Goodbye, April!

It's already May..which is strange. Because each month this year seems longer than the last.

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: 42 (though, I might squeeze one more in before midnight).

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

(2) April Memories: Lots of work. Lots of books. A few nice lunches with work friends. Nothing overly exciting this month. 

(3) Posts this month (including this one): 34.

(4) Ehh. Most days were good. The weather being indecisive as hell hasn't been fun. Nor the additional work stressors. Nor the endless work hours. Nor the season depression playing peek-a-boo. But the days that the sun is out and the temperature is warm, those have been nice. The laughter has been wonderful. The books have been the best of friends. 

Anyone still holding onto their resolutions?

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

#newyearsresolutions #goodbyeapril #hellomay #hello2026 #dontstopreading #makememories #shareloveofbooks #shareloveofreading #bekindertomyself #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Transition (Oakley's Crew #3)

Here's Nicole Dykes's "Transition." It's the third Oakley's Crew novel.

["Gabe
My favorite principle in landscaping is transition. In life? Not so much.
I can’t stand change when it comes to my life. I was married to the same woman since I was in my early twenties and now I’m just supposed to move on from being married to being single. Sharing custody of our daughter.
Transition works for landscaping. It’s the easiest thing for me. Making sure there’s a natural flow in everything we do.
But that works because it’s gradual.
This feels so abrupt, it’s jarring.I don’t know how to make this change.
I’m not sure that I want to.

Dakota
I like my routine. I love being in my house, working from home and I realize that most think I’m weird.I couldn’t really care less what other people think.
But when I hire Oakley’s Crew to build a new greenhouse, I feel things starting to shift. Like it’s possible that maybe the way I’ve been living my life for the last three years isn’t as satisfying as I’d like to think.
Maybe it is time for a change.
Maybe it will be worth it for…him."]

This was honestly soooo cute! It was the perfect amount of pining and sweetness and spice and just the right degree of angst to get you sucked in. 

All of the love and patience and trust and kindness. All for he cute and silly reasons to see each other. All of the good natured teasing. All of the barn movies and cat cuddles and blueberry pancakes.

Another HIT by Nicole.

Trigger Warnings: past bullying, past homophobia, past divorce, past emotional cheating, and more. 

#simplicity #balance #deckthehalls #transition #oakleyscrew #oakleyscrewseries #kensleypanthers #kensleypantersseries #nicoledykes #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Crystals and Corpses (Magic Misfits Murder #1)

Here's "Crystals and Corpses" by Lori Ames and Jacki James. It's the first novel in her Magic Misfits Murder series. 

["Magic, murder, and a whole lot of coffee—welcome to Ravenstone!

Declan Hawthorne is just your average caffeine-addicted guy—until a visit to his grandfather magic is real, witches exist, and apparently, Declan’s one of them.

Now he’s getting to know Ravenstone, a supernatural small town where the coffee is strong, the monsters are quirky, and someone just murdered a vampire at the first annual Magic Festival.

His ally? Gideon Blackwood—a gorgeous wolf shifter who can’t shift but still manages to growl in all the right ways. He knows he can’t be Alpha, but that doesn’t stop him from protecting everyone else… including one reckless new witch who doesn’t know when to quit.

Between magical cookies and cakes, a bunch of meddling misfit monsters, and a lot of spilled coffee, Declan and Gideon have their hands full. But if they want to catch a killer—and maybe fall a little in love—they’ll have to trust their instincts and maybe their magic.

Because in Ravenstone, coffee solves most problems. The rest? Magic and a hot wolf usually do the trick."]

And the official tags (because they're the best): ["MM paranormal mystery romance, cozy mystery vibes with a bit of heat, an alpha without a wolf, a guy who’s just discovered he’s a witch, some magical cakes and cookies, supernatural small town creatures, low angst, lots and lots of coffee, a misfit monster support group with a heartbroken mermaid, a murder-board-creating shadow imp, a matronly spider lady, a grumpy demon, an extroverted sprite, a shy bigfoot, and Declan’s hippie grandfather"]

Well that was adorable as hell. A whole band of misfits who made their own little family in a small town that is also basically a big found family. All (well, okay minus the murder) very supportive and friendly and open and happy. 

I can’t wait to see more of the current mysteries solved as well as new ones in the next book! 

Trigger Warnings: violence, murder, and more. 

#crystalsandcorpses #hexesandhops #loriames #jackijames #magicmisfitsmurder #magicmisfitsmurderseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Undertow (Widdershins Supernatural Academy series #5)

Here's "Undertow" by Blake R Wolfe. It's the fifth novel in his Widdershins Supernatural Academy series. 

["A cursed song. A witch out of his depth. A love that could end in destruction...

My voice heals and ruins in the same breath. I’m a siren and every note is a hook, every melody draws promises from mortals that think they mean it until silence steals it back. I’ve watched their eyes clear, their vows dissolve, and my heart fracture in the aftermath. So I sing alone. I stay alone.

Until he finds me.

Theodore Voss—witch, varsity swimmer, and future valedictorian. He catches me skinny dipping in the academy pool after hours and now he can’t keep his eyes off me. After a one night stand on Halloween, we’re both hooked.

But my kind bears a deeper curse than a dangerous song. Once a siren gives their heart, it cannot be taken back. If our lover’s affection fades… we fade with it until we’re nothing but seafoam and memory. I have been hurt before. If I’m wrong about him, it will be the last mistake I ever make.

I swim to uphold my family legacy, my father’s dreams, and make an olympic team that is always just a few seconds out of reach. To appease them all I must keep the grades perfect, keep the times sharp, and keep the feelings locked down.

Then I see him.

Nerion doesn’t cloud my mind though… he clears it. What I feel toward him is not some enchantment… it’s the first honest thing in my life. But convincing a siren who has been drowning in false love to trust me might be the hardest race I’ll ever swim. We’re just friends with benefits until we’re not. And now my family wants to tear us apart.

I could live with losing a race or my family’s name. But I cannot lose him."]

This one seemed overall sadder than the other books in the series. There was so much personal tension and angst and trauma that they were both dealing with. Their connection helped to alleviate some of that baggage..until it started to bleed into their relationship. 

Of course the secretly-really-great-people professions had their back. And several (not all) of the Elder Council. And their friends (..friend). 

I love how this series is connected, but we aren't bombarded by past couples and cameos (though I could use a liiittle more cameos). 

Trigger Warnings: toxic parents, discrimination, and more.

#hexmate #faeheart #beastkin #duskborn #undertow #nightbound #evergreen #hearatflame #blakerwolfe #widdershinssupernaturalacademy #widdershinssupernaturalacademyseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Violent Devotion (Empire of Sins #1)

Here's L Norell's "Violent Devotion." This is the first novel in the Empire of Sins series.

["Executioner. Monster. Butcher. Nothing Alexei Avrorin hasn’t been called before. Born into Russia’s oldest and deadliest mafia family, now its most ruthless enforcer, Alexei has become numb, disillusioned. When a simple job goes sideways, he meets Kelly Mackey, who unexpectedly and discreetly saves his life instead of turning him in.

Unable to forget the guarded veterinarian who showed him compassion he didn’t deserve, Alexei watches him from afar. As his obsession grows, so does his certainty that Kelly has dangerous secrets buried deep. And Alexei won’t stop until he uncovers every single one.

Despite Alexei’s sexuality being a death sentence in his world, Kelly awakens something in him that he’s spent his entire life suppressing. Their connection may be forbidden, deadly, but by the time they let down their walls, escape is no longer an option."]

I’ve been seeing this book advertised for months! I was on it the day it came out. And it did not disappoint. 

It was everything! A scary Russian enforcer who likes to cuddle his boyfriend’s bunny, who steals his boyfriend’s  belongings for his own treasure chest, and who breaks into his boyfriend’s apartment to nap. All before said boyfriend is even officially his boyfriend. 

And said boyfriend being weeeaaak for his scary Russian enforcer (who is even weaker back), wants snuggles and smiles and sweetness (and spice), nothing more. 

Perfection! 

Can I also have the next book now please? Pretty please with Russian vodka on top???

Trigger Warnings: murder, torture, gun violence, knife violence, blood, gore, domestic violence and abusive ex-partner, PTSD/trauma responses, past child abuse, stalking, obsessive behavior, drug addiction, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, homophobic language/slurs, police brutality and harassment, grief over parental death, and more.

#violentdevotion #empireofsins #empireofsinsseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Alphas Never Hide (Willow Lake Supernaturals #5)

Here's "Alphas Never Hide" by Lori Ames. It's the fifth and final novel in her Willow Lake Supernaturals series. 

["The wolf who refuses to be Alpha.

Hayden Walker might be trapped in Willow Lake by guilt and duty, but he's no one's alpha. It doesn't matter how many times people call him Alpha, with a capital A like it's his name, he just isn't—just ask his last pack. They had no problem rejecting him to follow his traitorous brother, Robbie, twelve years ago.

Hayden thought he'd come to terms with what happened back then, but it turns out some things don't get easier to accept with time. After discovering his brother's latest sinister activities, Hayden can't hide from the truth anymore. He has to stop him, particularly when Ryley Bell, his fated mate, is his brother's latest victim.

Hayden can't let his brother harm anyone else. Robbie won't take anyone else from him. Not again. Never again."]

And the official tags (because they're the best): ["MM Fated Mates Paranormal Romance, a wolf who refuses to be Alpha, a faun who doesn’t put up with his mate’s nonsense, let’s pretend a kick in the face is a sign of love at first sight, the Eternal Magic is a persistent diva, the confrontation between brothers we’ve all been waiting for, Hayden has a pack whether he wants one or not, he will also get his happily-ever-after whether he wants one or not, wolves should listen to their clever mates, and, most importantly, not all fauns play flutes."]

Oh Hayden, you asked for this. Granted, it was a little bit of Mother Magic hitting you over the back of the head and getting you back in line. But it was also Mother Magic giving you Ryley so he could also hit you over the head. At least someone was able to convince you that you were the Alpha.

Ryley also made Hayden relax and smile and give himself grace and peace. He lightened his grief and lightened his life. Hayden gave Ryley his own herd/pack to call his own, a place where he was excepted and cherished for who he is. Hayden made Ryley happy and safe and loved.

This was a fabbbbulous ending to a fabulous series. Off to the spin-off (now or later..who knows).

Trigger Warnings: violence, one MC reacts violently to other MC at our fear at beginning, patricide and patricide, abduction, reference to torture, attempted fratricide, threats of murder, child abuse, injuries, car accident, trafficking of supernatural people, supernatural people in cages, and more.

#ravensneverfall #hellhoundsneverlie #wolvesalwaysbite #oraclesalwayswin #catsneverfly #alphasneverhide #loriames #willowlakesupernaturals #willowlakesupernaturalsseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Cats Never Fly (Willow Lake Supernaturals #4)

Here's "Cats Never Fly" by Lori Ames. It's the fourth novel in her Willow Lake Supernaturals series. 

["Protect his nine lives. Check. Find a pretty treasure. Check. Summon a dragon. Ch-- Wait, what?

Cat shifter Simon refuses to jeopardize any of his nine lives, thank you very much. That saying “curiosity killed the cat” won’t ever apply to him. No way, no how.

Except…

When he’s out hunting for field mice one night, he finds the most wonderful whistle. It’s magical and intriguing and so very, very pretty. He knows he should return it, but what’s the worst that could happen if he blew on it first? Just once.
Months later, he finally has the courage to do just that, and when he does, the craziest thing happens. He summons a dragon, of all things.

Now what is he supposed to do? Particularly when Simon would rather keep the gorgeous dragon shifter than send him back to where he came from…"]

And the official tags (because they're the best): ["MM Fated Mates Paranormal Romance, a scaredy cat who needs to find his inner lion, a flirtatious dragon, more caged supes, gray sweatpants, shiny magical whistles do amazing things, cats don’t fly, having nine lives is the best, are ‘50s songs better than ‘80s songs?"]

Oh Simon! You go, boo! He was soooo brave and so strong. He didn't see it for the longest time, but Ogden showed him time and time again. Simon also proved it to himself, saving his mate and doing scary things.

This wasn't my most favorite in the series, but it was still excellent. And it set up at least two more books for us to devour. 

Trigger Warnings: violence, abduction, fall from a great height, one mention of suicides of unnamed characters, injuries, trafficking of supernatural people, supernatural people in cages, bad guy loses a hand, death (not of MCs), and more.

#ravensneverfall #hellhoundsneverlie #wolvesalwaysbite #oraclesalwayswin #catsneverfly #alphasneverhide #loriames #willowlakesupernaturals #willowlakesupernaturalsseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks