Category: M/M Book Reviews

Review: Honor (Operation Justice Force #3) by Reece Knightley

Rating: 4🌈

Operation Justice Force is such a excellent series and Honor continues this with a terrific couple and exciting storylines.

Oliver Rains is a ex Special Forces who has an immediate connection with the former chief of police Parker Johnson that joins the unit.

I’m not really a fan of instant love unless the author makes a genuine case for it for their couple. Whether by being able to telegraph a overpowering chemistry or delivering a understandable connection that makes a instant love feel real.

Knightley does a great job in making us believe that Oliver and Parker’s relationship is built on a foundation of communication, chemistry, and deeper understanding. It’s a honest feel to them as a unit.

That I loved.

There were things that lessened my own depth of connection to the story. That Oliver has a dangerous stalker that he kept a secret from his friends and agency? All I thought of were don’t they conduct background checks? That’s a huge issue that would be easily found out.

The sex trafficking element. They are taking down a major sex trafficking ring. They found a small number out of all the victims indicated. The follow up on those and the aftermath was given shorter space considering what the narrative implies those children went through. And the scene we shown as they are rescued.

For me if you’re going to use it as a storyline then all aspects should be treated accordingly.

The romance, the relationship between Oliver and Parker is the best element of this story. The stalker, the sex trafficking aspect are secondary in my opinion due to a couple of factors that made them a bit less realistic.

Honor is still highly entertaining and I’m recommending it . The fourth story is due out in a few months. I’ll be waiting.

🔹Operation Justice Force series:

✓ Lethal #1

✓ Rough #2

✓ Honor #3

◦ Rebel #4 – Nov 17, 2022

https://www.goodreads.com › showHonor (Operation Justice Force #3) by Reese Knightley | Goodreads

Synopsis:

They really are perfect for each other with zero bullshit between them.

Oliver Rains joined Pegasus after the military to keep doing what he loves—helping out the innocent and putting scumbags in the ground where they belong. He was supposed to find a new team, not fall in love, but what he hadn’t counted on was former chief of police Parker Johnson walking into his life. The sexy man is everything he’s wanted for a long time.

Parker Johnson took early retirement from the police force after an altercation with the mayor. It wasn’t his fault the guy was a jackass. He landed a job with the elite unit of operatives known as Pegasus and it’s there he meets Oliver Rains. The ex-Special Forces soldier is the one he’s been searching for, but he’s never mixed his love life and his work before.

When Pegasus is asked to assist with taking down a sex trafficking ring, the unit jumps at the chance to help.

Then someone comes after Oliver. And Parker will do whatever it takes to keep him safe.

Get ready as Pegasus roars into action and delivers a beatdown to the bad guys.

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: Honor (Operation Justice Force #3) by Reece Knightley

Rating: 4🌈

Operation Justice Force is such a excellent series and Honor continues this with a terrific couple and exciting storylines.

Oliver Rains is a ex Special Forces who has an immediate connection with the former chief of police Parker Johnson that joins the unit.

I’m not really a fan of instant love unless the author makes a genuine case for it for their couple. Whether by being able to telegraph a overpowering chemistry or delivering a understandable connection that makes a instant love feel real.

Knightley does a great job in making us believe that Oliver and Parker’s relationship is built on a foundation of communication, chemistry, and deeper understanding. It’s a honest feel to them as a unit.

That I loved.

There were things that lessened my own depth of connection to the story. That Oliver has a dangerous stalker that he kept a secret from his friends and agency? All I thought of were don’t they conduct background checks? That’s a huge issue that would be easily found out.

The sex trafficking element. They are taking down a major sex trafficking ring. They found a small number out of all the victims indicated. The follow up on those and the aftermath was given shorter space considering what the narrative implies those children went through. And the scene we shown as they are rescued.

For me if you’re going to use it as a storyline then all aspects should be treated accordingly.

The romance, the relationship between Oliver and Parker is the best element of this story. The stalker, the sex trafficking aspect are secondary in my opinion due to a couple of factors that made them a bit less realistic.

Honor is still highly entertaining and I’m recommending it . The fourth story is due out in a few months. I’ll be waiting.

🔹Operation Justice Force series:

✓ Lethal #1

✓ Rough #2

✓ Honor #3

◦ Rebel #4 – Nov 17, 2022

https://www.goodreads.com › showHonor (Operation Justice Force #3) by Reese Knightley | Goodreads

Synopsis:

They really are perfect for each other with zero bullshit between them.

Oliver Rains joined Pegasus after the military to keep doing what he loves—helping out the innocent and putting scumbags in the ground where they belong. He was supposed to find a new team, not fall in love, but what he hadn’t counted on was former chief of police Parker Johnson walking into his life. The sexy man is everything he’s wanted for a long time.

Parker Johnson took early retirement from the police force after an altercation with the mayor. It wasn’t his fault the guy was a jackass. He landed a job with the elite unit of operatives known as Pegasus and it’s there he meets Oliver Rains. The ex-Special Forces soldier is the one he’s been searching for, but he’s never mixed his love life and his work before.

When Pegasus is asked to assist with taking down a sex trafficking ring, the unit jumps at the chance to help.

Then someone comes after Oliver. And Parker will do whatever it takes to keep him safe.

Get ready as Pegasus roars into action and delivers a beatdown to the bad guys.

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: The Barkeep and The Bookseller (Campo Royale #3) by V.L. Locey

Rating: 4.75 🌈

V.L. Locey’s Campo Royale series is truly a favorite of mine. With every new storyline and couple, it goes into new territory and new relationship dynamics while still playing within the universe Locey has created for the series and characters. That’s the fabulous drag club, the Campo Royale and the Queen Mother, Sitka!

It’s time for Corduroy “Cord” Lopez, the pink haired, adorable, bartender of the Campo Royale, to find love and happiness. He’s been a staple in the other books, and now gets his own romance.

We delve into his personal history to see the stress and tight circumstances under which he’s living in order to provide a stable, happy life for his daughter. A joyful girl, diagnosed with Mosaic Down syndrome, she’s his everything.

Locey’s descriptions and excellent writing brings the characters and father/daughter loving relationship realistically to life. She’s all kid, peanut butter smears , meltdowns, hugs, and all. I love this family unit, including the grandmothers.

Jagger Collins is another terrific character, a haunted man coming off the trauma of an abusive ex husband and the mental breakdown it caused. He’s still in recovery, using the support of a wonderful therapist and friends and his brother to help move forward.

Locey’s portrait of a shattered man in recovery, one learning to trust in himself again, is gentle, and moving. There’s no flashbacks, nothing to act as triggers I think, however, Jagger does remember , verbally, the attack the ended the marriage and put him in the hospital.

Watching Jagger and Cord become close, then take the fragile steps to become lovers, then a family, is so heartwarming and wonderful. It’s moments with Jagger’s scottie who farts …a lot. Or the scenes with Paloma, Cord’s daughter, a heart stealer, who takes a liking to both Jagger and his dog!

I could definitely do with another story to see where they go from the HFN that the note they end on here.

It’s realistic and so great. I definitely want more.

Luckily I believe we will see more of them like we do the others in the new stories to come. I can’t wait!

I’m highly recommending The Barkeep and The Bookseller (Campo Royale #3) by V.L. Locey .

Campo Royale series:

✓ The Viking and the Drag Queen #1

✓ The Batchelor and the Cherry #2

✓ The Barkeep and The Bookseller #3

https://www.goodreads.com › showThe Barkeep and the Bookseller (Campo Royale #3) by V.L. Locey – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Can two men move past their shattered dreams and create a new future together?

Corduroy Lopez is a hard-working man. He has to be. There really is no alternative. He’s a single father with a beautiful, special needs daughter to support. His mother and grandmother help when they can, but he’s a proud pan man who is determined to make it on his own. When his daughter is accepted into a prestigious developmental education preschool, Cord needs cash and he needs it yesterday. One night, offhandedly, the cute owner of the new bookstore in town mentions wanting to start a drag story hour, Cord leaps at the chance. He’s done drag before. Once. Performing on stage at the Campo hadn’t really been his thing but donning a wig and dress to sing children’s songs while strumming a ukulele should be a much more enjoyable experience. Also, the bookshop owner is adorable, newly single, and spending a great deal of time sitting at Cord’s bar sipping virgin piña coladas after the bookstore closes.

