Category: LGBTQ Book Reviews

Review: Elixir of Strife (Stolen Hearts Book 2) by Nazri Noor

Rating: 3.25🌈

Elixir of Strife is the second in the Stolen Hearts series by Nazri Noor and I’m not sure it passes the all important second book test.

That’s the one that’s supposed to deepen the arc plot while further engaging the reader in the main characters storylines and relationships. While it does tick some of those boxes, it actually makes the reader take a harder look at the main characters personalities, relationships, and elements thereof.

Those don’t come off as good as they did in the first book unfortunately.

Elixir of Strife (Stolen Hearts Book 2) by Nazri Noor is a strange mix of terrifically intriguing ideas, great secondary beings, increasingly irritating main characters, and a flawed plot. It’s so hard to find a good way to find a way through the entire story without having to stop at the bits that just don’t work.

It’s starts off with the best and worst of the elements. It’s a 2-person narrative, Leon Alcantara or Witch Boy and Maximilian Drake, who’s also a member of the Brilliant family. They are practicing their thievery skills but it’s their individual voices that’s becoming problematic.

For Max, the rich son whose rejected his wealthy arcane family for a semi independence, it’s a borderline self-indulgent, sexed up rich bad boy , “look at me” attitude that’s becoming sort of off putting. Especially when combined with his feelings towards Leon (confused) and his family (waffling).

Then there’s Leon. He’s still my favorite but now he’s leaning towards that deadly character tendency called TSTL. Combined with utter magical greediness, it makes sense he’s marching towards this aspect of the arc storyline without any real thought, but it’s enough to make a reader want to smack him.

“Consider this. How does it benefit us to weaken and kill a human who has willingly presented themself as a conduit for our power? Early man could not have traversed the oceans without a seaworthy vessel. Why would we break the best vessel we’ve found in a long while, knowing that the rest of our kind may still want a turn on the raft?”

My gut was so prepared to send me running away from all sea dragons, blaring warning sirens throughout my body. But yet again the lure of power left me standing with feet firmly planted”

That’s Leon taking on yet another dragon inside him, after questioning what’s the cost for the experience/power exchange. A bit of his soul? Yeah, let’s do it! Cause I’m not thinking through this. SMH. A classic TSTL.

But it’s right in the middle of a truly interesting aspect of this series storyline, that of sea dragons that approach Leon with a deal to inhabit his body in exchange for water magic/powers. So far we’ve met the god Tiamat and now we get Bakunawa, Filipino sea serpent, command of storms, fury of the seas.

I love the cultural aspect of the dragons and my only wish is that this is explored further.

Also great. New character Edel Wise (say that fast) , a hagiculturalist who’s a Demon gardener. They/she worked in the prime hells but was ready for something new! Loved her.

The new mission involves Daniel D Lyon from a large arcane family and his new business.

That’s Succulence and it’s forbidden evil olive. It needs an elixir. One wanted by many.

The mission is involved with lots of layers. Including the fabulous Jade spider herself , another fabulous woman and aspect of the series.

Noor keeps mixing bits that absolutely work with ones that make the reader question whether they should continue with the series. Wonderful details and character development with Leon meshing together the dragon of the moment. The way it goes wrong. The way is supposed to be a “hidden Entity “ but Leon basically tells everyone. Then at the end , after Leon has even let Bakunawa talk through him to a group of people, the Jade Spider says she forgives him his secrets. What secrets? He’s basically shouted it to the universe! Another SMH moment..

We go back and forth like this. Small betrayals, secrets that aren’t, and villains that always get away.

I’ll continue with the series but my frustration is increasing with the books.

Do i recommend reading this ? Read over my review and decide for yourself.

Stolen Hearts:

✓ Hex and the City #1

✓ Elixir of Strife #2

◦ All Out of Flux #3 -Sept 29,2023

Buy Link:

Elixir of Strife (Stolen Hearts Book 2)

Blurb:

Water, water, everywhere.

Leon Alcantara and Maximilian Drake have barely caught their breath after saving the city from an untimely fate. Now the Jade Spider has a new assignment. A local magical plant shop has requested a strange elixir, the liquid essence of purest water.

In pursuit of the ocean potion, Max stumbles upon a tormentor from his past. Leon faces the challenge of hosting a second dragon, a legend much closer to home. And the mysterious Masques are more watchful than ever, shadowing the boys at every turn.

But strangest of all is a fresh spate of elemental anomalies in Dos Lunas. Life or death, sink or swim, Leon and Max must rise to the challenge — or drown under a tide of wicked magic.

Review: With Kid Gloves (Magical Mates: Book Four) by Macy Blake

Rating:5🌈

Magical Mates, part of Macy Blake’s The Chosen One universe, is an adorable little series , and With Kid Gloves it goes out with a magical, magnificent narrative bang!

Absolutely my favorite of the series, it plays beautifully to the strengths of Blake’s themes and characters, reminding us and them of the importance of love in every aspect, the need for support from people who love and support each other whether it be family or pack or both, and the deep emotional connections that we make and share are sometimes broken. And need to be grieved for.

What a story.

The base structure starts with Tiger shifter, Bayu, who’s been a bit of an enigma. He’s a crush for Ollie, a formidable force that lingers in the woods, protecting the compound, and silently guarding those around him. Now as Bayu starts collecting rocks to build something, his past is slowly revealed. This nebulous project becomes, as a perfect narrative tool, a way for Blake to build a strong framework for a secondary theme . As the project grows, reshaping itself into something memorable, something remarkable happens. I won’t spoil it. Just say this thread is such a deeply rooted one in the philosophy of this universe and the overall storyline. I love it so much.

It helps with the relationship between Ollie and Bayu, which builds realistically. And they in turn extend outward to the other players in the compound who have need of them both.

Several major characters we have grown to love through past storylines and novels are at crossroads here. And one will die. And everyone will grieve deeply, including the reader.

I didn’t expect this element in a book about children, rescues, and even babies. But it makes sense. Because this is about cycles of nature too. Natural passages of life. Blake handles this so perfectly, with the love, compassion and sensitivity I have come to expect from the author.

The ending is so powerful and well conceived. It’s hard to believe that this is the last in this series but it also makes sense that it is. That it’s put a closure to so many threads and we get to see so many of the couples who got their families.

As I said, it by far, my favorite of the series. An absolute 5 star read and a comfort level storyline!

I’m highly recommending this fabulous book! Read them in the order that they are written. Unfamiliar with the Chosen One universe? The author’s website has a comprehensive reading guide for you there. It’s a must with so many series and books involved.

Magical Mates:

✓ All Kidding Aside #1

✓ Stop Kidding Around #2

✓ I Kid You Not #3

✓ With Kid Gloves #4 – finale ❤️

Buy Link :

With Kid Gloves Magical Mates: Book Four: An MM Paranormal Fated Mates Romance

Description:

A grumpy tiger thinks he can be a lonely drifter? Not on Ollie Jerrick self-proclaimed Happiness Champion’s watch.

Ollie Jerrick has a hero complex. As a wolf shifter, he’s been surrounded by real-life heroes since his dads rescued him from an evil witch when he was six. He’s the son of a doctor wolf shifter, his boss is a billionaire griffin, and his big brother…well, he’s a super-powered mage mated to the mythical Chosen One. Not convinced yet? The hellhounds, guardians of the human realm…they’re Ollie’s adopted uncles. So when a mysterious tiger arrives, Ollie decides to save him from his miserable, lonely life. It’s not like it’ll be hard…right?

Bayu prefers the solitude being a tiger provides, but tragedy leads him to Nick Smith and the menagerie of kids he rescued. He accepts the role as a pack guard on one condition: the lion shifter will use his powerful connections to help Bayu find the answers he seeks. He has zero intentions of staying on a permanent basis. Some pack members seem to have other ideas, though. Especially Ollie, a young, gorgeous wolf who seems to enjoy nothing more than talking Bayu’s ears off while coaxing him into leaving his isolated existence behind.

Bayu and Ollie find themselves brought together in ways neither of them could have anticipated. When tragedy strikes again, this time it’s Bayu who has to decide if he’s hero enough to save Ollie from himself, especially when the cost will be nothing less than Bayu’s heart.

An MM Paranormal Fated Mates Romance

“The Chosen Universe is a group of interconnected series set in one universe. There is some overlap to the series, so it’s recommended to read the books in order. You can download a FREE reading order guide.”

— With Kid Gloves (Magical Mates: Book Four) An MM Paranormal Fated Mates Romance by Macy Blake

Reading Order:

1. Sweet Nothings – Prequel – The Chosen One

2. The Trouble With Love – Nothing But Trouble, Book 1

3. Santa Trouble – Nothing But Trouble, Book 2

4. All or Nothing – The Chosen One, Book 1

5. Nothing Ventured – The Chosen One, Book 2

6. Hell on Earth – Hellhound Champions, Book 1

7. Double or Nothing

8. Next to Nothing – The Chosen One, Book 3

9. Hell To Pay – Hellhound Champions, Book 2

10. Give Him Hell – Hellhound Champions, Book 3

11. Nothing Gained – The Chosen One, Book 4

12. Stop at Nothing – The Chosen One, Book 5

13. Sweet Spot

14. All Kidding Aside – Magical Mates, Book 1

15. Stop Kidding Around – Magical Mates, Book 2

16. I Kid You Not – Magical Mates, Book 3

17. Sugar Honey Iced Tea – Magical Mates, Book 3.5

18. Hell Breaks Loose – Hellhound Champions, Book 4

19. Logan – Chosen Champions, Book 1

20. Gideon – Chosen Champions, Book 2

21. Jamal – Chosen Champions, Book 2.5

22. Cosmo and the King

23. Aleron – Chosen Champions, Book 3

24. Scout – Chosen Champions, Book 4

25. With Kid Gloves – Magical Mates, Book 4

Review: Rookie Mistakes (A Lights Out Novel) by Beth Laycock

Rating: 4.75🌈

““Anything happens in Grand Prix racing, and it usually does.”—Murray Walker”

— Rookie Mistakes by Beth Laycock

What an excellent read!

I’m not sure what the title and the beginning of the synopsis refers to because it really doesn’t pertain to anything in this story, imo.

In a multi-author series about one F1 racing season, the authors focus has been the F1 racing circuit itself, from the owners to the drivers. As the series says:

Twenty-three races

Twenty drivers

Ten teams

Five Lights

One Winner

Laycock , interestingly enough, takes the lowest team, Maverick Racing, an older, newly returned veteran driver, Robert Andilet, and matches him up with absolutely no one attached to the F1 world. Instead, the author creates a betrayed, damaged, older chef, coming out of an awful relationship.

Mitch Griffiths has lost everything due to his ex, but his father, a F1 fan, decided to gift to his oblivious son something he,the dad, would love to have for himself. A day at Silverstone F1 track.

In this fashion, Laycock manages , by way of a total neophyte like Mitch, to bring the reader more throughly into the racing scene than I could have imagined. We are seeing this world through new eyes, feeling the thunder and roaring of the engines, smelling the oil and gasoline, and get an adrenaline boost along with Mitch as he understands just why , from being there in person, it gets under the skin. Instantly, a fan is born. Maybe not just Mitch.

The interactions between Robert and Mitch are such a joy to read. As Robert fights his way through the crowd to better his pole position, enough to get an extension on his contract and prove himself, there’s Mitch trying to figure out his future and a pathway towards trust and a relationship.

Except for that odd title, Laycock excels at keeps her themes, the dynamic elements of F1 racing and those lovely men firmly in the heart of the story. I was so involved in every aspect of this narrative, of each man’s life and their separate journeys.

My only quibble was that the ending, the epilogue, was a bit rushed. There’s only one year’s difference between them, but so much more has changed in that time. I wish it had been covered in the story instead.

This is really one of two books in this series that , for me, got the racing aspect, the adrenaline rushing, heart pounding experience down pat. And then delivered a grand romance as well.

Love it.

I’m highly recommending it and the series. Each has something different to say about the sport. But this keeps the heart of F1 racing alive and roaring!

Well done! Terrific way to close out the series!

Lights Out:

✓ Team Orders by RJ Scott❤️

✓ Full Throttle by Lisa Henry

✓ Pole Position by Charlie Novak

✓ Scoring Points by HL Day

✓ Black Flagged by Emma Jaye

✓ Rookie Mistakes by Beth Laycock❤️

Buy Link:

Rookie Mistakes

Description:

Can a rookie mistake lead to love?

Mitch Griffiths is an ordinary man just trying to make ends meet. He lost everything thanks to his ex: his restaurant, his partner, his home. So, when his dad gifts him a ticket to the British Grand Prix and a Silverstone Driving Experience, well, a change of scene for the weekend couldn’t hurt, could it? Even if Formula 1 is kind of boring.

Robert Andilet is a veteran F1 driver on his returning season after a six-year absence. He has a lot to learn, not least of which is how to deal with the media attention, a “rivalry” between him and his rookie teammate, as well as his attraction to a man who readily admits he thinks F1 is tedious. It was a rookie mistake to let Mitch walk away after their first meeting, will Robert make the same mistake again?

This M/M romance from Beth Laycock features a famous/ordinary man, older MCs, and is set in the high-octane world of Formula 1 featuring fast cars, spectacular crashes, heated rivalries, and of course, an HEA

Each book in the Lights Out collection is a standalone story, and the books can be read in any order.

Review: Samuel, Earl of Crofton (Regency Earls of Crofton Book 4) by Rebecca Cohen

Rating: 4🌈

Samuel, fourth of the Regency Crofton Earl series, can be seen as a terrific companion story to his father’s book, Charles, as it’s events run simultaneously with those of that story.

Or if you prefer, as a standalone, since Cohen has done a marvelous job filling out the backstory of Charles and Timothy (Captain Thorne), both of whom are major characters here, as well as Aunt Amelia, and the rest of the foundation knowledge started in Charles.

There’s a topic that should be addressed in all the stories that often bothers some readers but it’s a common practice during this time period. That’s of taking sexual partners outside of the marriage, mostly because the marriages here are arranged by the families for reasons of politics and in their own royal interests . As long as they provide a heir or two, and their actions are discreet, other liaisons are likely and even expected. Some readers don’t want to read a book that has a “cheating “ element but historical fiction has parameters that make this quite difficult to follow. This story doesn’t try and it shouldn’t.

I enjoyed Samuel, not as much as I adore his father , Charles, but Samuel is definitely a man apart from the typical Redbourn in some respects. He’s less flamboyant, less aggressively dramatic, but against Charles, who could be?

Cohen instead builds layers of regret, pain, disappointment, and anger into Samuel. A man who’s had to deal with losses from his life, over and over. And without a support from the people who he needs most.

While I didn’t know Samuel well in his father’s book, we flip the perspective, and get a new sense of who this damaged man truly is. The drug fog he accepts rather than deal with the reality of the betrayal he’s just discovered, that’s believable.

It’s also an element that needs a trigger warning. A section of this story deals with drug addiction and withdrawal. If this is a trigger for you, please be aware.

The entire escapade with Charles working to create a wicked Earl scenario around Samuel? Priceless and very sexy. Loved this whole thread.

