Review: Demon For The Win (A Fated Mates Novella) by Meghan Maslow

Rating: 4.75🌈

Demon For The Win exists within Meghan Maslow’s Much Ado About Demons universe and it’s an extraordinary place to visit.

In fact the author is able to set up various scenarios within each major storyline for other books to come without it feeling too unwieldy.

Here we meet Nico Azertiran, the love incubus from In Fair Verona and Must Love Demons. He’s a important secondary character as he’s the best friend of Incubus Kem Balthasar. We are clued into Nico’s problems while maintaining our interest in Kem and his new found crush for the Dryad Tuli Cato.

The cast of characters are fascinating whether they be a passing reference or a strong supporting cast. I’m especially fond of Tuli’s friend, the wood elf Shrood who reminds me of a Elvish Dude and The Glen where they abide. It’s full of magical trees and shrubbery with unique personalities to match.

Tuli Cato, the sous chef who finds his hidden strengths and resolve and the incubus Kem Balthasar, who redefines his path and his identity as a incubus, are amazing beings. Apart on their personal journeys and together as a couple on a growing relationship.

The romance is strong and interesting, including a mystery about a missing spoon that concludes is a absolutely perfect way.

I love this series and this is a fabulous addition in terms of the couple and expansion of the universe. I’m highly recommending it.

Demon for the Win: A MM Fated Mates Novella (Much Ado About Demons)by Meghan Maslow

Description:

Dryad Tuli Cato has 3 rules he lives by: No relationships, no drama, no trouble.

When a gorgeous incubus offers a night of no-strings passion, Tuli readily agrees. Only that no-strings night sure feels like a lot more.

Okay, Tuli has 2 rules he lives by: No drama, no trouble.

Being the sous chef at the most exclusive restaurant in town makes no drama a challenge. Especially when the kitchen’s in an uproar after a staff member turns up dead. Murdered.

Um, Tuli has 1 rule he lives by: No trouble.

Surely, he can stick to this 1 simple rule. . . except it turns out, he might be the murderer’s next target.

Incubus Kem Balthasar has only 1 rule he lives by: Enjoy life.

It’s a lust demon’s nature, after all. Creatures either want to be him or do him. Or maybe a bit of both.

When Kem lays eyes on a slender dryad hottie across a crowded sex club, suddenly he’s thinking of another L-word and it’s not one he ever thought he’d feel.

Okay, Kem has 2 rules he lives by: Enjoy life, romance Tuli.

Convincing the skeptical dryad that Kem’s a worthy—and faithful—partner is hard enough. But it’s even harder to date a guy who might wind up dead.

Right. Kem has 3 rules he lives by: Enjoy life, romance Tuli, and keep the little dryad safe.

Easy, right?

Demon for the Win is a 40k just-one-night, fated mates, novella set in the Much Ado about Demons world. Each book stands alone. This book contains explicit scenes, a little black book with loads of secrets, jealous trees, sex club shenanigans, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after.

*Previously published in the Your Book Boyfriend’s Boyfriend giveaway.

Review: Smoulder (Drake Security Book 2) by Mika Nix

Rating: 4🌈

It’s that cover! Couldn’t resist. So while I wasn’t really buying into some of the themes the authors (K.M. Neuhold and Mia Monroe are Mika Nix) created in book one, I went on and picked up the second novel in the series, Smoulder.

Turns out, it’s missing most but not all of the elements I had issues with and I found this entertaining and a fast, enjoyable read.

For starters, this dragon brother’s character is one that I really found interesting and more nuanced. Whereas Nico was all hot headed , action without thought, Hemingway is almost his opposite. A collector of antiquities, gems, and, most importantly, books, Hemingway is a thoughtful and layered personality.

Dempsey Ryan, Drake Security’s newest client and Hemingway’s future mate here is a terrific character in his own right. In his early forties and a collector of rare and unusual items, especially books and jewels, his personality and interests are crafted by the authors to mesh well with Hemingway’s so their chemistry and instant attraction to each other makes sense on multiple levels.

The readers just like them together and we just get it. The strongest part of this story is the romantic relationship, with Hemingway’s attitude towards and attempts at wooing Dempsey.

The mystery that has Dempsey needing protection is probably the weakest part of the narrative. It builds backwards, filling in facts just when the reader is asking questions about where that aspect of the story came about. It feels hurriedly filled in instead of part of a plot. And the ending was anticlimactic for all the events and drama building up to it. While it was a nice surprise and added a new powerful character to the group, it wasn’t the ending that fit the storyline that lead up to it.

Smoulder finishes with a wedding, a new start for a couple I throughly loved, and a hint as to who’s going to be next in line for their mate and novel.

As much as I enjoyed this I’ll be heading into the next episode to see how it all goes down.

I’m recommending this book and romance.

Drake Security:

✓ Hot Head #1

✓ Smoulder #2

Buy Link:

Smolder (Drake Security Book 2)

Description:

I was hired to protect him, but will our smoldering attraction ignite into love?

When my hot headed brother found his fated mate, a deep, aching desire opened up inside of me for my own. Everyone knows dragons are covetous, jealous… possessive. I am all of these things, but never more so than when I set my eyes on Dempsey for the first time.

Beautiful. Awkward. Sweet. Shy. Perfect. My dragon wants to wrap himself around him the moment he bumps into me outside of his antique shop. Dempsey, however, is not as keen on that idea as my inner beast is.

He hired Drake Security for protection, and he needs it even more than he realized. Unfortunately, we specialize in brute strength and burning sh*t to the ground, and the problem Dempsey has is way out of our league.

Is he my fated mate or am I just so desperate for one that I’m falling for him too fast? Either way, I’ll move heaven and hell to protect him, even if the forces that are after him are unlike anything I’ve dealt with before.

I’ve spent thousands of years hoarding books and storing their words close to my heart. Will the love stories that live inside my soul be enough to woo him? Is it too much to hope that fate has chosen him for me?

**** Smolder is book 2 in the Drake Security series and has a reluctant fated mate, dragon shifters, book swooning, ancient mysteries, and magic. Each book can be read on its own, but is so much better if read in order. The series is all dragons, NO MPREG.

Review: Lust and Other Drugs (Mythos #1) by T.J. Nichols

Rating: 4.5🌈

Urban Fantasy is a automatic read for me and when you throw in dragon shifters, well, I’m so there!

Lust and Other Drugs by T.J. Nichols satisfies both my book cravings and then some by also being a great start in a new urban fantasy series that has as one of the main characters a dragon shifter.

Nichols, whose world building is always layered and imaginative, throws readers into a place where humanity and mythological creatures aren’t exactly in a equal standing with each other. There’s a toxicity and outright hostility or speciesism apparent in every aspect of the relations. It’s a fascinating and believable state.

As a result of a scientific experiment, barriers between our world and the Mythos world collapses with horrific consequences, causing mythological beings, creatures we’ve only known through legends and myths to flee to our world as refugees. As we know that never works out well. The fear of the unknown, the different cultures and beliefs and beings makes things worse for the refugee situation. Including experimentation.

It’s a dark, grim and fascinating world full of possibilities and worlds of mythology Nichols is continuing to create.

Jordan, a gay cop who’s inwardly sympathetic to the mytho beings, rides the edges of his own life by taking a Fae drug called Bliss and frequenting Fae bars, something that could get him fired. Edra, a dragon, has been assigned to the San Francisco Police Department as a liaison for Mythological Services, a agency that works for all the supernatural creatures.

A case that involves murder, the illegal drug Bliss, coverups, lead to a dual team investigation with Jordan and Edra. Nichols weaves a intriguing interpersonal agency relationship with a complicated dynamic that starts to emerge between Edra and Jordan. Each with their own fears and prejudices, rife with past histories and cultural conflicts.

All this overlaid with a very neat , and complex police procedural that has to go forward with investigations into drug smuggling and murder.

Once you get into the complex storytelling and detailed narrative of Lust and Other Drugs it’s hard to emerge until you are finished.

And then you’re are onto the next. Luckily, they are all available for reading.

I’m highly recommending this story. It’s a fabulous book and start to a new series.

Mythos Series:

✓ Lust and Other Drugs #1

◦ Greed #2

◦ Envy #3

◦ Vanity #4

◦ Sloth and Other Delights #5

◦ Wrath and Other Troubles #6

◦ Gluttony and Other Hungers #7

Buy Link:

Lust and other Drugs: gay dragon shifter urban fantasy (Mytho)

Description:

Police officer Jordan and dragon shifter Edra might have to work together, but they don’t trust each other—even if sparks do fly between them.

If anyone finds out Jordan’s a mytho sympathizer, it could kill his career. No one can know that he frequents the satyr dens and uses the drug Bliss. A dead satyr might not get much attention, but two dead humans who appeared to overdose on Bliss? That shouldn’t even be possible.

And it might not be an accident.

Edra, the Mythological Services Liaison, has been covering up mytho crimes to protect the community’s reputation. With a mayoral election looming, the last thing his people need is a scandal.

To get a murderer off the streets, Jordan and Edra will be spending a lot of time together, and it won’t be easy to keep up with their deceptions… or to keep resisting each other.
~~~
Lust and other Drugs is the mm urban fantasy romance you’ve been waiting for; rich with creative and engaging world building, complicated characters, and an exploration of the intricacies of dragon mating rituals, Nichols gives a captivating and sensual touch to gay paranormal romance.

Book 1 in the gay urban fantasy series that follows Jordan and Edra as they solve crime and figure out how to improve Mytho and human relations. For readers who like dragon shifters and forbidden romance.

Review: Nobody Rides For Free (An Angus Green Novel Book 2) by Neil S. Plakcy

Rating: 4.25🌈

Nobody Rides For Free picks up after the events in The Next One Will Kill You, where rookie FBI agent helped close a big investigation, shot a perpetrator, and got shot during the final climactic moments.

Even though he was wearing a vest, he’s still recovering emotionally and physically from the effects of that incident. It takes a call from his mentor, Agent Roly Gutierrez, asking him for assistance in a new case that brings Angus back into active duty.

It starts with a series of overdoses that soon lead to several startling revelations. And soon, Angus is sifting through the data and evidence of multiple cases to find out what is happening and how all the people and cases connect with a growing number of gay men Angus thinks might be in danger.

In detective or police procedural novel (or tv show), you will hear the phrase that investigations are mostly boring, endlessly pouring over pages, numbers, data, and countless other information for evidence to solidify the case they are working on.

Here, as in the first novel, Plakcy does such a excellent job illustrating the hard and often tedious process of compiling the data legally to build the case against the criminal(s). And does it while making it suspenseful and compelling.

And real. Because not every lead pans out. Not every warrant goes as planned. Not everything works as you wanted or hoped.

And not every main character is a golden boy, without fault or failure or the ability to succeed in one area without losing in another. I think that is what makes Angus Green so interesting to me.

I’m not sure I always like him even as I understand him. He has a tendency to play loose with his roommate, be a user there instead of a friend when a case is involved. Even with others, unless it’s his brother (and that’s not been tested), it’s the FBI case loyalty first, then the others are staggered accordingly to their current position in his life. A precarious situation at times, as Lester, his on and off and now on again boyfriend has discovered. Very hard to be involved with them as a couple as it feels very superficial. I get the impression Lester might not last long.

There’s a few weak spots here. Other than the obvious romantic interest. Especially in the Russian community and mob section. The villain and his ex girlfriend needed more exposition at the end of the investigation to make sense. That includes the Dorje episode too.

Still Nobody Rides For Free (An Angus Green Novel Book 2) by Neil S. Plakcy is a strong read with a very complicated main character. I was totally invested in all the investigations and outcomes. So I’m onto the next. Can’t wait.

I’m definitely recommending this! Read the books in the order that they are written.

Angus Green series:

✓ The Next One Will Kill You #1

✓ Nobody Rides For Free #2

◦ Survival Is A Dying Art #3

◦ Brackish Water #4

Buy Link:

Nobody Rides for Free: An Angus Green Novel

Description:

With less than a year of experience under his belt and only one big case behind him, FBI Special Agent Angus Green has joined the rarefied group of agents who have been wounded in the line of duty. Now, assigned to a desk job while he recovers, Angus wonders if he’s chosen the right career. He’s been following his late father’s dream for a life of adventure and travel—and instead encountered danger, pain and heartbreak. But when he discovers that gay teens are being sexually abused by a pornographer in the same neighborhood where he lives, he has to step up and bring his intelligence, his determination and his unique insights to save these young men. The case takes him from Fort Lauderdale’s seamy underbelly to boisterous beachfront bars where big-fish Russian émigrés launder illegal cash. He’ll befriend a beautiful Russian-American undercover agent and rekindle a romance with a man who makes him feel protected. In the end, he’ll learn the truth of a saying he learned as a boy – there is a price to pay for every decision we make. Nobody rides for free.

Review: Roommate (Vino and Veritas) by Sarina Bowen

Rating: 4.75🌈

I can always count on the Vino and Veritas series to bring me a new engaging contemporary novel to dive into, this time by Sarina Bowen.

Vino and Veritas (now on its second series) is written by a revolving selection of authors and the novels are loosely based in and around Burlington, Vermont and the unique gay bookstore and bar, Vino and Veritas.

Roommate takes us back to the nearby home of the widespread Shipley family, of the famous Shipley cider, in Colebury, Vermont. Bowen has written about the Shipley clan before but it’s not necessary to know anything about those stories to get involved in the lives of the people you’re going to meet here.

It’s a hallmark of this series that the authors, including Bowen, deliver a thoughtful and layered storyline when developing their romance. So each man is depicted as dealing with a multitude of issues that are deeply embedded in his life history and need to be resolved in some manner in order for each to move forward with their own lives and as a couple.

I can’t begin to tell you how much this approach to her storytelling I appreciate. It involves some serious issues with each man, including parental rejection due to sexuality, a termination of a relationship because of a closeted partner, deeply rooted family secrets, insecurities and fear of the loss of identity.

That’s such a realistic heavy burden that Bowen lays upon the shoulders of her main characters yet she weaves a great amount of love and laughter into them as well through shared experiences and food.

I loved how well crafted all the characters are here. From the main characters of Roderick and Kieran Shipley, to the amazing women who own the bakery, to the stress-filled, close mouthed farming Shipley family of Kieran so full of secrets. Every single one was as real as day. You could feel the anguish, the pain, and the tension.

The flow of the narrative is believable, as is the decisions each man makes along the way. Small steps toward a larger growth.

Overall a fabulous romance, a great job of storytelling and characters I hope to see again in future novels.

One thing.

I’m so sorry I didn’t have a bunch of great pretzels, or bagels, or babka to knosh on while reading this because, frankly, reading what Roderick was baking had me drooling. So take this as a hint and stock up before you start.

I’m highly recommending this. And check out the other books in the two series while you’re at it.

Vino and Veritas:

Roommate by Sarina Bowen

Featherbed by Annabeth Albert

Headstrong by Eden Finley

Heartscape by Garrett Leigh

Aftermath by LA Witt

Undercover by Eliot Grayson

Booklover by JE Birk

Flipcup by Kim Hartfield (F/F)

Unguarded by Jay Hogan

Buy Link :

Roommate (Vino and Veritas)

Description:

Wanted: One roommate to share a 3-bedroom house, split the rent, and ideally not be the guy I can’t stop thinking about.

I’m a man with too many secrets, so the last thing I need is a new roommate with a sexy smile and blue eyes that see right through me. Eight years ago, Roderick left town after high school. We’re not friends. I owe him nothing. But back then, I let one of my secrets slip, and he’s the only one who noticed.

Part of me knows I should run far, far away. But the other part wants him to come upstairs and spend the night. But if I let him in, I could lose everything.

Seeking: a room to rent in town. I’m tidy, have no pets, and I will feed you homemade bread.

I should probably add: Gay AF, and has no filter. It’s no wonder my new landlord is so wary of me.

A smarter man would ignore those hot glances from Kieran Shipley. The broody lumberjack wants more from me than another homemade pretzel, but if I push my luck, I’ll end up back on the street.

Too bad I’ve never been smart with my heart…

Vino and Veritas (19 books)

by Sarina Bowen And various authors

Review: Maniac (Necessary Evils Book 7) by Onley James

Rating: 4.5 🌈

Maniac brings Onley James’ Necessary Evils to a close as you’d expect from a series about a family of psychopaths and their partners. It’s ends on an assassin’s revenge, death, and a bang on conclusion that brings the entire Mulvaney clan, extended family and friends together for one last murderous investigation and romance.

The Mulvaney storyline and romantic drama features the head of the family, Thomas Mulvaney with an emphasis on his past, and the odd adopted “child” of the Mulvaney brood. That’s Aiden, who came into the family as a young teenager from a well connected family who pressured Thomas to take him.

Here we learn the details of Aiden’s adolescent, the events that led him to Thomas and the Mulvaney family. And what’s been behind the bitterness and sadness that’s kept Aiden and Thomas apart for years.

Unsurprisingly, we’re dealing with a tragic and traumatic childhood. One rife with parental abuse , intentional cruelty, and malicious neglect. All of which have had consequences in the past as well as present a variety of ways.

James brings in several new characters like Lola who works with Aiden as well as familiar ones like Calliope, her son and his partner, Atticus and Jericho’s adopted “kids”, who soon will get their own series.

If there’s one issue, and it can’t be helped, it’s a surfeit of characters. You have all the original Mulvaney children, and now their partners/ fiancées/husbands, plus children/grandchildren, the nanny/baby mother, computer genius Calliope, her son and his lover, and any extra cast we’ve had thrown in along the way. It’s a lot to ask of the reader to remember each couple’s relationship dynamics, their stories, and even how the unique personalities and special groups play out within the family structure.

All that on top of a messy emotional connection that’s in need of resolution and balance between Aiden and Thomas.

I haven’t even begun to touch on the blackmail that the launching point for all the events and emotions (from those that are capable of them) within the family business and structure.

Basically a family of psychopaths go to war! It’s that simple and it’s extremely complicated.

Did I enjoy it and appreciate the nuances that James brought to Thomas and the various perspectives on his upbringing? Absolutely. From Thomas’ viewpoint of himself as the one responsible for certain events, to , even though he was a child without support, his own family’s clear vision of Thomas and his role within the past.

Reminder that this is dark fiction and it’s subject matter, although not necessarily with elements that “happen on page” are full of issues that might be considered triggers for some people. Rape, torture, manipulation, child abuse and neglect are key topics. So be aware.

So as a finale , things are pretty well sorted and done for each couple by book’s end. We know where each couple is as a family and within the Mulvaney’s as a whole unit. It feels complete.

And James assures us that we haven’t seen the last of them as they will continue their secret life as assassins. It won’t surprise anyone to see them appear in the upcoming spinoff series that starts with Jericho’s Boys. They are a group already adopted into the inner circle of The Mulvaney family.

For more information, see below. Until then, for lovers of dark contemporary fiction, I’m recommending this. Read the series in the order that it is written.

Necessary Evils series:

✓ Unhinged #1

✓ Psycho #2

✓ Moonstruck #3

✓ Headcase #4

✓ Mad Man #5

✓ Lunatic #6

✓ Maniac #7 – finale

Two upcoming spinoff series, The Watch and Jericho’s Boys, the first of which Paladin #1, is coming April 30, 2023

Buy Link:

Maniac (Necessary Evils Book 7)

Description:

Thomas Mulvaney was just a child when an error in judgment cost him everything. He vowed then that he would do anything to atone for his mistake. And he did. He never strayed from the right path. Until Aiden.

Aiden Mulvaney doesn’t exist. He’s a lie created by the father who disowned him and by Thomas Mulvaney, the only man Aiden had ever begged to love him. But that was years ago, when he’d still believed in fairytales. Before Thomas rejected him.

Thomas has spent years trying to have Aiden in his life while keeping him at arm’s length, but Aiden’s done with half-measures. He’s done with Thomas the martyr. He’s just done. So, he’s kept his distance. Trouble is, now, someone is threatening to expose a secret that affects them all.

No, not that one. A secret so shameful, Thomas won’t even utter it out loud. Can he and Aiden revisit the past and keep the family name intact, or will they both be buried beneath the weight of their memories as their old feelings resurface?

Review: The Next One Will Kill You (An Angus Green Mystery, Book 1) by Neil S. Plakcy

Rating: 4.5🌈

I found author Neil S. Plakcy through his incredible Mahu series. Set in Hawaii, Plakcy’s knowledge of the islands, the many cultures, the patois and just everyday life as lived by those who are Hawaiian on a cellular level, made that a book experience that has stayed with me.

So when I discovered another series, also thrillers, but set in another location, I was immediately hooked. How would Plakcy immerse himself into the diverse world of South Florida? How would it translate into a series and set of characters that fit the narrative and high visibility of that area?

Beautifully it seems.

Told from the perspective of rookie FBI agent Angus Green, who’s career has been sidelined into the agency’s accounting department. He’s longed to be a part of the field and actively involved in the investigations and gets his chance when another agent isn’t available.

But first Angus needs to raise funds to help his younger brother and to do that he enters a trivia/strip contest at a local gay bar. Where his life changes profoundly.

Angus is a terrific character and one I expect to see great development as far as depth of personality and revelations about his past. For now we get a young man who’s often underestimated because of his looks, has a intensity that can make him lose sight of those him, because the job is all encompassing.

He’s got several other people in his life . A younger brother he basically raised who’s often irresponsible and easy going. A roommate who’s increasingly envious of Angus and getting slack in other areas that aren’t necessarily legal. The potential here is far reaching for future stories.

But the best is the thrilling investigation into a missing person that generates a entire operation and inter agency cooperation. If the case and clues are a bit too slick and easily solved, I still enjoyed the rush to find all the pieces as well as the personalities involved in the case.

From the older FBI agents , Vito Mastroianni and Roly Gutierrez , that mentor him, to Tom, a rich older gay from South Beach with a knowledge of LGBTGIA history to bolster their case, the story is full of fascinating people with their own layers to them to further explore.

Brother Danny has his own storyline that carries with it a huge amount of anxiety and suspense for the reader and Angus when Danny comes under investigation for stolen money at his college.

Weaving Danny’s increasingly anguished calls with Angus’ involvement in the case makes for truly intense drama.

Was it perfect? No. There was a guy who after a date or two displayed jealousy or flag like behaviors. We don’t know enough about him or see any type of relationship to make us feel like we care about him or them together.

The Next One Will Kill You (An Angus Green Mystery, Book 1) by Neil S. Plakcy is a wonderful book and a great start to a series. The potential for new development and growth is substantial and I’m looking forward to seeing more of the imagery and narrative Plakcy lays down in future books.

I’m highly recommending this!

Angus Green series:

✓ The Next One Will Kill You #1

◦ Nobody Rides For Free #2

◦ Survival Is A Dying Art #3

◦ Brackish Water #4

Description:

If newly-minted special agent Angus Green is going to make it to a second case, he’s going to need to survive the first one. Angus wants a job with adventure, so after graduating with his master’s degree in accounting he completes the FBI’s academy at Quantico and is assigned to the Miami field office, where the caseload includes smugglers, drug runners, and gangs, but he starts out stuck behind a desk, an accountant with a badge and gun. Eager to raise some extra money for his college student brother, he enters a strip trivia contest at a gay bar in Fort Lauderdale. But when he’s caught with his pants down by a couple of fellow agents, he worries that his career is about to crash. Instead, as the office’s only openly gay agent, he’s recruited to find a missing informant with a reputation as “gay for pay.” It’s his first real case, and it takes him from the glitter of South Beach to the morgue on a desperate chase to catch a gang of criminals with their tentacles in everything from medical fraud to pill mills to jewel theft. As every twist in the case leads to more mayhem, the street quickly teaches him that the only way to face a challenge is to assume that he’ll survive this one–that it’ll be the next one that will kill him.

Review: Playing Deep (Miami Piranhas Book 5) by Beth Bolden

Rating: 4.75🌈

A finale book is a hard one to read and I imagine, extremely hard for the author to write. For a reader, especially a fan of the series, expectations are high to see how the writer can send off the characters and close down the arc in a way which satisfies us and makes sense.

Much the same as it must be for the author who’s been writing and creating these characters and their stories over a period of time. If it’s a series like the Miami Piranhas, where we had an entire NFL football team and a whole bunch of couples, well that makes the finale that more challenging.

So I liked that Bolden chose to make her two last characters and couple in this series , men at crossroads in their lives, whether they realized it at the time. Men with doubts and thinking about their own life choices. On and around a team that’s newly reformed and establishing themselves and their own identity in the NFL. It’s looking like a a fresh start or beginning will happen but there’s to be a ending first.

So logical and well planned. While the story didn’t go into detail about some elements, it brought full circle so many aspects of this series (as as as another), that it led me back into the other series to begin again.

The character of prickly journalist Julian Anderson, who has quite the journey of emotional growth and professional development, is one I got. He is layered with the believable qualities of someone who’s experienced deep loss and abandonment, and now has the barriers to show for it.

His chemistry and relationship with Kenyon Ellis is real, emotionally fraught with issues and the tough facts of each person’s profession and painful history.

Kenyon Ellis. What an incredible man and character. Bolden shows her deep love and understanding of this sport in Ellis. His love for his team, his divided attention, his guilt, everything that preying on his mind and heart at this time of his life and career. He’s painfully, beautifully real in every aspect of his personality and my favorite character.

All the others from the team make impressive supporting roles here to come together as a team and as friends.

No spoilers this time. Just a white knuckle ride and a highly entertaining and deeply thoughtful show, that ends as it should.

I’d give a trophy for them and this. And I hope to maybe see them again someday. You never know in a Bolden book .

Yes, I’m highly recommending this and the series.

Miami Piranhas series:

🔹Playing For Keeps #1

🔹Playing The Player #2

🔹Playing By The Rules #3

🔹Winning The Season #4

🔷Playing Deep #5 – Series Finale

Buy Link:

Playing Deep (Miami Piranhas Book 5)

Description:

Kenyon Ellis knows getting involved with Julian Anderson is an enormous mistake—but from the very first night, he finds him annoying, intriguing and ultimately, irresistible.

One, Kenyon is a player, and Julian is a reporter, so hooking up with him, no matter how spectacular the nights are, is a terrible idea.

Two, he’s falling for him, even if Julian continues to be prickly and impossible. But every time Julian’s walls shift, Kenyon sees the real man behind the attitude, and he only wants more.

Three, between the Piranhas and the charity work he’s committed to, Kenyon really doesn’t have the time for a relationship—but a relationship with Julian turns out to be exactly what he wants.

Maybe even exactly what he needs.

But when Julian starts calling out his performance on the field, the last thing Kenyon expects is to feel betrayed. But is it betrayal? Or does Julian simply see something in Kenyon he’s lost along the way?

The answer leads him not only to love, but to the biggest crossroads of his life.

The fifth and final Miami Piranhas book.

Review: Prince of Lies by Lucy Lennox

Rating: 4🌈

I’m really all over the place with Lucy Lennox’s newest book Prince of Lies. The premise concerned me because I’m not a fan of relationships that start with deception. Unless you’re a spy, member of a law enforcement agency, or assassin where lying is actually in their job description , then I’m a fan of people who have adult realistic relationships in contemporary romance.

So it took me a while to get into the story with Rowe Prince lying his way through the beginning pages, even chapters, but eventually this character’s engaging personality won me over. It helps that Rowe is absolutely horrible at deception and the situations he gets himself into or bumbles about in are hilarious.

With the terrific Sebastian Dayne as Prince’s foil , we marvel as the real life comedy of the absurd plays out over corporate intrigue and painful past betrayals.

With Bast as “straight” man, pretending to be the PA to imaginary Sterling Chase’s that Rowe Prince is cluelessly trying to be, whether it’s high society social circles or upper echelons of the business elite, Rowe is a wildly windmilling dreamer trying to maintain his balance and the façade he’s taken on. It’s a white knuckle ride that’s filled with suspense, humor, and more than a bit of pathos.

I was completely entranced by the dance Lennox created for her characters as they romanced, figured out the truth in their identities and how they were supposed to be able to move forward with life together if certain issues weren’t resolved.

Their story and romance was supported by a fascinating crew of characters. Silas, Kenji , Zane, Dev, Landry on Bast’s side. Joey, the Burrito Bandito bestie on Rowe’s. The author writing fun stories or traumatic experiences for each to make the reader want to know more.

So adorable characters with a wonderful supporting cast within a engaging storyline.

I did laugh a lot and liked the relationship. So it’s all a win for me. I’m recommending it.

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showPrince of Lies by Lucy Lennox

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Prince-…Prince of Lies – Kindle edition by Lennox, Lucy. Romance …

Description:

Rowe Prince is a lying liar who windmills into my life in full color, claiming to be Sterling Chase, a quirky, eccentric billionaire… and founder of the company I created.

Two can play at the lying game, though, and I’m not about to let some burrito-delivering, floppy-haired virgin from Indiana best me at a game I was born to play.

So I do him one better and pretend to be Sterling Chase’s new assistant. I’ll teach him a lesson that will hopefully wind us both up in bed… with nothing but the truth between us.

But it turns out his shameless lies are enchanting… unintentionally hilarious… and make it all too easy to forget the truth…

Until I learn that this cutie’s intent is to defraud the company I’ve spent years building. I have to choose: risk the company or say goodbye to the man I’m falling for. A guy who just might be…

The Prince of Lies

Review: 2 Dead Fish Named Kevin by L. A. Witt

Rating: 4🌈

2 Dead Fish Named Kevin by L. A. Witt is a short sweet contemporary holiday romance. It’s built around the idea of a zoo that , as a holiday fundraiser, sells different zoo food for their animal exhibits with the people being able to name the food (fish, crickets, etc) before whatever animals are given them to eat!

Here Witt creates a entertaining situation with two men who each name a fish Kevin after a toxic ex for the Bears to eat. In a highly amusing way, and with help from the zookeeper, they discover it’s not just a name they have in common.

From there we follow as the men get to know each other and share their stories about their experiences with the ex and hopes for the future. All while visiting various animal exhibits at the zoo.

It’s charming, realistic, and engaging.

I liked the men, I enjoyed the relationship they were building , and that there was no immediate instant love but a recognition of like and wanting to see where it goes. Very believable and grounded.

And that made the epilogue that much sweeter.

I’m definitely recommending the very adorable 2 Dead Fish Named Kevin by L. A. Witt. It’s not just for Valentine’s Day but for anyone who enjoys contemporary romance.

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › show2 Dead Fish Named Kevin by L.A. Witt

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › 2-Dead-…2 Dead Fish Named Kevin – Kindle edition by Witt, L.A.. Romance …

Description:

“Help raise money to improve our habitat! For a small donation, we’ll name a fish after your ex and feed it to the bears on Valentine’s Day!”

For Garrett Mitchell, who just found out his butthead of an ex-boyfriend cheated on him, that donation is money well spent.

And Tristan Waverly was just unceremoniously dumped by a man who is absolutely worthy of being tossed to hungry bears, so he’s more than happy to buy a fish.

As the bears chow down, though, everyone’s wondering the same thing—is it a coincidence, or are both fish named after the same guy?

There’s only one way to find out.

But when Garrett and Tristan come face to face, suddenly the last man either wants to think about is Kevin.

2 Dead Fish Named Kevin is a light, fluffy, and short Valentine’s Day romance (22,500 words)

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