5-star reads
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The Awakening of Emory series by Jay L. North
This short serial is gem! And by gem, I mean it’s delicious, filthy, and excessively graphic smut. Or, to use a fancier word, erotica. These short books, which together equals the standard length of one novel, follows Emory during his sexual awakening, and exploration of submission. Synopsis: The story begins with Emory being ditched by his girlfriend when they were meant to spend the weekend at her dad’s cabin in the woods. So he suddenly finds himself alone with a very sexy, older man. This starts off a carnal relationship between the two where Jackson, the gf’s dad, guides Emory during his exploration of submission-kink. Now, the plot in this…
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Not All Himbos Wear Capes by C. Rochelle
This was such a delightful morsel of yummy I don’t know quite where to begin. It’s a quirky, naughty, and way too cute for words. Because even with all the supernaturals fighting (and occasionally murdering), and all the lightweight kink going on, it’s mostly an adorable story of enemies falling in love. In the most unlikely and over-the-top way possible. And I freakin’ love it. Not All Himbos Wear Capes is an enemies-to-lovers, opposites-attract, villain-nails-a-hero-yes-in-the-fun-way kind of story. And it’s to die for. Synopsis: Xander is a villain. He’s grumpy as all get out and he’s particularly pissed at Captain Masculine, the city’s superhero who keeps disturbing his plans and…
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Pretty Policeman by Fifer Rose
Estimated release date: December 1st 2022 My oh my. This was an amazing read! It’s not profound or anything, but the way it engaged me was something else! It was all suck-me-in-take-me-for-a-ride-then-spit-me-out engaging. And I still haven’t recovered fully. Now, this story requires you to suspend disbelief. Which is quite alright with me, because it’s so very well done. It’s M/M, Mafia-police Detective romance. I didn’t even know that was a thing before Pretty Policeman, but this book opened my eyes and introduced me to a whole new world (Craving? Kink?). So there’s Micah, a very young Detective (I’ll get back to the young part later) in NY. Micah’s gone…
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Conspiracy of Dragons (Here Be Dragons #4) by Louisa Masters
Estimated release date: November 9, 2022 Just. Wow. I never would have thought that Steffan – uptight, suspicious, conspiracy theorist Steffan – would become one of my favourite characters in this crazy and wonderful series. But here we are. And I can’t properly express how delighted I am by this story. Here Be Dragons (and Hidden Species) are full of quirky and ridiculous, yet lovable, characters. Steffan, who’s been in the periphery of many of the stories, has always been one of the more extreme eccentrics, and definitely less likable. But, my oh my. This book changed all that. Yes, he’s still awkward as all get out. He can’t relate very well to other…
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Blitzed (Rules of Possession #3) by S.E. Harmon
Estimated Release Date: November 1st, 2022 I’ve waited for this story in what feels like forever. The Blueprint and A Deeper Blue were among the first M/M stories I ever read, and they remain at the top of my all time favourite romance novel list. Now, Blitzed isn’t about Kelly and Blue (even if they do make a few appearances) but about Andrew McAdams – Blue’s sort of but not quite arch nemesis. And it’s awesome. It doesn’t reach the same laugh-and-snort level as the first two instalments. Andrew’s more mature than Blue, and Jesse isn’t even near as snarky as Kelly, but Blitzed still has that same Harmon vibe that I adore. A glorious blend of immature humour, sarcasm…
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Sass (Style #3) by Jay Hogan
Estimated Release Date: October 27 2022 The first word that came to mind when I was about to write this review was ‘delightful’. And sure, it is. but it’s actually a blend of wholesome low-angst and some pretty heavy subjects. So delightful might be a bit of a misnomer even if it is true. It’s more like there are two parallel story arcs to this read. There’s Kip’s/Chris’ and Leon’s lovely love story that unfolds despite Kip’s reluctance and overall prickliness. Then there’s the underlying story of Kip’s struggle to overcome the trauma and betrayal from his childhood. In truth, there’s also a third arc, and that’s Leon’s grief and guilt over…
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Safe (Veterans of Callenburg #1) by Taylor McNiff
Wow. This read. It wrecked me and put me back together again. So much feeling. It’s excruciatingly tragic, and doesn’t hold back on – quite honestly – sickening details. But there’s also hope and love and a happy ending. Synopsis: Oliver – Olly – is a victim of sex trafficking, while Huxley Scott – Huck – is a police officer. The two meet during Huck’s patrol one night, and afterwards Huck can’t get Olly off his mind. It’s apparent to Huck that Olly’s trapped in a dangerous situation, and Huck wants to help. But Olly doesn’t trust easily and is reluctant to reveal the truth to Huck. Meanwhile, Olly’s circumstances…
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Tallowwood by N.R. Walker
Amazing read! Also tragic, horrible, beautiful, angst-y and – towards the end – hopeful. The worst tear-jerker ever and I was completely mesmerized. Synopsis: August Shaw, a Sydney cold-case Detective, buries himself in his work. After suffering a terrible loss, he has put life on hold and instead dedicates all his time to solve murders who are forgotten by everyone except the victims’ families. A series of deaths of young, gay men in particular haunts him. He’s convinced it’s the work of a serial killer, but the deaths aren’t even recognized as murders. Then human remains are found in the Tallowwood reserve, matching the cases August investigates. Jacob Porter who…
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Sagittarius Saves Libra (Signs of Love #6) by Anyta Sunday
Expected publication date: June 1st 2022 This read was a delight! Cute, low-angst, and with an adorably oblivious MC. The story was exactly what I needed and I didn’t even know it. Usually I’m not one for too sweet, slow-burn romances, but Sagittarius Saves Libra just made me so darn happy, and I can’t recommend it enough. This is an honest-to-god twin-swap story. And it’s wonderful. Jason is asked by his identical twin brother to switch places with him for a few weeks, and soon Jason is off to Australian small-town life. He’s doing it as a favour to his brother, but it’s actually for himself as well. Jason needs to get…
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Wild Like Us (Like Us #8) by Krista Ritchie and Becca Ritchie
A 4.5 star read! Obviously, since this is book no. 8 in a series and I’m still here for it, I’m a dedicated fan. However, I have reservations. So, so, so many reservations. But first, the good things. Apart from high-quality everything (writing, story-telling, world-building, characters and yada yada), what I most adore about the series and this book, is the way fame is depicted. It’s not glitz and glamour, private jets and extravagant living which is pretty much standard in every other “millionaire story”. Although – obviously – the famous ones are financially independent. No, instead it’s all the negative aspects of fame. The lack of privacy. The media…