The only aspect of Samuel’s story I found lacking is Hugo Cavalier, the object of Samuel’s obsession and then love. Hugo is sort of there in the narrative for a couple of chapters. Then , he’s mentioned throughout as the one man Samuel can’t forget about. Then he reappears about 70 percent of the novel later, and , to my mind, Hugo never becomes a fully realized character.

Everyone else here is an animated, lively, breathing person, fully of personality. Yet Hugo remains sort of a one-note, beige person, one I cannot help but wonder why Samuel is so enthralled with.

That lack of chemistry, or two dimensional characterization keeps their relationship from truly mattering to me and this story from going from good to great.

It doesn’t help that there’s a fantastic couple there as comparison. Charles and Timothy are right there as couples goals, chemistry igniting, showing exactly why Samuel and Hugo come off as lacking.

But those parties! Oh my! Who wouldn’t want to be invited! So decadent, so delicious, so Redbourn!

I adored this!

Yes, I’m recommending Samuel, it’s great to see that family again and see how it all plays out. While not a huge fan of Hugo, I am of the rest! There’s a new modern Crofton on it’s way so enjoy the Regency era now!

The Crofton Universe :

🔷The Crofton Chronicles–Historical (Elizabethan/ Early Stuart):

✓ The Actor and the Earl

✓ Duty to the Crown

✓ Forever Hold His Peace

✓ The Love and the Anger Historical (Elizabethan/ Early Stuart)–Sebastian/ Anthony 10 years together

🔷The Earls of Crofton–Historical: (Different eras–can be read as individual standalone novels):

✓ Anthony, Earl of Crofton (Early Stuart)

✓ James, Earl of Crofton (Restoration)

✓ Charles, Earl of Crofton (Regency)

✓ Samuel, Earl of Crofton (Regency)

🔷The Modern Crofton–Contemporary:

✓ Saving Crofton Hall

✓ Making History at Crofton Hall

✓ Below Stairs at Crofton Hall

✓ Getting Married at Crofton Hall

✓ Starting Again at Crofton Hall

◦ Coming Out at Crofton Hall- TBD

🔷Standalones in the Crofton Universe

◦ Much Ado About Lady Macbeth Note: Sebastian Hewel is a minor character

Something extra for Crofton! Modern Crofton Short Story:

◦ Ben and the Mistletoe (set the Christmas after Saving Crofton Hall)

Buy Link:

https://www.amazon.com › Samuel-…Samuel, Earl of Crofton eBook : Cohen, Rebecca: Kindle Store – Amazon.com

Description:

Only the selected few get to attend the special evenings hosted by Samuel Redbourn, 9th Earl of Crofton, the Hellcat of the Ton.

Despite his reputation, Samuel is not the man everyone thinks he is. He has lost a lot in his young life, and after recovering from his addiction to laudanum, it’s time to make the Ton take notice. There’s one thing he wants above all, Hugo, the only man he’s ever loved. But Hugo Cavalier was sent away by his father after he was caught in bed with Samuel, and when he returns to England several years later, there is no guarantee they can rekindle what they once had.

Historical gay Regency romance. A standalone novel in the Crofton Universe.

Please note: contains scene of period drug use, addiction, and recovery.

Review: Unwritten Rules ( Rules of the Game Book 4) by Brigham Vaughn

Rating: 4.5🌈

I backtracked to pick up this book after reading the wonderful new romance, The Husband Game : An M/M Hockey Romance (Relationship Goals Book 1). Those characters got together here first in Unwritten Rules and I needed that scene and first meeting.

But in Unwritten Rules, I got not only that first time sparking between Austin and his kitten, Charlie, (who’s an impactful character here), but the other characters in that novel. The ones that formed the foundation of Charlie’s and Austin’s found family.

And that special romance referred to is the one between former Olympic Gold Medalist figure skater Taylor Hollis and NHL Evanston River Otters hockey player Jamie Walsh. It’s a very heartwarming story, containing plot lines that weave together a multitude of issues . Vaughn’s characters deal, realistically, with late sexual awakening, being a single parent, complex family dynamics, and sports induced trauma.

Here it’s shown in two different aspects of how sports can injure its athletes. The outwardly inflicted injuries, the hits and physical damage taken from playing the game that lingers long after the players have quit. Then there’s the hidden damage, the quiet, yet equally devastating injuries that sometimes manifest itself throughout a lifetime of an athlete’s career. The author uses both Taylor and Charlie to illustrate different aspects of how each man internalized the pain and incredible stress that the international world of competitive figure ice skating puts an athlete through. Taylor chose to make poor relationship choices and let others treat him badly. But Charlie, due to a complicated adolescence and parental issues, developed anorexia, an eating disorder. One so severe he’s been hospitalized in critical condition.

There’s also homophobia in the locker room, broken marriage, and other serious topics. All of which are treated with respect and care by the author within the storylines of Unwritten Rules.

That’s a lot to think about and take in. But these characters, via an excellent narrative and great dialogue, fold them into their journey towards a new relationship and eventual family.

One thing I really appreciate in a romance is having a couple that communicates. There’s nothing more frustrating than having to write a review that says if they had just talked about whatever the issue was, then the book would have been better.

Luckily, that wasn’t the case. Both Taylor and Jamie are adults who talk about potential issues and figure out how they want to handle them together. Are there some moments where they face real challenges? Personal crises? Yes. But it makes for a great story and believable relationship.

We root for them harder.

And it was really interesting to get a different perspective on Charlie here. It’s a younger man we see ,who is still very much grappling with his anorexia, struggling with his therapy. It makes meeting the older man all the more special and satisfying in the other book.

The characters and players from the team are extremely well written and engaging. That goes for that adorable daughter, Asa Bear, too. I so enjoyed reading this book and getting to know all the surrounding cast of characters that I’ll be picking up the rest of the series while I wait for the release of the next Relationship Goals story.

I highly recommend you do the same!

Rules of the Game:

◦ Road Rules #1

◦ Bending the Rules #2

◦ Changing the Rules #3

✓ Unwritten Rules #4

◦ Rules of Engagement #5

◦ Breaking the Rules #6

Connected to new series Relationship Goals.

Buy Link:

Unwritten Rules: An M/M Hockey Romance (Rules of the Game Book 4)

Description:

Rule #1: Don’t fall in love with your family’s sworn enemy

Taylor Hollis brought home gold at the Olympics, then quit competitive skating at the height of his career.

Four years later, he lives a quiet life teaching figure skating classes and looking for the perfect guy to settle down and build a family with.

When the Evanston River Otters hire Taylor to take part in a feel-good media piece, he’ll have to defy his father and work with the son of the man he detests.

And his one weakness is a hot older guy who’s good with kids.

Rule #2: Choose your loyalties wisely

Last season, Jamie Walsh left the Chicago Windstorm after a nasty divorce and falling out with his linemate.

Now he’s getting settled as a new forward for the Otters.

His biggest priority is his five-year-old daughter, Ava, but he can’t ignore how attractive he finds her skating teacher.

The only man he’s ever been interested in.

The more time they spend together, the harder it is for Jamie to ignore his feelings.

Too bad Taylor’s father has always blamed Jamie’s dad for ruining his hockey career.

Jamie and Taylor are perfect for one another but they’ll have to ignore both of their families’ unwritten rules if they let themselves fall in love with the enemy.

TRIGGER WARNING:

Frank discussion of eating disorders and past infidelity of secondary characters.

Review: The Meaning of Life (BA’s Cozy Cowboys) by BA Tortuga

Rating: 3🌈

The Meaning of Life by B.A.Tortuga , another of this author’s cozy cowboy romances, is a sweet contemporary low angst story.

If that’s what you’re looking for, then this is the book for you.

It has cowboys, babies, a ranch and a HEA, in a quick read.

However, if you’re looking for anything that reminds you why you should be reading a B.A. Tortuga book and not just any other random nice cowboy romance, don’t frustrate yourself and read this story.

The Meaning of Life by B.A.Tortuga reads like a formulaic story, imo, so similar in plot lines to many of the cozy cowboy books this author has previously written.

Someone’s unexpectedly a dad, orphaned babies, throw in a ranch and some dogs, horses, odd animals. A ex boyfriend or man who was a crush or old friend shows up. Has to be a rodeo or rodeo cowboy in there somewhere. A minor drama. HEA.

In a few of those books, we do get a sense of a realistic dynamic and a growing relationship. A great feeling of place and B.A.Tortuga’s unique perspective on local culture and sense of cowboy history. Those are terrific stories.

But here that’s missing.No real sense of a real relationship of any depth. Instead it’s almost a calendar of steps towards a commitment and family.

All a little too pat. They move in, boom. Instant love, boom instant happiness, boom instant family. Halloween, Thanksgiving. Christmas. Check all the boxes.

There’s a drama. It’s over so everyone can get on with their lives as they want to see them happen. HEA.

It’s sweet, and non demanding. And utterly forgettable. It nice.

Sometimes that’s exactly what’s some people need. I listed the cozy cowboy romances below. If this is your jam, you might want to check it out!

—

BA’s Cozy Cowboys

✓ Ranch Manny – No review

✓ Security Detail: an AusTex novel

✓ Trial by Fire: an AusTex novel

✓ Two Cowboys and a Baby

✓ Two of a Kind

✓ Back in the Saddle

✓ Cowboy in the Crosshairs

✓ Cowboy Haven

✓ Cowboy’s Law

✓ Cowboy Logic

✓ In the Morning Light

✓ The Meaning of Life

Buy Link:

The Meaning of Life (BA’s Cozy Cowboys)

Description:

When tragedy strikes in the parking lot of a rodeo event, bullfighter Jasper Dean loses his best friend Kayla, inherits her barrel racing horse, her pack of dogs, and her two babies, who also happen to be his biological kids. He has no idea what to do about any of it, and JD struggles to juggle all of his new responsibilities. So when an old friend makes an unexpected offer of help, he grabs it with both hands.

Nash Remington was right there when the crime happened, and he’s mourning just like the rest of his rodeo family. When he seeks out JD to deliver Kayla’s horse, which he’s been caring for, he makes the offer for JD to come to his ranch to let him and his family help JD figure out what to do next.

