Faking Ever After

Here's Hayden Hall latest novel: "Faking Ever After."

["This trip to Greece was supposed to be simple—play the part of the perfect boyfriend, soak up the sun, and help my best friend’s billionaire boss survive his family’s relentless questions.

I thought he would only be my ticket out of New York and away from the man whose dangerous secrets I stole.

But nothing about Percy Davenport is simple. He’s a genius with a yacht and a private jet but can’t handle turbulence or, apparently, telling his mother no. When I agreed to be his fake date for his parents’ wedding anniversary, I didn’t realize I’d also be signing up for two weeks of shared beds, whispered secrets, and way too many stolen glances.

Percy’s handsome, brilliant, and shy enough to be completely charming, and pretending to love him feels far too real. Falling for him wasn’t part of the deal, but neither was learning he’s been burned by people too many times to trust easily—especially if you’re a stranger carrying a pocket full of secrets.

Pretending to love Percy should have been easy. The hard part? Stopping myself from falling for real."]

Each author has their own thing. Hayden’s? Beautifully written poetry-like prose and a story that is both wonderful and devastating.

These two were turned pessimistic by life. Neither of them had much trust in hope or love. Of course, that’s what the universe threw them together and put them on a gorgeous Greek island for two weeks of falling in love and hoping that the tentative trust they build it enough.

I don’t know what it is about Hayden’s book, but venue though there’s always a HEA, I’m left still a little sad at the end (maybe that’s just the reality of life and its unfairness that is woven into the stories). 

#fakingeverafter #haydenhall #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

The Gold Dragon Prince (Omega Fairy Tales #2)

Here's MM Farmer's latest: "The Gold Dragon Prince." It's the second novel in her Omega Fairy Tales series

["Once upon a time, in an enchanted kingdom of captive omega princes and jeweled dragon alpha princes….

Selle
I have always been the most curious of my brothers and a bit of a bookworm. So when we were introduced to the magical world, I wanted to find out as much as I could about all of it in any way I could. That way included sneaking away from where I was supposed to be and into the heart of the dragons’ castle, where I was definitely not supposed to be. Everything around me was just so exciting and interesting…
…until I was caught by the most beautiful alpha I’ve ever seen…
…who happens to be a gold dragon.

Gildur
I never stopped to consider that I had a fated mate let alone to go looking for him. My work on behalf of my mother, the queen, has always been my main focus. Keeping evil in check in our magical kingdom and stopping it from spreading to other worlds has always been my passion…until a clever, headstrong, irresistible omega waltzed into my life.
But now my fated mate is in danger from the evil forces I have been fighting against. Can I continue to put my kingdom first when my mate is in trouble or will love be my undoing?"]

MY GOD! I freaking LOVE this series and these princes and these dragons and the lore and the love and the eggs!! They're all so freaking adorable and perfect and angsty as hell.

I LOVE how each book (so far) ended with the King asking where the main-character-omega-prince went, only for his brothers to "not know who main-character-omega-prince." And this book started the same way. I love how protected they are of each other, no matter the danger their father threatens or how horrible their lives have been thus far.

And these dragons! They're far from perfect and that's...honestly, kinda perfect. They're flawed alpha heroes, but they would drop anything and everything for their mate (and his brothers)

I can't wait for the rest!!

#arcs #arcteammember
#therubydragonprince #thegolddragonprince #thediamonddragonprince #thesapphiredragonprince #thesilverdragonprince #theemeralddragonprince # #mmfarmer #omegafairytales #omegafairytalesseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Unhinged Little Angel (Mafia Bound #3)

Here's "Unhinged Little Angel" by K.M. Neudhol. It's the the second novel in her Mafia Bound series. 

["Forcing Salvatore Moretti to marry me at gunpoint isn’t the craziest thing I've ever done...

I hate being desperate, being scared. It's a filthy, helpless feeling. I'd much rather be enraged, violent… unhinged.

Salvatore watches me dance and calls me Angioletto, his little angel. He doesn't know the demons that haunt me. He's too blinded by my beauty to see the blood on my hands. Then again, he's a mafia capo, so maybe the blood wouldn't bother him anyway.

My past is like fire licking at my heels, ready to consume me. But Sal won't let that happen, he’ll protect me. He has to.

I learned a long time ago not to trust anyone but myself. It's dangerous the way he manages to unravel all of my defenses and turn me from a guarded Dom into the submissive brat I've never felt safe enough to be. It's terrifying the way I'm starting to crave him.

I wasn't sure I would live long enough to worry about this marriage starting to feel real, but this well-dressed mafioso might just manage to save my life after all. We can argue about divorce once the threat is neutralized I suppose. And in the meantime, he is my husband, I might as well enjoy the perks…"]

Another book we've been waiting for forever! AHH! I'm utterly fucking obsessed with this series and these couples! I love dark romances, and when KM said she was branching out a bit, I knew we were in for a treat.

Holy. Shit. These two! Salvatore was in love with Dante from the first moment he met him, from the way he light up while dancing to the rage in his eyes (who said that mafiosos weren't romantic), but he wouldn't rush things (he waiting oh so patiently for his little angel to come to him). Dante probably could have also loved Salvatore at first sight, if he wasn't so busy fighting his own demons and protecting himself from everyone; but when things go worse for him, when the demons from his past came charging back, he knew he couldn't turn to Salvatore (and deep down, he knew it wasn't just because Sal is a Moretti).

Dante tried sooo hard to stay strong and keep his walls up and protect himself (from falling for Sal), but their love was inevitable. Their chemistry was undeniable, so when they got married and let the sparks fly, it was a matter of time before HEA took over.

Quote of the Day (Salatore): "But that's the beauty of marrying a monster. He can rest, and I can scar all of his other nightmares away."

Quote of the Day (Dante): "He'll fight any monsters I need him to, and he'll love all of the beautiful, terrifying dark parts of me for the rest of our lives."

Trigger Warnings: violence and murder (of bad guys), drugging, kidnapping, pedophiles, and more.

#deadlylitlesparrow #beautifullysavagebutterfly #unhingedlittleangel #desperatelydelicateviper #mafiabound #mafiaboundseries #kmneuhold #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

False Start (Big Bend Bears #3)

Here's Nicole Dykes's "False Start." It's the third book in her Big Bend Bears series, which is a spin-off of her Kensley Panthers series.

["Vaughn Montgomery
High school is almost over, and I’m more than ready.
Not because I don’t love Big Bend and everything here. Actually, I’m going to miss it quite a bit, but I’ll have my best friend by my side.
With Austin, I’ll always be okay.

Austin Pierce
I’m keeping some pretty big secrets from my best friend.
Secrets I’m not sure how much longer I can hold onto. Secrets that’ll likely destroy our friendship.
Because he thinks we’re going to college together—but I just can’t do it. I can’t spend any more time with this lie.
Big Bend may have been my beginning, but it never felt quite right. Something was always off—truly, I think it was my false start.
Now it’s time to live my life with nothing but the truth."]

HOW does Nicole manage to make a book sooo fucking sweet and yet make me cry multiple times? Because she does it to me in every. single. one. of her books. All of them are fluffy as hell but make me tear up (or full-on sob) more than once.

And these two? I don't care how many times she (or anyone else) writes a best-friends-to-lovers story, because they're each so different and unique and beautiful. AND I love how 90% of the time (especially in this universe) the 'not-so-straight' bestie is a golden retriever jock (sometimes a bit of a himbo) who didn't realize how utterly in love he was with his best friend (who had been in love with him first for forever) until the secret gets screamed in his face. Then he's all in.

Back to these two: I looove Vaughn and Austin. We've been waiting for them to fall in love (or at least Vaughn to realize it) for sooo long. Having it, even if I cried, was amazing. I loved watching their story play out, even if it wasn't fast (or necessarily easy). 

And once again, I'm obsessed with all of the cross-overs and cameos from other books in the Big Bend/Kensley/Oakley's Crew universe (the short story I just read also had not-so-subtle hints to this gay-Kansas universe). Obsessed.

#gayromancereviews #grr #arcs #arcteammember
#redzone #hailmary #falsestart #bigbendbears #bigbendbearsseries #kensleypanthers #kensleypantersseries #nicoledykes #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Working For The Summer

Here's Nicole Dykes's latest short story: "Working For The Summer."

["Blake

It’s summer again on campus, and I’m supposed to hire two newbies to get us through the season. All I’m looking for is someone who knows what they’re doing and who can follow directions. Should be easy. I like to keep things simple. But when I decide to hire Clayton, it turns out to be anything but simple. Clayton I need a job for the summer, and I’ve decided not to go back home to Kensley. I’ve worked summers for my older brother’s friend at his landscaping business and had fun, so I think I can handle working on the college campus landscaping crew. But what I never saw coming was falling for my incredibly hot boss. I guess summer just got a little more interesting."]

AH! This was soooo cute! I love how smitten Blake was with Clayton right away, from that very first say of summer. He was stuck on his eyes, particularly, but he was sucked in. Then again, so was Blake. ;)

But it's that such a wonderful cliche? Like (and possibly love) at first sight? Other cliches in this wonderful story: boss/employee, roommates, nerd/jock (sorta), summer romance.

This story was short and sweet (and spicy). It was a perfect read for in between ARCs/TRBs.

Trigger Warnings: mild bi-phobia and more.

#workingforthesummer #nicoledykes #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Possessive Puckboy (Puckboys #8)

I was doing SOOO good at not requesting too many ARCs and getting overwhelmed and reading them at the very last minute..and here we are. Here's Saxon James and Eden Finley "Possessive Puckboy." Its the eighth novel in their Puckboys series.

["Connor
Finding out those closest to me don’t see me as the great guy I think I am not only kicks me in the gut, it makes me question everything.
Until that happened, I didn’t think I had many regrets in my life. Now, I have nothing but regrets. And when my NHL team is bought out, and the new owner makes his presence known, my existential crisis kicks up a notch. Because he might be my biggest regret of all.
Parker Duchene.
I made his life a living hell in high school, and now he’s inserting himself into my career to repay the favor.
With everything in my personal life already on the line, I can’t risk hockey too. I need to figure out a way to play nice with the new owner.

Parker
I bought Colorado’s NHL team to honor my late father. I did. Only reason.
Emotionally playing with one of my many high school tormentors is a nice bonus though.
Connor Kikishkin may be the one who made me the target for years of name-calling, but I’ve always wondered if my hatred for him bordered too much on the obsessive side to truly be classified as hate.
Infatuation is probably the right word for it.
Now his whole life is in my hands, and I can’t wait to see him beg for my mercy. Seeing Mr. Popular find his humility will definitely ease the grief from losing my dad … right? Because right now, that’s all I have, and I need to hold on to it so I don’t crumble."]

Wooow. Was I right about the angst? High as fuck. Was it worth it? Of course it was! These two were perfect for each other...when they finally got out of their own ways (put their past (and egos) aside).

Parker wanted, deep down, someone to care about him, someone to obsess about him. Connor was trying to figure out how to take his personality and "fix it" so he could fit better into his family's/friends' lives; little did he know, that his personality fix Parker's perfectly. Connor could be possessive as hell with Parker, and Parker would just melt.

Connor wanted, deep down, someone to see him, someone to accept him and all of his personality quirks. Parker was trying to figure out how to take his past and move on, so he could live life without the baggage of hate and bitterness weighing him down; little did he know, that his past was closer to his future than he ever imagined. Parker could be as nerdy and as needy (and as ew-people-no) as he wanted, and Connor could fill that cuddly/possessive hole perfectly (and, spoiler alert, Connor would just melt for Parker, too).

Together, these two were snarky and adorable as hell. Honestly. Parker didn't care when Connor got all caveman. And Connor loved how much Parker was obsessed with him.

THE QUEER COLLECTIVE!! I would read the heeellllll out of a random short story that just featured some insane-ness that they got up to one weekend (or week).

Trigger Warnings: past bullying, power imbalance in a relationship (I guess..technically, even these two never really considered the power imbalance between them a thing), hockey related violence, and more

#forewordpr #arc #arcteammember
#egotisticalpuckboy #irresponsiblepuckboy #shamelesspuckboy #foolishpuckboy #cluelesspuckboy #bromanticpuckboy #forbiddenpuckboy #possessivepuckboy #saxonjames #edenfinley #puckboys #puckboysseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Adopt a Vampire

When you have too many books to choose from, naturally, you pick a novella that just came out today. Here's AJ Sherwood's "Adopt a Vampire."

["Newly turned vampire Jesse Hunt has been spotted by two werewolves! Should

-Run
-Fight
-Ask for noms

Barrett Walker, alpha of the local pack, has two options upon meeting the starving but sweet Jesse! Should

-Hand him over to the local vampire clan
-Adopt him

Barrett’s in favor of adoption but can adoption include smexy bite bite times too?"]

And the official tags (because they're the freaking best): ["Who’s on ship building duty this time?, Coconut water is banned, eating shouldn’t be this complicated, Jesse(dot)exe is constantly crashing, werewolves court differently than vampires, who knew, Unholy Trifecta crossover, Ross crossover, Cinnamon rolls deserve all the love, Hacker besties, Full moon shenanigans, Found family for the win, Pillow gifts make me squeeee"]

How the hell is everything that AJ writes so fucking awesome!? And soooo crack-y!?!? The short-stories especially. So unique and fun and off-the wall lore (grounded in popular lore). Quirky characters and unpredictable plot and the inevitable romance/HEA.

And I looooved Barrett and Jesse. They were adorable and snarky and meant to be. They had just a meet...awkward. Then a meet-cute. Then a meet-almost-death (don't worry, like Barrett would like Jesse die). And the inevitable family interference (you thought I'd say romance/HEA again, didn't you? ;) ). 

Also, looooove all of the crossovers from Ross and clan!! Miss them!! And I had thought I read the Unholy Trifecta series, especially meeting them again in here, but apparently I didn’t (and while reading I kept seeing them, but maybe I had mentally fused the characters from the Villainy series (also kiss they hell out for them) with these characters).

Various quotes I highlighted (because they're amusing as hell, and you need a good laugh, too):
*"Honey bunches of nope" -Jesse
*"It's like that t-shirt. You have to show me the candy first, then I get into the van. I'm not stupid." -Jesse
*"I'll pencil that in. How does never sound?" -Barrett
*”Being in the sun too long is ouchy.” -Jesse 

#adoptavampire #ajsherwood #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks