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Sharing our love of M/M Romance

Book Review

Parts of Us (The Game Series Book 14) by Cara Dee: New Release Review

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The Game Series, #14 • Doll Parts Sequel • MMMM • M/s • DD/lb • Hurt/Comfort • Found Family • Angst • HEA
Grab your favorite stuffie and join Cam, Lucian, KC, and Noa as they jump over life’s hurdles together with their kinky friends as support. Brat shenanigans are to be expected, starting with an Easter Egg Hunt—that has a twist—and continue until they’re off on their Caribbean cruise.

I could admit, when my boyfriend and I finally got together with our Master and Daddy Dom, I’d thought that this was it. I was going to cruise through the rest of my life high on love.

Six months later, I knew that the reality of a happily ever after was much more complex, messy, and beautiful. I learned to see it in the little things. Like in the smiles between Master and Daddy that whispered of their thirty-year-long friendship, in how my boyfriend lit up when he got a new stuffie, and in how we painted the walls of our home with all the raw emotions life brought. I saw it in the way our dynamics evolved, how we truly were four parts of a whole, and how we overcame obstacles.

We did have one obstacle we couldn’t postpone any longer. My boyfriend still hadn’t told his mother that he wasn’t dating only me. He was dating her ex-husband, the man who’d been his stepfather. We also had to convince our Master to cut down on work because he was stressing himself out, and his blood pressure was already high.

Then one night, I lost my footing when he collapsed and an ambulance drove off with him.

We couldn’t be us without him. If one was missing, we were just…parts.

____

The Game Series is a BDSM series where romance meets the reality of kink. Sometimes we fall for someone we don’t match with, sometimes vanilla business gets in the way of kinky pleasure, and sometimes we have to compromise and push ourselves to overcome trauma and insecurities. No matter what, one thing is certain. This is not a perfect world—and maybe that’s why the happily ever after feels so good.

The characters in the Game Series cross over in multiple books, as we follow not only new love interests but the background friendships and dynamics of a thriving kink community. This is the second story that follows KC, Noa, Cam, and Lucian. Parts of Us is best enjoyed if you’ve read Doll Parts first.

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Settle in everyone. This book is thick.

Obligatory you really should read at least Doll Parts first, but if you don’t, you’ll figure it out. Plus there are A LOT of characters from across this whole series and most of them make appearances. Just fyi.

Last we saw Lucian he was grabbing his chest and people were calling 911. Seriously, Cara Dee left us hanging like that. Mean. And then made us wait through other books! Super mean. But this book brings us Lucian’s recovery and with that, he kind of falls in love with his men, and they him, all over again. Swoon.

The fallout from Lucian’s health scare lead to some trust issues, Owner/slave issues, what role do I play issues and “who am I now” issues. There is a good focus on how something like that affects other people- especially those closest to you.

Noa has also run out of excuses to talk to his mother about his relationship with KC. So that’s a thing and more fallout to deal with.

We also get some flashback scenes with Lucian and KC and I LOVED them. I love the dynamic these two have so seeing where it came from was super fun.

Now here’s where I complain. A little. I think this book should be been broken into at least two. Once Lucian is on the slow road to recovery and the foursome has mostly gotten their feet back under them, everyone goes back to McLean House for fun and games. And while that did allow some more introspection by Lucian and some wise words from founders, it just didn’t feel like they should be there yet. I think they needed more alone time first. I wanted to see them make the changes in their house to make it more HOME. I wanted to see them give up the condo. I wanted to see what would drawn Lucian in as a hobby now that he wasn’t working.

That is not to say I didn’t enjoy that story line and that part of the book. I did. And trust me, I don’t think there is another author who can write such a creative “multiple partner” (yanno, the O word. The other O word) scene that makes sense and it’s not just a crazy free for all pile of bodies. It’s almost poetic in it’s fluidity.

And that brings us to the epilogue. And I am sure there is a method to her madness (I say that with love) but it wasn’t an epilogue so much as a very long beginning to the next book.

It was worth the wait, even though I hate waiting.

4 pieces of eye candy

The Science of Attraction: A Mackenzie Country Story by Jay Hogan: Book Excerpt and New Release Review

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I am Mackenzie Country born and bred. Farming the high country runs in my blood, like my father, and his father, and my great grandfather before him. My future has been mapped out for me since the day I was born. Or at least it was, until Liam Skelton walks onto Lane Station, lights a fire in my heart, and turns my whole world upside down.

Bossy, tatted, and out and proud, Liam is everything my father abhors.
And I want him.
Badly.

But having a chance with Liam means risking everything. My family. My future. And my life in these mountains that I love.
Still, the heart wants what it wants, and mine wants Liam.

With so many things against us, maybe we don’t have a chance.
Maybe we’ll crash and burn.
Or maybe we’ll find a way to have it all.

Title: The Science of Attraction

Series: Mackenzie Country #3

Author: Jay Hogan

Genre: MM Romance

Tropes: Hurt comfort | Opposites attract | Humour | Small town | Homophobia | Closeted/coming out | Bisexual awakening | Different worlds | Overcoming odds | Courage

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

When we arrived back at the cottage, Jules looked pretty much like I figured I did—grilled to within an inch of his life. I’d barely stepped in the door when he grabbed my hand and pulled me back out onto the veranda and proceeded to kiss me like he hadn’t seen me for months. I loved it, along with far too much of the man actually doing it considering I’d only known him a month.

“I’m so sorry,” he apologised, brushing my hair out of my eyes. “How bad were they?”

“It was fine,” I reassured him. “I just have to be nice to you if I don’t want my balls fed to Holden’s stud Angus bull while they’re still attached. A terrifying thought if I let myself dwell on it too much.”

“Oh god,” he moaned. “I’m gonna kill him.”

I laughed and grabbed his arm before he could follow through. “Forget it. Besides—” I lifted up on my toes and pressed our lips together. “—I have zero intention of being anything other than very, very nice to you.” I palmed his dick through his jeans and squeezed. “So, I figure I’m safe.”

His eyes rolled back in his head and he thrust into my hand, adding in a strangled voice, “The kennel shed out back should be friend-free if we hurry.”

“No time for that.” Zach waggled his brows at us through the window.

“Fuck me,” Jules groaned under his breath.

“I heard that.” Zach smirked. “But Gil needs a hand on the barbecue and your name was volunteered.”

“Go on.” I gave Jules a shove toward the front door and then slapped his butt on the way. “We have all night.”

He grumbled over his shoulder, “If there’s anything left of my nerves after the Gordon Ramsey of the Mackenzie is done using me as his bitch.”

I laughed and gave him another shove.

Oh man I knew this would be good, and I was right.

Full disclosure, this can be read as a stand alone, but you should really read the first two for quite a bit of back story.

Ok. Julian. Jules. Golden son. First born. Running the sheep station since his father had a stroke. His very bigoted father. The one who kicked out his other son for being gay. Which is why Julian has buried the fact that he is bisexual. That’s a can of worms he doesn’t want to open. They have enough problems with his father still trying to run the station even though he physically and mentally can’t.

So the family hired one of the best therapists in New Zealand to help Paddy with his rehabilitation. And when he just walks into the family home in the middle of a situation, Jules worries about that can of worms.

Liam is out and proud and isn’t afraid to call people out. Even people he is hired to help. Like Paddy. There’s quite a bit of tension which just reinforces Julian’s desire to bury his attraction to men. Except Liam ticks a bunch of boxes Jules didn’t even know he had.

This is a great story that really allows Julian to grow and to come into his own. He is moving the station into producing better wool, spending where it needs to be spent as an investment. Without the support of his father. Or his father’s best friend who lives there as well.

But with his father out of the day to day grind, Julian shines. He is a great boss, working right alongside the other men, never expecting them to do something he wouldn’t. Which is the biggest reason most of them know he’s been sneaking around with Liam.

I won’t say much more because there’s a lot of story there. But none of it was tedious. I gasped, I cried, I swooned, I cheered.

I will say that I love that Jay Hogan (and other authors) from New Zealand or Australia don’t pander to American readers. Kiwi slang is used often and it’s fun looking things up. Plus I feel like I learn stuff reading these books. I google everything to get a good idea of where the story takes place.

I think this one is the strongest story of the three. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books. But this one, with Julian standing up for himself, growing into his own man, I loved it.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Heart, humour and keeping it real.

Jay is a 2020 Lambda Literary Award Finalist in Gay Romance and her book Off Balance was the 2021 New Zealand Romance Book of the Year.

She is a New Zealand author writing mm romance and romantic suspense, primarily set in New Zealand. She writes character driven romances with lots of humour, a good dose of reality and a splash of angst. She’s travelled extensively, lived in many countries, and in a past life she was a critical care nurse, nurse educator and counsellor. Jay is owned by a huge Maine Coon cat and a gorgeous Cocker Spaniel

Find Jay in all the places: https://www.jayhoganauthor.com/landingpage 

UnConVentional Kiss (The UnConVentional Series Book 1) by by Katherine McIntyre and K.C. Carmine: Release Day Review

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One Comic-Con. One chance encounter. One kiss that changes everything.
Beck

I never claimed to be easy to love. My steady stream of ex-girlfriends is proof positive, and my anxiety pretty much confirms I’ll be alone for the rest of my life. No matter who I date, I can’t ever feel completely myself.

At least until I met Cay, who’s bright, charming, and captures my attention from the start. And one kiss at a Comic-Con sparks some very not-straight feelings in me.

Cay

I’ve spent my whole life trying to make people happy, yet all my effort never seems to be enough. But when a blind double date lands me next to the guy I’ve been thinking about ever since Comic-Con, I’m ready to claim something for myself. Even if I’ve never been into guys before and I have no clue what I’m doing.

That single kiss sparked something in both of us that we can’t seem to deny, and we agree to fool around, exploring where this chemistry leads. All too fast, feelings take the wheel, steering me off the course of fast and easy. However, being bi is new for both of us, and when the time arrives to come out, I don’t know if I’ll be taking that step forward with Beck…or alone.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

This was cute. I mean, there’s not a ton to say about it except it’s cute.

Beck seems to blame his dating woes with his anxiety. He has more than anxiety though. As a friend says, he definitely has a touch of the ’tism. He reminded me a bit of Sheldon Cooper. But not a genius. He expects things to be a certain way and doesn’t like anything that veers off of that course.

Cay is a people pleaser, which is how he ended up kissing Beck- a total stranger- at a convention. He’s a nice guy, but he lets people walk all over him. Bit of a wet noodle.

Beck and Cay reconnect after both being set up on a double blind date with 2 different women who are friends. The guy who did the setting up prides himself on his matchmaking. But, no. You’ll see.

Beck and Cayden navigate what it means to have feelings for a guy. And how that fits into their lives. Or the lives they have created. This was not part of Beck’s plan to say the least. They even swap costumes for an event- which was definitely on the cute side, but it also kind of clues their friends in a bit.

It was so cute I almost, ALMOST, looked past the fact that they called each other Supes and Bats. Ok, mostly Cayden calls Beck Supes but still. Stop it. Granted I am a Marvel girl more than a DC girl, but I just don’t think shortening it to Supes flies. HAHAHA! Flies! Get it?

If you need a no real angst, coming out, cute af story, this is it.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Unloved (The Unlucky Ones) by Marley Valentine: Quick Review

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From USA Today bestselling author Marley Valentine comes an all new emotional, hurt/comfort, polyamorous romance.

We longed. We lost. We loved. Desperately.

I thought I had my life all figured out. But after a college football accident leaves me deaf, I was learning how to live all over again.

I expected the anger, the frustration, and the struggle to readjust, but what I didn’t expect to happen amongst the chaos, was to fall in love.

Especially not with two men.

Rough-edged puzzle pieces, Rhys, Samuel, and I were nothing but aching memories, painful realities, and hidden scars.

We were products of our pasts, abandoned and unloved, messy and complicated. Individually we had baggage; together we had mountains to climb.

But when the three of us were tangled up in one another, spilling secrets in the dark, hearts beating in sync, nothing else mattered but them.

We needed to break the cycle, because they deserved love… And who knows, maybe I finally did too.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

I am such a complete sucker for angst. Add in friends to lovers, bi awakening, a throuple AND a deaf main character? It’s like catnip. And the story didn’t disappoint.

I didn’t read book 1 so everything was new to me. There seems to be quite a bit of overlap of stories with book 1 and 2, but really it’s fine if you haven’t read book 1. But you know I am going back for it!

Lennox becomes deaf without warning. He grew up in the foster system and had no idea that this was a genetic possibility. Until he took a hard hit in football and never heard again.

You could feel his fear. Fear, being overwhelmed, feeling excluded, anxiety, depression. All completely new feelings to a college football player. His best friend Samuel is there for him every step of the way. Especially since his brother took off after a bad break up. He does have a close friend group who went through foster care with him and they all rally around Lennox during this huge change.

On the outskirts is Rhys. Fresh out of rehab for the millionth time. He wants to stay sober. His sponsor is one of Lennox’s foster siblings. And Rhys has a deaf sister so he knows ASL. Sounds like the starts aligned, right?

Wrong. Samuel is still exploring being bi. Being bi with his best friend. Who is now deaf. And Rhys who is struggling to stay sober, helping Lennox learn sign language and falling for both men. And Lennox, learning how to navigate life while deaf, trying to repair his relationship with his brother, exploring a romantic and sexual relationship with his best friend AND his feelings for Rhys. It’s a lot.

And yet all of these things unfold with sensitivity and realness. No shortcuts were taken on their road to heeling and self discovery.

I adored these men together. They were absolutely made for each other.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Sweet and Kinky (It’s a Kink Thing, Book 7) by M.C. Roth: New Release Review

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FROM EXCITING AUTHOR OF LGBTQIA ROMANCE M.C. ROTH

Book seven in the It’s a Kink Thing series

One video will change everything.

Wherever Isthmus and Rowes go, a horde of reporters follow, as they try to catch a snippet of everyone’s favorite actors from the hit television show Gunlover. They are best friends— sharing the screen together, along with a home and hotel rooms. But one fan video changes their lives forever when it accuses them of being in a D/s relationship.

Rowes is straight, and Isthmus can’t imagine that his best friend is kinky, but his thoughts keep straying to the video. As they start to get closer and the boundaries between them fall, they try to resist the inescapable pull of kink and passion.

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For a kink book, this one was awfully cute. Definitely had some sexy in there. But a lot of cute and sweet. Unfortunately a lot of contradictions which makes me crazy. We’ll get to that.

Izzy and Rowes co-star on a tv show. They are also BFF. Very touchy feely bff. And since Izzy is out, rumors abound. But Rowes insists, often, that he is straight. But they are tv actors who share a hotel room. And often a bed for cuddling.

With the rumors come social media posts, photos and videos. One particular video shows them that they seem to be very D/s without even knowing it. Which gets them both thinking. And worrying. Because Rowes is straight. And he has a clause in his contract that he couldn’t have sex with anyone on or related to the show. He is the only one though. Which is definitely odd, but ok. But that clause causes a lot of anxiety with Rowes.

So some rando on the internet put together pictures and video snippets to claim they are in a D/s relationship. How do you test that out? By going to a kink club of course! (no) Well, Rowes is definitely not as straight as he thought he was. In fact, he kind of just rolls right into the sex with my bff who is a guy and also a Dominant and omg I am a submissive. And he was adamant that he was straight. Not even wondering if maybe he was a tiny bit bi. Nope. Straight as straight can be. Except no. That was one of the biggest contradictions.

I also never really knew who the star of the show was? Sometimes they say it’s Izzy. Sometimes Rowes. Sometimes a guy named Connelly and a woman named Annelise are listed as 2 of 4 co-stars. Would this bother most readers? Probably not.

Another contradiction is that at the beginning Rowes is very health conscious and monitors what he eats. In fact, one of the Dom like things Izzy does is tell him he was good today and should order extra croutons on his wrap. But their manager has a stash of high calorie snacks she gives him daily. And why do they have a manager who acts like a babysitter?

(maybe a little spoiler-ish?)
Ultimately, Izzy and Rowes get outed. By whom? Because that’s kind of big. Nope, we never know. Why was their manager, who is always totally put together a giant mess at The Big Meeting? Sigh. I have questions.

Now, if you strip away all of the mundane stuff- the D/s dynamic and scenes were HOT AF. Even if I did keep hearing in my head that Rowes wasn’t gay. But ya. Hot, inventive, and fun to read. More of that please.

Izzy had a lot more introspection about whether he really was a Dom than Rowes did about being a sub AND bi. I wish Rowe had that growth and development.

The book was fine. The story was fine. The scenes were hot. There’s a good chance I’ll forget I even read this book.

3 pieces of eye candy

Nerdy, Dirty Valentine by Skylar M. Cates: Release Day Review

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A nerdy virgin professor wants a little dirty talk… but am I the right person to give it to him?

James assumed I was his bully in high school. In my drunken haze, I thought he was mine. We were both wrong. Starting over as tentative friends, I offer to help James with his dating techniques up until Valentine’s Day. I figure it can’t hurt. I’m sober and a proud firefighter, too busy to worry about romance. And James claims he only needs my help until he finds a real relationship. I don’t want to make a mistake or hurt him.

As February approaches, I find my long-buried crush on James resurfacing again. Only this time, I’m determined to do something about it. Will I have to let James go by Valentine’s Day or follow the feelings in my heart?

Note: Nerdy Dirty Valentine is sweet and naughty. It contains hurt/comfort, practice dating, and friends-to-lovers tropes. For any mild triggers, please see a warning in the opening page

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

I get that most romance books are heavy on the tropes. But this one twisted it a bit. They consider each other enemies because each thought the other bullied them in school. But really they were just both awkward (in different ways) and were crushing on each other. They didn’t know each other long as teens because one character moved around a lot. But somehow they ended up in the same diner one New Year’s Day.

Phin is the first to want to make amends and be friends. James is having none of it. But…

Add in another trope of “you can practice with me”. They are both openly gay so that’s a plus. Just so happens that awkward student James is not awkward adult James and doesn’t have experience. And let me tell you, it’s fun to read.

There were some surprises, a couple of “so that happened”, and a lot of hot swoony sex. Phin and James couldn’t be more different, but what they do have in common is respect for each other. Respect for what each of them has gone through or is still going through. And that respect is what made them falling in love so much more believable.

This was a good read, I liked that it was a bit different and there’s a dog.

4 pieces of eye candy