The two men have to deal with loss, their old attraction to each other, new love, and a whole new family dynamic, all while balancing work and life and trying to make sense of a terrible loss. Can they find the meaning of life together?

Review: Last But Not Lease (The ABC’s of Spellcraft Book 5) by Jordan Castillo Price

Rating: 3.5🌈

With Uncle Fonzo’s return and an eviction notice on Yuri’s cabin door, things are getting cramped at the Penn house, when Dixon and Yuri move back in.

The extremely tight quarters are exacerbated by Dixon’s sudden arrival and his cousin’s new boyfriend. House hunting is a must.

But as with everything, that’s when things start getting interesting and going awry. Magically.

Price has so much fun with the awful flats and descriptions thereof that Yuri and Dixon visit in hopes of finding their own place. She’s says in her author’s notes they reflect some actual places that she saw or lived in in her life. Oh my!

The hunt for a place bit here got a bit lost in the shuffle of the story. Unusual for the author. It felt a bit muddled instead of a clear picture of magic going wrong.

But it ends well and with the usual path to the next book.

These are such enjoyable books and the couple just continues to grow in their relationship and surrounding family.

I’m recommending this and the series as far as I’ve read. It’s great ride! Binge read for your pleasure!

The ABC’s of Spellcraft series:

✓ Quill Me Now #1

✓ Trouble in Taco Town #2

✓ Something Stinks at the Spa #3

✓ Dead Man’s Quill #4

✓ Last But Not Lease #5

◦ Don’t Rock The Boardwalk #6

◦ What The Frack? #7

◦ Present Tense: A Spellcraft Christmas short #8

◦ Brownie Points #9

◦ Forging Ahead #10

◦ Mayor May Not #11

◦ Bucket List #12

◦ Comic Sans #13

◦ It’s All Relative #14

Buy Link:

Last But Not Lease (The ABCs of Spellcraft Book 5)

Description:

Location, Location, Location!

Yuri knew his idyllic beachfront cabin wouldn’t last forever—but he wasn’t expecting to come home to an eviction notice. And with Uncle Fonzo back in town, Dixon’s attic apartment is getting crowded.

Unfortunately, real estate in Pinyin Bay is surprisingly scarce. Good thing there’s an up-and-coming crowdsourced experience called Hunting Party that really moves the needle on the traditional rental acquisition model.

Okay, it really is as obnoxious as it sounds. But rentals are so few and far between, Dixon and Yuri are willing to give it a shot.

Pitted against a group of apartment hunters, the guys must compete with the other hopefuls to land a new place. It’s clearly all just a cheesy sales ploy, and the apartments they view are real dumps.

And yet…they’re also oddly appealing.

Since all the rentals are in the falling-down neighborhood known as Scrivener Village, it stands to reason Spellcraft is involved. But when exposing the magic could leave Dixon and Yuri without a roof over their heads, can they really afford to be so picky?

The ABCs of Spellcraft is a series filled with bad jokes and good magic, where MM Romance meets Paranormal Cozy. A perky hero, a brooding love interest, and delightfully twisty-turny stories that never end up quite where you’d expect. The books are best read in order, so be sure to start at the beginning with Quill Me Now.

Review: Into The Tempest (The Storm Boys Series Book 2) by N.R. Walker

Rating: 5🌈

Into The Tempest moves the story and our characters from the rain drenched lowlands wilderness of Kakadu National Park to the sunny port of Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. The switch in locations brings us to Tully Larson’s home, where his family and his family’s shipping business is situated, giving the reader and Jeremiah another perspective on this seemingly simple, yet complex man.

It’s also allowing Jeremiah a new opportunity, however unsought at first, for being in charge of Darwin’s Bureau of Meteorology, an antiquated tiny satellite branch of that agency that time seems to have forgotten.

Walker’s stunning continuation of her Storm Boys series is no less remarkable, suspense filled or adrenaline driven by having removed itself from a naturalistic landscape to that of the port city of Darwin.

The romance between Tully and Jeremiah is firmly intertwined with the meteorological phenomenons central to each book’s narrative. Here it’s Tropical Cyclone Hazer bearing down on Darwin, with Jeremiah’s small, decrepit station, full of outdated instruments, at ground zero. It’s the station for all the area’s emergency data and meteorological information going out to the public and other agencies. And it’s all done manually , by one person.

I’m not sure if Walker has weathered through a cyclone or how she’s able to get to the heart of this storm in the manner that she has, because , through her amazing writing, Cyclone Hazer becomes a major narrative catastrophic event that creeps into the literal air , moment by moment, energizing the characters, and then the community.

The sheer power of vivid imagery, the violent nature and intensity that builds throughout the story of the impending disaster is felt, not just by Tully, worried about his family and community, but by Jeremiah, feeling the weight of responsibility for things outside of his control, and for characters like the constantly retiring meteorologist Doreen and her wife, Suri, whose PTSD is being triggered.

There’s more fascinating and compelling elements here. That of family, lighting, romantic relationships, and commitments. And a community that will need to be rebuilt at the end. Plus a baby Magpie.

But this story belongs to Tropical Cyclone Hazer, Tully, Jeremiah, Doreen, and Bruce, Doreen’s small ever present dog. That small group that heard the frantic beeping that starts it all, that turns this book into a narrative powerhouse.

I can’t imagine it ending at a third story. Tully and Jeremiah are so strong, so complex and moving a couple, that surely it will take more than just one more book to finish their arc. I could spend 10 novels with them and not be done.

Yes I’m highly recommending this book , but pls read them in the order they are written to understand the characters and relationship growth.

The Storm Boys:

✓ Outrun The Rain

✓ Into The Tempest

◦ Touch The Lightning-July 18, 2023

Second Chance at First Love: Prequel to The Storm Boys

Buy link:

Into the Tempest (The Storm Boys Series Book 2)

Description:

Jeremiah Overton is now in charge of Darwin’s Bureau of Meteorology, and his storm chaser boyfriend, Tully Larson, couldn’t be happier. For Tully, it means watching summer storms with the love of his life but for Jeremiah, it means relearning everything on equipment that’s older than he is.

But summer storms also mean it’s cyclone season. While Tully’s no stranger to tropical storms and the occasional cyclone, for Jeremiah, it’s a first.

As Tropical Cyclone Hazer bears down on the city, Jeremiah and Tully prepare to stay behind. Jeremiah knows what to expect, theoretically, but living through it is a different story.

If they live through it at all.

Review: The Chanteuse and the Bodyguard (Campo Royale #5) by V.L. Locey

Rating: 5🌈

“That is totally spacy! Oh my God, Duri, that is super spacy! Like beam me up, Socrates!” Eli huffed and glared at me. “What now?!”

Excerpt From

The Chanteuse and the Bodyguard

Yes, as Gigi/Eli says “what now?” What am I going to do without this absolutely magnificent, beautiful, and heartfelt series about drag queens getting their happily ever afters In Mother Sitka’s Campo Royale’s drag club in Wilmington, Delaware.

I love so many of Locey’s other hockey players and series but this? It’s special. And that narrative magic has grown book by book, couple by couple. It started out strong and it’s ending just as endearing and more deeply satisfying than when we first all met backstage at the club, amidst drag queen chaos.

Locey gives us a mystery, a new perspective on a drag queen who’s been a part of the series from the beginning, that’s Jo Jo Jewels! Aka Duri Yoo, a Queen whose makeup and drag appearance is inspired by the Asian BL characters and anime series he’s so crazy about . Jo Jo and Gigi are also the only queens who actually sing their own songs instead of lip-syncing.

Duri is such a beautiful character, whose personality and demeanor are due as much to his family and cultural background and support as it is to his own sweet nature. Concerned about his body , due to harmful bullying, and past relationships, Duri is a darling we can immediately relate to.

As his bodyguard does. Keaton Black Bird, owner of his own security firm, has had his firm hired to guard Gigi when fan letters and gifts turn violent. As Duri is Gigi’s best friend, the duty extends to both.

Locey weaves a wonderful story , one that draws the reader in on many levels. There’s the funny, snarky friendship between Gigi and Jojo, two queens sharing wigs and tea backstage, the family Duri has at home, and then the marvelous developing romance between Duri and Keaton .

It’s almost impossible to choose which aspects of this book I enjoyed most. Gigi is a favorite of mine, able to deal out the bast shade while being all up in everyone’s business. What a Queen! And to pair her up with Duri, who’s drag is so different and who’s personality is just as mesmerizing but in a totally unique way, it’s just works to highlight each of them to the best extent.

The romantic relationship side between Keaton and Duri let’s us into each person’s world, their backstories, their fears, their “realness “, and the foundation where they connect and relate on a emotional level. Outwardly different, inwardly touching and connecting. Locey makes it so easy for the reader to see into this dynamic and get it!

We love these two characters together immediately and jump right on their journey together.

It’s a wild one, complete with stalking fan, nasty gifts, and some very scary moments. If the stalking is a trigger for you, please take note.

It all ends on a positive and lovely note back at Campo Royale with all the Queens and their significant others.

Is this the end? Likely. But perhaps, if we’re good, Locey might deliver up a Christmas reunion story or two to help us through our withdrawal.

I’m so sorry for the series to end, but thrilled I got to know them all. I’m absolutely recommending all the books, this included.

Read them in order for a fabulous journey through the love lives of the Queens of the Campo Royale!

Campo Royale series:

✓ The Viking and the Drag Queen #1

✓ The Batchelor and The Cherry #2

✓ The Barkeep and The Bookseller #3

✓ The Financier and the Sweetheart #4

✓ The Chanteuse and the Bodyguard #5

Buy Link:

https://www.amazon.com › Chanteu…The Chanteuse and the Bodyguard (Campo Royale #5) by V.L. Locey – Amazon.com

Description:

It’s going to take all his skills to keep an innocent songbird safe.

Duri Yoo is struggling with life. Maybe the funk that’s hanging on his shoulders like a soggy sweater has to do with his thirtieth birthday, which is just around the corner. Maybe that blah feeling is due to everyone at the Campo having found their true heart’s desire except for him. Over the past few months, Duri has started questioning everything right down to if he needs to change his stage name from Jo-Jo Jewels to…well, he hasn’t a clue. All he knows is that he’s feeling down in the dumps. Heck, even his fellow queen has picked up a new secret admirer/super fan. He’d stamp a high heel in vexation, but the way things are going the darn heel would snap right off. When he’s sure life couldn’t get any worse, he’s proven wrong. And yet horribly right…

Keaton Black Bird’s job is straightforward. He’s hired to protect people. Generally, ridiculously rich business tycoons or heads of state. Being hired to keep a drag queen out of harm’s way is a new one for the former Secret Service agent. However, he’s being paid incredibly well to ensure that one of the Campo Royale’s performers isn’t harassed off-stage while the tiny queen’s hockey playing boyfriend is on the road. It’s while he’s protecting one drag queen he meets another, and the connection to Jo-Jo Jewels is undeniable. Keaton’s never been in such a unique situation before. All the men in his past were more or less like him: austere, professional, athletic. Jo-Jo is none of those things, but the owner of Black Bird Executive Protection is falling hard and fast for the delightful and quirky songbird. Unfortunately, emotions tend to cloud the mind, and Keaton and Duri soon find themselves in a situation that’s far more dangerous than either of them could have imagined.

The Chanteuse and the Bodyguard is a bodyguard romance with an anime-loving songstress, a rugged guardian, lots of BL adoration, a huge loving family, rainbow-toned wigs, unexpected danger, and a techno-colored happily-ever-after. (This book contains scenes of stalking/violence that some may find upsetting.)

Review: Light Up the Lamp by Kit Oliver

Rating: 3.75/🌈

“Light Up the Lamp: To score a goal in hockey, and thereby set off the goal lamp behind the net”

— Light Up the Lamp by Kit Oliver

I love hockey romances so to see this story by Kit Oliver was a welcome surprise. It’s a terrific contemporary sports romance and addition to this genre. Oliver clearly knows the sport of hockey and team dynamics, which are displayed throughout the game and novel by the locker room behavior and behind the scenes maneuvering of management and players.

I was uncertain at first by the choice of Gil Roussin, NHL center, of the hockey family of a famed NHL player, as the only narrator. Primarily because Gil is so focused on his career that his perspective and his personality comes through as both narrow and oblivious that it makes him hard to connect with at first.

The man we start to see reflected back at the readers from his family doesn’t match up with the one in Gil’s head. Not the image of the one brother who doesn’t follow the family occupation, or the mother who is reticent about the overbearing idolized hockey father’s role in his son’s life. There’s a disconnect between the way Gil is looking at the way he’s behaving and treating people and the reality of the situation.

And that matters because most readers won’t be down on the side of Gil Roussin. Even when his career seems to be tanking, and he’s sent to the worst team in the NHL.

I have to admit, the descriptions of the Sea Lion’s training facility is everything! From the rust to the puddles and dripping water, I mean , I’d run. It’s a fabulous bit of work by Oliver here, emotionally laying out a team so in financial shambles that its training facilities is an absolute believable nightmare.

And for the first time, maybe the reader starts to feel something for Gil, even with his awful attitude.

Sebastian Martin who we met earlier In Baltimore has his issues as well. Although both men were close friends and more, now there’s a huge gap between them that needs sorting out.

Sebastian isn’t exactly a stellar character, although Oliver tries hard enough to make it work. Communication isn’t great for either man. Not in the past , and apparently not in the present.

Sebastian makes several poor choices when it comes to dealing with Gil as a new player both as his new manager and as his former friend/lover. His refusal to communicate with Gil is as frustrating to read as Gil’s inability to widen his outlook on his team and life.

So Oliver had to work to make this story happen and it does, eventually. Primarily because it starts with Gil finding a new attitude and place with the Sea Lions. Then with Sebastian deciding to invite Gil into his private life and the history of his life after they separated.

Light Up the Lamp by Kit Oliver is a realistic HFN ending, a sweet story that would serve well as the first book in a new series about an upcoming NHL team, the Sea Lions.

As a standalone I feel that the ending is missing another chapter. But as a fan of this genre and hockey, I think Oliver did a good job with giving us a realistic team and characters we come to appreciate. Well worth the read!

Buy Link:

https://www.amazon.com › Light-U…Light Up the Lamp – Oliver, Kit: Books – Amazon.com

Description:

Gil missed his first chance with Sebastian. Now, he has one shot to try again.

Gil Roussin’s goals for his hockey career don’t involve playing for the worst team in the league, so when he’s sent to the San Francisco Sea Lions, Gil will do whatever it takes to get traded.

But the Sea Lion’s coaching staff has other ideas for him, and among them is the last person Gil expected to see again: Sebastian Martin. Once Gil’s childhood best friend, and his first flame, it’s been a decade since Sebastian drifted out of his life. Now, Gil needs to convince his ex-boyfriend and current coach to help him on—and off—the ice.

Can Gil and Sebastian work together to get Gil traded? Or will so much time together rekindle the very relationship Gil has spent years trying to forget?

Light up the Lamp is a steamy, m/m romance novel. If you like the hope of second chances and the joy returned passion, then you’ll love this exciting hockey romance as Gil and Sebastian banter, bicker, and flirt their way back to each other.