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All Fired Up (Sin City Uniforms #1)
All Fired Up (Sin City Uniforms #1)
Morticia Knight | 2019 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
great start to a new series!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Shawn is the new guy in the police department and is enjoying working in Vegas. Trent is in the fire department. The pair met at a blood drive months ago and they each had an instant reaction to each other. But Trent is still hurting from the death of his previous partner, who was also a cop and he doesn’t know if he can go through that again. When Trent “rescues” Shawn, he embarrasses him at the same time. After actually getting to know one another after this, they realise they have a lot in common. Then the fires that have been plaguing Vegas turn deadly, and Trent and Shawn might be next on the vigilante's hit list.

I liked this one, a LOT.

Trent is hurting, even after two years, and he knows it. He can’t lose another police officer partner, but Shawn pushes all his buttons and then some. He KNOWS he is over protective, he KNOWS he needs to reign it in, but he struggles with that. Getting to know Shawn makes that a lot easier, but on the job? Trent goes into overdrive. But I loved that he does. Because deep down, he knows that Shawn might be The One, you know? He knows how much he is affected by Shawn.

Shawn is very laid back, relaxed in all he does but work. He loves his job. Trent is, in his eyes, the perfect guy BUT for the protective streak a mile wide. When Shawn finds out WHY Trent is just so, he lets up a bit. But when there is a real threat to Shawn, one that could very well kill him? Shawn is very glad of that streak, he really is.

I loved that EVERYONE else could see how much Trent and Shawn liked each other, way before they managed to admit it to themselves. And that everyone was happy for them when they finally sorted themselves out.

It’s well told, from both guy’s point of view, in the third person. There is some violence, but it’s needed for the storyline. I didn’t find it as explicit as some of Ms Knight’s books, but I’m not complaining. This, I found, was really rather sweet! Sexy, yes; steamy and emotional, yes but sweet and cue and I really did enjoy it!

This is the first in this new series, Sin City Uniforms. If they are all as good as this, I’ll be a happie bunnie!

4 solid stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Benoit (Owatonna U #3)
Benoit (Owatonna U #3)
RJ Scott, V.L. Locey | 2019 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
my fav of the three!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

    This is book 3 in the Owatonna U Hockey series. It’s not totally necessary for you to have read books one, Ryker, and two, Scott, before this one, but personally I would recommend you do. It will give you a better picture of this group of hockey players and how they relate to each other. I didn’t much care for Ryker, but Scott was a much better read and this one is my favourite of the three!

    Benoit hit Senior year, and his focus is on his hockey. Study and hockey. He is absolutely not allowed to get involved with a certain volunteer coach who is hobbling around on crutches. Ethan knows he won’t play professionally again, since he broke his leg on his 32nd birthday but helping the next generations of players might keep him happy. A certain goalie is not on his agenda. But after a scorching hot kiss, Ethan wants more, but Benoit is not playing.

    This one, by far, is my favourite of the three. Maybe it was Benoit, or Ethan or the pairing of the two, or maybe it had been brewing up to this one, I dunno, but I loved this one!

    Benoit and Ethan have instant and powerful attraction, and they try hard to ignore it, they really do. But some things are just meant to be, even if there is a big age gap. Everyone is concerned about that gap, but Ethan and Benoit are not.

    There are some difficult topics dealt with here: racism and homophobia. Difficult reading for someone who has not experienced either, but I got way into Benoit’s heart when he deals with the aftermath of that.

    Because of the above, it does make some points quite emotional and you wanna cry for Benoit, but equally, it has some lighter moments and lots of the steamy moments!

    It is again written from both Ethan and Benoit’s point of view, in the first person. Each voice is clearly defined, coming from very different backgrounds, and they are easily identifiable if you leave off during a chapter. Each change occurs as the chapter changes. I saw no spelling or editing that would spoil anyone’s reading experience.

    I loved that Ryker, Jacob, Hayne and Scott all take part, as well as Tens are Mads. I still wanna read their story!

    Are there more? I hope so. Really loving this series.

    5 full and shiny stars

    **same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
SS
Suicidal Since 1995 by Ängie
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Ängie is an electric-pop singer from Stockholm, Sweden. Not too long ago, she released an explosive debut EP, entitled, “Suicidal Since 1995”.

Ängie – “Dope”

The 7-track project begins with the boomin’ lead single, “Dope”, produced by Canto. Everything about this song is dope, down to the title. Also, it’s hypnotizing frequency is so addictive that it has clocked well over a quarter of a million views on YouTube, and that’s within a month of its release.

The artist described “Dope” as a love song where she confuses love with the rush for music and drugs. In the music video, she performs among various vices including drugs, vehicles, and animals.

The second song, “Boss”, is a flirtatious ditty about foreplay in the back of a vehicle. It’s straight to the point, hot, and steamy. Also, it’s a remake of Lana Del Rey’s “You Can Be the Boss”, from the singer’s “Unreleased” album.

Not too long ago, we covered the third track, “Here For My Habits”, which is also the second single from Suicidal Since 1995.

“Here For My Habits”

On the song, Ängie talks about her sexual-invitation experiences with dealers from her past. She explains how some of them tried to hit on her, some even falling in love with her.

The fourth track, “We Run”, is a song about a drug-induced nighttime romance, perpetrated in the dark or secrecy. But when the sun comes up, the hypnotic-tranced lovers run for cover.

The fifth track, “2013”, speaks about living young, wild, and free. Also, lyrics of hiding from cops and papa indicates a certain level of paranoia due to probably smoking too much bomb weed and drinking alcoholic beverages. Then a deep thought sinks in, “18, I can’t believe where the time’s gone?”

The sixth track, “Coke Ain’t Brain”, takes the volume up another notch. The song speaks of someone being addicted to Mary Jane (marijuana) and now they’re trapped to a ball and chain with Charlie (cocaine) stuffed in their nose.

The seventh song, “Venus in Fur”, is laidback, trancey, with a backdrop made of fluffy pillows. When the singer sings, “I am tired, I am weary. I could sleep for a thousand years,” listeners might find themselves under her spell.


Overall, “Suicidal Since 1995” is a solid debut project worth listening to. It has replay value and we highly recommend adding it to your music library.

https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/angie-suicidal-since-1995/
  
A Highlander Walks Into a Bar
A Highlander Walks Into a Bar
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Isabel and Rose Buchanan are mother and daughter who live on a lovely Scottish estate in Highland, GA. Every year, they are in charge of a festival highlighting their Scottish heritage. Izzy as she is called by her friends is surprised when she picks her mom up from the airport and she is not alone. Gareth Connors in all of the Scottish glory is with her and Izzy has quite a few mixed emotions about this arrangement. To top that off, a few days later a friend of Gareth's invades their space as well, Alasdair. Izzy is very wary of these two. What are their intentions? Will she and her mother make it through the festival without any issues?

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was really excited to read this book when I first received it. I have been reading a lot of really steamy romance this summer and I was sure this one was going to be the same. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it left me a bit confused by the language used. The book is set in the South in the US, with ties back to Scotland, but a lot of the wording made me believe that this book was written by a British author. I am also reading an Advanced Copy, so maybe some of that wording will be changed in the final copy.

All the characters in this book are ones I can see myself hanging out with. Izzy is a clumsy woman who is just trying to figure out the life she's living. Whether it brings her joy or if there is something else she can be doing to be happy. Living with her mother and taking care of their home, and being in charge of the festival are all noble deeds, but are they making her happy. When Izzy meets Alasdair, at first she isn't sure how to feel about him. Yes, he is attractive with a deep Scottish accent, but she isn't sure of his true intentions. The same is true of Gareth, although most of her feelings toward him seem to stem from not seeing her mother with anyone else besides her father.

Both of the Buchanan women need some change in their lives. Will these Scottish men be the ones to bring it to them or will they both be left heartbroken?

The book leaves you knowing there is going to be more to this story and I'm interested to find out what is going to happen next.
  
Good as Hell
Good as Hell
Clancy Nacht, Thursday Euclid | 2020 | LGBTQ+, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
BLOODY LOVED THIS BOOK, so read the damn book, people!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

At first, I wasn't sure I would like this! It's a bit random, what with flying mattresses and flocks of blue jays in New York, but I'm so bloody glad that I kept going, cos let me tell ya, this book sucked me in, good and proper!

I don't think I've read anything quite like, in a long ass time, and I LOVED this book.

I mean this book twists and turns all over the place. It drags you kicking and screaming along, and then dumps you unceremoniously on your behind, letting you catch up a bit. It throws things at you, and you have the think "what the actual chuffing eck" and then, pages down the line, it explains it all away, and you "chuffing eck" all over again! (I said say, I do believe I swore, profusely, a time or two reading this book, but some sites don't like you to, so chuffing eck will have to do! But it's not a strong enough swear word, you hear me?!?!?!)

And, just as you get over THAT little hissy fit, another comes along and you are reading faster and faster and the next thing, that MASTERPIECE of a plot twist is thrown at you and you just....sit....and...WOW.

I've filed it on my Masterpieces shelf, because of that twist. Cos I did so NOT see that coming, not in a million years!

It's very well told, from both Gem and Sebastian's point of view, in the third person. It's hot and steamy in places, but also sweet as sugar in others. A bit gory in places, but nothing too graffic. Lots of really random stuff that made for an amazing fun read!

I want to rant and rave about this book, but I've deleted most of this review cos of spoilers, and I want YOU to enjoy it as much as I did and I don't think you will, if you see spoilers. So, as much as I wanna rant and rave, you're gonna have to make do with a mini rant.

This is the first book I've read of either of these authors, and I hope it isn't the last, cos, you know, in case you missed it...

I BLOODY LOVED THIS BOOK! So read it, people, read the damn book!

5 full and shiny, totally unexpected, but very much desered, stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
The Nephilim's Fate (War of the Nephilim #1)
The Nephilim's Fate (War of the Nephilim #1)
Eliza Hampstead | 2022 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
There is much misinformation passed down!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book .

This is, according to some sites, the author's FIRST book. And OOOOEEEE, did she NAIL it!!

BUT! Cliffhanger, people, of the most EPIC proportions, and I did not see it coming, and I am NOT happy!!

She’s a witch, he’s a Nephilim – and a simple kiss could kill them both. That is the tag line for this book, and it is perfect!

Nate is Nephilim, and all he knows is that witches would kill him, if they got intimate. Alissia thinks she is human, but actually, she's one of those deadly witches. But she's also a scientist, and after research by them both, she comes to the conclusion: it's a load of hooohaa, and then gets down and dirty with Nate! But there are forces trying to keep them apart, and Alissia will have a difficult decision to make.

I really REALLY liked this, not quite loving it, but mostly cos of that cliffhanger! Both Alissia and Nate get a say, so that made me happy, cos I do like to hear from the important people in a story.

It's dark and deadly: there is violence here, and it is graphic, but I think it's needed, to get the point across. It's steamy and smexy: explicit scenes from that very first page! If you follow my reviews, you'll know I do prefer my books on the smexy side, but I don't think I've read another book, where it starts right on the first page! I loved that, while it is explicit, that first scene is actually a dream and neither Nate nor Alissia knew the face of the person they were dreaming about!

There is much misinformation passed down, from both the witches and the Nephilim. Getting to the bottom of it took some time, and I do think that I might have got a *bit* lost with it, somewhere, but it all came to make sense.

I loved that Nate wanted to question his superior when it came to the child they rescued, a Nephilim child. I do hope he gets his way on that one!

So, the cliffhanger came out of nowhere, mostly because I wasn't paying attention to the time left in the book and I am NOT happy about it!!

I have just ONE burning question: when can I get my hand on book 2??

4 very VERY good stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Sleigh Bells and Second Chances (Love in Mission City #3)
Sleigh Bells and Second Chances (Love in Mission City #3)
Gabbi Grey | 2024 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ryan's trauma is front and centre, Simeon's is not.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 3 in the Mission City series. I have not read all of book 1 and book 2 not at all, YET. They can all be read as stand alone, and will only really give you spoilers for the previous book. I WILL get to them, I really enjoyed this one.

Ryan is at The Healing Horses Ranch for some major healing, both physically and mentally. Being in a war zone will do that to a man, add in all his team NOT coming home, and Ryan is a mess. Simeon is the handy man at the ranch and after a fraught first meeting, they begin as friends and develop into more. But Ryan will be leaving soon. Can Simeon give his heart only for Ryan to take it with him?

What I loved MOST about this book, was that while Ryan's trauma was front and centre, Simeon's was not. There were hints and clues dropped along the way but it wasn't til Simeon admitted it, even if to himself, what his trauma was. I wasn't able to put the clues together fast enough. My book brain was whirring, but not in the right direction.

I loved that Simeon felt comfortable around Ryan, right from the start. His stutter was not really a thing for Ryan. Simeon was just Simeon and very quickly Ryan found a safe place with Simeon.

It's fairly midrange angst, and is a SUPER slow burn, but I LOVED that it took til near the very end of the book, for Ryan and Simeon to get to the main event. Oh, its steamy and smexy but the smxey times are not what this book is about. It's super gentle, and sweet and almost warm and fuzzies but due to the emotional aspect.

It's about finding your forever person, when you least expect to, and being accepted into an extended family in a way your own family didn't really did.

Oh, I loved that Ryan's dad came good. Ryan had a complicated relationship with him before he left for the Ukraine, and it took time to repair that. I wasn't sure he would, to be honest.

As I said, not really necessary to read the other books first, but I will go back and read them.

5 full and shiny stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Booker's Bliss (Divergent Omegaverse #3)
Booker's Bliss (Divergent Omegaverse #3)
JP Sayle | 2025 | LGBTQ+, Romance
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Booker is a freaking bear, but his heart?? Mush, absolute mush when it comes to Frey.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 3 in the Divergent Omegaverse series. It's not strictly necessary to have read the other books, but I do recommend that you do. It will give you a better picture of this world, and what it means to be Divergent: that is, you have an inner animal, but you cannot shift.

Booker is a bear, and Frey a fox, both of these men can shift, and Booker is a member of the Starling family, after he stood up for Silas, who cannot shift. Frey is Booker's PA, after a shake up within the company. Frey flirts a lot with everyone and it makes Booker grumpy! But hearing Frey ask another omega to help with an upcoming heat, and Booker's grumpiness goes up a notch or two. When Booker finds out the reasons Frey needs an omega rather than an alpha to help him, the grumpiness turns to concern and protectiveness. No one hurts his fox. He just needs to go at the pace Frey sets, even if it might kill him!

What I loved most about this, was once Booker was aware of Frey's past, he is all in, but only as and when Frey wants him to. He will go at his fox' pace, because Frey is his, he just needs Frey to fully commit. Frey wants Booker, deep in his heart but his head is messed up, along with his heat cycle because of the blockers he has been taking for so long. He needs a gentle soul, a kind soul, to help him through his trauma. Booker is a freaking bear, but his heart?? Mush, absolute mush when it comes to Frey.

Due to Frey's trauma, we have to wait for the main event. And I LOVED that we did. Once Frey's heat hits properly, in full force, he knows he can rely on Booker to stop if he needs him to. He doesn't necessarily want him to, but he might NEED Booker to be the gentle soul he knows him to be.

There is some overlap with Taylin's Temptation, regarding the factory, and what happens there. Book 4 is laid out for you, and I look forward to reading it. I have a feeling that it might well be a bit more of an emotional read.

Steamy and emotional, and a lot of fun, reading the group texts!

I look forward to watching the other brothers fall!

5 full and shiny stars!