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 August's Book Shape Challenge! Leo!!
#reading #readingchallenge #readingdare #bookdare #bookchallenge #alphabetchallenge #beatthebacklog #monthlythemes #monthlychallenge #bookshape #bookshapechallenges #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
["My father thought he was punishing me by sending me to stay with the barbarians for a period of time. He said it was to better understand them so that we could care for them properly. To me, it sounded like a great deal of fun. I didn’t expect to be swayed by one of them, much less by two. I wanted to enjoy my life, not be tied down. But the two barbarians who wanted me weren’t so easily deterred. And they were willing to fight each other for the honor of keeping me. What were the chances that I could have them both?"]
Yes. All of the yes.
This was sassy and sweet. It was soft protection and over-eager rivals tripping over themselves to please the newcomer. It was finding comfort and home. It was found families interacting with other found families and finally finding friendship.
It was soo much fluff, disguised as...well it wasn't disguised at all. Jamal was spoiled rotten by his barbarians--but exactly zero people minded.
I just love this series SO much. I love how adorable these barbarians are for their pets, their family, their bond mates. It's nothing savage, whatsoever, but they can be, if their pets/family/bond mates are in danger, perceived or otherwise.
Who's going to be knocked off their feet with a HEA next?
#barbariansheart #escapingtothebarbarians #thebarbariansmusician #betweentwobarbarians #savagelysweet #savagelysweetseries #notsosavagebarbarians #notsosavagedbarbariansseries #amypadilla #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
["I choked on a pretzel and died for two minutes. Now I have a demon stalker who treats me like a toddler with a death wish.
Technically, I’m supposed to be in the afterlife. But thanks to a zealous paramedic and a very sturdy ribcage, I was ripped back to the land of the living right after my soul was stamped for export.
Rax, the demon assigned to escort me to Hell, is not happy about the paperwork error.
Since he can’t return empty-handed without getting demoted to "latrine duty," he’s decided to stick to me like glue until I kick the bucket again. He’s moved into my apartment, where he spends his time aggressively baby-proofing my furniture, hissing at jaywalkers, and slapping fast food out of my hand because "cholesterol is a slow killer."
It’s annoying. It’s suffocating. It’s also… confusingly hot.
Because when Rax isn’t wrapping me in bubble wrap, he’s looking at me with hungry, ancient eyes. He’s obsessed with my heartbeat, constantly checking my pulse with hands that linger a little too long and wander a little too low.
He’s waiting for me to die. But with the way he’s touching me, I’m starting to think he’s finding plenty of reasons to keep me alive."]
When you need something a little out there, a little silly, but with soooo much heart, this series is a pretty damn place to start.
This one had some angst, but like most of the series, it was outside of their relationship (stress about the relationship sure, but not between the main couple). I love how they all seem fated, on certain levels, each new couple is ground breaking.
And these two were adorable. Oliver with his lack luster life and apparent inability to keep himself safe. Rax with his important work record and utter fascination (turned need) to keep Oliver safe and alive (and happy).
#summoningmrwrong #summoningmrwrongormrright #hisinfernalpurr #exorciseme #devilwearsnada #blueballingthedemon #mydemonmyhandyman #swipeupforsin #turnmeon #passthegravy #loveyoutodeath #calliecolby #hotterthanhell #hotterthanhellseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
["When two alpha dragons fall, everything burns—especially the rules keeping them apart.
Terrance I have a spotless record—years in private security and zero screwups—until I’m hired to protect him .
As a wildly popular actor and stuntman, Lothair is used to hiding his dragon-shifter skills in plain sight. But he’s also arrogant, treats danger as foreplay, and can’t keep it in his pants for more than five minutes. To him, I’m just a shiny new toy.
And no, I’m not attracted to my obnoxious client from hell. That would be inappropriate and unprofessional. Besides, we’re both alphas, so… no. Absolutely not.
Except Lothair has decided to test my limits in every possible way.
Lothair I don’t want a babysitter. Wherever I go, I am the most dangerous thing in the room. But as my career takes off, my unsuspecting human manager hires a bodyguard to shield me from random weirdos and overeager fans.
Lucky for me, Terry is another dragon, adorably straitlaced and just stuck-up enough for me to push his buttons. Turns out, making him unravel might be the best stunt I’ve ever pulled."]
I looove how different each book in this series is. There's a very similar formula, but it's not formulaic. It's all very unique and fun. Especially this one. At least the previous alphas new what was happening to them when they met their fate mates; these two were in their own little just-till-Monday lust-turning-into-more love bubble, not even realizing all of the weird and new things that were happening was fate.
They encouraged each other in the best of ways: be braver and be bolder, be safer and be smarter. They helped each other grow. They gave each other a safe place to be themselves, to explore their futures.
Trigger Warnings: memory of death of a parent, sex work, mild physical violence, kidnapping, blackmail, vehicular assault, use of a gun, and more.
#skydive #levity #freefall #breakneck #dragonsofardaine #dragonsofardaineseries #roehorvat #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
["When his parents try to coerce him into a marriage with an obnoxious, snobbish alpha, Ansel escapes to his granddad’s off-grid cabin. There he can gather the courage to make some tough decisions. After an unusually stormy night, Ansel ventures out to investigate the damage, and finds…a dragon. An actual, live dragon that crashed into the forest. Ansel fully expects to become the beast’s breakfast. Instead, the creature politely greets him before transforming into a naked man and inviting himself over for tea.
At almost forty, Pascal would like to think he’s not reckless anymore. But when he goes flying without checking the weather first, and crashes during a storm, dislocates a shoulder, sprains a wing, and lets a human omega see him in dragon form, he realizes he’s made a colossal mess. To top it off, his dragon-side decides that the little omega must be his mate. A nineteen-year-old sophomore! It’s pure luck that Ansel doesn’t study at the college where Pascal teaches, or he wouldn’t be allowed to even look at him.
A young dragon mate before his first heat is a fragile being, and Pascal needs to tread carefully. Overbearing parents and an evil ex are going to be the least of his problems."]
I realllllly liked this one. It was slower burn (as slow burn as you can get with fate mates and all of feels (and pheromones)). They got to know each other and trust each other before they even kissed. Sure, it was all still very, very fast, but they based their growing romantic relationship on a real friendship.
Their relationship had zero angst, except for Pascal being oh so careful and oh so sweet. Their real drama was outside sources. Sources in which Pascal and Ansel shut down real fast (by themselves and with their ever-growing found family).
Trigger Warnings: toxic parents, toxic and predatory 'fiancés,' attempted kidnapping, and more.
#skydive #levity #freefall #breakneck #dragonsofardaine #dragonsofardaineseries #roehorvat #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
["What’s the point of staying alive when you can’t live?
Half-naked in the arms of an angry, domineering alpha, Leo negotiates the limits for what’s shaping up to be his hottest encounter ever. After months of hiding in fear, he’s giving in to his desires, and it feels glorious. Except things go horribly wrong, and not only do his ex’s goons attack him, but now he’s being kidnapped by what appears to be a mythical creature. Or maybe he’s gone insane. Because dragons don’t exist, do they?
Davidson has finally found him. The one. His mate is gorgeous, tastes like heaven, and outright asks for a spanking. He’s also in acute danger, and Davidson must rescue him in dragon form, talons out. No wonder Leo is terrified of him. After their awful first night together, Davidson is determined to make things right and protect Leo with all his might."]
This book was a little darker than the first one. In plot and in spice. Then again, neither of them were complaining (about the spice--they were complaining about the plot).
These two were both such hot messes. Their love story wasn’t as easy as Lawrence and Ernest, but those two didn’t hold anything back, or have a strong dislike for themselves, or have a rough understanding of relationships, or trauma/baggage. But they made it work (after Lawrence told them to just freaking talk).
I loved the Lawerence cameos. And Manny!
Trigger Warnings: traumatic experiences of abuse by ex, sex work, drug use, and more.
#skydive #levity #freefall #breakneck #dragonsofardaine #dragonsofardaineseries #roehorvat #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
["On New Year’s Eve, Lawrie meets a deadly attractive, loaded alpha who’s brilliant in bed and nice to boot. Pity Ernest travels so much and doesn’t do relationships. Lawrie can at least enjoy one wild weekend. Except now it’s the morning after, and things get weird. Very weird. Lawrie’s body has changed overnight, warranting the freakout of a lifetime.
Ernest has been looking for his true mate since the eager age of twenty-one. After fifteen years, he’s reconciled himself to restless traveling and hook-ups. The most recent one is a real treat—a certain Lawrence Winchester, a young omega with a sharp wit and an unusually intense scent. The thought of a mate doesn’t even enter Ernest’s head as he drifts through the night in a lusty haze. The morning brings life-altering revelations. Lawrie is the one—the signs are unmistakable. Now how to break it to him gently that he’s stuck with Ernest for the rest of his life and that Ernest is, um, a slightly different species…"]
This was adorable as hell! These two had just a fun meet cute, and the chemistry at their first full meeting was off the charts. And what’s more fun then the one-night-stand situation one might and the oh-fuck-we’re-bonded next morning?
It wasn’t all blue skies and smiles, but they communicated and worked thinks out as issues popped up.
This universe was a unique take on dragon mates and omegaverse. It was fun and refreshing. And I can’t wait for more!
Trigger Warnings: off-page and past death of a parent, workplace harassment by SC, near-death experience, and more.
#skydive #levity #freefall #breakneck #dragonsofardaine #dragonsofardaineseries #roehorvat #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks
2026 Book Shape Challenges... Last year, I went with an animal-theme. This year, I'm thinking zodiac constellations (which is less--and ...
