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Book Reviews

Inhale by DP Denman: New Release Review

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What can you do when love takes you by surprise? Just breathe.

Cole Rinne is a model with an impossible problem. An invasion of his privacy ends up in the hands of a blackmailer, and the details could go public any day. His only hope is to ditch the spotlight and hide in the shadows. Then he meets someone with a solution.

Gage Marx is a PI who specializes in impossible problems. He’s used to solving the unsolvable. The only thing he’s ever declared a lost cause is himself.

From the start, Cole’s case holds more surprises than Gage expects. The most shocking is that for the first time in over two years, Gage’s broken heart is showing signs of life.

Their plan to wade slowly into love comes apart when an unexpected opportunity threatens to turn it all into a long-distance relationship. Will occasional reunions be enough to keep them together, or will their separate careers tear them apart?

cw: grief

– damaged lead finds love
– professional model
– learning to love again
– private investigator stories
– hurt/comfort

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Well, I didn’t not like it. It was just a bit disjointed with several things going on at once and none of them getting the attention- or resolution- they deserved.

Cole is a model and social media influencer being blackmailed over video of him and another guy having sex. Cole freaks out. Which, ya, totally freak out worthy. BUT, he is a low level model and SM influencer. He still earns extra cash working under the table for his sister. He never hid the fact that he was gay. The other person was a willing of age participant. So all of his angst about it ruining his career just sounded hollow to me.

Gage is a workaholic private investigator hired by Cole’s sister when he goes off grid. Gage finds him and decides to help him try to find out who the blackmailer is. Gage has been nursing a broken heart for 2 years, so burying himself in work is his favorite avoidance ploy. Gage admits his broken heart to Cole when the flirting is turned up. Cole doesn’t listen and they decide to take it slowly.

Then Cole gets sent to NYC to work. And he stops talking to his sister because she clearly doesn’t know what boundaries are. Gage is now nursing a double broken heart because Cole is 3000 miles away.

Gage also gains some local infamy after he finds a stolen dog and gets a feel good story on the news. Which floods his business with potential clients. Enter the perfect assistant for him. Honestly, I think this was thrown in so that he could visit Cole in NYC without completely leaving his business unattended.

Anyway. We do get a HEA. But there’s just so much that wasn’t resolved or was resolved as an afterthought. It’s mentioned more than once that the black mailer is probably a different person from who set up the cameras. Well they were all happy that they found who did the recordings and never mentioned the black mailer again.

Cole had a big fight with his sister and it’s mentioned that they will have a family get together to work things out, but we don’t see it.

The other person in the sex video is barely mentioned.

There’s a few other things, but way too spoilery.

It was very surface told story which way too much introspection and not enough well thought out plot and resolution.

3 pieces of eye candy

Enemy Combatant (The Renegades Book 2) by Cara Dee: Release Day Review

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.                                    .

The Renegades #2 • Romantic Suspense • Stockholm Syndrome • Hurt Comfort • Action • MM
“The best intelligence is the knowledge that your enemy doesn’t know you have.”

Crew Finlay’s ego had taken a hit or two. He couldn’t lie. As a Marine, he’d been one of the best. As a private military contractor, he’d…messed up a bit. Or failed spectacularly. Whatever. And now? A year into his new gig, working in private security for Elliott Jones, Crew had a lot to prove. He refused to screw this up too. They had people to bring home. So when he found himself holding a cartel freelancer hostage, he steeled himself and vowed not to fall for the bastard’s lies. As if Crew would believe this man was an undercover Fed. Come on.

Nah, this tall, older drink of water was full of it. Adrien Mercier, or whatever his real name might be, was going down. Until one day, when Adrien turned the tables, and then Crew was the one sitting with his hands cuffed behind his back.

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Poor Crew. He’s actually a good soldier but so far not a great PMC and he is still making stupid mistakes in book 2 of The Renegades. He is paired up with Ryan (Darius’ brother) in Europe trying to track down one of the bad guys.

One of the biggest stupid mistakes wasn’t solely his. Since Ryan was in on the mission to kidnap this cartel guy, he can take responsibility for him actually being an undercover Fed. HA!

After securing a place to stay in Italy, Ryan goes off to help out with another part of the mission leaving Crew along with their prisoner. He starts off pretty well with the mild torture techniques. Cooking himself delicious food but none for his captive. Sleeping on a cot with a mattress. Swimming in the cool lake when it’s a million degrees out.

After the truth comes to light, the chains and hand cuffs come off. And the pants. And there’s Crew’s next mistake. Because now HE is the prisoner.

The rest of the book is spent on a yacht with no land in sight while Adrien waits for word about the cartel guy he’s been working undercover for. He wants to wrap this up and go home. He has worked undercover on and off for years. But Crew wants this guy alive because he believes he knows where the hostages are. (yes, you absolutely need to read book 1)

There’s a lot of different names, countries, cartels, who is working with whom, who is trying to kill who, etc, etc. It twisted my brain, but that’s just how I am. Obviously this is a very well thought out plot.

And then there’s more naked times. And then Crew makes another bad decision. Bad according to his friends. I guess we’ll find out in book 3 if his decision was good or bad.

But I will say, I need more Crew and Adrien please.

4 pieces of eye candy

Better Latte Than Never by CC Bridges: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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.                            .

Finn’s love stories always end in death.

He’s made millions writing as author Morgan Heart and his fans can’t get enough of his tragic love stories. But a bad breakup results in a killer case of writer’s block, and Finn needs to try something drastic to fix it, like. . .going to a coffee shop to write. There’s got to be a reason it’s a cliche, and in his world, cliches sell.

He shouldn’t be flirting with the hot, younger barista. He shouldn’t be using said beautiful barista as another character to kill off in his new book. And he sure as hell shouldn’t be getting his heart involved, especially since he’s still keeping his real identity secret.

Working at his aunt’s coffee shop is a temporary thing. . . that’s been going on for eight years now. One day soon Enzo is finally going to make it big with his art and move on. But when Finn walks into the cafe – confident, mature, put together, everything Enzo is not – he can’t help developing a huge crush, even if Finn is a customer.

As their relationship deepens, Finn’s deceptions and Enzo’s insecurities threaten to undermine everything they are starting to build together. If they can each confront their inner demons, then Finn might be writing a happy ending for the first time in his life.

Better Latte Than Never is an m/m age gap, coffee shop romance featuring a slow burn attraction that grows steamier than an espresso machine.

Warnings: Mention of partner betrayal, death of character’s parents in the past

Title: Better Latte Than Never

 Author Name: CC Bridges

Cover Artist: Kanaxa

Amazon – All Regions

“What brings you to our cafe?” He winced at how terrible that sounded. Apparently Enzo completely forgot how to flirt when it was a customer he thought was hot. He could charm the old ladies like nobody’s business, but a cute guy? Nope.

Finn nodded at his laptop. “Came for the Wi-Fi and stayed for the coffee. And then the surprise party.” He picked up his fork and stabbed the last piece of cake left on his plate. “This cake is amazing.”

“Everything my aunt bakes is amazing.” Enzo watched the bit of chocolate make its way to Finn’s mouth and the sensual way his lips closed around the metal of the fork. That shouldn’t be turning Enzo on right now, but God, if he didn’t want to follow that piece of cake with his own tongue against Finn’s lips.

“So what do you make that’s amazing?” Finn asked with a wink, and that was when Enzo knew they were in business, or at least on the same wavelength.

He could feel the blush creeping up his cheeks. “I don’t bake, but I do brew a mean cup of espresso.”

“I’d love to have a taste.”

“You’ve got—” Enzo gestured to his own face. A smear of chocolate had found its way to Finn’s chin. “Here.” He picked up a napkin from the table and brushed it away.

Finn took the napkin, his fingers tangling with Enzo’s for a moment. His eyes were smoldering. “Thank you.”

Enzo cleared his throat and pulled at the collar of his shirt. Who’d turned up the heat in here? “What are you working on?”

“My book. It’s not behaving.” Finn glared at his laptop. “I’m hoping coming here will help spark…something.”

Enzo opened his mouth to tell Finn exactly what he hoped it would spark when he felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked over to find Scottie had left his mother’s side. The kid seemed to like Enzo. Any time he and his mother visited while Enzo was working, Scottie would trail him around the cafe.

“Enzo, I saw you had your sketchbooks,” he whispered. “Are you going to draw me again?”

Before he could reply, Tami had made it to their side of the room. “Scottie, leave him alone. That was a special occasion!”

Enzo had done caricatures one day as a promo for the cafe. Scottie had loved the little drawing Enzo had done of him as an astronaut. “It’s not a problem. Let me get this gentleman some more coffee first. Are you drinking regular, or would you like to try my espresso?”

“I’d love to try your espresso.” Finn smiled, and for a moment it felt like they were the only two people in the entire cafe.

But Enzo had to get back to work, shattering the illusion. He went behind the counter, quickly chatted with his aunt so she could leave for the day while brewing Finn’s espresso. Then he grabbed his sketchbook and tucked it under his arm before bringing out the coffee.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you. About that drawing you’re going to do?” Finn accepted the cup of coffee but didn’t drink it.

Enzo gestured with his sketchbook. “Oh, it’s nothing. I’m going to make a cartoon for Scottie over there.”

“Mind if I watch? Unless you’re the kind of artist who can’t work while someone is looking at them?”

“You’re procrastinating, aren’t you?” Enzo teased. “Let me guess. Deadline?”

“You have no idea.”

Enzo shook his head. “You can watch if you want. I’m used to it.”

This is a new to me author, but the premise sounded cute so why not? Featuring an age gap, as well as a success gap, and both of those things can easily be death to a relationship. Together with secrets, it can be a recipe for disaster.

One MC is successful in his chosen field, but hiding it from the other. Meanwhile, Enzo, the picture of a struggling artist, has his own insecurities to deal with, and they begin to hurt their relationship as well.

There’s definitely some life lessons for these characters, as they work to grow as people and in their relationship.

I did struggle a bit with this book, as I found the interactions stiff between the two MC’s, and for me, I wasn’t sure if it was intended to be that way, or the writing was a bit too stiff for me. I started and stopped this book a couple of times before finally getting into it later in the book. In the end, they struggled to get to find the right place to land in their relationship, but just like I needed, an HEA.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

CC Bridges spent her childhood visiting other worlds in books, comics, and the starship Enterprise. It’s no surprise that she ended up a librarian, being surrounded by the books she loves so much. She writes about amazing worlds with honorable heroes. Her hobbies include paying money to get locked in a room for an hour so she can solve puzzles to escape, along with the aforementioned reading. She lives with her husband and son on the Jersey Shore. She is currently pursuing an MFA from Southern New Hampshire University

Author Website: https://www.ccbridges.net

Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/ccbridgeswriter

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/ccbridges10

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ccbridgesauthor/

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2780312.C_C_Bridges

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/cc-bridges/a Rafflecopter giveaway

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