The Liar in Room 5 (Halo House #2)

Here's Kerry Kilpatrick's "The Liar in Room 5." 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").

["Sometimes the hardest person to find is yourself.

Andrew Greene
I always thought I was pretty good at relationships.
Sure, they ended eventually, but people break up. You dust yourself off, meet someone new, and move on. Looking back, I suppose I should have found it a little odd that my next boyfriend almost always came from my last boyfriend's group of friends. No one seemed to mind, though, so I didn't question it.
Then I came home from vacation to discover I'd already been replaced.
Now I'm staying at Halo House while I figure out what comes next. Getting a job would probably be a good place to start. It turns out "professional boyfriend" isn't something you can exactly put on a résumé. Unfortunately, getting a real job would mean leaving my room.
And then I met Henry Mercer.
The problem with Henry is that he never seems interested in the version of me standing in front of him. Every question he asks makes me wonder if he's looking for someone I haven't met yet.

Henry Mercer
I've built a career figuring people out.
Clients lie. Studios bluff. Everyone wants something, and it's my job to figure out what that is.
Andrew should have been easy to read.
Instead, he's the first person I've met in a long time who doesn't make any sense. Andrew says he loves pickleball, but he clearly doesn't know the first thing about it. Every question I ask somehow ends with me doing all the talking, and before I realize it, I've learned almost nothing about him.
The more time I spend with Andrew, the more I'm convinced he's spent so long becoming what everyone else wanted that he never took the time to figure out what he wanted for himself.
I'd have a much easier time with that if I were interested in any version of him besides the real one.
I hope that when Andrew finally learns to want something for himself, it's me."]

Gotta say, wasn't feeling too good about Andrew at first. His first chapter screamed very spoiled and a little shallow. But he really was that trusting and that naïve. Which isn't a bad thing. Drew is sweet as hell and cares about the happiness of others. But when you're constantly putting other peoples' happiness above your own, you're never really happy. 

Good thing Henry stepped in when he did. He was always careful to give Drew options, so he knew he had autonomy, but never too many options, so he was taken care of. He was soft but firm where it counted.  

That epilogue took me out! In the best of ways. In the most adorable of ways. In the “I’m not crying, it’s allergies” kinda ways. 

Trigger Warnings: off-page parental death, and more. 

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

Twisted Little Game (Crimson College #5)

Here's "Twisted Little Game" by Raleigh Reubins. It's the fifth novel in the Crimson College series. 

["My stalker is a problem… but my bodyguard is a monster.
I never asked for Roman Petrov.
I made one mistake, got threats on my life, and now my brother hires me a bodyguard?
Roman is six-foot-five, pure muscle, and a gorgeous, scowling face.
I break a few of his rules on my first night of his protection.
Provoke him, 'til he pins me to the wall.
And something explodes between us when he lays his hands on me.

Our size difference sparks a pure physical addiction.
His two rules:
His family runs the mob… but we don’t talk about it.
And he’s usually 100% straight… but completely obsessed with me.
I can take a man who’s taller and bigger in every way.
As threats escalate, Roman demands I stay in his room, closer than ever.

When I’m attacked on campus, Roman’s unhinged, vowing to destroy anyone who hurts me.
He’s the heir to a powerful Bratva crime family, and war with the mafia is erupting now, too.
I know I’m in danger.
Lines blur between who I can or can’t trust.
But I have Roman close to me. And I believe it when he says I’m his."]

I have been WAITING for Roman's book!

Raleigh is reeeaaally good at the enemies to lovers NOT jumping right into soft feelings as soon as something dangerous or spicy or sweet happens. It's aggravating, but it's more real-to-life accurate. Saying that, I really like that these two weren't reeeaaally enemies. They didn't get along, but it didn't last long (and their original hostility wasn't actually with each other but with third parties). 

So instead of enemies-to-lovers angst, we got when-will-they mutual pining. Arguably, that was worse. The pining even when they're ready to admit that their feelings are more than just lust and tentative trust. The pining when the feels are real but so is the danger.

They were sooo perfect for each other. Sweet and spicy. Challenging and caring. Lives completely different, but dreams explicitly the same.  

SOO fucking here for Maks getting a book next!!!

Trigger Warnings: stalking, past parental childhood abuse, violence, intense criminal mob violence, past death/murder of a loved one, blackmail, gun violence, and more.

#darklittlegame #possessivelittlegame #recklesslittlegame #forbiddenlittlegame #twistedlittlegame #raleighruebins #crimsoncollege #crimsoncollegeseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks 

The True-Blue Romance (Sweet Southern #5)

Here's Maya Jean's "The True-Blue Romance." It's the fifth novel in her Sweet Southern series.

["Joey
I don’t know what’s up with my best friend, Lee. He’s been the sunshine of our trio for the majority of our friendship. Beau is the strong but quiet one who roots us. I’m the goofy one who is impulsive but keeps everyone on their toes. And Lee… Lee is everything. He’s family in a way I’ve never known before. He treats my daughter, Savannah, like she’s his own. Now he’s putting distance between us for reasons beyond me. I have to fix it. I have to keep him. Lee’s my best friend and he’s all mine. I can’t let Lee go.

Lee
I thought I’d be free of my drunk father once I was a grown adult, but the joke's on me. Now he needs me even more. I don’t want to make any decisions for him, and now I’m taking on more responsibility at the farm. Life is a blur of work, gardening in my backyard, and wishing with all my heart that my best friend, Joey, loved me back. The same way I love him. But living the way we are isn’t just hurting me; it’s hurting Savannah, too, and I love her too much to keep explaining why I can’t be her second dad. It’s time to put distance between us so Joey can find another person to love. Another wife. Grow his family. And maybe this time he’ll leave me behind so I can be free from this curse that’s loving him in secret."]

The HEA we've been waiting aaagggeeesss for!

The pining!! D: I forgot how deep and painful Maya can make the pining. There were a lot of devastating quotes, but "loving someone shouldn't hurt this much" will always gut me. Had to take a few breaks so i wouldn't spend half of the novel crying. Have they both been in love with each other the whole time, all twenty years? Yes? Did it take Joey twenty years to figure it out? Yes. Did that fact continuously break Lee's heart? Yes. Did literally everyone know that they were It? Yes. All of those "yes"s doesn't mean the pining wasn't soooo fucking angsty. 

At least it wasn't all sad tears. The amount of times I cried happy tears? Whelp, those were just allergies. ;) 

I had to look up the definition of "true-blue," and when I did, I cried some more.

These two were perfect! That is all. 

There were pets who had the potential to be Main Characters, but Savi was too fucking perfect and sweet and honest to let them take her spot light. Love a kid who can see the happiness of her two dad's HEA before they (*cough* Joey *cough*) can. 

Trigger Warnings: abusive parent, life-long alcoholism which causes an end-stage illness, caring for a past abusive parent, parent with dementia, high-conflict divorce, brief illness of a child, brief internalized fat-phobia/self-esteem issues/mild disordered-eating, and more.

#thehusbandexperience #theformerfakeboyfriend #theremarkablelover #thelongrefrain #thetrueblueromance #mayajean #sweetsouthern #sweetsouthernseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Not Another Dark Romance (Unexpected Connections #1)

Here's "Not Another Dark Romance" by Lexi Amber and Bec Benson, which is the first novel in the Unexpected Connections series.

["Mason

When I pretend like I’m a main character in one of my favorite dark romances and stalk my hot waiter, I never imagined I’d end up chained to the pole in his basement.

The outcome is better than I could’ve hoped for.

Zane insists he has to kill me because my stalking attempt led to him accidentally committing multiple crimes he thinks he needs to cover up. He keeps talking about loose ends, but I know he'd never really hurt me.

He's just fighting what we both know is inevitable.

We're meant to be together. All I have to do is convince Zane that giving in to his dark side is a lot more fun than resisting it."]

Somehow I was also surprised when Zane didn't go from "oh my god, I killed someone" to "oh my god, kinky sex" that very first night. Like, Mason, boo, I was somehow also convinced he'd be instantly all in. Not sure if that's the magic of dark romances or the magic of unreliable narrators (you, Mason, that would be you). 

Zane might have been losing his mind half of the novel, but Mason was good. He was chill. He was so chill that it made Zane even more insane. He's either going to need a therapist (though, I think attempted murder and kidnapping cancels out the doctor-patient confidentiality) or...or some brat taming time. 

God, these two were cute. Mason was all in right away, zero hesitation. Zane took longer. But the moment he realized he could trust Mason, a least a little bit, he jumped in with two feet. They matched each other sooo well. Adorable kinky men. 

Not to mention Peit, shining little star. I looove how so many pets in the books I've been reading have been given Main Character Energy (they deserve it). 

Trigger Warnings: dub-con, stalking, hitting someone with a car, kidnapping, knife play, and more. 

#notanotherdarkromance #unexpectedconnections #unexpectedconnectionsseries #becbenson #lexiamber #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

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