The Barbarian's Musician (Savagely Sweet #3)

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

["After the gronnok attack, my life was never the same. I was left scarred, ashamed, and certain I would spend the rest of my days alone.

Then Henry arrived.

Blind since childhood, he somehow sees me more clearly than anyone ever has. Where others flinch, Henry offers kindness. His music seems to be the only thing that puts my heart at ease and allows me to finally rest.

But Henry was never meant to stay.

His life is already complicated enough without the hardship and uncertainty of our nomadic lifestyle. If I want any chance of keeping him, I’ll have to convince him that it’s possible for him to build a life here with me and with the clan. Because if I fail, I won’t just lose Henry. I’ll be left to face the darkness alone."]

Oh. My. Goddess.

This book was somehow even sweeter than the rest. Which is saying something. These two were so utterly devoted to each other. They were so alike in so many ways. They both felt isolated and unwanted, unloved. But they saw something in each other that was so strong and powerful and beautiful. They saw love and hope and a future. It was...beautiful.

Plus all of the accommodations just being...life? An all of the found family, continuing to grow and grow? And Simon being Simon? I'm obsessed with all of it. 

#barbariansheart #escapingtothebarbarians #thebarbariansmusician #savagelysweet #savagelysweetseries #notsosavagebarbarians #notsosavagedbarbariansseries #amypadilla #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Goodbye, May!

May was looong as hell. It was never ending. One crazy moment after another, not to mention the weather not knowing what was going on (same, though, same).

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

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

(2) May Memories: Lots and lots of books. Some actual time off. My best friend's baby turned one. The book fair season finally ended for the summer.

(3) Posts this month (including this one): 47.

(4) Not too bad overall. I didn't eat the best, but I didn't eat the worse. There were a lot of Sunday-Blues moments and a lot of late-night saddies, but most of the month was I-got-this and I'm-a-baddie, so...

Anyone still holding onto their resolutions?

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

#newyearsresolutions #goodbyemay #hellojune #hello2026 #dontstopreading #makememories #shareloveofbooks #shareloveofreading #bekindertomyself #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Open Liner (Alchemy Ink #1)

Here's "Open Liner" by Katherine McIntyre. Its the first books in her Alchemy Ink series, which is in the same universe as the Brannon Boys series and the Hot Under the Collar series

["The firefighter who saves August from a kitchen grease fire happens to be hot, single…and his ex-girlfriend’s brother.

August
When Serena dumps me, I barely have time to process before a sexy firefighter busts into my kitchen. Mostly because of the grease fire, but damn, he snags my attention at once. Then I find out he’s Serena’s brother. And the hits keep coming, because my parents drop the news that they’re moving down South. I’m about to be utterly alone, and I’m tempted to move too.

Drake
I’m in a rut. Work is fine, but I’m just floating through it. Meanwhile, my siblings are out there changing the world. So when the fire chief asks me to come up with a new idea for our charity event, I jump in feet-first with a charity concert. Of course, the one person who can help me is the gorgeous tattoo artist my sister used to date.
Turns out, we get along too well. So well that I can’t stop thinking about him naked. So well that I want to spend every spare second with him.
Except he’s not looking to stay, and I can’t hurt my sister by crossing that line."]

My fuck these two were cute. All of the chemistry and the similar interests and the meet-cute. It was all a little awkward but their connection pushed through. It was also healing, both of them finding the perfect partner for them, that person seeing them, zero judgement. 

Not to mention the generally low angst. I’ve been reading a lot of angst lately, and I didn’t know I needed a break until now. 

CanNOT wait for the next one!! 

#arc #advancedreadercopy #arcteammember
#inkcaps #openliner #strokefrequency #katherinemcintyre #alchemyink #alchemyinkseries #brannonboys #brannonboysseries #hotundertehcollar #hotunderthecollarseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Accidentally Living With The Captain (Chicago Awakenings #3)

Here's Lexi Amber's "Accidentally Living With The Captain." It's the third novel in her Chicago Awakenings series.

["Hudson
I thought I was living the dream—captain of my NHL team, married to a model, planning to finally become a dad—the last thing I was expecting was to be served divorce papers.
All the plans I’d been making, all the ideas of what our family would look like, gone, just like that.
Thank God for Adrian, he always knows what to do. My ex kicked me out and Adrian offered to let me stay in his spare room while I figure out what comes next. My future hasn’t felt this uncertain since I entered the draft, but with Adrian offering to help, I feel like I can breathe again, like the unknown might not be the worst thing after all.

Adrian
Living with the perfect man is a cruel and unusual sort of torture.
Hudson walks around half-naked all the time, showing off his perfect hockey body, it’s obscene. And then there’s the teasing. It isn’t new, but I'd assumed he would stop now that we’re roommates and there’s no one else around. He hasn’t.
He’s straight, and I don’t know how much more platonic flirting my little gay heart can take.
I know that our time together is limited. Hudson wants to be a dad more than anything, and he deserves the family he’s always wanted, the future he’d dreamed of. I know that future won’t include me, and I want Hudson to be happy. Even if that means giving up our time together, helping him move on.
He was never mine, so why does the thought of saying goodbye feel like it might break me?
I’m screwed."]

That was a rollercoaster of all of the ways. It was sweet and soft, but it was also piney as helll. There was so much romance angst and waiting for the right moment and everyone else knowing what they feel before they did.  

I loved how they fell in love slowly but also so quickly. It was inevitable but it was on purpose. They were perfect for each other, right from the very first page. 

I wouldn't say no to a fourth book in the series...

Trigger Warnings: sudden divorce, discussion of a parent having a major disabling stroke, mention of being a souse to someone who needs full-time care, discussion of off-page past neglect/emotional abuse from parents for being queer, mention of being homeless 18yo teen, pregnancy/birth complications, and more.

#accidentallyjoininghiscult #accidentallyfallingformybestfriend #accidentallylivingwiththecaptain #chicagoawakenings #chicagoawakeningsseries #lexiamber #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Hat Trick (Punk as Puck #5) (Legends and Fury #2)

Here's EM Lindsey's "Hat Trick." It's the fifth novel in her Punk as Puck series (and also the second novel in the Legends and Fury series?).

["“For five million dollars, would you send a relative to jail?”
"Bud, I would pay five million dollars to send a few there."

Problem number one: Almost everything the world thinks they know about me is a lie.
Problem number two: Two people know the truth.
Problem number three: One of those two is a stalker and he's having a blast using that information against me to get his way.

The good news is, the second person who knows the truth about who I am seems pretty dedicated to taking my stalker down.

The bad news is, it’s NHL goalie Vanya Maximov, and he and I had a one night stand that I can’t stop thinking about. And while Vanya might be walking sunshine so bright he can make even my blind ass see light, we have no business being together.

I’m a mess, and while Vanya is everything I’ve ever wanted in a partner, he deserves better than me.

If only he was willing to listen to reason. If only he was less stubborn and able to give up on a lost cause.

But with his ability to give me exactly what I want—a little pain with my pleasure—and his refusal to treat me like I’m fragile, something dangerous starts happening.

I’m beginning to think that maybe—just maybe—he’s right, and I am worth everything he sees."]

Annnd I forgot how broken all of this boys are and how much it hurts to read about them struggling. Micah was hurting in so many ways and hiding it from everyone. And everyone (for a while at least) believed in his lies and believed he was fine (no one is fine when they say they're fine). He damn well had me tearing up during the entire novel.

But Vanya was a balm for all of it. He was kind and patient and perfect, which of course made Micah even more weary. As did the “pretty little goalie” nickname, that made me swoon haaarrrd. 

Trigger Warnings: ableism, on-page injury and resulting hospital stay, past and current narcissistic parenting, on-page descriptions of having a parent with Alzheimer's, stalking, bullying, threats, mentions of past sexual assault, on-page panic attacks, and more

#zeropucks #puckedup #absolutelypucked #stickaround #hattrick #emlindsey #punkaspuck #punkaspuckseries #legendsandfury #legendsandfuryseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Blood Runs Cold (Marchesi Loan Sharks #3)

Here's Silvia Violet's "Blood Runs Cold." It's the third novel in the Marchesi Loan Sharks series, which is within the Marchesi Family universe. 

["My life turned upside down when I uncovered my bosses’ criminal activities and needed protection. Instead of the type of safehouse I expected. I was sent to a historic townhouse to live with Dom, a scarred former assassin who rarely talks and wishes I wasn't there. The only upside, he’s a hot AF silver fox.

He’s also straight and old enough to be my father, but since I don’t have anything else to do while I wait to testify, I might as well see if I can melt the ice he’s encased himself in. I long to find out how much heat lies underneath.

Dom has no end of secrets. I soon learn the woman who is out to get me is after him as well. With our lives on the line, and Dom not so straight after all, we both give into our need for comfort. Is there any chance Dom will open up to more, or will his heart remain closed off even if his body is mine?"]

Whelp, Dom didn't stand a chance. Not a single one. 

These two did so much for each other. They build each other up again and again, they supported each other, they loved each other (even if a certain Marchesi was constantly in denial). 

I loved the little cameos we got from the rest of the Marchesi family.

Trigger Warnings: violence, murder, stalking, attempted murder, assault, and more.

#hotblooded #bloodmoney #bloodonice #bloodrunscold #marchesiloansharksseries #themarchesifamily #themarchesufamilyseries #themarchesifamilyuniverse #silviaviolet #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Sinful Nights (Peaches #3)

Here's Ashley Rayne's latest: "Sinful Nights." It's the third novel in her Peaches series.

["Cole
Oak and I have been best friends since we were five years old, and roommates since we moved out on our own. I live for our movie-night cuddles and seeing his face in the crowd at Peaches while I’m dancing onstage. None of his girlfriends has ever really understood our relationship, and while he’s always chosen me, I know that one day he’ll find the woman who accepts our dynamic, and I’ll lose what we have.
I’ve never really felt the desire to be with someone, and hooking up feels like a chore. Oakley and I both identify as straight, and we don’t really understand why everyone thinks we’re something more than we are.
So why, when it’s suggested to try kissing my best friend, do I feel butterflies?

Oakley
When yet another relationship bites the dust, I decide to stop worrying about girlfriends and focus on my best friend. Watching Cole onstage from where I sit in my booth every night is the highlight of my week, but then again, everything with him is the best.
Eventually, I’m sure I’ll find someone who gets what Cole and I mean to each other, but until then, it’s game nights and nighttime cuddles with him when I can’t sleep.
I’ve never looked at Cole romantically… until the night he tells me he thinks we should try kissing. How didn’t I know how incredible my best friend tastes?"]

These two were adorable as hell! There was virtually zero angst (just in the beginning with yet another girlfriend who doesn't understand Cole's and Oak's relationship). This was all fluff and sweetness and kindness and friendship to all of the extremes. Okay, there was a good deal of spice and oh-that's-why possessiveness/obsessiveness. 

Not to mention all of the cameos from previous couples...and new ones. ;)

#gayromancereviews #booksprout #arcs #arcteammember
#lustfulnights #seductivenights #sinfulnights #forbiddennights #peaches #peachesseries #ashleyrayne #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks