Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

4 stars

Rogue Launch (The Renegades Book 1) by Cara Dee: Release Blitz, Excerpt and Release Day Review

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The Renegades #1 Romantic Suspense Enemies to Lovers Action MM
“We will find you, darling. Stay strong. We will find you.”

This was exactly what Elliott Jones needed. A nice barbecue with family and friends. The moving trucks were parked outside his new ranch, and he was ready to start fresh. Again. Despite the regrets he lived with, he tried to focus on the good things in life. His niece Blake, for instance. She was his world. But after twenty years of working as a private military contractor in some of the most hostile territories on the planet, Elliott had made more than one enemy.

He heard the unmistakable sound of a rocket launcher, catapulting him and his closest friends into a nightmare of agony, rage, and determination. Lives had been lost, and three people had been kidnapped. Among them, little Blake.

Elliott would stop at nothing to bring her home again, even if he had to team up with his absolute biggest regret, Joel Hayward—Coast Guard sniper, the ex-husband of Elliott’s sister, and Blake’s stepdad.

Series: The Renegades
Genre: MM Romantic Suspense

Release Day: Friday, July 21st, 2023

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“Toby! This is for you.” Gray stuck a piece of bread and changed songs.

 Oh fuck yeah, it took me about half a second to recognize Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” and dive right back into my childhood. One of the reasons I’d loved growing up in the San Diego area, watching the Navy ships on the weekends with my old man.

 Toby was a good boy. He was former Navy too. He and Crew were high on life and didn’t hesitate to put on a poolside show for us, dancing and singing along.

 Blake laughed and cheered.

 “Nobody tell anyone I’m getting down to Navy music,” Crew threatened. “Damn squids.”

 “Whoa!” I stood up with my mouth full of olives, pepper salami, and bread.

 “I got this, boss. You go back to eating,” Toby reassured me. Hey, not everyone wanted eight-packs. Some wanted food. He turned to Crew and clasped his shoulder. “Looks like I gotta teach you a Top Gun lesson, my jarhead friend.”

 This oughta be good—

 I felt my body seize up a fraction of a second before my brain screamed desert. The smell of tea, herbs, and diesel invaded my senses. Take cover, take cover! I was back in Fallujah. Dogs barked, mopeds beeped, men screamed, the morning call to prayer had been interrupted by the sounds of rocket launchers.

 I sucked in a breath and met Crew’s wild stare from almost fifty feet away, and I could tell he’d reacted too. Then we snapped our gazes to the sky, and I didn’t even think. The sound was so fucking distinct that I switched over to muscle memory. I wasn’t sure I saw anything, but I knew.

 “Everyone away from the house!” I yelled. “Take cover! Away from the house!”

 “Fucking run!” Crew shouted.

We all know and love Cara Dee for her kinky, sexy stories. But a lot of the guys are military or ex military or PMC. This book- the first of 4- brings a lot of those guys together for a covert op after one of them was targeted while many were there and 2 spouses and one kid were kidnapped. The kid is the niece of Elliott, the guy who was targeted and the daughter of Joel, Elliott’s former lover AND former brother in law. Sticky wicket there. Shay Tenley, partner to River and Reese was also taken and seriously those guys are scary.

The guys call in a few reinforcements and do what they do best. Organize, strategize and work to get their family members back.

The often confusing world of drug cartels is their main objective. But we have cartels in Mexico, in Europe, in California, the leader of one supposedly in prison in Texas. This one rats on that one, there are a million layers of men to get through, and leads that take them across the globe.

The character focus of this book is Elliott and Joel. They love/hate each other and we get their back story in snippets as they travel through Mexico together hunting down leads and the head of a cocaine cartel.

FYI- the only sex in this book is in flashbacks. This book really focuses on the op and trying to figure out who tried to kill Elliott.

There’s no cliff hanger, but being that this is book 1 of 4 there are also no answers. Luckily for all of us the books all come out just a few weeks apart from each other. So I am eagerly awaiting book 2.

4 pieces of eye candy

I’m often awkwardly silent or, if the topic interests me, a chronic rambler. In other words, I can discuss writing forever and ever. Fiction, in particular. The love story—while a huge draw and constantly present—is secondary for me, because there’s so much more to writing romance fiction than just making two (or more) people fall in love and have hot sex. 

There’s a world to build, characters to develop, interests to create, and a topic or two to research thoroughly. 

Every book is a challenge for me, an opportunity to learn something new, and a puzzle to piece together. I want my characters to come to life, and the only way I know to do that is to give them substance—passions, history, goals, quirks, and strong opinions—and to let them evolve.

I want my men and women to be relatable. That means allowing room for everyday problems and, for lack of a better word, flaws. My characters will never be perfect.

Wait…this was supposed to be about me, not my writing.

I’m a writey person who loves to write. Always wanderlusting, twitterpating, kinking, cooking, baking, and geeking. There’s time for hockey and family, too. But mostly, I just love to write. 

Find Cara on social media here: https://www.caradeewrites.com/cdwlandingpage

Like I Pretended (Heather Bay book 4) by Charlie Novak: Release Day Review

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Pretending to be in love never felt so real.

Henry Lu hates being a superstar. Action movies have left a sour taste in his mouth and filming a queer period drama on the Yorkshire coast sounds like the perfect antidote. Meeting grumpy coffee shop owner, Alex, is the cherry on top.

Alex isn’t impressed with the appearance of Hollywood royalty in his life, especially because Henry refuses to accept that Alex doesn’t like him. But when rumours about the production draw the attention of stuffy streaming service bigwigs and the ire of Henry’s superhero franchise, Henry and Alex must put on a show and fake a relationship to smooth things over.

Alex doesn’t want a relationship, and Henry isn’t good at them, but their arrangement is only supposed to be for a few months, then they’ll both be free to go back to their lives. The only problem is that pretending to be in love never felt so real.

Like I Pretended is a slow burn contemporary MM romance featuring a sunshine Hollywood superstar whose never been told no, a grumpy coffee shop owner who wants to be left alone, bad attempts at flirting, terrible catering, and finding home.

It is book four in the Heather Bay series and while it can be read as a standalone, it’s best enjoyed as part of the series.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

If you’re a fan of Charlie Novak, you know Henry Lu. Action superstar, brother to Jason Lu, he’s been on the fringes for a while. And he finally gets his story.

If you’ve read the other Heather Bay books you know that they were anticipating a show being filmed there. Turns out they are, it’s a gay regency romance and Henry is one of the stars. And you know Alex, best friend to Noah who just moved out to live with his boyfriend- Alex’s brother. And even with all of that you can read these as stand alones. But why would you?

Alex is one of the only people to ever call Henry out on his BS. And Henry likes it. But no amount of charm can sway Alex. Until the studio asks him to be Henry’s fake boyfriend.

Because of the fake boyfriend status, and Alex’s past, this story is a slow smoldering burn. Henry quickly befriends Alex’s core group of friends as he also tries to both be respectful of Alex and to woo him.

Alex’s friends are the same snarky, loving group of guys who really just want to see him happy. And even if Alex doesn’t want to admit it, Henry is the guy.

You can’t help but love Henry. He’s like a puppy. And Alex is the housecat who doesn’t like anyone. How can anyone not love a puppy eventually?

Very satisfying story where no big concessions were made, the angst was low and a happily ever after was had. And the epilogue shows that Alex is still a bit prickly, but in the best way.

4 pieces of eye candy

Make Me Stay: A Hurt/Comfort Small Town MM Roommates Romance (Safe Harbor Book 2) by Annabeth Albert: New Release Review

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Roommate Not Wanted

I’m a forty-year-old homeowner and former detective. My friends think a roommate is the solution to my recent funk, but I know that’s the last thing I need.

And even if they’re right, sharing my home with Cal is a bad idea. The prickly SEAL rescue diver has muscles for miles, haunted eyes, a wounded soul, and wandering feet that won’t be happy for long in Safe Harbor. Yet those fathoms-deep blue eyes have me making an offer I’ll surely regret.

Our arrangement may be doomed, but Cal is an amazing roommate. We’re soon cooking my mom’s favorite recipes, watching terrible TV, accidentally cuddling, and trying not to cross the line from friendship to fling.
Until I discover Cal’s sexy secret.

Boundaries blur, and I forget I’m not supposed to fall for Cal. Every kiss, touch, and discovery we make together pulls us deeper until there’s no denying our feelings.

I want nothing more than to keep Cal in town, in my bed, and in my heart, but Cal seems destined to swim back to his solo ways.

Can I bear to let him go, or will our love make him stay forever?

MAKE ME STAY is a hurt/comfort roommates-to-lovers MM romance. It features two mature, wounded heroes, disability rep, a proud pansexual, a SEAL having a demisexual awakening, and sexy discoveries involving rope. Deep feels, dual point-of-view, and big fluffy HEA guaranteed.

MAKE ME STAY is book two in the Safe Harbor series from acclaimed author Annabeth Albert. This small historic Oregon town has a tight friend group, memorable secondary characters, quirky businesses, and long-held secrets. Each book stands alone with a fresh couple, but the background mystery of the town’s secrets ties the series together, making reading in order more fun!

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Holden caught my interest in book one of this series, so I was very happy to see he got book 2 and I didn’t have to wait to hear his story. We get the whole story of why he is in a wheelchair and how much he hates his friends- or anyone really- making concessions for him. Which is really him not completely accepting his fate. Because why wouldn’t his friends put a ramp in or choose an accessible place for them to meet? And the way he covers his pain by being the class clown, always having a joke ready.

Cal is basically Holden’s complete opposite. A total loner, works alone, travels alone, lives in his RV alone. Doesn’t smile, laugh or joke. Carrying over from book 1 is a murder mystery that Cal is there to help with. He is a recovery diver and ready to go deep into the lake to see if he can find anything. The murky water conceals sharp objects and he rips open his dry suit, shoulder and neck. Which brings him together with Holden. The guy he already decided he didn’t like just because he didn’t think diving alone was safe.

The men get throw together sort of, Holden offering a place to stay and Cal begrudgingly accepting it, and really fall into a routine together. It’s super cute how domestic they become so quickly, even with Cal being a giant grump.

We do get the answer as to why he is the way he is and it’s heartbreaking. But he also can’t ignore Holden and the pull he has on him.

I love how Holden’s friends are so nosy about what is going one between him and Cal. Like, guys, you are not subtle. At all. Cracks me up.

I love that Holden and Cal take is slowly. That building heat just SMOLDERS. They have great chemistry together.

We got another great couple, another piece to the mystery and a set up of the next couple. And I have a feeling that the next 2 guys are going to bring all the angst.

4 pieces of eye candy

Contractually Yours: A Hot Bite story by Sarah Honey: New Release Review

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FROM EXCITING AUTHOR OF LGBTQIA ROMANCE SARAH HONEY

A Hot Bite story

Nate just signed up to take a werewolf lover. Hottest. Summer. Ever.

The Shiftercorp Companion Program— where willing humans can sign up to offer their services as a werewolf ‘ companion’ for the summer, and be generously compensated for their time and services.

Perth local Nathan Watson is young, single and loves sex, so it makes sense to apply to spend his summer as a shifter’ s lover. He’ s thrilled when he’ s accepted by Shiftercorp, but when the werewolf he chose as his partner is no longer available, a mysterious stranger steps up to claim his contract.

Nate is cautious, but agrees to at least meet the wolf in question— and when he does? Sign him up. Cooper Hudson is drop-dead gorgeous, compelling and irresistible, and Nate can’ t keep his hands off him. His only concern is that Cooper’ s obviously hiding something about who he is and what he does. Still, Nate’ s almost certain Cooper isn’ t an underworld boss.

Well, sixty-percent certain.

When Cooper Hudson saw Nate’ s profile, he wanted him. And while it probably wasn’ t strictly ethical to use his position to claim Nate as his companion, Cooper’ s looking forward to flying to Western Australia and spending time with this gorgeous boy. He expects a pleasant summer fling— no more, no less.

Then he meets Nate, and the chemistry between them is scorching. Cooper falls hard— and recognises Nate as his true mate. Now he just has to figure out how to tell him. Oh, and there’ s the small matter of what, exactly, Cooper does for a living.

But he’s sure it’ ll be fine.

Probably.

Amazon – All Regions

Pride Publishing

Load this one up on your Kindle for a summer day at the beach!

Kind of paranormal-ish in that there are werewolves and they are out of the proverbial closet living amongst humans. And there’s a company that is kind of like a pay to play dating site where humans offer themselves up as companions to be bid on. And it pays very well.

Nate is a regular guy wanting to make some cash having sex with a werewolf instead of working in the hot summer sun. Cooper sees his profile and has to have him. But Nate doesn’t know that Cooper pulled a couple of strings AND is the owner of the company.

Their first meeting is electric and it doesn’t stop. After not even two days Cooper realizes that Nate is his mate. Nate feels the pull too but doesn’t think it’s possible.

So yes, pretty much insta-love with the whole mate thing. And they had some seriously hot sex. They had some time outs to do fun things. Like eat. HA! And swim, sight see, etc.

My only real complaints were WAY too much use of “Baby” as an endearment. Gag. And I would have loved to read the background story of how werewolves were discovered and how they integrated with people. And their shifting. Cooper shifts but it isn’t a full shift. Is that by design in the book? Or a genetic mutation thing? I always have questions.

But yes, for a short book, it told a decent story with no angst. Read it in an afternoon while sipping a cold drink.

4 pieces of eye candy

Loving Lennox (Out in Austin) by KD Ellis: Release Day Review

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FROM EXCITING AUTHOR OF LGBTQIA ROMANCE KD ELLIS

Book four in the Out in Austin series

Riley didn’ t know home wasn’ t a place… It’ s a person.

Riley would rather sell himself on the streets again than go back home. Only a chance encounter with a stranger saved him from becoming another statistic as a teenager, but now he’ s aging out of the youth shelter and has nowhere left to go— until a kind act from the shelter’ s director sends him straight to Lennox.

When Lennox’ s older sister begs him to rent out his spare room to a kid about to become homeless, he gets way more than he bargained for. He expects an acne-spotted, Red-Bull-bingeing teenager. What he does not expect is Riley.

Riley, who has a dominant streak a mile wide but somehow submits so beautifully.

Riley, who has a tough exterior but hides a sensitive soul.

Riley, who might just be what Lennox never knew he was looking for.

Amazon – All Regions

Pride Publishing

Overall, I liked this book. The story flowed really well even though there was a lot of content. But there were also things that didn’t get enough time- or any time, that left me a bit wanting.

We start with Ryland, soon to be Riley, as a homeless teen because he ran away. We’re kind of left wondering exactly from whom and what he ran for a long time. And then when we find out, it made me wonder how he didn’t get caught for so long. It’s close to 10 years. But ok.

The first friend he makes while being homeless disappears. And we basically never hear about him again. That was kind of sad.

We see Riley get to a shelter for gay youth, where he makes a good friend and seems to do well. He also gets to kind of be a kid.

Flash forward to Riley aging out and meeting Lennox who takes him in as a roommate. Lennox also has issues at home. He is in the closet, his parents want him to be a doctor, he wants to be an artist, etc. He ends up getting his law degree, but makes his money as an artist.

There’s immediate chemistry with them. They dabble in D/s, Riley starts camming for money, there’s a bunch of shelter cats that Riley steals/rescues, Lennox and Riley start doing porn together, there’s a lot going on.

Oh and we find out who and what Riley ran from almost 10 years ago. There’s a situation, several weeks go by, things are glossed over…and it’s resolved. And then apparently Riley is fine. Uh, sorry but that guy has some trauma to deal with.

OH! And Riley was an alcoholic when he was in the shelter but we don’t see it. How did he buy it? With what money? How did he not get caught? And even though it’s mentioned that he has been sober since before he left the shelter, Lennox finds empty bottles. GAH! I hate inconsistencies like that.

BUT, even with all of that, I loved Riley and Lennox together. They were perfect for each other. They get a little more into D/s and BDSM, which is fun, and hot, but also Lennox belongs to a BDSM club but we never saw him there.

If all of these little things were fleshed out, this easily could have been a 2 or 3 book series. Alas, it’s all crammed into this book.

Was it worth my time? Yes
Good story? Yes
Good characters? Yes
Do I recommend? Yes

I do wish more things were fleshed out to just get deeper into the characters.

4 pieces of eye candy

Black Flagged (Lights Out) by Emma Jaye: Release Day Review

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Will a Black Flag end love before it leaves the starting line?

Dren is a mercenary, not a babysitter, yet protecting an F1 “bad boy” from his own recklessness is his next contract. The media darling everyone loves to hate is annoying as hell and a target both on and off the track.
Staying close is the only way to protect Karl from himself and others, but the forced proximity reveals the man behind the uncaring, flippant mask. In public and private, Karl craves attention, but it’s not Dren’s job to provide it. But Dren can’t help falling for Karl’s provocative passion, and he shouldn’t because when the contract ends, he’ll return to the organization that holds his soul.

Karl avoids people he can’t trick, charm, or buy, and his new bodyguard falls into that irritating category. But before he knows it, Dren’s imposing presence becomes his seatbelt in the rocky, perilous world of F1 because there’s genuine concern and interest behind the gruff exterior.
When a fiery crash gets Karl suspended for dangerous driving, can the pair find his mysterious enemy before Karl loses his career and Dren?

This M/M romance from Emma Jaye features an arrogant F1 driver with a hidden past and a bodyguard who is in way too deep. Set in the high-octane world of Formula 1, it features fast cars, spectacular crashes, heated rivalries, and of course, a HEA.
Each book in the Lights Out collection is a standalone story, and the books can be read in any order.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

If you’ve been reading along with this shared world series, you know that Kurt is the driver who people like to punch. I mean, it’s not without merit, but still.

He’s a jerk. Cocky, attention seeking, unrepentant jerk. We first met him in Team Orders when he was the driver responsible for (directly or indirectly) a serious crash that almost killed another driver. He walked away.

Besides his punchability, it seems that someone wants him dead. Or at least seriously maimed. So his team owners hire him a body guard. One of those lethal, blood oath to the brotherhood type deals. (FTR- the author has several books with this group, the orta, but I’ve not read them). Kurt does not want a bodyguard.

We get to know Kurt better throughout the book. And don’t get me wrong, he is still pretty much a jerk, but his background explains a lot. Dude needs some serious therapy.

Dren is a dutiful bodyguard. He also wants to figure out who is trying to kill Kurt. And resist Kurt’s not so subtle sexual invitations. Of course that last one didn’t last long.

This was a good read. While reality certainly had to be suspended for some things, it was entertaining and kept me reading. It was fun to have a main character that you already didn’t like from previous books. And he didn’t even get a big redemption arc. Which I appreciated. Some guys are just the way they are. Sometimes making them see the error of their ways just shouldn’t happen.

4 pieces of candy