~10 books~ 
★5 Stars★
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★3.5 Stars★.
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★2.5 Stars★
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Title: Pretty in Pink
Author: Jay Northcote
Series: Housemates #6
Page Count: 211 pages
Genre(s): M/M, Romance
Release Date: February 21, 2018
Guest Reviewer: ~Judith~
Rating: ✮3.5 Stars✮
~Synopsis~
Ryan isn’t looking for a relationship with a guy–and Johnny isn’t looking for a relationship at all.
Ryan’s always been attracted to tall, leggy blondes–normally of the female variety. When Johnny catches his eye at a party, Ryan’s interest is piqued even though he’s never been with a guy before. The attraction is mutual, and the amazing night that follows opens Ryan’s eyes to his bisexuality.
Experience has taught Johnny that love hurts. Staying single is safer, and there’s no need for complicated relationships when hooking up is easy. When he moves in next door to Ryan, they’re both interested in picking up where they left off, and it seems like an ideal arrangement: convenient, mutually satisfying, and with no strings attached.
Despite their best intentions to keep things casual, they develop an emotional connection alongside the physical one. Both begin to want more from the relationship but are afraid to admit it. If they’re going to work things out, they need to start being honest–first with themselves, and then with each other.
—Although this book is part of the Housemates series, it has new main characters, a satisfying happy ending, and can be read as a standalone.—
Ever since Johnny was introduced in the previous book I couldn’t wait to get my hands on him, so to speak…Get ready because this one is HOT! 😜
Ryan is straight, although he is definitely a bit bi-curious.He’s totally into tall, leggy blondes so when he sees a girl(he thinks) at a party he’s more than interested.When said blonde turns out to be a guy he’s not really put off. Johnny definitely hits the spot for him.
Title: In Wild Lemon Groves
Author: Selina Kray
Page Count: 212 pages
Genre(s): M/M, Romance
Release Date: February 8, 2018
Guest Reviewer: ~Judith~
Rating: ✮4.5 Stars✮
~Synopsis~
A telltale knock on a quiet winter night is a sound no husband wants to hear.
Sébastien Osaki has spent the past three years surviving the loss of his beloved Henry. When Seb lands in Amalfi, Italy, for their would-have-been tenth-anniversary trip, he’s haunted by the memory of the man he loved. Following Henry’s notebook leads him to some breathtaking coastal views but also right back to his despair. Seb’s there to get his groove back, not let the past wrong-foot him at every turn.
Enter Andrea Sorrentino, chauffeur, part-time pet whisperer, a Bernini statue in a soccer tee and tight shorts. From the moment Andrea picks Seb up from the airport, he knows just how to soothe Seb’s case of the sulks. But Seb isn’t sure he’s ready for Mr. Right Now, let alone a potential Mr. Right, in a part of the world where all roads lead back to Henry.
Can sun, sea, and eating your weight in pasta mend a tragedy-stricken heart? Will wine-soaked Amalfi nights and long walks through lemon groves work their magic on Seb’s wounded soul? Or will he slink back into the shell of his grief once his grand Italian adventure is over?
I need to start with part of the Author’s note at the end of the book…
“In 2015, for one of those big “0” birthdays, I gifted myself a trip to the Amalfi Coast, a place so beautiful and so romantic it almost defies description. Being a writer, I had to at least try to put my experience into words…”
And she certainly did put it into words, in the most beautiful way. She’s portrayed such a mesmerizing picture of the Amalfi Coast seen through Sebastien’s eyes.
Title: Rock King
Author: Tara Leigh
Series: Nothing But Trouble #1
Page Count: 370 pages
Genre(s): Romance
Release Date: February 20, 2018
Reviewer: ~Wendy~
Rating: ✮3.5 Stars✮
~Synopsis~
Fans of Kristen Callihan and Kylie Scott will scream for this sizzling bad boy rock star romance!
I’m not who you think I am.
Shane Hawthorne has it all. At least, that’s what the headlines say about me. I have millions of fans, awards, more money – and women – than I know what to do with. But what you don’t see is the wreckage I’ve caused. The memories and pain I can’t escape, even when I pour them into music and spin them into gold.
I tried to forget. To lose myself in booze and groupies. It didn’t work. It hurt me and – worse – it hurt my band. That’s the last thing I want to do, so I’m cleaning up my act… starting with Delaney Fraser.
Gorgeous, smart, drama-free, and even nice – Delaney is the perfect “girlfriend.” When I’m with her I don’t have to pretend. It’s like she sees the real me. And I can see a future with her. But that’s dangerous. Because the truth is, Shane Hawthorne doesn’t actually exist. He’s a shield to hide who I really am. Fraud. Runaway. Addict. Murderer.
And it’s impossible to love a lie, right?
This is my first book by this author, so I was very curious as to how it would be…especially since “rockstars” is one of my favorite tropes. 😉 I am happy to say, that I was pleasantly surprised by this one!
May Archer * Charlie Cochet * Alison Hendricks * Sloane Kennedy * Lucy Lennox * Ruthie Luhnow * Lily Morton * Chris Owen * Poppy Dennison * Hailey Turner * A.E. Wasp
Title: Heart2Heart, A Charity Anthology
Cover Design: AngstyG
Anthology Editor: Leslie Copeland
Page Count: 595 pages
Genre(s): M/M, Romance
Release Date: February 7, 2018
Reviewer: ~Wendy~
Rating: ✮4 Stars✮
~Synopsis~
Once upon a time, a bunch of M/M authors wondered… What if a dating app that guaranteed you a love match broke down just in time for Valentine’s Day? What if you found yourself on a blind date with a random guy who might be your opposite in every single way? It could be a disaster. Or… When the code breaks down, fate just might take over.
Eleven of your favorite gay romance authors have joined forces to light up your Valentine’s Day with a collection of sweet, sexy, silly, and hot short stories, featuring a wacky cast of characters chosen from your reader suggestions! Morticians and magicians, superheroes and spies, lawyers and lobstermen, will all learn that love has nothing to do with algorithms… and sometimes you find it in the least-likely places.
And the best part? All proceeds from this collection will go to the authors’ favorite LGBTQ charities, to ensure that love in all its incarnations will be celebrated and protected every single day of the year!
It will only be available for 90 days, so Tuesday, May 8th will be the last time you can purchase this anthology.
We are pleased to be donating 100% of our proceeds to 3 wonderful charities:
We encourage all readers to learn more about these groups and consider making a donation of your own. Every little bit helps.
The Lawyer & The Lobsterman
Can you tell us a little bit about your characters?
Opposites attract: Isaac is a meticulous, highly strung lawyer, and Will is a carefree pro sports mascot.
Was writing this story easy for you to do? Or was it a little bit outside of your normal writing zone?
It was a very fun project for me. I liked having the constraints of the prompt and the suggestions from readers—sometimes having “rules” for what I write can force my brain to be a little more creative!
What were some of the reader submissions that stood out to you, and why?
I was surprised by how creative all of them were! There were so many great choices.
Since the anthology is only available for a limited time, (90 days) do you have any plans for your story after that?
I’ll have to see! Expanding it could be a lot of fun—I enjoyed these characters a lot.
What do you think of the line-up of authors? How does it feel to be in such great company?
I’m star struck!!
Other than your own, do you have a favorite story (or two) in the anthology?
I love all of them for different reasons. I loved seeing where so many different authors with very unique styles took the prompt.
Have you ever been set up on a blind date? If yes, how did it turn out?
No, but I’ve been on a fair few ill-fated first dates.
Have you ever set someone else up on a blind date? If yes, how did it turn out?
No, though I’ve played wingman many times for my friends—without much success, unfortunately.
If Heart2Heart were to match you with someone, who do you think you’d get paired with?
Hopefully, someone who was willing to listen to me talk about my job the entire time!
Thank you for joining us today!
Title: The Runner’s Daughter
Author: Jessica McCrory
Series: Bastards of Corruption #2
Page Count: 241 pages
Genre(s): Romance, Mystery/Suspense
Release Date: February 15, 2018
Reviewer: ~Mary~
Rating: ✮3.5 Stars✮
~Synopsis~
FBI agent Caid King has fought long and hard to end the corruption within his organization. After the fall of Clayton Matthews, he returns to New York with his head held high and his eye on the next target. He never could have imagined that the dangerous man he’s set his sights on would have ties to the beautiful blonde he found himself instantly drawn to.
Jemma Saige thought she had it all figured out. Her rules for survival were simple. Keep your head down, your bags packed, your running shoes on. But when she meets a man at her local gym, their attraction threatens to break the last and most important of those rules: don’t get tied down.
Now with Jemma’s secrets out in the open, and both her and Caid’s lives on the line, can they find a way to work together? Or will Caid turn his back on the runner’s daughter?
Title: The Runner’s Daughter
Author: Jessica McCrory
Series: Bastards of Corruption #2
Page Count: 241 pages
Genre(s): Romance, Mystery/Suspense
Release Date: February 15, 2018
Reviewer: ~Mary~
Rating: ✮3.5 Stars✮
~Synopsis~
FBI agent Caid King has fought long and hard to end the corruption within his organization. After the fall of Clayton Matthews, he returns to New York with his head held high and his eye on the next target. He never could have imagined that the dangerous man he’s set his sights on would have ties to the beautiful blonde he found himself instantly drawn to.
Jemma Saige thought she had it all figured out. Her rules for survival were simple. Keep your head down, your bags packed, your running shoes on. But when she meets a man at her local gym, their attraction threatens to break the last and most important of those rules: don’t get tied down.
Now with Jemma’s secrets out in the open, and both her and Caid’s lives on the line, can they find a way to work together? Or will Caid turn his back on the runner’s daughter?
This book was so unexpected for many reasons…Good and bads.
Willow is the daughter of one of the most dangerous criminal…You think that being the daughter of the most fearful and rich man, she would have a wonderful life, but actually, it was the exact opposite. She was tortured and hurt mentally and psychologically.
He killed her mother and forced Willow to watch as he did it because she went to the FBI, she betrayed him, thinking that once he would go down, she was free, able to live a normal life. But the FBI betrayed her mother, and so he killed her. Now, her father was going to force her into a marriage she didn’t want with one of his business associates. So after years of torture…now was her chance to escape.
Title: Bought by the Boss
Author: Stacey Kennedy
Publisher: Loveswept
Page Count: 200 pages
Genre(s): Romance
Release Date: February 13, 2018
Reviewer: ~Mary~
Rating: ✮4 Stars✮
~Synopsis~
What’s better than one bad-boy boss? How about two?
In a duet of naughty novellas, a charity date auction turns into all-out war when a pair of powerful corporate lawyers each buy the other’s assistant for a weekend of seduction.
HIS PRICE
I’ve wanted Aria Finley from the moment I met her. We flirt, we laugh, we connect. It could be perfect. She’s even best friends with my assistant. Problem is, she works for my archnemesis—Jackson Keller—and she’s the kind of girl who stays loyal unless you give her a reason not to. Besides my hard-on there’s something hot between us, and I won’t rest until I put my finger on it. So when I get the chance to buy Aria for the weekend at a charity auction, there’s no limit. I’m going to take her home and take what I want because I’ll make her want it too. And by Monday, she’ll know she’s mine.
DIRTY MONEY
Liam Maxwell thinks he can get to me through my assistant, Aria. Well, two can play that game. Now Mallory Beckett—Liam’s assistant and Aria’s best friend—is mine for the weekend. Only she has no idea who bought her at the charity auction. This is going to be worth every penny. But soon I realize that Mallory has been waiting for my touch all along. What starts as a fling turns into something more. From the beginning, I was so focused on stealing her away. I never thought about the fact that I’d drown if I lost her. Now the game has changed. And she needs to know that she belongs to me.
This was some unexpected story, for me at least.This book it divided into two stories, completely different but at the same time completely the same. Since it’s my first read of this author, I didn’t know what to expect, but I was pleased…I don’t know if it was me, my mood, or the book itself…For me was just the right book at the right moment.
Title: Out of the Ashes
Author: Hailey Turner
Series: A Metahuman Files: Classified Novella #1
Page Count: 87 pages
Genre(s): M/M, Romance, Sci-Fi, Military
Release Date: February 12, 2018
Reviewer: ~Wendy~
Rating: ✮4.5 Stars✮
~Synopsis~
War never leaves a soldier behind.
Staff Sergeant Alexei Dvorkin is still healing from his brief stint as a prisoner of war. While his physical wounds have mended, the emotional scars left behind are slow to disappear. Eager to prove his resilience in the face of lingering trauma, Alexei is determined to complete his first mission in three months and get back into the field—but he’s not forging ahead without his lover.
Nightmares will always linger.
Agent Sean Delaney’s recovery from trauma is more slow going than he would like, but he pushes through in order to return to active duty and not be left behind. But every decision he makes leaves him feeling like he’s gone two steps forward and one step back when it comes to Alexei. The guilt Sean feels from what they both endured still colors his interactions with the man he loves. Trying to overcome it is difficult and exhausting, making Sean question his place in Alexei’s heart.
Holding on is the hardest thing to do.
The ties between Alexei and Sean were frayed by the enemy’s hand. Mending what’s been broken between them will require a depth of honesty neither man is ready to face just yet. But if they don’t, they risk losing a future together neither wants to let go…
Out of the Ashes is a 28,000 word novella that follows directly after In the Blood in my Metahuman Files series and builds off of events in that book. It is recommended that you read In the Bloodfirst before reading Out of the Ashes. There are explicit intimate scenes that are not suitable for readers under the age of 18 within the novella.
I am normally not a big fan of novella’s, and when I can …I usually skip them.
But when I found out why there was gonna be an “in between” novella, I gladly made an exception it. This is my fav couple after all!!
Title: Body and Soul
Authors: Lucy Lennox, Sloane Kennedy
Series: Twist of Fate #3
Page Count: 335 pages
Genre(s): M/M, Romance
Release Date: February 2, 2018
~Synopsis~
Oz: Escaping the international modeling scene to design my own fashion collection is the first step to shucking my bobble-headed supermodel reputation and proving to the world I’m more than just a pretty face. But the minute I have to accept roadside help from the sexy man next door, I feel like the airhead people think I am. And what’s worse, the man clearly doesn’t think I’m worth the time of day.
But despite trying to ignore my attraction to the mysterious doctor, I can’t help but be drawn to him. With every moment spent together, I begin to realize he’s hiding more than just some details of his past. He has one foot out the door.
As soon as I start to feel like everything might be coming together for me, I realize the man I’m falling in love with isn’t who I thought he was.
Jake: After three years on the run for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, I’ve finally found a seemingly safe place to settle in Haven, Colorado. With friends, a job, and a cabin in the woods, I have everything I need to live a simple life without drawing attention to myself. Everything’s fine. Fine.
Until I meet my new neighbor. The gorgeous man is anything but subtle and brings color to my life that I didn’t know was missing. But I learned years ago that falling in love with someone wasn’t an option anymore when simply being seen with me could have dire consequences. It’s time for me to run again, but I wonder if it’s safe to stick around just long enough for a taste…
Just when I begin to realize Oz is the missing piece to bring me back to life after years of hiding, my past catches up to me and throws everyone around me into danger. I know I should run, but what if it’s time to finally stop running and make a stand, once and for all?
—While Body and Soul is the third book in the Twist of Fate series, each novel can easily be read as a standalone.—
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I was kissing Jake.
Jake was on top of me, his hard, delicious length pressed against mine.
“Oh god,” I cried into his mouth at the sheer pleasure firing through my skin. Everything tingled in a way that felt like the glorious moment between wakefulness and sleep. Like I was on the cusp of something overwhelming and all-consuming. A tiny voice of sanity tried to remind me Jake was leaving town, but I told the voice to mind its own fucking business until after the kissing.
I wanted to be touched. I wanted to feel his hands on me and his warmth against my skin, even if only for this one time. Was it stupid for me to ignore reality? Maybe.
Did I care?
No.
Jake’s lips devoured mine before moving under my chin and down my neck to my collarbone.
The man had a magical way of knowing where my erogenous zones were.
“Mpfh, right there,” I murmured. “Mm-hm.”
“You like that?” he mumbled against the cord of my neck before grazing his teeth up its length to nip at my earlobe. His hand came down to press against the front of my briefs, down along my shaft to cup the balls below. I felt myself begin to shake.
“Fuck.”
His deep hum of satisfaction rumbled against my chest as he ran sure hands over my shoulders and down my arms before lifting them above my head and pinning both wrists together with one of his hands.
I arched up into him with my hips before settling back down and wrapping my legs around his waist instead. Jake’s own hips rocked into me, pressing his dick against mine until we were both hard and straining.
“Want to be inside you,” he said in a gruff voice that made me even dizzier than I already was. “Need you.”
“Oh fuck, yes,” I breathed into the damp skin of his neck. I realized he’d been hot in our furnace-like blanket and must have withstood the heat for my sake.
He supported his weight on his knees and kept my hands pinned in his grip while reaching his other hand down to snake inside my underwear and grab my cock.
“Oh god, oh god,” I chanted, pushing up into his grip and feeling my blood pound against his hand. “Just like that.”
Jake’s eyes roved over my torso with a wild hunger I’d never seen in anyone before.
“Stop wiggling,” he said with furrowed brows before hovering over one of my nipples with his plump lips. “Or I might hurt you by accident.”
Hurt me. Dear god, hurt me.
“Ffft,” I said with a nod.
His eyes met mine as his tongue came out in goddamned slow motion and toyed with my nipple. My hips arched up into him again and I threw my head back with an agonized groan.
“Mm,” he hummed as he sucked at the nipple and tugged on it a little.
“Stop teasing me,” I begged. “Let me suck you. Wanna taste you.”
I tried escaping his grasp-the desire to free his cock from the sexy black boxer-briefs was growing more desperate by the moment. I wanted to wrap my mouth around him and take him all the way in.
“I said stop moving, Oz. Now.”
Normally the bossy type did nothing but piss me off, but hearing the heat and emotion in Jake’s voice, seeing him take what he wanted with no apology for once, made my cock leak sticky fluid all over his hand as I forced myself to stay still.
If it was possible, his pupils dilated even further at my gesture of obedience.
Jake’s mouth covered mine again in a feral kiss as his hand began shoving my briefs off. He used his teeth to latch onto my lower lip gently to keep our mouths together while he got rid of all the underwear left between us. Finally, finally, we were completely skin to skin.
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~Dirty Books Obsession~ 