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

Tights & Tail (Hotter Than Hell #11)

Here's Callie Colby's "Tights & Tail." It's the eleventh book in her Hotter Than Hell series. I'm reading them out of order; they're not connected anyway.

["I’m a fake warlock at a Renaissance Faire. I accidentally summoned a critic from Hell.

I get paid minimum wage to wear tights, wave a plastic staff, and recite nonsense Latin from a fantasy paperback. It was supposed to be a show for the tourists.

It wasn't supposed to actually work.

Now I have Belial, a five-hundred-year-old demon lord, following me around the fairgrounds. He’s not interested in my soul; he’s offended by my historical inaccuracies. He spends his days critiquing the blacksmith’s technique, threatening to incinerate the "abominable polyester" costumes, and winning sword tournaments with terrifying, supernatural ease.

He’s the most authentic thing at the Faire, and the crowds love him. I should banish him before he burns down the funnel cake stand, but there’s a problem.

Belial is fascinated by the modern world. Specifically, he’s fascinated by me. He wants to know how zippers work, why I smell like "cheap mead and desperation," and exactly what it takes to make a fake warlock scream for real.

I’m trying to keep him from murdering the patrons, but it’s getting hard to focus when he drags me into the changing tent to show me exactly what that very real, very sensitive tail can do."]

Ever been to one of those restaurants where the staff is mean to you on purpose (me: I could literally never)? This was Belial. Except instead of all-around-mean, he just told literally everyone how inaccurate their cosplay was (and a lot of people loved it—thought he was an official staffer). It went from hostile to (almost) fond, as it should. 

I gotta say, I love the demon trope where they know nothing of the modern world and everything is a surprise. It’s cliché but it’s fun and silly and joyful in such an innocent way. 

Talk about the spice, though! I was half-dead over here. And at least someone told Jason about tails. ;) 

I have PopTarts far too frequently for my own good, but trying all do them at once, ranking them? That sounds like sooo much fun! 

I’ve already said how I love that each of these books are so different and yet so similar. Each summoning is different, each couple is different, each setting and universe is different, each set of rules is different. But what’s also different is how they bend those rules to stay together, how their love changes the universe, how their situation sets a precedent. All very romantic.

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

The Star in Room 7 (Halo House #3)

Here's Colette Davison's "The Star in Room 7." It's a novel in the multi-author series, Halo House ("a shared world that follows vulnerable boys finding shelter, chosen family, and protective Daddies who are ready to love them exactly as they are").

["All my life, I’ve dreamed of moving to LA and becoming a star.

Stepping into the spotlight is nothing like I imagined. Overwhelmed, terrified, and thousands of miles away from my friends and family in England, I’m offered sanctuary at Halo House. Room 7 is supposed to be a temporary refuge— even though I’m convinced I don’t deserve it.

Then I meet Nate. Strong, patient, and nurturing, Nate has spent years protecting actors far bigger than me. He sees right through my tough-guy armour and offers me something I didn’t know I needed: permission to let go.

He makes me want to call him Daddy.

He makes me want to be his boy.

Can I move past my fears and stop hiding, so I can build a new dream in his arms?"]

Soft and adorable. A little balm for your soul. Just enough angst to push these two together, but nothing too, too much--nothing to take away from their falling-in-love story. 

They helped each other heal, from old and new traumas. They helped each other grow a future--and a present. Not to mention ALL of the cuddles. Traumas suck, but they're a little lighter when you're cuddling someone who makes you feel safe and warm and protected and yourself. 

Trigger Warnings: mentions of a stalker, mentions of homophobic/abusive parent relating to a past friend of one MC, mentions of death of past friend, and more. 

#thestarinroom7 #colettedavison #thegoalieinroom1 #theroyalinroom3 #theliarinroom5 #halohouse #halohouseseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Brake Me (Brake Me #1)

Here's Marluxia Bliss's and Athena M Bliss's "Brake Me." It's the first book in their Brake Me series.

["Buying a 1992 Mustang was a stupid idea, and Al knew it, but he had loved that car from the very first moment he’d laid eyes on him. He’d never expected that the car would love him back, until a dark, shadowy figure appeared in the passenger seat beside him, eager to show Al his gratitude. Al's new car, Fox is a jealous, possessive, powerful machine that adores his new owner and will happily distract Al from his driving, but when the two are forced apart, both will have to make sacrifices before they can be reunited."]

Sometimes you just need something a little out there to ground yourself. It...makes sense. 

It took a hot minute (or most of the book) to gather all of the information about this universe/magic system. This novel is part of a different series/universe. So there were characters and plot points and magic that just didn't make sense. Then again, it didn't have to make sense, not really, not to understand the basics of this piece. I actually really did like the magic system (if I liked m/f more, I'd read the rest of the universe).

I loved the dual POV. Al's was standard first-person. Fox's was second-person. It was fun and unique. 

I also loved how fast Al and Fox clicked. They had a connection, and they both fostered it, knowingly or unknowingly. When they finally "met", the chemistry grew. Al needed a shake-up in his life, and Fox was just that. Fox needed life breathed back into him, and Al was more than happy to provide. They were flirty and sassy with each other, but they were also so dedicated, even though, especially through, the hard times. If you didn't know that Fox was a car, you'd think this was your every day average slightly-gray romance. 

Not to mention all of the wonderful, full-color art intermixed in here!!

Trigger warnings: speeding, cheating (sort of, but also not), toxic relationship. 

#brakeme #challengeme #athenambliss #marluxiabliss #brakemeseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks