Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

Charlie Novak

The Fly-Half (Lincoln Knights, Book 2) by Charlie Novak: New Release Review

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Wanted: A Way To Control My Jealousy So I Don’t Get Sin-Binned

When my best friend goes on a date with a mutual acquaintance, I’m supposed to be happy for him, not so angry I want to start screaming.

Devon and I have been close ever since we were children, but I’ve never been possessive of him. Until now.

Seeing him with another man makes me want him in ways I’d never imagined wanting anyone before, and now all I can think about is having him in my arms. My jealousy is starting to get the better of me, both on and off the rugby pitch, and I can’t stop losing control. And Devon has noticed.

Maybe it’s time I come clean and tell him just how much I want him.

And hope he wants me too.

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It’s no secret that I love Charlie Novak‘s books. I was very excited about this one. And while it was good, I was a bit underwhelmed.

Ok, why underwhelmed? I feel like it lacked story. And what plot line there was was really tamed down (jealousy). Devon and Jonny started off as best friends for MANY years- since they were teens. And now they are on the same rugby team. Devon has unrequited love for Jonny. Until friends give him a come to jesus moment. And then BAM! Jonny, always straight, is now with Devon, his bff. Never a question about his sexuality or if he is doing anything right or wrong, just jumped right in there like a man seasoned in gay sex.

And really, the book was sex, rugby and Dungeons and Dragons. Pages of scenes about rugby and D&D. Too much for me. I know nothing about either game and at times was a bit bored.

What really kept me in the story was the characters. Being that Jonny still lives with Mason and Ryan and Jonny and Devon play rugby with Mason, West, Matty, etc, all characters I have grown to adore over the course of many books.

I am more excited about the next book than I was about this one.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Baby Queen (The Court Book 3) by Charlie Novak: Release Day Review

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Note to self: falling for the new queen you’re mentoring will only lead to trouble.

Being broke, single, and homeless after winning the UK’s biggest drag show wasn’t how my life was supposed to go. I’m meant to be the one with everything, but thanks to an unscrupulous tour company I’ve got nothing but my image and a mountain of debt.

Moving back home with my mum and taking the first gig I’m offered in a local drag panto is supposed to help me get back on my feet, but meeting Colin tangles me up more than ever.

Colin desperately wants to start doing drag and suddenly I’m helping a baby queen find her feet while falling head over heels for the man behind the lashes.

We all know mixing these power dynamics is a recipe for trouble, but my life is already a mess. Will falling for Colin really spell disaster or is he the only thing keeping me upright in my seven-inch heels?

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I’ve loved this series, The Court. What’s not to love? Drag Queens, characters from the Forever Love series, Heather Bay series AND the Kiss Me series all make appearances because so many characters are connected to each other in various ways. I love checking in on them.

And yet, two new characters! Ok, sort of. Colin is the best friend of Ianto and Rhys, as much as you can be best friends with identical twins who are super tight. He’s our Baby Queen. A PhD student who does pole and wants to become a drag queen. FUN!

And then we meet Barbie Summers (a nod to Buffy Summers?), aka Anthony. She won a drag reality show and was fairly famous, but got screwed by her manager. So Anthony is home from London and shows up at The Court just when Colin does. Kismet for Barbie Summers to take on a drag daughter.

Here’s my single complaint- not enough learning to be a drag queen. Colin was far from a makeup pro and Barbie helps, but I wanted to see Colin do it and be proud. Just little things like that. But that being said, it was still a great book.

Barbie/Anthony and Colin (I won’t give away his drag name) just had chemistry right from the start. What I would call fast friends. They just clicked and spent a lot of time becoming friends. And ramping up the sexual tension.

Barbie grapples with coming to terms with everything in his life while also fighting his growing feelings for Colin. Barbie’s friend and mentor does not want him to get involved with Colin. But the heart wants what the heart wants, amirite?

There are lots of laughs, of course. Many around the subject of Colin’s PhD studies. Because how could you not? But it was also very sweet, very sexy and very fun.

This is an excellent addition to the series. I hope we get to see more of Colin as a drag queen in the future.

4 pieces of eye candy

Drama Queen (The Court Book 1) by Charlie Novak: New Release Review

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Note to self: dumping cocktails into a man’s lap does not count as a meet cute.

Accidentally throwing a jug of Sex on the Beach onto the hottest guy at drag brunch was not how I wanted to start my performance, and forgetting to ask for his name was the cherry on top.

But when he finds me online and invites me out for drinks, it seems like my chaotic shenanigans might have worked out for once. Falling into bed with West is easy, but balancing a gorgeous, rugby player boyfriend with a day job and drag is harder than dancing in eight inch heels.

And when my participation in a local drag story hour draws the ire of certain locals, it feels like everything might fall apart. West doesn’t understand why I won’t step down, but I’ve never been afraid of being myself.

Now I just need West to stand beside me. Because he’s the only man who’s ever loved me as Rory and Bubblegum Galaxy, and I won’t let that slip away.

You can call me a drama queen, but you’ll never dull my sparkle.

Content Warning: This novel contains an attempted homophobic attack, the use of slurs and violent language.

Back to Lincoln we go! This time with a new series and set of characters. Like a drag queen and a pro rugby player. I do love opposites attract.

Our rugby player is West, brother of Theo from the Heather Bay series. The drag queen is Bubblegum Galaxy and as a boy, Rory.

Some of the things I just loved about this book:

Bubblegum is an electrician during the day working with his dad and brother. His dad was a skinhead in his youth but now helps sew sequins onto his son’s costumes. And her brother is deaf so another deaf character is shown using BSL as well as the family using it while speaking.

West is a giant teddy bear. He doesn’t even play at being tough. He is just a nice guy who doesn’t want to ever make waves. He is pretty much immediately smitten by Bubblegum. He is also out so there is no sexuality struggle that we see often.

Bubblegum was definitely the main character of the book. How could she not be in all of her fabulousness?

The story also highlighted the utter ridiculousness of people protesting drag queen story hours. How it is just what the right has decided to focus their vitriol on even though it doesn’t affect their lives AT ALL. And how just one threat can make people scared to be themselves.

We got some awesome cameos from previous characters (Bitch Fit ftw!) besides Theo and Laurie. It was nice to see the three series tied together without forcing it. It was very cohesive.

Overall, I can’t wait for the next book! I am loving this new series.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Like I Wanted (Heather Bay book 5) by Charlie Novak: Release Day Review

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Roommates. Best friends. Boyfriends?

Theo and Laurie have been best friends for six years but despite doing everything together, they’ve never been anything more than best friends and roommates.

Then someone calls them boyfriends and upends their neat little world.

As the pair struggle to put a lid on their feelings, a random email from Theo’s brother throws him even further off balance and all Laurie can do is offer a niche form of stress relief. But Laurie’s support doesn’t stop at rope garters. Once the two of them fall into bed, it’s clear things will never be the same between them.

Now, Theo and Laurie must finally address the feelings they’ve tried to hide from and figure out if they really are just friends, or if there’s always been something more between them. Can they give each other everything they ever wanted?

Like I Wanted is a steamy best friends to lovers contemporary MM romance featuring a femme boy who loves zombie horror and weird taxidermy, a goth with a secret love of shibari, interfering adult entertainers, a vicar who takes no shit, and a quest for guinea pigs.

It is the fifth and final novel in the Heather Bay series and is best enjoyed as part of the series.

Please note that one of the MCs is involved in adult entertainment and chooses to remain working in the industry, with the full consent of his partner, once they’re in a relationship. For more information, please see the internal Author’s Note.

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FINALLY!!!!!!! If you know you know! It wasn’t just the original group of friends and their significant others. And probably most of Heather Bay. They acted like they were together. They worked together. They lived together. Were they together? No one knew for sure. But now we do. No. Until now they were bffs. Who lived together, worked together and definitely acted like they were together. But weren’t.

And apparently we ALL saw what they didn’t. That they were perfect for each other and basically already in love with each other but for various reasons, never let the other know.

We are talking about Theo and Laurie of course. Laurie, the resident goth and owner of the local funeral home and Theo, the rainbow chaos goblin who works in the embalming room, is a streaming gamer AND has a porn channel. It’s a wonder he sleeps.

Honestly, seeing them realize what their friends thought was pretty funny. Seeing them realize that they do actually love each other was endearing. Seeing a side of Laurie no one else sees was HOT.

I loved the direction that little tidbit took us. Unexpected, but also totally tracks. Having that dynamic unfold was beautiful actually.

There’s also a bit of a side story involving Theo which really brings out the protective side of Laurie. Swoon. And no, it isn’t Theo’s amateur porn career. Laurie is totally fine with that as long as Theo stays open and honest about what he is doing with whom.

Having Theo and Laurie find their happily ever after- with each other- was SO worth the wait. They were great characters that we got to know so much better and cemented their place in Heather Bay happiness.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

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.

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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

Like I Needed by Charlie Novak: New Release Review

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.                                       .

One night isn’t supposed to lead to love.

Jamie Stone is rich, beautiful, and bored out of his skull. The past few years have been an endless round of parties, and the decadence has lost its lustre. When a late night decision to get away lands him in the small seaside town of Heather Bay, Jamie’s convinced he’s made a mistake.

Heather Bay is no Ibiza, but it does have Will.

Will is stressed, stretched, and doesn’t have time for anything but work. He’s too busy trying to keep his head above water to focus on the London party boy who keeps ending up in his bed. Jamie is nothing but a distraction, but Will can’t resist coming back for more, especially with the harsh realities of farming nipping at his heels.

With the clock ticking on Jamie’s stay and the chaos of lambing season fast approaching, both men will have to look beyond themselves and let go of their fears. If they can, they might find the one thing they’ve always needed.

Like I Needed is a steamy and sweet hook-ups to lovers contemporary MM romance featuring a city boy with a hedonistic reputation, a gruff farmer in need of a break, endless amounts of snow, friends with no boundaries, terrible scrambled eggs, and the breathtaking beauty of the Yorkshire moors.

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

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This series just has my heart. This is the third book in the Heather Bay series, and I hope that it goes on for a while. It is not high angst, has lots of happy endings (of all kinds) and the characters are such varying personalities, but yet all have something to contribute to the group of friends. I can imagine hanging out with them on one of those Friday nights and having a blast as they all harass each other.

Jamie, a rich boy who is mostly ignored by his parents, and partied and slept with anyone and everyone finally decided he needed something different in his life. So, he heads out to Heather Bay, and finds what he was looking for without knowing that was what he needed. He transitioned slowly throughout the book, going from never having seen a sheep to having one give birth in his hands, and bottle feeding baby lambs. It was gradual, but he just slotted himself in well at the farm, and into Will’s life.

Will, a workaholic by necessity as much as desire, really didn’t have time for Jamie, but he made time. First with a little fun in Jamie’s hotel room, then as Jamie came to the farm showing him how he could help Will with some of the farm’s needs. Will grew as well, learning to trust that Jamie wasn’t on his way out of town, and finding ways to show him that he was needed on the farm.

This was a low angst book, there wasn’t a huge breakup and makeup, no angry words. It really was just two men slowly falling in love, while learning to trust and feel, something they never knew how to do before.

I loved this, and can’t wait to read the next story, and (hopefully!) get to listen to this one on audiobook, as well.

4 pieces of eye candy