Hush, Little Baby

Here is E Baileu's "Hush, Little Baby".

["Charlie Palmer was only supposed to stay for an hour.

Color a picture. Watch a movie. Pretend he wasn’t falling apart.

Instead, he fell asleep… and woke up in the arms of a man who decided he belonged to him.

Nikolaus Makris doesn’t do temporary.

He doesn’t do casual.

And when he finds Charlie alone in the littles’ room—soft, hurting, and unprotected—he makes a decision that will change both their lives forever.

Charlie thinks he’s being taken.

Nikolaus knows he’s being rescued.

Too bad Charlie hasn’t realized it yet.

But Nikolaus is patient.

And very, very good at taking care of what’s his.

Hush, little baby… you’re home now."]

Saw an ARC review for this book yesterday and had suuuch a hard time waiting for today to come around so I could read it. This was soooo cute and adorable and dark and perfect. 

It was all about trust, trusting yourself and trusting change. It was kindness, in all forms. It was adorable moments filled to the absolute brim with fluff and sweetness. It was spice and sass. It was sudden cliffhangers that made me too shocked to cry (and then cry a lot).

Trigger Warnings: manipulation in little space, dubcon, kidnapping, poor body image, abduction of MC by SCs resulting in graphic physical and sexual violence, discussion and depictions of undiagnosed chronic illness, vomiting, gun violence, and more. 

#hushlittlebaby #ebaileu #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Alpha Dragon Steals a Mate (Babies for Broken Dads #7)

Here is Anna Wineheart's latest: "Alpha Dragon Steals a Mate." It's the seventh novel in her series, Babies for Broken Dads (which is a spin-off series from her Closet Baby Chronicles series...which is also a spin-off series).

["Battered and barely recovered, wolf omega Ottis is on the run.

It's a bad idea. His leg never healed right, and his pup is with him. All he wants is some peace, away from the wrathful ex tracking him down.

When a dragon steals Ottis and brings him home, Ottis goes willingly. Doc provides him with food and shelter; he's strong enough to protect Ottis and his pup.

But the one thing Ottis knows for sure: Nothing can happen between him and Doc. He has bad luck with mates, and Doc will be no different. Even if the alpha has the gentlest hands, and a mask that hides secrets of his own.

Ottis isn't going to fall in love. He isn't.

And then he goes into heat."]

These two were perfect for each other. They were warm and comfortable, they were sassy and silly, they were protective and kind. They healed each other. They helped each other break down those walls. Not to mention the totally consensual and quite frankly hilarious kidnapping meet-cute. 

I love this universe. It's all about friendship and support, falling fast and falling true, building the family you've always wanted. It's so much teasing but soo much love. 

I canNOT wait for Bruiser and Uriel. The next book is stillll not them. I guess we'll have to be tortured with other fabulous books until their's comes. 

Trigger Warnings: past domestic violence, past unhealthy student/teacher relationship, and more.

#theaccidentaldragonbaby #demonbassbabyload #alphadragonsmatingcontract #guardedbyhisalphawolf #alphabossbabyservice #alphabossbabyservice #alphadragonstealsamate #babiesforbrokendads #babiesforbrokendadsseries #annawineheart #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

July'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 June's Book Shape Challenge! Cancer!!

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

Home Ice

Here's the latest from Saxon James: "Home Ice."

["TAI
Ten years ago, I made the biggest mistake of my life.
When Hawke left for the NHL and my hockey dreams went up in smoke, I ghosted my best and longest friend. It made sense at the time, but there hasn’t been a day where I haven’t missed him.
So when we run into each other again, and his only response is “Do I know you?”, I know I deserve it. But I refuse to let one mistake keep us apart forever. Especially when he has bigger problems, and I’m in a position to help him.

JENSEN
All I wanted this offseason was to spend my time relaxing–not getting an emergency phone call from Mom to come home. My hometown is full of too many memories of me and Tai so I avoid returning there as much as I can.
But now I have one more memory to add to the list: my high school girlfriend.
And the kid we apparently had together.
Kasen hates me and thinks I abandoned them, and my only way to get to him is through his coach. My ex-best friend. The friend that has been impossible to forget. No matter how much I’ve tried."]

TO BE UPDATED SOON

Trigger Warnings:

#arc #arcteammember #forewordpr
#homeice #saxonjames #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Beautiful Chaos (Wildlings #3)

Here's "Beautiful Chaos" by Kelly Fox. It's the fourth novel in the Wildlings series, which is within the Wrecked universe. 

["I might be falling for a psychopath. My doctorate in Complex Psychopathy makes this a serious conflict of interest.

Silas and I are Wildlings—a chaotic crew of cousins and found family. Now that we're all grown up, we've joined the Guardians, our family's illegal vigilante operation in the Texas Hill Country. And Silas? He’s our most dangerous asset.

I've been fascinated by him ever since I found out he existed. Twenty years ago, the Guardians discovered him as a child in a genetics lab. He'd been created in a petri dish, made to resemble a terrifying old wives tale.

He's also half a foot shorter and a hundred pounds lighter than me. Doesn't matter. He's still the scariest thing in any room. Yet he likes it when I’m in control.

Good news: my sister thinks we're cute together. Bad news: my dad killed the man responsible for Silas's terrifying genetics.
Worse news: my fathers hate the man I should not be sleeping with."]

Beautiful and devastating. It was an exploration of trust and kindness, of goodness and friendship. It was glorious. It was also filled with so much self-doubt and broken friendships and misguided hate. 

A glorious ending (though there was some plot cliffhangers?) to a wonderful series!!!

Trigger Warnings: graphic violence (the bad guys deserve it), murder as foreplay, foreplay as prelude to murder, murder-y levels as cuteness aggression, PTSD flashbacks, mentions of human trafficking, animal cruelty, unethical genetic manipulation, and more. 

#casualfelonies #unlawfuldesires #beautifulchaos #wildlings #wildlingsseries #wreckedguardians #wreckedguardiansseries #wrecked #wreckedseries #wreckeduniverse #kellyfox #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Goodbye, June!

June seemed very, very, very long. My dad's birthday (beginning of the month) was ages and ages ago. Plus side: pride was longer. ;)

2026 Resolutions:

     (1) Don't stop reading
            (b) Complete Monthly Reading Challenge(s)
     (2) Make memories
     (3) Share love of books/reading
     (4) Be kinder to myself

(1) Book's Read This Month: 33 (though, I might squeeze one more in before midnight).

    (b) Monthly Reading Challenge(s): Shape = Gemini. Got some A-Z stuff recorded. Some ARCs. Got a lot of Beat The Backlog done.

(2) June Memories: Looots of fun progress on the work/book fair front. Some seriously relaxing days off.  Few family dinners. A well-needed dinner with my best friends. I just came back from a fabulous work conference were I learned soooo much and met so many wonderful people. 

(3) Posts this month (including this one): 33.

(4) All mostly wonderful days. A few evenings were the blues came through. Some days I didn't eat much, not sure if it was the heat or my depression. Tried some new things this month: people-ing and putting myself out there. It was hard and sometimes it was really frustrating and lonely, but it was ultimately really rewarding. 

Anyone still holding onto their resolutions?

Any exciting July reads? Any existing 2026 reads?
Anything I should check out?

#newyearsresolutions #goodbyejune #hellojuly #hello2026 #dontstopreading #makememories #shareloveofbooks #shareloveofreading #bekindertomyself #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Unlawful Desires (Wildlings #2)

Well, here's to reading another universe (series of series) in whatever order I want to. Here's "Unlawful Desires" by Kelly Fox. It's the second novel in the Wildlings series, which is within the Wrecked universe. 

["If the hot detective keeps arresting me for minor infractions, people are going to start asking questions.

Awkward, since I’ve been in love with Boone Hitchens since I was a teenager.

Now that we’re adults, we’ve been reconnecting over my talent for mildly unlawful activities—public drunkenness, loitering, and generally existing in his vicinity. That’s the story I tell myself every time he cuffs me.

It’s bad timing, then, to discover that my ultra-wealthy family has been lying to me my entire life. Publicly, we’re philanthropic darlings. Privately, they’re a vigilante organization with a body count.

And Boone? He’s hiding a secret that ties him straight into my family’s darkest truths.

I should walk away.
Instead, I’m falling harder—and dragging him with me."]

This book was utterly beautiful. It was a teasing, flirting back-and-forth for a while, slowly falling from desire to love. It was friendship and respect tumbling into a deeply connected kind of relationship. It was connection when the world and your closest friends family seem to no longer be on your side.  

It was the inside feeling of not being enough, of being too much, of not being trusted by the people who love you. It was secrets and hidden goals. 

It was coming together even stronger, with lots of tears (sooo many tears--seriously, Hop makes me emotional on a good day, but this book made me sob). It was found family re-establishing their power.

 Let's see where the Wildlings take us next...and I have a feeling it will be angsty. 

Trigger Warnings: mention of off-page pregnancy loss, human/sex trafficking, unapologetic murder of oligarchs and their lackeys, violence, and more. 

#casualfelonies #unlawfuldesires #beautifulchaos #wildlings #wildlingsseries #wreckedguardians #wreckedguardiansseries #wrecked #wreckedseries #wreckeduniverse #kellyfox #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks