4.5 stars

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune; Narration Kirt Graves: New Release Review/Audiobook Review

October 11, 2021 by Denise

Welcome to Charon’s Crossing.
The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through.

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.

And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.

But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.

Okay, full disclosure…I received an arc (thank you!) from the publisher for an honest review. HOWEVER, when I saw that Kirt Graves was doing the audiobook narration, I decided to wait for the audio. It’s actually the first time I’ve preordered an audiobook. I knew that I would enjoy TJ Klune’s book, but I knew I would love it even more, with Kirt’s narration. And thanks to these two men, I spent the better part of 3 hours crying…all in the name of a true HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

I’m not even sure where to start with this book. The author’s world building is so incredible, bringing life to what should be a dead place. All of the characters were rich and nuanced, not only the main characters. In fact, there really weren’t two main characters in this romance, but five total, and we learn so much about them throughout the book. Meanwhile, Wallace learns a lot about himself, who he was before he died, and who he really wanted to become. And in the end, he did all he could to redeem the wrongs that he did in life, as well as the ones that he saw after his death.

I loved that Hugo couldn’t touch Wallace…it was such a small thing, but it really spoke to what these two men were dealing with as they fell in love. Their lives were going in separate directions, they couldn’t touch, only see and talk, so Mei had to be the one to make any contact…well unless you could Nelson’s cane (haha). On top of it all, this book was hilarious. I’m still working from home, and was super glad that I was not at work listening to this book, for all the laugh out loud moments…as well as the bawling I did for the previously mentioned 3 hours.

There were so many little scenes in the book that moved it from an average book to amazing. Wallace playing with Apollo out back, or hanging out with Nelson and just talking all night. Even how much he clearly grew to respect Mei and all she did for her found family. Seeing Cameron’s life, and doing what he could to help in the tea shop. Every small step Wallace made brought him from a man everyone hated in the first chapter, to someone who you rooted to find his happy ending. Wallace built himself a family simply by being the man he wanted to be.

The narration by Kirt Graves was spot on once again. I enjoy the little inflections he adds to each and every book he narrates. He takes something mildly funny, and with just a simple pause, or a tiny gasp he turns it into a laugh out loud moment. His vocal range always allows me to know which character is speaking, even if the words don’t, something that is much appreciated. Kirt is definitely my top 3 narrators in this genre, and I’m always happy to spend a few hours in the world that he works so hard to recreate from the author’s vision.

In the end, you could not have asked for a happier ending, or a more fulfilling ride along the way. Full of humor, joy at the little things (like tea!) and so uplifting. I may have had puffy eyes for a full day after, but it was all well worth it.

Story: 4.5 pieces of eye candy

Narration: 4.5 pieces of eye candy

Pick Me (The Sunday Brothers, Book 1) by May Archer: RB, Exclusive Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

October 6, 2021 by Denise

The job at Sunday Orchard was supposed to be temporary.

A chance to gain some work experience. To have some fun. To get away from my overprotective brothers. To maybe, possibly encounter some lumberjacks in their natural habitat before moving on to the dream career that awaited me in the city.

I had not expected to be welcomed into a family of gorgeous and weirdly efficient lumberjack-types myself. Or to find a purpose in the tiny Vermont town whose claim to fame seemed to be apple-based products and copious amounts of charm.

And I most definitely hadn’t expected to fall for Knox Sunday, my grumpy, burly, fifteen-years-older, reluctant roommate, with his infuriating lectures, his hot-as-fire body, his superior attitude, his snarky humor, and his stealth cuddles.

Now I find myself making excuses to delay my big dreams… just for a little while.

But Knox has unfulfilled dreams of his own. A career he walked away from. A big city life in Boston he left behind when he returned to his hometown to help his family. He claims he’s not looking for anything permanent, and I’ve never been one to put down roots.

My big life is waiting for me somewhere other than Little Pippin Hollow. So why does it feel like I’ve finally found the home of my heart?

And how can I get Knox Sunday to… pick me?

Title: Pick Me
Authors: May Archer
Series: The Sunday Brothers, Book 1

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

My life had been a circus before Gage Goodman had showed up, it was true. But it had been a rational, well-organized circus. Three tidy rings, safety nets all around, and the shit had been shoveled regularly.

Then that… that… kid had come to the orchard two weeks ago, all sunshine-smiley and messy-haired and smelling like the ocean, taking over every single one of my spaces with his sly smile and his hilariously awful t-shirts and his dark eyes that showed his every emotion, and suddenly my life was a chaotic shit show run by rabid twin monkeys called lust and frustration that made me do stupid things like re-download the Grindr app in the dead of night just to check out who might be located twenty feet away from me—seriously, LumberjackLuvr? What kind of a user name was that, Goodman?—and blurt out things like, “Sure, I’ll go to lunch at your best friend Jack’s restaurant with you, Webb,” which was tantamount to me agreeing to Webb’s nosy matchmaking bullshit with his friend and Webb knew it.

I LOVED this book!

I had read a few of May Archer’s books before and I quite liked them. But there was something about this book that made me really love it. It is a spin off of a previous series that I haven’t read (too many books, too little time), but you absolutely don’t need to have read the previous. Only 1 detail wasn’t fully explained from the previous books, but it was kind of a big-ish detail, which is why I am taking away 1/2 a piece of eye candy. Ok, one other thing. I’ll get to that.

This books is snark + grumpy. You know they attract each other like moths to flames. The snark comes from Gage, newly out of college who scores a job at an apple orchard in Vermont. Being from the Keys in Florida, that is about the polar opposite of what he is used to. But he is all in. They need him to revamp their website, build an app and help them streamline everything.

Except his office and roommate at the new job is the oldest brother of the family who own and run the orchard. Knox is 15 years older than Gage, cranky and on a mental health sabbatical from his high stress job in Boston. So ya, of course, sparks.

There is a whole big cast of characters- Knox’s siblings and uncle, his uncle’s boyfriend, etc. They all welcome Gage with open arms and pretty immediately treat him like family. But that is just how they are. And Gage is a great guy. But naturally Knox has to fight it and be a jerk. At first.

We all know that Knox can’t hold out forever, they start the classic “FWB” thing, nothing serious, except it is and even though they think it is a secret it totally isn’t.

So some of the things I loved about the book. Gage is snarky. BUT he isn’t constantly snarky. I hate when it is over done. But it isn’t at all here. So when it does pop up, it is perfect. I also really felt like Gage spoke like a real 24 year old. Not a 24 year old as written by a 40 year old (I have no idea how old the author is, just throwing a number out there). It felt authentic.

Even though Knox is the oldest, the farm was left to his brother by design. He feels a bit like an outsider being back after working in Boston for so long. But he just needs to open his eyes to his family around him.

With a small town and a big family, you know there is going to be some people being super nosy into what others are doing. But these guys aren’t like that. Ok, except Webb who is scheming to get Knox together with his best friend Jack. But they all really live and coexist with each other without stepping on toes or fighting and I really enjoyed reading about a well functioning family.

Oh, the only other thing that knocked me down 1/2 a POEC is that Gage is helping with the irrigation system, which is kind of odd because he is all computers. I mean, he took a trip to Boston just to get some kinds of parts for it. Just seemed out there.

So 100% read this book. I can’t believe I have to wait until May for book 2. Sigh.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

May is an M/M author who lives in Boston. She spends her days raising three incredibly sarcastic children, finding inventive ways to drive her husband crazy, planning beach vacations, avoiding the gym, reading M/M romance, and occasionally writing it. She also writes MF romance as Maisy Archer.
Sign up for her newsletter at: https://www.subscribepage.com/MayArcher_News

Role Model (Game Changers Book 5) by Rachel Reid: Quick Review

October 4, 2021 by Denise

The highly anticipated fifth novel in Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series sees a grumpy professional hockey player meet his match in an out-and-proud social media manager…

The hits just keep coming for Troy Barrett. Traded to the worst team in the league would be bad enough, but coming on the heels of a messy breakup and a recent scandal… Troy just wants to play hockey and be left alone. He doesn’t want to be in the news anymore, and he definitely doesn’t want to “work on his online presence” with the team’s peppy social media manager.

Harris Drover can tell standoffish Troy isn’t happy about the trade—anyone could tell, frankly, as he doesn’t exactly hide it well—but Harris doesn’t give up on people easily. Even when he’s developing a crush he’s sure is one-sided. And when he sees Troy’s smile finally crack through his grumpy exterior, well… That’s a man Harris couldn’t turn his back on if he wanted to.

Suddenly, Troy’s move to the new team feels like an opportunity—for Troy to embrace his true self, and for both men to surrender to their growing attraction. But indulging in each other behind closed doors is one thing, and for Troy, being in a public relationship with Harris will mean facing off with his fears, once and for all.

Amazon

Harlequin/Carina Press

Game Changers

Book 1: Game Changer
Book 2: Heated Rivalry
Book 3: Tough Guy
Book 4: Common Goal

The Long Game (Game Changers Book 6) preorder

I’ve really enjoyed all of these books in this series. But this one is definitely among my favorites.

We have Troy, former BFF to the league’s bad boy Dallas Kent. Former because after allegations of sexual assault came out against Dallas, Troy believed the women. And called him out on it, during practice, which was recorded and shared. And it a male dominated sport, they always protect the men. So Troy is immediately ostracized and then traded. To the league’s worst team.

Troy’s new team is the complete opposite of his former team. The guys are fun, they hang out with each other, there isn’t toxic masculinity running rampant, the coaching is different and they have Ilya Rosanov. It’s just impossible not to love Ilya. And having him play a decent role in this book was perfect. He didn’t take over at all. This was still very much Troy’s story. But Ilya was a familiar face among a team we don’t know yet.

Included in this totally opposite team is Harris, the social media manager who is out and proud. And Troy is shocked to learn that zero people on the team care. They all love Harris and treat him as part of the team. So when deeply in the closet new guy Troy meets Harris, he is immediately drawn to him.

But Troy was bff with Dallas Kent. They guy who threw slurs around constantly. Who was the big tough guy. Who made fun of other players for whatever weakness they could find. And now Troy needs to prove to everyone- including himself- that he isn’t really that guy.

I love that Harris was wary of Troy, but still gave him a chance. He didn’t make demands at all and let troy discover who he was in his own time. Troy ended up opening up so much with Harris- and a not so gentle nudge from Ilya- that he was unrecognizable from the guy he was when he played for Toronto.

This was a great addition to the series and I look forward to the next (last? sobs!) book.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

On Board (Painted Bay #2) by Jay Hogan: RB, Excerpt, and New Release Review

September 29, 2021 by Denise

Love on the deep blue…

Leroy Madden is in trouble. Big, handsome, Fox Carmody trouble.

Leroy has buried his attraction to the enigmatic fisherman in irritation and pointless bickering, keeping Fox at a safe distance. But with the troublesome man now living in Leroy’s house, it’s becoming impossible for Leroy to keep his true feelings hidden, or the fact that Leroy isn’t so straight, after all.

Leroy hungers for something different between them. He wants more. But Leroy’s business is struggling, his newly mended relationship with his brother is at risk, Fox doesn’t plan to stay, and their mothers are lovers.

Regardless of what Leroy’s heart so desperately wants, his entire world is at stake, and nothing about a relationship with Fox Carmody was ever going to be easy.

Title: On Board

Series: Painted Bay #2

Author: Jay Hogan

Genre: MM Romance

Tropes: Bisexual Awakening | Forced Proximity | Enemies to lovers | Hurt/comfort |Humour

Release date: September 23, 2021

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

I stole a sideways glance to where Fox lounged in the passenger seat of my Hilux, his interested gaze soaking up the countryside. The worst of the Monday morning traffic was behind us and the driving was easy, not that you’d know it by my white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel.

Sister Sledge streamed through the speakers, Fox’s fingers tapping away on one thickly muscled thigh wrapped in tight stonewashed denim. A fashionable rip mocked me from just above the knee, revealing the faintest glimpse of tanned skin and short dark hair, not that I was looking.

Yeah, right. I was soaking that shit up like sugar in hot coffee.

The universe was definitely fucking with me. Well, that and my mother who’d arrived for Sunday lunch with a surprisingly edible peach cobbler and what she called the ‘best idea ever’ for me to give Fox a lift into Whangarei the next day since I was already going. He wanted to check out some boats, but his car was still waiting on parts.

Fucking wonderful. Why he couldn’t wait for his own vehicle to be fixed wasn’t a question I was prepared to ask based on my mother’s I-dare-you look. I’d caved and agreed.

I could’ve killed her. And by the constipated look on Fox’s face at her suggestion, I was pretty sure he felt the same. It had been a long, long weekend and entirely my own damn fault. Other than forced interaction at work, rugby training, and Sunday lunch, I’d avoided Fox at all costs, and he’d been good enough to play along and pretend he hadn’t noticed, other than a notable drop in temperature whenever he looked my way. I could hardly blame him for that. If only he knew that my epic arseholery stemmed from lust and not disgust.

And the Academy Award for epically fucking yourself goes to . . . yeah. Enough said.

Note to self: don’t get tipsy around the guy. Without the benefit of way too many beers, we wouldn’t have talked and got all chummy on the deck, and I wouldn’t have realised that I maybe, actually liked the bastard, not just wanted to kiss him, or touch him, or have him touch me, or . . . goddammit, wait for the drum roll—fuck me.

I swallowed hard. Me fucking him would, of course, be marginally more acceptable to my brain, but who was I kidding? I’d spent the entire weekend thinking, fantasising, googling, watching, and yep, definitely him fucking me. Good God, the sooner he was out of my house the better. Still, it sounded like it wouldn’t take much to get him to shift back down south, so I could only hope.

“You okay, Leroy?”

My gaze jerked his way. “Fine. I’m absolutely fine,” I lied, because no, I didn’t want to go there, or talk about it, or think about it, or do anything other than bury it as unsuccessfully as I’d done for the last five days, make that a year—my, doesn’t time fly—because I’m chickenshit as all hell and my life is a fucking shitshow of irony.

Why now?

Why him?

Why . . . this?

Bisexual. I’d even practised saying it in front of the mirror, barely able to spit the word out as it sat huge and sour on my tongue. It wasn’t that I hated the man-on-man part, because I was clearly on board with that in so very many, many Fox-shaped, lickable ways. It was more that the admission held an extremely unflattering mirror up to the jerk hypocrite that I’d been, and very likely still was, my entire life.

Whoever said sexuality was a choice, I needed that fucker’s address and a suitably sized cactus to shove where the sun don’t shine.

My head had been buried so far in the sand for so long that I had grit coming out my arse, and that shit had to stop. After my appalling behaviour in the kitchen, I’d sulked and pondered long and hard over the weekend and gotten more than my money’s worth from my broadband provider. It all came with an uncomfortable realisation. The infatuation I had with Fox wasn’t going anywhere, and that meant either making myself and everyone around me miserable or pulling it into the light and stop running. How had I completely missed this rather critical aspect of my nature?

And then it occurred to me, maybe I hadn’t. I had the pieces, but nothing or no one had caused them to fall into place, until Fox.

After reading book 1, Off Balance (On Board can be read as a stand alone if you choose), I couldn’t wait for book 2. I had a feeling it would be Leroy but I wondered how the author was going to redeem this anti social, completely grumpy, formerly a homophobe. It was a journey and I loved it.

Leroy was definitely redeemed. Learning more about him, about his childhood of living in his younger brother’s shadow, of suddenly giving up his dreams to take over the family business, of being utterly lonely made me teary at times and want to hug him. But it wasn’t instant at all. There were plenty of times I wanted to smack him.

Fox is also kind of a mess. Deciding how to start his live over while nursing a broken heart. Sharing a house with prickly Leroy. Missing his home, but not sure if he wants to go back. At least he has his dog.

Leroy and Fox danced around each other for a year of random meetings at their mothers’ house. Even though Leroy was straight, right? So now, under the same roof and ultimately working together, the sexual tension was through the roof.

Leroy is probably the most stubborn character I ever met. But being a stubborn person, I recognized so much. Knowing you are being a jerk, but sticking with it. Refusing to back down even though you want to. Getting caught being nice so then being extra grumpy to make up for it. It was just so real to have him slowly peel back the layers of who he is meant to be. He even takes the time to self reflect on his life to see if he missed signs.

Fox is pretty much an open book. Well, an open wound. But he is drawn to Leroy and even though he “doesn’t want a relationship yet”, he is that guy that needs to be in a relationship.

There was a lot of story in this book. Not just Fox and Leroy, but the farm Leroy works but his mother owns, Leroy and his brother Judah still working on their relationship, a bully from the past needing help, Fox’s ex causing trouble. It wasn’t just filled with sex to make it a longer book. There was a really engaging story that was well rounded and I was never bored.

As I said, this can be read as a stand alone, but I recommend the first, Off Balance, as well.

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://jayhoganauthor.contactin.bio/

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

September 28, 2021 by Denise

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

Rogue Royal (Club Royal) by Elouise East: Blog Tour, Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

September 13, 2021 by Denise

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?

Social Media Links:

Universal: https://linktr.ee/elouiseeastauthor

Newsletter: https://elouiseeast.com/newsletter

Website: https://elouiseeast.com/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/elouise-east

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ElouiseBookaholics/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elouisereast

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/elouiseeast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elouiseeastauthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19342253.Elouise_East

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EastElouise