Category: LGBTQ Book Reviews

Review:  Sweet Something (Wood Hollow Stories Book 2) by Lane Hayes 

Rating: 3.5🌈

Sweet Something is the second book in Lane Hayes’ Wood Hollow Stories, a contemporary romance novel set in a Vermont landscape of 4 small towns that are very close together and connected socially with each other. 

Four Forest area of Vermont are : Wood Hollow, Elmwood, Pinecrest, and Fallbrook.

I loved This Guy and getting to know more about the community of Wood Hollow. But Sweet Something just doesn’t feel the same. It’s not as well executed or all the elements don’t add up to a warm hearted feel good story. Somehow it’s not realistic enough in the components that Hayes has written in to be a completely happy story. 

Dexter the donut shop guy is very engaging. He’s outgoing, helps run and organizes the community flag football teams, and loves his adopted town. There is a side story about his dysfunctional family and controlling mother , a brain injury, ex wife, but it’s not well developed . So the scenes and resolution with his mother feel forced. Especially after so many years of pain and hard feelings between them. 

Viggo the lumberjack is initially a character that is hard to connect with, especially after his aggressive angry introduction and interactions with Dexter. To be honest, that entire conversation and element would have had me with serious concerns about the entire situation with the surrogacy. She violated Dexter’s privacy rights. And sent an unknown man to scream and yell and threaten the person who will be the father of the baby. That’s never ok. 

No matter how Hayes used this , it makes it seem as though surrogacy and the tight laws and regulations surrounding it are incredibly fluid. I would think if you were going to include such an important topic as surrogacy, you’d make sure every aspect of it was thoughtfully addressed. It never really felt like it was here. At least to me. 

Anyway, I end up thinking about consequences, then other things like character dynamics, as well as other aspects of the story that don’t have a good flow. The entire Mother factor is another. She appears, often threatens, leaves. Epilogue. Everything is fine. 

Plus his brain injury that’s mentioned, gives him headaches and forgotten again. Was there any lingering issues? 

Anyway they all lived together HEA. It’s sweet and left me feeling less than satisfied. 

Looking forward to the next one. 

Cover Design by Sleepy Fox Studio

Four Forest towns  of Vermont Universe – see note below 

The Elmwood Stories (6 book series)- I love this series ❤️ it mentions the lumber mill and introduces the Four Forest towns. It’s hockey meets Vermont small town ❤️.

Wood Hollow Series:

This Guy #1

Sweet Something #2

Mountain Man #3 – Oct 12,2026

Four Forest area of Vermont are : Wood Hollow, Elmwood, Pinecrest, and Fallbrook. The Elmwood Stories ❤️ series is complete

Buy link 

 Book 2 of 3: Wood Hollow Stories 

Blurb 

The baker, the grumpy lumberjack, and a new dad journey…

Dexter

The donut business is booming in Wood Hollow, along with my flag football program. Now I’m ready to take on a new challenge—parenthood. See, I’ve always wanted to be a dad and it’s finally happening. Wood Hollow is the perfect place to raise a child. It’s quiet, safe, and the folks here are friendly.

One glaring exception is the grumpy lumberjack…who ends up being besties with my surrogate. What are the odds?

Yeah…this will be interesting.

Viggo

I’m a logger. I like wood. That’s it. Maybe that makes me a solitary person, but so what?

Unfortunately, I can’t ignore the handsome donut man’s new dad-to-be situation. Not when it concerns an old family friend.

Look, I don’t want to be involved, but I have no choice. And if that means I’ll have to step outside of my comfort zone and do people-y things to make sure Dexter is a going to be a good dad, so be it.

It doesn’t mean I like Dexter. He’s accidentally funny, kind of sweet, very hot, and—

Okay, fine.

Maybe I like him too much.

Sweet Something is an MM bisexual, grumpy/sunshine, small-town romance featuring Wood Hollow’s hottest baker and the grumpy lumberjack with a big heart.

July 21, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

286 pages

Book 2 of 3

Wood Hollow Stories

Review : Sex At A Funeral by K Sterling 

Rating: 3.75🌈

K Sterling writes such an amazing spectrum of stories, from urban Gaelic mythology based fantasy series grounded in the mid-Atlantic states to contemporary paranormal ghost mysteries set In Bisbee, Arizona and everything in between. 

That includes contemporary romances. 

Sex At A Funeral is K Sterling’s latest contemporary story, a book about three young friends, two of whom are siblings, torn apart by events and secrets started at a funeral. One of a succession of funerals that impacted their lives in surprising ways.

Skylar and Sarina Sutton and their best friend, Mason Cartwright. Together for most of their lives growing up. Until a disastrous happening at their Uncle’s funeral drives Skylar apart from his friends and family.  

It’s a very good idea to read K Sterling’s forward where the author talks her writing, explaining how close she is to the topic of autism and the character of Skylar. It’s explains why this character is so well written and has such depth throughout the book. 

Skylar is easily the best personality here. Sarina, his sister who chose a lavender marriage and motherhood over her brother and Mason, a closeted gay best friend who went with his parent’s career path and “saving” Sarina, are less well developed.

Sarina more so than Mason. He just comes off as selfish and immature. Especially when he asks Skylar to become his “side piece” so he can remain Mayor and stay Sarina ‘s husband.  Still keeping secrets.

I don’t think Sterling made the case that Mason was a healthy choice for Skylar at any point here.  That Skylar was seeing a therapist about him, and was trying to make the correct choices by staying away? That feels positive.  Not the way the book ends in order for everyone to have a forced HEA .

There’s many positive aspects of Sex At A Funeral by K Sterling , Skylar and his lesbian bestie in NYC? That’s the sequel we should be looking forward to. 

If you are a fan of the author, pick it up. 

Buy link

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/Sex-At-Funeral-K-Sterling-ebook/dp/

Blurb 

Hooking up with his brother-in-law at a funeral isn’t the worst thing a Sutton has ever done.

Not by a long shot.

Skylar Sutton, a black sheep raised by WASP wolves, has avoided his hometown of Roseview, New York for most of his adult life. Autistic, caustic, and gay—the trifecta—Sky was shunned after a scandal.

Now, he’s been welcomed back after his debut novel became an international bestseller.

But Sky wants no part of the Roseview lifestyle and his nightmare family. Especially his sister, Sarina, and her husband, Mason Cartwright. Once upon a time, the three of them were inseparable. But a terrible secret shattered their friendship. Sky knows the picture-perfect life that Sarina and Mason have built is all a lie. Between the small-town gossip, his sister’s twisted marriage, and his adversarial relationship with his mother, Sky prefers to keep a distance.

A family tragedy is just about the only thing that will bring Sky back to Roseview. And, for reasons Sky would rather not unpack, he can’t resist his golden-retriever brother-in-law at family funerals.

Every encounter leaves Sky more confused and torn.

A lavender marriage, an unexpected pregnancy, scheming relatives, and heaps of family secrets. For Sky, home is where the heart breaks. But finally learning the truth—that he was never the problem and Mason isn’t a villain—might be worth the journey back.

Might.

Bawdy Books

Publication date

July 14, 2026

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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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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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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