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Once Upon a Christmas House by A.D. Ellis: New Release Review

November 16, 2023 by Denise

Ivyrson is the quintessential Scrooge when it comes to anything having to do with the holidays. However, the chance to win a hefty chunk of money and free repairs on his old home is enough to entice the man to take part in a holiday-themed reality game.

Emory has had a crush on his older brother’s best friend for years. When the chance to help Ivy possibly win a reality game comes along, Emory doesn’t hesitate. After all, that’s what friends are for.

The two men have known each other forever, but living together and pretending to be a couple means getting to know each other on a whole new level. Can they convince the viewing audience their fake relationship deserves to win the grand prize? Or will Ivy and Emory get swept up in the holiday magic and find themselves falling in love for real?

Once Upon a Christmas House is a steamy, forced-proximity, fake relationship, M/M Christmas romance between a grumpy Scrooge and his best friend’s cheery little brother.

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This story had a super cute premise, perfect setting and tropes galore. And it brought in a very modern aspect of a streaming reality show that has viewers vote every week. Definitely fun.

The grumpy guy is the one who wants to win the reality show so he can fix up his dream house and infuse a bit of capital into his auto shop business. And since the show calls for couples, his best friend offers to fake it with him. Until circumstances happen and he can’t. So his best friend’s brother offers. The gay brother who has had a crush on Ivy forever. It’s fine though, right?

The premise of the reality show was a little weak. Besides a few challenges that they do and daily interviews, there isn’t much to it. Then they added “After Dark” challenges that were a bit cringy. They didn’t have to do those, but they were worth points, so how are you supposed to win by not doing them? *shrug*

The story also leans heavily on Ivy hating Christmas. There are dramatic statements like his father blew up their lives. A little over the top. I kind of wanted to slap him, a la Cher “Snap out of it!”. He’s made it his personality.

Of course Ivy and best friend’s brother, Emory, can’t keep their hands off of each other after just a few days of being fake boyfriends for the show. I did like how Ivy was pretty chill with the fact that he was fooling around with a guy for the first time. There was no big sexuality crisis. He just rolled with it for the most part.

There was a bit of “Christmas magic” in the story as well surrounding the house. I wish that had been highlighted more and shown on the reality show more because it was fun.

This was a mostly cute start to the Christmas book season. Enough to get you in the spirit of things.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

No Backing Down (Zone Defense Book 4) by Becca Seymour: New Release Review

November 14, 2023 by Denise

When we’re both needy and tactile AF, it’s no wonder everyone thinks my best friend and I are an item. But that’s so not what’s going on.

Cassius Britton, the mouthy basketball player for the Minnesota Eagles, is my soul mate. He has been since he shared his gummy bears and let me have all the red ones.

Because that’s the kind of person he is—selfless and sweet. But he’s so much more than that. He’s the man who rescued me from my homophobic parents. He’s the man who brought me and my sister into his family home and wrapped us in love and sunshine.

All of that, and so much more, makes us soul mates—which doesn’t mean he’s meant to be mine.

And when I become a dad and have to balance being a cop in our small town while dealing with grief, of course he steps up, because that’s who Cassius is.

But when I need to get married, when I need a man to step up and be by my side, maybe Cassius is too close. Too much of a risk.

Because how can I possibly marry my best friend and not start to fall, especially when the secrets between us are so explosive, they’ll either burn us to the ground or set our hearts free forever?

Trigger warnings can be on the Blurb page at the beginning of the e-book or on my website’s product page.

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I love a good friends to lovers story. And this was guys who had been friends since they were 5. So I was ready.

Overall, it was a good story. I enjoyed that it started back when they were kids. But there were quite a few as they touched heavily on big moments in their lives. Then there is a time jump of like 6 years. I’m unsure of the exact time but college is over and they are both well established in their careers. I wanted to see a continuation of their connection instead of a time jump that brought them together because of a crisis.

Working through the crisis we get explanations of how and when different things happened. But I feel like those things deserved more attention than they got. A lot more.

It was an enjoyable read, but I wanted a little more.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

. .

Becca Seymour is the #1 gay romance best seller of the True-Blue series. Known for “steamy and endearing” and “emotionally profound love stories” (InD’tale Magazine),
her books have been nominated for multiple RONE Awards.

Becca lives and breathes all things book related. Usually with at least three books being read and two WiPs being written at the same time, Becca’s life is merrily hectic. She tends to do nothing by halves so happily seeks the craziness and busyness life offers.

Living on her small property in Queensland with her human family as well as her animal family of cows, sheep, chooks, and dogs, Becca appreciates the beauty of the world around her and is a believer that love truly is love.

The Mission by Barbara Elsborg: New Release Review

November 13, 2023 by Denise

Snow! Tick.
Skiing! Tick.
Christmas! Tick.
Stalker! Er…

When Conrad and his ex split up three months before their upcoming work ski trip, Conrad’s unwavering passion for the slopes overshadows his reservations about a holiday anywhere near his ex and his new partner. But as ‘friends’ keep hinting he should cancel, he wishes he’d seen sense earlier. Now it’s too late to get his money back.

A clash of heads at check-in with a handsome stranger sets Conrad’s heart racing. Arlo is bound for the same Austrian resort, sparking Conrad’s daydreams of shared slopes, shared après-ski, shared hot tubs and more…while fully aware that spotting Arlo in the mountains will be almost impossible.
Little does Conrad know Arlo has orchestrated this moment. Now all Arlo has to do is convince Conrad he has the best of intentions. After all, if they don’t click by the end of the flight, Conrad will never know he’d been stalked.

Warning
There is a short description of sexual assault.

Please note that this story was originally released as a short story as part of the Winter Wonderland Prolific Works giveaway. The story has been revised with over 25,000 words of added content.

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For what it’s worth, I had not previously read the short that this book started as. So I went in with no expectations. Well, I expected to like it a lot more than I did. I like this author. I like her books for the most part. I didn’t NOT like this book, it just left me kind of meh.

Christmas novellas, to me, are about romance at Christmas time. A meet cute, accidental meet, something like that. And the Christmas magic takes over. The story focuses on the two main characters as they find themselves falling in love in a short time. They are sweet and happy and romantic and sexy. There’s Christmas cheer and hot cocoa, often a fresh Christmas tree that doesn’t fit. I need cute and happy for Christmas stories.

And there were parts that were cute and happy. But far FAR too much focused on one main character’s ex boyfriend and the other character’s family. And a lot of obvious filler. Describing things that didn’t need description. But there was just not nearly enough of the 2 main characters together. Alone together. And not alone to have sex. Alone to learn about each other. To flirt and hold hands and stroll around with hot cocoa and have snowball fights that end in laughter.

Sigh. So the book was fine. But definitely not what I wanted or expected. And parts really did seem to be a neon sign that said “added for word count”.

3 pieces of eye candy

Next Season: MM Small Town/Hockey Romance (The Elmwood Stories Book 2) by Lane Hayes: New Release Review

November 6, 2023 by Denise

The injured hockey player and the grumpy chef…

Riley

My time playing pro hockey will be up soon. I can feel it. And I’ve heard the rumors: he’s too old, he’s had too many injuries, he’s lost his edge. I don’t want to admit it, but they could be right. Next season might be my last.

Or this season. Because of course, this is when the universe decides I need another concussion. It’s a doozy too—the kind that’s going to keep me off skates for a while.

Which is how I end up in a small New England town in the middle of nowhere Vermont, eating every meal at a diner where a grumpy chef from Quebec makes haute cuisine…and burgers. Jean-Claude is funny and charming and—

Okay, I have a crush on a gay man.

This is a new one.

Jean-Claude

Confused straight men are entertaining. But Riley is…fascinating, sexy, and curiously vulnerable. His injury has rocked his confidence a bit, so perhaps he’s in need of a friend. Any friend. Even moi.

I’m an unlikely choice, but maybe he just likes my tuna salad.

No…I think it’s me.

And though I’m happy to help him explore his bisexual curious side, I have career concerns of my own. See, the things I love most about Elmwood seem shaky and uncertain, but not Riley. He’s solid and genuine. Suddenly, this temporary secret liaison feels more real than anything in my life.

I need more than this season. I want it all. With Riley.

Next Season is an MM bisexual-awakening romance featuring a grumpy chef, an injured hockey player, and a big HEA in a small town where anything can happen.

Title: Next Season
Authors: Lane Hayes
Length: 57k
Series: The Elmwood Stories, Book 2
Genre: Contemporary.
Tropes: Bi-awakening, Small Town, Hockey, Grumpy/Sunshine, Holiday

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We are back in Elmwood, but a few years have passed. I like that. I mean, I am all for suspending reality (I mean, don’t go crazy) but when almost no time has passed before the next couple meet and fall in love it’s just too quick. I like seeing the time progression.

This time it is a current player who is flirting with retirement when he takes a hard hit on the ice leaving him with a pretty severe concussion and a nice head wound. Riley needs to recover, quietly, so his friend and former teammate offers the house his husband owns and was planning on selling to recuperate.

If you read book one, you HAD to be intrigued with Jean-Claude and want more of his story. Well we get it over the course of the book as he and Reilly get to know each other. I liked that Reilly had no inkling of liking men or being bi before this. So it took him by surprise, but he also wasn’t icked out about it. He had moments of “is this too gay?” but they are very quickly brushed aside.

While Reilly slowly recovers and Jean-Claude accepts that this is a short term thing, they really develop a close relationship. I loved that they were supposedly on the down low (hahahahaha, small towns) but had no problem hanging out in public. I hate when it’s a secret and they act like they hate each other in public.

Jean-Claude’s back story is a bit angsty, but not too bad. It definitely helps explain why he is a bit grumpy and gruff. On the outside. Really he is a big teddy bear. Another thing I liked. He wasn’t what many would think of as a “gay, French Canadian chef”. That is to say, he was no twink. In fact, he was slightly bigger than Reilly the pro hockey player.

Overall it was a sweet story and I really liked these guys together. I don’t feel like either one sacrificed anything for their relationship. They just made each other stronger.

There are other gay men in Elmwood and I want their stories next please!

4 pieces of eye candy

Once Upon a Christmas House by A.D. Ellis: Release Blitz, Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

November 5, 2023 by Denise

. .
Ivyrson is the quintessential Scrooge when it comes to anything having to do with the holidays. However, the chance to win a hefty chunk of money and free repairs on his old home is enough to entice the man to take part in a holiday-themed reality game.

Once Upon a Christmas House is a steamy, forced-proximity, fake relationship, M/M Christmas romance between a grumpy Scrooge and his best friend’s cheery little brother.

Title: Once Upon a Christmas House
Authors: A.D. Ellis
Length: 70k
Series: Standalone
Genre: Contemporary

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Goodreads

Emory winced. “Do you think we should try to have separate rooms?”

“No way,” I said, then paused. “Unless you don’t want to share my room? I’m just thinking we run the risk of getting caught if we’re not playing the part of loving boyfriends the whole time.”

“Agreed. I just feel bad making you sleep with me.”

I wrapped an arm around his neck and ruffled his hair, the minty citrus scent tickling my nose. “As long as you don’t snore like Trevor, we’re all good.”

“Be thinking of questions and logistics we need to hammer out,” Emory said. “I’ll bring dinner.”

“Aww, already such a sweet boyfriend,” I teased.

“I’m a damn delight,” Emory said with a wink and made me laugh.

Those words stuck with me the rest of the day as I worked in my shop—my dream career, my pride and joy, the way I kept myself from going insane—and by the time I set to work on my last appointment of the day, I couldn’t help the smile that lingered.

Emory Bell was a damn delight.

I’d miss Trevor on this adventure, but I wasn’t going to complain about getting to know Emory a bit better.

For a guy who didn’t have a lot of close relationships, I’d take what I could get.

Maybe I’d never find love—wasn’t looking for it, wasn’t cut out for it—but having a couple good friends, a gorgeous old house, and my shop was just what my heart needed.

It would have to be enough.

. .

Escape into addictive, sexy, emotional M/M romance.

A.D. Ellis is an Indiana girl, born and raised. She spends much of her time in central Indiana as an instructional coach/teacher in the inner city of Indianapolis, being a mom to two amazing teens, and wondering how she and her husband of over two decades haven’t driven each other insane yet. A lot of her time is also devoted to phone call avoidance and her hatred of cooking.

She loves chocolate, hot tea, sweet wine with friends, pizza, and naps along with reading and writing romance. These loves don’t leave much time for housework, much to the chagrin of her husband. Who would pick cleaning the house over a nap or a good book? She uses any extra time to increase her fluency in sarcasm.

A.D. uses she/they pronouns.

Connect with A.D.:

ALL LINKS LISTED- https://www.adellisauthor.com/mylinks/
Amazon- https://www.amazon.com/stores/A.D.-Ellis/author/B00K0YJ8CW
Website- https://www.adellisauthor.com/
Newsletter- https://www.subscribepage.com/ADEllisNewsMMRomance
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Private FB group- https://www.facebook.com/groups/EllisElite/
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A Matcha Made in Hell: An Enemies-to-Lovers MM Bully Romance (Boyfriend Café Book 1) by FA Ray: New Release Review

October 30, 2023 by Denise

Who would have guessed my high school bully could be such a good boy?
Rhett

The worst day of my life was my first day of high school – the day I met him. Spencer Marsh. The guy who would shove me into lockers for the next four years.

I never expected to reunite with him in college. I definitely didn’t predict that sparks would fly. This new and improved Spencer is subverting all my expectations, but I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.

Hooking up with a guy I used to hate is turning into more than just a shameful secret. I should put a stop to it. I should want to put a stop to it. So why don’t I?

Spencer

I’ve been trying since graduation to be different from the guy I was in high school, but seeing Rhett again stirs up old emotions – and an overwhelming desire to atone.

Nevermind that that atonement seems to be happening in some … compromising positions.

My frat brothers and father would never accept what I’m doing, but that doesn’t seem to be enough to stop me. I’m finally the man I want to be, the person I’ve been repressing for most of my life. And it’s all thanks to the guy who used to be the target of my worst impulses.

I only hope Rhett will give me a chance to prove I’m not who I used to be.

A Matcha Made in Hell is an MM enemies-to-lovers romance with first time gay experiences, found family, a bully who just wants to show he’s changed his ways, and spicy open door scenes. Readers should note that some scenes include *spicier* spice. You can find a full list of these acts at linktr.ee/faraywrites

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

This is my first book by this author. And while it was cute, some things were a little problematic and I wanted more of other things.

What I wanted more of- the humiliation kink that Spencer apparently has. Since their first sexual encounter involved that I was hoping for more. A lot more. And there was some, but definitely not enough for my tastes. There were still some vanilla sex scenes in there.

You would never think that Rhett, the gay kid who was literally shoved in lockers in high school would seem to have that humiliation roll right off of his tongue. Which is why it was so hot. Especially directed at his former bully. Give me more!

What I didn’t love was The Boyfriend Cafe. I know, I know. Major plot line that is going to connect more books. But it just kind of seemed like a “rent a gay bff” thing for girls who had boy troubles. It kind of icked me out. And at the beginning they wanted to keep it on the super down low so the college didn’t find out but it is so popular they are booked months in advance. Doesn’t sound very hush hush to me.

Back to Rhett and Spencer. I honestly really liked them together. I loved that after Spencer kind of accepted that yes he wanted to do this with Rhett, he got affection and validation from Rhett. Which he obviously desperately needed. But it also let Rhett share affection with someone else.

Spencer is in the closet for most of the book but (spoiler alert) he does come out to family and friends. I’d like to say more on that but I won’t because bigger spoilers.

This is the first in a series and I liked it enough that I want to read book 2. And book 3 if it is about who I want it to be about. Because that needs to happen.

3.5 pieces of eye candy