Accidentally Falling For My Best Friend (Chicago Awakenings #2)

Here's Lexi Amber's "Accidentally Falling For My Best Friend." It's the second novel in her Chicago Awakenings series.

["Parker
Oakley has been my best friend since we were eight. We live together, work together, our lives are completely intertwined. His past girlfriends never understood how close we are, but Oak says the right girl wouldn’t be threatened.
I’m not so sure.
Now we’re both dating a pair of best friends who seem to get it. The four of us click instantly, and for once, everything feels… easy.
But then a dare leads to a kiss, and suddenly, nothing feels easy at all.

Oakley
Dating best friends? Genius idea. Parker and I finally found girls who don’t question how inseparable we are. I thought I’d found the one, until a silly game flipped everything on its head.
Because when I kissed Parker, it didn’t feel like a joke. It felt like something I’ve been waiting for without even realizing it.
Now I’m questioning everything…my feelings, my past, and most of all, what Parker really means to me.
Maybe the person I’ve been searching for has been by my side all along"]

Well, this thing was filllllled with angst. So much mutual pining and miscommunication and general bi-disaster-ness. But also the sweetness of crushes blooming over decades of friendship, love turning from one kind of all-consuming to another. 

These two were adorable--even if they were aggravating in their assumptions. Watching them fall in love was priceless, as was their love declarations (and multiple epilogues). 

I love this little universe with this supportive as fuck family, and I canNOT wait for Adrian's book!

Trigger Warnings: chronic illness, medical emergencies and hospital stays, death of a parent in a road accident with a drunk driver, homophobic/racist background character, risk of being cut-off for being queer for secondary character, and more.

#accidentallyjoininghiscult #accidentallyfallingformybestfriend #accidentallylivingwiththecaptain #chicagoawakenings #chicagoawakeningsseries #lexiamber #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Accidentally Joining His Cult (Chicago Awakenings #1)

Here's Lexi Amber's "Accidentally Joining His Cult." It's the first novel in her Chicago Awakenings series.

["Beckett
When the hottest guy I’ve ever seen teaches one of those weird New Age, self-help seminars at my company, I don’t exactly pay attention to the content of the presentation. I just know I want to see him again.
He’s flirty and charming, and I find myself asking him on a date. I’m usually all about casual hookups, but Cody is different. He doesn’t care about my family’s money or that I’m the owner of an NHL team. He wants to get to know me for me.
His sunshine personality is addicting, and I’m worried that one hookup won’t be enough.
Just when I start thinking this could be something real, I realize I might have misread his always happy and interested, golden retriever energy. Because when I finally lean in to kiss him, he looks confused instead of excited.
Just my luck to want something serious for the first time, only to find out he’s straight.

Cody
I work for the best company in the world! I get to travel around the country, helping motivate people to find success and happiness—it’s my dream job.
I’m always meeting new people and making new friends, so when the cool, confident guy at one of my seminars asks me to hang out after class, it feels completely normal.
But spending time with Beckett is different. When the night ends sooner than I’d like, I find myself wishing it hadn’t, and that’s... unusual for me.
Thankfully, we exchange numbers, and I can’t stop thinking about him—what he’s doing or what I could say to make him smile. I’ve never been this eager to see someone again, and it makes me nervous in a way I can’t explain.
Then he leans in to kiss me, and everything suddenly makes sense. There’s a reason I can’t get him out of my head. Maybe I’m not as straight as I thought I was."]

Meet-cute + some serious miscommunications + an utterly, adorable, green-flag himbo who doesn't know he works for a cult + a grump who could use some serious sunshine and realness = perfection.

It didn't take Cody too, too long to realize he was in dating someone before that realization hit him over the head. But it took both of them foooorever to realize (spoiler alert) that Cody worked for a cult. 

But these two were fucking adorable! They only wanted the best for each other, smiles and happiness, even if it wasn’t with them. It was just the right amount of angst and mutual pining without being overly stressful.

It also set up at least two more books in the series, all of which I plan to binge right now. Finally (these have been on my TBR for months!)! 

Trigger Warnings: mentions of multi-level marketing, mentions of cult practices, mentions of behaviors that may be disturbing, manipulation, gaslighting, exploitation for personal/sexual/financial gain of leader, instances of forced dieting and exercise, and more.

#accidentallyjoininghiscult #accidentallyfallingformybestfriend #accidentallylivingwiththecaptain #chicagoawakenings #chicagoawakeningsseries #lexiamber #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Wraith (Crestvale Killers #2)

Here's "Wraith" by Mia Monroe. It's the second novel in the Crestvale Killers series.

["To keep him I’ll have to break the one rule I never thought I would.

Paxon
As a hockey defenseman it’s my job to protect the net and I don’t do it quietly. I like to throw a punch or two just to keep the fans excited. I put everything into my job, after all, hockey is the only thing keeping me together.
There’s only one person who knows the me behind the hockey mask, and that’s my brother Boone. He breaks my heart on a daily basis, but I promised our mom I’d look out for him. Which is hard enough with my schedule and his…choices.
When someone starts closing in on him, I have to risk everything to protect him. Unfortunately for me, the guy trailing my brother is the hottest man alive and the attraction between us is undeniable. Irresistible.
Is there a way to keep my brother safe and the dangerous man after him in my bed?

Wraith
Paxon Bouchard is a problem. He’s the extremely sexy, bossy, loudmouth obstacle between me and the job I’m supposed to get done. Finding out my latest assignment is his brother is unfortunate, but nothing gets between me and a job well done. Not even a beefy hockey player.
When new information surfaces, I have a difficult decision to make. Breaking the rules isn’t something I do, ever, and I’m not keen on it, but Pax offers me something I never saw for myself - a future. Maybe even love.
To keep Pax, I’ll have to trust him and hope I made the right decision. If I’m wrong, I could lose everything."]

I wasn’t too sure about this one. Then again, I wasn’t looking forward to the thought of instant angst. Turns out, it wasn’t so instant. But it was strong as fuck. 

These two fell in love before they realized it. And when they did, it was already too late. It was sweet and was too self-sacrificing. But all of their brothers verbally slapped them over the head with advice (spoiler alert?) and all was mostly well.

I want sooo much more of this series and these broken men. 

Trigger Warnings: on-page suggestion of SA of a woman who is not a character in this book, sex trafficking and SA victims, abusive/traumatic background, prior drug overdose discussions, prior suicide attempt (not MCs), and more.

#specter #wraith #carnage #crestvalekillers #crestvalekillersseries #miamonroe #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Moody as a Minotaur (Willow Lake Pack #1)

Here's "Moody as a Minotaur" by Lori Ames. It's the first novel in her Willow Lake Pack series, which is a spin-off of the Willow Lake Supernaturals series. 

["Magic isn't real, is it?

Parker’s intuition has been itching for months—no, it’s probably closer to years—telling him something isn’t quite right in Willow Lake. But sometimes it’s safer to ignore the feeling than expose truths you don’t want to face. Especially when Levi, the handsome and beefy owner of the local motel, is right in the middle of all the weirdness.

Okay, okay.

Parker might have an itty-bitty crush on the big guy, but who can blame him? Levi is delicious… and as the owner of a café, Parker knows a thing or two about tasty treats.

And now Parker’s Nana is in town and she hasn’t come alone. She’s dragged his cousin and his paranormal investigative team along with her. But her arrival couldn’t have come at a worse time, because Parker was finally making progress with Levi.

Now what is he supposed to do? Because, for the record, it is incredibly difficult to flirt when your grandmother is eyeing everyone, including Levi, like she's in the FBI and they are in the Mafia… or like she’s Van Helsing hunting down a bunch of powerful supernatural beings.

Because that’s ridiculous. Really.

Right?"]

And the official tags (because they're the best): ["MM Paranormal Romance, a wary minotaur, a curious human, a meddling grandmother, fish make great friends (mostly because they can’t talk back), no one likes a paranormal hunter, and secrets no one expected."]

I put off reading this one for the angst. Parker and Levi had been teasing us with their HEA for sooo long! I wasn't ready for the straight-up, in-your-face pining. Not to mention the stress of the hunters and Parker's family and Levi's past. It felt like it was all too much.

And in some ways, it was. But in typical Lori fashion, it was perfectly balanced with fluff and protectiveness and sweet feelings and found family. Plus more mysteries to be solved and more fated mates awaiting us in future novels. 

Trigger Warnings: violence, mention of rape, mention of murder, people hunting other people, guns and shooting violence, injury due to a gun shot, fight ring, attempted abduction, home being broken into, bullying and bigotry, and more. 

#moodyasaminotaur #stubbornasashadow #loriames #willowlakepack #willowlakepackseries #willowlakesupernaturals #willowlakesupernaturalsseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Under The Surface (Tenebrea Cove #1)

Here's NR Walker's "Under The Surface." It's the first novel in the Tenebrea Cove series.

["When Hobart Detective Douglas Sawyer chases someone along Constitution Dock, the last thing he expects to see is the guy change shape and disappear into the freezing cold water. He also doesn’t expect a government suit to intervene on the case and offer him a job in a remote town in the wilds of the Southwest Coast to report on things that may or may not be weird.

As the leader of his consortium, Ciaran Brenner takes protecting his town of Tenebrae Cove, and his family, very seriously. He’s never been bothered by any cop who takes up post in town because none of them stay long enough to find out the truth.

Until Sawyer, that is.

Sawyer has never felt at home anywhere until he arrives in Tenebrae Cove, the creepy little town in Southwest Tasmania. He can’t explain the unnatural pull he feels toward the water, or to the man who seems to despise him. He knows things aren’t as they appear, not when it comes to the water and not when it comes to Ciaran Brenner either.

For reasons he can’t yet explain, he’s dying to get under the surface of both."]

I have NO idea why I haven't read this yet. This book was sooooo good! And NR Walker is one of my followed authors. 

All of the lore and the magic and the history and the fated-ness of it all. All of the mystery and the intrigue, the fucking little cliffhangers and unfinished business. 

This story was adorable. It was fate and fighting it. It was making your own magic. It was finding a place to call home and meeting a family you can lean on. It was new loves and unrequited loves. It was trouble on the horizon.

I canNOT wait for the next book! 

#underthesurface #intoodeep #tenebreacove #tenebreacoveseries #nrwalker #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Shadow Prince (Shadowmen #1)

Here's S Rodman's "Shadow Prince." It's the first novel in the Shadowmen series.

["What if your childhood bogeyman turned out to be real? And a real pain in the ass?

Apparently, the monster under my bed imprinted on me as a child. Like a baby duck. A six-foot, insufferably hot, made-of-shadows baby duck.

He claims he's a prince from the Shadow Realm. His powers have been bound, and he's been exiled to the human world.

And now the only person he can feed on is me. Because of our childhood bond.

The problem? He used to feed on my fear. Now that we're adults, he needs something... else. Something that involves him being a lot closer. And me wearing a lot less.

So what do you do when the monster that lurked under your bed now wants to be in your bed?

I should send him back to whatever dark realm spat him out.

He's shameless. Smug. Thinks materialising in my bedroom uninvited is foreplay.

Never mind that he's cocky, insufferable, or that he's far too charming for something that used to live under my furniture.

I should sage my entire life and move on.

He's a shadow with a filthy mouth and no boundaries. He’s my worst nightmare, in all sorts of ways.

But he needs my help.

He used to lurk under my bed. Now he's under my skin."]

This wasn't as dark or as scary as I had expected. It was pure fluff and protection and obsession. The steam was there, but that was also lesser than I had expected. 

This book was just all kinda of sweet and organization and healing (of so many kinds) and found family and teasers to future books. 

I've been seeing this book advertised for sooo long in so many different ways and formats. I'm really upset with myself that I didn't give it a chance sooner.

Trigger Warnings: bullying, decapitation, fire/trapped in burning building, grief from relationship breaking, home invasion, infliction of physical pain, intimidation and threats, murder, near loss of a loved one, peril, relationship break-up, sleep paralysis, threat to life, unloving relationship, un-secure housing, and more. 

#shadowprince #shadowking #shadowmen #shadowmenseries #srodman #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Safe (Constantine Brothers)

Here's Rina Saint's "Safe." It's the next novel in her Constantine Brothers series.

["For years, I wasn’t human and didn’t want to be. It was easier to be the Beast, pacing in my cage until my handlers let me out to fight. I didn’t speak, didn’t have a name. My existence was brutal, but it was simple. I understood it. Accepted it.

But everything changed when Lucas was thrown into my cage with me, when I claimed him as my own—when I realized I would do anything to protect him. That meant getting us out, to somewhere safe.

And that’s what I did. That’s where we are now, in a good, safe place. Except, it doesn’t feel good to me. I don’t belong here. Nothing about me makes sense here.

I’m trying to make it work. I want Lucas to be happy. But the past keeps intruding, and the problem is … I want it to. I make sense in that dark space. But Lucas doesn’t, and I don’t want him there. So what the hell am I supposed to do?"]

TO BE UPDATED SOON

Trigger Warnings:

#gayromancereviews #grr #arcs #arcteammember
#posession #confession #safe #rinasaint #constantinebrothers #constantinebrothersseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks