Emerson

Here's Kat Marowe's "Emerson."

["Emerson Bennet has a perfectly reasonable approach to uncomfortable situations and avoid them forever.

But when his oldest brother looks at him with sad eyes and asks for a favor, Emery can't bring himself to say no. Even though that favor is helping a man Emery has spent years avoiding.

For good reason.

Several, actually.

Dillon Montgomery clearly does not feel the same way because he likes to bring it up. He also likes to press all of Emery's buttons, get under his skin, and make him forget why he needs to keep pretending Dillon Does Not Exist.

Dillon is a single dad with a business and very little free time. He shouldn't be playing games with his best friend’s younger brother, but...he never was good at telling Emery no.

One completely reasonable arrangement.

Emery has delusions and rules.

Dillon has hope and patience.

Both of them are running out."]

The banter!! D: God, that was some great banter. The sass, the chemistry, the mutual pining. It was angsty but with so much sweetness (don't forget the sass). 

I didn't expect the hurt/comfort (as minor as it was) to come from Emerson's side (spoiler alert). Though, as it turns out, Dillon started the hurt/comfort. And that added to the angst. As did neither of them communicating their honest wants and true feelings. 

Even with the angst and the hurt/comfort, I did not expect to cry. Thanks for that.

This can be a standalone but it can also be the start of a series. I wouldn't complain for more Bennet chaos. 

#emerson #katmarowe #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

The Feeder Legacy (The Vampire Dominion #1)

Here is Louisa Masters's "The Feeder Legacy." It's the first novel in The Vampire Dominion series.

["When the family secret is a history of being lunch…

I don’t have the best track record when it comes to jobs. Since finishing uni, I’ve been drifting from hospo to retail and back again, searching for something that will hold my interest and leaving a trail of irritated wanker bosses behind me.

When I once again find myself unemployed, my long-lost cousin steps in with a fantastic opportunity. Turns out, when my parents decided to walk away from the family, they left a generational business as well, and there’s a job waiting for me if I want it.

The catch? Vampires are real, and they’ll pay to drink my blood.

The Barale family sets the gold-star standard for vampire feeders, and the mere mention of my name gets me a job with a salary and benefits beyond my wildest dreams. In return, I need to move into a vampire’s house and offer him my wrist twice a day. Simple.

Except my new community—including my vampire, Tristan—doesn’t know that I’m clueless about their world, and it’s more complicated and dangerous than I thought. I’ve got to keep my head down and mouth shut while I learn the basics. How hard can it be?

After all, I’m a legacy."]

I mean, we gotta fault Cat a little a little (or more than a little) for not preparing Adam at all. Like at all, at all. Or advocated for a 24-hour processing period for him somehow? Anything really. No, she just pushed him right threw the fire and into the deep end. And as he learned more about this world (as we learned more about it), it just kept getting worse. His parents were somehow more chill about it than I thought they would be.

At first, I was upset that we didn't see Tristan's POV, but after a while, it really upped the drama. That was a beautiful choice, even if I wished to see Tristan simp over Adam (or mentally throttle him), because I refuse to accept that Tristan isn’t far more gone for Adam than Adam is for Tristan. 

At the halfway point, I kinda figured this would have ended like it did, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy about it. Can we get book two now, please? February is too far. 

Trigger Warnings: threats, violence, torture, murder, and more.

#thefeederlegacy #thefeederdefence #louisamasters #thevampiredominion #thevampiredominionseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks 

His Cruel Exception (Ruthless Camorra Heirs #1)

Here's "His Cruel Exception" by MA DeVant. This is the first novel the Ruthless Camorra Heirs series.

["I was in the wrong place at the wrong time when I caught the attention of a notorious mafia heir.

I’ll do anything to pay off the debt hanging over my head, including becoming a stripper.

But then Antonio Scalera buys the club, and the only job he offers me is to be his tutor.

He’s a ruthless prince, and the last man I should work for if I want to keep my peace of mind.

He gives me no choice anyway, because once he decides I belong to him, there’s no escaping him.

He controls everything about me including my schedule, life, and even my body.

When his enemies realize they can get to him through me, I do the only thing I can think of to protect him.

I run.

But there’s one thing I forget about Antonio Scalera.

He never lets go of what’s his."]

God-fucking-damnit, that was addictive as fuck. It was a perfect mess of obsessed but not sure why, of spice and not-so-hidden fluff, of hurt/comfort. They were utterly fucking perfection. Well except for Antonio being utterly unable to communicated, let alone understand his feelings. Poor Alex didn't know what you said and did equaled what you felt, even if the rest of the Scarlera cousins saw it immediately. 

Not nearly as angsty or tear-ridden as I thought it was going to be (spoiler alert), but that was a nice surprise.

I canNOT wait for the rest of the cousins to get their messy af HEA. Literally going to be soo messy and perfect.

Trigger Warnings: non-con/dub-con, kidnapping, murder, violence, gun violence, stalking, panic attacks, neglectful/abusive parent, off-page death of a parent, parent with chronic illness, and more. 

#hiscruelexception #hissinfulattraction #ruthlesscamorraheirs #ruthlesscamorraheirsseries #madevant #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Little Fangs (Daddy's Little Sins)

Here's Joe Satoria's "Little Fangs." It's a novel in the multi-author series, Daddy's Little Sins.

["He was too afraid to bite, until a mountain man taught him how. Micah Swain has tiny fangs, a fearful heart, and a coven who cast him out to die… without a single stuffed teddy to his name. After 60 years of being a vampire, of living in the shadows, in secrets, he was ready to give up.

Lumberjack, Harlan Cartwright lives in the forest of Willow’s End, in a cabin he built and filled with boxes he hadn’t unpacked in many years. His struggle with love left him alone, until he discovers something… or someone hiding out in his woodshed.

Given shelter, safety, and stuffies; the kind of care he’d never known, Micah is torn, and learning to trust a human may be the hardest bite of all.

And when Micah’s instincts demand a bite, will it destroy their fragile bond or become the sweetest promise either of them has ever made?"]

Micah is sooo precious. He deserves the absolute world (and Harlan and Misty will make sure he gets it). God, he was adorable. So sweet and kind and made friends with sooo many...wild animals. 

Harlan was his perfect partner. Strong, protective, soft. 

They were utterly all too much and beautiful and perfect for each other. I looved them. 

I also want more of this town. It has allll of the potential. 

Trigger Warnings: talk of murder, attempted murder, trauma being treated badly by family, violence, threats, assault, and more. 

#littlefangs #joesatoria #midnightbitesandmoonlightkisses #immortalbonds #glamourandlovebites #allwellneverhave #lazilyeverafter #houseofdeceit #hisburglarboy #mapetitebouchee #daddyslitlesins #daddyslittlesinsseries  #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Cinders (Fairest of Them All #1)

I have sooo many ARCs due right now; so naturally, I'm avoiding them. Here is Harper B Cole, Trisha Linde, and Colbie Dunbar's "Cinders." It's the first novel in their Fairest of Them All series (a spin-off-ish series/in the same universe as the Once Upon an MM Romance series). It's a Cinderella retelling. 

["One night. One lie. One chance at love.

Tiago is just your regular joe omega. He’s still living at his stepfather's home, buried under mounds of student debt, and he finds himself without a shovel to dig his way out. He’s beyond exhausted working his minimum-wage job under the pretense that he’ll work his way up the corporate ladder, except—the company belongs to his stepfather. Somehow this means Tiago is the company gofer. When nobody else wants to travel to the middle of nowhere for a business deal, Tiago gets saddled with it. He should hate it… he should dread it… but instead, it might just be his first taste of freedom. He hopes it won’t be the last.

A wolf named Hemingway? Sounds like the punchline of a joke, which is exactly what Hem feels like some days. He’s too alpha to be submissive, too young to be taken seriously, and all of the elders keep pushing him to mate, hoping it’ll help calm his restless spirit. But no matter how much they push, Hem can’t bring himself to settle down. He can’t help but feel like… there’s someone special out there, just waiting to be found. But after one blisteringly hot encounter with the omega of his dreams, he has to face the cold reality that he never thought to consider—what if his mate doesn’t want to be found?"]

A little Cinderella-y but nothing match or match or overly cliched. The evil steps were there and the basically an indentured servant thing was there and the karma biting the steps in the ass was there. The one night of magic and falling in love was there. But there wasn’t a missing shoe or fairy godmother (Tiago saved himself, damnit) or little mice. 

There was just love and friendship and found family and Hem’s wolf going a little feral and a new community to embrace. These two were just soooo cute. I loved them and this open communication and cuddliness and how they jumped into their relationship with two feet. I’m a suuucker for fated mates, too, which helped. 

Trigger Warnings: death of a parent, financial abuse, and more. 

#cinders #red #seared #rebel #slumber #justright #harperbcole #trishalinde #colbiedunbar #fairestofthemall #fairestofthemallseries #onceuponanMMromance #onceuponanMMromanceseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

The Dragon's Temporary Manny (Paranormal Au Pair Agency #3)

Here is Colbie Dunbar's "The Dragon's Temporary Manny." It's the third novel in the Paranormal Au Pair Agency series.

["My bag’s always packed, but nobody warned me I’d want to unpack it.

I take work with an expiry date for six weeks or three months, then I'm gone while it’s still fun. So a temporary manny gig for a single dad and his triplet daughters should've been easy with a clean exit.

But the girls are always pulling tricks, they talk about dragons like they’re in the room with us, and they never take off their charm bracelets. Their father is the most gorgeous man I've ever met, but he keeps his distance even when I catch him looking.

Somewhere between bedtime stories and the almost kisses, I stop watching the exits. And wanting to stay scares me far more than whatever this family's hiding."]

Sooo cute! I can’t get enough of this series. It’s so wholesome and healing all with the childlike wonder and excitement and antics. There’s enough angst to keep going but nothing to cause a reader anxiety. The mate situation is so cute snd fun and romantic. 

#thedragonsreluctantmanny #thedragonsaccidentalmanny #thedragonstemporarymanny #thedragonsrunawaymanny #colbiedunbar #paranormalaupairagency #paranormalaupairagencyseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks 

Odd Man Out (Once Upon an MM Romance #4)

I have sooo many ARCs due right now; so naturally, I'm avoiding them. Here is Trisha Linde and Colbie Dunbar's "Odd Man Out." It's the fourth novel in their Once Upon an MM Romance series. It's an Ugly Duckling retelling. 

["They say beauty only runs skin deep… but what if no one bothers to look beneath the surface?

Omega Joel has always been a bit of an odd duck. A square peg, an eccentric… a misfit. He doesn’t fit into his mother’s perfect new family, he doesn’t fit in with the preppy rich kids at school, and as he gets older and heads off for college, he knows with certainty that he doesn’t fit into anyone’s idea of a love interest. Not that it matters anyway, because no alpha will ever compare to his best friend, Toban. Toban has always been there for him, is the only person who feels right—which means that he is strictly off-limits. Nothing in the world can make Joel jeopardize that friendship. It’s just not worth the risk.

Alpha Toban is a good friend… and he reminds himself of this daily. Friends watch out for each other, they protect each other, and they most certainly do not fall in love. Toban has been in love with Joel pretty much since the first moment he laid eyes on him, but he knows that he’ll never be good enough for the smart and sexy omega. When they get to college, he finds the new dating pool is more like an ocean, and if he’s not careful, Joel could easily drown. Fending off the omega’s potential suitors quickly becomes a full-time job. One run-in with a handsy bully could spoil their friendship for good… or maybe it could lead them to an even more promising future."]

I wasn't too sure about these two at first, to be honest. The MCs were much younger than the rest of the MCs in the series. I did't know how I felt about two college guys having a baby. The fairy tale retelling didn't fell as flushed out as the rest of the series (Joel was the odd man out in his family, but not to Toban). But I was pleasantly surprised. 

Best friends to lover, with an interlude with jealousy and possessiveness. That was lovely. Angsty and spicy and adorable and sassy. Supported by all of their friends and the family who actually mattered. 

Not to mention that adorable as hell epilogue! 

Trigger Warnings: bullying, mentions of domestic abuse, child abuse, violence, and more. 

#badapple #sweetandsour #burningbridges #oddmanout #chasingeverafter #trishalinde #colbiedunbar #onceuponanMMromance #onceuponanMMromanceseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks