Paper Snowflakes (Valentine's Inc Snowed In #2)

Yet another deviation from my TBR piles, but again, this series (Snowed In) is linked to the Valentine's Inc series, much like the Cruises series. The second book in this series is titled "Paper Snowflakes," and it's by Sammi Cee. 

["Who knew a white-out could bring two men clarity?

Cameron
There’s something about an older man that drives me wild, but when he’s an amazing father too... swoon-worthy. After avoiding my secret crush for months, Mother Nature steps in and gives me a nudge—the question is, am I brave enough to take my shot?

Ryan
Raising a kindergartener at forty-eight leaves me no time or energy for emotional attachments, just random hook-ups. At least that’s what I think until I get snowed in with the luscious—much younger—teacher.

While snowflakes are falling, there’s a dog to be walked, a snowman to build, and a fire to snuggle by. Maybe finding forever isn’t as complicated as they thought."]

This book was soooooo damn goooood! Like it just flowed, and they just meshed, and it was just so damn sweet! And when the book title came into play? Tears. The relationship between Cameron and Ryan was sweet enough, but add in the kid and Ryan's family and Cameron's friend? So. Many. LOLs. 

Literally one of the best books I've read in a while. My only critique? A little more steam.

#papersnowflakes #sammicee

#makesnowmistake #snowregrets #snowdaze #snowjob #snowflakekisses #snowwayout #aintsnowmountainhighenough #snowonelikeyou #snowwayinhell #snowedin #snowedinseries #valentinesincsnowedin #valentinesincsnowedinseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Make Snow Mistake (Valentine's Inc Snowed In #1)

Yet another deviation from my TBR piles, but again, this series (Snowed In) is linked to the Valentine's Inc series, much like the Cruises series. The first book in this series is titled "Make Snow Mistake," and it's by Michelle Frost. 

["Unable to make people see past the scar on his face and the teenage mistake that put it there, Cody feels stifled in his small town. When his high school crush, who never knew he existed, blows into his family diner in a swirl of biker leather with a white-out storm on his heels, they end up trapped alone. With Eben’s dark eyes on him, can Cody be brave for the first time in years and take a chance at the life he wants or will he allow everyone else’s limitations to bury him—heavy as the falling snow."]

This was really cute! A lot of the story happened actually after the snowed in part passed, but it was fun. I mean, not all fun, there was some dark stuff, but Eben and Cody made such a cute and easy couple. There was some spice and some fluff. It was a good balance of spreading your wings to new stuff as well as learning how you are and what you want.

And not I really want to read the rest of the Iron Heretics series.

#makesnowmistake #michellefrost

#papersnowflakes #snowregrets #snowdaze #snowjob #snowflakekisses #snowwayout #aintsnowmountainhighenough #snowonelikeyou #snowwayinhell #snowedin #snowedinseries #valentinesincsnowedin #valentinesincsnowedinseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Abandoning Ship (Valentine's Inc Cruises #7)

Okay, yes, another deviation from my TBR piles, but in all fairness, this series (Cruises) is linked to the Valentine's Inc series (a lot of the same authors were invited to contribute, the whole cupid company idea is the same, and a lot of the side characters in the original series are now main characters in this one) and each book has a cute ship-themed title. The seven book in this series is titled "Abandoning Ship," and it's by Susan Hawke. 

["When the seas of love grow choppy, sometimes the best course is to abandon ship!

Two years ago, Ryan Abernathy was too tongue-tied, too introverted, and entirely too nervous to flirt with his hot but presumably straight new roommate. So when Ryan’s sister swooped in and scooped the hottie up for herself, he accepted his fate and kept his crush a secret.

Sawyer Muller never meant to find himself in a fake relationship with his sexy roommate's sister. And how was he supposed to know that Ryan would become his bestie and star in way too many of his dreams?

Things get complicated when Julia Abernathy strikes a deal with Sawyer to upgrade from fake boyfriend to groom, though they only need to stay married long enough for her to get her trust fund. They plan a fun cruise ship wedding with her entire family in tow. Sawyer figures it sounds like an adventure, and when they quietly divorce later, he’ll finally be free of all the fakery.

With Julia and Ryan’s homophobic, snooty family present, the pressure is turned up… especially when Sawyer finds himself jilted at the altar and drowning in a sea of blame. His only life preserver is the Abernathy sibling he can’t admit to wanting… Ryan."]

There was a really awkward first kiss, a strip-shuffleboard game, and a record-breaking group wedding. Plus a lot of homophobic language and accident prone-ness and standing up for yourself and falling so easily in love it's almost unreal.

Julia was morally grey, but deep down, she had great intentions. And Sawyer, god, I thought Ryan would be the dorky and adorable one; Sawyer was just clumsy and so sweet.

#abandoningship #susanhawke

#shipwork #shippingorders #shiphappens #battleship #luckoftheship #shippingthecaptain #shippingourloves #shipoff #upshipcreek #cruises #cruisesinc #valentinesinccruises #valentinesinccruisesseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Ship Off (Valentine's Inc Cruises #9)

Okay, yes, another deviation from my TBR piles, but in all fairness, this series (Cruises) is linked to the Valentine's Inc series (a lot of the same authors were invited to contribute, the whole cupid company idea is the same, and a lot of the side characters in the original series are now main characters in this one) and each book has a cute ship-themed title. The ninth book in this series is titled "Ship Off," and it's by Michelle Frost. 

["Ben
Free spirit. Nomad. Drifter. Those are the labels my family always threw at me. I’ve been on my own and on the road—nothing but me and my motorcycle—for a long time now and that’s the way I like it. When an old friend badgers me into going on a singles cruise, I moan and groan through the whole thing until I find myself in the middle of perfect blue water, getting to know the most beautiful—and uptight man—I’ve ever met.

Silas

My twin sister, Simone, is pure evil. Why else would she force a mandatory vacation from our co-owned bakery on me? While I don’t agree that I’m too high-strung, I will admit that my anxiety does sometimes get the best of me. But a singles cruise? I don’t want or have time for a relationship despite what she might think. I give in and go on the cruise, not expecting anything except plenty of sunshine and all the cocktails my drink package will allow, when the perfect stranger settles into the seat next to me and takes my breath away. The only problem? We couldn’t be more opposite if we tried."]

Short and sweet. There wasn't really much of a fight when they realized they chemistry and the attraction between them was real and mutual. It was beautiful. They were a bit opposite, but they still matched pretty damn well.

#shipoff #michellefrost

#shipwork #shippingorders #shiphappens #battleship #luckoftheship #shippingthecaptain #abandoningship #shippingourloves #upshipcreek #cruises #cruisesinc #valentinesinccruises #valentinesinccruisesseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Shipping The Captain (Valentine's Inc Cruises #6)

Okay, yes, another deviation from my TBR piles, but in all fairness, this series (Cruises) is linked to the Valentine's Inc series (a lot of the same authors were invited to contribute, the whole cupid company idea is the same, and a lot of the side characters in the original series are now main characters in this one) and each book has a cute ship-themed title. The sixth book in this series is titled "Shipping The Captain," and it's by Nora Phoenix. 

["Brantley Phipps doesn’t need a boyfriend. In his line of work, relationships are impossible. All he wants is one night of fun before he starts his three-month rotation as Assistant Hotel Director on a cruise ship.

He scores the jackpot with a hot older guy who hits all his yes, please buttons and who wants the same thing as him. Talk about a night to remember. That should last him a while…

Until he discovers that his one-night stand is none other than the legendary Captain Silver Fox aka his boss for the next three months. Oops.

Still, it shouldn’t be an issue because Brantley doesn’t do coworkers and Fox is known for being strict as hell about not dating employees. That should make things easy, if not for that pesky attraction that keeps flaring up whenever they're in the same room.

It's gonna be a long three months..."]

Another amazing and fabulous addition to the series. Their chemistry was off the charts and so compatible right from the start.

It only made sense that the connect got stronger and stronger as they navigated this relationship-not-a-relationship thing. 

And it just made it harder when they wanted all the same things but the rules of the job prevented it from existing in the first place.

#shippingthecaptain #noraphoenix

#shipwork #shippingorders #shiphappens #battleship #luckoftheship #abandoningship #shippingourloves #shipoff #upshipcreek #cruises #cruisesinc #valentinesinccruises #valentinesinccruisesseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Shipping Orders (Valentine's Inc Cruises #2)

Okay, yes, another deviation from my TBR piles, but in all fairness, this series (Cruises) is linked to the Valentine's Inc series (a lot of the same authors were invited to contribute, the whole cupid company idea is the same, and a lot of the side characters in the original series are now main characters in this one) and each book has a cute ship-themed title. The second book in this series is titled "Shipping Orders," and it's by Ashe Winters. 

["A happy ever after is not in the cards for me. But a short fling aboard a ship crossing the Atlantic might just be exactly what I need.

When my friends suggest I take a much-needed vacation on their Valentine’s Inc. hosted cruise, I leap at the chance. I don’t have a lot of expectations for this matchmaking singles cruise—I’m certainly not looking for a future Mr. Chase Kelton.

What I’m not prepared for is walking into my assigned suite to find a man passed out on the first day. I recognized the shy barista immediately. He’s been serving me my morning fix for a year and driving me crazy with the hard shell he keeps locked around him. I want to break it. I know there’s an entirely different man beneath it that I’m itching to reveal.

Reign is the proverbial fish out of water, and when I learn the real reason he’s on this cruise, I see an opportunity I can’t resist. He needs a companion to show him the ropes—I can do that and so much more."]

This book was sooooooo good! There was just so many layers to it! All of the fluff and steam, all of the protectiveness and second-hand embarrassment, all of the secrets and taking chances. It was just W O W.

Chase and Reign just clicked. They wanted the same things in a relationship, even if neither were actually looking for one. Their personalities, desires, dreams, all of it just matched or puzzle-pieced together. It was far from easy, especially when your biggest barrier is yourself, but (spoiler alert), they made it work. ;)

#shippingorders #ashewinters

#shipwork #shiphappens #battleship #luckoftheship #shippingthecaptain #abandoningship #shippingourloves #shipoff #upshipcreek #cruises #cruisesinc #valentinesinccruises #valentinesinccruisesseries #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

September 1st

It's that time of year again, September 1st. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is official back in session for yet another year of learning (just learning because Harry and all the powers that want him dead have moved on).

Let's celebrate with dreaming of fall weather (sweaters, colored leaves, cups of tea) and Halloween (ghosts, black cats, magical spells).
Let's talk about learning (new things, new people, new places) and making friends (shared passions, shared histories, shared).
Let's remember dark, lonely days (the cupboard under the stairs, knowing nothing and no one, those long walks around Black Lake) and horrible people with misplaced intentions or downright psychopathic tendencies (Durselys, Dumbledore, Tom Riddle). 
Let's always be open to people of all shapes and sizes and backgrounds. Let's invite everyone to share some Butterbeer or treacle tart or pumpkin pasties. Let's be as we are, simple as that.

Let's get back to the roots of our love and nostalgia of the series, knowing that the creator is far from what we all assumed, knowing that she doesn't have any of those collective/accepting feelings for absolutely everyone, knowing that it has ruined all of this pure love for oh so many.
Let's get back to the tea leaves and death day parties, to the first place we've felt was home and to the first people who took that away, to the teaming up to take down evil and to the littlest details that made it a universe.

Today, I'm celebrating my love of Harry Potter and Hogwarts. I'm talking about my favorite fanart and headcanons. I'm remembering my most loved scenes and quirky characters. I'm always open to new fans, to old fans finding their way back despite how the fandom's founder tried to ruin it all like a certain nose-less genocidal maniac. I'm inviting you to share your love, your favorites, your most loved. 

Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus, y'all.

#hogwarts #harrypotter #philosophersstone #chamberofsecrets #prisonerofazkaban #gobletoffire #orderofthephoenix #halfbloodprince #deathlyhallows #jkrowling #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks