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Silent Partner (Fox Hollow Zodiac #3)
Silent Partner (Fox Hollow Zodiac #3)
Morgan Brice | 2024 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I haven't read the other books, gonna go back!
Independent reviewer for GRR, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 3 in the Fox Hollow Zodiac series, and I have NOT read books 1, Huntsman and book 2, Again. Somethings were missing for me, mostly about the Fox Institute and what it was there for, but since Riley spends very little time there, and what HE was doing there was explained, I let it ride. I think I might go back and read books 1 and 2, though. Not because I need to, but because I want to know about Liam/Russ and Noah/Drew and their stories. They play a part here.

Riley runs from his abusive ex, and finds himself a study subject in The Fox Institute, since Riley is psychically silent: no one can read his mind. Which is great, but Brandon is a psychic! And a moose. There is immediate attraction, but Riley is scared. His ex might show up and ruin everything.

I liked the fact that Brandon doesn't get that "MINE" moment, when he meets Riley. Yes, he is attracted, but only the MOOSE half of Brandon calls for his mate. Brandon the MAN doesn't quite feel it. He does, in the end, but not at the beginning. I liked that Riley was wary enough of Brandon as a psychic to question him, but the fact that his moose makes him feel safe surprises Riley. I liked that fact that they got to know each other, before acting on the attraction.

I liked Brandon's group of friends and the support he gets from them. I liked that they took Riley in, once they were a couple.

I struggled a bit with the fact that Riley's ex just turned up: there was no build up to that. The ex was talked about, and then he appears. Could have done with more on that but said ex does get his just desserts!

All in all, I liked this a lot. I'll go back and read the first two books, just as soon as I can.

4 very good stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
First Snow (Northbound #2)
First Snow (Northbound #2)
Saga Nansen | 2023 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
If Arttu has to get on his knees for a murderer, so be it.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 2 in the Northbound series, but it can be read as a stand alone. There is a minor on-going story arc that can be quickly picked, with most being recapped in this book.

I loved book one, Midnight Sun, and while I really REALLY enjoyed this one, it doesn't quite meet up to book one's grab-you-and-not-let-go kinda vibe, and it pains me, deeply, to say so!

I liked Arttu, I really did. He wants to find out what happened to his friend in London and if he has to get on his knees for a murderer, so be it. But Jareth is so much than the skin he wears. Yes, he has killed beings and people that break the rules, but never in cold blood. He is Half-Fae, a Lord of his people, and as such wears a glamour most of the time. When Arttu finally sees Jareth true form, he isn't quite sure what he is seeing, but he knows he needs Jareth, in any form.

Jareth, not so much. I don't know why, but my overwhelming feeling about Jareth is "I don't like you!" That said, I did like how drawn he was to Arttu. He knows Arttu is keeping secrets, he is a master at that himself, but still. He wants Arttu in a way he never wanted anyone before.

I liked that Jamie and Finn pop up (from book one) I liked the supporting cast, both the support for Arttu and Jareth is great in very different ways.

I'm still not sure quite what happened with Lord Briar and his wife though!

And I thank you, Saga Nansen, for the glossary at the end!! I found in immensely helpful!

I'm sorry I couldn't love it as much as Midnight Sun, but I did thoroughly enjoy it.

4 very VERY good stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Glow (Pleasure Seekers #3)
Glow (Pleasure Seekers #3)
Kristian Parker | 2024 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
There are sparks flying, right from that first meeting in the men's locker room!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 3 in the Pleasure Seekers trilogy, but it can be read as a stand alone. BUT, people?? READ the other books, OK?? Cos they set the scene for Scott to be the last man standing, and that man falls fast and hard and he never saw it coming!

Scott is looking for love, but his latest date was another washout. He really feels left out now Tyler and Eddie are loved up. A theft at work brings him face to face with Prin, from the IT department. Then Scott must stay focussed or he might not see the one thing he has been looking for, is right under his nose.

I loved Thrill, and I really liked Kicks, but I think Scott and Prin might be my favourite couple!

There are sparks flying, right from that first meeting in the men's locker room, and they fly through the whole book, even when Scott messes up (accidentally!) and puts Prin in a difficult position. This is really the only drama between these two, and that's why I tagged it low angst.

There is a good deal of other drama though! The theft and who is doing it, Prin's friend Colin and what's happening to him, and we also get to catch up with Tyler and Eddie and their other halves. At this point, they are all just about living together in the shared flat, so it's hard not to catch up with them!

But I loved what happens at the end. Prin gets some closure with his family. He needed that, he really did.

It's always sad to see a series end, especially one I've thoroughly loved. But hey, maybe Parker will write a follow up, kind of an epilogue in a whole book, just so we can see how the guys are getting on!

5 full and shiny stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Cruising Right into Love
Cruising Right into Love
JP Sayle | 2024 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
loved this, cannot fault it!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Sometimes, Ms Sayle writes incredibly dark tales, sometimes they are just plain weird (fingerlings, come to mind) and then there are these kinda books: just a beautifully told tale of two men doing something about the attraction between them, and letting it all happen, while on a cruise.

I loved this book, I cannot fault it!

Victor comes to Sweet Haven to recover and heal after breaking up with his abusive partner. That last scene with them two together is the start of this book. It was not easy reading, what he did to Vic, but I think it was needed to get the full horro of what he had suffered. Very well written, but hard reading. Getting a job with Leeson and Garrett (from the book Sweet Haven, I had to look!) gives him time to heal. It helps that Denton is easy on the eye, but taken. Then Denton isn't and then they are sharing a room on the cruise, and all bets are off!

What I loved about this most, was that, apart from that first chapter, and some reference to Vic's history, there is very little about that history. Sometimes, reliving past trauma takes up a lot of book, but it's been 2 years and Vic is far more confident now about a lot of things. And it shows when dealing with Mr Polished who takes a shine to Denton on the crusie and Vic is "he's MINE"!

I loved that while Denton was spoken for, nothing happened between them. I loved that Denton's ex is Vic friend, but they were able to get past the breakup and still be friends. I loved how fast things moved for these two. But it's been two years that they have lusted over each other, so things were not going to go at a snail's pace!

It's steamy and smexy. It's emotional and it's fun. It's beauitfully written and delivered. I cannot fault it!

I loved it, so bloody much, so it can only get:

5 full and shiny stars!

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
An Unrivaled Off Season (Hockey Ever After #3.5)
An Unrivaled Off Season (Hockey Ever After #3.5)
Morgan James, Ashlyn Kane | 2024 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
perfect for these two!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.


This is book 3.5 in the Hockey Ever After series, and you MUST read book 3, Unrivaled, before you read this one. This is a continuation of Max and Grady's story. The other books are not necessary though, but they are all 4 and 5 star reads.


What this is, is an immediate pick up from Unrivaled and the summer that Max and Grady spent at Max's home in New Bruinswick. (I have no clue where that is, in relation to Florida or California, but I know its north and colder that those two places!)


Both men are wanting to ask THE QUESTION, but neither man can figure out how best to do it and what follows is a wonderful 100 odd pages of them getting up the courage and spitting the darn question out. But things keep happening and the question comes, finally, at the most perfect time!


These guys love each other, and they make no bones about it! I loved that the smexy times is again fade to grey, maybe even to black, but hey! I don't care! Yes I usually like the smexier times, but I'm big enough and ugly enough to admit that it's not always necessary and these guys do fade to grey perfectly!


I loved the way these two integrated into each others lives, homes, and hearts. They are quite devious in gettting what they want, and I loved that neither one really realsied what the other was doing!


It's got laugh out loud moments (or in my case, a croak cos I have a raging sore throat!) It's got so much love. It's got guys from book 1, Gabe and Dante, playing a huge part. It's got some emotional bits, mostly when Max and Grady are having the internal conversations with themselves about asking the question, but it's not heavy. It's a lighthearted read and it was the perfect way to spend a lazy Sunday morning.


I don't ususally give such short reads 5 stars, since I almost ALWAY want more, but this one??


5 full and shiny stars!


*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
A Thousand Glittering Lights
A Thousand Glittering Lights
Jennie Lynn Roberts | 2024 | Contemporary, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
absolutely stunning book!
Independent reviewer for BookSirens, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Jennie Lynn Roberts has become a firm favourite, her first book blew me away and I'm still struggling to catch my breath! But those books were fantasy/paranormal, and this is a contemporary romance and I wasn't sure how I was gonna feel about this book.

I need not have worried! I loved this book, massively!

It has some many layers and subplots, or at least I thought they were subplots, until everything start to merge together and things become much MUCH clearer! I wasn't confused, not really, just at times I felt I was reading those subplots as multiple books. Once things started to come together, however, those subplots made much more sense.

I loved how I just let myelf fall into this, along with those plots, and didn't really try to figure it out as I went. I usually do, trying to put 2 and 2 together to get 4, but for some reason, I let myself flow with the book. And I am so glad I did, because I didn't see it taking that route! Ok, so maybe I did try, but only a little.

I loved that we heard not just from Ellie, but alos from the male MC and some others. I wasn't WHY we were hearing from them, as I was reading, but I have to say, they were absolutely needed for those plots to come together. Roberts NAILED how Victoria (Ellie's best friend) was dealing with things, she absolutely did.

I can't go too much into what I loved most about this book, for spoilers, but know this: I loved this book and the way it went! I cried a lot, and cheered a lot. It's deeply emotional, not just for Ellie, but for out male MC. Because :

All he knows is darkness… and Ellie.

And never has there been a more perfect tag line!

I can't fault this book, I really can't. I'd love to be able to give it more, but I can't so...

5 full and glittering stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Nightcrawler (Trackers #1)
Nightcrawler (Trackers #1)
Patricia Logan | 2024 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I liked the steam level was perfect for these two!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Miguel and raven find themselves crossing paths when Raven "steals" Miguel's bounty. Miguel is angry at him for that, but it doesn't stop him saving the man's life at another job. Raven calls to his soul.

I'm not really sure how I feel about this book, to be honest. It didn't really push my buttons but there were bits I liked.

I liked that both Raven and Miguel had a say, in the first person. Each change is clearly headed. But doesn't always come at the chapter change. Didn't bother me either way, but some might not like that, so needs mentioning.

I liked the steam level. Granted, it goes without saying I would have liked more steam but I'm not holding that against this book. I liked that the level was perfect for Miguel and Raven, given how Raven was injured early in the book!

I liked, to a point, the Nightcrawler reviews. They were funny, but I didn't read them all. Not sure why, but I skipped them after about half way through. I didn't really see what they added to the story, to be honest.

I LOVED the supporting cast. Miguel's mentor/friends were great, and add in their wider circle who came to help him with that last bounty, and my interest was well and truely piqued. I'm not sure if these guys have stories somewhere, but if they do, I wanna read them!

One last thing, I would have liked some closure on the boob heist 🙂 I'm not sure if I missed what happened to the porn star and her boyfriend, or we didn't find out, but I would have liked to have known what happened to them!

A quick look on shows me I've read a couple of Logan books and they weren't doing anything for me. This one, though, I think is one of the better ones.

3.5 stars but rounded up for the blog to 4 stars.

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
The Feisty Omega (Leongatha Pack Origins)
The Feisty Omega (Leongatha Pack Origins)
R, Gaen | 2024 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I got to know Talius a bit better!
Independent reviewer for BookSirens, Iwas gifted my copy of this book.

This is an Origins book, it comes before The Sad Omega. I am reading this book after that one. I said in my review for that book, that I didn't much like Talius. NOW I understand why he was the way he was in that book! SO, I think you really should read this book BEFORE The Sad Omega. It might give you a better view of Talius when you first meet him.

Omegas and Alphas cannot mate in this world until they are 22, or 19 with a special license. Talius meets Irian first just before his 17th birthday, he was still 16. But both are drawn to each other in a way they never were to anyone before. They get to known each other over several Christmases, until Irian's mother does something unthinkable: she gets that special license and Irian will have no choice but to mate the alpha chosen by her. And that is NOT Talius.

I really did like young Talius, and how he steps slowly around the young Irian, and how they get to know each other over time. That getting to know you bit was what I missed somewhat in The Sad Omega, I think. We don't get it, as they are already mated and bonded and happy in their pack.

I did not like Irian's mother but that also explains why she is absent from his life in future books.

Both men get a say and I loved getting into their heads as they come across each other for the first time, and at the end, when it all goes down! I did not see that going down as it did, but now I feel for Marius, the alpha that Irian was supposed to mate with, and I want to know if HE gets his HEA too.

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Talius and Irian better, but more so Talius. I can see him differently now.

I hope to be able to read more of this pack, in the future.

4 very good stars

* same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Kiss Me Honey Honey (To Love a Psycho #2)
Kiss Me Honey Honey (To Love a Psycho #2)
C.F. White | 2025
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I loved watching them at least try a little to deny themselves
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 2 in the To Love a Psycho trilogy and you must must MUST read book one, Dream a Litte Dream before this one. There is a lot in there to unpack here and if you haven't read it, much will not make any sense.

After the events of last year, Kenny and Aaron are spiraling, both of them. They need each other, but cannot be together, not until Aaron is ready to ruin Kenny, his words. But there is a murderer in town, and they are getting close to their goal. Whoever it is, might just kill them both.

Ok so! I'm gonna be super SUPER vague here, and super short, because if I give myself free rein, I'll spoil things for someone else and I don't want to do that!

There was a BLINDER of a plot twist here, and until it was fully revealed, I wasn't able to put all the pieces together so I was kinda blindsided and I bloody loved being knocked off my axis!!

Kenny and Aaron are navigating how not to be together but are still drawn to each other at every turn. I loved watching them at least try a little to deny themselves, Kenny more so that Aaron.

The point I loved the most in this book, apart from the plot twist, was the moment that Kenny finally gives Aaron what he wants: a kiss. Kenny is a complicated fella! But letting Aaron in, finally, was a bit of a profound moment, and I had to stop a little bit to regroup.

I have no idea what's going to happen in book 3, I have a sneaking suspicion it will relate to the previously mentioned plot twist! The HEA I'm waiting on, the L-word usage better come in book 3, it really had!!

I cannot fault these books, they are dark and deadly, but so engrossing, I stayed up til 3 am reading this one!!

5 full and shiny stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Walking on Broken Paths
Walking on Broken Paths
Amy Aislin | 2025 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book has a lot. A lot of emotions, a lot of pain, of joy, of love and I absolutely loved it.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Jesse ran when his brother died, and hasn't returned since. He doesn't know if he is staying but bought a house to fix up over the summer. Coming face to face with his childhood best friend was a shock, but Jesse wants to keep Parker in his life, if only for the summer. Parks is dealing with his father's death and he doesn't know what he wants to do. Keeping Jesse in his life, however briefly, is top of his list.

This book has a lot. A lot of emotions, a lot of pain, of joy, of love and I absolutely bloody it.

Jesse's pain is long lived: 15 years since his brother passed away but Jesse still talks to him, Jesse just can't hear him. He carries a lot of the past on his shoulders, but things are getting better a little every day. Parker's pain is new: a few weeks have gone by since his dad lost his fight to cancer, and Parks is struggling with what to do with his dad's dinner cruise business. He knows it's not really going to work for him, but it was his dad's pride and joy.

These guys fall straight back into their friendship that very quickly morphs into more and both are asking themselves, but not yet each other, if they can make it work long distance.

I loved that there was no 3rd act break up/make up. Loved the steam level was low-ish and it was perfect for this book.

There were some other hockey players mentioned, as Parker wants to write a book about gay hockey players and their history and the names rang some bells. I had to go back through Aislin's backlist and find them! Loved that.

AN Absolutely wonderful book, that was just what I needed a the time.

5 full and shiny stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere