Category: M/M Contemporary Fiction

Review: Most Wanted (Wrecked: Guardians, #3) by Kelly Fox

Rating: 4🌈

Most Wanted picks up from the events of the last book, Full Contact. There we met US Marshals Ronan as he quietly aided the Guardians on a mission to rescue sex trafficked kids and take down the federally protected pedophiles.

Now cut loose, Ronan is reunited with his past boyfriend, Guardian Thane Ashford in the aftermath of those events.

Fox’s characters are emotionally attached to each other even as they are separated by their feelings and past trauma. The story, which helps us see their relationship over the years from both sides, goes into Thane’s damaging relationship with his father, his insecurities about his body image which date back to his childhood, and why he was so against any idea of a commitment.

The characters are still working through their past differences and what that means to the current group dynamics. It makes for interesting interactions and sexy encounters.

I like that the entire team is involved here, new teammates are added, and Fox smoothly moves the story forward while also introducing the thread for the book to come. Which involves their boss, DeShawn, who’s emotionally weary and in need of retiring from the daily operations.

Fox writes characters that seem simple yet have layers. It may take a while to reveal but they do surface. Same with each couple’s relationship, there’s always that extra backstory that adds an element you might not expect but appreciate once you’ve got it.

I found Most Wanted highly enjoyable. I really like the strong women characters that continue to appear. The themes , especially of

sexually trafficked children and women are ones some will find disturbing so be aware of the nature of their investigations.

I’m recommending this and looking forward to the next.

That’s for Odd , Anders’ twin, and DB’s relationship.

Wrecked: Guardians

✓ Hard Target #1

✓ Full Contact #2

✓ Most Wanted #3

◦ Deep Impact #4

Buy Link:

Most Wanted: An M/M Friends-To-Lovers Romance (Wrecked: Guardians Book 3)

Description:

Letting Ronan go was the biggest mistake of my life. Giving me a second chance might be the biggest mistake of his.

I’d spent a year as Ronan’s friend-with-benefits, convincing myself that he could never feel the way I felt. I was floored when those three little words flew out of his mouth.

So, I ran. And have regretted that decision every day for the last five years.

Now fate has led him back to me and to the Guardians, the merry band of mercenaries who have become my family. Our last several missions have gone sideways, and Ronan is convinced that he needs to go back into the field to understand what our team is dealing with.

He’s putting himself in harm’s way and we can’t keep our hands off each other. God help me if anything happens to him.

I can’t think of anything more dangerous than giving my heart to a man who’s already destroyed it.

Then again, I might not have much say in the matter. My life’s been upended, and the only place that’s safe is with Thane and the Guardians.

It doesn’t take us long to figure out that our passion burns just as hot as it always did. Undeniable. Unstoppable.

I can’t keep my hands off him, but I can’t go back to being his friend with benefits. And I have no clue how to trust him.

Thing is…if we could learn to trust each other, I might actually have something to offer this team of morally flexible do-gooders.

Most Wanted is a mercenary MM romance set in Austin, Texas. It features a gentle (if slightly murderous), muscle-bound giant, a beautiful, wickedly flexible man, and more chemistry than a high school science lab.

This is the third book in the Wrecked: Guardians Series. Several characters from Wrecked, my series about a gym for combat vets, crossover into these books. While you can enjoy the slightly more nefarious Guardians without reading Wrecked, lots of people end up wanting all the juicy backstories.

Review: Touch the Lightning (The Storm Boys #3) by N. R. Walker

Rating: 5🌈

I always have such mixed emotions about the last book in a series I absolutely love. I don’t want to say goodbye so I dread reading it but I also want to see where the author is going to go with the compelling, complex characters they have created. And how the author will do so within the context of the framework of the series themes they’ve set down.

Walker sends off The Storm Boys in a manner we might not have expected but one that is so much more than I anticipated. It gives Tully and Jeremiah the happiest of moments going forward, the satisfaction for us and themselves in their lives, and all the characters we’ve come to know and adore.

If I were to be greedy, yes, I’d want holiday special stories. And yes, I hope I get them. But am I in love with the way they ended here? Yes.

Storms and lightning. Jeremiah ‘s traumatic past, and how it’s still been a lightning rod in many respects for Jeremiah, holding him back , from being able to see himself in certain roles, to being able to say I love you to Tully. Walker brings all this into the story, weaving it into their evolving relationship. Tully’s family is a terrific source of narrative joy here, with great characters and supportive, meaningful conversations.

Tully’s character is one who has always been an impulsive person away from the family but now a traumatic event causes major emotional changes in Tully’s perspectives. It’s realistic, painful, and makes Tully even more vulnerable .

It’s hard to describe how the layers of loss, tragedy, and trauma are combined, pulled apart, rendered into something more meaningful, and the new reality becomes more complex and , through Walker’s writing, something beautiful.

I love these men. I truly hope that the author will visit them again. But if not , I know this series just became a comfort read.

I highly recommend it and this book. Read them in the order they are written! And enjoy!

The Storm Boys:

✓ Outrun The Rain

✓ Into The Tempest

✓ Touch The Lightning-finale

Second Chance at First Love: Prequel to The Storm Boys

Buy Link:

Book 3 of 3: The Storm Boys Series

Description:

The Storm Boys Series – Book Three

Without a working office, Jeremiah is tasked with repairing the automated weather station on Oxley Island. It’s remote, only accessible by boat, and with there being a good chance of crocodiles, he’s dreading it.

Tully, on the other hand, can’t wait.

With a boat licence, his dad’s boat, and two days alone with Jeremiah—and with thunderstorms likely—to Tully, it’s another perfect adventure.

But their plans go awry when Jeremiah’s research gets far too close for comfort. Thirty years ago, the day his life was touched by lightning, he was changed forever.

It’s about to change again, only this time he’s determined to set things right.

Review: Make Me Stay (Safe Harbor Book 2) by Annabeth Albert

Rating: 4.5🌈

Make Me Stay is my favorite so far in the Safe Harbor trilogy by Annabeth Albert. It’s got so many interesting characters and compelling storylines attached to it, but by far, it’s the main characters here that make the book fascinating.

We have central to the series arc, a mass murderer who’s killed the mother of a character known to many people featured in the series. The house of the family of the victim is currently being renovated, and the son of the victim is a long time crush of the man who’s bought the house.

Now around that float various main characters with their own respective issues and evolving relationships.

In Make Me Stay we have Professor Holden Justice, former police officer who retired on disability. Holden’s a professor who , along with his friend have a successful true crimes podcast that’s been working on the murder mystery.

A chilling new clue from the murderer himself brings retired Navy SEAL diver Cal into the area and ongoing investigation. Albert is well known for her well crafted damaged characters and Cal fits beautifully into this category. He’s fighting a battle with survivors guilt because of a mission in his past, the same event that’s causing the untreated PTSD that’s making sleep difficult and relationships not worth fighting for.

Putting him next to Holden, a survivor himself, who use’s humor as a front to hide his own feelings of control and fear of loss, and the author’s giving the reader a dynamic relationship that’s complicated and often compelling reading.

It’s not the usual journey. Cal has a need to give up control just as Holden is one to take it. So ropes, ties, kink is included as part of the process of getting each other to trust and lower their boundaries. It’s both a sexy and superb aspect of the story.

The lake and the diving elements are also strong and chilling. There’s just enough of this part of the plot to keep us intrigued about the murder as well as the diving dangers inherent in Cal’s professional capacity.

The murder itself remains the weakest link here. I expect that to change in the next book. I’m really excited to see what happens there.

In the meantime, this is a fabulous story. Love the well written characters, the difficult issues they face, and how they personally grow to become a couple that will face the future together.

Highly recommended!

Safe Harbor series:

◦ Bring Me Home #1

◦ Make Me Stay #2

◦ Find Me Worthy #3 – Sept 28,2023

Buy Link:

Make Me Stay: A Hurt/Comfort Small Town MM Roommates Romance (Safe Harbor Book 2)

Description:

Roommate Not Wanted

I’m a forty-year-old homeowner and former detective. My friends think a roommate is the solution to my recent funk, but I know that’s the last thing I need.

And even if they’re right, sharing my home with Cal is a bad idea. The prickly SEAL rescue diver has muscles for miles, haunted eyes, a wounded soul, and wandering feet that won’t be happy for long in Safe Harbor. Yet those fathoms-deep blue eyes have me making an offer I’ll surely regret.

Our arrangement may be doomed, but Cal is an amazing roommate. We’re soon cooking my mom’s favorite recipes, watching terrible TV, accidentally cuddling, and trying not to cross the line from friendship to fling.

Until I discover Cal’s sexy secret.

Boundaries blur, and I forget I’m not supposed to fall for Cal. Every kiss, touch, and discovery we make together pulls us deeper until there’s no denying our feelings.

I want nothing more than to keep Cal in town, in my bed, and in my heart, but Cal seems destined to swim back to his solo ways.

Can I bear to let him go, or will our love make him stay forever?

MAKE ME STAY is a hurt/comfort roommates-to-lovers MM romance. It features two mature, wounded heroes, disability rep, a proud pansexual, a SEAL having a demisexual awakening, and sexy discoveries involving rope. Deep feels, dual point-of-view, and big fluffy HEA guaranteed.

MAKE ME STAY is book two in the Safe Harbor series from acclaimed author Annabeth Albert. This small historic Oregon town has a tight friend group, memorable secondary characters, quirky businesses, and long-held secrets. Each book stands alone with a fresh couple, but the background mystery of the town’s secrets ties the series together, making reading in order more fun!

Make Me Stay touches on grief, loss, military-related PTSD, disability and chronic illness, and the realities of modern military service.”

— Make Me Stay: A Hurt/Comfort (Safe Harbor Book 2) by Annabeth Albert

https://a.co/a7TwIqp

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: Full Contact (Wrecked: Guardians, #2) by Kelly Fox

Rating: 4🌈

I’m a fan of the black op action team romance series and Full Contact is the second in Kelly Fox’s Wrecked:Guardian series of the same trope.

The characters were encountered in the first book, Hard Target, when the mercenaries were assigned to help Rafi, then an associate linguistics professor who falls for one of the team, Everett.

We met Anders, a medical doctor with his twin brother, Odd. And Rafi’s tightly guarded cousin, Omar.

This is Omar’s and Anders romance, definitely an opposites attract, frenemies to lovers sort of relationship. That’s all on Anders who started out a very problematic character.

Fox makes Anders by definition a man who doesn’t have any real idea of the way he’s acting is being seen by others. He acts impulsively and childishly, pranks frequently getting out of hand. And in the case of the pranks he plays to get Omar’s attention, they are hurtful and disrespectful, in one case dangerous.

So I really didn’t think that I could relate to Anders at all.

But Fox does a terrific job here, taking the reader’s frustration and the other people’s and makes it part of the story. There’s feedback for Anders over his behavior, communicating how impactful his actions are being, and the changes it brings about to his personality.

I love when an author takes that approach.

There’s more here. It’s also about Omar’s horrific background, the terrors he’s been through, and the PTSD he’s enduring.

Fox’s stories include a fast tracked high action plot, filled with the team following the events around an investigation, many things go boom, bullets fly, and yes, people end up in the hospital.

It’s very satisfying. I liked the character growth and that it sets the stage for more interesting things to come for them as the relationship progresses.

I’m recommending this and the series to date. A fun, exciting mercenary adventure romance romp!

Wrecked: Guardians

✓ Hard Target #1

✓ Full Contact #2

◦ Most Wanted #3

◦ Deep Impact #4

Buy Link :

Full Contact: An M/M Enemies-To-Lovers Romance (Wrecked: Guardians Book 2)

Description:

If that joker doesn’t stop annoying me, I’m going to give that mouth of his something better to do.

The first time I saw Anders F***ing Bash, he was shirtless, armed, and simultaneously the most beautiful and frustrating man I’ve ever met.

He has not gotten any uglier. Or any less frustrating. And today I finally took a swing at him.

Our boss thinks a simple op in East Texas is exactly the thing we need to mend our relationship and restore the team dynamic.

I think two men are driving to the Pineywoods and only one is coming back.

Look y’all—sane isn’t really where I shine.

Does it make sense to mess with the Guardians’ new hired gun every chance I get? No. Does it mean I’m going to stop? Also no.

Honestly, there’s nothing more fun than irritating a sexy grump who can’t stand how pretty I am.

That said…the more I get to know him, the more I realize how much he’s hiding behind those walls of his. And this little road trip is the perfect opportunity to thoroughly explore the real Omar.

I just hope I haven’t pushed him too far this time.

Full Contact is a mercenary MM romance set in Austin and the Pineywoods of East Texas. It features smoking hot mortal enemies, a small vehicle fire, inappropriate bumper stickers, and a couple of alligators named Millie and Dave.

This is the second book in the Wrecked: Guardians series. Several characters from Wrecked, my series about a gym for combat vets, crossover in this series. While you don’t need to read the Wrecked books to enjoy the slightly more nefarious Guardians, most folks end up wanting the juicy backstories.

Review: Haven (Operation Justice Force Book 6) by Reese Knightley

Rating: 3🌈

If you’re reading these books, it’s not only because you’re a fan of Reese Knightley but because you’re also a fan of this series as well as the other overlapping series that connect characters and even plot lines.

A reader can’t just narratively waltz into a book and expect to understand the characters, their dynamics, even the organizational structure that’s inherent to the series and the team’s success. You need the whole whopping amount of knowledge about the leadership, the multiple agencies, and the various aspects of each along with its agents to get a grasp on the individual storyline presented by each book as it’s released.

That’s a ton of stuff, I know.

I’m a fan of this series, love the action sequences and the quirky characters but this has several elements that just worked against it for me.

The main characters , Eagle and Link, have a shared history based on chemistry and no communication. It’s even stated in the book, they agreed to not talk about their pasts and their relationship with their fathers/families . That’s fine if you are colleagues, superficial friends, and, or able to successfully emotionally segregate your life.

Knightley’s characters can’t and that inability to communicate detonates their relationship . That the stage the reader is dropped off at when the book starts.

I’m not a fan of characters that don’t communicate.

Here that lack of communication is elevated to the height it has either man going off , doing his own thing during a mission with a criminals murdering people, bombing establishments, with a highly visible threat to two states. Why? Because one has an anger management issue, they won’t talk to each other, and unbelievably, their supervisor still sent them out together without explanation when it had been requested, reasonably , not to.

I get this isn’t an alphabet agency or military organization, but the way both Eagle and Link acted outside of their respective team’s communication channels continually here frustrated me as a reader. Where’s all this so called professionalism? Where’s the major skill sets that got them onto this agency to begin with? Missing.

Lastly, there is the use of a young man as a victim of sexual assault, continued sexual trafficking by a family member. Instead of it being an integral component of the story the entire time, it becomes a last minute element. Why? This character, Tyler, who could be part of the series now, could have been a victim of domestic violence, parental abandonment, any sort of other types of violence. But instead we get the absolute worst. Adolescent rape as that feels less like a necessary thread and more like an add on for dramatic effects.

Taken together with the fact of two characters who don’t communicate with each other or their team, and I found a story that lost much of the charm this series has held for me in the previous books.

Read it for the series and author. Or because those types of main characters don’t bother you.

It does me, unfortunately. Not a recommendation.

Buy Link:

Haven (Operation Justice Force Book 6)

Description:

For years Link and Eagle have danced around their attraction for each other, and neither one is willing to cross the line from friendship to lovers.

Link doesn’t want to lose what they have.

Eagle lets things go, following Link’s lead.

But ignoring their attraction isn’t working anymore, and one more spark ignites their mounting passion. Can they truly make the leap from best friends to lovers? They were brothers-in-arms through the military and are now co-workers—can becoming involved beyond that even work? Not to mention they are complete opposites… One man is laid back and easygoing and the other—not so much.

When one explosive encounter leaves Link pissed off and Eagle contrite, they’ll have to do some hard work to repair their rocky bond.

Mix in a bomb, drug dealers, gangs, and illegal drugs with kids involved and Link and Eagle will have a lot to focus on as they try to fix things between them and tackle their building desire.

Come along for the action-packed ride in typical Reese Knightley style as Link and Eagle kick ass on bad guys, save the day, and attempt to navigate love.

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 Husband Game : An M/M Hockey Romance (Relationship Goals Book 1) by Brigham Vaughn

Rating: 5 🌈

If you’re familiar with Brigham Vaughn’s hockey series , Road Rules, then you’ll know where the reader’s seen the characters before:

“…Charlie appeared on page in Unwritten Rules, I knew I needed to tell his story. I had already planned to revisit the Toronto Fisher Cats team who were featured in Bending the Rules and knew Dustin would have a story.”

— Author’s notes, The Husband Game : An M/M Hockey Romance (Relationship Goals Book 1) by Brigham Vaughn

I have to admit I wasn’t. But after reading this outstanding story of recovery, resilience, and love, I’m absolutely backtracking to pickup those two books and the rest of that connected series.

However, I don’t believe I was missing anything by not reading those books prior to coming at this new series and novel. Vaughn’s ability to thread certain elements and subjects into her storylines and character traits beautifully prepares her readers for the real issues that arise here that Dustin and Charlie need to address.

Ah, those wonderful men ! Vaughn has created two incredibly compelling and different characters in Toronto Fisher Cats ice hockey captain Dustin Fowler and former Olympic figure ice skating champion Charlie Monaghan. They quickly became two of my all time favorites.

Dustin is a new captain trying to make his team come together after some trying times and an emotional retirement of a beloved teammate. Charlie has deeply hidden illnesses, rooted in his childhood, his abusive relationship with his mother, and the sport he loved but grew to see as so toxic.

I think this is one of the best examples of the “woke up married “ tropes I’ve read in that the author working back from that ridiculous scenario, starts to build a beautiful and believable relationship story between these two people.

Especially when one is still fragile and hiding a secret that’s so important to his health and well being. This condition is one that’s slowly revealed in the storyline but it’s no surprise , given the sport, that we’re talking about an eating disorder.

Brigham Vaughn’s realistic and sensitive written treatment of anorexia, including scenes and discussions about eating disorders, come with a trigger warning from the author. So please read.

Charlie is a layered, endearing character in a multitude of ways. His mother has damaged him , emotionally and physically with her parenting skills or lack of, and her husband enables her. The way it’s implied until the end is so skillful.

Charlie is amazing, from his outlook and continued resilience that’s making his recovery so successful to the bravery that will let him go forward with the relationship.

Dustin too, shouldering the weight of the team , needing help and learning how to deal effectively with his own struggles with being a better leader.

I loved the way the author lead us and the characters through a new chapter in each other’s lives, slowly becoming friends and then as they grow closer, more confident together, falling in love.

This was a great surprise and a total favorite. I’m highly recommending it as well as going back to read those other books.

There’s another story on the way. Check it out below.

Relationship Goals:

✓ The Husband Game #1

◦ The Head Game #2 – Sept 22,2023

Description:

Hockey Captain Wed in Secret Vegas Ceremony – Partner’s Identity Remains a Mystery

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Or does it?

Toronto Fisher Cats ice hockey captain Dustin Fowler attended the NHL awards and came home with more than the Ted Lindsay Award.

A cryptic social media post from the hockey forward himself revealed that he was wed in a secret ceremony in Las Vegas this past weekend.

His caption stating, “Sorry, ladies, Toronto’s most eligible bachelor just went off the market. I married my kitten tonight and I’ve never been happier,” sent tongues wagging across the league.

But who is “Kitten”?

Without verification from either the team’s head office or the new groom, rumors swirl about exactly who Fowler’s partner is.

A credible source from within the organization suggests that “Kitten” is none other than retired men’s figure skating champion Charlie Monaghan.

We here at JockGossip would like to offer our warmest congratulations to the newlyweds.

TRIGGER WARNING: Contains scenes and frank discussions of eating disorders (anorexia) and past parental abuse/neglect.

Buy link:

The Husband Game : An M/M Hockey Romance (Relationship Goals Book 1)

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!

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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: Brick and Brass (Hammer and Fist: Lextalion Book 2) by Jennifer Cody

Rating: 4.75🌈

If this wasn’t such an exciting and exceedingly well written story, I’d be taking a smidge of rating points away for sheer frustration with Cody over that ending and the fact it’s probably going to be a while before we get around to finding out what happens next.

Yes, no surprise, it’s cliffhanger time again!

This whole universe is so weird and crazy that I have to look back at my notes to remember how things and Cody’s other books fit in with these stories. It’s like a madhatter’s 10, 000 pieces puzzle but cut out into insane shapes.

Thankfully, Cody gives us a recap why Lex is in a coma but mentally aware as the book opens. I had to dig through my memories about the last book for all the events as they happened, complicated as they were by a immense cast of characters, worlds accessible by portals, gods, dragons, aliens, slavers, you name it. Tied together by murders, mysteries, hellacious plots galore and the agents like Lex that work for The Inter-dimensional Immigration Agency—IDIA, the government agency that enforces the laws that govern non-humans on Earth.

So we pick up after that nasty explosion and the search is still on for Dominus, the being/person behind all the slave trafficking/inter dimensional world kidnappings and plain old horrifically bizarre goings on. His identity is unknown, as is why he’s able to make himself disappear into obscurity without a trace.

Cody has to address the blood hexes that tie a Geminatus to him so they’re unable to return to their homeland, as well as Lex being in thrall to Tor, an agent of the IDIA. A huge element itself.

But the author addresses each subject, separating them so they can have the impact and narrative development they deserve, while simultaneously being a fluid piece of the total story fabric. That’s quite the gift.

Tor and Lex especially, as it’s not just Lex that’s feeling the emotional attachment and passions of the bond between them. It’s the monsters he carries within him. And they have different opinions about Tor and the way he should fit into their lives. What a sexually dynamic and hot area of this book and one that adds to my frustration because the cliffhanger cuts short so much of the relationship follow up here , big stuff that’s waiting to happen.

Same for the Geminatus aspect. The “twin” Geminatus born on Earth get a chance to meet a Geminatus born on the planet, and it’s oddly very different and disturbing for both. This is such a huge element that it’s going to be explored in the second of the Geminatus books in the Hammer and Fist:Geminatus series.

That leaves this story with Lex’s character’s greater expansion into his background, current status, and interpersonal mingling of the beings within himself. It’s also the growth of his and Tor’s own dynamic as they search out what the curse means emotionally.

And finally, it’s the biggest threat and storyline. Who’s Dominus? Where are they? What are their plans and how does Lex stop them?

It’s mind boggling how much is dumped into this book and how well it all fits together.

The ending is shocking. There’s a character death, and then a several consecutive dramatic events that lead to one unbelievable cliffhanger.

Then an author’s note that the next book up is the second in the Geminatus series! Noooooo.

So how one goes about reading a series and they feel about multiple cliffhangers, should let a reader decide what they want to do about reading the series. Read them as then release acknowledging that there will be cliffhangers and a good amount of time between stories or wait and binge.

But one thing is for certain. This is a must read. However it’s resolved, whatever tragedy consequences or happy turns of events, however unlikely, it’s a great convoluted epic tale of worlds, gods, monsters and love.

A fabulous story.

One I’m highly recommending no matter how frustrating that ending still makes me.

Read each series in order. It won’t make any sense if you don’t.

Hammer and Fist Series

✓ Sledge and Claw (Hammer and Fist: Lextalion Book 1)

✓ Brick and Brass (Hammer and Fist: Lextalion Book 2)

✓ Inferno (Hammer and Fist: Geminatus Book 1)

◦ Gale (Hammer and Fist: Geminatus Book 2) July 2023

Buy Link:

Brick and Brass (Hammer and Fist: Lextalion Book 2)

Description:

Lex:

Of course waking up from a coma wouldn’t come easy for me; thankfully I have friends willing to fuck me back to life. Once I’m on my feet again, playing catch up on the trafficking case makes me want to eviscerate someone. I hate that I’ve lost precious time hunting down Dominus, but I’m awake now and ready for action.

With weird things happening to the portals, an Ethensian hopping realms when he shouldn’t be able to, and trying to figure out how to end the blood hex I’m under, I feel like I’m drowning in tasks and making no progress. I want to end Dominus and put Knoxville behind me; instead, I get a one-off accidental prophecy taking me straight to a battlefield I didn’t even know existed.

Brick and Brass is a 65k MM Urban Fantasy. This is the second in the series and not a stand alone. Content includes: horror descriptions and gore, public sex and sex magic outside of the romantic subplot.