Jagger Collins never meant to end up here. He’d been a happily married man with a swanky job in a Philadelphia bank just two years ago. Then the bottom fell out of his life. His marriage combusted, his job quickly followed, and he found himself with only his dog Hamish, his brother, and half the cash from the home he thought he would be starting a family in. Taking the advice of his elder sibling to heart, he left the big city and bought a small brick building in downtown Wilmington. Trading in ties for tomes, Jagger is now embracing the simpler things in life. Reading, biking, knitting, and admiring the lithe bartender at the Campo Royale. Cord is ticking all the right boxes in a big way, but Jagger’s not sure if he’s ready to put his heart on the line again.

The Barkeep and the Bookseller is a single father guy next door gay romance that features a hard-working dad, a learning-to-love again bookdealer, a precocious preschooler, high heels, a loving family, flashy floral fashions, and a ukulele rich happy-ever-after.

Review: Shifter for Brains (Supernatural Affairs #2) by F.N. Manning

Rating: 4.5 🌈

I enjoyed the first book in this series, The Werewolf’s Heart which set the universe and ongoing horrific mystery arc for the series. But the second story really succeeds in pulling me fully into the drama and group of characters Manning introduces us to by way of the younger brother of the head of the Supernatural Affairs agency.

We met Chase Slate in his brother’s story, and got a brief impression of a young man who avoids relationships and permanence as well as having an air of irresponsibility about him despite being a agent himself.

That superficial layer is pulled back to reveal a man/shifter with deeper dimensions to his personality. It comes about when he crosses path with Lucas Milton, a man on the run, but from what exactly?

Lucas Milton is a terrific character. Scared, terrified that what he’s afraid of isn’t real, that it’s his mind breaking down, Lucas is a portrait of exhaustion, stress, and fear.

Manning starts to weave a story with many twists from their meeting point. It will include the overall mystery arc that hasn’t been completely solved yet, another one regarding Lucas’s fears, and still yet another. The last being a real surprise and sets up the next book.

I thought this was a great couple, the relationship and their storyline was well plotted, and kept me totally captivated until the end. Plus it was wonderful seeing everyone from the first story together as well.

The ongoing mystery and serious dangers everyone still faces from the mages and kidnapped shifters is still unresolved. I look forward to seeing how this expands further in the next book.

I’m definitely recommending this series and story to all lovers of paranormal romance.

Supernatural Affairs series:

✓ The Werewolf’s Heart #1

✓ Shifter for Brains #2

◦ Crazy Like a Fox #3 – Dec 3, 2022

https://www.goodreads.com › showShifter for Brains by F.N. Manning – Goodreads

Two heads are better than one. What about two hearts?

Lucas Milton is usually good with numbers, but nothing is adding up quite right after a nasty car accident five months ago. Paranoid and afraid he’s in danger, the formerly brainy man is surely nuts… until a strange incident involving a fireball nearly leaves him extra crispy.

When Chase Slate finds a troubled beauty and smells another shifter on the scene, he’s sure there’s a supernatural cause for Lucas’s problems. So the detective investigates… even though he’s supposed to be busy with another case. He may not always play by the rules, but the werewolf does care about protecting others. And he might care about protecting Lucas more than he should.

When their fateful meeting leads to a case of mistaken identity, a greedy mage sets his sights on Lucas. As both men struggle to fight their growing attraction, they’ll need to keep their wits about them. Because a secret in Lucas’s past might make him valuable in his own right, and there’s a predator who will stop at nothing to claim him.

Can Lucas and Chase put their heads together and follow their hearts to find happiness, or will being outsmarted turn deadly in Shifter for Brains?

This is the second book in the Supernatural Affairs series of explicit M/M paranormal romance novels that follows the agents of the Ashvale Department of Supernatural Affairs. While familiar characters from the first novel will reappear, this story revolves around Chase and Lucas.

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: Playing Games ( Franklin U #1) by Riley Hart

Rating: 4 🌈

Playing Games is a wonderful enemies to lovers romance from Riley Hart. It’s the first in a multi-author series called Franklin U that can be read in any order, the only main factor is the campus all the characters live on and the college they attend.

I enjoyed the layered approach Hart takes here to both the characters, their differences in social status and histories, as well as how often even the harshest of arguments and familial divides worked their way out in areas of grey, adult relationship style instead of stark black/white divisiveness.

That same narrative outlook was applied to Braxton Walker, who’s tough upbringing and history is one he’s working hard to rise above. Despite his rough appearance, he’s set goals to achieve.

Tyson Langley is his opposite. Rich, sliding through his studies, a star on the college LaCrosse team, he represents everything Brax is fighting hard for and yet Ty seems to appreciate none of it.

The characters are well defined. And when a believable crisis causes Ty to seek a job that brings him into Brax’s orbit, the enforced intimacy that breaks down each other’s walls has a realistic feeling to it.

The romance happens a tad fast but the groundwork is laid for it and a relationship. It does work.

I ended up really enjoying their story and the characters. They each make a couple of “guest” appearances in other books in this series.

If you’re a lover of contemporary romance, add this sweet book to your list!

Franklin U series:

✓ Playing Games #1 – Riley Hart

✓ The Dating Disaster #2 – Saxon James

✓ Mr. Romance #3 – Louise Masters

◦ Bet You #4 – Neve Wilder

◦ The Glow Up #5 – A.M. Johnson

◦ The Learning Curve #6 – N.R. Walker

◦ Making Waves #7 – Christina Lee

◦ Football Royalty #8 – Eden Finley

https://www.goodreads.com › showPlaying Games (Franklin U #1) by Riley Hart | Goodreads

Brax

Tyson Langley thinks the king in Franklin University Kings is in reference to him. Star lacrosse player and God’s gift to the female and male population, there’s nothing the spoiled jock can’t have.

It’s impossible for us to be in the same room without talking crap to each other. But I also have a secret… As much as I despise Ty, I want him too. I revel in our banter and in never knowing what he’ll say next.

I’ve spent too much time on the wrong side of the law for someone like Ty, though, and if I want to make it through college and escape my past, he’s a distraction I don’t need.

Ty

Braxton Walker needs to learn to lighten up. If you search brooding online, his name pops up. He’s the bad boy with a leather jacket and a scowl. We couldn’t be more different.

Finding ways to annoy him is like the longest foreplay session of my life. And when we end up working together, it gets harder to deny how hot he makes me.

What’s a little hooking up between enemies?

We weren’t supposed to become friends or share secrets. We weren’t supposed to understand each other and all the complicated stuff we’re going through.

I’m used to playing games, only the more time I spend with Brax, the less it feels like playing around and the more it becomes something real.

**

This series takes place across a calendar year. The books have been released in chronological order but are all stand alones and can be consumed in whichever order you choose.

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: Mr. Romance (Franklin U Book 3) by Louisa Masters

Rating: 4.25

Mr. Romance is Louisa Masters’ offer to the multiple author series, Franklin U. And it’s frankly adorable!

Starting with the clueless but hugely friendly and kind Charlie Martin who’s inability to read social cues has those he comes into casual contact with thinking they are dating or something more interesting. Not that Charlie realizes it until it comes to a dramatic climax or someone else points it out to “Mr Oblivious “.

Then he’s upset that he’s accidentally hurting others while not realizing which actions he’s doing are the culprit.

Such a amazing, adorable person. A happy Golden Retriever on two legs! No, he’s got a bit more self awareness but towards others? Hmmm, no.

Masters has a fabulous character here.

But Charlie needs to be reigned in and have a tutorial in social cues.

That’s where Liam comes in, the man who created the Mr. Romance app and is sure to be able to tutor Charlie in how not to give off the boyfriend vibes to everyone he meets.

Liam is the anthesis of Charlie. He’s compact, athletic , likes business, romantic, and not concerned about dress. Whereas Charlie loves fashion, isn’t terribly sports minded, and is very wealthy.

Two beautifully written characters. One hilarious road to romance and love. Aided by several characters from another series and stories within this series.

I laughed. Grinned. Then laughed some more. Drunk Charlie is hilarious.

Some readers who haven’t read the Ghostly Guardians series you might not recognize some of the characters from that series that appear here. That will add a bit of a void or lack of foundation.

But the story is very entertaining. The couple fun and charming which made Mr. Romance a definite recommendation.

Franklin U series:

✓ Playing Games #1 – Riley Hart

✓ The Dating Disaster #2 – Saxon James

✓ Mr. Romance #3 – Louisa Masters

◦ Bet You #4 – Neve Wilder

◦ The Glow Up #5 – A.M. Johnson

◦ The Learning Curve #6 – N.R. Walker

◦ Making Waves #7 – Christina Lee

◦ Football Royalty #8 – Eden Finley

https://www.goodreads.com › showMr. Romance (Franklin U #3) by Louisa Masters – Goodreads

Synopsis:

When you’re clueless, Mr. Romance can help.

Charlie
I’m not sure how it happened, but it turns out I’ve unknowingly been dating three people.


Friends don’t spoil other friends, apparently. My trust fund means I can afford to, though, and what’s a meal here and there? Or some clothes? Or textbooks? That doesn’t mean we’re dating, right?


Others disagree. If I want to get through the rest of college knowing who my friends are, I need help from someone who knows all about dating and can tell me what not to do.
Someone like Mr. Romance.

Liam
When people look at me, romance is the last thing they think of… but I’m still the first person they call. Need a first date planned? A big romantic moment? Gotta beg for forgiveness? I’m your man. When it comes to romance, I’ve got it handled.
Not personally, though. My romantic life is… barren. All I really want is someone to snuggle with and spoil me. What I’ve got is planning dates for people who have no clue about romancing someone.


But now I’m somehow Charlie Martin’s anti-romance consultant. Charlie, who’s completely clueless yet the most accepting and friendly person I’ve ever met. Who’s giving and generous. Who’s befriended me and wants me to be happy.
I’m supposed to help him stop his friends from falling for him. The last thing I need is to fall for him myself.

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: The Hunter and His Mates (The Kincaid Pack #4) by Kiki Clark

Rating: 4.25🌈

The Hunter and His Mates is the fourth book in The Kincaid Pack series. Clark has been hinting at the triad she has at the center of this story for a while, ever since Gabriel the Hunter arrived on the scene.

Gabriel, someone not trusted by pack as part of the family, more foe then friend. Drake, the permanently injured shifter, a amputee since a enemy witch attack blew up his house, car and himself. It’s a change Drake is having trouble adjusting to emotionally and physically. That’s a great part of the story and relationship dynamics. Add to that Jamie, a hawk shifter, who’s crazy about both men and you have a complicated road to romance.

Along side the turbulent attraction they feel for each other, there’s the arc storylines of a mystery villain who is bent on tearing apart the Kincaid pack, and all the attacks happening on allied packs around them.

It’s a fast moving story, lots of action. Very entertaining. I just wish there was a bit more buildup between the three men, before bonding. I felt the Gabriel and Drake bond was very hot, but Jamie a bit less connected. I don’t know why Jamie doesn’t come across as strong a character as the others but he doesn’t. Which doesn’t really work when talking about someone who’s a red tailed hawk shifter. Something is off there.

Overall, another strong story and terrific installment moving the arc forward.

I’m recommending it and the series!

Kincaid Pack series to date:

✓ The Alpha and his King #1

✓ The Second and His Bonded #2

✓ The Deputy and His Enforcer #3

✓ The Hunter and His Mates #4

◦ The Enforcer and His Heart #5

◦ The Witch and His Doctor #6

https://www.goodreads.com › showThe Hunter and His Mates (Kincaid Pack #4) by Kiki Clark – Goodreads

Synopsis:

As personal assistant to a powerful alpha of a large pack, there are certain rules Jamie has for himself to make sure he’s successful at his job.

First, nothing and no one gets to the alpha without his say so.

Second, schedules will be enforced for everyone. At all costs.

Third, a certain Enforcer with an enticing scent and scarred face is not to be stared at, drooled over, and/or daydreamed about.

And fourth, human hunters are never, ever mate material—no matter what their smiles or Southern drawls do to him.

But what if his own rules are preventing Jamie from finding something unique and magical and hotter than he could ever imagine? Because being caught between a grumpy cougar and a dangerous hunter was the last place Jamie thought he should be… but it might just be exactly where he needs to be to find both of his fated mates.

The Hunter and His Mates is the fourth book in the bestselling Kincaid Pack series, which is most enjoyable when read in order. This installment is an MMM romance featuring a scentless human trying to make a home in a pack of shifters, an Enforcer with mild PTSD and a possessive streak a mile wide, and the sweet little hawk who adores them both.

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: Stroker (Big Bull Mechanics #2) by K.M. Neuhold

Rating: 5🌈

Stroker, second novel in the Big Bull Mechanics series, is such a strong, emotional story. Not just a romance but the journey of two men back together, their individual struggles with their past history (together and their own), and their current shaky status to discover if they can learn to grow and trust enough to have a relationship.

Honestly, the bar has been set high by this story for any that follows it.

Gates, Steele’s 40 ish younger brother, who’s always been a family disaster and vagabond, is someone we met in Crankshaft. Gates was undergoing a personal physical crisis that made him return to his hometown after a significant amount of time traveling around the country.

The mystery and pain hinted at there between Gates and Tallahassee is delved into fully here, along with Gates dealing with the ramifications of his surgery for testicular cancer.

Somehow , the Big Bull Garage works so well as a grounding point for the men of the series and the story. Like a family’s kitchen table, the garage acts like a center where everyone comes together to work, chat, reflect, act as a Greek chorus on each other’s lives. It feels believable and , ‘wipe the grease from your hands’ sort of real.

Tallahassee has been working with Steele, his best friend, hiding the pain that still feels so raw whenever he sees Gates, the man he used to call a friend, the one everyone calls a screwup, the man he married and who left him eight years ago.

Tallahassee is a great character. With a pet parrot with a smutty mouth, Tallahassee’s anguish over Gate’s return, then his illness, then his close proximity is so raw , and torn. Neuhold makes Tal’s indecisiveness and anger absolutely understandable.

But so does the author make us and Tal eventually understand that Gates has been growing up, especially since his operation. He’s making internal changes. Ones the readers are there with him, as the revelations hit. Sad, painful revelations about himself and his decisions. And how they have effected others and his family.

It’s so moving, and emotionally realistic the way Tallahassee and Gates slowly find their way back into each other’s trust and hearts. They communicate, share their fears, and hopes. It’s fragile. Especially when Gates is confronting his fears about his scars and the ramifications from his surgery.

This is what makes this so wonderful to read.

I felt like I was sharing a special moment with them. And Nigel, the parrot, of course.

Stroker is sexy, sensitive, beautifully written with fantastic, well defined characters. One of my favorites!

I’m highly recommending it.

Big Bull Mechanics:

✓ Crankshaft #1

✓ Stroker #2

Book 2 of 2: Big Bull Mechanics

Synopsis:

Is there an easy way to tell your lifelong best friend that you secretly married his brother eight years ago? Asking for a friend…

When Gates shows up needing a place to crash , I offer him my spare room. Whatever happened between us nearly a decade ago is water under the bridge. I don’t lie awake at night wondering what could have been. Nope, definitely not.

But Gates seems determined to get a rise out of me. He’s tie-dyed all my clothes, removed my bedroom door, and replaced my hand soap with lube. I’m not sure if he’s hoping I’ll kick him out or kill him, but he won’t break me that easily.

When he tells me his Stroker Rod is broken… What kind of mechanic am I if I don’t get hands-on with his problem?

We put our feelings behind us a long time ago, and there’s no way I’ll let Gates break my heart again. No amount of fiddling under the hood will fix everything broken between us. From here on out, it’s purely physical. Right?


Yup, just a couple of guys and their stroker rods.

***Stroker is a best friend’s brother, secretly married, super steamy MM romance.

🔹Connected to The Four Bears Construction Company series.

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: Balanced and Tied (Marshals #5) by Mary Calmes

Rating: 4.75 🌈

Balanced and Tied, fifth in the Marshals series, is a terrific story. It combines the wonderful qualities I love about Mary Calmes characters with a slow to realization love story and a mystery for added suspense.

Uniting the unique worlds of law enforcement and ballet, we have two men whose love for each other has been balanced between deepest friendship and that of something more since the day they met.

Celso Harrington, principal dancer with the Chicago Ballet Company, has long since admitted to himself that what he feels for Eli is definitely more than friendship. But Eli is his everything, including family, and he’s hesitant to go for more.

For Deputy US Marshal Eli Kohn , Cel is his constant. Without even noticing it, Cel is the one he wants to talk to, listen to, and just have near when things have gone wrong. What Eli hasn’t done, is taken a hard look at what that means in terms of a relationship. He’s never thought of himself as bisexual but he hasn’t ruled it out.

Calmes brings us intimately into this established relationship, giving us small memories of their past moments, so we see how they reached their current stage of a unacknowledged partnership that’s deep and fully realized. It’s so believable. And it includes Eli’s Jewish mother, who immediately adopts Cel as part of the family, taking him to synagogue, enveloping him with maternal love and grounding him in the religion that’s so much a part of the Kohn family lives. She’s a wonderful heartwarming element here.

Calmes swings easily between narrators, threading through storylines of law enforcement and ballet events as well as characters from both men’s professions. We get to know many secondary characters when a mystery and dramatic events start to happen when a new ballet is to be staged to great misery.

I wish the one villain had been a little better fleshed out but the rest of the characters, story, and romance was so terrific and entertaining that I can move past that.

Cel and Eli are a great example of friends to lovers trope. They make sense in that they had the relationship already but one just hadn’t made the connection mentally when the emotional elements were already in place. Calmes makes us believe in them and their love.

I’m highly recommending Balanced and Tied (Marshals #5) by Mary Calmes. It works as a standalone so it’s not necessary to have read others in this series.

Marshals series:

◦ All Kinds Of Tied Down #1

◦ Fit To Be Tied #2

◦ Tied Up In Knots #3

◦ Twisted and Tied #4

✓ Balanced and Tied #5

https://www.amazon.com › Balance…Balanced and Tied (Marshals Book 5) – Kindle edition – Amazon.com

Synopsis:

Deputy US Marshal Eli Kohn is doing fine. As the Director of Public Affairs for the Northern District, he represents the USMS in Chicago and that suits him. Yes, it’s wearing to always be on, to smile and wave even in the face of adversity, but he’s good at his job, and no one ever sees him sweat. His personal life, though, has been stagnant, and that doesn’t seem likely to change. But that’s fine too. Eli would much rather spend his free time with his best friend Cel. And lately, when they’re not together, he’s been missing him more and more…

Celso Harrington, principal dancer with the Chicago Ballet Company, has been feeling adrift, yearning for someone to be there for him, to ground him. Strange to find that anchor in a man who caught bad guys for a living. Celso is all about art and beauty; Eli is all about safety and public service. They could not be more different, yet from the moment they met, it felt like they’d known each other forever.

They are exactly what the other needs, and Celso would love them to be more than friends, but he can’t jeopardize what they have, and Eli’s too stuck inside his own head. When events threaten to unravel their carefully built haven, they each must take a chance on the other or risk losing everything.

———-

Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.

Review: The Second and His Bonded (Kincaid Pack #2) by Kiki Clark

Rating: 4🌈

Kiki Clark continues the saga of a blended shifter pack struggling to survive against a unknown powerful enemy continues with The Second and His Bonded.

With each new installment, the author adds a new layer to the ongoing arc mystery, deepening the suspense and danger to the growing Kincaid pack, especially as more seem to be heading towards the pack as sanctuary.

The McAlllistairs were proven to be enemies. How much is revealed here. But Kieran, a son, also pulls back the abusive nature of his father’s rule as Alpha.

The story is as much about Kieran’s dealing with his own personal history as a McAllistair, his feelings of being an outsider in a new pack, and a survivor of abuse.

That along with a Tiger shifter who’s certain Kieran’s his mate but uncertain that tigers are even capable of a mate bond that wolves have.

Lots of complications here to go with the arc storylines and dramatic events to move everything forward.

It’s fast paced, exciting, and the characters easy to connect with. I read right through and was ready for the next book in the series.

The mystery has me hooked!

Definitely a recommendation from me.

Kincaid Pack series to date:

✓ The Alpha and his King #1

✓ The Second and His Bonded #2

◦ The Deputy and His Enforcer #3

◦ The Hunter and His Mates #4

◦ The Enforcer and His Heart #5

◦ The Witch and His Doctor #6

The Second and His Bonded (Kincaid Pack Book 2)

Synopsis:

As the son of an enemy, Kieran never expected to find a family with the Kincaid Pack… or a true mate’s bond.

After barely escaping his abusive family, wolf shifter Kieran McAllister struggles to find his place in the Kincaid Pack. Especially with the pushy but gorgeous second-in-command showing up every time Kieran turns around… and making him want things he shouldn’t.

The traumatized wolf who continuously refuses Bennett Young’s help has begun to haunt his dreams. But if there’s one thing he knows, it’s that tiger shifters don’t have mates. So why can’t Bennett get Kieran’s sad eyes out of his head?

Despite their differences, Kieran and Bennet find something they never expected in each other. Just as their bond begins to grow though, Kieran’s past threatens to destroy the very pack they both have been fighting to protect.

The Second and His Bonded is the second book in the Kincaid Pack series and features an overprotective tiger, a touch-starved wolf, lots of purring, an excessive amount of sunbathing, and a happily ever after.

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Unless it’s noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.