Save Me (Silent Hollow #4)

Continuing on a TBR/Beat-The-Backlog kick (and ignoring my ARCs kick). Here's "Save Me" by Alina May, which is the fourth novel in The Silent Hollow series.

["Micah
I’m not a creeper.
Maddox McAllister is my soulmate. He just doesn’t know it yet.
If I’d known I’d meet my soulmate through a pet-sitting service, I would have listed my skunk, Princess, like…way freaking sooner. But Maddox is here now, all dark and broody and scared. And hot. Did I mention hot? I know a few things about Maddox, like his childhood pet, his favorite snack, and what kind of underwear he wears.
Okay, listen, I swear all of this came up in natural conversation. Now it’s my job to figure out why Maddox is scared and show him that we are, in fact, meant to be together. Forever.
Easy peasy! No one can withstand my charm for long.

Maddox
What the fuck did I get myself into?
Micah is…well, my boss. He’s the most eccentric boss I’ve ever had. Did I lie and say I knew how to take care of skunks just to get here? Maybe. Should I run the other way? Probably. But then my apartment burns down and a threat from my past won’t leave me the fuck alone, and somehow I’m stuck with a skunk, a gun, and a man who somehow knows I wear boxers, not briefs.
What could go wrong?"]

Micha wasn't a creeper. He just puts 120% of himself into everything he does. Until somehow decides his too much or too loud. This first chapter alone made me want to wrap him (and Princess) up in a huge blanket. Let alone all of the hurt/comfort between him and Maddox (who..sure, I understand the psychological effects of his past abuse, but that hurt/comfort was harsh).

Their HEA was a hard-eanred beast. It wasn't easy. There were set-backs after set-backs. But they fought to stay..near each other. Micha was writing their vows the moment he met Maddox; Mads took a little longer to get on the same wave-length. But they stayed for each other, for finding happiness and safety (and more animals that need a home).

Quote of the Day: “Because since when do M&Ms ever let you down.”

Loooved the cameos from the rest of t

Trigger Warnings: intimate partner violence,  violence, psychological effects of abuse, internalized abuse, animal death, child physical abuse, coercive control, death, disassociation, homophobia/slurs, and more. 

#themercenaryandthemortician #makeme #themonsterandthemasochist #saveme #thesilenthollow #thesilenthollowseries #alexandrastpierre #alinamay #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Levi (Florida Panhandle #3)

Here's Wren Wilds's "Levi." It's the third novel in the Florida Panhandle series.

["DANTE
I'm in the driveway of the beach house at six a.m. because I don't trust perfection to hold overnight.
Gulf-front. Twenty million dollars. The listing that makes my name on this coast.
I open the door and the house smells like a rave. Spilled tequila. Staging destroyed. A stranger passed out on the sofa with his dirty boots on the cushions.
Brokers from three states arrive at ten.
I have four hours to get this man out and make it look like nothing ever happened here.
He has no idea who he's dealing with.
Turns out, neither do I.

LEVI
The label gives me thirty days to clean up my act.
Stay sober. Stay out of sight. Show up ready to headline the Panhandle Country Bash.
My manager hides me out in a beach house, where for the first time in eight years, nobody's watching.
Then a furious man in Italian shoes wakes me up, telling me I'm trespassing.
I've got a paid booking that says otherwise. I'm not going anywhere.
He looks me straight in the face and has no idea who I am.
I need to keep it that way."]

The hurt/comfort started strooong in this one. Some of it was the not-knowing-you're-hurting-the-other kinda of/comfort. Some of it wasn't quite so blind (though it wasn't malicious). And JUST as the sweetness and fluff was starting to really set in, the me-sobbing thing set in instead. For a while (me sobbing, Levi sobbing, sooo much more hurt/comfort). 

The first time Levi showed up at that bar? I nearly lost it. Really lost it the second time. He deserved to be wrapped up in that $600 cashmere throw more than anyone (and Shelia would blame Benji/Levi for spending $600 on a blanket before she ever blamed Levi--Shelia and Tex and Stormy (who wouldn't say anything; his eyes would so all the work) and probably even Mickey). 

Speaking of Benji...that ride-or-die really chose glitter and fringe and tears all the while being an absolute bad-ass. 

Levi and Dante didn't have a slow burn. They had burn-the-bridges-and-get-to-the-candle-lit-ashes later. All the while secretly feeling guilty about lighting the match. Then did things in secret to take care of the other and never mention it. They were both a hot mess. But they figured it out, eventually, over barbecue and sweet tea and Gulf sunsets. 

Trigger Warnings: homophobia, psychological trauma, trauma responses, fear reactions, anxiety, hyper-vigilance, emotional distress, grief, using alcohol/drugs as a way to escape, claustrophobia, child abuse, and more 

#stormy #benji #levi #floridapanhandle #floridapanhandleseries #wrenwilds #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Benji (Florida Panhandle #2)

Here's Wren Wilds's "Benji." It's the second novel in the Florida Panhandle series.

["MICKEY
Car show weekend in Panama City always ends badly.
By noon, half the crowd is drunk. By sunset, the jail's full. By seven, dispatch won't stop calling.
By seven forty-five, I'm counting down the minutes until my shift ends and I can get to Tex's bar for ribs and a beer.
I think the worst of the night is behind me.
Then a 911 call comes in from Big Tex's Roadhouse.
By midnight, it’s already too late.

BENJI
My eyeliner's too sharp. My shirt's unbuttoned too low. My white jeans are tighter than common sense allows in the Florida Panhandle.
I stroll into Big Tex's Roadhouse looking for a drink and a sunset.
The bartender begs me to turn around and leave.
I laugh like she's joking.
That's my first mistake."]

To be very honest, this blurb didn't grab me like the last one (or the next one). It's intriguing, but the stakes could be higher. Or more romantic. Or something. 

Whelp, you read less than three chapters and you get the stakes. Fuuuck do you get the stakes. I was sobbing for...a majority of the first 40% of the book. The blurb might not have grabbed me, but the very beginning of the book did. And it held my attention. The stakes were there, the romance was there, the "something" was there. It was painful and filled with so many layers of grief. It was also filled with sooo much friendship and caring and support. 

And while this book got brighter and happier and more positive, it had tossed in moments of heartbreak and isolation. I cried again at the 80%ish mark. Then Stormy made it worse (being his authentic, no-bullshit, quiet but mighty, self). 

But they were forgiving and trusting and beautiful. Could have communicated honestly a little more, but given everything, what wasn't communicated was (nearly) understandable. Except to Tex. Fuck still love that man. And Shelia (she already knows about the coleslaw, let's be real).

I'm no longer sure I'm actually ready for Dante and Levi's book.

Trigger Warnings: homophobia, violence, threats of violence, psychological trauma, trauma responses, fear reactions, anxiety, hyper vigilance, emotional distress, grief, parent with dementia, gun violence, hospital stays, and more.

#stormy #benji #levi #floridapanhandle #floridapanhandleseries #wrenwilds #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Stormy (Florida Panhandle #1)

Here's Wren Wilds's "Stormy." It's the first novel in the Florida Panhandle series.

["Tex
A hurricane’s rolling in fast when I see a stranded biker.
Small. Soaked. Terrified. Like the road finally ran out on him and he’s got nowhere left to go.
The first thing I notice about him is his eyes, the color of the Gulf before a storm.
He won’t speak. He won’t look at me. Just watches my hands like they might hurt him.
When I move too fast, he flinches. That tells me everything I need to know.
So I load up his bike and take him back to my bar.
He’s clearly running from something. Or someone.
Whoever he’s running from… they just ran into the wrong man.

Stormy
He’s the biggest man I’ve ever been this close to. Six-five. Maybe taller. Built like he could break me in half without trying.
Men that big usually hurt you. My hand drifts toward the knife in my pocket just in case.
I don’t give him my name. I don’t give him anything. I keep my eyes down. That’s the safest way to survive.
But he doesn’t get angry. He doesn’t push.
Instead he gives me a name like it’s a gift he wrapped himself.
Stormy.
For the first time in years, I want to stay. But the past doesn’t let people like me go that easily."]

I put this one off for a while. Not because it didn't sound good, not because the targeted ads on social werne't on point. I wasn't the biggest of fans of the AI-looking video teasers (and I can't tell if the covers are AI or just crisply edited). But I'm weeeaaak for a broken-boy x bear-hero trope. 

This book was sooo good. It was dark and emotional. It tested your limits. It was a slower burn, but that was worth it, too. It was so soft and sweet and patient and forgiving. It built trust over a Category 5 Hurricane. It was found family and always showing up. It was showing love over and over again until you can say it, until you can believe it. It was a horrible past but a rainbow of a future.

Trigger Warnings: sexual abuse and sexual exploitation, physical abuse, psychological trauma and trauma responses, abandonment and neglect, homelessness, power imbalance and coercion, stalking and tracking behavior, violence, threats of violence, and more. 

#stormy #benji #levi #floridapanhandle #floridapanhandleseries #wrenwilds #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Grind (Gymbos #3)

KM Neuhold's latest: "Grind." It's the third novel in her new Gymbos series.

["Hockey star Diego Ferguson says he knows about the grind, but he’s about to learn that his new personal trainer, Callan, gives the word a whole new meaning.

Everyone in Chicago has been following the news about Diego's injury and the last season spent on the bench. It doesn’t hurt that he's got a major sexy brood going on in every picture I see of him these days.

The last place I expected him to show up was Sweat. But he's looking for a personal trainer to help him get fully back in shape before the season, and I'm just the guy for the job.

It figures that he's straight, but that doesn’t mean I can't enjoy the view while I help get his fine backside ready to get back out on the ice.

He's definitely as surly as his pictures, and twice as arrogant. Turns out he's also desperate for some bro time in between workouts, and I'm more than qualified to be the guy for that job too.

Maybe he's not as straight as he claims. Maybe he just needs a little fun to get his confidence back up after last season. Maybe I'll let myself indulge in a harmless fling with a cocky, bi-curious hockey player as a little treat. I work hard after all, and I deserve a little fun too.

We both know it can't last, but puck it, a summer fling is always a good time."]

UGH! All of the bro-ing, all of the challenges, all of the 80s movies, all of the grilling. All of the falling from friendship to more. This was fluffy and filled with all kinds of fun. It was flirty and adorable. It was honest and careful. So much found family, and re-finding your found family. It was beautiful. 

I loved how easy this book was. There was just enough angst to get you to continue reading (and for some serious character arcs), but there wasn't anything crazy stressful. Their friendship was easy, their relationship was easy. They communicated like a dream (they read each other like a dream). 

And here's to Slaps. You go, boo!

Trigger Warnings: sports related homophobia, minor internalized homophobia, and more. 

#jacked #pumped #grind #gymbos #gymbosseries #kmneuhold #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

September's Book Shape Challenge 2026

2026 Book Shape Challenges... Last year, I went with an animal-theme. This year, I'm thinking zodiac constellations (which is less--and yet more--of a challenge (we'll see how it goes)).

Here's September's Book Shape Challenge! Virgo!!

#reading #readingchallenge #readingdare #bookdare #bookchallenge #alphabetchallenge #beatthebacklog #monthlythemes #monthlychallenge #bookshape #bookshapechallenges #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Tracking Wolfe (Made Marian #4)

Here's Lucy Lennox's "Tracking Wolfe." It's the fourth book in her Made Marian Legacy series, which is a spin-off series from her Made Marian series and her Billionaire Brother series, and this book is set in the same area as her Aster Valley series (the first and the last are also connected to her Forever Wilde series).

["I’ve been in love with Trace Bishop half my life… 
And I’ve been hiding it just as long.

He’s my father’s best friend. 
The man who tracked me down and kept me safe my entire childhood…

The man who looked me in the eyes six years ago and said we were impossible.

So I poured my longing into love songs.
Songs no one knows are about Trace. 
I shared them with the world under a secret identity and won a Grammy.
Just another thing to hide. 

Then one stupid kiss changes everything.

Trace can’t want me back. 
It would cost him his friends, his family, and the life he’s built. 
And I’m tired of wanting the impossible.  
So I run… 

Straight into the crosshairs of someone who knows all my secrets and doesn’t care who gets hurt.

Trace does what he always does–he finds me. 
But this time, he’s not tracking his best friend’s son.
He’s tracking the man whose kiss he can’t forget. 
The man he’ll burn his life down to keep. 

Because if Trace and I want a chance at forever, hiding is no longer an option."]

Lucy is always SOO good at making the mutual pining so incredibly sweet but also so incredibly painful. The angst is somehow romantic and we're okay with that. It blows my mind each and every time. 

The utterly dedication after the MCs get through their angst? The utter devotion? The no-holds-bared out-loud obsession? The pure fluff? The perfect amount of spice? Allllll of the yyyeeesss.

I could live without the live-or-death situations in each book on this series, while in the middle of nature, with nature doing what nature does best. *sigh* I only mean that a little bit. It adds so much danger and suspense to the novel, but it also highlights how fucking competent the MCs are. It also further highlights that dedication and the protection (without smothering the other). 

Am I thrilled that we get a bonus story for Val and Brennan? Hell yes. Am I thrilled that we have to wait months and months for Gabe's HEA? Not so much (tis the life of a reader though).

Trigger Warnings: blackmail, drugging, manipulation, kidnapping, and more. 

#recusingdrmarian #burningforalexander #owningjett #trackingwolfe #holdinggabriel #mademarianlegacy #mademarianlegacyseries #mademarian #mademarianseries #thebillionairebrotherhood #thebillionairebrotherhoodseries # #astervalley #astervalleyseries #foreverwilde #foreverwildeseries #lucylennox #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks