Category: LGBTQ Book Reviews

Review: The Bull Rider and the Bookworm (Part of the Snow Creek Ranch Shared World) by V.L. Locey

Rating: 3.75🌈

The Bull Rider and the Bookworm by V.L. Locey is a lovely, very sweet contemporary cowboy romance. While it’s part of the Snow Creek Ranch series, it’s not necessary to have read any of these novels in order to understand and enjoy this book and characters. 

I enjoyed reading about the characters of bookstore owner, Aubrey Lancombe and broken bull rider Hoyt Knox. Each one was delightfully engaging and interesting in their own right. Aubrey, especially, was a character I wish I could have gotten to know more about. His background, which is so fascinating, and the two animal companions, a cat and rooster, who I loved. This author did both of them so well, making Roberto, the Rooster, and the cat, Ruggerio, feel authentic. 

Aubrey’s tiny cottage he’d just purchased , a grumpy handyman which we’d barely seen glimpses of and were getting to know, so many elements that we were intrigued by, and then the marvelous animals , they were all unfortunately forgotten somewhere later in the story. Disappeared. There was no room and that was both noteworthy and a shame. 

Because it switched to Hoyt’s issues, his abusive dad and younger brother. And in a book of 199 pages, there was hardly any mention of the resolution of the issues that drove him away, whatever happened between his brother in the past, or anything else notable. It’s unfortunately glossed over. And these are important issues like parental responsibility, abuse, violence against children, alcohol abuse and other serious crimes or mistreatments/mental health issues. 

Instead we’re superficially dealing with a sweet relationship and romantic partnership. Which is fine, but why load up on the other serious elements if they’re not going to be given the narrative exploration that they deserve. Just my opinion. Save that for a longer novel. 

There’s a nice bit about a horse and ends with a HEA sort of finish. 

Of course, in my head, I was thinking, who’s minding Aubrey’s store he just bought and opened. But again, that’s just me. 

So I like the story but it left me wondering about far too many things, questions about the characters and storylines to feel satisfying. 

Snow Creek Ranch (7 book series) by R.J. Scott and 6 other authors 

Cover by L.C. Chase

Buy link

 Part of: Snow Creek Ranch (7 books) 

Blurb 

Sometimes the wildest ride isn’t in the arena – it’s falling in love.

Bull rider Hoyt Knox has spent his life chasing applause, adrenaline, and the next eight-second ride. With his body starting to break down and sponsors pulling out, he finds himself facing a possible life change. Confused and hurting, he heads to Snow Creek Ranch to try his hand at something a little easier as he heals while trying to figure out what’s left for him besides a sore back and a fading spotlight.

Enter Aubrey Lancombe, a quiet, bookish man who’s just moved to Chance to escape the city life – and the loss of his beloved grandmother followed by a bad breakup – and finally open the bookstore of his dreams. Aubrey has always preferred words to people, quiet to chaos, and certainly has no time for cocky cowboys with something to prove.

When their worlds collide over a shared love of poetry they strike up a friendship that teeters on the edge of something else entirely. But Hoyt’s not out and Aubrey is scared to fall again. As his time at Snow Creek Ranch passes Hoyt must decide if he’s ready to hang up his spurs for good – or risk his heart on the bookworm who’s rewritten everything he thought he knew about love.

The Bull Rider and the Bookworm is a 58K opposites attract, age gap, gay MM contemporary western romance with a weary rodeo rider, a shy bookhound, a ranch that heals all manner of hurts, a gentleman rooster, a plethora of romantic poetry, and a shiny as a gold buckle happy ending.

Content Warning: This story has references to past sexual abuse, death of a parent, and suicidal thoughts. 

date

July 8, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

199 pages

Part of series

Snow Creek Ranch

Review:  Fractured Doors and Forgotten Gods (Hidden Realms #1) by Alice Winters 

Rating:  3.75🌈

Even with a nice twist at the end, Fractured Doors and Forgotten Gods (Hidden Realms #1) by Alice Winters was a story that just didn’t connect with me. 

There’s many stories from this author I’ve found absolutely entertaining and some are in my reread piles, but the main characters, their dynamics between themselves and even those who they are forced into working with are such that I don’t enjoy reading their scenes or didn’t think their relationships felt believable.

Issues like a lack of communication of major issues, especially when Riley’s “secret” he’s not telling anyone/has told anyone smacks of martyrdom. The other issue is that Torin, the god swings emotionally from irritating arrogance to impulsive toddler to sexual being to instant love partner, all without a credible relationship built between the couple.

The story has some interesting mythical creatures, fantasy familiars and the twist plays into another mythology that will play out into the second book. 

But I’m not sure Winters has made me care enough about the characters to go further with the series. 

Still deciding. 

Cover design by Natasha Snow Designs

Hidden Realms 

Fractured Doors and Forgotten Gods #1

Timeless Doors and Captured Gods #2 – July 9,2026

Buy link 

 Book 1 of 2: Hidden Realms 

Blurb 

Riley

Trying to keep my familiar out of the meat display while shopping is the hardest part of my day… until someone drops a god right into my humdrum existence.

Torin, a massive man claiming to be a god, is unlike anyone I’ve ever met. He insists on learning English through adult graphic novels, believes the pizza delivery guy is an assassin, and thinks he can kick a subway into submission (talk about adding a bit of spice to my life, which has been sadly lacking since I left the Magical Interference Unit).

The handsome and strangely charismatic god drags me (literally) right into his problems, starting with a creature who wants to tear my head off, yet I find myself following along with his whims.

He knows something is wrong when Doors to another realm begin to open up, allowing an ominous power to get a foothold in our world… but I’m afraid this quirky god and I might be the only ones keeping this world from ending.

Oh joy.

Torin

I never expected that simply stepping through a Door into Riley’s world would introduce me to so many amazing curiosities, like pizza and burritos! Oh, and a pesky human who really should recognize that I’m a god of war and love—emphasis on the love.

But there’s more to Riley than meets the eye; why else would their special forces place me with a man who can borrow magic from others? My attempts to woo this mystifying human are thwarted at every turn (I doubt that has anything to do with me tossing him on a horse or taking over his bed).

As Riley and I grow closer, I realize that he might be the very person needed to save this realm… because what is coming for them is beyond anything they can comprehend… one even worse than the atrocity called an “escalator.”

Fractured Doors and Forgotten Gods is the first book in a series that has a continuing storyline.

June 2, 2026

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‎English

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364 pages

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Book 1 of 2

Hidden Realms

Review : Ravenous Prophecy by Kai Butler and Nazri Noor 

Rating: 4🌈

Ravenous Prophecy by Kai Butler and Nazri Noor is a delightful new paranormal sci-fi thriller. Co-written by two prolific,talented authors, this novella is a paranormal thriller, with romance elements, along with good old science fiction bug monsters invading from outer space. That no one believes in. 

The characters are engaging, one an adventurer who hunt magical relics and the other a scholarly sort who has been trying to get recognition for his theories and thesis on The Hive, unsuccessfully. 

Told in alternating points of view by each of the main characters, Griffin and Bradley,Idid try to guess which author wrote what character here, the story moves quickly forward, as it becomes clear The Hive is real and there’s a villain responsible for their arrival.

 My only quibble is that it ends too soon. Feels a bit rushed. But it’s a terrific adventure and I enjoyed the story and characters. 

A winner!

Cover by Christian Bentulan

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comRavenous Prophecy – Kindle edition by Noor, Nazri, Butler, Kai. …

Blurb 

What you can’t see can hurt you.

Bradley Brooks spends his days with his nose buried in rare and precious books. A scholar and researcher of all things occult, but his life’s work — some would call it his obsession — is the study of the Hive, a society of locust-like creatures so deadly that they’ve ended entire civilizations.

Except for one problem. No one believes the Hive even exists, least of all Griffin Gallows, a mercenary with a taste for exotic artifacts. And then a run-in with the magical authorities forces him to go on bodyguard duty.

Together, Bradley and Griffin must investigate a spate of grisly ritual murders tied to a local billionaire. But their trail leads them to a hideous discovery: The Hive may well be real.

And they’re coming to consume us all.

Ravenous Prophecy is a 45,000-word MM urban fantasy with a HEA ending.

June 15, 2026

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Language

‎English

File size

4.5 MB

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200 pages

Review: Call Back :The Model Agency 3 by Lily Morton 

Rating: 4.5🌈

The Model Agency has been a favorite of mine because of its unique characters and wonderful relationships. Their journeys to HEA often set in gorgeous places when it’s not actually in the office of the agency itself.

Reuben Langley is a character we’ve met before. He’s had a tremendous impact on Pip and Olivier as their next door neighbor and friend in the south of France (French Fancy #2). And we caught glimpses of some of the early photographs of Xavier mentioned there. 

Xavier Conway is also one of those characters who is notable from previous books and the author’s monthly blog. This due to Pip’s chatty humor and insightful commentary, focusing in on how Xavier’s insane social life and inability to stay on schedule is one of Pip’s greatest challenges. Especially when Pip becomes a model manager.

Yes, Pip will always be my favorite. Let’s get this out of the way. And, marvelously, we see lots of him here. He forever has the best lines. 

Call Back is a great second chance at love story. We begin with present day and Xavier’s physical and emotional downward spiral.  Too many parties, drugs and forms of self punishment have left him feeling empty.  However ,he’s committed to a runway to walk with Dean and Mal. 

And in the audience is Rueben, along with Olivier, Jonas and Pip. 

It will end up being an emotional event that leads to a dramatic moment.

From present day and then backwards to the past where they first met, we see the circumstances where Rueben and Xavier came together and how disastrously they were parted. 

Then the second chance they are given at Rueben’s house on the Isle of Mull in the Hebrides. 

Those are wonderfully written and beautifully executed scenes on the island. A love note to the island and the people who live there. And the relationship that resets between them is grown realistically and with depth of detail. 

Even Ibiza gets a golden opportunity to shine here as a romantic partner for the couple as a location. I did wonder what would happen to Rueben’s villa in the south of France but Morton had that figured out too. Perfect! Love it when there no drop in continuity.

If I had anything here that took me out of the book (trust an animal lover to obsess about it) , it’s concerning that Bernard, the IW. If Lily Morton had chosen any other breed I’d have been fine probably. 

But she chose an Irish Wolfhound as a pet for Xavier, one that had been dumped on the island.

I’ve been lucky to have had three IWs in my lifetime. They aren’t often seen outside of those who’ve gotten theirs from breeders here in the USA, let alone being dumped. Maybe it’s different in the UK. However , IWs are sight hounds with pretty specific behaviors. And retrieving isn’t one of them.  I’ll just say that Bernard acts exactly like a Golden Retriever or Lab in the book and nothing like an Irish Wolfhound. Ask me how I know. 

That’s my say. Next time pls choose to make the dog  a mutt or even a lab who loves its balls. Side eye.  

Did I love the romance, so so much. It’s fabulous. 

A definite recommendation!

Book cover design by Natasha Snow Designs

The Model Agency (3 book series to date)

The Sunny Side #1 (Dean and Jonas)

French Fancy #2 (Pip and Olivier Durand)❤️🫶

Call Back #3 (Rueben and Xavier)

Buy link 

 Book 3 of 3: The Model Agency 

Blurb 

Once upon a time, Reuben Langley broke Xavier Conway’s heart.

Five years later, Xavier has convinced himself that he’s over it. Now a famous supermodel, his life is filled with faraway locations, glamorous parties, even more glamorous men, and so much noise. And if his mind still drifts to the quiet and responsible war photographer he loved and lost, then no one else has to know.

Xavier’s living the dream until everything comes tumbling down around him, and when he hits absolute rock bottom, the person there to pick up the pieces is Reuben.

Reuben fell in love with Xavier the first moment he met him—a wild, sassy boy in a hotel bar. When he found out that he was his best friend’s son, it should have stopped him, but it didn’t. 

That passionate affair came to a disastrous and painful end, and since then, Reuben’s had to be content with the tiny glimpses he’s had of Xavier over the years. But now, Xavier needs him, and Reuben isn’t going to turn away this time.

Set in London and the Inner Hebrides, this is a story of second chances and a constant, hopeful love.

This is the third book in the Model Agency series, but it can be read as a standalone.

Please see the disclaimer at the beginning of the book for content some readers may find triggering.

June 21, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

455 pages

Book 3 of 3

The Model Agency

Review: Mack’s Horribly Hellacious Ghost Town (Mack’s Marvelous Manifestations #5 by AJ Sherwood 

Rating: 4🌈

Mack’s Horribly Hellacious Ghost Town  is the finale story in the Mack’s Marvelous Manifestations paranormal series by A. J. Sherwood and it’s a really good read.

I’m sorry to see this series and set of characters go, especially since Sherwood actually introduces some new and engaging characters here in the finale novel. Maybe, as the author writes in the notes, they might speak to her sometime in the future.

Brandon and Mack , new apprentice Gwyn who’s part of the story, and all the Paranormal Activity Division, FBI friends they’ve worked, all engage in two big spooky battles in Black Rock, Arizona, a mining ghost town. 

“a coal mining town in Arizona—or a former coal mining town, I should say—that’s haunted as hell.”* 

I’ll come back to this. 

Lachlan and Seiji, chaos magician and fabulous new character as well as new romantic/paranormal partner for Lochlan, were a wonderful surprise couple. They got a small amount of narrative time and  a chapter’s perspective here. Honestly they were both a lovely team and a frustrating element of the story because they were great together and then it ends. So why do it at all? 

Mack and Brandon are ready to get married and settle down, a running thread here. This is the case just before they get married and are into their next adventure. 

The town in Arizona, Black Rock, which is an actual copper mining town, here is a ghost town full of ghosts and things that go bump into the night. Tons of them. And the Mayor has asked for help.

There’s also a haunted coal mine outside of town with something down deep in the deserted mine shafts to deal with as well.  That’s the second issue.  The town’s ghosts and the thing in the mine.

Added to that is a young girl, a medium, Gywn, who needs saving from her family and the dark ghosts attacking her. 

So there’s a lot of storytelling and elements that the narrative needs to handle. Which it does by bringing back multiple characters from books to help Mack and Brandon deal with the situation. And Gywn’s, who turns out to be a great delight here. She needs to be factored into Lachlan and Seiji stories.

The actual battles seemed to be more Seiji’s than anyone else’s, fierce as they were, with Lachlan and Dor’s fighting too. 

Mack and Brandon took care of the rest of the ghosts, surprisingly easy as this is their story. 

 

The locations of the mines and areas of interest, Clifton, an actual great historical copper mining town in Arizona , about 3.5 hours east of Phoenix. Check it out! The real historical coal mining sites were northeastern parts of the state in Navajo Nation and Hopi Reservation lands, like the Kayenta Mine. 

There’s more than one Black Mesa too.  That’s directly east of Phoenix. 

So in the story and town it’s a bit different than what you might expect to see historically correct sites. 

But it’s a finale book, they’re headed off to get married, which they quickly do in the epilogue. Short and sweet. 

I was disappointed not to see the characters who were in the story not to be mentioned in the wedding section but it’s so hurried that hardly anyone is. 

This book starts out great but is rushed towards the end. Still a wonderful series. 

Cover by Katie Griffin

Mack’s Marvelous Manifestations (4 book series)

Brandon’s Very Merry Haunted Christmas #1

Mack’s Perfectly Ghastly Homecoming #2

Mack’s Rousing Ghoulish Highland Adventure #3

Mack’s Horribly Hellacious Ghost Town #4

Crossover series:

Jon’s Mysteries Case (6 book series)

Buy link

 Book 4 of 4: Mack’s Marvelous Manifestations 

Blurb 

Apprentices, and two ghost towns, and almost-demons oh…no.

Mack doesn’t mind the apprentice part of this job; in fact, finding Gwyn is delightful, though he hates she grew up in such a haunted town with parents who don’t believe she’s a Medium.

Mack really hates the old mining ghost town is locked down with weird energy and none of the ghosts can see them, which makes passing them difficult.

Mack especially hates that in Black Rock there’s an almost-demon ghost inciting other ghosts to cause a mob, how is that allowed to be a thing?!

Who you gonna call for help when you’re the experts? Mack wants to know for a friend. (Him. He’s the friend.)

Tags: 

Mack has found hell on earth, this was not on his bucket list, Accidental apprentice acquisition, Lachlan is back!, ghost gangs, chaos magician, Seiji is a new bonk bro, wedding, almost demons lurking, too much water and limestone for a medium’s peace of mind, uncharted haunted mines make Lachlan’s day, Eli is her usual scary self, Mack goes Wild West, Brandon can see ghosts here, that’s not a good thing, Brandon gets to have an apprentice too and can’t be happier, ghost pranks, Mack has picked too many battles, he’s putting some back, Ghost-hunting squad–assemble!

Tropes: MM Romance, Multicultural Romance, Ghost Town, Ghost Medium, Age Gap, Apprentices, Wedding, HEA

This is the fifth and final book in the series following a plot crossover with the Jon’s Mysteries Series. While it would be best to read the books listed in the below order, you can read Mack’s Horribly Hellacious Ghost Town without having read “Book 4” with minimal confusion. To read in series order, Book 1 – Brandon’s Very Merry Haunted Christmas, Book 2 – Mack’s Perfectly Ghastly Homecoming, Book 3 – Mack’s Rousing Ghoulish Highland Adventure, Book 4 – Jon & Mack’s Terrifying Tree Troubles, and Book 5 – This title.

June 12, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

338 pages

Book 4 of 4

Mack’s Marvelous Manifestations

Review:  Nick’s No Good Very Bad Day  (San Amaro Investigations story) by Kai Butler

Rating: 4.75🌈

Nick’s No Good Very Bad Day is a very great novel in the San Amaro Investigations series by Kai Butler. It follows on the last novel,Cypress Ashes, the Sun God battles and its ramifications for Nick and Parker. 

This is an excellent story, we get to see where both men are after the battle at the World Tree. Nick in his professional career as a paranormal police officer and Parker as a PI and in his complicated role in the Fae community. 

Butler’s ability to bring multiple perspectives, some of which are hostile towards the main characters, and still present a balance between all the different groups and their roles makes this a realistic portrayal of how the world works. 

It’s a harrowing murder investigation with implications towards a bigger impact on the current situation and horrifying consequences for the community . And the dramatic scenes are emotionally charged so that we feel that impact along with the characters. 

I thought it was exciting, suspense filled and the ending was very satisfying and perfect. 

This was one of my favorite series of the Authors and I was so glad to see a new chapter in the universe. 

Highly recommended. But also not a standalone. You need to have read the series. 

Cover by Natasha Snow

Content Warning: past child neglect, torture, violence.

San Amaro Investigations :

A Haunting at Midwinter (audio by Greg Tremblay) 

A Debt Unpaid (audio by Greg Tremblay) 

Wormwood Summer (audio by Greg Tremblay) 

The Oak Wood Throne (audio by Greg Tremblay) 

A Belated Burial (audio by Greg Tremblay) 

A Gilded Iron Blade (audio by Greg Tremblay) 

A Shattered Silver Crown (audio by Greg Tremblay) 

The Heart’s Blood Arrow (audio by Greg Tremblay) 

Saffron Wilds (audio by Greg Tremblay) 

Cypress Ashes (audio by Greg Tremblay) 

Nick’s No Good Very Bad Day (audio by Sean Crisden)

Buy link

Blurb 

Nicholas King has three problems:

1: Someone just turned into red goo in the middle of San Amaro.

2: The police don’t have a murder weapon or a motive.

3: Their only suspect is Parker Ferro.

Nick’s No Good Very Bad Day is a 48,000 word novella set after the events of the main series.

June 1, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

182 pages

Review:  Devils and Deadly Deals (Hunters Hollow Book 4) by Arden Steele 

Rating: 4.5🌈

Of the three series in Arden Steele’s connected universe, I find Hunter’s Hollow to be the most interesting. The characters have complex histories, and often dangerous pasts that follow them into their new lives here. 

Much like the original series, each has a fated mate, instant connection relationship story between the two main characters. What I appreciated here was that there wasn’t an instant love or in heat sort of connection. More an acknowledgment of its existence and let’s see what happens type of thing. A very different kind of story from previous books and it makes sense given the dramatic circumstances under which both Sammy and Dominic Rivas are operating. Each has their own individual investigations that need to be conducted, highly dangerous ones with short time frames.

The suspense and emotional moments are well written and the drama is ramped up to new levels as each character becomes more invested in each other’s lives and the outcome of their quests.

I think this is one of the best of the series. A excellent story and another recommendation. 

Cover Art by Poisoned Ink Studios

Another recommendation!

Check out the full list of same universe connected/crossover series and stories below.

Blackhaven Manor (14 book series):

  • Purrfect Harmony #1
  • Night and Fae #2
  • Dragon It Out #3
  • Grin and Bear It #4
  • Pixie Little Liar #5
  • Dead Over Heals #6
  • Silent Knight #7
  • Pain in the Ice #8
  • Walking a Tight Rope #9
  • Royally Flocked #10
  • What The Hex? #11
  • Dewitched #12
  • Draken the Rules #13
  • Bitten in Stone #14

Sequel/adjacent  series:

Hunter’s Hollow:

  • Angels and Anarchy #1
  • Beauty and Bad Blood #2
  • Curses and Casualties #3
  • Devils and Deadly Deals #4
  •  

Happily Ever Afterlife (3 book series):

Definitely Dead #1

Dead Ringer #2

Dead to Rights #3

Buy link

 Book 4 of 4: Hunters Hollow 

Blurb 

Everyone in Hunters Hollow has a story. Some are running from a past that won’t stay buried. Others are searching for a new beginning. For Sammy Leeds, the truth resides somewhere in between.

Opening a bakery in the bayou was supposed to be the first chapter of his happily ever after, and for a while, it worked. Until a single phone call reminds him that family is complicated and his freedom is only a temporary reprieve. 

Maybe trying to start a new life on the smoldering ashes of his old one hadn’t been the best idea. 

Dominic Rivas doesn’t make promises, and he damn sure doesn’t make mistakes. Yet the moment Sammy enters his life, he’s suddenly in danger of doing both. Alpha to a pack of hardened outcasts, he’s built a reputation on a foundation of bad ideas, but falling for a changeling with trusting eyes and a sweet smile might be his worst one yet. 

Callous. Remorseless. Savage. He knows what people say about him, and frankly, they aren’t wrong. While gentleness and mercy don’t come naturally, things like loyalty and integrity run as deep as his magical roots. Nobody messes with the people he loves and lives to talk about it.

Sammy needed a hero. Instead, he got a wolf with trust issues and violent tendencies. 

But with fear mounting and time running out, he’s just desperate enough to make a deal with the devil.

Peccavi Press

Publication date

May 16, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

241 pages

Book 4 of 4

Hunters Hollow

Review: Apollo (The Noah Project Book 1) by M. Tasia 

Rating: 4🌈

I’ve read M. Tasia before in her fantasy novels and enjoyed them, so I picked up Apollo not realizing it was part of a larger universe. Starting with Fire Lake series and continuing with The Noah Project, both are focused on the survivors of a hidden, government agency science project. One that used soldiers, and kidnapped civilians in horrific lab experiments to create paranormal mutations in the military’s secret weapon branch. It was called The Noah Project. 

Each series has what’s left of the survivors trying to discover to the others, rescue them and destroy the remnants of The Noah Project that continues to operate unchecked.

It’s a couple per book type of story and series. And  the length, here 200 pages, doesn’t really give the characters adequate space for a relationship of any depth to develop to at a realistic level. So it’s an instant/lust/love type of relationship. Which is acknowledged, a mystical connection.

It develops very quickly, the drama and the resolution. And the next couple is highlighted at the end. 

It’s entertaining and quick. But I wasn’t as connected to the characters here as I have been in similar situations and storylines. Not enough depth for the story.

Interconnected series, starting with:

Fire Lake (9 book series)

The Noah Project:

Apollo #1

Buy link

        Apollo (The Noah Project Book 1)

    

Blurb 

A Soul Forged in Shadow, A Heart Found in the Light

For years, Apollo was nothing more than a number. A perfect weapon crafted in the cold, sterile labs of the Noah Group. He knew only the grey of concrete walls and the sting of betrayal until the day he finally escaped his chains and claimed his freedom.

But even though he broke free from the group’s stranglehold, he couldn’t deny the isolation of being a “mutant” in a world that feared him. Now he’s a leader with a fearsome burden on his shoulders.

Then Rocko comes calling.

A weary detective who’d walked away from everything, Rocko wasn’t looking for a hero. And he certainly wasn’t looking for a man who could sense the hum of the world around him. But in Apollo’s guarded eyes, Rocko sees a soul worth protecting.

And in Rocko’s steady presence, Apollo finds the one thing the Noah Group could never manufacture: a reason to hope.

As they lead a band of survivors against the shadowy organization that still hunts them, the battle becomes personal. In the quiet moments between the gunfire and the narrow escapes, a bond forms that is more powerful than any genetic enhancement.

Apollo has spent his life fighting to survive. Now, with Rocko by his side, he’s finally learning what it means to live.

Boroughs Publishing Group

Publication date

March 18, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

200 pages

Book 1 of 1

The Noah Project

Review:  Wizards & Weavers (Cozy Questing Book 1) by Nazri Noor

 

Rating: 4🌈

I have read several of this author’s series before and enjoyed them, so I grabbed up his new cozy fantasy book that starts his newest series. 

It’s a dungeon quest cozy fantasy adventure where Braiden Beadle’s family craft store is heavily in debt. A new dungeon has appeared in town and none of the travelers or dungeon crawlers have need of his knitted wares, or woven goods. What good is a rainbow sweater in a dungeon? 

Then Augustin Arcosa, the Wizard of Weathervale appears to shut down the dungeon, just as Braiden has hatched a new plan to keep his store afloat. But he needs the dungeon. 

It’s an enemy, sort of, to romantic interest tale as the two men navigate the dungeon, Augustin’s grandmother, and a host of other characters.   

It’s fun, non-spicy, adventurous, and magical. A princess and magical creatures are introduced that will carry over into the next book. 

Very entertaining if a bit slow in parts. 

Cover art by Hannah Latham

 Cover design by Christian Bentulan

Cozy Questing:

Wizards & Weavers #1

Heroes & Handcrafts #2

Buy link

 Book 1 of 2: Cozy Questing 

Blurb 

Everyone loves a good yarn.

Braiden Beadle’s craft shop is on its last legs, even though it’s filled with the plushest yarns and the finest fabrics. Nobody cares for crafts anymore, not since the dungeon appeared outside Weathervale. Adventurers have swarmed the seaside city, eager to discover the dungeon’s treasures… and not a single one of them needs any knitting needles.

Desperate to save his shop, Braiden prepares to brave the mysterious dungeon for its riches. But Augustin Arcosa, the Wizard of Weathervale, has deemed the dungeon a threat to his hometown. He wants to seal it away forever.

Armed with only his wits and his impractical magic of weaving, Braiden must convince the haughty and annoyingly handsome wizard that the dungeon poses no danger to Weathervale. And there’s only one way to be certain: they must explore its depths together.

Can an unlikely adventurer and a windbag wizard find common ground underground? Join Braiden, Augustin, and an evolving party of quirky colleagues as they embark on the cozy quest of a lifetime. A humorous, heartwarming MM cozy fantasy perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Terry Pratchett.

Everyone loves a good yarn.

Braiden Beadle’s craft shop is on its last legs, even though it’s filled with the plushest yarns and the finest fabrics. Nobody cares for crafts anymore, not since the dungeon appeared outside Weathervale. Adventurers have swarmed the seaside city, eager to discover the dungeon’s treasures… and not a single one of them needs any knitting needles.

Desperate to save his shop, Braiden prepares to brave the mysterious dungeon for its riches. But Augustin Arcosa, the Wizard of Weathervale, has deemed the dungeon a threat to his hometown. He wants to seal it away forever.

Armed with only his wits and his impractical magic of weaving, Braiden must convince the haughty and annoyingly handsome wizard that the dungeon poses no danger to Weathervale. And there’s only one way to be certain: they must explore its depths together.

Can an unlikely adventurer and a windbag wizard find common ground underground? Join Braiden, Augustin, and an evolving party of quirky colleagues as they embark on the cozy quest of a lifetime.

September 29, 2025

Accessibility

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Language

‎English

File size

3.9 MB

Screen Reader

Supported

Enhanced typesetting

Enabled

X-Ray

Not Enabled

Word Wise

Enabled

Print length

332 pages

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Book 1 of 2

Cozy Questing

Review:  Operation Fuego: PNR/Special Forces/Military MM Fiction (Operation Volcano Book 3  by Annabella Stone

Rating: 4.5 🌈

“OPERATION VOLCANO IS BASED OFF THE OLD IRISH MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF FIONN AND THE FIANNA.

Magic, legends, and a brotherhood who’ve been waiting for their High King!”

Annabella Stone writes vividly and meticulously about those who have fought and brotherhood of soldiers, the tight loyalty of the unit and their commitment to each other in her many terrific military series.

But this is my favorite. Stone’s Operation Volcano series combines her Special Forces military forces storytelling with a mirror realm of mythological Irish warriors , two sets of believable soldiers and tight brotherhood of warriors who find their hearts love. Their Grá Croí. One from each side who will battle for the other.

This is a military action story and these men, whether they are soldiers, snipers or a Hound of Fionn, see action on the battlefield. Guns and swords, teeth and bombs, bloody and realistic in its scope and its ability to convey the sounds and chaos of battle. 

Reaper, Number four of the Special Forces unit, has been hiding a deeply personal secret, one that has scarred him physically and emotionally. An abusive relationship from his recent past. 

So during his team’s stay in Tír na nÓg, when Hound of the High King of the Fianna, Cian Mac Dian Cecht, tells Reaper that he’s his Grá Croí, or fated mate, that’s the last thing Reaper wants to hear. 

All the ways these two come together, the struggles, the respect, and the long journey to love is such an amazing read. It includes battles, naturally, a new paranormal aspect for Reaper that I hope is more fully explored in the future, and hints for the next couple coming forward.

It’s richly told, full of fantastic details, especially in the great halls of Fionn, when the the smells of venison hangs heavy over the whole room, the sounds of music and the drums send the blood rushing, and the reader is transported into another world. 

Just incredible.

Don’t miss out on the Irish Guide and the information the author has on the characters and series at the beginning.

A fantastic book, grand series and one I’m highly excited to recommend. 

Cover Design By: Golden Czermak

Operation Volcano :

  • Operation Magma #1
  • Operation Caldera #2
  • Operation Fuego #3 – Reaper’s story 
  • Operation Strato #4 – Sept 30,2026

Buy link

        Operation Fuego: PNR/Special Forces/Military MM Fiction (Operation Volcano Book 3)

    

Blurb 

𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒, 𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑓𝑎𝑡𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒!

A warrior from the past. A SEAL running from his. And a bond that can destroy them both.

US Navy SEAL Michael “Reaper” Rodriguez has faced down terrorists, survived ambushes, and cheated death more times than he can count, but nothing prepared him for the ancient warrior who just declared him his fated mate.

Hound of the High King of the Fianna, Cian Mac Dian Cecht, has been waiting centuries to find his Grá Croí. Now that he’s found him, he isn’t about to let a little thing like Reaper’s stubbornness stand in his way.

“Our courting will become the songs of the bards and the legends of the Seanchaí.”

With the full moon just days away, Reaper and Cian must navigate a minefield of ancient grudges, modern threats, and their own damn pride.

The clock is ticking.

“You can fight it all you want. But you’ll lose, or we will both die when the full moon comes.” 

Reaper doesn’t believe in fate, and Cian doesn’t do rejection, but when their worlds collide—one steeped in modern warfare, the other in myth, legends, and magic—their connection becomes a battleground neither wants to escape.

Magic, Legends, and the bond of the Grá Croí.

Publisher

Embers Romance LLC

Publication date

April 30, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

306 pages

Book 3 of 4

Operation Volcano