Simply Graceless

Friday, October 9, 2026

Swallow (Forbidden Desires #4)

Here's "Swallow" by Virginia Kelly and Piper Scott. This is the fourth novel their Forbidden Desires series (and the first in the spin-off stories).

["Grimbold Drake, influential patriarch of the Drake family, revels in his solitary life of order—a life which is thrown into chaos when his son pays him an unexpected visit, bringing with him a broken but gorgeous young man more than a millennium Grimbold’s junior. A man Grimbold instantly finds himself yearning to fix, to protect, and to claim.

Meek, subservient, and eager to please, Wally Brand doesn’t doubt the tales he’s been told of the cruel and deceitful Amethyst clan, so when he’s forcibly taken from his home and entrusted to Grimbold Drake—the most powerful Amethyst dragon of all—he knows he won’t be long for this world. Only there’s a gleam in Grimbold’s eyes when he looks Wally’s way and a tenderness to his touch that Wally can’t understand.

All he knows is one thing: whether Grimbold means him harm or not, if he can be good to his dragon captor, maybe, just maybe, he’ll get out of this mess alive."]

Whelp, it looks like Grimbold is getting his redemption arc (he wasn't horrible in the last book, not like the previous two). And damn him, he's actually a secret softy (well, more like his children being fucking awesome people and changing the world helped Grimbold change his).

These two were SO freaking cute! Patient and kind and soo sassy (Wally, which was a beautiful transformation). Both of their transformations were utterly perfect. As was Beatrice. And the redemption of Wally's given name.

#clutch #bond #mate #swallow #magpie #finch #peregrine #raven #ravenpartone #ravenparttwo #forbiddendesires #forbiddendesiresseries #piperscott #virginiakelly #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Mate (Forbidden Desires #3)

Here's "Mate" by Virginia Kelly and Piper Scott. This is the third novel their Forbidden Desires series.

["Spitfire Disgrace Matthieu Boudreaux has one wish: to age out of the Pedigree he despises, then destroy it. With one year left before he achieves the first step of his goal, Matthieu finally has some hope for an independent future… until a surly Amethyst dragon by the name of Geoffrey Drake and his entourage show up at Matthieu’s cloister and inform him he’s been selected to be part of an ‘experiment.’

Geoffrey Drake, proud and stuffy legal counsel for the Amethyst clan, has been charged with ruining his own life. His mission? Deliver a potential mate to the son of the Amethyst clan’s most despised enemy—and the man he’s loved in secret for the last hundred years—Topaz dragon Ian Brand. Refusal is impossible. Dragons don’t consort with dragons, and should Geoffrey decline, he risks exposing them both.

Ian Brand, charming black sheep of the Topaz clan, is trapped between his forbidden love for an Amethyst dragon centuries his senior and his duty to his family. Chosen by his unhinged father to be the Topaz candidate for the mating experiment, Ian is faced with a terrible choice: run away with the man he loves and face the deadly consequences, or accept his fate with a broken heart.

But dragon magic, as Matthieu, Geoffrey, and Ian soon discover, works in mysterious ways. When an unforeseeable circumstance draws them all together and puts their futures at risk, they have no choice but to set their differences aside and work together to prove a new, startling truth…

What the dragon world knows about mates has been wrong all along, and it will be up to the three of them to prove it."]

Immediate thoughts after reading the blurb: Stupid G-Daddy Drake is going to haaate this (good). And I hope he suffers for it (and Ian's father, too--why the hell not). And maybe Matthieu gets some comeuppance?

Secondary thoughts: Matthieu should get his degree, damnit! Ian's father should die, a really horrible death. Geoffrey's dad better fucking surprise us with his redemption arc soon, or he'll have to die as well. Intermixed with sooo many happy, glittery explosions that is Harry being Harry.

These three felt more slow burn than the other two couples so far. Even if, timeline wise, it wasn't all that much longer. But there was a lot more angst between the three of them (not to mention how the rest of the dragon world will take it all) before their shared loves exploded.

Granted, as readers, we knew that the bond would grow between the three of them and that Matthieu's heat would be shared between the three of them and that Matthieu would produce a clutch and just how perfect that clutch would mirror their relationship. And I think, as a reader, knowing there would be HEAs in all of those places, I didn't take their pessimism seriously (and was subsequently annoyed by it). But that's a me thing, not a reflection of the novel itself.

I looove that each of these little families have some off-the-walls, not common pet(s). Obsessed.

Bond (Forbidden Desires #2)

Here's "Bond" by Virginia Kelly and Piper Scott. This is the second novel their Forbidden Desires series.

["Adorably naive and shockingly brilliant Harrison Lessardi only needs two things in life: his pet iguana, Steve, and his undying love of science. That is until he witnesses his best friend lay eggs, and a third must-have strolls into his apartment—the sardonic and mischievous Everard Drake.

Everard Drake, celebrated doctor of the tremendously wealthy Drake family, has one goal in mind when he arrives at the scene of his youngest brother’s latest disaster: incinerate Harrison Lessardi. Unfortunately for Everard, the moment he spots Harry, incineration becomes an impossibility—he must have the gorgeous beta as his own, even if it means holding him captive on his estate.

But something else lurks behind Everard’s interest in Harry—something that tugs at Everard’s soul in impossible ways, and that will send Everard and Harry down a rabbit hole of discovery that will change the world as they know it.

An alpha and a beta can’t share a bond.

Can they?"]

Harry was adorable and innocent and kind and curious and a little much in the previous book. In this one, he's just sooo fucking perfect. He's still too curious for his own good, but he's soo genuine and sweet. He thanked Everard for the kidnapping. He didn't even know for sure that he wouldn't be eaten, but he still said it was the best day of his life (and said that if he was eaten by a dragon, it would be the best possible way to die).

Of course, Everard didn't know what to do with him. He was exasperated constantly, but he was also intrigued and grew very fond very quickly. Ev really fucking grew on me. Damn him.

This was a rollercoaster of fate doing it's hardest to make the impossible possible, bringing mates together against all biologies. I like how we saw fate doing...fate things between Harry and Ev, but we also go to see some of the unanswered little questions from Nate and Alistair's that's-odd mating and subsequent babies. What unprecedented "fun" things do the rest of the brothers have to look forward to?

Thought Harry's "theory"? Makes soooo much sense. If some people weren't bigots, someone would have connected these dots much sooner.

And if you think you saw me tearing up at the end, that was you, not me.

Clutch (Forbidden Desires #1)

Here's "Clutch" by Virginia Kelly and Piper Scott. This is the first novel their Forbidden Desires series.

["Bookish, snarky, and fiercely independent Nate Boudreaux leads a solitary life. Between teaching classes at the university and working toward his PhD, he doesn’t need a partner to occupy his time, and he certainly doesn’t need a man like Alistair Drake complicating his future.

Alistair Drake, black sheep of the tremendously wealthy Drake family, is more interested in adding another notch to his bedpost than another zero to his bank account. When a Grindr message brings him to Nate’s doorstep, then straight to his bed, he has no reason to believe that what they share will be more than a simple hookup, until, three months later, a tug on his soul informs him otherwise.

For the Drake family has a secret—one that will force Nate and Alistair together as much as it will demand that they be torn apart. One that Alistair and his brothers have carried all their lives… and one that Alistair and Nate’s future children will carry, too.

Bound to each other by the three precious impossibilities, Nate and Alistair have no choice—no matter the consequence, they will fight for their forbidden clutch."]

I need something a little less trauma-y and a little less gives-my-depression-a-downward-spiral-y. Not to mention that fated mates and shifters are always a nice bandage. ;)

Some thoughts as they came: Good chemistry, though they bicker a lot; could turn into something more flirty and fun. Could have broken down the doors before the eggs came. Gotta love a BFF that's willing to go all Tangled up on a bitch. Everard is not making a good first impression, though love his nicknames. Maybe Nat and Alistair do need hit over the head with a step-by-step how to conversation. Alistair is a conundrum of knowledge, sometimes a genius and sometimes Amelia Bedelia. Alistair had some pretty damn good nicknames, too. Oh, Harry. Shit isn’t even close to hitting the fan yet, but the council can go eat dirt. Did I mention Nate’s nicknames? I’m not sure we’ve yet met a Drake I do like. Bronze bastards. Okay Ev isn’t horrible, or any of the brothers. Babies!!! I hope Harry’s book (with Everard, duh) is next.

Wednesday, October 7, 2026

Step In The Zone (Heart of a Viper #1)

Here's "Step In The Zone" by Blane Bellamy. This is the first novel the Heart of a Viper series.

["Rafael
I knew the way to my awful dad's demise was through his wife and stepson, but I had to be subtle about it. I couldn't just unleash an all-out assault on them. I needed to be low-key, or I would wind up in military school with no hockey. At first, I thought I'd target Jill. Stalk the weaker prey. I could tell she was one fry short of a Happy Meal at the wedding—it would be easy, but buttoned-up little Cody would be a far greater challenge. I could sink my teeth into that. Into him. When I caught my Golden Boy stepbrother checking me out one night, I knew he was mine. This would be so much better than just beating the hell out of him. It would be subtle. Secretive. He wouldn't go running to mommy and stepdaddy, and this would truly destroy the family. Stepbrothers together? One breaking the other's heart? Oh, it was just too good. I'd never used my sexual prowess to dominate another dude before. The idea of it invigorated me.

Cody
Am I gay? Am I bi? He's my stepbrother! It didn't matter if I was gay or bi or pan or an alien from another galaxy. The topic of my sexuality shouldn't have been anywhere near Rafael. The only thought that should have plagued my mind around Rafael was how best to avoid him. Everything about him made my insides twist into painful knots. Just uttering his name made my throat dry and clog with anxiety. I'd waited years for a typical, predictable life, and Rafael possessed the predictability of a rabid raccoon. The sexual collision between the two of us led me to question everything about myself. I went from being a hockey-playing straight-A student to his "good boy" overnight. My brain turned into a tempest of questions. No. This couldn't happen. I needed to hate Rafael again. I could do this. I could resist him…right?"]

The I'll-make-him-fall-for-me-and-then-I'll-break-his-heart is somehow so similar to the date-them-for-the-bet trope. They both hurt soo good.

The entire thing was painful. Yes, there was comfort with the hurt, all of the confused fluff and then purposeful adorableness. But the traumas (and the constant pushing people away). God, I tried a lot. There was one point, closer to the HEA and healing side of the plot, where I didn’t know if I was crying tears or happy. Holy shit.

Maybe Asher’s will be a littttttle less painful?

Trigger Warnings: discussions of family trauma, depression, survivors guilt, past death of a loved one, portrayals of substance use disorder, references to suicidal ideation, near death experiences, and more.

#stepinthezone #breaktheice #heartofaviper #heartofaviperseries #blanebellamy #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

October'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 October's Book Shape Challenge! Libra!!

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

Tuesday, October 6, 2026

The Barbarian Guide (Savagely Sweet #5)

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

["I never thought I’d meet my best friend while rescuing townsfolk from Eldara. Bram was quiet, shy, and it took time for him to warm up to me. But now, a year later, I look forward to our visits. He lives in Talqara, not far from the settlement and our visits are too far and few between for me.

On my most recent visit, Bram surprised me with a gift for the clan. A gift that could give us an independence we’d lost after moving to our new home. The clan leaders of the settlement asked him to share his gift with all the clans. As the clan leaders were deciding who would escort him, I volunteered.

I didn’t expect the attention he received from other clan brothers would incense me the way it did. For the first time in my life, I wanted something more. I wanted to claim the sweet man who’d ensnared my heart."]

I loved how sweet these two were! They were great friends, so innately conformable with each other, easy to talk to, instant trust. Going on a physical journey helped them go on an emotional one. Their romantic relationship was just as easy and just as innate as their frienship. It just flowed.

There was very, very little angst. Some minor not-necessarily-miscommunication but we-haven't-talked-about-after-and-I'm-afraid-to-bring-it-up (mixed with the-future-is-scary). Not to mention the whole Nadia thing (kkknnneeewww I remembered her from somewhere).

So many barbarians, so many weird and difficult and fun situations, so many HEAs. I can't wait to see where we go next in this series/universe.

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