Hero Worship (Wayward Sons #5)

Here's "Hero Worship" by L Eveland. It's the fifth novel in the Wayward Sons series.

["They say beauty is a weapon. I've perfected it as an art form.

I'm Xander Laskin—vigilante, lethal seducer, and absolutely obsessed with my new handler. Ash Valentine is everything I never knew I ex-FBI legend, iron-willed disciplinarian, and a man who's about to discover he isn't as straight as he thought.

Our mission is infiltrate fashion icon Avery Roche's inner circle and expose a killer who turns beautiful boys into preserved art. Playing newlyweds should be easy—I'm excellent at seduction, and Ash... Well, let's just say his possessive streak isn't entirely for show. But when we discover Roche is keeping the child of a Russian crime boss as their latest muse, the stakes become deadly personal.

I've spent my life using beauty as armor, turning heads while hiding knives. But Ash sees past my careful masks, past the dresses and deadly grace, to the broken parts I thought no one could want. As our fake marriage ignites very real passion, we're both discovering that some boundaries are meant to be crossed.

One thing is by the end of this mission, he'll be mine completely. He just doesn't know it yet."]

Well, I remember why I took a break from this series. No matter the brother, no matter the mental health spice level, it hits you right in the chest with a fuck-I-feel-that-way-too. It's very strong, and it's incredibly relatable, and it causes soooo many feels--so many tears for me and so much angst for the couple/family.

It's always the ones with the best poker faces and the strongest I'm-tough-shit personas that are always the most broken. And these two were sooo broken, hiding so many traumas and skeletons and insecurities (soo many insecurities). But they held each other up, they helped each other grow. They helped each other heal, and they gave each other a home. 

I almost need another break…then again it would be another dark romance so…we’ll see what happens tomorrow. 

Trigger Warnings: graphic violence and gore, murder, blood, death, sexual assault, drug-use and addiction references, self-destructive behavior, mental health issues, BPD, PTSD, schizophrenia, child abuse and neglect, family, trauma, mild body horror, medical procedures and body modification, torture, gender dysphoria, transphobia/misgendering, non-con drug use, kidnapping and human trafficking, parental abandonment, suicidal ideation, preservation/taxidermy of human bodies, and more. 

#bodycount #skindeep #viciouscycle #bodyandsoul #heroworship #playingwithfire #vitalsigns #waywardsons #waywardsonsseries #leveland #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Carnage (Crestvale Killers #3)

Here's "Carnage" by Mia Monroe. It's the third novel in the Crestvale Killers series.

["Take out an entire gang just to get close to the man I’m obsessed with? I’m in.

Rue
Leave it to me to get caught up with the wrong crowd as soon as I move to the big city. Now I’m trapped with nowhere to run, stuck counting down the days until the worst man alive decides he’s done with me. I’m too afraid to ask what happens after that.
Then I see him. A viable escape route. He’s just as scary as my current captor, but there’s a kindness in his eyes that draws me closer. Out of one fire into another, but maybe this one won’t burn as much. I’m obsessed with finding him again, and when I do, I’ll do anything to get him to save me.

Carnage
The last thing I need is to get caught up in business that isn’t mine, but the minute I see the stunning blond with way too innocent eyes pleading with me from across the bar, I’m hooked. This isn’t a mild interest, it’s taking over my world, and I can’t rest until I find him.
I know he’s supposed to be with me and I’ll burn this entire city down to make it happen. Getting him away from the men he’s tied up with won’t be an easy task, but easy things bore me anyway. Turns out, my obsession has a wild streak in him that rivals my own. This is gonna be fun.
Revenge will be sweet, but maybe, love is even sweeter."]

These two were sooo perfect for each other. They were both afraid of the other, in a I-might-catch-feelings kind of way (and in the this-has-the-potential-to-break-me kind of way).

But they figured it out. They talked with each other, with their found family. They were honest with what they were feeling and with what they wanted. It was refreshing (even if the group of them are all contract killers).

I canNOT wait for the rest of these men to fall utterly smitten and get their HEAs.

Trigger Warnings: kidnapping, emotional abuse, unwanted sexual advances, previous parental murder/suicide, discussion of child SA material and trafficking, violence, murder, and more.

#specter #wraith #carnage #whisper #crestvalekillers #crestvalekillersseries #miamonroe #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Finding Home (Bridgeport Jetties: The Call-Up Years #0.5)

Here's "Finding Home" by Lizzie C Koz. It's the prequel novel in her Bridgeport Jetties: The Call-Up Years series.

["The world keeps the ugly truth about love to itself: Not everyone falls in love with someone who will love them back.

EASTON
My dream is finally coming true. Why? Because your boy just got drafted to play pro baseball. Yee-haw! (Ohmygod, did I just say yee-haw?)
There’s one glaring thing missing though. Maddox. My ride-or-die. It was always supposed to be us—major league ballplayers, side by side.
But now I’m the one who made it, and I have to leave him behind.
I don’t know how I’ll handle the distance when I haven’t spent a day apart from Maddy since we were six.
I keep reminding myself it’ll be okay. We’ll talk every day. Text, call, video chat. It’ll be like he’s right there with me.
Yeah, this is fine. Totally fine.
But then why do I feel like I’m leaving an essential part of myself back in Connecticut?

MADDOX
I did the one thing literally everyone tells you not to do.
I fell in love with my straight best friend.
Yep. That’s me—the cliché gay boy who lost his heart to a boy who can’t love him back. I know it’s stupid. I know I should move on. But me and East? We’re inseparable. From T-ball at six to D1 college ball, we’ve done everything together…and that’s exactly the problem.
I can’t get over him like this. I need space. And I think this is my chance. He’s leaving for his minor league assignment for a couple months.
I’ll use the time to cleanse myself of Easton Winters, and when he comes back, we’ll be best friends again. For real this time.
No more pathetic pining."]

This book was sooo emotional. So much pining, so much confusion, sooo much heartbreak. I cried harder in this novella than I did in several of the last books I've read.

But after they finally talked? There wasn't much angst at all. It was all fluff and sweetness (and some silly awkwardness). It was all friendship finally finding it's home.

Trigger Warnings: brief references to suicide/self-harm concerns, references to homophobia, internalized homophobia, sexism, toxic masculinity, struggles arising form heteronormativity, emotional struggle, self-doubt, and more.

#findinghome #stealingforever #hidingintheoutfield #lizzieckoz #bridgeportjetties #bridgeportjetiesthecallupyears #bridgeportjettiesseries #bridgeportjetiesthecallupyearsseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Shadow King (Shadowmen #2)

Here's S Rodman's "Shadow King." It's the second novel in the Shadowmen series.

["I’ve summoned a shadow king from another realm.

In my defence, he burned my flat down, destroyed my 90s emo record collection, and tried to use me as bait to get my best friend killed. He had it coming.

What I did not expect was for him to be so insufferably, unreasonably, categorically attractive. Or for the binding to work quite so well. He's trapped in the human world until I decide to let him go.

I'm not in a hurry.

His name is Dis. As in discord, disillusion, dismay, disaster.

I call him Disney. He hates it.

He calls me Little Witch. I don’t entirely hate it.

He is the most dangerous thing I have ever summoned. He was the weapon that carried out a coup in the Shadow Realm. He has powers that make grown shadow beings step carefully around him. He is ancient and controlled and furious about his current situation in ways he is too dignified to fully express.

He's also stuck in my flat above a coffee shop in Bristol until further notice.

This is either the worst idea I have ever had or the best.

Probably both."]

Bonding with your "worst enemy" and the fiercest shadow king in all the realms by watching British Baking Off. While said shadow king critiques the contestants choices like it's actual war and accidentally reveals more than he originally intended, including his utter gentlemen-y-ness. While Felix slowly lowers his walls (to the shadow king and the most cheerful person in all of existence) and slowly becomes *shudder* wholesome. 

These two had soooo much more in common than either of them were prepared for. So much dark baggage’s and heavy trauma. So much nemeses validation and safety. They found it together, all of the fluffy cuteness and home-ness. Falling in love so fast and seemingly so sudden that it knocked them off their feet (figuratively).

I canNOT wait for the next book. If anyone deserves at HEA, it's the cute little cult-survivor bunny. And it’s obsessed and utterly hopelessly in love at first sight shadow lord. 

Trigger Warnings: parental estrangement, reference to child abandonment, reference to being thrown out of family home, exile and banishment, home invasion, violence, poverty and financial difficulties, captivity, illness, and more.

#shadowprince #shadowking #shadowlord #shadowmen #shadowmenseries #srodman #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

The Alien's Who Abducted Me Aren't That Bad

Here's Amy Padilla's latest: "The Alien's Who Abducted Me Aren't That Bad."

["When I first saw the headline about alien ships hovering over major cities, I did what any traumatized millennial would do. I rolled my eyes and kept scrolling.

Then the call came. Report to base. No explanation.

Before I could even process what was happening, I was yanked off Earth and dumped onto an alien ship alongside millions of military personnel from around the world.

Except these aliens—the Krezikians—aren’t here to conquer us. They’re here to stop humanity from destroying the only livable planet we have. Which is… noble, terrifying, and wildly inconvenient when you’re being “saved” against your will.

Things get complicated when I sneak out to check on a friend and get caught by gorgeous, sweet, and equipped with a set of curious tentacles that do not understand the concept of personal space. Suddenly, I’m being shoved into the role of Earth’s unwilling spokesperson, spending far too much time with my abductor-turned-ally… and discovering his interest in me might not be entirely diplomatic.

Turns out that the monsters in this situation might not be the ones from space.
And maybe the aliens who abducted me… aren’t that bad."]

A sweet, himbo alien, willing to go anything to protect his new..'coworker'..and the human race as a whole. Versus a human who didn't ask for any of this, quite actually said 'no' to most of this.

This was utterly fabulous! There were such perfect moments of "fuuuck" and "fuck it" that perfectly balanced each other, so many "I won't do it" versus the "well I guess I'm doing it." Just as the Aster perfectly balanced Enzo. They made it work, all amongst the humans making it sooo freaking hard to save (which, let's be honest...not entirely wrong). 

I'm a little obsessed. I don't necessarily see a sequel in the future, but you never know. ;)

I love everything Amy's been doing lately. Working on one new series, and new spin-off series after another all the while writing several standalones. Beautiful!

#thealienswhoabductedmearentthatbad #amypadilla #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Red (House of Misfits #5)

Here's Cambria Hebert's "Red." It's the fifth novel in the House of Misfits series. Annd, who doesn't love a little fairy tale romance/retelling--even if I'm skipping around the series for the MM books. 

["I’m a cop. He’s a criminal.

We’re the human equivalent of oil and water.

Staying away from him would be the obvious answer. Too bad we share a one-bedroom apartment. It’s an unfortunate situation I didn’t choose but can’t do anything about. When my best friend, Earth, moved out, he offered his room to his big brother who had rolled into town from Korea to kill him… but then ended up saving him.

And now we’re all supposed to be one big happy family.

Except Daeshim is not my brother and never will be. And no one has any idea who I really am. For years, I’ve been Beau the hacker. Beau the agreeable, quiet one in the corner.

I am those things. But I’m also a cyber crimes specialist with the FBI.

Surprise!

My real identity is a secret no one can know. Because the second they find out who I really am, my cover will be blown, everything I’ve been doing will come to light, and the found family I desperately want will toss me on the street.

Or worse.

But Daeshim won’t stop staring, dissecting me with his perceptive dark eyes. I can’t stand him, yet the heavier his attention gets, the more I crave. The more I begin to wonder if I’m just nervous he will find out my secrets or somehow get into my heart.

I’m starting to crumble, the weight on my shoulders too much to hold alone. His stubborn, unruly presence challenges me, scares me, yet also somehow calms me.

When danger gets uncomfortably close, I realize the only one strong enough to save me is the very criminal I’m not supposed to trust."]

This was a whole other beast than Fletcher's book. There was much more at stake. There was a lot higher anxieties (well a different kind of anxieties).  I cried even more, too.

These two were explosive. And entirely codependent. But they were each other's safety, each other's home, each other's reason to fight the demons and get back up again. 

I wish there were more MM books in this series. It was the perfect balance of fairy tale, insta-love, angst, spice (ohhh that spice).

Trigger Warnings: mentions of off-page child abuse, violence, anxiety representation, and more.

#ivorywhite #prince #huntsman #beast #merrymisfits #red #houseofmisfits #houseofmisfitsseries #cambriahebert #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Prince (House of Misfits #2)

Here's Cambria Hebert's "Prince." It's the second novel in the House of Misfits series. Reading this because these two were mentioned in "The Ghost and The Geek" (and I still need a mental health break from the other series I was binging). Annd, who doesn't love a little fairy tale romance/retelling--even if I'm skipping around the series for the MM books. 

["Life has always been about one thing for me: Survival.

I wear scuffed-up, hand-me-down shoes and too-big jeans and share a one-bedroom apartment with my three brothers. I’m not great at holding down a job, so I busk in the subway and pick other people’s pockets to fill mine.

Oh, and my mother wishes I’d never been born, a fact she makes sure to hurl in my face every time I see her. It’s just one more thing to prove the odds of life have never been in my favor.

But still, I’m lucky. I have the misfits and my violin. Most days, I’m really good at ignoring the echo of loneliness deep in my bones. Until Ethan finds me in the park and the melody that’s always playing in my heart finally makes sense.

He’s everything I’m not. Tall, commanding, and so handsome it hurts my eyes. He lives in the most elite part of the city and has probably never once had to steal to eat. He’s not like you’d expect, though—stuck-up, snobby, or mean. He’s protective and warm… He makes me feel safe. He doesn’t care that I don’t have a coat or a penny to my name. He just wants me.

I’ve never had a relationship. I’ve never even been kissed. No one has ever chosen me before.

But how can we be together?

He’s Upper East Side royalty, and I’m a misfit…

Or so I thought."]

That was SO good! Sure, it was a little dramatic and over the top at moments, and yet, I cried quite a lot anyway.

Fletcher's brothers were...a hoard of fucking neanderthals...who just wanted their baby bro to be safe and happy. Even if they were gruff about it--and total men (showed their love with actions to a boy who needed words).

Ethan was fabulous--scratch that a hot mess who could have talked more up front about his past and his present, but then we wouldn't have a story. Then again, Fletch was good at running (until he learned he could run to E). But Ethan was always there, time and time again. 

Fletcher lived his best life, doing what he could to everyone else in his life (even strangers). He loved hard. He didn't trust well, but he let Ethan try (and try again to get passed those walls). 

Gwennie <3

I wish I had more patience (and time) to read the rest of this series. I looove a good fairy tale romance/retelling. Here's to Red though, coming up next.

Trigger Warnings: child abuse and neglect, kidnapping, homophobia, and more.

#ivorywhite #prince #huntsman #beast #merrymisfits #red #houseofmisfits #houseofmisfitsseries #cambriahebert #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

The Geek and The Ghost (Protectors #2)

Here's Cambria Hebert's "The Geek and The Ghost." It's the second novel in the Protectors series. 

["I’m about thirty seconds from a toe tag and my own freezer at the mortuary when he materializes from the shadows and fights like hell to keep me breathing.

I had no idea homeless disasters like me got guardian angels—or that guardian angels punch people and smoke—but suddenly, there he is: a hero dressed all in black who ghosts me so hard I consider calling a medium.

But that would be a waste of money I don’t have.

I thought I’d never see him again, but just as I’m about to eat a bullet, he appears, using his body to protect mine. I might have swooned—okay, fine, I do but only on the inside—if it weren’t for the fact he thinks bleeding is an adequate apology for implying I’m a prostitute and running off with my heart.

Spoiler alert: It’s not.

Now the man with a PhD in vanishing, a tattoo that totally offends me, and eyes with their own force of gravity is suddenly stuck to me like glue and being wildly inconvenient about it.

And he won’t stop calling me a pipgeek. What even is that?
He insists I trust him, but I can’t trust anyone, not even my own body. Unfortunately, when the resident drug lord calls in that favor I foolishly owe, things go from bad to catastrophic with alarming enthusiasm.

On the upside, having a hero with a villain complex for a stalker means staying alive will be easy.

But not getting hurt again is a whole other story."]

I love how soft this dark romance series is. Sure, there's hitmen and mafia threats and some light stalking. There's tragic backstories and trigger warnings. There's a total lack of tact, a total sense of over protectiveness and what's-happening-to-me obsession. There's falling in love in hours.

But the MCs, particularly the hitmen, are sooo soft and gooey for their soul mates, particularly the klutzy, slightly crazy, totally surviving in a world that somehow has it out for them. It's instant gifts and sweet names. It's ooey, gooey, cotton candy hearts just leaking everywhere with all of the feels. Not to mention the spice.

I looooved these two. They were perfect. Ghost's commentary was fucking hilarious. As was Ghost and Rhett's views of Kerian (still fucking love him--and Haz).

I cannot wait to see more of Wyatt. At least, I hope we get to see more of him.

Trigger Warnings: auto-immune disorder rep, homelessness, violence, murder, mentions of past abuse, and more.

#thehazardandthehitman #thegeekandtheghost #theprotectors #theprotectorsseries #cambriahebert #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

The Lodge

Here's Natasha Preston's "The Lodge." 

["Hallie and her friends wanted a carefree ski getaway—powdery slopes, cozy cabins, endless laughs. But when a storm traps them and someone falls from the lift, their dream week spirals into a nightmare. Cut off from help, they turn to a friendly young couple, two brothers, and a mysterious worker at the lodge.

Then bodies start piling up in the snow.

As paranoia takes hold, Hallie and her friends must risk everything to escape. But what if the killer has been hiding in plain sight all along? What’s waiting out in the blizzard is nothing compared to what’s hiding in the lodge. . . .  "]

Wow. What another amazing, edge-of-your-seat thriller from Natasha. It had the isolation, the betrayals, the secrets, the utter anxiety-inducing, who-can-you-even-trust paranoia. You never knew who to trust, your favorite people and your favorite suspects changed from chapter to chapter. The worst things possible happened---and then they happened again. 

This book miiight just have the highest body-count in any of Natasha's books, too--which is either really cool or really scary. It wasn't overly gore-y, but the bodies definitely piled up--just like the snow storm outside. I've seen in many, many snow storms, a really bad one only a few months ago. I cannot even begin to imagine that low-level fear mixing with the serial-killer-on-the-loose fear.

I'm not gonna lie, I expected more of the ending. Spoiler alert: it was...nice and powerful and karma-inducing. It was not the classing very-last-moment twist, book-throwing-worthy Natasha Preston ending.

#thelodge #natashapreston #thriller #yathriller #murdermystery #yamurdermystery #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Body and Soul (Wayward Sons #4)

Here's "Body and Soul" by L Eveland. It's the fourth novel in the Wayward Sons series.

["I’ll do anything to have him.
Even if it means destroying him.

Shepherd
My life is a carefully crafted web of lies. The world knows me as Doctor Shepherd Laskin, respected dom, psychiatrist, and professor. But underneath the façade of the perfect gentleman, I’m a monster, a vigilante with a shattered psyche who hunts men who abuse their positions of power.
But I’m burnt out. Lonely. Desperate for a submissive who can withstand my darker side.
When I met Elias, the sparks were instant. We even share the same taking down a dangerous cult to free my estranged sister.
But I can’t have him. He’s too good, too pure, too psychologically fragile.
I know I’ll ruin him, but what choice do I have? He knows my secret, and with the FBI breathing down my neck I have only two choices…
And Elias might not survive either outcome.

Elias
I’m used to being alone. Ever since I left that cult, I’ve gotten used to it. People just don’t seem to understand me. Hell, I don’t understand me.
But Shepherd does. From the moment we met, he’s understood me and my dark desires better than anyone. Maybe it’s because he knows what it’s like to grow up in a cult, to be alone, to be damaged.
I know the last thing I should want is more pain, but I can’t help it. I crave what he does to me, even when it hurts. Especially when it hurts.
I know he’s complicated. I know he’s dangerous. Falling for him could mean death…or worse.
But I don’t care. I want him, even the complicated, messy, deadly parts of him, and I’m willing to go through hell to prove it."]

First warning we were given for this novel: “nothing here is vegetarian.” I snort-laughed much harder than necessarily. 

Didn't-like-this-character-in-previous-books-but-love-them-in-this-one update: Keres. That took less than a full page in his POV to win me over. Oh, buddy, did it win me over. Shepherd took longer than the other MCs from the other books. His coldness and general lack of empathy towards most people was still prominent, but it was slightly less asshole-coded. Then again, Algerone was just as evil as he was in the last book (which, inevitably, threw so much of Shepherd's actions int eh previous books into a new light in this one).

I like and didn't like the fact that this book took place during books two and three. Again, it was interesting to see Shepherd's reasons behind his actions in those books, but I also felt like I was constantly waiting for the timeline to catch up. Then again, that could have been the fact that the book was 650 pages.

Trigger Warnings: cults and religious trauma, cannibalism, stalking, gun violence, conversion therapy, past sexual assault, homophobia, homelessness, incest and child sexual assault by a (villian) family member, torture, violence, murder, blood, gore, imprisonment, kidnapping, and more. 

#bodycount #skindeep #viciouscycle #bodyandsoul #heroworship #playingwithfire #vitalsigns #waywardsons #waywardsonsseries #leveland #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Vicious Cycle (Wayward Sons #3)

Here's "Vicious Cycle" by L Eveland. It's the third novel in the Wayward Sons series.

["I’m a rabid dog that only one man can tame.

After springing me from the psych hospital, my brothers sold me to a group of assassins posing as mechanics. Forced to work in their garage, I’m biding my time, waiting for my chance to escape, this time for good. I’ve got people to kill.

The only thing in my way is Boone Calhoun, their charismatic leader. He likes to pretend he’s untouchable, but I know his weakness. A whisper here, a fleeting touch there and I’ll have him begging to please me.

Seducing my captor without falling for him should be easy, but something’s wrong. I can’t help but crave his touch, even as I hate him for it.

But I will have my vengeance against the people who hurt me. No one’s going to stop me. Not the Laskins, not the voices in my head, and certainly not the irresistible man holding me prisoner."]

Well fuck..If that prologue didn't get me to start speed-reading the book, the first chapter had me forgiving Xion for practically everything (and wanting to wrap him up in a blanket and give him some cocoa (oops, how'd that knife get in his cocoa?)).

But seriously, these two were sooo much more complicated than those first images we got of them in the previous novel. Which is what I said about War, too. I love how we judge these characters and maybe dislike them in the books that aren’t their HEAs, but in their books, I’m weak for them. That’s some first class characterization and compartmentalization  

And another this-got-complicated-fast book. Fuck, we’re in the junkyard where the toughest obstacle is their feelings for each other and how their baggage plays into that then we’re thrown into a whole other world with much higher stakes. 

Not unhappy with this brand of crazy though. Boone and Xion’s as well as all of these brothers. 

Trigger Warnings: schizophrenia, blood, violence, murder, human trafficking, auditory hallucinations, breif mention of self-harm, references to an off-page suicide, flashback to a deadly car accident, alcoholism in a MC, death of a parental figure, child abuse, child abandonment, child sexual assault, child abuse in a psychiatric setting, torture, underage alcohol consumption, animal death (on page), PTSD, serious injury/traumatic brain injury in MC, kidnapping and imprisonment, and more. 

#bodycount #skindeep #viciouscycle #bodyandsoul #heroworship #playingwithfire #vitalsigns #waywardsons #waywardsonsseries #leveland #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Skin Deep (Wayward Sons #2)

Here's "Skin Deep" by L Eveland. It's the second novel in the Wayward Sons series.

["I’ll protect what’s mine, even if it tears this family apart.

My life is a mess, a nightmare for a man obsessed with cleanliness. As the eldest, it’s my job to protect my murderous brothers while maintaining appearances as a successful plastic surgeon.

Everyone thinks I’ve got my life together, but I’m secretly falling apart. I needed a purpose, something beyond killing to live for.

And then I meet Pax, another vigilante. I crave his pain, his praise, his touch like a drug. The chemistry between us is undeniable, but it can’t last. I’m too broken, and he deserves better.

Even if I can’t have him, I’ll protect him and his daughters from everyone—especially my own family. They know something about this killer Pax and I are hunting, but no one’s talking and the closer we get to the truth, the more familiar blood I have to shed. By the time I’ve closed this case, I might not have a family left to protect."]

War was sooo much more complex than we saw from the first book. His character was sooo layered and so well thought out. He was just a broken boy who needed to be the hero for someone but couldn’t barely hold himself up anymore. 

Pax had been through hell, a few times. But he was the sunshine and the rock to lean on that War needed. He held him up and pushed back and helped heal him. All the while giving him the love he didn’t think he deserved and the family he didn’t think he’d ever get. 

Plus a lot of family shit. Soooo much family drama. And so much more incoming, based on that last chapter. I want to wrap so many of these boys up in blankets. 

Trigger Warnings: dubcon, drugging and kidnapping, torture, homophobia, misogyny, racism, OCD related eating disorder, OCD, knife and blood play, refrences to suicide and loss of a spouse, brief suicidal ideation, self-harm scars, past child abandonment, and more.

#bodycount #skindeep #viciouscycle #bodyandsoul #heroworship #playingwithfire #vitalsigns #waywardsons #waywardsonsseries #leveland #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Body Count (Wayward Sons #1)

Here's "Body Count" by L Eveland. It's the first novel in the Wayward Sons series.

["Death is his business, and I live to serve.

