Category: M/M Romance

Review: It Doesn’t Translate by Ofelia Gränd

Rating: 4.5🌈

Another short fantastical story by the strange, imaginative mind of author Ofelia Grand. It Doesn’t Translate originated as a casual bunch of texts amongst a group of friends/authors who wondered about a wandering (very dead) body that would pop up in various places, no matter the context, universe, or even trope.

Before long a series, the Tattooed Corpse stories, was born.

“Different time, different place, same body” How irresistible.

It Doesn’t Translate by Ofelia Gränd is a LGBTQIA SYFY short story that I desperately want to see a sequel to.

I adored the characters, this weirdly wonderful, and fascinating universe, and the relationships that are forged within a human owned Hamburger joint on a small space station near a ravaged Earth.

There’s human Max Welch, proud owner of on The Lunar Terminal, a small fake city, that was home to the barest of essentials. A barber, a grocery store, a fuel station, bathhouse, healthcare center, and Max’s Hamburger Bar, a small restaurant that served the local and ships that docked.

Quam, a reptoid, is Max’s best friend, bodyguard, side orders cook if needed, and casual guide to the alien world all around him as Max is pretty the only human being outside of Earth, one of the few left.

This story is supposed to be a one of simple short, a kind of quickie tale but it’s not. Grand is far too deeply bent an author, narratively speaking, (and I mean that in the best way possible) for this not to have multiple storylines and just so many different well defined characters that reach out to grab the reader’s attention and imagination.

There is a pirate infestation and alien being trafficking aspect here, one that threatens Max. A fabulous mate match element, not one but potentially several. A dead body (yes that one), and so many more appealing and downright interesting storyline threads that the author has built into this short tale that the mind wants to follow its journey through to the end is woven with endless possibilities.

We want to know what happened to Earth and the rest of the population. Where are those fabulous dairy products coming from? What did happen to that one pirate? Did they help Quam date? I have a page of things I need to know!

I want to send bribes, so many bribes to Grand, to get her to continue this story and characters forward with more adventures.

Is the story perfect? Not exactly.

There’s a tiny quibble. It’s over a typical mindset.

“And I’m not allowed to carry you?” Noir held his arms open.”

Definitely not, I’m not a girl.”

“Girls get carried?” “

“Well, no, but guys definitely don’t.”

It wasn’t that hard to understand, was it?

Noir shrugged.

— It Doesn’t Translate by Ofelia Gränd

I hope to see this gendered type of behavior less and less in the coming years. There’s a sort of a start. But, tbh, does it really matter what the gender in how someone is carrying another? Especially if one is an alien and the other is perceived to be injured? I say let’s leave gender and sex out of this, and let the scene and storyline prompt the action.

It Doesn’t Translate is a fantastic short story, ending far too quickly for me and the characters. Grand is such an inventive writer and the world building is so satisfying that it cries out for more than a single tale.

I’m definitely recommending this book and author. Check them both out.

Tattooed Corpse Stories:

◦ The Worth His Salt (ghost story and lighthouse)

✓ It Doesn’t Translate (syfi universe)

Buy Link:

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Doesnt-…Kindle – It Doesn’t Translate eBook : Gränd, Ofelia

Blurb:

Noir Kioko had only ever seen one human before his undercover work brought him to the diner at the Luna Terminal, and that was at a distance. Humans are rare, most of them disappear without a trace, and he hopes hanging around the restaurant will give him a lead on the smuggling ring he’s investigating. There was no way he could’ve known the human would turn out to be his mate, and no way he can let it show without putting his mate in danger and possibly jeopardising his mission.

Max Welch is the proud owner of the only restaurant within a light year’s distance. He left Earth four years ago to create a better life for himself, but he hadn’t considered the possibility of scary alien pirates making his restaurant their favourite hangout spot. As a measly human there isn’t much he can do about it, but as one of the pirates starts coming by almost every day he has to come up with something before he loses all his customers. That the giant cat man is rather nice to look at changes nothing.

When rumours of another human arriving at the space station start to circulate, Noir’s species trafficking infiltrate and observe only mission may need a revamp. But will Noir be able to protect his mate and another one of his rare species?

• Publisher: JMS Books LLC (March 17, 2021)

• Publication date: March 17, 2021

• Print length: 100 pages

Review: Family and Reflection (The Sleepless City #3 ) by Anne Barwell

Rating: 4.5🌈

I’m jumping around this remarkable paranormal series by authors Anne Barwell and Elizabeth Noble as I recently discovered it by reading the second book in the series. That story, the fascinating universe that these authors were creating was something that immediately drew me into the narrative. From its location of Boggslake, a small historical Ohio town situated alongside Lake Erie with all its atmospheric layers , to that odd expanding group of found family of supernatural beings plus a human as well as a dog, I was all in.

Then Barwell and Noble introduced a twist or two on the fated mate/soul bound trope, and I was more than committed, I was delighted with the idea that, fated mates didn’t equal instant love but instead perhaps a more thoughtful approach for both men, including dismay, hilarity, dismissals, before finally finding acceptance. Yes, that works.

So here , it’s an exploration between two species that , in this series, have a serious animosity towards each other, even if the individuals themselves have a friendship that is looking to go further.

That’s the current werewolf and vampire species. There’s also the arc storyline and threatening mystery that’s involved multiple murders, several mysterious creatures, and an ongoing hunt for the mastermind behind it all.

All these complicated plot threads and the characters and elements converge together as Lucas Coate, werewolf (estranged from his pack) is asked for help from his sister to solve a horrific mystery. But the vampire Declan, recently returned from abroad, is being framed for thefts around town, and now needs help from his friends at Boggs Castle to find the real thief. All while dealing with this attraction to Lucas and the new soulbond of his friend/long time vampire lover, Jonas Forge to Blair.

This story has complicated relationships that speak to complex layered dynamics between friends and family, friends and their own lovers, friends and their long term friends. All woven into storylines that have murders, mysteries, and developing romances.

It’s not entirely satisfactory an ending because the arc storyline has one more book before it can be completed. So the elements I feel were left unfinished here were probably done so for a purpose. I won’t know exactly until that last novel is read.

I get the feeling that everything is fitting together like a puzzle piece and so now it’s off to finish the puzzle. But first back to grab up that first story before I can finish up.

I’m highly impressed with the series and authors. It’s a must read. Dare I say, don’t do as I did, and read them in order? Yes! Do that!

The Sleepless City:

◦ Shades of Sepia #1 by Elizabeth Noble

✓ Electric Candle #2 by Elizabeth Noble

✓ Family and Reflection #3 by Anne Barwell

◦ Shifting Chaos #4 by Anne Barwell

Sequel Series:

The Vampire Guard by Elizabeth Noble:

◦ Code Name: Jack Rabbit #1

◦ Quarry #2

◦ Endosymbiont #3

Buy Link:

Family and Reflection (The Sleepless City Book 3)

Blurb:

When a rebel werewolf and a vampire thief fall in love, only one thing is certain—trouble.

For as long as Lucas Coate can remember, werewolves have been taught to mistrust vampires. Lucas is an exception—he has close friends who are vampires. The werewolf pack in Boggslake—and their leader, Jacob Coate—have made it clear that Lucas’s association with vampires is barely tolerated, and another transgression will be his last. When Lucas finds out about the plague of werewolf deaths in the area, he wants to help even though his own life may already be in danger.

Declan has been away from Boggslake for ten years, but he isn’t surprised to learn that the internal politics of the Supernatural Council haven’t changed for the better. When a series of burglaries hit close to home soon after he arrives, Declan—a vampire and professional thief—is their prime suspect, although for once, he isn’t responsible. With the council keeping secrets, no one is safe. Time is running out, and for Lucas and Declan, everything is about to change.

Authors Note: This story was originally released in 2015 by another publisher. This edition has been re-edited with additional content.

• Publisher: LaceDragon Publishing; 2nd edition (September 11, 2020)

• Publication date: September 11, 2020

• Print length: 275 pages

Review: Electric Candle (The Sleepless City #1) by Elizabeth Noble

Rating: 4.5🌈

Such a fascinating series! A four-book series, with two authors, each writing two books a piece to complete the arc and couple storylines. And it works beautifully, flowing pretty seamlessly from one author’s narrative to the next.

Barwell and Noble have created a really remarkable paranormal universe.

It’s got a found family of supernatural beings (werewolves , vampires, and a ghost), one human, one dog, all of which are living in a haunted castle near Lake Erie in a small town of Boggslake, Ohio. The group has an unusual set of backstories among them, including a current history of unrest and animosity between different paranormal species. Specifically, between werewolf and vampire species which often will impact the group dynamics.

The authors, especially Noble here, offer a very different approach on the typical soulmate/soul bonding process. I really found this to be such a surprising and fascinating element of these characters and storylines.

Noble’s characters include a very old vampire who needs antihistamines . And upon discovering the person who’s his soulmate, isn’t instantly rapturous over the thought but instead thinks that person is a bit of a naive idiot ,definitely not soulmate material. Nope, no instant love , more deep mortification.

Noble’s story involves a several current murders, possibly a deeper connection to mysterious deaths in the past, and plenty of slow revelations about each species and the dynamics within Boggs Castle, as the new relationships being forged.

I’m absolutely hooked. The characters are a marvelous combination of well developed personalities but leaving just the right amount of mystery to their respective backgrounds that the reader just needs to know more.

Plus the author’s folds in the Lake, as it’s called there, perfectly, using its unique allure, scary qualities, and beauty to a narrative charm.

I can’t wait to read all the books in this series.

Start here, it’s an excellent read and got so many new twists to familiar elements.

The Sleepless City:

✓ Electric Candle #1 by Elizabeth Noble

◦ Shades of Sepia #2 by Elizabeth Noble

◦ Family and Reflection #3 by Anne Barwell

◦ Shifting Chaos #4 by Anne Barwell

Sequel Series:

The Vampire Guard by Elizabeth Noble:

◦ Code Name: Jack Rabbit #1

◦ Quarry #2

◦ Endosymbiont #3

Buy Link:

Electric Candle (The Sleepless City Book 2)

Blurb

When a vampire finds his soulmate, the bond is forever. It’s love at first sight.

Or is it?

Homicide Detective Jonas Forge has been a vampire for centuries. He’s fought wars, seen life go from the simple colonial days to the modern high-tech world. He’s evolved with the times, adapted to each new era, blended into each new life. The one constant is his best friend, mentor, and lover, Declan. Even though not fated to bond as soulmates, Forge and Declan are happy and settled in their life together.

Until Forge’s real soulmate falls, literally, into his life.

Forge isn’t thrilled with the guy, despite the pheromones attracting them to each other, and the feeling seems mutual. While trying to adjust to his clumsy soulmate and equally awkward feelings, Forge is also on the hunt for a serial-killer witnesses can’t identify who’s leaving a trail of bodies in its wake.

Will the bond Forge is finally forming with his soulmate be destroyed when the hunter becomes the victim?

If you like fated mates who aren’t perfect for each other, a paranormal killer who might not be caught and found families then you’ll love Elizabeth Noble’s Electric Candle

Review: A World Apart: An MM Urban Fantasy Romance (Learning to Breathe Book 2) by Carole Cummings and Andy Gallo

Rating: 5🌈

A World Apart picks up from the events of the last novel, A World Away, the first in Cummings and Gallo’s excellent LGBTQIA syfi series.

Best friends and now lovers, Camilo Almenara and Nathan Duffy have been through unbelievable hardships, family losses ,and challenges, which have included Nathan’s paralysis, then gaining the experimental implants that allowed the military to draft him and Cam. There’s a war going on, mages are real, and Nathan’s talent is so powerful, that along with Cam, the mission to find more talents on parallel worlds is one he’s already been assigned to.

The format the authors use for the story, a countdown of time as the mission draws near, then as it happens, is powerful.

It brings us into the anticipatory phase of the mission and everyone’s mindset as they are getting ready. All the multiple elements that occur, all the various , random stuff that plays into scenes and moments before an unknown mission. The reader is there, intimately inside their minds, with the characters. From friends, family, even if that family be high authority military figures themselves, Cummings and Gallo, makes the reader a part of the action, writing realistic and grounded dialogue that makes a futuristic story and alternate universe feel alive and familiar.

Then comes the mission.

From the highly anticipated to the emotionally charged and powerful, to the suspense sustained scenes as the revelations start to occur, the narrative is superb and the plotting tightly woven together and the depth of details outstanding.

Especially towards the climactic, horrifying scenes near the end.

No spoilers. But honestly, it’s heartbreaking at times. And as much as I wanted the authors to expand on parts of that ending, I’m not sure it wouldn’t have taken away from the emotional impact as it’s already written.

There’s so many questions left unanswered, so many compelling details that was definitely delivered in a short but important way at the end.

I have no idea if this series is over. I’m ok if it is. I’m ok if there’s more to come. Outstanding characters, an ever-expanding universe at war that it’s losing, children as gun fodder, sounds so familiar. Cummings and Gallo’s take on this old refrain is emotional and extremely well written.

I’m highly recommending both books, to be read in the order that they are written.

Learning To Breathe:

✓ A World Away #1

✓ A World Apart #2

Buy Link:

A World Apart: An MM Urban Fantasy Romance (Learning to Breathe Book 2)

Blurb:

There are an infinite number of universes and each has its own story. Not all of them have happy endings.

Two years after he nearly died, Nathan Duffy is living his dream. He and Camilo are finally the ‘them’ Nathan always wanted. But Nathan quickly learns everything comes with a price. The military gave him experimental implants that help him walk again, but he’s drafted and assigned to a dangerous, special ops, off-world unit. He and Camilo are together, but the military assigns Cam to the same dangerous mission. Nathan knows he’d do everything he can to keep Cam safe, even sacrifice himself to save the man he loves.

Two years after he nearly lost the only man he’s ever loved, Camilo Almenara refuses to let anything come between him and Nathan. Not his father, the military, nor Nathan’s irrational belief that only Cam’s life mattered. To ensure the man he loves comes home, Cam makes sure he is assigned to the same off world mission as Nathan. He knows the assignment is dangerous, but he believes they are stronger together than apart.

Misfortune strikes the operation, and two team members are captured. Nathan is forced assumes command and must work a resistance movement he doesn’t fully trust. The plan to rescue their friends hit unexpected resistance and Nathan cuts off communications with everyone in an attempt to save them all. Faced with his worst nightmare come true, Cam races to reach Nathan and convince him not to give up on ‘them.’

A World Apart is the 100K sequel to A World Away. It follows the established couple as they fight to build a life together in a dangerous world. This book includes an alternative universe, the continuation of a romance, and more selflessness as the two best friends struggle to transition from friends to lovers.

• Publication date: December 23, 2023

• Language: English

• Print length: 358 pages

Review: One (Angels of Wrath Book 1) by Paulina Ian-Kane

Rating:2.75🌈

I’ve been reading several newly discovered (to me) authors recently, one of which is Paulina Ian-Kane. Kane’s books, from the descriptions, fall under the trope of “psychopathic killers for good” dark romance fiction.

One, the first novel in the author’s Angels of Wrath series, follows one of a group of men rescued as children from a horrific, abusive secret government experimental program. All, either sold or kidnapped into the program, were initially diagnosed as young psychopaths. Then scientists, using torture techniques, tried turning them into assassins/soldiers for the military. They were “rescued” by a pair of doctors and adopted/fostered into a family arrangement that now hides their secret business of being assassins for justice, killing those that the law allows to go free.

There are other authors that have written this as a foundation for a series. Child psychopaths/ assassins formed families that now kill those that deserve it. One writer especially is associated with it.

After completing the story, I just feel that this book was just too derivative for my tastes and degree of comfort, starting with the format at the beginning, to multiple similarities with another well known series, imo.

That’s Onley James’ Necessary Evils , a series about an adopted/rescued group of child psychopaths who are assassins (popular among many as this trope is a favorite of mine and others). And I’m not alone in thinking One has many similar elements to that older, and imo, better written, series by James.

Some of these similarities between these two series include , later books with James:

1. Starting a chapter with the word Subject: and a name. Then treating it as a scientific document on the character.

2. The characters are children diagnosed as psychopaths, although it turns out not all are.

3. They are adopted by doctors. In James series’ a man, a woman in One.

4. Both families are extremely wealthy using their businesses to fund their secret projects

5. The manner in which each finds their “mate “ , especially the cinnamon roll character, feels so familiar.

There’s others things that come up, pros and cons narratively that had me struggling with this story , but there’s just enough of a difference in things and a nice twist that the book does eventually turn interesting.

However, not enough for me to consider continuing with this series. Each book will, naturally, contain the story for a different “brother “ as they find themselves a mate amongst the murder.

There’s two book out now with more planned.

I prefer Onley James’ Necessary Evils series. In comparison , it’s tighter in its plotting, its foundation and series arc is more fully realized, and its characters are more complex .

You decide which one to read.

Trigger warnings:

Heavy issues are also present. Talk of self-harming, killing and experimentation on children.”

— One (Angels of Wrath Book 1) by Paulina Ian-Kane

Angels of Wrath:

One #1

Six #2

Buy link

One (Angels of Wrath Book 1)

Blurb:

Michael Caldwell—medical examiner, odd, blood obsessed. His new life in Chicago consists of performing autopsies and eating chips while watching old detective series.

Until…

“He’s suddenly standing in front of me. Leather jacket, washed-out jeans, jet black hair.

His deep, green eyes are so intense on me I can barely breathe.

It’s in his crooked smile, bold flirting and confident—borderline conceited—behavior that I get lost.

The fact that he protects me five minutes later during an attempted robbery only reinforces my crazy-instant attraction toward him, though.

But there are shadows hiding in his gaze. And his apathetic yet possessive attitude confuses me.

Makes me care.

Makes me crave.

But then secrets come out and my life turns into a thriller movie.

Now I’m left wondering how this all started. And when the answer comes, I know I can never go back to my uneventful life. Would I even want to?

Would I be able to leave him?

‘Never again’, he whispers.”

WARNING-This is not a sci-fi angel story, unless you see eager vigilantes with a dark side as angels.

This is an action packed romance with an HEA and no cliffhangers. It features an over the top possessive psychopath, and a peculiar medical examiner with a stomach made of steel. There’s violence, torture (only of very bad people), dark humor, amazing side characters and very spicy scenes with blood play. Morality’s grey area is quite stretched in this story.

This is book one in the Angels of Wrath Series. Each book follows a different couple.

• Publisher: (August 23, 2023)

• Publication date: August 23, 2023

• Print length: 274 pages

Review: Taking the Body (Watkins Glen Gladiators #4) by V.L. Locey

Rating: 4.75🌈

Taking The Body just became my favorite of this series . I laughed so hard so much of the time when reading it, mostly due to the outrageous family tales related to various people by the main character, hockey player, Phil Greco. He’s such an entertaining and highly engaging person. Irish/Italian from Queens, New York, once he appears on the page, he’s got the reader’s total attention.

Locey must have had such an incredible time writing this man and his unique voice. He had me in stitches but he was also such a believable person, grounded in family and a recognizable location such as Flushing.

Frenchman Henri Gaudion, of Gaudion Winery, and his wonderful found family of staff, that includes his butler, Barnaby, is a well defined character and great match for gregarious Phil. His character is also a very poignant person. Locey has created in Henri such a relatable person and backstory. Henri’s background is one of loss, constant inter-family fighting over the winery and his sexuality, and finally, the ways in which Henri has isolated himself due to the fears caused by his illness and approaching blindness. His emotional walls are those of fear and experience.

Watching Phil moving through that previously ordered and quiet existence as seen and heard through both men’s perspectives is such a joy and utter blissful experience.

And that Locey wove The Nanny and Fran Drescher into this? Priceless!

The only thing that keeps the story from a total 5 rating is that the ending came about rather quickly. It feels too abrupt. Had that been extended to go into a little longer explanation of the situation, and not leaving that other renter hanging, then this would have been a 5+ story.

As it is, Taking the Body (Watkins Glen Gladiators #4) by V.L. Locey is my favorite of a lovely series. I hope to see more of this couple in the stories to come.

Watkins Glen Gladiators:

✓ Between The Pipes #1

✓ Defending The House #2

✓ Dump and Chase #3

✓ Taking The Body #4

Buy Link:

One’s from Flushing, New York, the other from Ambroise, France. Worlds, wit, and passions are about to collide!

Phil Greco is that player that every opponent and their fanbase hates but secretly wishes played for their team. Greck is a mouthy guy, high-spirited, and able to tweak nerves with relative ease. Having grown up with a large family he’d learned early that you had to fight for what you wanted. This is how a short, undrafted guy from Flushing made it as far as he had. It had taken no small amount of bull&*#*, grit, and plenty of wit. Generally that wit and grit was enough to get him on the top of the pileup but that’s not the case with Henri Gaudion, owner of Gaudion Winery. Ever since they’d met sparks have flown, and for the life of him, Phil cannot understand what it is about the suave, well-dressed, handsome French vintner that makes him so edgy. They have nothing in common aside from a love of Watkins Glen, so why does he keep finding himself so drawn to the lean man with the rapier wit? Sure, he was pretty, and did keep him on his toes, but Phil’s not the kind of fella to be drawn to such a fancy pants rich boy. How stupid would it be to think that a hoodlum like him could ever catch a man like Henri? Not that he wanted to catch the stuck-up winemaker…

Henri Gaudion has no time for shenanigans or those who engage in them, especially boorish braggarts on skates. Yes, he enjoys the game of hockey and having the Gladiators hockey team and the local gentry at his chalet overlooking Seneca Lake every Sunday for brunch, but that’s solely for keeping up appearances. Since the death of his father, he has devoted his life to ensuring the lands bequeathed to him produce the finest wines and champagne in the Finger Lakes district. Henri is a lonely, heartbroken man when the blinds are drawn and the erudite mask is dropped. He also has no room in his life for rowdy little men with bright smiles, cheeky winks, and heavily accented, fanciful tales about his large Italian family back in, of all places, Flushing. The pull that he’s feeling for Phil Greco must be some sort of glitch, or perhaps he’s been spending too much time in the tasting rooms. Whatever the reason, he is not about to let his attraction to Phil grow. It would be impossible for two such incompatible men to fall in love. Wouldn’t it?

Taking the Body is a low-angst, opposites attract queer hockey romance with a mouthy hockey player, a refined vintner, a whole lot of forced proximity, on-ice action, evenings spent sipping wine, a nosy butler, even nosier teammates, a large loving family, and a perfectly aged happy ending.

• Publication date: January 5, 2024

• Print length: 193 pages

Review: Dead Serious Case #4 Professor Prometheus Plume: MM Paranormal Romance & Dark Comedy (Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed) by Vawn Cassidy

Rating: 5🌈

Vawn Cassidy’s Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed is one of my favorite series. Dark humor, beautifully realized characters, and extremely well executed plots that convey the heartbreak and the joy of love and romance, the horror and hope of experiencing life and losing it, as well as the light and darkness that exists beyond. It’s all there in every story.

Each book revolves around a case of a dead person. Sometimes it’s horrifying, sometimes hilariously funny or tragic and traumatic. Sometimes it’s both sad and frightening. And all these things.

In Dead Serious Case #3 Mr Bruce Reyes #3, the small group, Inspector Danny Hayes, forensic pathologist Tristan Everett, ghost Dusty Le Frey, and her boyfriend, ghost Bruce Abernathy, among others, helped save the world. A scary, horrific tale, even if being immensely satisfying.

Now, Cassidy has written a fabulous story, one that’s naturally got a crime, a murder, a manor house full of the most wildly entertaining and exasperating people and ghosts. A natural bookend to the one prior.

The story opens up, realistically and wryly in the morgue, with an extremely exhausted Tristan trying to complete an examination, with ghostly onlookers inference. The outcome of this wonderful scenario will see two very tired men on a much needed holiday. One of which keeps trying to find the perfect place to propose.

What ensues is absolute narrative perfection. Amidst high comedy, murder most theatrical, and ghostly antics at The Ashton-Drake Manor House Hotel, Cassidy’s also includes the raw issues these men face and the daily pain of their experiences. There’s an emotional reunion between Danny and his long estranged family, as well the wrenching emotional scenes of Tris trying to come to terms with the reality of his father’s approaching death from dementia.

The hijinks , murder included, to be found at the Manor, is a romp over the reality that Danny and Tris have left behind. When I say that Cassidy has created new characters and moments so quietly hilarious that I’d say they were “spew worthy” is to be understated.

Ah, Dilys! This the ancient, tiny bartender will forever be held responsible for the wine stains on the carpet as I giggled away at her approach!

I fell so deeply in love with everyone at The Ashton-Drake Manor House Hotel, alive and ghostly, that I want the author to revisit this location and entertaining little group of inhabitants, whether it’s by a individual book or story in this series in the future. They are simply so perfect to consign to one book.

Throughout the events that occur and the characters that make up the zaniness’s of this investigation, this is one fabulous piece of murder that ranks among my favorite books of the year.

Of course, it’s a gift from the author, because the ending proves that this has always been a part of the larger universe and the scary enlarging arc the author’s been creating.

So amazing. Breathtaking really. For now we are halfway prepared for the darkness to come.

The is a series that’s an absolute must read, but do it in the order that the books are written. Highly recommended, at the top of my rec list.

Fabulous cover as usual.

Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed:

✓ Dead Serious Case #1 Miz Dusty Le Frey #1

✓ Dead Serious Case #2 Mrs Delores Abernathy #2

✓ Dead Serious Case #3 Mr Bruce Reyes #3

✓ Dead Serious Case #4 Professor Prometheus Plume #4

◦ Dead Serious Case #5 Madame Vivienne: Schedule 2024

Buy Link:

Dead Serious Case #4 Professor Prometheus Plume: MM Paranormal Romance & Dark Comedy (Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed)

Blurb:

Inspector Danny Hayes has something very important to ask his boyfriend Tristan Everett. Over the past six months they’ve survived reapers, chaos monsters, and biblical storms, not to mention averting an apocalypse. So, what’s left to do but pop the big question?

Tristan is ready for a break from world-saving, spectral crises, and most definitely from ghosts. He wants some one-on-one time with his boyfriend, preferably horizontally. So when their Boxing Day celebrations result in a drunken booking of a romantic New Year’s getaway at a quiet little hotel near the wilds of the north Yorkshire moors, Tristan can’t wait.

But as usual nothing ever goes according to plan. Snowed in during an unexpected murder mystery weekend at what turns out to be one of the most haunted hotels in Northern England is not what they had in mind, but when one of the actors turns up really dead not just fake dead, they once again find themselves caught up in another investigation.

With only one night to figure out who the killer is while wrangling a multitude of overly helpful ghosts, Tristan begins to wonder if romance really is dead…

• Publisher: (December 31, 2023)

• Publication date: December 31, 2023

• Print length: 285 pages

Review: Kraken Klaus: A winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance by Charlotte Brice

Rating: 3🌈

A crossover with Charlotte Brice’s ShiftARS series, Kraken Klaus has some interesting ideas and mythology woven into the romance storyline of a young mershifter in his first job aboard a ocean liner and the kraken, God of the Sea, he awakens.

The character of Moshe is very appealing. Young, impressionable, and good hearted, the author gives Moshe an equally interesting history and background to accompany his endearing personality.

Brice skimps on the information about his immediate family life, his mother and imposing, often absent , famous Captain of a father. Those details are needed to understand why Moshe is so underrated and ignorant of Mer history.

Also a good plot line but not fully explored was the toxic dumping. There was more structure that needed to be laid down for this story line. It’s a major part of the book but at the end, the reader is still left with a number of questions about why no one notices on board ship that this is going on at sea , what ever happens to Moshe’s father, the toxic investigation results, etc. That’s all discarded in favor of the romance.

The romance is the main plot, of course. Lots of tentacles and tentacles sex, with a bit of kink. FYI. The newly awakened Kraken is detailed in his looks and lack of current knowledge of the status quo between humans , shifters and such. That made total sense. But oddly not as powerful as one might expect for a God of the Sea. Seemed more Kraken Lite.

Ryuu does a narrative service here by revealing much of the backstory behind the Mermaid/Mer shifters and why they have been so land removed, rarely being able to shift into their original forms. It’s a mixture of myths, sort of paying the price for wanting legs.

The siren aspect is unclear as it’s brought in very late in the story.

However, how Brice describes and handles it, makes me want so much more. And have it brought in earlier on so it felt more like an overall part of the story than an add on. It was one of my favorite things about the story and Moshe’s character. Over way too soon.

Spoilers.The ending, nicely dramatic, had too many loose ends and odd moments. Moshe just forgot about his family and ran off to live in an underwater palace with Ryuu the Kraken, complete with a kitchen and tea kettle of sorts. And lots of edible moss . Forever.

All in all, Kraken Klaus: A winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance by Charlotte Brice has some interesting elements and some really sexy moments. A grab bag of fun and tentacles under the sea. But it didn’t quite gel for me. It might for you.

You read the description and decide for yourself.

Tinsel and Tentacles (11 books)

◦ Jingle Bells and Elder Gods by Kiernan Kelly

✓ All I Want for Christmas is Tentacles by Chloe Archer ❤️🫶

◦ Tentacles and Other Stocking Stuffers by Delaney Rain

◦ Tentacles Rock by K.C. Carmine

✓ A Sucker for Christmas by J.P. Sayle

✓ Kraken Klaus by Charlotte Brice

◦ Twelve Days of Squidmas by H.L. Hiers

◦ It’s a Tenta-ful Life by Amanda Muewissen

✓ Rebel without a Claus by L Eveland

✓ Cthulhu for Christmas by Meghan Maslow ❤️🫶

◦ Tentacle Wonderland by Reese Morrison – Jan 1,2024

Buy Link:

Kraken Klaus: A winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance

Blurb:

This is not your typical Christmas story. Sure, it’s set on a Christmas holiday cruise liner. Of course there is a roast turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Yes, there are presents, chocolate and tinsel…

…but there are also tentacles. And we all know that is what you came for.

When Moshe realises his fellow mer crew are dumping toxic chemicals into the sea, under the guise of holiday cruises, he is horrified.

When the only song he can ever remember lures up a giant sea octopus, he can finally stop his own people from polluting the sea.

But Ryuu has other things on his mind. He responded to the song of his mate. Sure, he’ll destroy the boat for his love, but Moshe demands the passengers be unharmed.

Thank goodness the ShiftARS are there to do the actual work, these two are very easily distracted by all the wonderful Christmas things Moshe will leave behind when he joins Ryuu out at sea.

Ryuu couldn’t deny his boy a final experience of Christmas, even if he doesn’t understand stuff like the forest of chocolate trees, or the Christmas Daddy.

Kraken Klaus is part of the Tinsel and Tentacles multi-author collaboration and a complete standalone.

Want more tantalizingly tentacular winter holiday romances? Grab the whole series!

Review: A Sucker for Christmas: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance by J P Sayle

Rating: 3.5🌈

J P Sayle’s A Sucker for Christmas is a fun, sweet addition to the Winter Holiday Tentacle collection.

A best friends to lovers story with an added twist of one of them being an octopus shifter, there’s not a lot a universe building or exploration of the octopus shifter culture here. It’s a soulmate relationship, where the shifter recognizes his mate early on in life, in this case, at the age 4, but again no real background is known other than Fitch’s parents revealing their own human/octopus courtship.

However, even without a shifter framework, this does cutely work on the misunderstandings/doubts that occur between two established best friends who are afraid to take the next step into a romance.

There’s the sister Mandy to assist with this, and the madcap events that follow.

There are many questions about the relationship, the culture, that never really get answered. But the characters are adorable and the Australian location perfect for the romance.

Christmas down under style with octopus tentacles . Very cute.

Tinsel and Tentacles (11 books)

◦ Jingle Bells and Elder Gods by Kiernan Kelly

✓ All I Want for Christmas is Tentacles by Chloe Archer ❤️🫶

◦ Tentacles and Other Stocking Stuffers by Delaney Rain

◦ Tentacles Rock by K.C. Carmine

✓ A Sucker for Christmas by J.P. Sayle

✓ Kraken Klaus by Charlotte Brice

◦ Twelve Days of Squidmas by H.L. Hiers

◦ It’s a Tenta-ful Life by Amanda Muewissen

✓ Rebel without a Claus by L Eveland

✓ Cthulhu for Christmas by Meghan Maslow ❤️🫶

◦ Tentacle Wonderland by Reese Morrison – Jan 1,2024

Buy Link:

A Sucker for Christmas: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance

Blurb:

An annual Christmas vacation to Australia gives two long-term friends more than they bargained for—love. But one of them has a secret that could suck in more ways than one.

Fitch found his soulmate, Shaun, when they were both four years old, but they were separated by two things, a couple of oceans and their age. Not to mention the secret Fitch has been keeping. The fact you can turn into an octopus at will isn’t the kind of thing to be sprung on anyone, especially a soul mate.

Every winter, Shaun heads down under to spend Christmas with his family. For the last twenty years, he’s spent his favorite holiday surfing and lazing around on golden beaches with his best friend, Fitch. Shaun wants more than friendship, however, but has no clue how to get the man of his dreams to see him as more than a friend. Enter Mandy, Shaun’s sister, and Christmas is all set to become an adventure with hilarious consequences.

Fitch and Shaun are about to find out how to deal with the discovery that true love comes with suckers.

A Sucker for Christmas: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance is part of the Tinsel and Tentacles multi-author collaboration and a complete standalone. Expect to find steam worthy of an Olympian swimmer and laugh out loud moments that will make your ribs ache. Want more tantalizingly tentacular winter holiday romances? Grab the whole series!

• Publisher: (December 4, 2023)

• Publication date: December 4, 2023

• Print length: 222 pages

Review: Rebel without a Claus: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance by L Eveland

Rating: 3.5🌈

Rebel without a Claus takes place within a favorite universe of mine, that of L Eveland’s Culinary Creatures. It’s a rare world where all species exist together, with humans being on the lower level just because of their lesser physical abilities. Moth people? Shifters and vampires? Tentacles? It hasn’t mattered because whatever the individual character’s physiology, it’s just the norm here. The author’s writing is just so outstanding at making it believable.

The four books that make up the main series excel on multiple levels, plots, characters, locations, and surrounding those incredible beings with a culture to match them.

I enjoyed the rocky romance of the winter athletes , human Rebel Rhail and tentacled being Vic Amares, as they work their way through misunderstandings and resentments in a snowed in cabin near a Canadian airport. As always Eveland makes the seemingly impossible seem real and commonplace, their stories and frustrations become relatable as does their pentup sexual feelings towards each other.

But what I am missing here is how the author would have given the reader an idea of what the community and culture that Vic Amares comes from. We get bits and pieces but nothing like the rich depiction that I have seen before. I would have been delighted if more of that, and any type of cultural connection to have been pulled in the relationship.

It leaves this story with some of the best examples of that universe (like the characters) but missing the richness of the whole.

L Eveland is an auto read and this is a good read. Add it to your list this season.

Tinsel and Tentacles (11 books)

◦ Jingle Bells and Elder Gods by Kiernan Kelly

✓ All I Want for Christmas is Tentacles by Chloe Archer ❤️🫶

◦ Tentacles and Other Stocking Stuffers by Delaney Rain

◦ Tentacles Rock by K.C. Carmine

◦ A Sucker for Christmas by J.P. Sayle

◦ Kraken Klaus by Charlotte Brice

◦ Twelve Days of Squidmas by H.L. Hiers

◦ It’s a Tenta-ful Life by Amanda Muewissen

✓ Rebel without a Claus by L Eveland

✓ Cthulhu for Christmas by Meghan Maslow ❤️🫶

◦ Tentacle Wonderland by Reese Morrison – Jan 1,2024

Buy Link:

Rebel without a Claus: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance

Blurb:

I’m stranded in the middle of nowhere with my rival on Christmas eve. There may only be one bed, but he’s got six frustratingly attractive tentacles…

Rebel

Getting snowed in with Vic Amares is a nightmare come true. He’s been nothing but a pain in my ass ever since he appeared in the league with his ridiculously talented tentacles, that handsome smile, and those dimples…

I hate everything about him. It’d take a Christmas miracle for us to find common ground. Unfortunately for me, all we’ve got is this cabin we’ve been forced to share out in the middle of nowhere.

Yet there’s something about him I find undeniably sexy, despite his obsession with a holiday I detest. I can’t let him find out I’m attracted to him. If I can survive his constant attempts to cheer me up, his singing, and his cooking, I might just be able to live this down.

Vic

Snowed in with the Rebel Rhail? I can’t believe my luck! He’s been my inspiration, my hero, and my crush for years. I’ve even been working on a new snowboarding move just to impress him.

No matter how many times I’ve tried to strike up a conversation with Rebel, he’s remained distant, but I’ll do anything to win.

This holiday snowstorm is my chance to win his heart once and for all. I have a plan to show him how much he means to me.

If he thought my tentacles were hard to beat on a snowboard, just wait until I show him what I can do with them in the bedroom…

Rebel without a Claus: A Holiday MM Tentacle Romance is part of the Tinsel and Tentacles multi-author collaboration and a complete standalone but set in the same universe as L Eveland’s Culinary Creatures series. You should expect a tale of sports rivals forced to share a cabin with only one bed, an unexpected holiday snowstorm, and more talented tentacles than you can shake a snowboard at!

Want more tantalizingly tentacular winter holiday romances? Grab the whole series!

an MM sports rivals to lovers romance between a sweet, Christmas loving tentacle monster and a human grinch. While the story is relatively low angst, Rebel is somewhat mean to Vic at the beginning. I promise, he comes around.”

— Rebel without a Claus: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance by L Eveland

Culinary Creatures universe story