Smolder (Drake Security book 2)

Mika Nix is the combined paranormal alter egos of K.M. Neuhold and Mia Monroe (their words--they also added bestselling, just saying). Mika's debut series is the Drake Security books, and it's second book is titled "Smolder."

["I was hired to protect him, but will our smoldering attraction ignite into love?
When my hot headed brother found his fated mate, a deep, aching desire opened up inside of me for my own. Everyone knows dragons are covetous, jealous… possessive. I am all of these things, but never more so than when I set my eyes on Dempsey for the first time.

Beautiful. Awkward. Sweet. Shy. Perfect. My dragon wants to wrap himself around him the moment he bumps into me outside of his antique shop. Dempsey, however, is not as keen on that idea as my inner beast is.
He hired Drake Security for protection, and he needs it even more than he realized. Unfortunately, we specialize in brute strength and burning sh*t to the ground, and the problem Dempsey has is way out of our league.
Is he my fated mate or am I just so desperate for one that I’m falling for him too fast? Either way, I’ll move heaven and hell to protect him, even if the forces that are after him are unlike anything I’ve dealt with before.
I’ve spent thousands of years hoarding books and storing their words close to my heart. Will the love stories that live inside my soul be enough to woo him? Is it too much to hope that fate has chosen him for me?"]

I liked the first book a lot better than this one, but this one was still so fun and sweet and spicy. There was a secret, magical danger lurking around, and Dempsey wasn't sold on his attraction to Hemingway (or Hemingway's attraction to him). But after some danger and dragons almost-hulking-out and romance in London, they slowly started to figure a few things out. 

I can't wait for the rest of the series. I need all of these brothers to find love.

#hothead #smolder #drakesecurity #drakesecurityseries #mikanix #kmneuhold #miamonroe #paranormal #books #queerbooks #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Hot Head (Drake Security book 1)

Mika Nix is the combined paranormal alter egos of K.M. Neuhold and Mia Monroe (their words--they also added bestselling, just saying). Mika's debut series is the Drake Security books, and it's first book is titled "Hot Head."

["Protecting him is my job. Finding out he’s my fated mate wasn’t part of the assignment.
Lake Forrester III entered my life like a wrecking ball. Drake Security, my firm with my brothers, was hired to protect him from a stalker ex, but what Lake doesn’t know is that he’s not dealing with your average unhinged human. The unhinged wolf shifter he unknowingly dated will stop at nothing to get Lake in his clutches.
Just another day in the life of a dragon body guard.
The one thing I never expected was for Lake to be my fated mate. To say my protective instincts are on overdrive is an understatement. I’ll move mountains to keep him safe and delight in tearing the wolf apart with my bare hands if he gets too close to my mate. If it unleashes all out war with the wolf packs, so be it. I never claimed to be the level headed one.
In the meantime, my only focus is Lake and his safety. If anyone hurts him, it’ll be the last thing they do. My dragon will make sure of it."]

This book was sooo goooooood!! D: I don’t even know where to start. The characters (Lake and Nico, but also Nico’s brothers), the bond (instant but confusing and thrilling), the dragon (which was basically its own character), the hoard room (because dragons), the fluff (and the steam!)!!! I want more. Now. I want more from Mika and more from Lake (he’s fucking iconic). I just want. 

So. Good. So good.

#hothead #smolder #drakesecurity #drakesecurityseries #mikanix #kmneuhold #miamonroe #paranormal #books #queerbooks #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Facts, Smacts (Fast Break #2)

I really suck at making and sticking to my reading plans for the day... Instead of reading what I had intended or what I had already on my Kindle, I downloaded two new series to binge-read. Here's Becca Seymour's "Fact, Smacts!" (part of her Fast Break series).

["It’s not my agility that catches basketball player Tyron Channing's attention. It can’t be when he found me grazed and hurt after an embarrassing slip. But my oh my, his breath-catching growls and him hauling me off my ass with a question that makes my head spin: Who did this to you? — make me dizzy with want.

Between his intensity and his sweetness, he turns me into a melted puddle of goo, which isn’t as gross as it sounds. And who knew I liked my men to wield facts like they’re as essential as oxygen, all while being so smart that sometimes his brain-to-mouth function has no filter?

There’s something else you need to know about Tyron. He’s all in and holds nothing back from our new friendship. Because that’s totally what this is, right? Carrying my bag to classes, handing me my favorite coffee when I least expect it, being my defender, and introducing me to his teammates... they’re all normal actions when people become study partners. I’ll keep telling myself that—anything more with Tyron seems impossible.

That doesn't stop me from fantasizing or holding out hope that one day, Tyron will see me as more than the geeky math nerd who just happens to have caught his attention."]

Oh my GOD!! D: If I thought that the fluff in the first book was strong, this book!!!! I'm dying. I'm dead. It was so much sweetness and love and protectiveness and support. 

Also, the first few chapters were hilarious. Tyron totally thought they were dating, and Logan...totally didn't. It was sweet and really fun to watch play out from one POV to the other.

AlsoAlso, there needs to be more books in this series. I'm not done yet with these lovable basketball playing dorks. 

#rulesschmules #factsmacts #fastbreak #fastbreakseries #beccaseymour #books #queerbooks #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Rules, Schmules! (Fast Break #1)

I really suck at making and sticking to my reading plans for the day... Instead of reading what I had intended or what I had already on my Kindle, I downloaded two new series to binge-read. Here's Becca Seymour's "Rules, Schmules!" (part of her Fast Break series).

["The first Zone Defense series spin-off with a rule-following basketball player and an unimpressed twink who thinks rules are made to be obliterated.

It’s not my milkshake that brings Kieran Kendall to my yard. Okay, maybe it’s a little bit my milkshake. But I also like to think it’s my dazzling personality and my magical… uhm… you get the idea.

Since meeting Kieran, my first, second, and admittedly third impressions of him have changed radically. Not surprising, since he was a prize D during at least two of those encounters. What I should be doing is running from the college basketball star who checks so many of my dream-guy boxes. But do you know how hard it is to find a hot guy who’s as smart as he is talented?

And I’m not just talking about his talent on the basketball court. Heck no.

It’s easy to get distracted by him, because of him, yet as far as he’s concerned, I’m the one who’s a distraction and throwing his carefully constructed plans out of whack.

I should be sorry. I should also be better at guarding my heart.

But Kieran Kendall is under my skin, and getting him to break his rules is far too much fun."]

The sexual tension was fucking real. As was the internal struggles. They both wanted it but couldn't have it (for different reasons). And then, when they finally caved, there was a whole new series of rules to stick to. More time together, more rules. More relationship territory, more rules. More in love...time to break the rules. Also, I think meet-uglys are more entertaining and fun than meet-cutes (or like two or three meet-uglies...).

It was a little back and forth-y for me with their reservations and insecurities, but I can't really judge a person on those (even a fictional one). And the book overall could have been shorter, but then we wouldn't have gotten nearly as much fluff and friendship and character growth and cavity-inducing fluff (yeah, I said fluff twice; unless you met these two, you don't know).

I will be adding the rest of Becca's books to my list soon (I just can't do too much closeted characters in one sitting or I get too sad and too angry at the world).

#rulesschmules #factsmacts #fastbreak #fastbreakseries #beccaseymour #books #queerbooks #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

The Fae Princes (Vicious Lost Boys #4)

I've been waiting for the fourth and final Vicious Lost Boys novel to come out, and it finally did! Here's Nikki St. Crowe's "The Fae Princes."

["I thought Peter Pan was a myth and Neverland a fairytale. A story spun by my mother who had lost her mind a long time ago.
But there was no denying the overwhelming shadow cast by Peter Pan when he was standing in my house.
Pan took me captive to Neverland and I somehow found my place among him and the Lost Boys.
I’ve never looked back.
Now I’m entangled right alongside him in a war we can’t seem to escape. We thought we had defeated our enemies.
We thought we could finally have our happily ever after.
But there was one enemy we never saw coming.
A fairy who has nothing to lose and everything to gain.
The fairy with golden wings and a dark, twisted heart.
She wants Peter Pan and the island and she’ll stop at nothing to have both. Including destroying anyone who stands in her way, even her own flesh and blood."]

So much had to happen in this book. Tinker Bell. Jas Hook. The Crocodile. The war in Neverland (the war outside Neverland). Wendy. Winnie's Shadow. The twins wings. Somehow, Nikki fit it all (and more) in.

Did I speed read this one, too? Hell yeah I did. Did I both love and envy Nikki's character interpretations even more? I'm looking at you Jamie boy (and Roc). Would I recommend this twisted and gritty story to my friends? Isn't that why we're all here. ;)

And now I desperately need “Devourer of Men” to come out. Desperately. 

#theneverking #thedarkone #theirviciousdarling #thefaeprinces #nikkistcrowe #viciouslostboys #viciouslostboysseries #books #queerbooks #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Slick

A few days ago, there was a sale on a bunch of books all across Amazon (this one was/is a Kindle Unlimited, but still...), and I discovered Juniper Jourdan's "Slick," a short, short story about a pirate and a merchling (Six of Crows reference there). 

["I belong to the pirate Captain.

I’m the only son of a successful merchant, and desperate to prove myself to my father. I finally get the chance but it's ruined when I come face to face with a bloodthirsty pirate captain, Slick.

What’s a young man supposed to do when a handsome swashbuckler offers to 'pleasure him like no one else has before?' Boarding school didn't prepare me for this! I most definitely never imagined giving my virginity to a mountain of a man like him.

But far from the prudish salons and judging eyes of high society, I can live out my fantasies.

Slick offers to tease my slick rod with his mouth, saying mine is the cutest he's ever seen. He promises he can make me come harder than I ever have before. Considering I’ve never felt pleasure from anything other than my own palm, I accept his offer. Next thing I know, I’m spread out on top of his desk, begging for more."]

You know how on Ao3, there's that PornWithoutPlot tag? Well, this book was that. There was zero plot. It was just 100% spice and steam. Two separate occasions where they come together (pun not intended) and slowly fall for each other. 

And, I'm not exactly mad about it. It was a little...awkward at times; not them, just...the scene in general. The not-sex parts. Still, a very good read. Only about 30 pages in total.

#slick #juniperjourdan #historicalerotica #pirateerotica #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

Little Kiss of Snow (Creature Cafe #11)

Well, I accidentally found a distraction from my distractions... Here's Clio Evan's Creature Cafe series. The eleventh book is "Little Kiss of Snow."

["A Creature Cafe Christmas Anthology

Twas the night before Christmas...
And all through the house...
Every human was waiting...
For their Creature to pounce...
From Christmas ornament kinks to cookies and milking-- enjoy these 10 holiday short stories PLUS a New Years Novella featuring two new characters."]

This is the only full-length novel in the series...then again, it's an anthology so...is it a full-length novel or just bunch of fun short stories?? ;)

Also, the more I think about it, the more I believe this book came from a random conversation in which someone asked "do you think Lucifer is a dom or a sub?". Then a lightbulb went off in Clio's mind and the entire series just popped into existence. 

Each book comes with its own trigger warnings, so make sure you pay attention to those (then again, those are more of a kink preview). This book includes (trigger warnings, not kink previews): attempted murder, kidnapping, and more (in the new/bonus novella).

#littlesliceofhell #littlesipofsin #littlelickoflust #littleshockofhate #littlepieceofsass #littlesongofpain #littletasteofneed #littleriskoffall #littlewingsoffate #littlesoulsoffire #littlekissofsnow #creaturecafe #creaturecafeseries #clioevans  #paranormal #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks