4 stars

Rookie Mistake (On Board Book 1) by L.A. Witt and Anna Zabo: Release Day Review

June 28, 2022 by Denise

Rookie forward Isaac Rivera is still finding his footing in the big leagues where he’s no longer the best player on the roster. It’s a whole new world, especially now that several of his hockey idols have become teammates. Friends, even.

There’s one who’s more than a hockey idol, though… and he might end up being more than a friend.

Julien Landry is a powerhouse on the ice. In eight years, he’s become one of the league’s top defensemen and the heartthrob everyone wants to bed. But fallout from a painful mistake as a rookie, followed by years of rough-and-tumble hookups, have him itching for something more.

When a connection sparks between him and Isaac, he discovers what he’s been missing: someone he can trust with his body and his heart. As long as Isaac and Julien keep the heat between them off the ice, what could go wrong?

But Julien’s past is never far behind him, and when it comes crashing in, he might lose everything—his career, his friends, and the first person he’s ever really loved.

CW: discussions of past abuse and sexual assault

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I’ve always been a fan of LA Witt. And I’ve enjoyed Anna Zabo’s books. So match made in heaven, right?

Well…yes, mostly. Let’s dig.

LA Witt has been known to have increasingly long books. And that’s fine. Sometimes a story needs 100 pages to be told. And sometimes it needs 400 pages. And while this one clocks in at over 500 pages, it really didn’t have to.

There is A LOT of hockey in this book. “But, Erin, of course there is! Both main characters are hockey players!” True, true. But there are descriptions that go pages about plays, what happened during the game, where the puck went, etc. Play by plays of a fictional game that I really don’t think added anything to the story.

What I can see is the passion both authors have for the game. And I commend that. But I just wish there wasn’t so much of the game play that had my eyes glazing over a bit. Admittedly, I am not really a hockey fan. But I have read plenty of books featuring hockey. And I’ve enjoyed them. But I also wasn’t immersed in hockey.

Ok, moving on.

Beyond the above, I kind of loved the whole dynamic going on. The seasoned players kind of taking the rookie under their wings. Also Julien has different reasons for doing that. And his friends know he has different reasons, but they are cool with it.

Isaac is totally star struck and trying not to be. He had posters of Julien on his bedroom walls. Now he is not only playing on the same team as him, but apparently they are friends? Until Julien passes him his address.

Although unrealistic, I loved that being gay in hockey wasn’t a huge plot point. People knew Julien was gay (or bi? sorry, can’t remember) and it was no big deal. No big announcements really. They kept their relationship on the down low, not because they were two men, but because they were two men on the same team and one was a rookie.

There’s also a subplot involving Julien and another player who used to be on his team but now plays for someone else. That definitely added a lot to the story and to who Julien is.

As always, the sex scenes were off the chart hot and very unexpected.

I definitely want to read book 2. I can guess who it is about and I need to see that. But maybe a little less play by play.

4 pieces of eye candy

Unexpected by Felice Stevens: Release Blitz with Release Day Review

June 24, 2022 by Denise

. .

Party planner Colin Brightman doesn’t drink or dance, preferring to go to bed early with his spreadsheets and lists. All he wants is to forget the singles weekend his friends sent him on, but he’s stuck with a suitcase filled with condoms and skimpy Speedos that don’t belong to him.

He doesn’t expect his luggage thief to be ex-baseball superstar Walker “Walk-Off” Scanlon. Or that Walker has hired his firm to put on a charity event at his bar. Colin can’t deny the mixed emotions the annoyingly flirty man stirs in him, but he refuses to fall for someone who racks up lovers as easily as he once hit home runs.

No matter how much he might want to.

Walker Scanlon likes his men easygoing with no complications. He’s had enough of those in his life. So why is he drawn to tense and straitlaced Colin and his frosty scowl? Even his corny one-liners and jokes don’t get him a smile. But the sparks between them are undeniable. And that unexpected kiss? Amazin’.

Now if only Colin would stop running away. Good thing Walker is fast on his feet, because he has no intention of letting Colin go.

When Colin and Walker come face to face with past hurts and betrayals, they’ll need to trust themselves and each other to learn that heartbreak and love don’t go hand in hand. It’s the bottom of the ninth and if they swing for the stars, they just might hit the grand slam of a lifetime.

Title: Unexpected

Author: Felice Stevens

Release: June 23, 2022

Genre: M/M Romance (stand alone)

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I have to admit. I am a sucker for a baseball player. And one that is past 30? Even better! The older I get, the more I appreciate “mature” characters finding love.

Walker is retired from the game after a career ending injury. He has always been out, never hiding his sexuality. He is also Jewish and wouldn’t play on religious holidays. Two strikes against him in the macho world of professional sports. But he made it through fairly unscathed, except for the career ending injury that was definitely caused on purpose. So now he owns a high end sports bar and is surrounded by guys from his baseball days. He is a really good guy, basically.

But when Colin first sees him, they are at a gay singles resort and he is in the middle of the dance floor doing the limbo. In a Speedo. Super straight laced Colin thinks he is ridiculous. Super hot, but ridiculous.

The universe brings them together in two different ways. So you know it was meant to be. But Colin was hurt by his ex husband and Walker was hurt by his parents and they both have some walls to get through.

Walker is fun. He is a SHAMELESS flirt. He sees what he wants and goes after it. Everyone loves him-friends, customers, employees. His flirting can be so cheesy but at the same time, you just have to smile.

Colin is the complete opposite. Couldn’t flirt if he tried. Very introverted. Has 2 friends. But he and Walker are drawn to each other, as much as Colin doesn’t want to admit it.

So two things I really loved, I already mentioned. The main characters are a bit older. I think 38 and 44? AND they are both Jewish. How often does that happen? I loved it.

The author obviously has a love of Brooklyn and knows it well. The borough is almost a third main character.

There was a lot of misunderstandings between the two men. A few too many, in my opinion. They did always get past it by talking to each other and a long time didn’t pass before they figured things out.

There could have been a lot of angst. Both men had trauma. But it was dealt with in a way that the tone of the story didn’t bring you down.

Fun story, mature characters, great setting and side characters who added to the story.

4 pieces of eye candy

Felice Stevens has always been a romantic at heart. She believes that while life is tough, there is always a happy ending just around the corner. Her characters have to work for it, however. Like life in NYC, nothing comes easy, and that includes love.

She lives in New York City and has way too much black in her wardrobe yet can’t stop buying “just one more pair” of black pants. Felice is a happily addicted Bravo and Say Yes to the Dress addict and proud of it. And let’s not get started on House Hunters. Her dream day starts out with iced coffee and ends with Prosecco, because…why shouldn’t it? You can find her procrastinating on FB in her reader group, Felice’s Breakfast Club.

You can find all my books, grouped by series in proper reading order on my website located here:

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A Foot in the Door (An Open Doors Novel) by Vinni George: Exclusive Excerpt and New Release Review

June 20, 2022 by Denise

. .

The student…

If he wants a job when he finishes grad school, Tanner Brown needs to get a foot in the door. But when he arrives at the country’s largest statistics conference to find he has nowhere to stay, he’s not sure it’s worth it. Especially when he realizes his hot faculty crush just witnessed his embarrassment from a front row seat.

The professor…

Dr. Beckett James is happily focused on his career until one of his former students slides into his line of sight. Tanner is brilliant and engaging, and when he ends up without a room, Beckett has no choice but to offer him a place to stay for the weekend. Even if it means testing his restraint.

The problem…

When their conference fling turns into an on-campus complication, Tanner and Beckett will have to control the variables that threaten to keep them apart or risk losing their chance at a happy ending before it’s even begun.

A Foot in the Door is the third full-length novel in the Open Doors series featuring a statistics professor who makes a mean curry, a ginger-haired student with a bright future, and an offer neither can refuse.

A Foot in the Door

By Vinni George

Open Doors, Book 3

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The crack and hiss of an opening soda can sounded behind me, and I heard Tanner clear his throat as he poured the fizzy water into the glass. “So how did you learn to cook?”

“Oh, um, my mom. She’s Indian and a feminist and made sure both my sister and I knew our way around the kitchen. Though, honestly, I think that might have been in part because my dad is the kind of guy who can burn water, and she wanted to make sure we wouldn’t starve if she had a late class.”

Tanner’s brow creased. “What does she do?”

“English professor. Her area of interest is modernism. She’s doing a guest faculty spot at Oxford this year.”

“So is your dad a lawyer, then?”

I gave him a confused look. “No, he’s a computer engineer.”

Tanner spun his glass on the countertop between his hands. “Oh, I thought maybe since you went into academia like your mom that your sister followed in your dad’s footsteps.”

A laugh bubbled up from my chest because there was no way Tanner could have known how completely different my sister and my dad were in every sense of the word. “Nope. Trudy is her own person and a bit of an anomaly.”

“Fair enough.”

“What about you? Are you following in someone’s footsteps?”

It was Tanner’s turn to chuckle, and I leaned back against the counter to watch as his face broke into a grin. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t noticed the cut of his jaw or the fullness of his lips, and seeing him smile was a delight.

“Not at all. My mom does medical coding for a local hospital, and my dad is a mechanic. I’m the first person in my family to go to grad school, and quite frankly, neither of my parents really understand what I’m studying or what I hope to do.”

“I feel that. Even though my mom is in academia, English is a far cry from statistics. She doesn’t get why I’d rather study numbers than words.”

Tanner laughed, and the sound echoed through the kitchen and settled in my chest. “Like modernism is so easy to understand.”

“Right? But she’s obsessed. Has been as long as I’ve been alive and probably long before that. I mean, how else does a half-Indian kid end up with the name Beckett Eliot?”

“I was going to ask,” Tanner said with another laugh.

“Eh, my sister has it worse. Gertrude Virginia.”

Tanner grimaced. “Yikes.”

I’ve really been enjoying this series. All the men are very different and in different situations. Which, side note, HUGE props to the author on the timeline of these books. It isn’t easy to write a book where you can tell that something happens to another couple in “their book”, and keeping it within the timeline. It is easier, with a series, to have one couple go through their book, then move to the next. These books all have very intertwined timelines, and I just loved it!

These two met when Tanner was in Beckett’s class previously, but didn’t connect until Tanner is stranded at a conference and Beckett saves him by giving him a place to stay. Tanner, a poor grad student, is almost done with his degree, and ready to look for a job in his chosen career, and in fact he went back to school after working for several years, so he’s an older student, setting him with some real world experience with Beckett. He can only hope to work for the company that Beckett’s friend owns.

Beckett meanwhile never missed love, couldn’t have cared less about it, but in no time flat fell hard for Tanner. This led to the conflict of teacher/student at the same school, then later while Tanner was chosen to participate in a competition that would net him a job at the company of his dreams. I won’t spoil it, but what Beckett did was pretty cr@ppy, in my estimation. There could have been about 10 other options he could have chosen, and he went for the worst option…which, of course, they needed conflict, but this was not what I had expected, and it kind of left me heartbroken, as well.

All in all, though, I found the book entertaining, and enjoyed the geekiness of these guys when it came to numbers and patterns. They really were a very good match for each other. The cover fit the description of Beckett, to a T, as well.

I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in the series, Brody and Phin. There was some serious tension going on with these two during A Foot in the Door.

4 pieces of eye candy

Vinni George has been a lover of romance novels (of all shapes, sizes, and colors) since she first got her hands on one of her grandmother’s Harlequins and has never looked back. She lives in Ohio with her two favorite guys (her husband and son) and, hopefully—one day—a dog. When not writing her own stories, she can be found helping to polish other people’s novels. In her spare time, Vinni dabbles in performance art, quilting, and various culinary pursuits and enjoys traveling.

Connect with Vinni:
Website: http://vinnigeorge.com/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Vinni-George/e/B0912X5MNL/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dsk
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/vinni-george
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/vinni-george-3
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21344795.Vinni_George
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/vinnigeorgewrites

Saint’s Song: Rebel Kings MC: Cam, Alexei, and Saint by Garrett Leigh: RB, Release Day Review and Giveaway

June 16, 2022 by Denise

Expect: a fragile king, a sweet-hearted henchman, an enigmatic hitman, and a fight to the death.

Cam, Alexei, and Saint have survived their battle with the devil, but with too many enemies to count, can they survive the war?

“Kill me,” I choked out. “If he’s dead, you gotta kill me too.”

One club, one heart.

Three men, one soul.

Can loving someone kill you? I feel like the world is ending every time I look at them.

Cam. My brother. My president.

He’s the love of my life

And then there’s Alexei. I didn’t know I could feel this way about one person, let alone two. But I think of him in every breath I breathe for Cam. Every thundering beat of my heart. Because there is no Cam without him.

There is no me. My life wasn’t worth living until I found something worth dying for.
And I’d die for them a thousand times.

Saint’s Song is the second in a hurt/comfort, biker romance, MMM duet from the world of the Rebel Kings MC. Content warnings inside the book.

Cover Design: Black Jazz Design

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Book #1 – Devil’s Dance – Amazon – All Regions

Devil’s Dance Paperback – The Ripped Bodice

Book #3 – Forgive Me Father – Pre-Order – Out Nov ’22

So, I fell even more in love with these guys.

Firstly, let me admit that I had to reread book 1. And then I reread my review of book 1. I ended that review with:

“This is book one of two. Apparently book 2 explores more of the relationship growing between the three men together. Because as a triad we didn’t get a whole lot. So I definitely want more. But there are other characters I would love to see get their happily ever after as well. Fingers crossed for more books.”

Let me confirm that yes, they are a firm triad in this book. And it plays out in so many different ways. Each man has his own personality, but how he loves the other two- with his heart and his body- are unique to them. With Saint they are gentle. Saint is always gentle. Cam and Alexi, not so much.

There is still trouble happening with the MC, fall out from what happened at the end of book 1 and more trouble around the corner. Cam is still determined to go straight. So they have to do something about the trouble.

As an American (this book takes place in England), I really appreciated that this outlaw motorcycle club doesn’t use guns. They don’t even entertain the idea. Alexi does, but he is a Russian hitman. But the MC? Nope. Pipes, hammers, chains. Old school. Which is still brutal af but it also makes the fights extremely personal.

The who and what of the issue between the Rebel Kings and the Crows is twisty and turny. Makes for an interesting plot, but also made my eyes cross if I was reading too late at night.

So I got what I wanted out of book 2. AND there are more to come according to the author’s note at the end of this book. So yay!

4 pieces of eye candy

Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British writer and book designer.

Garrett’s debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and her polyamorous novel, Misfits was a finalist in the 2016 LAMBDA awards.

When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible, all the while shouting at her menagerie of children and animals and attempting to tame her unruly and wonderful FOX.

Garrett is also an award winning cover artist, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com, and co-owns the specialist stock site moonstockphotography.com with renowned LGBTQA+ photographer Dan Burgess.

Website: http://www.garrettleigh.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettleighauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Garrett_Leigh

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Austin: Learning to Love Book #4 by Con Riley: New Release Review

June 12, 2022 by Denise

Can Austin learn to love the opposite who attracts him?

Austin Russell doesn’t belong at a small school like Glynn Harber. He’s meant to be a high flyer in finance not a book-keeping bursar. Now there’s only one renovation project left to budget, it’s time he toughened his soft heart and got back to climbing the corporate ladder.

The truth is he’d rather climb Maisie Dymond’s father.

That urge doesn’t add up—Dom Dymond is his polar opposite—but when a near-miss brings them together, Austin discovers there’s more below his laid-back surface, especially as Dom’s determined to win the bid for the school’s last rebuilding project.

Working in proximity means Austin can’t deny that they’re opposites who don’t only attract, they combust whenever they’re close. Telling himself it’s only a fling doesn’t ring true when Dom opens up about what keeps him in Cornwall. He’s there to heal his fractured family, and he wants Austin as part of it.

That openness makes Austin want to share too, but will Dom still feel the same attraction once he knows what drives Austin to keep climbing his ladder?

♥ Austin is the fourth standalone novel in the Learning to Love series. Set in England’s glorious county of Cornwall, each book has a fulfilling happily ever after. ♥

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This series just gets better and better. You don’t have to read them in order. Or at all. But they are worthy of your time.

I think what gets me the most is that it is really good writing. The author isn’t just telling a story. They are weaving you into a world that makes you care so much about the characters. Like little Maisie, who’s father is always late to pick her up from school. And Austin, former “bad guy” who is slowly realizing there is more to life than making money.

Austin, now the school’s bursar, had a special place in his heart for little Maisie. Always there to keep her company at lunch or wait with her when her father is late. Then he truly ends up being a hero to Maisie- and her father. And even though he wants to be mad at Dom, once he realizes what is going on, his heart cracks open a little more.

I loved the fact that Austin was kind of the outsider in the town and school as he was new to the area and position but people seemed to love him. But Dom, born and raised there, is a pariah.

Dom is great with no using what he can (no spoilers!) to woo Austin and instead just takes his time. But Austin doesn’t have a lot of time. If he wants to stay on his self imposed schedule and little tick boxes to check off, he will be leaving the school sooner rather than later.

All of the previous characters make a good show in this book but no one eclipses the main characters. They add to the story and make Austin know that he is valued for who his is. Not how much money he has or will have.

There is also catharsis, understanding a closure between Austin and another person he had sort of a volatile relationship with.

Of course there is a happily ever after. And little Maisie will steal all of your hearts.

4 pieces of eye candy

The Sceptic by Lily Morton: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

June 12, 2022 by Denise

As the best friend of a psychic, Will Buchanan can’t help but believe in the dead. It’s the living that he finds to be problematic. However, after a spate of betrayals, he finally has the chance of a new life within his grasp, and he’s not going to risk it for anyone or anything. Staying safe is the name of Will’s game.

Jem Dawson defines the word temporary. A talented cameraman, he’s here today and will undoubtedly be gone tomorrow chasing adventure and danger. But, while he’s in York, he’s made it clear he wants Will, and Will can’t help liking the charming daredevil.

This inconvenient attraction results in Will accompanying Jem to the site of a notorious poltergeist outbreak. A malevolent spirit has targeted a family, and now the ghost hunting team for whom Jem does camerawork are going to be locked down in the house for three days.

The house is strange and filled with sinister and violent undercurrents. One by one, the group experiences threatening incidents, and as events escalate, Will has to ask himself if he’s risking not just his heart but also his life with this impulsive gesture.

This is the first book in the Arcana Books series featuring characters from the bestselling Black and Blue series.

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“It’s the big thing at the moment. Ghost hunting groups get locked into haunted places for a few days. Apparently, it gives them a better chance of recording psychic phenomenon.”

“And you do that along with Exspiravit?”

“Fuck no. I go to a bed and breakfast nearby at night, and they film themselves. Psychic phenomenon doesn’t have a comfy bed and a tea tray. It just isn’t as crucial to me as filming wildlife would be.”

I bite my lip to stop a smile breaking free. “I can understand that because of the baby penguins.”

“You do know they’re not the only thing I film?”

“Would your attitude change if they were ghost baby penguins?”

He points his fingers at me in a gun shape. “That’s the motherlode right there.”

I laugh. “So basically, they all get their sleeping bags out, and you’re down the road eating a three-course meal.”

“Did I happen to mention that I’m an award-wining natural-world photographer?” he says in a haughty voice that’s slightly spoilt by the laughter in his eyes.

“Only a few thousand times.” He gasps and loses the battle against laughter. When he’s calmed down, I fasten him with a gaze. “So, what’s got you worried, Jem? You’ve done a few ghost hunts with this group and never seemed bothered before.”

He bites his lip. “We visited the house last week to do a run-through. It’s common practice. The group get to meet the family and then Ben interviews them while I sit back, cynically wondering what they’re getting out of it. Then I get to do a walkthrough to see what kit we need and map out the house in my head.”

“What possible kit could you want?”

“You have no idea. Heat-sensing thermal cameras, spirit boxes, motion sensors—and that’s just the immediate stuff.”

I blink. “I usually just take Blue.”

“I wish I could.”

“Why?”

His brow is furrowed, his nervous fingers pleating the serving mat on the counter in front of him. I wait him out and finally he looks up at me. “Because, unlike the other places they’ve visited, there’s actually something wrong with this house.”

“In what way?”

“I don’t know.” He shoves his chair back, looking exasperated. “I honestly don’t know, Will. It’s an ordinary thirties semi on an ordinary street. There’s no history of any violent death there at all or any record of ghostly activity until the Preston family moved in but—”

He pauses, and I stare at him. “What?”

“It felt wrong.” He leans forward, talking quickly as if he thinks I’m going to laugh at him. I’m not. “I always rely on my intuition. After all these years of working in some rather dangerous countries with unpredictable climates and animals, I have fucking good instincts. When I feel uncomfortable, I know there’s usually a reason for it. And I felt it there. When I walked through, it was sunny and warm. There’s kids’ artwork on the walls and family photos, and it’s nicely messy, but—” He spreads his hands. “I wanted out of there so badly, I could feel it in my belly. I was shaking by the time we left.”

If you read the Black and Blue series (ok, 2 books) you know Will already. Best friend of Blue Billings. Big, quiet, stoic. Takes care of what is his. A teddy bear in a grizzly bear suit.

We met Jem in the second B&B book as a cameraman working for some ghost hunters after he is hurt and can’t go on a big job he had been hired for. Still in recovery mode, he kind of shows up off and on in Will’s life. Until he is hired by another set of ghost hunters and he wants Will to be the sceptic. The guy who explains away different things instead of thinking it is ghosts. I’ll say I was a sceptic of Will being a sceptic because just be being Blue’s best friend, he has seen some things. But, who knows.

Well, based on the fact that whatever otherworldly thing is happening is showing itself to Will immediately, he isn’t much of a sceptic.

But the story of what is happening in the house is a fun read. Maybe scary for people who get scared with that kind of thing. Some pretty creepy things too. Maybe read it with the lights on if you are easily spooked. But it was creative and fun to read about, what went on.

There were 4 others who were the “ghost hunters” and while it was their ghost hunt, we were really focused on Will and Jem. They made it hard not to be.

In my no spoiler way, I kind of feel like one character made a big concession toward the end. It had to be done I’m sure, but still.

I still loved Will and Jem getting their HEA and I particularly loved Will getting HIS own happily ever after and going from homeless to where he ends up.

4 pieces of eye candy

Lily is a bestselling gay romance author. She writes love stories filled with heat and humour.

She lives in sunny England with her husband and two children, all of whom claim that they haven’t had a proper conversation with her since she got her Kindle.

Lily has spent her life with her head full of daydreams, and decided one day to just sit down and start writing about them. In the process she discovered that she actually loved writing, because how else would she get to spend her time with hot and funny men?

She loves chocolate and Baileys and the best of all creations – Chocolate Baileys.

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