Theo
Mortician River Laskin is a monster, a narcissistic sociopath with blood on his hands, but he’s also my savior.
When he rescues me from a human trafficking ring, the last thing on my mind is vengeance. I need to pull my life together and figure out how to survive in a world where I don’t exist. Without someone to tell me what to do, I’m lost. River is all I have to cling to, the only thing that makes sense in this terrifying new world.
But he and his family of murderous psychopaths have other plans, mafia connections, and murder on their minds.

River
I knew from the moment I saw him that Theo was mine. Mine to protect, mine to break, mine to put back together again.
My favorite toy.
I will use every resource at my disposal to find the men who hurt him and make them pay, whether he wants me to or not. It’s not up to him.
I’ll burn every bridge, turn over every stone, dig up every body until I get what I want.
And what I want now is vengeance for Theo. The Devil himself couldn’t stop me. I dare him to try."]

This was dark and utterly delightful. A psychopath who has no clue how to emote, let alone human, let alone take care of a human he just "adopted." A broken boy never introduced to society who thinks everything and everyone is a threat. Except the psychopath threat is offering to protect him from all the other threats. Even though he is big on sexual consent, he's not big on, you know, kidnapping consent. 

These two were adorable and perfect for each other. Both a little broken. Both a lot lonely. Both looking for something all their own, safe and never leaving. Turns out, that psychopath is a huge fucking mushroom nerd and that broken boy just needed some choices (and some musicals and cuddles). 

This family is...a lot. They're Mulvaney's but less organized (and, quite arguably, more neuro-spicy). They're all broken and all "crazy" and all desperately wanting what River/Theo have, even if they won't admit it. Here's to more secretly nerdy psychos/socios getting their HEA, as messy and unconventional as it will all be. 

Trigger Warnings: child trafficking, sexual abuse of minors, physical abuse, violence, blood, torture of antagonists, drug and alcohol references including references to overdoses, reference to child abuse and neglect, PTSD/C-PTSD, OCD, DID, schizophrenia, suicidal ideation, blood/knife play

#bodycount #skindeep #viciouscycle #bodyandsoul #heroworship #playingwithfire #vitalsigns #waywardsons #waywardsonsseries #leveland #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Detective Baby: Dance Team Drama

Here's "Detective Baby: Dance Team Drama." It was written by Meg Cabot and illustrated by Amelia Allore.

["Jenny isn’t your average babysitter. She has a secret superpower—she can understand baby talk. (A pretty lame superpower for a middle schooler, if you ask her.)

Rosie isn’t your average baby—she’s the most brilliant (and devious) detective in town.

Jenny would rather do anything besides babysit. But the money she raised for her dance team has been stolen—and Rosie is sure she can crack the case."]

Honestly, when I first heard about this book, I thought it was ridiculous. How is baby-talk a superpower? Why is a baby a detective? 

Honestly x2, this book was highly entertaining. It was funny and clever. It was mysterious. It was silly. It taught about friendship and lying and secrets and not being (too) embarrassed by who you are, even if who you are is a super-secret-baby-talk-whisperer. 

And honestly x3, I can't wait for the next one. 

#detectivebaby #detectivebabydanceteamdrama #danceteamdrama #detectivebabyseries #megcabot #ameliaallore #books #childrensbooks #middlegradenovel #middlegradegraphicnovel #graphicnovel #earlyreader #earlyreadergraphicnovel  #picturebooks #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

An Octopus Named Houdini

Here's "An Octopus Named Houdini." It was written by Zana Fraillon and illustrated by Corinna Luyken.

["All day long we can hear
that Sea howl prowling wild
inside our brains and every part of us is straining
to feel it taste it twirl it whirl it swirl it
inside our body
again.

Houdini the octopus lives in an aquarium, but she misses her home in the wild Sea. She doesn’t like the visitors who bang on her tank. Or the way she can’t feel the sun on her skin or the wind rippling the water. It’s a dull existence for a creature with nine brains.

Then one day she meets someone who is different than the others. Juno’s busy brain buzzes with so many questions and thoughts that Houdini’s skin tingles with wonder.

But the singing of the Sea is growing stronger and harder to resist. Can Houdini make Juno understand what she needs before it’s too late?"]

This book was beautiful. It was equal parts powerful and devastating. It was informative and inspiring. It was, I'm told, reminiscent of "Remarkably Bright Creatures." 

This book was about finding home and getting home and being home. It was about found family but also about freedom. It was about temporary safety but the dangerous choices leading to freedom winning out. It was about sympathy and empathy. It was about your heart not listening to your head.

It was also a novel in verse, and it flowed (ha, pun not originally intended). It was slow at first, but as soon as we met Juno, the book picked up. After that, I couldn't put it down. 

#anoctopusnamedhoudini #zanafraillon #corinnaluyken #books #childrensbooks #middlegradenovel #novelsinverse #middlegradepoetry #picturebooks #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

All Ghosts Aren't Dead (The Forgotten #1)

Here's "All Ghosts Aren't Dead" by April Jade. It's the first novel in her The Forgotten series.

["He was half corpse, half human.
A ghost, but also a god.

I found him blood-soaked and silent, covered in scars and sitting in sin. It was my job to train to him—to mold him into a weapon the mafia deemed useful.

The Forgotten wasn’t a place that offered comfort—we provided control. Pain with a purpose. Power that couldn’t be taken.

Blue was just like the others… until he wasn’t.

I dedicated most of my life to studying humans—peeling back their layers until only their true selves remained. I knew enough about monsters to know, on some level, I was one.

Blue wasn’t a man nor a monster.
No.
He was mine."]

Reading this because of a single teaser/scene I saw recently (and because April's other books are fabulous).

Pretty sure this quote was my constant reaction throughout the novel: “Behind us, Bay let out a strangled noise. ‘I have so many emotions. None of them are appropriate.’” There was just soooo much giggling and fan-girl-kicking (from me—but also Bay (and the others)). 

This book was SO good. It was all about found family and strength and rebuilding yourself and overcoming trauma and finding love and finding hope and finding home. These two were...unconventionally but utterly perfect for each other. And I kinda love how no one called them on how fast it was or how unethical it was; they just let them comfort each other and heal each other. 

I canNOT wait for more from this series. There better be more. I want all of these broken but trying sooo hard boys to get their HEA. 

Trigger Warnings: graphic depictions of child abuse, religious trauma and cult-like indoctrination, self-harm ideation, ptsd and trauma-related behaviors, discussions of dyslexia s a source of trauma, touch aversion/childhood trauma, violence, murder, and more.

#allghostsarentdead #theforgotten #theforgottenseries #apriljade #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

The Pirate Captain's Bargain

Here's Amy Padilla's latest: "The Pirate Captain's Bargain."

["Will
I’ve spent my whole life in service to others. The Davenport children are the closest thing I have to family, so when our ship is attacked by a notoriously cutthroat pirate captain, I do what I must to protect them. Pirates are known for cruelty, and I refuse to leave the girls at the mercy of criminals. So I make the captain a deal: in exchange for information worth a fortune, he’ll see the children returned safely to their father untouched.
I expect that to be the end of it. Instead, the captain offers me a place aboard his ship as his cabin boy so I can remain with my charges until they’re returned home. He thinks he’s demanding my servitude. He doesn’t realize he’s handing me my freedom.

Damon
When we overtake a merchant ship in the Caribbean, I expect cargo worth stealing and little else. Instead, I find a manservant standing between my crew and his charges with a spine of steel and damned carving knife for protection.
Most men would beg for mercy.
Will negotiates.
Amused by his boldness—and intrigued despite myself—I offer him a position aboard my ship. Serve as my cabin boy, and he can remain at the children’s side until I collect their ransom and return them home.
It should’ve been a simple arrangement.
Then Will steps aboard my ship… and proves far too bold, stubborn, and spirited to remain just a simple cabin boy."]

Who DOESN'T love a good pirate book? With some angst and protectiveness and mutual pining and sly sweetness and smexy times?!? This is all of that and more. Plus a visit or two to Tortuga. ;) 

The pirates were ruthless and cruel at first, but as Will got to know them, as we got to know them, they were big softies. A found family of mismatched, once-lost men. Who welcomed Will into their folds and taught him how to actually take care of himself and his charges. Who made him feel safe..eventually. Who gave him his freedom and a purpose and a home. 

#thepiratecaptain'sbargain #amypadilla #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Fangs and Fur (Moonfell Vamps #1)

Here is "Fangs and Fur" by Kennedy Esther. It's the first novel in the Moonfell Vamps series.

["Noah is running.

From a toxic ex, and from a life that never felt like his. So when a single roommate listing appears in a mountain town he’s never heard of, he takes it without question.

Yet it’s his roommate, Xander, who’s mysterious in ways Noah can’t explain. He works strange hours, disappears before sunrise, and is entirely too attractive to be considered human.

Beyond Xander’s charming looks and Moonfell’s cozy cafes, something is wrong. People are going missing. Lurking in the forest, darkness is brewing.

It’s hunting Noah, and the scent of his soul.

To save him, Xander will have to face his greatest fears.

And Noah will have to decide if loving a monster is worth becoming one."]

Insta-lust. Insta-love. Insta-cat-bffs. Insta-vampire-mansion-vibes. Insta-creepy-shadows (and not the fun kind).

These two were sooo soft with each other. Their love story was easy and wonderful. They communicated, they checked in, they constantly reassured each other. They were protective without being over the top. They were sassy and sweet. They build a home, a family.

They also fought evil. So there's that. A few different kinds of evil. I didn't cry, you did (no, I sobbed).

I canNOT wait for more! All of these vampires will fall in love?! Yes please. I also am going to need a Tyler/Cole HEA, just saying. 

Trigger Warnings: toxic exes, threats, violence, homophobia, murder,  and more.

#fangsandfur #moonfellvamps #moonfellvampsseries #kennedyesther #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Hush, Little Baby

Here is E Baileu's "Hush, Little Baby".

["Charlie Palmer was only supposed to stay for an hour.

Color a picture. Watch a movie. Pretend he wasn’t falling apart.

Instead, he fell asleep… and woke up in the arms of a man who decided he belonged to him.

Nikolaus Makris doesn’t do temporary.

He doesn’t do casual.

And when he finds Charlie alone in the littles’ room—soft, hurting, and unprotected—he makes a decision that will change both their lives forever.

Charlie thinks he’s being taken.

Nikolaus knows he’s being rescued.

Too bad Charlie hasn’t realized it yet.

But Nikolaus is patient.

And very, very good at taking care of what’s his.

Hush, little baby… you’re home now."]

Saw an ARC review for this book yesterday and had suuuch a hard time waiting for today to come around so I could read it. This was soooo cute and adorable and dark and perfect. 

It was all about trust, trusting yourself and trusting change. It was kindness, in all forms. It was adorable moments filled to the absolute brim with fluff and sweetness. It was spice and sass. It was sudden cliffhangers that made me too shocked to cry (and then cry a lot).

Trigger Warnings: manipulation in little space, dubcon, kidnapping, poor body image, abduction of MC by SCs resulting in graphic physical and sexual violence, discussion and depictions of undiagnosed chronic illness, vomiting, gun violence, and more. 

#hushlittlebaby #ebaileu #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Alpha Dragon Steals a Mate (Babies for Broken Dads #7)

Here is Anna Wineheart's latest: "Alpha Dragon Steals a Mate." It's the seventh novel in her series, Babies for Broken Dads (which is a spin-off series from her Closet Baby Chronicles series...which is also a spin-off series).

["Battered and barely recovered, wolf omega Ottis is on the run.

It's a bad idea. His leg never healed right, and his pup is with him. All he wants is some peace, away from the wrathful ex tracking him down.

When a dragon steals Ottis and brings him home, Ottis goes willingly. Doc provides him with food and shelter; he's strong enough to protect Ottis and his pup.

But the one thing Ottis knows for sure: Nothing can happen between him and Doc. He has bad luck with mates, and Doc will be no different. Even if the alpha has the gentlest hands, and a mask that hides secrets of his own.

Ottis isn't going to fall in love. He isn't.

And then he goes into heat."]

These two were perfect for each other. They were warm and comfortable, they were sassy and silly, they were protective and kind. They healed each other. They helped each other break down those walls. Not to mention the totally consensual and quite frankly hilarious kidnapping meet-cute. 

I love this universe. It's all about friendship and support, falling fast and falling true, building the family you've always wanted. It's so much teasing but soo much love. 

I canNOT wait for Bruiser and Uriel. The next book is stillll not them. I guess we'll have to be tortured with other fabulous books until their's comes. 

Trigger Warnings: past domestic violence, past unhealthy student/teacher relationship, and more.

#theaccidentaldragonbaby #demonbassbabyload #alphadragonsmatingcontract #guardedbyhisalphawolf #alphabossbabyservice #alphabossbabyservice #alphadragonstealsamate #babiesforbrokendads #babiesforbrokendadsseries #annawineheart #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

July'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 June's Book Shape Challenge! Cancer!!

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

Home Ice

Here's the latest from Saxon James: "Home Ice."

["TAI
Ten years ago, I made the biggest mistake of my life.
When Hawke left for the NHL and my hockey dreams went up in smoke, I ghosted my best and longest friend. It made sense at the time, but there hasn’t been a day where I haven’t missed him.
So when we run into each other again, and his only response is “Do I know you?”, I know I deserve it. But I refuse to let one mistake keep us apart forever. Especially when he has bigger problems, and I’m in a position to help him.

JENSEN
All I wanted this offseason was to spend my time relaxing–not getting an emergency phone call from Mom to come home. My hometown is full of too many memories of me and Tai so I avoid returning there as much as I can.
But now I have one more memory to add to the list: my high school girlfriend.
And the kid we apparently had together.
Kasen hates me and thinks I abandoned them, and my only way to get to him is through his coach. My ex-best friend. The friend that has been impossible to forget. No matter how much I’ve tried."]

TO BE UPDATED SOON

Trigger Warnings:

#arc #arcteammember #forewordpr
#homeice #saxonjames #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Beautiful Chaos (Wildlings #3)

Here's "Beautiful Chaos" by Kelly Fox. It's the fourth novel in the Wildlings series, which is within the Wrecked universe. 

["I might be falling for a psychopath. My doctorate in Complex Psychopathy makes this a serious conflict of interest.

Silas and I are Wildlings—a chaotic crew of cousins and found family. Now that we're all grown up, we've joined the Guardians, our family's illegal vigilante operation in the Texas Hill Country. And Silas? He’s our most dangerous asset.

I've been fascinated by him ever since I found out he existed. Twenty years ago, the Guardians discovered him as a child in a genetics lab. He'd been created in a petri dish, made to resemble a terrifying old wives tale.

He's also half a foot shorter and a hundred pounds lighter than me. Doesn't matter. He's still the scariest thing in any room. Yet he likes it when I’m in control.

Good news: my sister thinks we're cute together. Bad news: my dad killed the man responsible for Silas's terrifying genetics.
Worse news: my fathers hate the man I should not be sleeping with."]

Beautiful and devastating. It was an exploration of trust and kindness, of goodness and friendship. It was glorious. It was also filled with so much self-doubt and broken friendships and misguided hate. 

A glorious ending (though there was some plot cliffhangers?) to a wonderful series!!!

Trigger Warnings: graphic violence (the bad guys deserve it), murder as foreplay, foreplay as prelude to murder, murder-y levels as cuteness aggression, PTSD flashbacks, mentions of human trafficking, animal cruelty, unethical genetic manipulation, and more. 

#casualfelonies #unlawfuldesires #beautifulchaos #wildlings #wildlingsseries #wreckedguardians #wreckedguardiansseries #wrecked #wreckedseries #wreckeduniverse #kellyfox #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks