Nikyta’s Reviews

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: 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: 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: 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

Book Review: Nemesis by Chris T. Kat

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Nemesis
Author: Chris T. Kat
Series: Alpha Unit One #2
Heroes: Nicky & Sam
Genre: M/M Paranormal
Length: 164 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: August 16, 2019
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Nicky Reed may have won the battle regarding baby shifters working as policemen, but he’s not so sure about the war. His mate and superior officer, Sam Black, is still overprotective with a capital O. As a result, Nicky sometimes finds himself repressing some of Tiny’s—his snow leopard cub other half’s—natural urges. Which leads to frustration on Nicky’s part.

With a new drug called Nemesis killing in record numbers, Alpha Unit One must find out who’s behind this horrible narcotic and get it off the streets—a tall enough order without press accusations that baby shifters are to blame for the team’s lack of success.

Their investigation into Nemesis leads Nicky and Sam and the rest of the team into unexpected waters. Will the stress rip the squad apart? The baby shifters may find themselves unable to perform the job they love: protecting the people of New York City. And Nicky may be in over his head—in more ways than one. Continue reading

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

Book Review: Digging Deep by Jay Hogan

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Digging Deep
Author: Jay Hogan
Series: Digging Deep #1
Heroes: Drake & Caleb
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 340 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: August 6, 2019
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Drake Park has a complicated life. As a gay male midwife, he’s used to raising eyebrows. Add Crohn’s disease and things get interesting—or not, considering the sad state of his love life. Experience has taught Drake that most men are fair-weather sailors when it comes to handling his condition—gone for dust when things get rough. Staying healthy is a full-time job without adding in any heartbreak, so a little loneliness is a small price to pay. If he says it often enough he might even believe it. One thing for sure, the cop who arrested him isn’t about to change that.

Caleb Ashton does not have a complicated life. A senior detective with the Whangarei Police Department, he likes his job and is good at it. He works hard and plays hard, happy to enjoy as many men as he can while he’s still young enough—or at least he was. These days he feels adrift for the first time in his life, and the only thing sparking his interest—a certain prickly young midwife.

But can Drake find enough faith to risk opening his heart again? And does Caleb have what it takes to cope with the challenges Drake’s condition presents? Continue reading

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

Book Review: Rom and Yuli by Amara Lynn

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Rom and Yuli
Author: Amara Lynn
Heroes: Rom & Yuli
Genre: M/M Post Apocalyptic
Length: 15k Words
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: July 27, 2019
Available at: Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: A war between angels and demons has left Earth desolate and ruined.

Rom struggles to support his father and sister in the patch of wasteland they’ve claimed as home. Feeling restless, Rom takes to exploring when he can, and is shocked when he stumbles across another survivor.

Years of isolation have left Yuli feeling despondent. That all changes when they encounter Rom, who is unlike anyone they’ve met before, a brilliant light of hope in this mostly extinguished world.

As Rom and Yuli grow closer, both gain a renewed hope for something more in this desolate land.

But in this dangerous world, trust comes hard and demons are never far away.

Rom and Yuli is a 15k word post-apocalyptic urban fantasy novella featuring male and non-binary protagonists and is a loose retelling of Romeo and Juliet with a hopeful ending.
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Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Another Dance by L.A. Ashton

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Another Dance
Author: L.A. Ashton
Heroes: Kaito & Cristian
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 98 pages
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: July 8, 2019
Available at: NineStar Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Kaito Watanabe has finally nabbed an interview with his idol, Cristian Alvarez. Kaito is a journalist who’s spent his entire life looking up to the figure-skating champion. Cristian’s passion on the ice unearthed a love of dance in Kaito and made him believe in the power of artistic expression.

Now Kaito is face-to-face with the man he’s always admired. He believes himself insignificant and ordinary, a moth drawn to the light Alvarez casts. He can’t allow himself to believe Cristian’s flirtations are anything but natural charm—but Cristian has other plans. The tension pitches higher, legs and fingers intertwine, and Kaito begins to wonder if his fantasies have a shot at becoming reality.
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Categories: 3 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2019 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment