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Up To Snow Good: An MM Christmas Romance by Charlie Novak: Audiobook and New Release Review

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This Christmas, Trouble Tastes Like Chocolate

Maximillian Arthur Felstead is up to no good.

Having taken it upon himself to plan an anniversary surprise for his brother and his fiancé during their annual December ski trip, Max realises nothing happens quickly this close to Christmas. Deciding chocolate is the answer, Max accidentally incurs the wrath of chocolatier, Luca, who’s having a pre-Christmas nightmare of his own.

Luca is short staffed and short on patience, and he isn’t enamoured with Max’s clueless demands, even if he is utterly gorgeous. So when Max reaches out to apologise, Luca can’t help but be drawn in by his charm and Max’s offer of help, especially when their chemistry is hot enough to melt the ice on Mont Blanc.

With their time together running out, can a little Christmas magic help Max and Luca find what they’ve been searching for?

Up to Snow Good is a 49,000-word, low-angst MM contemporary Christmas romance featuring snow-topped mountains, Christmas market cuteness, delicious chocolate, and plenty of sweet, steamy moments.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Audible

This was just a fun, fluffy, enjoyable listen. I really like Dan Calley’s narration, as his accents really hit the mark for me. However, in the end, it’s the story that has to work best, right? And this one does for me.

It’s a holiday book (yes, I like to read/listen to them at any time of year), that has Max surprising his brother and best friend with a surprise during their ski trip. Initially, Max doesn’t make the best impression on Luca, in his chocolate shop. He does end up going back and apologizing, and once Luca has a spare minute, they fall into bed, and begin to have fun together. (Side note, I’d like to see the Christmas market).

Luca, after his cousin flakes out on him, is doing his best to keep his shop running, with the help of his snarky assistant, but is on a short timeline for the holidays and cannot seem to work enough. Once Max offers to help, it doesn’t solve the problem, but helps Luca immensely and allows them a little more time together. It also gives Max time to think about what he wants out of his life.

There were some funny parts (I haven’t heard “butt munch” in a long time and it made me lol), but it was mostly just a sweet story, with some heat, and a lovely MC in Max that you just want to give a huge hug to, as he decides how he wants to move forward with his life. Spoiler alert: there is an HEA 🙂

Sit down for a bit to read this, have a cup of hot chocolate in honor of Luca, and enjoy this one.

4 pieces of eye candy

Aisle Be There (Runaway Grooms Book 1) by Charlie Cochet: Release Day Review

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They say your wedding day is the beginning of your happily ever after.

But I’m pretty sure they never stood on a sweltering Florida beach getting ready to promise forever… only to change their mind at the last minute and be assaulted by a crustacean while fleeing the scene.

Once upon a time, I was a respected Navy officer. A guy who made a career out of managing chaos.

Now, I am the chaos, a groom on the run from my ex-fiance and his dad’s goons. Oh, and the guy driving the getaway car? That would be my ex-boyfriend, Jett.

Gorgeous. Brilliant. A guy I couldn’t help falling in love with twelve years ago.

The guy I realize I’ve always loved.

Did I mention he’s also a famous rock star on a sold-out summer tour?

This situation has disaster written all over it. But if I can manage the chaos, maybe I’ll get my happy ending after all.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

I’m a big fan of Charlie Cochet. I was hooked from the first page of THIRDS Hell and High Water. And I’ve really enjoyed her other series. This one is loosely connected to the Kings Security series, which is fun and you don’t need to have read them to read this.

But…

The contemporary series are just starting to look too much alike to me. Was it a fun book? Sure! Likeable characters? Yup. Laugh out loud moments? Absolutely. And it was a good second chance romance.

There was also a fear of certain animals, pratfalls, 80’s music and a lovable main character who seems to constantly be in competition with his siblings. I’ve read that. From this author. A few times.

I did really enjoy the second chance romance. Jett and Gage dated before Jett was the lead singer of a famous band. His dead father’s famous band. By complete coincidence, Gage ends up in Jett’s arms again. And he agrees to go on tour with them for a month as Jett’s (fake) boyfriend.

Jett and Gage together were fun. There’s no doubt about that. They seem to have picked up right where they left off. Except they have the bonus of some maturity and experience. Even with that maturity and experience they do dumb things. No spoilers. But it’s really time to move past that plot device. Especially men who are pushing 40 who know better.

A fun, enjoyable read. Just don’t expect anything new.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

The Loner (The Vers Podcast Book 1) by Riley Hart: Release Day Review

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Declan
As a founding member of The Vers, a queer podcast I host with my three best friends, I’m The Loner—quieter than the others, and except for them, I don’t let myself get too close to people. Most of them just let you down anyway, or maybe it’s just that something about me chases people away.

Infrequent, no-strings-attached hookups have always worked for me. Who knew my favorite one would become such a popular movie star? But Sebastian Cole and I made it work, meeting up whenever he was in Santa Monica and in the mood—until he called it off when he got a serious boyfriend. A boyfriend he later found in bed with another man.

Now Sebastian is back in California, taking a break from acting. He needs a friend, and for whatever reason, he decides that should be me. We’ve known each other intimately for years, and yet we’ve never spent much time together with our clothes on. When he starts taking me places, it feels suspiciously like dates…and surprisingly, I like it.

Despite our differences, Sebastian’s lonely, like me. The more we hang out, the more I realize I’ll never get enough of him.

A loner dating a celebrity doesn’t make much sense. I don’t know how to be someone’s boyfriend, let alone be in the public eye. But to call him mine, I’ll need to leave the past behind and finally allow myself to move forward with him.

The Loner is an opposites attract romance about a movie star rethinking his career and a bar owner/podcast host who isn’t fond of most people. Expect Southern California sun, swoon, found family and once-in-a-lifetime friendships.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

What a great start to a new series. AND because there are 4 best friends, we kind of don’t have to wonder who is going to get their HEA next.

The series starts with Declan. Ten years ago a hook up turned into a semi regular hookup. Declan was a bartender and Sebastian was an actor trying to make it. Which he did. But still had semi regular hookups with Declan because being out in Hollywood doesn’t necessarily mean being OUT. Eventually they drifted apart because Sebastian got a Hollywood approved boyfriend.

And 10 years later he walks into Declan’s bar once again. This time, Declan is the owner.

I loved Sebastian. Hoe he got to do what he loved, but he was also questioning if that was all he wanted to do. Realizing that friendship can be fickle when you become a celebrity. And being a homogenized Hollywood version of “acceptable gay” really kind of sucks.

Rattling around his big house he figures out that he really doesn’t have friends. Which, really, I can totally see happening. Starting life as a closeted gay person doesn’t lead to a lot of lifelong friendships. So when people then wanted to be his friend, it wasn’t necessarily for the right reason.

Declan has friends. Exactly 3 and that was enough for him. But Sebastian convinces him to be his friend. And with that, they end the sexual side of their relationship. Declan is a grumpy Gus who doesn’t want to be wooed by Sebastian’s charms. The problem is, Sebastian doesn’t even realize how charming he is.

So they do the dude bro thing and hang out, grill, drink beer, etc. Friends. But the more they get to know each other, the more the friend thing blurs.

But that is one of the things I really liked about it. That they had TEN YEARS of being hook up buddies who knew practically nothing about each other. And getting to know each other lets them each mature a bit past thinking only with their small heads.

Declan’s 3 best friends are fun too. Their dynamic is a little bit overboard for me with the way they constantly mock each other. But that seems to be when all 4 are together. When Declan is with just Parker, his bestest best friend, they are way more real. I want to see more real with the 4 guys. And stop calling each other stupid names. It’s like they revert back to being 15.

Anyway. The romantic love relationship between Sebastian and Declan was very organic. It made sense what they were doing and the path they were headed down. AND without the big, cliché misunderstanding that leads to a break up thing. That’s so tired.

I’d love to see more of these guys. Partly because we didn’t get to see them together while Sebastian was working. That will be an interesting dynamic.

Looking forward to the other three guys finding their happiness.

4 pieces of eye candy

His eliXXir by L. J. Harris: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway

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Trey Winters had always been a user. So arrogant and self-centered. Being co-owner of eliXXir, one of the highest profile clubs in Hell’s Kitchen meant he never failed to attract the hottest men around and toss them aside after one encounter. Trey had a life most would envy. One he reveled in, until a mystery man crossed his path one Valentine’s Day, complicating matters both in and outside the bedroom.

He didn’t want to want him.

Didn’t want to need him.

But fate, it would seem, had other ideas.

Noah Middleton craved to express himself the only way he knew how. Reach his full potential, chronic illness be damned. Accepting a place at a prestigious New York dance academy might have made his goal so close he could taste it, but after admitting to his best friend he’d been unable to stop thinking about the beautiful stranger he’d met on his last visit, said friend took it upon himself to play Cupid.

The man was irresistible.

A temptation like no other.

And for Noah, that was the scariest part of all.

His eliXXir by L. J. Harris

Men of New York, Book 2

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Goodreads

Noah – Chapter 16:

 

Bodies writhed and surged around us as we lost ourselves in the music. My every nerve zinged with energy, while the air around me crackled as I tried with everything I had to focus on the beat.

Trey was close.

So close I could almost taste him in the hot, heady air. Sense his eyes as they scrutinized every part of me.

I tried to act as if nothing were amiss, not wanting to do anything to break the invisible connection between us, even though all I wanted was to press against him and fall into a natural rhythm.

A rhythm all our own.

The thrill coursing through my system as I surrendered to the sounds around me had me craving more. It was as if the song’s lyrics knew of my deceit, talking about having something to hide, but the die had been cast and all I could do was go with it.

Unable to resist the temptation any longer, I opened my eyes enough to allow a narrowed view through my lashes. That was when I saw him standing there, fists balled at his sides as he engaged Nikki in what looked to be a tense conversation.

Liam followed my gaze and fixed his eyes on Trey. Offering an encouraging smile, he mouthed the words, “Have fun,” before melting into the crowd.

Trey’s eyes remained fixed on Nikki, and without any conscious effort, I gravitated toward him as if on autopilot.

When their little chat ended, Trey turned and took a step closer. The second Nikki glanced my way and smirked before pushing him right at me, everything seemed to move in slow motion.

Grunting out an emphatic, “Oomph,” he stumbled, and I responded by pure reflex, grabbing him before he fell.

All at once, I was embracing him, his face planted against my chest, the top button of my shirt popping off and flying across the room as his fingers clutched at the sleeves. At first, I didn’t realize his mouth was also pressing against the sensitive skin of my nipple, but the unexpected contact left me more than a little hot and bothered.

L. J. HARRIS is a mother, wife, introvert, and author. Her family is her life, and the very reason she gets out of bed every day. Coming a close second is her writing.

She found her passion for putting pen to paper in her later years, jotting down poems in birthday cards for family members, then publishing some online stories.

Approached by a publisher to contribute to an MM Romance Second Chances Anthology, it was then a spark was lit, and ever since, she’s been unable to switch off the urge to share stories in both in the Gay Paranormal and Romance genres. L.J. looks forward to continuing to share her love of the written word, and can be found at:

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3R7gxBf

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LJHarrisAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ljharrisauthor/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ljharrismmauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LJHarrisAuthor

Website: https://theworldofljharris.blogspot.com.au

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Twilight Heist by Katherine McIntyre: RB, Release Day Review

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Heist rule number two? Never fall for a lone wolf.

A blast from Tuck’s circus past draws Tuck and the charming lone-wolf hacker, Leo, into a dizzying web of passion, secrets, and betrayal.

When the circus comes calling, Tuck is helpless to the lure, and this time, his old troupe’s in trouble. Their attempt to leave Reynauld Industries ended with a hit on them, courtesy of the deadly mercenary group, the Stockyard. Tuck can’t sit idly by, and as the resident stealth operator for the Outlaws, he’s in a unique position to help.

Leo’s a lone wolf hacker, and no amount of his best friend’s pleading, Tuck’s flirty smiles, or interesting jobs will sway him into working with the Outlaws. At least, until they land this one. After growing up in the hellish Stockyard, he’s wanted to take them down for years, and this is the Holy Grail of opportunities. Only problem? The Outlaws can never know about his history with them.

When Leo and Tuck start working together, a chemistry emerges that neither of them can deny. Leo’s mantra of “one and done” falters the moment Tuck shows him a care and steadfastness he’s never experienced before, and the more time they spend with each other, the more he doesn’t want to give up the first man he’s started to fall for. However, if the Outlaws discover his past or the Stockyard finds him first, Leo will end up one of the bloated corpses they’ve left lining the Chicago River.

Title: Twilight Heist

Author: Katherine McIntyre

Genre: M/M Romantic Suspense

Series: Outlaws #2

Release Date: January 19, 2023

Publisher: Hot Tree Publishing

Cover Designer: BookSmith Design

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Midnight Heist (Book 1)

Twilight Heist is book 2 in the Outlaws series. Although it can be read as a standalone, I would recommend book 1, Midnight Heist first. This author has such a great gift for storytelling, and her backlist covers quite a few different genres, so if you are in the mood after this, grab some others. (I definitely recommend checking out the Chesapeake Days series.)

In this book, we learn a lot more about Tuck, and his backstory.  As a tightrope walker it helped his ability to move carefully and quietly, and was out for revenge. Meanwhile, Leo, the hacker, is essential to the operation, and himself is out for his own revenge. They definitely had some issues to work through on their way towards their happy ending. Trust is a two way street, and when it’s broken, quite difficult to get back.

Lots of action in this series, and this one packs quite a bit in. However, as always with this author, character development is so well done. You really begin to understand the motives behind their actions, even as they work toward their happy ending.

Well written, and filled with emotions amongst all the action.

4 pieces of eye candy

Katherine McIntyre is a feisty chick with a big attitude despite her short stature. She writes stories featuring snarky women, ragtag crews, and men with bad attitudes—and there’s an equally high chance for a passionate speech thrown into the mix. As an eternal geek and tomboy who’s always stepped to her own beat, she’s made it her mission to write stories that represent the broad spectrum of people out there, from different cultures and races to all varieties of men and women.

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Rocky Start: MM SEAL Bodyguard Romance (A-List Security Book 4) by Annabeth Albert: New Release Review

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I think I’m falling for my bodyguard co-worker. Now I need protection… from myself.

As a former SEAL intelligence officer, I’m supposed to be smart. Unfortunately, those smarts don’t apply to love. I did a nice thing and took my heartbroken fellow bodyguard out for a Valentine’s dinner. Just us bros. But my plan worked a little too well, and a night that ended with a scorching kiss has turned into the most awkward morning at the office ever. Now we’re working together as bodyguards on a remote mountain movie shoot. And we’re roommates.

I’ve never been attracted to a guy before, but something about Avery calls to every protective instinct I have. We’re not dating, but every night alone together, I fall a little deeper. It’s also Avery’s first time with a guy too, and while we’re both enjoying all sorts of new things together, I worry my heart will be broken when we return to civilization.

No matter how badly this may end, I can’t seem to stop wanting Avery. All of him. I want to see who he’ll become if he ever manages to get out of his own way. I want to be his biggest cheerleader, best friend, and the guy he comes home to. But going from secret hookup to forever after is a big ask. Are we both brave enough to take the leap?

ROCKY START is book four in the A-List Security series. It features TWO highly protective SEAL bodyguards, a double awakening, an exploration of the sexy, lacy kind, and all sorts of brand-new emotions. Get ready for all the high heat, big feels, and found family feels readers expect from this fan-favorite military romance author. Join A-List Security for this lower-angst series featuring former SEALs and celebrity clients. Happy endings and no cliffhangers guaranteed!

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Tough Luck: MM SEAL Bodyguard Romance (A-List Security Book 1)

Hard Job: MM SEAL Bodyguard Romance (A-List Security Book 2)

Bad Deal: MM SEAL Bodyguard Romance (A-List Security Book 3)

This book was not quite what I was expecting. One of several things you can count on with an Annabeth Albert book is fantastic characters. Quite often she writes military, and this book is, as the rest in the series is former military. But the characters? Not at all what I was expecting, and I found I enjoyed that more!

Avery was quite the interesting character. A bit clueless in a way that made you laugh. Having lost his arm during his time in the military, it would be easy to think that he has little self esteem due to that, but really it was due to a lot of internalized homophobia, and watching him work his way out of it, with the help of Malik was fascinating. It wasn’t instant, it was one compliment at a time, one cuddle at a time, one reaction from Malik at a time, even every time he looked in the mirror and saw himself looking sexy. Avery learned to love himself at the same time he was learning to love Malik.

Malik, so perfectly represented by the cover model, was not only a sweet man, but one who clearly cherished his partners in all things. He didn’t just buy Avery sweet and sexy things, he worked to make Avery believe in himself, as much as in them as a couple. Even with his PTSD, he was so giving to others, Avery, his mother, other vets suffering following their service.

Both men had only been with women, so this is a bit of a bi/gay awakening for them both, but honestly it was hard to see how they would have worked with anyone else. Malik stood beside Avery as he took the nearly crippling step of standing up to his family, and telling his mother flat out that he was gay.

This is a VERY steamy book, but not overdone. The sex scenes in the book were well placed, and really helped to forge the path that Avery was going down of learning he was loved, sexy and wanted. Also, I laughed when he admitted at one point that he was a bit of drama.

Not just a happy ending for the couple, but a happy ending for each of the men in their own right, learning what brought each of them joy and passion, outside of their budding relationship. Their relationship flowed seamlessly from co-workers to friends to friends with benefits to lovers, and never felt forced.

The author mentions that she wrote this during a time of extraordinary grief in her life, and it is so obvious how much passion she poured into this couple as she dealt with such a major event. This was a saving grace for her, clearly, and it shows as you read it.

I enjoyed these two so much. Worth every minute, and a re-read.

4.5 pieces of eye candy