Book Review

Book Review: The Arrangement by Alex Jane

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: The Arrangement
Author: Alex Jane
Series: Homestead Legacy #1
Heroes: Gabriel & Nathaniel
Genre: M/M Historical Paranormal
Length: 194 pages
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 30, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: 1895. New York.

Gabriel Webster’s pack is in trouble. His father’s failing health and his mother’s untimely death mean that the vultures are circling. It won’t be long before his family’s assets are stripped and his pack disbanded. When an offer of help arrives in the form of a marriage of convenience, he has little choice but to accept.

The arrangement would be the perfect solution, if not for one thing. Gabriel is to marry Nathaniel Hayward, the Alpha who was badly injured in the accident that killed his brother ten years before—and the man Gabriel has been in love with for as long as he can remember.

Trapped in a business arrangement masquerading as a marriage — in a strange, empty house with a damaged husband who barely tolerates him — isn’t what Gabriel expected from life.

But sometimes the last thing we want is the beginning of something more.
And an ending can be the start of something beautiful.

56k words
A standalone story set in the Homestead universe.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Beneath the Surface by Shea Balik

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Beneath the Surface
Author: Shea Balik
Series: Druid’s Curse #5
Heroes: Teegan & Hrafn
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 189 pages
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: September 5, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: His whole life Hrafn had been ridiculed for his inability to always understand things. He was slower than others when it came to comprehending the world around him, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want what everyone else did – love. Yet, he was sure that would never happen for him, for who could ever learn to love someone like him?

With a knock on the door, Teagan’s world had been changed. Unsure how life could be so cruel and take his family from him, Teagan struggled to find meaning in his life. Searching for his ancestry led him to the place where the origins of his family tree began. If he’d known his being there would bring hell upon earth to that small town, he never would have come. Then again, if he hadn’t, he never would have met his fate.

Hrafn and Teagan must find a way to break down the barriers of their past so they can see what is Beneath the Surface if they hope to find their eternal love.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Priest by Rowan McAllister

Reviewed by Ami

Title: The Priest
Author: Rowan McAllister
Series: Chronicles of the Riftlands
Heroes: Tasnerek/Girik
Genre: MM/Fantasy
Length: 213 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: September 10, 2019
Available at:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Brother Tasnerek, one of the infamous Thirty-Six stone bearers, is facing a dangerous crisis of faith after uncovering a secret that could shake the foundations of the Brotherhood of Harot. When Tas is sent to protect a tiny village on the edge of Rassa’s borders from Riftspawn, he struggles to resume his duties, risking his life and the lives of those around him.

Girik has always been an outsider, but to help his sick mother, he agrees to be the village’s offering in a painful ritual deemed necessary by the Brotherhood. But when the priest has a crisis of conscience, Girik offers his help to untangle a web of lies—even if it means getting closer than he ever imagined and committing sacrilege in the process.

With a monster lurking in the forest, a wandering mage mysteriously appearing, and more secrets awakening to unravel the truths of their world, Tas and Girik must make grave decisions. A life without danger seems a far-off hope, but love just might be theirs… if they survive.
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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Ami's Reviews, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Dead Man Stalking by T.A. Moore

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Dead Man Stalking
Author: T.A. Moore
Series: Blood and Bone #1
Heroes: Took & Madoc
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 260 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: September 10, 2019
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Agent Luke Bennett proved that humans could rise just as high in the ranks as their vampire colleagues—until a kidnapper held him captive for a year and turned him without his consent.

Now he’s Took: a reluctant monster afraid to bite anyone, broke, and about to be discharged from his elite BITERs unit.

When an old colleague suggests he consult on a BITERs case, Took has little to lose. The case is open and shut… but nothing is ever that easy. As he digs deeper, he discovers a lot more than one cold case is at stake, and if he wants to solve this one, he’ll need the help of the BITERs team. Even if that brings his old commander, Madoc, back into his life. Continue reading

Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Fatal Frost by Shea Balik

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Fatal Frost
Author: Shea Balik
Series: Druid’s Curse #4
Heroes: Arne & Dermot
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 189 pages
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 23, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: No way was Arne going to allow fate to chain him to a guy who thought all creatures, even those determined to kill you, were worthy of saving. Arne was a Viking warrior, death was his thing and he was damned good at it.

Dermot Kincaid believed all of God’s creations deserved respect. He was a pacifist at heart, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t stand up for himself. Even when that meant getting retribution against the asshole who thought he was better than anyone else.

When Arne and Dermot are attacked, they must find common ground so they can work together to defeat the enemy. If they can’t, they may not just risk losing, but they also risk their hearts developing a Fatal Frost.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Escape by Annabelle Jacobs

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Escape
Author: Annabelle Jacobs
Series: Rebellion #1
Heroes: Cole & Logan
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 319 pages
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 20, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: This isn’t the life Cole dreamt of, but what choice does he have?

With his twenty-third birthday behind him, Cole Moreton now faces the shifter compatibility test which will decide his future. Testing positive means joining a pack and eventually taking the bite. Unfortunately, with enviable skills in self-defence and hand-to-hand combat, the kind of packs interested in him aren’t any he’d want to join.

Logan has been a member of the McKillan pack for most of his life. Pack is family and loyalty is everything, but when the shifter government turns out to be no better than the oppressive humans before them, he questions everything.

Right from their first meeting, Logan knows that a life with the McKillan pack isn’t right for Cole, but with his alpha taking a keen interest in Cole’s skills, Logan’s hands are tied. Mutual attraction builds between them, but acting on it is futile—helping Cole will put their lives at risk and an end to any future they could’ve had.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews

Reviewed by Ami

Title: Sapphire Flames
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Hidden Legacy #4
Hero/Heroine: Catalina & Alessandro
Genre: M/F Urban Fantasy
Length: 400 pages
Publisher: Avon Books
Release Date: August 27, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrew comes an enthralling new trilogy set in the Hidden Legacy world, where magic means power, and family bloodlines are the new currency of society…

In a world where magic is the key to power and wealth, Catalina Baylor is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, and the Head of her House. Catalina has always been afraid to use her unique powers, but when her friend’s mother and sister are murdered, Catalina risks her reputation and safety to unravel the mystery.

But behind the scenes powerful forces are at work, and one of them is Alessandro Sagredo, the Italian Prime who was once Catalina’s teenage crush. Dangerous and unpredictable, Alessandro’s true motives are unclear, but he’s drawn to Catalina like a moth to a flame.

To help her friend, Catalina must test the limits of her extraordinary powers, but doing so may cost her both her House–and her heart. Continue reading

Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Ami's Reviews, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, M/F, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Witchstone Amulet by Mason Thomas

Reviewed by Ami & Nikyta

Title: The Witchstone Amulet
Author: Mason Thomas
Heroes: Hunter & Dax
Genre: M/M Fantasy
Length: 293 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: August 27, 2019
Available at: Dreamspinner PressAmazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Protect it at all costs. 

That’s what rugby player Hunter Best’s mother told him before she died. But when Hunter surprises an intruder in his Chicago apartment, he discovers her amulet stolen. Hunter pursues the thief—all the way through a strange vortex. He wakes in a bizarre and violent world, a benighted realm on the threshold of civil war.

The queen has become a ruthless tyrant, punishing any who oppose her, weakening the kingdom’s defenses against the brutal Henerans. To survive, Hunter must depend on the man who robbed him, a handsome former spy named Dax, now a leader of the resistance that believes the queen is an imposter—a Heneran disguised by magic… who also looks identical to Hunter’s mother.

There’s no love lost between Hunter and Dax, and even if Hunter grudgingly agrees with the resistance, he just wants to reclaim his property and go home. But he might be the only one who can oppose the queen and end her reign of terror. Continue reading

Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, 4 Star Ratings, Ami's Reviews, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: How to Catch a Wicked Viscount by Amy Rose Bennett

Reviewed by Ami

Title: How to Catch a Wicked Viscount
Author: Amy Rose Bennett
Series: The Disreputable Debutantes #1
Hero/Heroine: Sophie & Nate
Genre: M/F Historical Romance
Length: 319 pages
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Release Date: August 27, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: A young lady’s tarnished reputation might cost her everything in this first book in the Disreputable Debutantes series.

Shy, bookish Sophie Brightwell is expected to make an advantageous match to improve her family’s fortunes. However, Sophie’s plans to make a spectacular debut go horribly awry when she and her three closest friends are expelled from a young ladies’ academy for unbecoming conduct. Since the ton will be sure to close their doors on these disgraced debutantes, they determine that unconventional means need to be employed in the husband-hunting market. Rakehells—the beau monde’s wickedest members—might be the only men willing to overlook a young lady’s besmirched reputation.

But how does one catch a rake?

Nate Hastings, the devil-may-care Viscount Malverne, is the older brother of Sophie’s best friend, fellow disgraced debutante Lady Charlotte. When a terribly foxed Nate accidentally compromises Sophie, Charlotte strikes a wicked bargain: in order to avoid a scandal and the parson’s mousetrap, Nate must help Sophie snare a husband. But as Nate fulfills his obligation and begins to instruct the lovely Sophie in the art of luring rakes, he soon finds himself battling his own fierce attraction to her.
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Categories: 2.5 Star Ratings, Ami's Reviews, Book Review, Guest Reviewer, M/F, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Beauregard and the Beast by Evie Drae

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Beauregard and the Beast
Author: Evie Drae
Series: Once Upon a Vegas Night #1
Heroes: Adam & Bo
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 206 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: August 20, 2019
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: His greatest prize can’t be won in the octagon.

Champion MMA fighter Adam Littrell needs no distractions as he prepares for the fight that will determine whether he retires. But when he opens the door of his swanky Las Vegas home to his new personal assistant, Bo Wilkins, staying focused becomes a struggle.

Aware of Adam’s surly reputation, Bo doesn’t expect to like his new employer, let alone fall for him. But Bo is pleasantly surprised when a shared love of books leads them to study for their GEDs together and plan for a life after their current careers. Adam won’t be able to fight forever, and Bo wants a relationship on equal footing.

But just as their relationship is getting off the ground, the sister Bo raised needs his help, and he drops everything. With Adam’s final match looming and Bo in a different city, reuniting will be the real challenge. Continue reading

Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment