Patchwork (Ink Slingers #3)

"Patchwork" is the third novel in K.M. Neuhold's Ink Slingers series. This series is a spin-off series from Big Bull Mechanics, which is a spin-off series from Bear Construction. I love that for us. ;)

["It's not a relationship, it's just a patchwork of tattoo sessions and sweaty secrets with a rock star. No big deal.

I've been keeping this secret for four years, counting down the months in between visits from Onyx.

To everyone else I'm “Hero” but he mostly just calls me “yes” and “more” while we trade heated kisses and wandering hands.

I know it won't ever be anything more than a wild secret and eventually he'll get bored hooking up with a tattoo artist fifteen years too old for him from Nowhere, Wisconsin. But I'm more than happy to enjoy this while it lasts.

But when Onyx shows up unannounced and tells me that instead of a hurried weekend we have 3 full months before he has to hit the road again, I don't know if I'm more excited or terrified to see where things will go.

I’m sure there’s more to life than tattooing Onyx and spending late nights talking until the sun comes up, but whatever that “more” is, it can’t be as fun as this.

No matter how hard I’m falling for him, there’s no way that he’s going to give up his rock star lifestyle to stay here with me… is there?"]

I have no clue why I waited so long for to read this book. It was just the fluffy sweetness I needed today. 

These two were adorable. Instant chemistry, love at first sight. But also talking around their feelings and alluding today then instead of talking about them. 

I loved the dual time lines too. We got to see them fall in love through the years, all of the stolen moments. 

#flash #virginskin #patchwork #inkslingers #inkslingersseries #kmneuhold #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Callous Shot (Cranham Kings #2)

Here's "Callous Shot" by Becca Steele. It's the second novel in the Cranham Kings series.

["Daniel Hoyton has been a thorn in my side for as long as I can remember. We play for rival hockey teams. We attend rival universities. Our families are on opposite sides of the law.

I hate him, with his irritatingly smug smile, his arrogance, and his inability to take anything seriously.
I want to wipe that smile from his face with my fist.
…Or my mouth.

I can’t decide if I want to punch him or kiss him, and it’s beginning to be a problem. A problem with big consequences. Not only is he completely wrong for me, but his family and friends are under investigation…and my uncle is in charge of the operation.

I know we’re going to crash and burn.
But I can’t seem to stay away from the flames."]

What is better than a hockey dark romance? Two of my favorite sub-genres/tropes all combined into an angsty, hidden-fluff hot mess wrapped in a knife-shoes bow. 

TO BE UPDATED SOON

Trigger Warnings: organized crime/gang violence, death of a parent, references to past stillborn, references to past child abuse, and more. 

#hostilegame #calloushot #beccasteele #cranhamkings #cranhamkingsseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Mortis (Mayhem Manuscripts Season Two: Cryptids)

Here's Lily James's "Mortis." It's a novel in the multi-author series, Mayhem Manuscripts Season Two: Cryptids.

["Some beasts never wanted to be monsters.
The most dangerous ones always did.

For sixty years, Kael has survived by hunting anyone foolish enough to enter Barrowfell Woods. Bound to his inner demon, every meal leaves him drowning in guilt. When he finally refuses to kill again, desperation drives him beyond the treeline and into the world of humans.

Teddy Adler has spent his life surrounded by the dead. As the mortuary technician at his family's funeral home, corpses don't scare him. Demons, apparently, don't either.

Instead of running from the seven-foot cryptid he catches eating one of his clients, Teddy offers Kael a solution neither of them expected. One that lets him feed on the dead instead of the living.

But while Teddy teaches a demon how to survive without murder, a centuries-old cult is preparing to finish what its founders started. Their leader has spent a lifetime searching for the beast his family once enslaved, and he'll burn down an entire town to drag Kael back into chains."]

Prologue: scary as fuck demon satyr monster who sadistically hunts people in the woods. Chapter Three: soft as fuck demon within a demon who doesn’t like hurting people but has no choice and when confronted by a tiny human about his B&E (and past murders) shrinks in guilt and shame.

And then there's Beastie. Definitely the sadistic hunting monster. More demon than not. Threatens Teddy (at first) but smirks at his confidence and gull. Always there to remind Teddy (and Kael) that he's a demon with demonic needs. Also utterly and entirely dedicated to Teddy's safety and happiness and pleasure. 

Teddy. Oh my sweet boy. So kind. Soo sassy and confident and doesn't put up with anyone's shit. He cares about other people and ethics, but he puts them aside for a monster who hates hurting people, anything to make his Kael less guilty.

These two were utterly perfect for each other. Their dynamic was tiny mortal savior and adoring demon puppy...until it wasn't. That very first spicy scene? Dead. I died. Utterly fucking deceased. It was perfection on top of perfection. Kael and Beastie becoming one? Yesss.

I loooved Arlo. And I swearing to fucking god, if he doesn't get a book with Mammon, I'll riot. 

Trigger Warnings: consumption of human flesh by nonhuman, preparing and coking of human flesh, desecration of a corpse, detailed descriptions of embalming procedures, demonic cult activity, mention of off-page human sacrifice, blood, gore, kidnapping/captivity, non-consensual use of chloroform, murder, graphic violence, and more.

#mortis #lilyjames #tenebrous #hollow #pareidolia #feral #paligenesis #tenebrous #golden #hush #leech #noctis #solivagant #solais #marked #mayhemmanuscripts #mayhemmanuscriptsseasontwo #mayhemmanuscriptscryptids #mayhemmanuscriptsseasontwocryptids #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Asystole (The Doctors of Boston Memorial #1)

Here's "Asystole" by Jillian D Wray. It's the first novel in The Doctors of Boston Memorial series. 

["LOGAN
I excel at running from my problems and my past.
Unfortunately, I’m also really good at running straight into trouble.
While trying to get as far away as possible from the man who broke my heart, I ended up sharing an apartment with his fiancé’s best friend.
I’m determined to keep Chase at arm’s length, but Chase is determined to get inside my skin. Who knew straight guys with long term girlfriends were so into platonic cuddling?
Chase’s stressful days as a medical resident have me doting like an eager housewife—which is ridiculous…
Until we cross a line, and I’m left wondering what’s crazier: Chase still thinking he’s straight, or me thinking this could end in anything other than heartbreak.

CHASE
Ninety-hour weeks as a general surgery resident leave me hollow and mentally fried, so when running into an old acquaintance offers me a break I desperately need, I jump at the opportunity.
As the Life Flight helicopter pilot for Boston Memorial, I expected to see Logan from time to time.
What I wasn’t expecting was to become his roommate so soon after reconnecting.
Nor was I expecting my platonic feelings for him to turn into something… more.
I blame it on my need for physical touch and the long-distance relationship I have with my girlfriend.
Until a kiss with Logan at the stroke of a New Year’s midnight changes everything.
I need Logan in ways I never imagined, but by the time I figure that out, it may be too late."]

All of the teasers for this book made the tension seem fun and flirty, the chemistry hot and heavy. There were zero indications of the angst. Oh my fuck the angst. Here's me trying my best not to cry every couple of chapters (then again, I might just be a little extra on edge myself). One kind of angst after the over, all piling on top of the will-they-won't-they angst. 

Ooohhh but the angst was worth it! All of the fluff and sweetness and caring and kindness and protectiveness. 

Officially adding Stone and Hanlon's book to my TBR.

Trigger Warnings: mentions of depression, cheating, stressors and negatives of working in a hospital, and more. 

#asystole #thedoctorsofbostonmemorial #thedoctorsofbostonmemorialseries #jilliandwray #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks 

Tenebrous (Mayhem Manuscripts Season Two: Cryptids)

Here's Bree Wiley's "Tenebrous." It's a novel in the multi-author series, Mayhem Manuscripts Season Two: Cryptids.

["I came to Oregon to disappear.

A simple night shift guarding an old lumber mill deep in the mountains sounded easy enough. Make a quick buck, no people, no reminders of the life I destroyed back home.

Then the locals started warning me to stay out of the woods.

None of them will tell me what they’re so afraid of, but I've felt it watching me in the dark. Seen its eyes through the trees, felt its breath on my neck.

The people here are keeping secrets. And the further I fall down the rabbit hole on the history of this town, the more I understand why my parents fled before I was born.

I came here to escape my past.

Instead, I may have stumbled into something far worse."]

Okay but this book was the perfect combination of horror and romance. It was darkness of all kinds, fluff in many different packages, and safety in places you didn’t expect. 

I loooved Orion. I was pushing for him the very first POV we had. Me: Benji, chill, he loves you and doesn’t understand it yet, stop rejecting the only way he knows our to feed you. Which in hindsight, the food thing, really fucking gross, so I get the reaction. 

These two were soo moved by each other. They didn’t understand each other but the moment that fate clicked on her magic, they started to fall. 

Does suck a bit that the non-horrid humans of the town were casualties of…everything. But we can blame the horrid humans on that (well, mostly). 

And quite honestly, that epilogue was perfect! 

Trigger Warnings: dubcon, noncon, murder, mentions of off-page attempted suicide, mention of parental death by gunshot/heart attack/falling off a cliff, depictions of an abusive parent, depictions of cheating (not between MCs), violence, suicidal ideations, bodily injury due to gunshot, forced cannibalism, captive/captor, mentions of attempted SA (not between MCs), mentions of being institutionalized, claustrophobic tunnels, human corpses, and more. 

#tenebrous #breewiley #hollow #pareidolia #feral #paligenesis #tenebrous #golden #hush #leech #mortis #noctis #solivagant #solais #marked #mayhemmanuscripts #mayhemmanuscriptsseasontwo #mayhemmanuscriptscryptids #mayhemmanuscriptsseasontwocryptids #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Pass The Gravy, Praise The Dark Lord (Hotter Than Hell #9)

Here's Callie Colby's "Pass The Gravy, Praise The Dark Lord" It's the ninth book in her Hotter Than Hell series.

["I brought my boyfriend home to meet the parents. They want to sacrifice a goat to him. He just wants the mashed potatoes.

Bringing a new guy home for Thanksgiving is always stressful. It’s worse when your boyfriend is Lucian, a brooding, seven-foot-tall demon prince on vacation who thinks "casual wear" involves leather pants and a mesh shirt.

But the real problem isn’t Lucian. It’s my parents.

I thought their "hobby" was intense gardening. Turns out, they’re the High Priests of the Order of the Black Sun, and they’ve spent the last twenty years trying to summon the Dark Lord to Earth.

They don’t realize the Dark Lord is currently sitting at their dining table, politely asking for the cranberry sauce.

Now I’m stuck in a nightmare farce. My mom is hiding summoning sigils under the placemats, my dad is sharpening a ceremonial dagger in the garage, and Lucian is having the time of his immortal life. He thinks my parents are "charming fanatics" and keeps winking at me while they chant in Latin.

I need to get us through dessert without an apocalypse. But sneaking around to hook up in my childhood bedroom is getting complicated, especially when Lucian demands I worship him properly while my parents are downstairs trying to sacrifice the roast chicken in his honor."]

Casey: "This is going to be so much worse than I imagined." Cue my giggles.

Very next scene, Casey's parents are downstairs doing a ritual to worship the Dark Lord and upstairs, the Dark Lord is busy worshipping Casey. And then, later on, Casey worshipped his deity boyfriend. 

Very next scene to that..Luce: "This is going to be a most entertaining holiday." Cue more giggles 

In this one, the Dark Lord is literal Lucifer. Not the #ed Lord of Title, Adjective Something Meant To Be Intimidating. Lucifer. Or I guess "Lucian." Prince of Darkness. The Illuminated One. Prince of the Morning Star. 

I loooved that Luce called Casey "my flame." I'm a sucker for pet names. 

#summoningmrwrong #summoningmrwrongormrright #hisinfernalpurr #exorciseme #devilwearsnada #blueballingthedemon #mydemonmyhandyman #swipeupforsin #turnmeon #passthegravypriasethedarklord #calliecolby #hotterthanhell #hotterthanhellseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Turn Me On (Hotter Than Hell #8)

Here's Callie Colby's "Turn Me On." It's the eighth book in her Hotter Than Hell series. I'm reading them out of order; they're not connected anyway.

["I bought a knock-off smart speaker to save twenty bucks. I ended up with a demon who judges my Spotify Wrapped.

I just wanted to know the weather. Instead, the plastic cylinder on my counter started giving me unsolicited advice on blood rituals and insulting my taste in men. That’s Zarathos, a Demon of Forbidden Knowledge who is currently trapped in my Wi-Fi network.

After I accidentally short-circuited his prison with a spilled latte, he manifested in my living room. He’s six feet of glitchy, flickering perfection who buffers when the internet is slow and gets into screaming matches with Alexa.

But having a demon in your smart home has… complications. He doesn’t just control the thermostat or the lights. He’s hacked into everything.

Including the toys in my nightstand drawer.

I should probably perform an exorcism. But it’s hard to delete him when he knows exactly how to push my buttons—literally, digitally, and physically. I think I’ve been infected with malware, and I really don’t want to run a virus scan."]

These two were adorable. They connected over their love of technology. Miles loved his IT job, but hated his customers. Zarathos understood technology and how humans depended on it, but didn't know why or why they didn't use it to further enhance their ease of life. Zarathos used his access to tech to make Miles's life easier, even if Miles didn't approve. Their physical connection was also instant. Their emotional connection took some time, but they fostered that as well. 

I loved Zarathos's way of speaking, even if he half sounded like an old english duke and half sounded like a slightly-too-stuffy scientist. Miles loved it, too. ;)

#summoningmrwrong #summoningmrwrongormrright #hisinfernalpurr #exorciseme #devilwearsnada #blueballingthedemon #mydemonmyhandyman #swipeupforsin #turnmeon #passthegravypriasethedarklord #calliecolby #hotterthanhell #hotterthanhellseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks