Review: Don’t Come For My Operator: MM Military Suspense (Tags Of Honor: Black Squadron Book 1) by Annabella Stone

Rating:4.75🌈

I came into this book absolutely not having read any of the many connected series and books in this complicated black ops universe but I still found myself throughly invested in the gripping story and the complex characters.

Don’t Come For My Operator: MM Military Suspense (Tags Of Honor: Black Squadron Book 1) by Annabella Stone is part of a black op universe of multiple stories, series and characters that cross over into each others lives and missions as they often work together and for the umbrella agency.

While not having a deep understanding about how the foundation of the universe works or all the various aspects of the characters dynamics, Stone lays down the basic concepts and gives the reader a clear explanation of how they interact and work in the field so it’s believable and meaningful.

Whether as a lone operative or as part of a team, these men come across as exactly what Stone is trying to accomplish.

Throwing the reader right into a tense undercover black ops mission seen first hand from both perspectives of Black Ops Reconnaissance Operative, Black Squadron, Elijah *Rogue* Dunmore, in Afghanistan because of a caravan on its way to a fragile peace mission. Inside one of the trucks is CIA Ground Branch Operative Travis *South* Zimmer, escorting tribal leaders to a peace meeting he helped broker.

The tension starts building immediately, then everything goes explosive. The scenes are realistic without being raw , gritty and suspenseful. From then on out these men are on the move, danger is literally everywhere, and nothing is safe.

There’s a mystery, escape, battles, and a red hot romance between Travis and Elijah that develops as they travel through Afghanistan , back to the US, and as the plot gets more complicated, beyond the US boundaries.

Stone brings in characters and teams from all parts of the agency which helps solidify the relationship and world that’s being created around Travis and Elijah.

If I had a quibble, it would have been to have drawn out the dramatic scenes at the end so it felt as though the villain(s) were fully aware of the situation as well as taken down.

I definitely can’t wait for the next book in this series to be released.

I’m definitely recommending this and will be running back to catch up on it other series.

Cover Design: Golden Czermak

Tags Of Honor: Black Squadron:

🔹Don’t Come For My Operator #1

🔹Don’t Come For My Night Stalker #2 – Feb 28,2025

See all connected series below.

Buy link

Don’t Come For My Operator: MM Military Suspense (Tags Of Honor: Black Squadron Book 1)

Blurb

If you come for him, you deal with me!

Former Navy SEAL, and current Black Ops Reconnaissance Operative for the elite agency, Black Squadron, Elijah *Rogue* Dunmore has spent most of his adult life running ops and working solo missions in some of the worst places on earth. Working alone adds the edge of danger he craves to keep his life interesting. He has one last mission to complete, overwatch for a peace talks convoy at a border crossing on the notorious AfPak border, then its crunch time. He must decide if he takes the offer to rotate into a desk role, or if he hangs up his weapons and walks away from the world of Special Operations which defines who he is. This mission on a border which has cost him so much over his career, may take that decision out of his hands, by sneaking temptation right into his world.

Former SEAL and CIA Ground Branch Operative Travis *South* Zimmer, has one final task to complete before he’s up for promotion. Escorting tribal leaders from Afghanistan to peace talks in Pakistan sounds doable. But peace talks have the potential to stop wars and stopping wars costs arms dealers’ money. When Travis’s mission goes to hell in a handbasket because someone is determined his convoy will not make it through the Hindu Kush, rescue comes from an Overwatch Operative who calls to the one thing Travis has always guarded—his heart.

Blindsided by an attraction neither can resist; Elijah and Travis need to make it to safety, and they need to do it without compromising, their jobs, their teams, and most of all their hearts.

Can these Tier One Operators find it within themselves to say, ‘when the battle stops, let me love you.’

Publisher: Embers Romance LLC (October 16, 2024)
Publication date: October 16, 2024
Language: English
Print length: 372 pages

Full list of Crossover Series of Connected characters/couples and Agencies in the same universe in order:

🔹DELTA FORCE: TEAM PANTHER Jonah’s Compass

Tied Up In Steele

Malik’s Redemption

Micah’s Promise

Christmas-Panther Style

Grif’s Salvation

Jason’s Justice

🔹TAGS OF HONOR: RED SQUADRON

Zenko

Noble

Don’t Let Go

Drax

Roman

Saxon

Rees

🔹DELTA FORCE TEAM LYNX Salvation’s Sinner

Redemption’s Rebel

Temptation’s Tango

🔹THE GHOST PROTECTORS

To Love A Ghost

To Claim A Ghost

To Tame A Ghost

🔹Tags Of Honor: Black Squadron:

Don’t Come For My Operator #1

Don’t Come For My Night Stalker #2

🔹SHORT STORIES

They Won’t Ask If We Don’t Tell (Delta Force Team Panther)

Review: Just Bromantically Invested (Accidental Love, #4) by Saxon James

Rating: 3.5🌈

Saxon James Accidental Love series is drawing to an end, with the penultimate book, Just Bromantically Invested. As one by one the “lost boys” of Big Bertha are finding their partners and HEA, it’s time for Madden and Penn to get their own story.

Madden, with his free wheeling approach to life, aversion to clothes, and large heart, has been a challenging character for me to connect with. For some reason I just haven’t found him as interesting as the others. This book does help give Madden the depth of character and background into why the nudity is so important to him that’s been lacking.

James’ narrative has a number of other elements to bring to the table. It’s got a best friends to lovers relationship with one of them discovering that he’s not exactly straight but bisexual. I’m not sure the author makes the full argument for this quick turnaround on Penn’s behalf. They may have been friends but based on the behavior seen Penn’s clueless mostly so it feels more importantly based on the needs of the plot line. They work together fluidly as friends, lovers not so much.

But probably because the romance needs more exploration as the other aspects of their lives and struggles that need so much clarification. That house dynamics is a mess, Madden’s inability to separate himself from the others to see a separate role for others is an issue that continues past that ending. And has an impact on the rest of the characters, especially Penn.

I do love the support and communication that finally comes when Madden is able to convey what he needs going forward, including explaining why being naked is so important as a major part of that.

Penn , anxiety prone and introvert that he is, however, is the one that is repeatedly given the reduced role here. In Madden’s head, Penn comes in after his relationships with his found brothers/family members of Big Bertha. Even at the end, that feeling that Penn is not as much of an embedded player in Madden’s life as he is in Penn’s seems clear.

So it left me tentatively connected to both and actually feeling irritated by the continuing drama with Xander, who’s still refusing help. Xander has the last book and that’s the wrap. Should be interesting.

I enjoyed the earlier stories better than I have the recent ones . I look forward to seeing how James closes out the series.

Accidental Love:

The Husband Hoax #1
Not Dating Material #2
The Revenge Agenda #3
Just Bromantically Invested #4
Not Catching Love #5 – Jan 30,2025

Buy link

Just Bromantically Invested (Accidental Love Book 4)

Blurb

Madden

My best friend is uptight, gorgeous, the greatest person I know … and I might be a smidge in love with him. Just a small amount. Barely worth the mention.

Which is a stupid choice on my part when the guy is straight.

Starting a landscaping company with him was the perfect mix of doing what I love and an excuse to spend time with him, only it hasn’t completely taken off yet and now he’s telling me he’s lonely.

Lonely.

Apparently having one friend in your life isn’t enough.

So I’m determined to help him find love. With someone other than me. Maybe if I can pull that off, it’ll mean my heart will finally get the message and move on.

Or finish breaking into a hundred pieces.

Same thing, right?

Penn

Being besties with an overenthusiastic, gold-hearted, nudist of a man is a challenge sometimes. Madden makes everything sunshine when he’s around.

The problem is that he hasn’t been around as much lately. We work together, sure, but he’s got his roommates and I have … no one. Just him. So I feel the distance acutely.

My one reassurance is that we have work tying us together, but when an old client calls with a proposition for us, it feels like our once solid friendship is unraveling fast.

He wants Madden to help him open a nudist resort, and if Madden’s doing that, he won’t be working with me.

I’m trying not to panic over the thought of losing him, which is a typical, common best friend reaction. Nothing out of the ordinary.

And neither is the way my body has been reacting to him lately.

Everything is totally, completely normal between us.

While there’s still an us at all.

Publisher: May Books (October 17, 2024)
Publication date: October 17, 2024
Language: English
Print length: 268 pages

Review: Composed at Randy’s (a Diner Days story) by Zile Elliven

Rating:4.5🌈

Zile Elliven is one of those terrific authors who I so admire their writing. I was really happy to see a new release from Elliven that also came with a new multi-author series to explore as well.

Composed at Randy’s by Zile Elliven is among the eleven books of the new Diner Days series, centered around a LGBTQIA friendly diner. The covers are colorful and an absolute delight as are the stories and characters if this one is an indication of what I’ll find here.

I’ve read other reviews where these wonderfully crafted, so engaging characters were called “himbos” and the reviewers meant that in the best sense. But, imo, Wren, an artist, and Bael, the rock singer, come across as having brain synapses that just fire differently than any one else’s. Wren is unlike any other character I’ve read recently. He understands that he’s unable to self care and needs the support system that’s been established for him (Marty, Shelly and Kai). We get glimpses of Wren’s past, the journey taken to become his true self, and his understanding that being trans is a situation that requires extra awareness. Wren feels so real in depth of personality that reducing him to a “himbo” seems unfair. To Wren , the author’s work, and this book.

Same goes for Bael. His glimmering of deeper awareness of what might be possible in various situations is a developing element. Part of revealing more about him, their journey, and the formation of a larger group of found family and friends.

Bael, his friends (and band members) which are the equal counterparts to Wren’s support group, are marvelous. Big in personality, interesting in a multitude of ways, they cry out for their own stories. How I love Mel!

In fact, my biggest issue is that there’s so much great work here, fabulous characters with backgrounds we need, additional stories going forward, just more, that it’s almost more than this book can convey or indeed cover.

I’m highly recommending Composed at Randy’s (a Diner Days story) by Zile Elliven and looking forward to seeing what the rest of the series brings.

Cover Art by Cormar Covers. Love it!

Diner Days series -11 books:

🔷Written at Randy’s by Katherine McIntyre

🔷Final Boy at Randy’s by Loren Leigh

🔷Cramming at Randy’s by Alex Silver

🔷Temptation at Randy’s by Emily Alter

🔷Hitched at Randy’s by A. E. Madsen 11/14

🔷Gaming at Randy’s by Duckie Mack

🔷Striking a Chord at Randy’s by K. C. Carmine

🔷Composed at Randy’s by Zile Elliven❤️

🔷Roleplay at Randy’s by Rikki Leighton 11/7

🔷Finding Home at Randy’s by Abrianna Denae 10/24

🔷Aftercare at Randy’s by R.A. Frick 10/31

Buy link

Composed at Randy’s

Blurb

How do I tell the guy I like that I’m not homeless, just a dumbass?

Wren:

Help! I accidentally got kidnapped by a hot rock star who thinks he’s doing the right thing by housing and feeding me. He thinks I’m homeless because my absent manager is the one who remembers petty details like my home address, and my broken phone is the one who knows the numbers of anyone who can prove I am who I say I am. What do I do?

Bael:

Help! My impulse control issues made me kidnap an adorable homeless guy who’s too proud to accept my help. He keeps trying to get away, but I’m pretty sure he’ll starve to death if I let him go. He’s tiny, so I don’t think he’ll take up too much space on the tour bus. I just need to convince him to stay. What do I do?

Love beyond the binary, serving up low angst trans romances at Randy’s Diner.

Composed at Randy’s is a ‘dumbasses in love’, cis male/trans male pairing with a smooth-brained (not remotely smart) genius, a goth himbo, and all the help they can get to achieve their happily ever after.

Publication date: October 10, 2024
Language: English
Print length: 179 pages

Review: Inheriting The Mafia (Mafia Mayhem – The Italian Connection Book 2) by Aja Foxx

Rating: 4.5🌈

Aja Foxx just got me even more pumped about this series after reading the new book, Inheriting The Mafia.

I’m such a sucker for a super competent character, even more for one that’s surprisingly so, both to the reader and the other characters in the storyline. That’s one of the elements of the plot that makes this so easy to become involved in the characters lives and developing narrative. The twists and revelations that Foxx has in store with regard to Anthony “Tony” D’Angelo, a character that will still leave the reader wondering about him and his adolescence after the book is done.

Much like the first series, Foxx is working through the major crime families, with each one represented by one of the main characters getting their own romance while connecting with the other families and couples.

It’s a terrific format and helps establish a universe of relationships and foundation of histories that each story can use as part of their own story. It enriches the narrative and makes the environment more interesting and immersive.

Vito as the one to usher Tony into his new role and life as the head of the D’Angelo mafia family is wonderful. A made man, brought up within the family, he’s flexible enough to give Tony the opportunity to reveal surprises of his own when the opportunity presents itself.

Tony is that author’s gift that immediately connects with the reader and then continues to show chameleon qualities that make him even stronger and intriguing. Just know that I love him.

Foxx came up with so many great elements here that the story length wasn’t long enough to fully appreciate or explore some of the best of them. That includes the uncle’s past, a few of the more engaging bodyguards, etc.

Perhaps, those will be revisited in future books. I can hope.

Inheriting The Mafia (Mafia Mayhem – The Italian Connection Book 2) by Aja Foxx is an absolute favorite. I wonder what the next book will bring.

Until then, I’m happy to recommend this series and definitely this story.

Mafia Mayhem (4 book series)

The Capo’s Boy #1 (Nicky & Vinni)

The Boss’s Boy #2 (Dimitri & Eiji)

The King’s Boy #3 (King & Spencer)

The Jefe’s Boy #4 (Alejandro & Delancy)

Mafia Mayhem – The Italian Connection :

Bound To His Oath #1 (Nico & Luca)

Inheriting The Mafia #2 (Tony & Vito)

Buy link

Inherting The Mafia (Mafia Mayhem – The Italian Connection Book 2)

Blurb

~ Anthony ~

They were dead, all dead, an entire mafia family…except me. The bastard son of mafia boss Anthony D’Angelo, and that made me the new head of the family. But inheriting the mafia is not all it’s cracked up to be. People want me dead. I don’t know if it’s the same people that killed my family or someone new, and I wasn’t sure it mattered. I had no plans to die anytime soon. I just wasn’t sure how to prevent it.

~ Vito ~

I was the underboss of a mafia family and when they were all taken out in a bombing, I wanted revenge. Before I could do that, I needed to track down the illegitimate son of my boss, a man I never knew about until now. I wasn’t sure what to think of Tony when I found him, but I did know I had to keep him alive. He was the head of the family now and I was duty bound to serve him. I just wished I wasn’t so attracted to him.

Warning: Gay erotic romance. The material in this book contains explicit sexual content that is intended for mature audiences only. All characters involved are adults capable of consent, are over the age of eighteen, and are willing participants.

Publication date: September 29, 2024
Language: English
Print length: 202 pages

Review: The Mercenary’s Guide to Mishaps and Romance (The Hitman’s Guide 7) by Alice Winters

Rating: 5🌈

I was so excited to see another book in Alice Winters’ The Hitman’s Guide universe. It’s one of my favorite series from an auto read author and this new release is another confirmation of both.

The Mercenary’s Guide to Mishaps and Romance brings back Scottish assassin Tavish from a previous book and gives him a well deserved romantic journey to a loving relationship and a new home, complete with our usual gang of ex hitmen twisted heroes, partners and friends.

Tavish takes a deal that has huge implications for our gang when he inadvertently kidnaps an innocent man. That’s Ellis, an utterly charming guy, a vet tech with an unusual past and, as created by Winters, a personality so winning that we can’t help but fall in love with him.

We aren’t the only ones.

But there’s a bunch of saving to do, mysteries to solve, revelations to surface, and snappy dialogue that occurs while things go boom and crashes happen. Yes, and the Fence is mentioned often!

I was absolutely entertained by Ellis and Tavish as they fought, survived , all while developing a strong relationship. Then finally getting a well written resolution to a multi-level mystery and HFN they deserve that’s totally satisfying.

The Mercenary’s Guide to Mishaps and Romance (The Hitman’s Guide 7) by Alice Winters was a great read and had all of my favorite characters. I can’t wait to see more in this universe.

Highly recommended.

The Hitman’s Guide:

The Hitman’s Guide to Making Friends and Finding Love #1
The Hitman’s Guide to Staying Alive Despite Past Mistakes #2
The Hitman’s Guide to Tying the Knot Without Getting Shot #3
The Former Assassin’s Guide to Snagging a Reluctant Boyfriend #4
The Hitman’s Guide to Righting Wrongs While Causing Mayhem #5
The Hitman’s Guide to Codenames and Ill-Gotten Gains #6
The Mercenary’s Guide to Mishaps and Romance #7

Buy link

The Mercenary’s Guide to Mishaps and Romance (The Hitman’s Guide Book 7)

Blurb

Ellis

Why is it that the first attractive man to look my way mistakes me for a bad guy, stuffs me in the trunk of his car, and ships me off to an island where I’m positive the only thing waiting for me is my own murder?

I mean… yeah, Tavish is charismatic and fun, but did I mention the whole trunk thing? Oh, maybe I forgot to mention his peculiar group of friends who keep promising to “help” me, but why are they running around with masks and weapons while praising fences?

Tavish and his friends are actually the bad guys, aren’t they?

If I (somehow) look past all of that… Tavish really does seem like a nice guy. He’s caring, funny, and willing to risk his life to protect me. It’s become quite clear that if I’m going to get out of this alive, I’m not going to be able to do it without him.

Tavish

So maybe I mixed things up a wee bit and took Ellis on a tiny road trip that he might not have been privy to. Ellis doesn’t seem to overly mind. I mean, yeah, maybe he tried blinding me with aerosol spray… or maybe I was just blinded by his handsome smile.

The problem is that Ellis is in danger, but he knows nothing about this world he’s been thrown into. He’s sweet, kind, and has the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met. And I’m prepared to protect it at all costs.

Contains a charming man who lays on a Scottish accent to get his way, a bewildered vet tech who’s wondering why everyone around him is so strange, a parrot who may or may not want to steal Tavish’s man, and the Hitman’s Guide crew up to their usual hijinks.

Publication date: October 3, 2024
Language: English
Print length: 379 pages

Review: Beautifully Savage Butterfly (Mafia Bound #2) by K. M. Neuhold

Rating: 4.5🌈

I had no idea that K. M. Neuhold’s dark crime romance series, Mafia Bound, would climb to the top of my list of favorites from this author. But it certainly has just based on the two fantastic books Neuhold has released in this addictive series.

Violent, dangerously sexual, full of men ready for kinky sex and dark unmistakable attraction amidst Mafia family drama and power struggles within the criminal territories of their city. Yes, please!

Mafia Bound has its center in the powerful crime family, the Morettis, run by big brother, Lorenzo Moretti. The first story, which I loved, featured his enforcer, the Ice Man, Xaviaro Saviano, and his romance with Sparrow, an assassin with an agenda. They are seen again here in all their loving psychotic glory. Perfection.

The hints of this relationship we saw in that novel come out swinging here, literally as Elio’s obsession with MMA/ underground boxing champion Orion is on full display during a courtside match. It’s a match where anything goes, and the fury, the sheer intensity and physicality just powers off the page.

Neuhold sets the tone and themes here for the characters, the settings, and their dynamic, all right there at the beginning. It’s violent, bloody, powerful, intense, gripping, and magnetic. Each character is so well executed and beautifully defined that we understand them even though they have more layers to be revealed as the story progresses.

Each man is set both within their own family and history, and then within their developing world where their universe will eventually overlap. It’s fascinating to watch/read about because we feel a part of this couple’s journey. That Orion makes a credible reversal in his view of the Moretti family is due to how Neuhold handled this aspect of his journey in the storyline. Well done.

This is how the reader makes such an intimate connection with them , the understanding we reach with each of them, one that’s potentially very dark as well given the violent nature of the situations.

This is a BDSM D/s relationship, with someone who craves certain elements within their sexual play. Read the notes. This will go for the series as well, per the characters.

The plot lines, the characters and their interactions were so great. I loved the elements with Jack. That’s Orion’s brother whose disability plays a huge part of the story. And as the two novels have hinted at, Dante,the intriguing dancer, has a relationship of his own with Sal coming.

I can’t wait for this one.

So, more please. I’m so hooked. The Moretti family has me in their clutches. I’m highly recommending Beautifully Savage Butterfly but start with Deadly Little Sparrow, then head here.

Great covers.

Mafia Bound:

Deadly Little Sparrow #1
Beautifully Savage Butterfly #2

Buy link

Beautifully Savage Butterfly (Mafia Bound Book 2)

Blurb

Being savage in the ring is one thing. The way Elio Moretti craves my violence outside the ring is another.

I feel like I’ve been fighting my whole life, and tapping out has never been an option.

I can live with owing money to the Morettis. I can even live with the constant guilt that my brother is the one paralyzed in a hospital bed while I live his dream. What I can’t live with is Elio Moretti, second in command to the infamous crime family, showing up to all my fights, sitting in the front row, watching me like he can’t look away, and barging into the locker room to patch up my wounds and invade my space.

The Morettis are monsters. Vicious, brutal sociopaths. So, why is Elio so eager to get on his knees for me?

He’s as desperate to give up control as I am to take it, but is giving in to these primal urges enough of a reason to sell my soul?

He claims there are worse people in this city than his family, and the deeper I get dragged into his world, the more true that’s starting to seem. Can I really fall in love with a Mafia underboss? Is it even possible to walk away?

Publication date: September 6, 2024
Language: English
Print length: 280 pages

Review: Playing the Man (Watkins Glen Gladiators Book 6) by V. L. Locey

Rating: 4.5🌈

V. L. Locey’s Watkins Glen Gladiators series is such a special warmhearted group of stories and characters. Locey’s gift of being able to bring a fully immersive universe such as the Watkins Glen Gladiators AHL team to life, then fill it up with characters that a reader will find endlessly fascinating, entertaining (looking at you,Greck),amazingly diverse, and always endearing,that’s what makes it so lovely.

Her stories are humorous, realistic, and filled with people stumbling through life as best they can, a HFN on their way to a HEA. Filled with cats, and as here, a pack of rescue dogs as real as their owner, and locations we’ve come to know as well.

The slow paced romantic relationship between 38 year old Tanner “Fossie” LaBrie of the Watkins Glen Gladiators and Keyshaun Williams, successful gym owner, is low angst, supported by both their families in a way we get to really enjoy the family dynamics and interactions, and understand the true nature of the men themselves.

There’s no real drama. Between them that is. It’s on the ice as the Gladiator’s go for the Cup in exciting scenes and memorable plays. Without the recuperating Fossie who has to watch from the sidelines. That’s the reality too.

Locey doesn’t make a mistake here. Not on or off the ice. It’s a relationship that’s still very much in play but going forward in the right direction. I love this. Realistic expectations and grounded.

Plus we get a very special wedding and vows. That’s the ice on the Cup!

A highly anticipated story in a lovely series hit the goals and more.

Watkins Glen Gladiators:

Between The Pipes #1
Defending The House #2
Dump and Chase #3
Taking The Body #4
Reading The Play #5
Playing The Man #6

Buy

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Playin…Playing the Man (Watkins Glen Gladiators #6)

Blurb

If only getting back into playing shape were as easy as falling in love…

Tanner LaBrie—aka Fossie to his teammates—is feeling every bit of his thirty-eight years. His shoulder aches when it’s cold, his arms need to be longer to see the crossword puzzle app on his phone, and his knees are incredibly unhappy about the abuse they’ve taken. During one of the final games of the regular season, one of his weary joints decides to give way. The need for surgery is not a surprising one for Tanner. He’s been putting it off for years, but escaping the knife is not an option now. Post-surgery rehab is a son-of-a-gun, but if Tanner is anything, it’s stubborn. Just ask any of his ex-boyfriends. So when his therapist suggests finding a local yoga group, he scoffs at first. Unsure of how he would fit in with the gals in leotards, he nonetheless signs up for a class at his local gym where the teacher is not at all the person listed on the signup form. Not that Fossie is complaining when Keyshaun Williams, the enigmatic and sexy gym owner, shows up with a floral exercise mat, some whale song CDs, and a smile that nearly erases how out of place the defenseman feels.

Keyshaun Williams is living the life he has always dreamed of…for the most part. His new business is a huge success, his family is happy and healthy, and his sister—the only somewhat straight triplet—is a few weeks away from giving birth to twins while his brother is about to open a franchise of Williams Wellness in Buffalo. Yep, life is looking pretty darn great for the former Army dietician/Golden Gloves boxer. Great aside from the quiet house he goes home to every night. Being a few years on the other side of thirty has him seeking someone to settle down with, raise a family, maybe adopt some dogs or raise some goats. Heck, maybe dogs and goats. A man could dream, right? And yes, dreamy would describe the towering, mature, stunningly attractive D-man for the local hockey team who has, it seems, signed up for a senior yoga class that Keyshaun is leading as his sister nests and eats far too many chocolate-covered jalapenos. Tanner LaBrie ticks all his boxes as well as a few he didn’t even know he had. Maybe those long looks the hockey player has been shooting his way for months means Tanner is interested in more than achieving the perfect camel pose?

Playing the Man is a low-angst, small-town, queer hockey romance starring a rehabbing hockey player, a personable gym owner, a fitness center filled with snoopy seniors, meddling but well-meaning siblings, rescue dogs, tons of namaste, and one barktastic happy ever after.

Publication date: September 21, 2024
Language: English
Print length: 192 pages

Review: Forbidden Puckboy (Puckboys Book 7) by Saxon James and Eden Finley

Rating: 5🌈

Forbidden Puckboy is exactly why I love this series so. It contains all the elements that makes this series so special and the couple’s journey a story I’m so excited to be a part of.

Saxon James and Eden Finley included everything that I adore about hockey romance and this series in Forbidden Puckboy. It has all the Collective (the LGBTQIA NHL hockey franchise players group we’ve gotten to know), it’s got great hockey humor and one the ice scenes that shows the authors love and knowledge of the game. The book has, near and dear to my heart, communication within the characters about their relationship, introspection about their own experiences and behaviors, and well defined character development.

Love this!

There’s also no immediate happy ending or solution for the characters and couple. They, instead have to work, realistically, to keep the relationship going, given their careers.

Everything about the book, even the quick timeline, makes sense while being sexy, realistic, compelling, and true.

I adored Easton and Knox but older brother Conner too who was such a well written character, with layers that slowly revealed themselves.

Kudos to the authors on an outstanding performance in a long held series. Great job all around.

I’m looking forward to seeing what the next book brings.

Puckboys:

Egotistical Puckboy #1
Irresponsible Puckboy #2
Shameless Puckboy #3
Foolish Puckboy #4
Clueless Puckboy #5
Bromantic Puckboy #6
Forbidden Puckboy #7
Possessive Puckboy #8 – March 27,2025

Buy link

Forbidden Puckboy (Puckboys Book 7)

Blurb

Easton

You know what’s the worst feeling in the world? Being in love with someone since you were twelve years old, knowing they only see you as a little brother type.

Not even becoming an NHL star has made him realize I’m all grown up now.

All of that changes when I ask my brother’s best friend to ref a charity match and we spend an entire week in each other’s pocket.

Being close to him is torture, but for the first time since my adolescent crush started, I begin to feel hope. I swear Knox looks at me the same way I look at him. Or so I think. When I throw myself at him and get utterly rejected, I never want to see him again.

Yet, shaking him is impossible, because he and Connor are always around, and my older brother is suffocatingly protective. Every time I look at Knox, I’m reminded of how he turned me down.

Can’t I just die of embarrassment in peace?

Knox

The Kiki brothers are legendary in the NHL world. Thick as thieves, unstoppable on the ice, and the kind of family nothing can come between. Or so I thought.

For the last ten years, I’ve successfully hidden my feelings for the middle Kiki brother. Easton is snarky, determined, and the prettiest guy I’ve met. Ever since we stumbled across each other on a gay dating app and shared our secrets, I’ve felt a connection to him that I haven’t had with anything else.

But Connor is my best friend and when it comes to his little brothers, “protective” doesn’t cover it. I’m determined to take my feelings for Easton to the grave, but after a week in close proximity to him, my willpower is ready to break.

All it takes is one charity hockey match, a drunken night out, and a forbidden kiss for me to know that Easton Kikishkin is it for me.

And unless I want to lose Connor, Easton will never be mine.

Publisher: Sadenverse Books (September 19, 2024)
Publication date: September 19, 2024
Language: English
Print length: 274 pages

Review: Power of the Mind (Shadowy Solutions Book 2) by Nicky James

Rating: 4.75🌈

I’m not sure if Shadowy Solutions won’t surpass Valor and Doyle as the series I come to adore the most. Just based on the three novels that James has given us, the characters of Shadowy Solutions have me in their thrall totally and anxiously waiting for more.

It’s been 3 months since the last case, time frame, 10 months since they met during the events that occurred previously. Diem Krause, ex cop, overburdened PI, scarred , damaged man that he is, can’t get

the intriguing Tallus Domingo, PD records clerk, out of his head.

Tallus, with his own fascination with this huge, quiet dangerous man, will let nothing stop himself from pursuing a relationship with Diem, no matter what the obstacles he throws up between them.

James has built and continues to construct two incredibly powerful, complicated men who are almost magnetically connected to each other but who are also fighting one’s inner demons that’s keeping them apart. It’s a compelling, moving dynamic that’s being developed and one that connects the reader instantly to these men.

With the relationship as a foundation and as a way to propel the story forward, James creates an interesting mystery that’s as layered as the characters and relationships found here. It starts with Memphis, old friend of Tallus’, who decides to have his fortune told and swings into a mysterious investigation that sees a crossover with Valor and Doyle, bringing suspense and excitement.

It’s a great story, excellent character development, exciting scenes, and just such emotional moments that make this a series to watch and put on your must read list.

Highly recommend!

Shadowy Solutions:

Invisible Scars – prequel

Skeletons in the Closet #1

Power of the Mind #2

Connected and preceding series in the same universe:

Valor and Doyle (7 book series)

Buy link

Power of the Mind (Shadowy Solutions Book 2)

Blurb

It’s not a real case, he’s not my boyfriend, and we aren’t partners.

Three lies I told myself for survival.

After ten months of shamefully stalking and showing up randomly on Tallus’s doorstep at midnight (for reasons), the sinfully hot records clerk decided he’d had enough of my games.

In fact, he went out of his way to bring me the most ridiculous case (it was not a case) on the planet as an excuse to push me over the line (he wanted a date). Our arrangement (hooking up) didn’t suit him any longer.

Could I say no? Of course not (this was Tallus).

Five days, I told him. Five days to prove his silly theory, then we were done.

Little did I know, Tallus had a deadline of his own.

Investigating a mind-controlling-murdering psychic was hard enough (because it was not a thing), but resisting Tallus’s charm was the real challenge.

It turned out, I was wrong about a few things.

The case might be a case after all.

Tallus had potential as a partner.

And after all was said and done…

I wasn’t sure I could let him go.

Publication date: September 12, 2024
Language: English
Print length: 431 pages

Review: Bound To His Oath (Mafia Mayhem – The Italian Connection, #1) by Aja Foxx

Rating: 3.5🌈

I was looking for something quick and different from the fantasy/paranormal fiction I’d been reading, so I grabbed up Bound To His Oath (Mafia Mayhem – The Italian Connection, #1) by Aja Foxx.

It was enjoyable, definitely a quick read, and tons of characters as well as various other elements as Foxx is setting up the universe for the series.

After reading the story, it seems we will be following the romances of several mafia bosses and their respective partners, ones we meet already “coupled up” here at the end.

But it’s Nico and Luca’s story that comes first. It’s a young love, established from childhood, that’s been crushed by one man’s ambitiously cruel parents. The background is revealed by the characters as events play out.

I’m not sure how logical or even plausible some of these events are given the publication date is August 24 , 2024. A big deal is made of gay marriage being legal in Canada (with the couple fleeing to the border) at a time it’s perfectly legal in the USA. Also, Luca,as a juvenile, was falsely imprisoned and his criminally connected family were not informed/involved or retaliated. That element is not explained enough here.

The couple and their relationship is very romantic. The beginning, the rescue, sweeping Nico literally off his feet into a plane and away to a new home. That they’re reunited after years apart but seemingly just fine felt too “Cinderfella” , but in line with the rest of the book.

Of course, there’s much more to it. A villainous family, a loving Italian mafia family and fabulous villa, a veritable chest of superficially crafted characters and plots lines lay within.

It’s enjoyable without having to be invested in the plot or characters. There’s just not enough depth or discernible growth written into the relationship or events to make the characters actions feel realistic. Entertaining? Certainly. And that’s how I took it.

One of the couple’s met here and who played important roles towards the end are the focus of the next book. It tells the tale of they got together. I expect that’s the format for each couple seen as an established pair here.

Foxx also has an arc mystery plot and that’s interesting enough for me to continue reading the series.

Buy link

Bound To His Oath (Mafia Mayhem – The Italian Connection)

Blurb

“Do you honestly think I’d let you marry someone else? You’ve been mine since I took your first kiss. I was just giving you time to grow up.”

~ Nico ~

I was five years old the day we met, twelve when I figured out that I was going to love him for the rest of my life. When I turned sixteen, he gave me my first kiss…and then my world ended. I never believed the things people had said about him. He was not the bad boy everyone seemed to think he was. I’d seen his heart and it was pure gold. I just wish I’d had a chance to keep it before they took him away from me.

~ Luca ~

I was ten years old the day we met. By the time I was twelve I knew that I was going to love him for the rest of my life. When he turned sixteen, I gave him his first kiss…and then my world was ripped apart. I wasn’t the bad boy everyone seemed to think I was, but I refused to show anyone my heart except him, and they had taken him away from me.

Publication date: August 24, 2024
Language: English
Print length: 170 pages

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