Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

TCO Reviewer: Denise

Sailor Proof: An LGBTQ Romance (Shore Leave Book 1) by Annabeth Albert: New Release Review *2

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The sexy Navy chief and his best friend’s adorkable little brother…

It’s petty, but Naval Chief Derrick Fox wishes he could exact a little revenge on his ex by showing off a rebound fling. His submarine is due to return to its Bremerton, Washington, home base soon and Derrick knows all too well there won’t be anyone waiting with a big, showy welcome.

Enter one ill-advised plan…

Arthur Euler is the guy you go to in a pinch—he’s excellent at out-of-the-box solutions. It’s what the genius music-slash-computer nerd is known for. So when he finds out Derrick needs a favor, he’s happy to help. He can muster the sort of welcome a Naval Chief deserves, no problem at all.

Except it is a problem. A very big problem.

When Arthur’s homecoming welcome is a little too convincing, when a video of their gangplank smooch goes enormously viral, they’re caught between a dock and a hard place. Neither of them ever expected a temporary fake relationship to look—or feel—so real. And Arthur certainly never considered he’d be fighting for a very much not-fake forever with a military man.

Carina Adores is home to highly romantic contemporary love stories where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters. Discover a new Carina Adores book every month!

Amazon

Harlequin/Carina Press

When Annabeth Albert writes a military romance (or let’s face it…all her books) you need to plan to read it, and maybe even read it in one sitting. Yes, to both of these for this reader. 🙂

There’s a lot of fun in this book, fake homecoming kiss, and a weeklong family reunion that allows Arthur to finally break away from the little kids table. But some serious issues as well, because family almost always can make things that may not have been an issue otherwise feel like the weight of the world. On top of it, Arthur’s brother, Derrick’s buddy, doesn’t make it any easier.

Seeing how Derrick stood up for Arthur, and his passion, while still doing the little things to help him, so sweet. Even as Arthur states multiple times that he would never date a military man, having seen the issues with his parents, he can’t help the feelings. These two start out as a fake romance, but quickly start to respect and like each other, before it goes any further.

Albert’s ability to take real life difficulties, infuse romantic gestures and sweetness, all while bringing the heat, is something few other authors can manage. I enjoy each and every moment of it.

One thing that I appreciated was Arthur having an important conversation with his mother, finding out what it really meant to be a military spouse from her perspective. It brought it back to a real world issue that military families must have to deal with every day.

These two were sweet and fluffy (also, Arthur’s BFF was bad ass!), but still heartfelt and sexy. Everything I love about Albert’s books. 🙂

4.5 pieces of eye candy

I have a thing for military men that Annabeth Albert writes. I don’t know why, but I just love them. And this is the start of a brand new series! Yay!

You like tropes? Which is your favorite? Because this book has a bunch, but at the same time it feels a bit fresher. We’ve got fake boyfriend, best friend’s brother, forced proximity and virgin. Whew.

What starts out as a fake welcome home kiss to make an ex jealous, to then being fake boyfriends at a weeklong family reunion, Derrick and Arthur are adorable. Arthur being Derrick’s best friend’s little brother. But, yanno, they are just faking it right?

Until Derrick sticks up for Arthur who is a musician in a family of military men. Arthur already had a crush on Derrick, but then Derrick starts to have a crush on Arthur.

Most of the book is spent at the weeklong family reunion. Where they really get to know each other and start falling for each other. It was sweet and a bit romantic (finding Arthur good coffee….swoon) and definitely sexy.

After the reunion, life gets in the way a bit, but at the same time it’s a true test for them.

I really liked this story, although it did take me a little bit to become invested in them as a couple. Partly because there was almost no background story on either of them. We just jumped right in to the homecoming and pretend boyfriend welcome home kiss. But once I was in, I was in and I devoured their story.

There’s very little angst at all, but there is some…stress shall we say. It isn’t over the top fluffy either. Just a good story that I could actually see happening in real life. I guess that’s what I like about Ms Albert’s books- they are very “real life” to me.

4 pieces of eye candy

The Lights on Knockbridge Lane by Roan Parrish: Release Day Review

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Can one man’s crowded, messy life fill another man’s empty heart?

Raising a family was always Adam Mills’ dream, although solo parenting and moving back to tiny Garnet Run certainly were not. After a messy breakup, Adam is doing his best to give his young daughter the life she deserves—including accepting help from their new, reclusive neighbor to fulfill her Christmas wish.

Though the little house may not have “the most lights ever,” the Mills home begins to brighten as handsome Wes Mobray spends more time there and slowly sheds his protective layers. But when the eye-catching house ends up in the news, Wes has to make a choice: hide from the darkness of his unusual past or embrace the light of a future—and a family—with Adam.

From Harlequin Special Edition: Believe in love. Overcome obstacles. Find happiness.

Amazon

**Side note: This is the first book that is m/m in a traditional Harlequin book, and definitely fell right into that category.**

All the good things about Christmas books, at a time of year when we might need them most, with all the hardships in the world right now. This is one of the books that I would have read as a teenager under the covers in my bedroom with the flashlight after I was told to go to bed. Yes, I was that kid, and not much has changed. 🙂 And this book…this book gives you all the feels of reading those books, which is why I am so excited that Harlequin is adding this into their category romance line, and what a great book to start with.

Now, let’s start with one of the main characters, who was NOT one of the men falling in love, Gus, Adam’s daughter. Gus was amazing, I loved that kid. Her Christmas wish was so simple, and yet led to such complex feelings. Her one wish, that Adam wanted so badly to make come true, brought people together, near and far to try to make a reality.

On to the MC’s. Adam had his heart broken, and decided to return home to work through it and start again. He literally was starting back with nothing, a job in a hardware store (yes, a few characters from previous Garnet Run books make their appearances, and help Adam out immensely). All he wanted was to make life for his daughter good again, after her heart was broken multiple times by Adam’s ex. Adam was hurting, but did all he could to make things right for his child. Meanwhile, he had to learn to believe in himself again.

Meanwhile, Wes, the guy on Knockbridge Lane who was severely misunderstood, couldn’t ignore a young girl, curious about science, who would not take no for an answer. He fell in love with Gus, just as much as he fell in love with Adam. However, he had to learn how to stand up for himself again, in order to love the people he wanted most in his life. My heart broke when he couldn’t do that at first. He was a man who wanted to change the world, but didn’t know how to change his own world.

Another character we met in previous books makes a reappearance, Adam’s sibling, River. River was awesome as a sibling to Adam, while Adam took the time to learn more about River, something he had missed previously. It warmed my heart that River worked to bring Adam and Gus back to Garnet Run, because they needed a place to be, and River needed to see people they loved.

Just a heartwarming story all around. I couldn’t have asked for more from it.

5 pieces of eye candy

Roan Parrish lives in Philadelphia, where she is gradually attempting to write love stories in every genre.

When not writing, she can usually be found cutting her friends’ hair, meandering through whatever city she’s in while listening to torch songs and melodic death metal, or cooking overly elaborate meals. She loves bonfires, winter beaches, minor chord harmonies, and self-tattooing. One time she may or may not have baked a six-layer chocolate cake and then thrown it out the window in a fit of pique.

More info is at my website: roanparrish.com
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Hotter Than Hot: A Friends to Lovers Romance (Suntastic Fun Book 2) by Ariella Zoelle: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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Baxley has been teasing Callahan for years about wanting to be with him. When Callahan finds out his best friend is actually serious about being with him, his curiosity gets the better of him. Why should being straight stop him from having fun with his sexy best friend?

Callahan

Baxley is a lot of things: an awesome friend, a relentlessly shameless flirt, a little too attractive, and way too tempting when I’m straight. All of his heated teasing is starting to get to me, making me wonder if maybe indulging my curiosity might be worth blurring the boundaries of our friendship for a night. But what if it’s so good that I want a repeat experience?

He promises me an experience that’s hotter than hot, but am I ready to discover that I like what he’s offering me?

Baxley

When everything about Callahan lights my insides up like a fireworks finale on the Fourth of July, I knew from the moment I first saw him that he was the one for me. The only thing stopping me from making him mine is that he’s straight. But that excuse goes out the window when he kisses me, like he’s been dying for a taste of me for years.

If he’s ready to take a chance on me for one night, can I make him fall in love with me forever?

Hotter Than Hot is the second and final book in the Suntastic Fun duet. This novella features a friends to lovers, bisexual awakening, no angst romance. If you love cute sweetness, sexy fun, and scorching-hot banter that will make you laugh and swoon, you’ll adore this satisfying HEA without cliffhangers. Each book can be read as a standalone but is best enjoyed in order.

Hotter Than Hot was originally published as Turn Up the Heat for the Boys of Summer M/M giveaway. A new epilogue has been added for publication.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

It was precious how Callahan blushed at the sight of my arousal. “Now that I know you haven’t been with anyone for years, your raging horniness makes a lot more sense.”

I reached down to stroke my length as I held his gaze. “This has everything to do with finally being blessed enough to have the chance to prove to you I’m not all talk.”

He blinked at me several times with a dazed look.

Not wanting to overwhelm him with too much too soon, I stopped touching myself. “Are you having second thoughts?”

He shook his head, making me breathe a sigh of relief. “No, I’m confused.”

“About what?”

He bit his lower lip. “You’re going to laugh at me.”

“In theory, that should reassure you since that’s the norm.” My words earned me the chuckle I knew they would. “But if it’ll make you feel better, I promise I’ll try really hard not to.”

He took a deep breath as he squared his shoulders with resolve. “I might have had a few inappropriate late-night thoughts wondering what it would be like if I ever said yes to your offers to suck my dick.”

What a delightful kernel of knowledge that was. Rather than thanking him for giving me something new to fantasize about, I nodded to show I was listening, and he should continue.

“We’re always clothed when you tugged my pants down when I reached the point where I couldn’t take the teasing anymore.” He looked away in embarrassment. “I never pictured either of us being completely naked.”

“Would it make you more comfortable if I put my clothes back on?”

“No, but I feel like I’m supposed to have a squeamish straight-guy reaction to seeing you jerking off, but, um…”

I was dying to know how that sentence ended. “You can tell me.”

He looked up at the ceiling with a pained expression. “I can’t say it. It’s going to make me sound so self-centered.”

“That’s fine. It’s hot when your ego comes out to play a little.” Grinning at him, I tried to convince him some more. “It should be fairly obvious by this point that I love it when you’re a bit of a bastard. Lay it on me.”

It took him a few moments to build up the courage to confess. “Instead of being grossed out watching you touching yourself, it’s kind of…um, well, it’s sort of sexy seeing how turned on you are because of me. I don’t know what to do with that reaction.”

“You’ve got plenty of time to overanalyze it later. All that matters right now is you’re into this.”

He drew a shuddering breath. “Way more than I was expecting.”

I closed the distance between us to give him a searing kiss to refocus his attention on what was happening. He whimpered into it as I let my hands wander over his bare skin. I slowly worked down to his shorts, unbuttoning them and sending them to the floor.

I stopped shy of my goal, even as I took a moment to appreciate the bulge straining in his navy briefs. “Do you want me to keep going?”

“Dear god, please.”

This was kind of a continuation/off-shoot of It Might Be Hot: A Friends to Lovers Gay Romance (Suntastic Fun Book 1), so similar to the first book, this one was about the same. Lots of sex, LOTS, and a couple that were friends, become lovers and are in love pretty much overnight.

It was very, for want of a better word, schmoopy. Very gushy, with Baxley being in love with Callahan from the first time they met. It was insta-love three years later. 🙂 With lots of sex. lol

I did enjoy that we got to learn a bit more about these guys than the first book, and we did learn that the reason Bax was so flirty with Callahan was not because he was just a huge flirt, but because he kept hoping Callahan would just take him up on it.

It was low angst, very sweet, and you felt for Bax who had been in love with his best friend for all this time. However, there was definitely a lack of meat to it. With it being a beachy/summer read, though, that’s what you’re generally looking for. A fun, quick read.

3 pieces of eye candy

Ariella Zoelle adores steamy, funny, swoony romances where couples are allowed to just be happy. She writes low angst stories full of heat, humor, and heart. But sometimes she’s in the mood for something with a bit more angst and drama. If you are too, check out her A.F. Zoelle books.

For real time updates on her writing progress, please join her Facebook group for exclusive teasers or follow her on Twitter or Instagram. You can also sign up for her newsletter to gain access to bonus chapters, previews of upcoming books, exclusive visual guides, and more.

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Shift Work: Night Shift, Book One by TA Moore: Audiobook Review

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You’d think the werewolves would be the worst thing about the Night Shift; you’d be wrong.

All Officer Kit Marlow wanted was a cup of coffee and some downtime before his next night shift. Instead, he got a naked man in the elevator and an unaccounted-for dead girl in the morgue. He’s going to need to deal with both before he can head for his bed. Or anyone else’s. Although not much chance of that.

Reluctantly partnered with the acerbic security consultant Cade Deacon—last seen naked in the elevator—Marlow delves into the dead girl’s life. Between them, they uncover a new crime scene with the whiff of old corruption. A corruption that, five years ago, nearly took Marlow’s life and ended his career. Finding out who killed the dead girl on the slab might only be the start of this investigation.

Oh, and it’s the second night of the full moon. So 80 percent of the city, including Cade, will turn into werewolves in the middle of the case. So, there’s that.

Amazon

Audible

Split Shift (Book 2) – Amazon

Shift Less (Book 3) – Amazon

I enjoyed falling back into this world again with Marlow and Cade, as they finally get themselves to a point of dating, with lots of snarky comments, some murder and a bit of fun thrown in. Their internal monologues were so much fun for me, and as they continue to work their way towards a relationship, it’s going to be fun.

Here’s my original review of the ebook.

This was my first book with this narrator, Michael Fell.  I know that for me, it takes time to get the feel of a specific narrator, and their speech patterns. I struggled a bit with this one, because it was just a bit slow paced for me. I generally listen at a speed of 1.2-1.3X, and found myself speeding this up to 1.5X in order to feel like it was the normal speed I listen at. And there were a few mispronunciations that I noticed.

However, the speech pattern was good to listen to, and the voices varied enough to be able to pick out differences in characters. I liked the cadence (once I moved the speed up), so would definitely listen to him again.

Overall, 3.5 pieces of eye candy

Friendly Fire by Saxon James: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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Rafe
It started in high school.
We grew apart. Bit by bit, then all at once.
The friend who was my ride or die suddenly wanted nothing to do with me.
Now Cam’s back from college, living in the house next door, and pulling stupid pranks just to annoy me.
Between my intense family and my failing relationship, I’m struggling enough without his antics.
But Cam won’t go away. And I’m not so sure I want him to.

Cam
It started with a smile.
A touch.
A shared look of mischief.
Rafael Ortega stole my heart before I realised it was mine to give away.
We were best friends from the time we were in diapers right up until the unthinkable happened: he started dating.
I put distance between us to save myself, but now I’m back, willing to do anything for his attention again.
Because the only thing worse than Rafe breaking my heart…
Is him not getting a chance to.

Friendly Fire is the final book in the Never Just Friends series. It’s a low angst childhood-best-friends-to-lovers romance with skinny dipping, sex toys, and one final happily ever after.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

Cam flicks a little water from the hose my way, and I quickly jump back from the spray. “It’s okay, you don’t need to beg. It’s all yours.”

I stare at him for a moment. “What is?”

“My spare room.”

“I didn’t ask for your spare room.”

“You don’t need to. I know how you work, timing it so I’m out the front as you’re leaving.” He winks. “Well played.”

My lips twitch again. “That’s definitely not what happened.”

“Oh, sure, yes, of course not. Do you want me to beg to make you feel better? Oh, please, Rafe, stay. It’ll be so much more convenient for me for you to be close to home. I’ve been dying to share my own personal space with someone.”

I assume he’s mostly joking, but the last thing I want is to put him out. It would be more convenient, but I can’t imagine Cam shares well. “Lucky for you, then, that Tanner offered.”

I turn to head for my car, when Cam’s hose suddenly shuts off and he vaults the fence between us. “Don’t be stubborn.”

“I’m not being stubborn.”

“You’re being dumb and stubborn when you know staying here would be a thousand times easier.” His confident stride closes the space between us. “Now we can do this back-and-forth thing for however long it takes, or you can admit that you want to stay and we can get on with our lives.”

“Campbell …” I do want to stay. But there’s also a side of me that really, really doesn’t. It’s sending off warning signals that are making my heart thump harder. “You literally kicked me out this morning.”

“I was hungover.” He gives me a smile, and damn him, it actually looks sincere.

I jump when his fingers trail over the back of my hand and then close around my bag strap.

I should fight him.

Instead, I let go.

“There we are.” He slings my bag over his shoulder and starts to head for his house. I fall into step with him. “This arrangement is going to be great. I’ve always wanted a live-in butler.”

“No chance.”

“Tell me you know how to cook, then. I’ll settle for a live-in chef.”

“Nope.”

“Maid? I could buy you one of those black-and-white costumes.”

I choke on air. “Hell no.”

“Handyman?”

“I regret this already.”

“Sure you do.” He leads the way up his front stairs. “Fine, fine. I guess I’ll settle for you repaying me with sex.”

I’m not sure what look crosses my face, but Cam cracks up laughing. “Jesus, dude, relax.” He pauses before opening the front door, and all teasing leaves his face. “You’re my friend. I just want to help you out.”

Then he gives me one of his rare, genuine smiles, the one that makes his eyes go all soft, and that warning signal goes nuts.

Everything about Cam is familiar. It makes me warm and settles the fear and self-doubt inside me. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t stay with him.

Hopefully, it’ll only be a night or two.

I’ve really enjoyed this entire series, and discovered a new author that I will definitely re-read. This being last in the series, I was very hopeful that it would be as much fun as the last books. While it definitely was, there were a few points that I missed the mark with me.

Rafe and Cam were friends from an early age, and then sort of drifted apart. It happened a little when Rafe was sent to another school, and then further when Cam got a girlfriend, while Rafe realized he was gay and in love with his best friend. It happens to all of us, we drift away from someone we once cared about, but this was deliberate on Rafe’s part, and understandable.

When Cam returned to their small town, he bought the house next door to Rafe (lucky it was for sale wasn’t it?) and immediately began finding little ways to annoy Rafe. This was a little confusing to me, other than Cam just could not get past the fact that they were childhood friends, and so played pranks on Rafe. (I just have to say, though, that I absolutely laughed out loud at the two biggest pranks…think a gnome and some forks.) It was Cam’s way of getting Rafe’s attention in the only way he could think of…in order to become friends again. It frustrated me honestly, but it did work to at least get his attention, and allow them to start to work towards each other. I’m not sure it would have worked for most people, but hey everyone is different.

Meanwhile, Rafe was going through some crises. His girlfriend since high school and he had become complacent, and had needed to break up about 5 years prior, but instead just kept pretending with each other. Rafe started to work out that he was asexual, maybe gray ace, but somewhere on the spectrum, and yet felt a growing connection with Cam. And this is where the book really worked well in my opinion.

Sometimes in romance novels (more often than I’d like, tbh) someone who is introduced as asexual is portrayed as someone who doesn’t have sex, doesn’t ever or will never have/want sex, etc. And while that can be true, or somewhat true, it doesn’t describe everything about how someone who is ace actually conducts their life or even feels. Rafe, as he was working it out in his mind, confided in Cam, and not only was Cam encouraging, he was able to help Rafe find ways to be the person he needed to be, for himself. He respected Rafe, didn’t push him, and in kind Rafe respected, and loved Cam enough that sex could be on the table, when it was right. The asexual portion of this book was so well done, it was clear that the author really checked into what people on that spectrum felt was important to them. Sometimes when you love someone, you make compromises that work for you both, and they were able to find what worked for them.

With the rest of the story, the back and forth with the girlfriend, and the mother, and not wanting to tell anyone, and the instant forgiveness for a rather rude event that happened in a previous book…that was a miss for me. I understood that Rafe grew up in that town, had a lot invested, loved his mother, and his girlfriend-as a friend, but it was a bit odd to me that them breaking up needed to be a secret that was let out slowly and with very careful choices of when and where.

But overall, this book worked for me, with the asexual depiction, and the work on the relationship that Rafe and Cam developed on their second go round in each other’s lives.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Saxon James is an author from Aus who’s obsessed with writing queer characters.

She has a range of books from YA to adult and they all have one thing in common: swoony, sweet love.

When not writing, Saxon exists on a diet of coffee and chocolate while putting her KU subscription to the test.

Connect with Saxon:
Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/saxonssweethearts/
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Website: https://saxonjamesauthor.com
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Rogue Royal (Club Royal) by Elouise East: Blog Tour, Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

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Welcome to Club Royal, where your deepest desires are no longer a secret…

Douglas is the spare heir, and he chafes at the restrictions placed on his extra-curricular activities. He wants nothing more than to lose himself in someone else, but too many people are out for what they can get from him, including a membership at the exclusive and highly confidential Club Royal.

Maverick was given the role of social media manager to Douglas as punishment for showing up his boss two years ago. Try as he might, he has not been able to get a transfer, though it could be because he is too damn good at his job. Despite being given the exclusive membership to Club Royal, he doesn’t use it…it’s just not his kind of thing.

When Douglas figures out Maverick’s weakness, he wants to be the one to teach Maverick everything, and it sends them on a journey neither had anticipated.

Can Maverick trust his body to a man who can have anyone he desires?

Title: Rogue Royal

Series: Club Royal #1

Author: Elouise East

Release: September 9, 2021

Genre: MM Romance

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

Secretive Royal (Club Royal, Book 2): Coming 11/4/21

“Teach me,” Maverick whispered, eyes lowered.

Douglas inhaled shakily, overwhelmed by the trust Maverick was showing in him. Lifting his hands, he skimmed his middle fingers of each along Maverick’s skin from wrist to the end of his finger, receiving a tremble in return.

“It will be my pleasure.”

Reining in his libido because he knew what needed to be done first, he cupped Maverick’s chin with his forefinger and lifted his face to his. “Maverick, we have things to discuss before this can go any further.”

“Mav.”

Maverick’s eyes were heavy-lidded, and it took everything in Douglas to keep from closing the gap. Douglas blinked a few times and frowned. “Sorry?”

“Please, call me Mav.”

Douglas licked his lips and pulled back, releasing Mav. “Okay. Mav, take a seat. We have things to talk about.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Maverick—Mav—stumbled over to the sofa opposite, which was much farther than Douglas wanted him to be, but a suitable distance to allow Douglas to think properly. When Mav sat, Douglas took a breath.

“Before we go any further, we need to decide what it is you want from this relationship. What do you like? What don’t you like? And safe words are a few questions.” Mav cleared his throat, but Douglas held up a hand. “Let me ask you one at a time, and you need to think before you answer. I will take whatever you say as truthful unless your body language says otherwise.” Mav nodded.

“I think I have an idea, but tell me, what don’t you want?”

Mav gripped his own hands, rubbing the thumb of one over the back of the other as he contemplated Douglas’s question. “I don’t want to be hurt. Pain for me is just that, pain. I don’t have a high pain threshold, I don’t think.”

“I beg to differ.” When Mav raised his eyebrows in silent question, Douglas continued, “You manage to continue working when you have a migraine. Now, I’ve never suffered from them before, but I know they can be debilitating. If you have the strength to work through those, then your pain threshold is higher than you think.”

Mav tilted his head, and Douglas could see his brain whirling. “Regardless, though, I don’t like pain. I don’t find it sexy. I don’t find it arousing. I find it painful. It’s why I’ve shied away from BDSM in the past. I thought it was all about pain.”

Douglas narrowed his eyes. “What made you decide to research?”

Mav’s cheeks darkened until red stained his cheeks and neck. “After thinking about the massage and what you did, I was curious.” Douglas wasn’t sure if Mav was aware he was skimming his fingers across his own palms as he spoke, but the action heated Douglas’s blood.

Okay, let’s start off with the premise of this series…a secret BDSM club owned/operated by the Royal Family of the UK. And all members of the royal family are officially taken there when they are of age, and can then decide if that is something they want to pursue, or not. The premise of this was so thought provoking to me! For centuries there have been rumors of the royal family being a part of secret society groups, but this…I thought this was quite inventive.

**Side note: The book says at the very beginning that it’s helpful if you read the free prologue. To me, it was almost critical. There are mul)tiple POV’s in this book, not just the two MC’s, and it’s helpful to have some idea of the royal family dynamics before going into it. You could get through the book just fine, but this is definitely one of those cases that it is going to increase the reader’s enjoyment of the rest of this series. It’s not super long, approximately 8 chapters, I believe, but well worth the time if you are going to delve into this series.**

Douglas and Mav (Maverick) had been working together for some time, but basically ignored their attraction, letting it simmer so that it was almost an afterthought to both of them. That all changes when Douglas realizes by happenstance that Mav is very much about sensation, and he introduces Mav to the world of BDSM through sensation versus the often thought of pain/pleasure side of the lifestyle. They are in sync quite quickly with their lifestyle choices. Although I loved that Mav respected his own boundaries and refused to even enter the club until he was comfortable, which was a much longer period of time than many books would show, and Douglas never pressured him at all.

Douglas was very secretive about his “double life”, but it made him all the more appealing as a person, and a royal, which he took very seriously. He felt a strong need to help people who might not be able to help themselves. Once Mav found out about this double life, it pushed his feelings for Douglas even further towards the HEA we are all looking for.

There were some conflicts with Mav’s boss (he was basically a contractor within the castle walls) which I thought was a bit more contrived than I would have liked. However, it did introduce us to Mav’s father, who was a sassy older man that just made you want to hug him, and tell him to stay off ladders.

There is also an overarching slightly suspenseful arc that will be interesting to see how it plays out. There are several cousins that get along really well…I am thinking this is scheduled to be a six book series, with all the cousins being an MC. However, there are some definite homophobes within the family, which may be causing some trouble internally. All is not peaches and cream within the royal family.

All in all, very well done. A great start to what I am hoping is a great series.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

I am Elouise East but feel free to call me Elli. I write sweet and steamy connections in gay romance. I also touch on taboo stories under the name Elouise R East.

Books that tell the stories where friendship and family are the focal point – be it blood family or chosen – is very important to me. That’s why I include a variety of personalities, talents, ages, situations and abilities as I believe a story needs, or a character needs. I want my characters to be real, to be relatable, to be free to have whatever views they tell me they have. And trust me, most of the time, I do not have any say in the matter!

My characters come to life on the page for me as well as my readers. Their stories unfold in front of me, and I have very little input into how they want to be shown. Just like real life, the lives of my characters change with every choice, every interaction and every conversation. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I write books that are emotionally realistic, even if liberties are taken with other aspects of my stories. I don’t know any other way to write. It comes from deep inside.

Who am I? A single parent to two children who make life worth living. An avid reader who still devours every book she can get her hands on. A student of learning about any subject that takes her fancy. An author of books she would read herself. And a romantic at heart who loves anything cheesy.

Who’s in?

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