The Royal in Room 3 (Halo House #1)

Here's Gianni Holmes's "The Royal in Room 3." 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").

["A fallen Crown Prince.
A convicted criminal.
A scandal neither of us can survive.

I don’t do love. I do caregiving.

Halo House sends me boys who need structure, protection, and someone to teach them how to survive. The arrangement is always simple, always temporary, and never personal.

Until Soren occupies Room 3.

He’s soft, spoiled, and helpless in ways that don’t make sense—until I learn the truth.

The boy who calls me Daddy is the deposed Crown Prince of a European kingdom.

And I’m the ex-convict who should know better than to touch him.

A prince and a felon would be scandal enough. But Soren isn’t just any prince, and I’m not the kind of man a royal family welcomes into the palace.

I should walk away before the world discovers us.

But I’m already in too deep, and letting him go is no longer an option."]

This book was reeeaaallllllllly good. It sucked me in right away. Soren was perfect. He was kind and sweet and oh so lost and hurting, and he made me cry (a lot). He deserved the world, but people kept betraying his trust. 

Luckily he found the Halo House and a sense of self and a group of friends and a support system and love. So much endless love. 

And I usually don’t love the overly happy epilogues, especially the ones that take place ten years later, but this epilogue was perfect. It was the right amount of extra information and HEA cheese and easy laughter without anything behind over the top. 

I cannot wait for the rest of this series. 

Trigger Warnings: mention of death of siblings, parental rejection, homophobia, racism, police profiling, incarceration, wrongful drug-related accusations, forced exile from one's home country, homelessness, SC with scarring as a result of physical abuse, and more. 

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

Starting a New Life (Cedarwood Pack #2)

YESSS. I've been waaaiiiting for the second book in this series for two years. Literally. Here is Ray Celar's "Starting a New Life." Its the second novel in her latest series: Cedarwood Pack.

["Would you rather keep running from an entire pack of wolves or let just one into your life—and your heart? 

Nix
My coven betrayed me. Even worse, they tried to sell me to a wolf pack to become their slave.
After five months on the run and constantly feeling the pack’s metaphorical breath on the back of my neck, I can’t do it anymore.
Hiding in the Cedarwood Pack’s territory was supposed to be a brief stop. Staying here is risky. What if they find and enslave me? If I stay, it’s just a matter of time until I’m discovered, but I don’t think I have it in me to keep running.
Will I lose my freedom after all, or is the Alpha my chance for a fresh start?

Gray
Weird things are happening in my territory, and my wolf and I don’t like it. First, the barrier started suddenly getting stronger even though it shouldn’t be able to do that, and now stuff is going missing. We’re a pack, a family. Family doesn’t steal from one another, yet it keeps happening.
So when I discover a strange mage on my territory who’s apparently been here for months, I snap.
Throwing him in a cell might be the biggest mistake of my life. I didn’t recognize the mate bond in time, and now he’s terrified of me and my wolf. I have no idea how to make him see that I’d never harm him.
Will helping him free other mages show him who I really am, or have I lost my chance for good?"]

The hurt comfort on this one was sooo strong. The angst was intense. The feels were everywhere. I cried for the first...many chapters. These two had me aching. All of the pining but the hurt and the fear and the anger and the misunderstandings were stronger. I wanted to shake them (Levi wanted to shake them).

When they started to trust each other, when they started getting closer (physically and emotionally), it was perfect. Together, they were adorable and powerful and a long time coming. They stood by each other, supported each other, defended each other. They made each other (and the pack) stronger. 

I can't wait for the next book. I just hope it's not another two full years. *fingers crossed* 

Trigger Warnings: mentions of slavery, graphic descriptions of violence, murder (of bad guys), mentions of past child abuse, and more. 

#enteringanewworld #startinganewlife #writinganewchapter #cedarwoodpack #cedarwoodpackseries #raycelar #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Ruined (Wrecked & Wrong #2)

Here's Ally Avery's "Ruined." It's the second novel in her newest series, Wrecked & Wrong.

["He was once the man who tucked me into bed, kissed my mom goodnight, and promised to keep us safe.
But when he walked out of my mom’s life, he walked out of mine, too.
He disappeared. Ruined everything we had.
Then, through a chance encounter you might call fate, we meet again.
He’s back in town, and he says he wants to make up for the time we lost. Take care of me again, like he used to.
I want that, but I also want him in a different way than when I was younger.
It’s dirty.
Wrong.
Inappropriate as hell.
But I crave it more than I crave my next breath.
Even if it’s wrong.
Even if he’ll leave me ruined."]

Well, I picked this book because I thought there were be less angst in here than the other books on my TBR-short-list. And this book made me cry anyway. a lot. 

There was relationship angst. There was family angst. There was what-is-my-life angst. There was past emotional trauma angst. There was...a lot of angst. Overall, it was all minor by themselves, and maybe they only felt big all combined because my life is a hot mess at the moment, but it was not the easy book I was looking for. 

Don't get me wrong. This book was glorious. And on a "normal" day, the angst would have been just right. These two had a push/pull and hurt/comfort that was painfully beautiful. Their old dynamic came back to them so easily, but with some new relationship upgrades.  

Overall, this was an easy read (yes, I realize that I say that after talking about how angsty it was for me). The chapters ended with a smidge of clarity but just enough plot to put you forward and want more. Their relationship, while inconvenient and not easy for their family to accept, was simple. Their love story...a little rocky, but filled with so much communication and genuine care. 

I want more of the twins. Nico and Luca were a lot, but they were amazing friends. I can't wait for them to get their forbidden HEAs. And Hunter, mysterious fucker.  

Trigger Warnings: past parental abandonment/rejection, family conflict and disapproval, past parental infidelity, and more.

#bruised #ruined #wreckedandwrong #wreckedandwrongseries #allyavery #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

August'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 August's Book Shape Challenge! Leo!!

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

Between Two Barbarians (Savagely Sweet #4)

Here's Amy Padilla's latest: "Between Two Barbarians." It's the fourth novel in her Savagely Sweet series, which is a Not-So-Savage Barbarian's spin-off.

["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

Love You To Death (Hotter Than Hell #10)

Here's Callie Colby's "Love You To Death." It's the tenth book in her Hotter Than Hell series. I'm reading them out of order; they're not connected anyway.

["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

Breakneck (Dragons of Ardaine #4)

Here's Roe Horvat's "Breakneck." It's the fourth novel in her Dragons of Ardaine series.

["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