen. But what kept me reading and interested throughout was what was beneath all of the sex and chemistry between the two men – Avi’s insecurities, and Kyran’s need to be perfect. And that is where this book hits you with both barrels.

I appreciated the fact that the author provided warnings on her website although I chose to go in blind. I would definitely recommend reading the trigger warnings if you have any concerns about reading this story because although I think the entire situation/reveal was handled very well, I don’t have the same experiences in my background and YMMV.

I really enjoyed reading this story – much more than other books I have read by the author – and I especially liked the fact that Kyran took some time to figure things out for himself. Avi wasn’t his saviour even though he called him his Angel. The way he confronted the people who had hurt him in the past was also handled very well – he got to speak his truth and it made me feel so happy and almost triumphant for him.

Totally unexpected, hot, steamy but also thoughtful, this was a very good read.

Love Thy Brother by Garrett Leigh (Rebel Kings MC #4)

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Title: ⟫ Love Thy Brother (Rebel Kings MC #4)

Author: ⟫ Garrett Leigh

Rating: ⟫ 5/5

Blurb: ⟫ The fourth instalment in the bestselling Rebel Kings series

Expect: His brother’s best friend. His best friend’s little brother. The soft-hearted bear and the rowdy chaos gremlin. The inevitable only happens when you let it.

“Riv, if you ever let me speak, you’d know exactly how I feel.”

I’ve told him that a thousand times, but River’s stubborn streak is a mile wide.

He doesn’t want to hear it.

To him, we doomed.

Cursed.

Forbidden.

Because he thinks I love a goddamn motorcycle club more than him.

My worst nightmare is losing him before I get the chance to change his mind, and in our world, bad dreams come true. Our reality is mess and pain, but I love him. And he loves me.

And I’ll fight for us to the end.

Love Thy Brother is a hurt/comfort MM romance from the best-selling Rebel Kings MC series. Content warnings for violence, off page abuse, self-harm, and grief.

Review: ⟫ I didn’t realise how much I needed Rubi and River’s story until I received this. I began reading it just after midnight and didn’t sleep until I’d finished it.

This story is a gut-punch for so many reasons, not least because of the pain our two main leads are dealing with. River is a complex character, in love with Rubi, deeply caring but also wanting absolutely nothing to do with the MC that is Rubi’s life. He struggles with addiction, has a hair trigger and feels like he’s never going to have the man he wants almost more than life itself and it seems to be leading him down a self-destructive path.

Rubi is struggling – his health is messed up following the big hit on the club, his emotions are all over the place and his legendary chill seems to have deserted him. All of that on top of how he feels about River and what he allowed himself to do.

This had much more ‘local’ issues than previous books – there isn’t a real need for Alexei to work his magic, but the club still has to handle some stuff, including ones that drag River back to where he swore he would never return.

The relationship between Rubi and River is incendiary, but Garrett Leigh is a master of writing characters that make you feel incredibly deeply for them. You need them to get their HEA, and are willing to do through the highs and lows with them on the way. We also catch up with our previous throuple/couples including Cam, Saint and Alexei, and Embry and Mateo.

This was a very intense read that had me concentrating hard to follow all of the plotlines, and the darkness and violence is definitely on a par with the previous books in the series. There is no pulling back from the violence, drugs and harsh emotions inherent in the lifestyle and it reminded me very much of the first few seasons of Sons of Anarchy.

No surprise that this is a 5/5 from me and I look forward to book #5 in the series. I received an ARC from GRR.

His Brutal Heart by Leighton Greene (West Coast Mobsters #2)

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Title: ⟫ His Brutal Heart (West Coast Mobsters #2)

Author: ⟫ Leighton Greene

Rating: ⟫ 5/5

Blurb: ⟫ The ultimate forbidden love: a Mafia Boss and his captive.

I’m a man without mercy. A Mafia heir.

Brutality was all that ever made sense to me…

Until I saw him.

Unfortunately, he happens to be the sole witness to my latest crime.

That should mean one thing.

Elimination.

But one look into those pleading blue eyes, and I lost myself.

I let a beauty live…

But – beast that I am – I’ve locked him away.

Little by little, he charms his way out of his cell and into my bed, until I begin to wonder which of us is the real prisoner.

After all, I’m the one trapped by my own brutal heart.

And that oh-so-innocent beauty I took and kept?

He has secrets of his own.

Secrets that could destroy me.

***

His Brutal Heart is the second book in the West Coast Mobsters series. Follow the men of the Los Angeles underworld in this page-turning romantic suspense series as they find love, danger and mystery in the most unexpected places.

Each book in this series tells the love story of a different couple who find their happy ending, as well as a resolution to the mystery they’re investigating, but there are cliffhangers to the wider suspense plot for the series.

Content advisory notes are available to view on the Copyright page via Look Inside or by downloading the sample.

Review: ⟫ I have crawled out of my sickbed to write this review immediately because I just HAD to!

I absolutely adored the first book in the West Coast Mobsters series and must admit when I started reading this one I was thrown a little. The tone was different, more sombre. Jack was a major flirt from the get-go, whereas Sandro is dark, sombre and threatening and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. Teddy came across as cute and sweet but I wasn’t sure how I felt about him either.

But then I found that I was racing through the book, trying to figure out the mystery and absolutely falling in love with Teddy and Sandro together. There are a lot of suspects – like, A LOT – and it was fascinating watching as Teddy helped Sandro through the unconventional means of Cute Crims and they tried to untangle what was going on.

Sandro has an absolutely filthy mouth and things between the two of them were hotter than hot – like, take a cold shower then come back ready to dive back in kind of hot. Him falling in love with Teddy was so obvious and it was heartening how sincere Teddy was in his feelings for Sandro – he has been more than obsessed for the longist time and to finally spend time with Sandro has made all of his fanboy dreams come true. But there’s more, and their relationship is actually really beautiful. Sandro finally accepting that he is beautiful and that what Teddy feels for him is real was painful and lovely at the same time, which made the entire betrayal situation so much more painful.

Jack and Miller were here, moreso Jack because of his commitment to assist Sandro. And we get the face-off between the two of them that we have been waiting for and can I just say? Film this ish because it would be so completely epic watching them duke it out.

As always, the intricacies of being in a Mafia family are handled beautifully – you know that these are not the good guys, but don’t care because it is so completely and utterly fascinating. I did not see the initial twist coming – I kick myself because the clues were all there and once it was revealed I could see it immediately. I am pleased to say that I figured out the main thing but to be honest, even that held a surprise for me in the reasoning.

I know, I know, I’m trying not to do spoilers so it’s like I’m speaking in code, so I guess what I really want to say is that this was an epic second story in the series and I would give much to live in Leighton Greene’s brain and speak to the characters directly so I didn’t have to wait for the stories to be written.

As per my previous deep, dark desire, Julian is getting his book next and I am so extremely excited for it, my hands are shaking!

I received an ARC from GRR.

The First and The Last by Jesse H. Reign

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Title: ⟫ The First and the Last

Author: ⟫ Jesse H. Reign

Rating: ⟫ 5/5

Blurb: ⟫ “Why would I choose, when anyone can see the two of you come as part of a package?”

That’s what she said. Those were the words that changed my life.

Until then Jules and I were friends. Best friends only. Best friends since before we could remember. We had to be. We were the last two wolves born into an ageing pack. Our pack was secretive and a little backward, but we had a great life. Sure, our alpha was a bit of a douche, but all alphas are douches. Everyone knows that. Thank God, Jules and I were both going to be betas.

The night new-girl Storm refused to choose between Jules and I, changed everything. The way I looked at him changed forever. He went from my goof-ball best friend, to being the hottest creature I’d ever seen. At the time I thought it was the end of the world.

It wasn’t the end of the world…It was just the beginning.

Then our first shift happened, and confusion hit harder.

Why was one of us acting distinctly douche-y? And why was the other running a fever and pleading for things only an omega would want?

The First and The Last is a paranormal omegaverse MM romance. It features a bi-awakening that happens during a shared experience with a woman. It contains a dash of knotting, a pinch of gratuitous violence, and a heat that’s hot enough to put your eReader at risk of melting. This story does not contain MPREG.

Review: ⟫ This book was the one that sent me down a Jesse H. Reign rabbit-hole, so I was surprised to find that it was the first foray into PNR.

Sully and Jules were absolutely awesome – they fit together so incredibly well from the beginning and the awful summer that Sully spent without Jules really brought that home almost immediately. The interactions were so honest, so real, that I wondered when the penny was going to drop about their feelings for each other. The introduction of Storm, a female werewolf, could well have led to an epic falling out. Instead, it led to the two of them discovering a whole new dynamic. I was surprised – I didn’t expect things to be quite so explicit between the three of them, but it didn’t take away from the book, or make me feel like it should have been labelled MFM like some other stories have.

Once the two of them were sent away, things got even hotter. And I admit it, I was expecting the dynamics to be the other way around – I don’t know why, I just did. However, I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest – this book got ALL of that right and then some. I loved how the omega/alpha dynamic was explored, with the power shifting between them so that the balance was maintained.

I really enjoyed how things were built up between Jules and Sully – you could almost feel their skin itching as changes began, and then the way they dealt with things afterwards was incredibly hot. I was concerned about how things would go once they went home, but even then I was pretty well satisfied. I’m not quite sure how I feel about Sully’s mother – there is a part of me that feels like she could have been clearer with the boys about what was going on, and sending them away with no information or instruction felt a bit ‘Dumbledore-esque’.

As a final aside, I loved Mrs O’Malley and would have loved to see her fly!

Face Off by Marina Vivancos (Alpha Omega Hockey Series Book #2)

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Title: ⟫ Face Off (Alpha Omega Hockey Series Book #2)

Author: ⟫ Marina Vivancos

Rating: ⟫ 5/5

Blurb: ⟫ Orion’s life turns upside down when someone outs him as the first Omega in the NHL…that anybody knows of. Now, he has to wrestle with the decisions he made throughout his life to keep that secret hidden—including the man he left a decade earlier.

Problem is, that man is Gabriel McKenna, Captain of the Gotham Hounds. Seeing as Orion captains the Brooklyn Cats, their relationship is more one of hate than love at the moment.

Or so he wants to tell himself.

Orion has enough difficulties dealing with idiots on the ice thinking they can put him on his knees just because they know he’s an Omega. He doesn’t need to suddenly reconnect with his old flame. Doesn’t need to deal with the feelings he thought he’d buried long ago.

Orion is trying to escape the memories of the best year of his life, but the past is catching up with him. After the way Orion left, after all the fights on the ice, he doesn’t know if he deserves a second chance…

But he might want one anyway.

This book is a steamy rivals-to-lovers story with a complicated past. It is the second book in the Alpha Omega Hockey series but can be read as a standalone.

Review: ⟫ I was a little wary of reading this book – although I liked the first one in the series, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped. But this book actually blew me away! I was engrossed from the very first page when Orion was outed as an Omega – the first one to actually be known about in the Hockey league.

The story is told with some flashbacks – to his rookie year when he met Gabby and how things progressed between them, to how things were now where he and Gabby were known to throw down on the ice. It was fascinating, painful and engrossing to see how things progressed – from the way Orion accidentally became the Omega to go to for all of the others hidden in the league, to the way things between he and Gabby moved forward now that what could be seen as the major barrier being removed.

I felt for Gabby the most – he had no idea why Orion ended things between them all those years ago, and his bitterness was understandable. Yet this wasn’t one of those silly misunderstandings that make you roll your eyes – Orion’s reasons were more than valid, and the fact that they managed to talk about it and see each other’s point of view was special.

The relationships Orion had built up over the years were a pleasure to read, and the fact that his team completely had his back was refreshing – it would have been easy for there to be a complete 180 in how his team-mates treated him once they knew.

I also have really enjoyed the fact that Orion is a man of colour, yet that’s not made a big deal of. He just is. Instead of it being used as a plot point, it was just a fact in the story and that was incredibly refreshing.

The sex between Orion and Gabby was extremely hot – the nesting scene for some reason made me tear up and squirm in equal measure – and this book has completely reaffirmed my desire to read more of Vivancos’ work. It was a pleasure to read – from the hockey games, to the relationship building, the chirping – everything. An easy 5/5 from me.

I received an ARC from GRR.

Sainted by Jesse H. Reign

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Title: ⟫ Sainted

Author: ⟫ Jesse H. Reign

Rating: ⟫ 5/5

Blurb: ⟫ Falling for my kidnapper is a terrible idea.

He’s a bad man and I don’t mean trash like your ex. I mean seriously bad. I mean dangerous. You can tell just by looking at him; black eyes, a menacing scowl, and a nose that’s been badly broken in the past.

He is my arch nemesis. My mortal enemy. My singular obsession.

I was afraid of him when we met. He took me against will and kept me chained to a bed. Me, Damon Alexander Beckett of BeckIT fame and fortune. Well, the joke’s on him because I’m going to make it my life’s mission to destroy him. But first, I have to survive being his captive. He’s here all the time. Watching me. His heavy male presence never more than five feet away, dark, glinting eyes tracking down my body.

When he propositions me indecently, I am shocked and outraged. As I should be. Seriously, the audacity of him is unreal.

It’s obvious I should say no. It goes without saying. Any sane person would laugh in his face.

So why am I sinking to my knees?

Review: ⟫ Oh my, yes! I wasn’t sure what I was letting myself in for when I began reading this, but it was a rollicking, sexy ride! When Damon is kidnapped, he makes his feelings perfectly clear – he is not here for it and he fully intends to make his kidnapper’s life a complete and utter misery.

When A$$hole (as Damon calls him) took the job to kidnap Damon, he was expecting a run of the mill, easy job. Instead, he gets a mouthy, obnoxious, sexy brat who winds him up, exhausts him and fascinates him in equal measure. These two together alternatively cracked me up with their behaviour towards each other – talk about being determined to one-up each other – and made me wonder just how they were going to get their HEA.

The way Saint and Damon interacted was pure gold, and I was laughing more than once reading the story. I was seriously invested in how things turned out, especially when the kidnapping took a turn for the unexpected. Damon was an excellent character – he knew exactly who he was, until suddenly he didn’t and Saint was bringing things out that he had never expected. Saint was more of a surprise with how vulnerable he allowed himself to be and how he interacted with Damon.

I don’t want to spoil anything by revealing more of what happens in this story, but I will say that the sex scenes were steamy as all get-out, with some twists that I wasn’t expecting. The ride towards their HEA was like a roller-coaster and I was gutted and exhilarated in equal measure I raced through the story. This is the second Jesse H. Reign book I’ve read over the last 24 hours and I’m off to look for more!

Dirty Love by Bethany Winters

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Title: ⟫ Dirty Love

Author: ⟫ Bethany Winters

Rating: ⟫ 5/5

Blurb: ⟫ In a small town like ours, you’re either straight or you keep your mouth shut.

Being gay would be dirty.

Touching the guy who’s been your little brother since you were three would be dirty.

Falling in love with him would be even worse.

I protect him because it’s my job.

I resist him because I have to.

But when one night leads to two and two nights lead to more, lines are blurred and morals are tossed and my sanity takes a walk.

Now we’re risking everything we have for something we know we shouldn’t want.

And the only thing we’ll have left is each other.

This is a 60,000 word, M/M, dark high school, stepbrothers-to-lovers romance with themes some readers might find offensive.

Complete standalone with a HEA and no cliffhanger. 

Review: ⟫ Have you ever had the hankering to read something dirty/bad/wrong? Like, the kind of book that you’d hide from your Mom even at the grand old age of *well over 21*, full of red flags, drugs and just downright WTF? Okay, then you might be looking for this book.

To be fair, our male leads are stepbrothers so the whole incest thing isn’t quite there, but they were brought up together from the age of three so there’s that.

Kade is the older brother – by a whole three months I believe – and has been protecting Nicky from everything from a young age. Everything includes a father who murdered their mother and regularly beats Kade – adding being gay to that would paint a target on Nicky’s back that even Kade couldn’t protect him from. Kade is protective, possessive, obsessive and sounds hot in all the wrong ways, including how he treats his on-again/off-again girlfriend and the animalistic way he makes money by bare-knuckle fighting on the weekends.

Nicky isn’t a dreamer – life would have beaten that out of him years ago – but he is much more in touch with his emotions than Kade. And from a young age, his emotions have fixed on Kade as his safe place. His everything. He’s not ashamed of being gay or being in love with his brother, but he is understandably scared.

The warnings about this book being dark were not kidding – there is no fade to black when it comes to the violence and drug-taking, and that might not be to everyone’s taste.

I was so in the mood for this book and it didn’t fail to deliver in any way. I didn’t care about things that I might ordinarily nit-pick because I was too busy devouring the whole book in one sitting. I picked it up this morning and read it immediately and when I finished, I was literally sitting there with a huge grin of satisfaction on my face. The sex scenes were hot and steamy; the whole bantering, snarky vibe between Kade and Nicky was so my cup of tea, and how the story was handled worked for me on every level.

Especially when we meet the boys’ uncle.

I’ve grabbed the other book by the author that I could find even though it’s M/F which I haven’t really had any luck with this year because I really loved the style of writing and wanted to read more.

If after reading the warnings – and other reviews – you think you might want to take a chance on this book, I don’t think you’ll regret it!

A Monstrous Christmas Time in the Camp by Lily Mayne

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Title: ⟫ A Monstrous Christmas in the Camp

Author: ⟫ Lily Mayne

Rating: ⟫ 5/5

Blurb: ⟫ A 34.5k word short for Christmas 2022! This short sees the Nebraska camp celebrating a (late) Christmas, with lots of food and gift-giving and *ahem* other stuff.

It features every POV of the Monstrous lads so far! (Plus Anchor!)

I hope you enjoy, and, if you celebrate it, have a lovely Christmas. Otherwise, have a restful winter break.

Content warnings: Oh boy here we go: Explicit sexual content, 18+ only, mentions of death and grief, alcohol consumption, pimple popping, blood and pus (Wyn hates pus!), groping in public (Charlie you bastard), restraint, use of sex toys, very brief mention of Moth’s past abuse, mentions of anxiety, squirrel, Edin flashes everyone, Hunter has unique feelings about Mrs Claus, chastity, lingerie, Wyn being a filthy old man, my poor sweet Danny goes through some things, graphic description of death, mentions of nausea and an instance of vomiting, inhuman genitalia

Spoiler warning: Set after the events of Seraph (Monstrous: Book Six)

Review: ⟫ Oh Lord, this was so much fun to read!! If you’ve enjoyed the Monstrous series by Lily Mayne, then you will love this Christmas catch up with our monsters and their humans!

This is a fun look at Christmas in the camp, with the monsters all determined to make it a wonderful time for their humans before things get heavy in the next part of their journey. We get POV from nearly all of our monsters (I don’t think Aury has a chapter) as well as scenes of a domestic nature that will make you go aww.

The laughs come thick and fast – who knew that Wyn was a sporner?! – as well as seeing how well the monsters have integrated into the camp. Edin needs to come with a warning because the imagery I got from this story keeps making me giggle at inappropriate times – there is actually art on Lily’s website that shows the outfit!

I think Seraph may well be my favourite monster simply because of how sweet he is and the fact that I adore Lilac, but it was brilliant to catch up with them all, This is available on Lily Mayne’s website/newsletter.

Chrismyths by Amy Lane

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Title: ⟫ ChrisMyths

Authors: ⟫ Amy Lane

Rating: ⟫ 5/5

Blurb: ⟫ After courtship, cohabitation, and learning about love and each other, Andy and Eli face the ultimate test: being separated at Christmas.

Eli’s seen the propaganda—the country boy goes home from the city and realizes his heart is back among the snow, trees, and chickens. A big happy family is something Eli, with his demanding job running a shelter for LGBTQ youth, can’t provide. He’s been readying himself for the other shoe to drop anyway—Andy’s mother is a force of nature, and she wants her little boy home.

Andy may be in Vermont, but his heart is back in Brooklyn with the man who’s battling basement floods and crumbling buildings to bring Christmas to sixty kids who’ve had their hearts broken too many times already. Holiday myths may say that Christmas means going back home to a happy family, but Andy knows happy endings don’t come without a little faith and a lot of hard work. He’s got an army ready to put in the elbow grease. If he can get Eli to believe in him, they might just save Christmas after all.

Review: ⟫ Well this one hit me right in the Christmas feels – especially as we’re in the process of packing up my youngest kid’s stuff for the move into halls of residence in the new year. Who knew apron strings were really this tough to cut!

This was a beautiful story about what Christmas should mean – and it’s not about pageants, Christmas carols, presents or any of the extra stuff. It’s about love, caring, family and just being a good, genuine person. And yes, it made me sniffly more than once – not just at the tales of the kids who live at the shelter, but at how people can pull together and show you their hearts in the best possible way.

If you are looking to get into the Christmas mood, I highly recommend this story. It was sexy, sweet, touching and loving and – even in the tough moments of which there were more than a few – I never once doubted that Amy Lane would make it all okay in the end because she always does!

I received an ARC from the author.

Vow Maker by Lily Morton (Mixed Messages #4)

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Title: ⟫ Vow Maker (Mixed Messages #4)

Authors: ⟫ Lily Morton

Blurb: ⟫ Dylan Mitchell wants to get married.

However, after seven years of being engaged, that’s looking slightly doubtful. After going through ten wedding planners, they’re gaining a reputation somewhat akin to Henry the Eighth on the wedding circuit.

Gabe has vetoed symbolic dove releases, forests of flowers, fire-eating performers, and puce as a wedding colour. He’s confounded an army of wedding professionals, and now Dylan, the man who knows and loves him better than anyone, has joined the ranks of the confused. Can anything please his fiancé and get them to the altar?

From bestselling author Lily Morton comes the sequel to Rule Breaker. A romantic comedy novella full of family chaos, meddling friends, sexy bathroom encounters, and love. Always love.

Review: ⟫ It was lovely to catch up with Dylan and Gabe – it made me want to go back and re-read their story. As usual, this story was full of snarky banter, heavy sarcasm, a whole lot of innuendo and chock-full of love and sex. We had cameos from other beloved characters and an introduction to at least one that I imagine is going to get his own book.

I really enjoyed this book – it was like snuggling down with an old favourite but with new information. I did grab the book Short Stack but didn’t have time to read it, but having been reminded of the amazing cast of men that Lily has written about, I think I’m going to re-download it.

An easy, relaxing, amusing read – well worth it.