Tag: m/m romance

Review: Something Stinks at the Spa (The ABC’s of Spellcraft Book 3) by Jordan Castillo Price

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Rating: 4.5🌈:

In Book 3 of The ABC’s of Spellcraft series by Jordan Castillo Price, Something Stinks at the Spa, our main couple, Dixon and Yuri , are continuing their search for Dixon’s magical wayward Uncle Fonzo.

A seemingly focus of chaos wherever he lands, Uncle Fonzo is yet to be revealed as either a villain or a hero. Or something interestingly in between.

Here he’s been traced to Spring Falls Hot Spring Spa, so Dixon and Yuri speed over from their last town to see if they can catch him.

Magical hijinks, more couple bonding, and lots of humor follow! Both men continue to grow further into their roles as Scriveners and Seers. Apart and as partners. Each story finds them exploring new possibilities for their magical abilities and the mysteries manage to challenge the pair , strengthening their skills as they finish each event.

Next up, maybe Uncle Fonzo!

I’m recommending this and the highly entertaining series.

The ABC’s of Spellcraft series:

✓ Quill Me Now #1

✓ Trouble in Taco Town #2

✓ Something Stinks at the Spa #3

◦ Dead Man’s Quill #4

◦ Last But Not Lease #5

◦ Don’t Rock The Boardwalk #6

◦ What The Frack? #7

◦ Present Tense: A Spellcraft Christmas short #8

◦ Brownie Points #9

◦ Forging Ahead #10

◦ Mayor May Not #11

◦ Bucket List #12

◦ Comic Sans #13

◦ It’s All Relative #14

Buy Link:

Something Stinks at the Spa (The ABCs of Spellcraft Book 3)

Description:

Mineral spas are so calm and relaxing…unless they smell like a derrière at a bean-lover’s convention, that is!

Dixon and Yuri have a hot tip that Uncle Fonzo is taking the waters at Spring Falls Hot Spring Spa. Not only is the spring stinky enough to make your eyes water—but the foul odor reaches peak level just as the resort is gearing up for a visit from an important critic that will make or break its reputation.

Normally, this wouldn’t be Dixon’s problem…except that it appears that a piece of his uncle’s Spellcraft might be responsible. He can’t be entirely sure, though, since that particular slip of paper managed to go through the shredder.

Dixon and Yuri pitch in to help the spa’s owner appease a jilted bride, an obnoxious businessman, and the world’s most boring critic while they scramble to reconstruct the shredded Spellcraft. Can they fix the wonky spell before it does any permanent damage? Or will all their efforts at saving the spa end up swirling down the drain?

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

Review: The Financier and the Sweetheart (Campo Royale #4) by V.L. Locey

Rating: 5🌈

It’s going to break my heart to say goodbye to the Campo Royale series. It’s turned out to be a moving and entertaining series based around a Wilmington, Delaware hard working drag establishment. We’ve had all types of Queens and romances, from tiny Gigi and her NHL player to aging drag Queen Mother Sitka Patel and young Yampier.

Now at the penultimate story, we have Clarice Patel Coco, manager and performer at the Campo Royale. At the end of the last novel, a long lost and bitterly regretted love had resurfaced from Clarice’s past.

Nathan Abrams met young Leroy Marx on a college summer trip in France. It was incredibly beautiful and intense time when the young men fell deeply in love. But Nathan left, tragedy struck at home and Leroy returned to deal with it.

Locey gives us the innocence of Paris, the brutality of its loss and its significance to make Leroy’s current bitterness and solid stance against Nathan seem rational instead of extreme. When paired with their current monetary circumstances, Leroy scrambling to pay off the debts versus Nathan being wealthy to the point of private planes, the past seems a bigger barrier to overcome.

The realness and depth of energy that Locey has brought to the Campo Royale in every aspect makes it such a compelling stage for the series and romances. With Mother Sitka reigning over the chaos, the Queens backstage fondly quarreling and delivering shade with lines worthy of the best of RuPaul’s Untucked , this is a place you believe in. And love.

So it’s tough that most of the story is necessarily removed from here. It’s as though the author is preparing us to say goodbye .

Leroy, Nathan, and Leroy’s ebullient young sister, Laila (a great character), go on a journey of forgiveness, discovery, and love is so well done. I was deeply impressed with the details of pageantry, the city trips, the raw emotion, and how emotionally committed I was to the project and outcome.

Locey’s story has so many elements and all are fully explored and made real to the extent the reader will believe we’ve traveled around with the people, engaging in conversations, sharing experiences, and growing up with the newly created family.

Honestly, The Financier and the Sweetheart is my favorite of the series. It’s a deeply felt story and beautifully written journey about second chances and personal growth.

Then the letting go and moving forward to a new chapter in life.

There’s one last book to come . That will be a sorrowful read. Until then, I’m highly recommending The Financier and the Sweetheart (Campo Royale #4) by V.L. Locey, a beautiful way to start our goodbyes.

Campo Royale series:

✓ The Viking and the Drag Queen #1

✓ The Batchelor and The Cherry #2

✓ The Barkeep and The Bookseller #3

✓ The Financier and the Sweetheart #4

◦ The Chanteuse and the Bodyguard #5 – TBD release

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Financie…The Financier and the Sweetheart (Campo Royale #4) – Kindle edition by Locey, V.L.. …

Description:

Will the love they once shared reignite or will this goodbye truly be the last?

Leroy Marx has been performing as Clarice Patel Coco for years. Ever since that fateful summer when he was a young and foolish man touring Europe before heading to a religious college in the Deep South. That trip proved to be a time of great joy as well as crushing sorrow. He found love on that grand tour in the arms of an arrogant, beautiful young man who was sowing his wild oats amid the lavender fields of France. That great passion was not to last for many reasons, one being the untimely death of Leroy’s parents in a car crash. The same crash that put his twin sister in a wheelchair for life. Leaving that young lover behind, he divided his time between his job and caring for his sibling. Leroy never dreamed that he’d be face-to-face with the man who had won, then trampled his heart all those years ago. The years have been incredibly kind to Nate Abrams but no matter how sweet that voice or how alluring those eyes are, Leroy is not about to offer up his heart again.

Nathan Abrams has it all, or so people say. Nate himself would say that as well and has numerous times. He’s a proud and out gay man who has an uncanny knack for knowing when to buy and when to sell. Anything. Stocks, houses, artwork, bonds. Nate has a keen sense of when to walk and when to hold tight. The only time he’d ever been wrong about his instincts was that glorious summer when he’d been eighteen and had met a reserved sweetheart of a man named Leroy Marx. He’d fallen hard for Leroy, the wild and impetuous headiness of first love overwhelming him. To the point that he’d feared the deep emotions ablaze in his chest. He’d run from that romance and into the arms of countless lovers, but he’d never been able to purge the tender memories of that love from his heart. Now here he was fifteen years older, and it seems none the wiser because he cannot seem to win back the man who has haunted his dreams no matter what he tries. He’s at his wit’s end but is too stubborn to give up and lose Leroy for a second time. Nate is ready to do whatever it takes to fix the biggest mistake of his life if he could just figure out what exactly he has to do and how to go about doing it…

The Financier and the Sweetheart is a second chance romance with a rich banker, a proud and independent queen, a past that both prayed would never be seen or heard from again, go-go boots, world travel, loving sisters, bell bottom love, and a glitteringly gorgeous happy ending.

Review: A Demon for Midwinter by K.L. Noone

Rating: 4.75🌈

First thing. This book should come with a trigger warning for domestic assault/violence. While the assault happens off page the immediate physical damage and emotional effects upon the victim ,a main character, is on page . The resulting trauma and continuing aftermath, for the victim, his family and the man who loves him is a major part of the storyline. It’s just one of several elements that readers might not be aware of from reading the description.

Another potentially triggering storyline is one where Noone explores the devastating consequences of outing a person, no matter why, by using Justin Moore’s genetic makeup instead of his sexuality to demonstrate just how dangerous and devastating outing a person can be. It’s realistic, especially when some States now are trying to roll back rights for LGBTGIA , non-white races , and Women (no order involved). Jobs lost, housing lost, even more. So this becomes even more involved with bullying and harassment.

Both the D/A , D/V, and outing storylines are well written and handled with sensitivity and respect.

Readers who find these are triggering elements should consider whether this is a book they should read.

Having dealt with the warnings, onto the main characters and narratives. It’s a very well written story and the characters have depth and dimension I hadn’t anticipated.

In fact, the entire story surprised me.

It begins with a famous, has been rocker, Kris Starr, trying and failing to come out with a holiday album of his ex-bands hits. It’s familiar story territory . It gets more so with the addition of a beautiful young music record company assistant , Justin , who’s been working with Kris to produce it.

Justin Moore, the young music assistant, has had a long time crush on the older singer. This also isn’t new ground. But it’s what Noone does with these easily recognizable character models that elevates their personalities and relationship.

I would love to say it’s done in tandem, that Noone builds the characters to their final depths together. And to a degree, that happens. But as Starr pulls out of his depression and stasis as a person and musician , it’s a path he’s started on . He wants a recovery of the soul, as he’s reconnecting with the people important to him. It’s Justin that helps with his continued emergence, and it will be Kris in turn who will join in committing to helping another’s survival and restoration.

However, as Kris and Justin wobble along a obstacle strewn path, the author surrounds both with a veritable banquet of memorable multi layered people and scenes of heart searing moments. Jason’s family is superb.

From the many siblings, the scarily wonderful twins being my favorite, the parents, and yes, those Aunts, to the emotional support that Kris is shown to be able to bring, Noone swings the characters from one dramatic twist to another , often with heart wrenching detail. The author lets the readers feel fully immersed and invested in the lives and emotions as the events unfold through the pages.

Does this sounds like that simplistic, perhaps humorous synopsis written for this book? No it does not, and it is not.

There’s light hearted moments here as it needs to because otherwise the pain and trauma the person and characters are experiencing would be overwhelming. As they acknowledge. Doesn’t matter what species you are, trauma is trauma.

There’s a section at the end that might give some people pause. But again, it’s all about asking for permission, it’s about control, and no matter what, think about perspective.

Another great example of how this book tilts one way when you’d expect to go another.

I was unaware of The Demon Universe until I read Snowed In: Kit and Harry, a superb book about a magical Regency mystery. That seems to have no bearing on this, so perhaps they are all standalones.

I intend to find out. This one and Snowed In set the bar high indeed.

I’m highly impressed and recommending both.

Pls do read my trigger warnings.

The Demon Universe (nine books):

✓ A Demon for Midwinter #1

◦ Lightning in a Bottle #2

◦ Love Songs for Everyday #3

◦ Sunlight and Gold #4

✓ Snowed In: Kit and Harry #5

◦ A Demon Forever #6

◦ A Demon’s Choice #7

◦ Bedknobs and Brimstone #8

◦ A Demon’s Very Good Morning #9

Buy Link:

A Demon for Midwinter

Description:

Kris Starr used to be famous. Rock and roll. Sold-out shows. Literal magic. Empathic talents and screaming fans.

But he has a problem or two. He’s having a hard time writing new music. It’s Midwinter, which means he’s surrounded by depressing holiday cheer. And he’s in love with Justin, his manager, who has a talent for rescuing almost- or once-famous bands … and who’s hiding secrets of his own.

Justin Moore, on the other hand, is very good at keeping those secrets — he’s had to be for years. One secret involves a demonic inheritance that would make him a target of suspicion. Another involves his past.

And the third involves Justin’s feelings for Kris Starr, rock and roll icon and now his client … and a powerful empath of his own.

Review: Revenge is Sweet by Felice Stevens

Rating: 2.75🌈

It’s not a good thing when you finish a book and instead of feeling happy, you’re dissatisfied, and slightly ill at the outcome. That how it was at Revenge is Sweet by Felice Stevens .

I hadn’t read anything by her in a while so her style of writing didn’t immediately come to mind. But my issues with this story are plentiful.

The plot is already one that has numerous toxic elements to make one wonder. It’s a revenge plot that’s even worse the deeper into the storyline you go.

The MC, Lyon Elliot, finds out on his wedding day that he’s been left at the altar, as his bride (and new business partner) has eloped with his best friend and best man, Dan, making the betrayal even more devastating .

Immediately he decides to hurt his formerly best friend by dating Dan’s younger vulnerable brother , Miles. Miles, who has a crush on Lyon, would be a easy target. Lyon would get Miles involved with him emotionally, then cruelly dump him to hurt Dan. That “Miles the Mouse” would be collateral damage isn’t much of a concern here.

Stevens then has to work to demonstrate that cold, withdrawn Lyon isn’t the toxic character she’s portraying him to be by backtracking on that scenario a bit and making it a joint venture by Lyon and Miles when the author brings both Dan, the best friend/brother and Lyndsey , the newly married wife/ex fiancée firmly into view.

This couple shines with self absorption, a lack of understanding how their actions affects others, and a inability to care if they did. Toxic and narcissistic, and in Dan’s case, controlling and a bit stupid. And we spend too much time with them here listening to their specious opinions and arguments as to why no one should be upset or continue to be angry over the way they’ve handled the situation. It’s chapters of these individuals.

Honestly, I have no patience for people like this in real life and less in my books. Not impressed with Stevens creation of Lyon either.

For Stevens to have her main characters either choose to give in to the behaviors of those personalities or constantly not deal with them in an adult manner is highly frustrating to read. Grown people physically fighting, not being able to choose between the other methods we know just because it’s adding to the drama doesn’t make this a emotionally satisfying story for me.

Miles traumatic back history and awful dating life that lead to his overbearing brother’s control is understandable. So is Lyon’s history of loss and parental neglect and abandonment. But what they do with that throughout their storylines varies from something that feels adult and thoughtful to a wildly one dimensional approach.

In the end, after Miles has decided to choose himself and a future he wants with Lyon over a controlling brother with jealousy issues and a self-involved wife, Lyon makes a decision to get Dan reinstated into Miles life without asking.

It’s negates all the hard work Miles did , and frankly, Dan feels insincere in the scenes that follow. It’s as though he’s giving mouth service to everything Lyon wants. The ending didn’t ring true.

I was left feeling uncomfortable with the conclusion, the storylines came across as unbelievable and ill suited to the characters as framed out by the author.

I liked Uncle Harry though. He was my favorite of the group.

So read it if you’re a fan of Felice Stevens or a collector of the fake boyfriend trope . But for the rest, I’ll not be leaving you any further recommendations.

https://www.amazon.com › Reveng…Revenge is Sweet: A Fake-Dating, MM Romance

Descriptions:

Falling in Love is the Sweetest Revenge
What do you do when your best friend runs off with your fiancée on your wedding day?
If you’re me, Lyon Elliot, you don’t get mad.
You get even.
Which means seducing my ex–best friend’s younger brother, Miles Halloran.
The quiet one.
The man I’ve known all my life but never paid attention to.
The one I was told to stay away from because he’s way too nice for someone like me. Maybe they’re right.
But see, this is where it gets a little more complicated.
Because the more time I spend with Miles, the more I like him.
Want him.
Now I need him and his sweet smiles in my life.
If this is still a game I’m playing…who’s fooling whom?

Review: Confetti Hearts (Confetti Hitched, #1) by Lily Morton

Rating:3🌈

I have been anticipating this book since I encountered Joe Bagshaw in Vow Maker, where he acted as the wedding planner to Gabe and Dylan. It was a hilarious and memorable introduction. And made all the readers want more, especially his painful romantic history.

Morton reveals Joe’s love life and tale of marriage woe between scenes of weddings that Joe’s firm is handling, past and present. This format works in some respects to help the story and not in others.

By breaking down the story into different timelines, a wedding here that begins the relationship, a wedding that sees the men meet up again, and so on to weddings three and four, the reader gets a wonderful feel for the strong amazing personality that is Joe Bagshaw. Quick witted, kind, thoughtful, well organized, and extremely intelligent. He’s exactly who you’d want to plan your wedding. Or anything else for that matter. We connect with Joe immediately.

The other man in this unusual relationship that they aren’t calling a relationship? That would be forensic accountant Lachlan Moore. Older, self possessed, and assured of himself and his status quo, personally and professionally , he’s not the immediate choice we’d expect for Joe. He’s not a bad person but from the early stages, Morton doesn’t give the reader (or Joe) enough reason to believe he is the best person for that amazing being we love.

In my opinion, this is where the issues with the format overlap into character and relationship development. And not for the first time in a Lily Morton story.

Lachlan falls into that category of main protagonists that are emotionally unavailable to the other more engaging and lovable men in their lives. For the majority of the story, it’s Joe who’s the narrator. Through Joe’s thoughts and feelings, we watch as Lachlan creates a “on my terms only “ scenario for them where not even the term date can be used. When they marry, he then leaves Joe to be abused by a housekeeper, his friends, and his PA. Even a house. We, Joe’s audience , along with Joe’s friends , find this situation naturally appalling.

Morton has created a one-sided emotional connection with the couple through Joe with her readers. Only later does Lachlan get his perspective voiced. By then it’s almost too late.

The author’s plan to right this one sidedness starts at a wedding in Scotland. There it’s a strictly 2 person POV. So Lachlan becomes the fully fleshed out character he should have been all along. However, I’m not sure he’s still a great person.

Communication, or it’s lack of, is key here between the two people. Neither was able to talk to the other person about their feelings or the fact they were upset until now. That’s not addressed either. A secret from Lachlan’s end doesn’t help on the open communication front.

There’s another smaller issue for me. I don’t know why but it’s stuck with me because it held such promise for being such a tiny narrative gem.

Frances is the mother of Erica, the bride whose wedding is being held in Scotland. Frances is a veritable harridan. Nasty, demanding, arrogant, Frances has made Joe’s job difficult and her name is synonymous with the worst that bridezilla mothers can deliver. But just when she’s fallen into a stereotype, Morton elevates this controlling one dimensional woman into someone human. It happens during a snowed in game night.

“ I’d thought Frances would steer the ship, but unexpectedly she defers to her husband, and there’s even a smile on her lips as they look at each other. I narrow my eyes.”

It goes further with Frances emerging as a defender of another member of her family. And Frances goes from harridan to family matriarch with a inner life of her own. What a transformation in a few sentences!

But such a subtle , and appreciated detail wasn’t to last. Morton throws away this lovely narrative gem by reducing Frances once more to a comic flat horror of a woman because Joe needed a one-liner towards the end of the romance.

It’s choices like those, where the easy narrative path was taken, rather than the one where the author must build up the storyline further with heft and a sense of fullness, that leaves this lacking.

Morton’s booklist has so many novels where such care was taken. It pains me to say that Joe Bagshaw – Moore’s isn’t one of them. I so hoped it was.

So read this because we fell in love with Joe and want to know what happened to him. Because Lily Morton is a must read for you. For all the others, you decide if it’s the age gap, second chance at love story next on your TBR pile.

First in a new series.

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Confetti…Confetti Hearts – Kindle edition by Morton, Lily. Romance Kindle eBooks …

Description:

Joe Bagshaw doesn’t believe in love or marriage anymore, which is rather a hindrance for a wedding planner.

His own marriage was a whirlwind affair that ended before the ink could dry on the wedding certificate. Nevertheless, even with his divorce pending, he’s getting by. Or at least he was until he finds himself snowed in at a remote Scottish hotel with the wedding party from hell, a terrible ABBA tribute band, and his soon-to-be ex-husband.

Lachlan has missed Joe from the second his husband walked away. He wants Joe back and is prepared to do anything to get him. Being snowed in together seems to offer the chance Lachlan needs, but does he have what it takes to get Joe to trust in love and their marriage again?

From bestselling author Lily Morton, comes a romantic comedy about love, matrimony, and the best of second chances.

This is the first book in the Confetti Hitched series.

Review: Snowed In: Kit and Harry by K.L. Noone

Rating: 5🌈

It’s rare that short stories earn high ratings from me but Noone’s rich descriptive passages and gorgeous imagery won me over from the start.

There’s an immediate impression when Constable Kit Thompson meets Harry, younger son of Fairleigh Hall , of hair of “wayward sunshine “ , combined with boundless enthusiasm that the author perfectly projects a image of Harry that’s indelible and warm almost to the touch. Even as the brutal cold of winter encapsulates them.

That’s why Kit is there. To investigate why winter, the cold has fallen out of season on Fairleigh Hall. He’s a constable in Bow Street’s Preternatural Division where he can use his magical gifts to solve crimes and apprehend criminals.

The time and setting is Fairleigh Hall, Yorkshire, 1802. Regency. Same sex relationships and marriages are now acceptable for the younger non inheriting sons and daughters.

There’s an astonishing mystery and equally compelling resolution. The relationship between Kit and Harry is unexpectedly strong, complex, and kinky. Rope play, D/s, all so well done and beautifully written.

These are nuanced characters which is hard to do in short stories but the author achieves it. Kit has a complicated history. Son of a courtesan and bastard of a nobleman, he skirts the edges of society. Harry, the younger brother has the most complex background but it’s one that’s slowly revealed throughout the story.

While winter swirls around the hall, there’s still a tiny but very strong support cast to deepen the sense of family and friendship within relationships that are developing. That’s Ned Arden, the Earl of Fairleigh, Harry’s older brother and Lizzie, his betrothed. And Grayson, the butler. All so beautifully portrayed and realistic that you feel like you have met them.

The storylines move briskly along, but with a poetic tone to the imagery and a sense of otherness when it comes to the characters themselves and their magic.

I was so in love with everyone here. So sorry to be finished with the story.

But what a delight to read and reread. A new favorite of mine. And hopefully yours. I’m highly recommending this!

And I just found out that it has a sequel. Onto that next.

✓ Snowed In: Kit and Harry (part of The Demon Universe of 9 books)

◦ Midwinter Firelight (it’s sequel)

Buy Link:

Snowed In: Kit and Harry

Description:

Someone — or something — is causing magical blizzards at Fairleigh Hall. The estate is suffering, and the Earl has requested assistance.

Constable Kit Thompson, of Bow Street’s Preternatural Division, isn’t especially thrilled to be sent out to the country. At least the assignment gets him away from fashionable London society and his own unwanted celebrity after successfully solving a notorious case. Of course, he’s now trapped at a country estate due to closed roads, snowstorms, and magic, but Kit’s always liked solving puzzles. He’s good at using empathic skills for investigations, and this is definitely a challenge. Besides, the Earl’s younger brother is an irritating and delicious temptation, all blue eyes and muscles and boundless enthusiastic optimism. Kit wants to either shake sense into him or kiss him senseless — and can’t trust him, either, because if someone’s genuinely sabotaging the weather, everyone’s a suspect.

Harry Arden, younger brother of the Earl of Fairleigh, has never met a Preternatural Division constable before, much less a famous and celebrated one. He wants to help. And he wants to make that attractive but cynical constable smile, at least once. But the estate hides a family secret, and Harry knows perfectly well Kit doesn’t trust him … and for good reason. Still, Harry offers to do what he can to assist with the investigation, and if that means spending more time with Kit, that’s a bonus.

When Harry and Kit end up caught by those magical storms, snowed in together at the old hunting lodge, they’ll have to trust each other with their secrets … and their hearts.

Review: Heart Unbroken by Casey Cox

Rating: 4.25🌈

“I didn’t want to kiss you goodbye—that was the trouble—I wanted to kiss you goodnight—and there’s a lot of difference. “ – Ernest Hemingway”

— Heart Unbroken by Casey Cox

I love a romance that is introduced with a remarkable quote that ties into the story and characters as this one does here.

Second chance at love, lovers reunited. Yes, please.

Casey Cox gives us two wonderful characters in actor Rove Sullivan, and hotelier Leo Carter, ok three with Leo ‘ best friend, Tal.

From a quick awkward meeting at Leo’s resort earlier in Rove’s career before he’s a big star, to the present where events bring them together again, Cox makes us believe that the men actually do make a deep impression on each other in the early moments. When events happen to cause each to reach out to each other, again Cox has supplied the groundwork emotionally for the reader to understand the context and connect with them.

I so enjoy Cox as a writer. The author’s romances are interesting, the characters are human beings with faults and strengths that are relatable, no matter the circumstances because they can be understood across many different levels. Job failures because of things outside of their control? Loss of dreams? Perhaps the hardest of them all. Learning when to let go of something that keeps you from moving on.

Heart Unbroken is another heartwarming contemporary romance from Casey Cox that I’m recommending. I only hope that we get a chance to see a sequel for Tal’s romance sometime soon.

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Heart-U…Heart Unbroken – Cox, Casey: Books

Description:

ROVE

Five years ago, we had a fleeting connection. Instant attraction, sizzling chemistry, and scorching-hot sex.

It was only brief, but it was…everything.

Then my career takes off. I become one of the biggest openly out Hollywood A-listers. I’m on top of the world—rich, famous, and successful.

Until a cruel red carpet gotcha stunt blows my life apart. In the blink of an eye, I lose everything I’ve spent two decades working and sacrificing for.

I’ve got no one to turn to and nowhere to go… Except back to the man I met five years ago.

LEO

Five years ago, I met someone unforgettable.

He made me feel something I thought I’d lost forever. Something that died with my beloved Dante a decade earlier.

I never expected to see Rove again. When he returns, the spark, the chemistry, the connection, is right where we left it five years ago. Actually, it’s only intensified.

The more time we spend together, the clearer it becomes—there’s no way I can let him go again. Can we find a way to make it this time?

HEART UNBROKEN is a second chance at love MM romance with two men in their 40s, a naked meet-cute, an only-one-bed situation, found family, 90s pop culture references, and a ‘sail into the sunset’ happily ever after (literally).

Review: To The Moon and Back by N.R. Walker

Rating: 4.5 🌈

To The Moon and Back is N.R. Walker ‘s latest contemporary romance and it’s a must read for everyone who’s a fan of this author and wonderful low angst relationship stories.

Located in Sydney, Australia, it brings together two men at loose tethers. One, Toby Barlow, a professional nanny, has recently returned home after a stint in the UK. His last job he cut short due to the clients/family he had contracted with. Now he’s home and looking for a new job and finds it in a single father who has been left with a baby, overwhelmed, unable to work or sleep or cope.

That’s Gideon Ellery. Who had his ex leave when Gideon adopted his son, Benson. Now Gideon is overwhelmed by his work, his life and trying to be the best father possible without knowing what he is doing. Enter Toby Barlow!

This is a slow burn, day by day, melding of a family unit. By burnt toast, by sickness, walking in the park, baby steps and food, tv shows, and everything familiar and ordinary. The things that really matters. Walker creates a warm, happy and believable atmosphere of two men and a baby falling into love and a family.

And we fall right along with them.

There’s a big Italian family on one side I wish we’d seen more of. Great friends on another and surprise visitors from a fabulous novel of Walker’s at the end every fan will adore.

The drama, such as it is, is real and low key. And the ending lovely and leaves us wanting to see a sequel or holiday story for this family in the future.

If you’re a fan of contemporary romance and N. R. Walker, grab this up. It’s just a lovely read that will make you happy and leave you wanting more!

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Moon-B…To the Moon and Back – Kindle edition by Walker, N.R.. Literature & Fiction …

Description:

Gideon Ellery had the perfect life. Nice house, great job, and a long-time boyfriend. Weeks after adopting his nephew, his boyfriend splits, leaving Gideon a single father to a newborn. Overwhelmed, sleep deprived, and unsure how to navigate fatherhood, he’s asked to return to the office. He’s overwhelmed and at his breaking point.

Toby Barlow is back in Sydney after three years of studying, travelling, and nannying in the UK. He needs work and a place to live, and the perfect solution drops in his lap. After all, caring for a sweet baby in a beautiful home owned by a gorgeous single man isn’t exactly terrible.

Gideon isn’t too keen to share his life with a stranger, but his need for help is too great. Sunshiny Toby isn’t prepared for a grumpy Gideon or his utterly adorable son, Benson. Or how easily he slots into their lives. And Gideon’s not prepared for how much he needs Toby.

Or how much he wants him.

Neither is prepared for the complications of falling in love.

Review: Maniac (Necessary Evils Book 7) by Onley James

Rating: 4.5 🌈

Maniac brings Onley James’ Necessary Evils to a close as you’d expect from a series about a family of psychopaths and their partners. It’s ends on an assassin’s revenge, death, and a bang on conclusion that brings the entire Mulvaney clan, extended family and friends together for one last murderous investigation and romance.

The Mulvaney storyline and romantic drama features the head of the family, Thomas Mulvaney with an emphasis on his past, and the odd adopted “child” of the Mulvaney brood. That’s Aiden, who came into the family as a young teenager from a well connected family who pressured Thomas to take him.

Here we learn the details of Aiden’s adolescent, the events that led him to Thomas and the Mulvaney family. And what’s been behind the bitterness and sadness that’s kept Aiden and Thomas apart for years.

Unsurprisingly, we’re dealing with a tragic and traumatic childhood. One rife with parental abuse , intentional cruelty, and malicious neglect. All of which have had consequences in the past as well as present a variety of ways.

James brings in several new characters like Lola who works with Aiden as well as familiar ones like Calliope, her son and his partner, Atticus and Jericho’s adopted “kids”, who soon will get their own series.

If there’s one issue, and it can’t be helped, it’s a surfeit of characters. You have all the original Mulvaney children, and now their partners/ fiancées/husbands, plus children/grandchildren, the nanny/baby mother, computer genius Calliope, her son and his lover, and any extra cast we’ve had thrown in along the way. It’s a lot to ask of the reader to remember each couple’s relationship dynamics, their stories, and even how the unique personalities and special groups play out within the family structure.

All that on top of a messy emotional connection that’s in need of resolution and balance between Aiden and Thomas.

I haven’t even begun to touch on the blackmail that the launching point for all the events and emotions (from those that are capable of them) within the family business and structure.

Basically a family of psychopaths go to war! It’s that simple and it’s extremely complicated.

Did I enjoy it and appreciate the nuances that James brought to Thomas and the various perspectives on his upbringing? Absolutely. From Thomas’ viewpoint of himself as the one responsible for certain events, to , even though he was a child without support, his own family’s clear vision of Thomas and his role within the past.

Reminder that this is dark fiction and it’s subject matter, although not necessarily with elements that “happen on page” are full of issues that might be considered triggers for some people. Rape, torture, manipulation, child abuse and neglect are key topics. So be aware.

So as a finale , things are pretty well sorted and done for each couple by book’s end. We know where each couple is as a family and within the Mulvaney’s as a whole unit. It feels complete.

And James assures us that we haven’t seen the last of them as they will continue their secret life as assassins. It won’t surprise anyone to see them appear in the upcoming spinoff series that starts with Jericho’s Boys. They are a group already adopted into the inner circle of The Mulvaney family.

For more information, see below. Until then, for lovers of dark contemporary fiction, I’m recommending this. Read the series in the order that it is written.

Necessary Evils series:

✓ Unhinged #1

✓ Psycho #2

✓ Moonstruck #3

✓ Headcase #4

✓ Mad Man #5

✓ Lunatic #6

✓ Maniac #7 – finale

Two upcoming spinoff series, The Watch and Jericho’s Boys, the first of which Paladin #1, is coming April 30, 2023

Buy Link:

Maniac (Necessary Evils Book 7)

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Description:

Thomas Mulvaney was just a child when an error in judgment cost him everything. He vowed then that he would do anything to atone for his mistake. And he did. He never strayed from the right path. Until Aiden.

Aiden Mulvaney doesn’t exist. He’s a lie created by the father who disowned him and by Thomas Mulvaney, the only man Aiden had ever begged to love him. But that was years ago, when he’d still believed in fairytales. Before Thomas rejected him.

Thomas has spent years trying to have Aiden in his life while keeping him at arm’s length, but Aiden’s done with half-measures. He’s done with Thomas the martyr. He’s just done. So, he’s kept his distance. Trouble is, now, someone is threatening to expose a secret that affects them all.

No, not that one. A secret so shameful, Thomas won’t even utter it out loud. Can he and Aiden revisit the past and keep the family name intact, or will they both be buried beneath the weight of their memories as their old feelings resurface?

Review: Prince of Lies by Lucy Lennox

Rating: 4🌈

I’m really all over the place with Lucy Lennox’s newest book Prince of Lies. The premise concerned me because I’m not a fan of relationships that start with deception. Unless you’re a spy, member of a law enforcement agency, or assassin where lying is actually in their job description , then I’m a fan of people who have adult realistic relationships in contemporary romance.

So it took me a while to get into the story with Rowe Prince lying his way through the beginning pages, even chapters, but eventually this character’s engaging personality won me over. It helps that Rowe is absolutely horrible at deception and the situations he gets himself into or bumbles about in are hilarious.

With the terrific Sebastian Dayne as Prince’s foil , we marvel as the real life comedy of the absurd plays out over corporate intrigue and painful past betrayals.

With Bast as “straight” man, pretending to be the PA to imaginary Sterling Chase’s that Rowe Prince is cluelessly trying to be, whether it’s high society social circles or upper echelons of the business elite, Rowe is a wildly windmilling dreamer trying to maintain his balance and the façade he’s taken on. It’s a white knuckle ride that’s filled with suspense, humor, and more than a bit of pathos.

I was completely entranced by the dance Lennox created for her characters as they romanced, figured out the truth in their identities and how they were supposed to be able to move forward with life together if certain issues weren’t resolved.

Their story and romance was supported by a fascinating crew of characters. Silas, Kenji , Zane, Dev, Landry on Bast’s side. Joey, the Burrito Bandito bestie on Rowe’s. The author writing fun stories or traumatic experiences for each to make the reader want to know more.

So adorable characters with a wonderful supporting cast within a engaging storyline.

I did laugh a lot and liked the relationship. So it’s all a win for me. I’m recommending it.

Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com › showPrince of Lies by Lucy Lennox

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Prince-…Prince of Lies – Kindle edition by Lennox, Lucy. Romance …

Description:

Rowe Prince is a lying liar who windmills into my life in full color, claiming to be Sterling Chase, a quirky, eccentric billionaire… and founder of the company I created.

Two can play at the lying game, though, and I’m not about to let some burrito-delivering, floppy-haired virgin from Indiana best me at a game I was born to play.

So I do him one better and pretend to be Sterling Chase’s new assistant. I’ll teach him a lesson that will hopefully wind us both up in bed… with nothing but the truth between us.

But it turns out his shameless lies are enchanting… unintentionally hilarious… and make it all too easy to forget the truth…

Until I learn that this cutie’s intent is to defraud the company I’ve spent years building. I have to choose: risk the company or say goodbye to the man I’m falling for. A guy who just might be…

The Prince of Lies