Best Laid Plans (2021) Roan Parrish (Garnet Run) Charlie Matheson cares for people. It’s what he’s done since his parents died and he became guardian for his brother and took over the family business. Rye Janssen has spent his time bouncing from place to place, never finding a home. So when he learns that his […]
Just a Little Wickedness (2020) Merry Farmer (The Brotherhood) Set in London in 1890 Joe Logan came to London to search for his sister, who went missing while working as a maid at Eccles family, so he’s become a valet to the son. Lord Alistair Bevan is his father’s heir, and is feeling pressured to […]
These Old Shades (1926) Georgette Heyer Set in England and France in the mid 1750s. The Duke of Avon has well-earned his nickname of Satanas. ‘And you came to Paris with a fortune.’ ‘Quite a considerable one. I bought this house.’ ‘Yes. I wonder how you reconcile it with your soul?’ ‘I haven’t one, Hugh. […]
Heir to a Curse (2020) Lissa Kasey (Romancing a Curse) This story is set during the pandemic. Zach Frank is struggling with inheriting a cursed house. Not just–or even mostly–because of the curse, but because of the loss of the woman who left the house to him. The woman who was to all intents and […]
Mystery at the Masquerade (2021) Josh Lanyon (Secrets and Scrabble) The third book in the Secrets and Scrabble series finds Ellery back to “just friends” with Jack Carter, the sheriff. Luckily he has plenty to keep him busy. Like his book store. Ellery set about opening the shop for the day. Or, in other words, […]
Dine with Me (2019) Layla Reyne DINE WITH ME— THE CULINARY EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME Tour the country and experience the best meals in America with a Michelin-starred chef as your guide. Two weeks, eight incredible meals, coast-to-coast destinations. A once in a lifetime opportunity for food and travel enthusiasts. Singles or couples welcome. Please […]
Marine Biology (2010) G. L. Carriger (San Andreas Shifters) This is a short story featuring werewolves and merpeople and selkies. Alec is a marine biologist and hides as much of himself as he can from his pack. Because they definitely won’t appreciate that he’s gay. But when a crush from high school shows up, needing […]
Bound by Memories (2020) Kaje Harper (Necromancer) This is a holiday short story. Silas and Darien are sent to deal with a ghost at a Christmas tree farm. And Ferngold (head of the local guild) is not pleased about Pip and is blaming both Darien and Silas for Pip’s existence. I quite liked the story […]
Powered by Ghosts (2020) Kaje Harper (Necromancer) Set in alternate 1963 Darien is free of his ghosts (literally) and has become Silas’ apprentice. However, he still has work to do, being a necromancer, and so the two end up dealing with a ghost problem, in a town where the local necromancer is too busy caring […]
It Takes Two to Tumble (2017) Cat Sebastian (Seducing the Sedgwicks) Set in England in 1817. Comfort reread. I felt so aggravated by the time I finished the 4th book of the Parasol Protectorate I needed something I knew I was going to love. Since I had just recommended this to someone, I decided it […]
Heartless (2011) Gail Carriger (Parasol Protectorate) Set in Alternate London in 1874 OK. Fine. Whatever. I finished it. Alexia is about to have her baby any minute now, and the vampires are still trying to kill her. So the solution everyone comes up with: the baby with be adopted by Lord Akeldama. And Alexia and […]
Blameless (2010) Gail Carriger (Parasol Protectorate) Set in England in the alternate 1873 As the end of the previous book still made me angry, even knowing what was coming, I immediately started reading this book, to see how I felt about the resolution of the issues from the second book. It was… okay. First problem, […]
Changeless (2010) Gail Carriger (Parasol Protectorate) Set in alternate England and Scotland in the 1873 I read this when it was published, and the only thing I remembered was the ending, and how extraordinarily angry it made me. So angry, I didn’t read another book by Gail Carriger for years. Alexia is now married to […]
Soulless (2009) Gail Carriger (Parasol Protectorate) Set in alternate London in Queen Victoria’s reign. Supernatural creatures, especially vampires and werewolves, are influential members of British society, although in the united states they are seen as monsters to barely tolerated, of not outright destroyed. Supernatural creatures, be they vampires, werewolves, or ghosts, owed their existence to […]
Grilled Cheese and Goblins: Adventures of a Supernatural Food Inspector (2018) Nicole Kimberling “Cherries Worth Getting” from Irregulars (2012) “Cookie Jamboree” “The Little Golden Book of Goblin Stories” “Magically Delicious” from Charmed and Dangerous (2015) “The Most Important Meal of The Day” “Bring Out Your Best” Keith Curry is a supernatural food inspector. He works […]
Fire Water (2015) Jaye Wells (Prospero’s War) This is a short story prequel to the Prospero’s War series. Prospero is finishing up at the academy, her final week of shadowing. She’s also trying to find a new place for her and her little brother to move into, which is possibly harder than finishing the police […]
How to Marry a Werewolf (2018) Gail Carriger (Claw & Courtship) Set in alternate London in 1896 Faith Wigglesworth is being sent to England to marry a werewolf. They must be desperate to be rid of me, she thought, to be considering werewolves. Or Mother hates werewolves so much, she would use me to punish […]
Grumpy Bear (2021) Slade James (Bear Camp) Coleman Sawyer runs a gay clothing optional camp. Luke Cody is headed back to the south after yet another bad relationship, and another failure to launch his career as a singer-songwriter. When he’s told there’s temporary work at Bear Mountain Lodge that might help him land on his […]
The Hockey Player’s Snow Day (2021) Jeff Adams (Hockey Hearts) Nick is heading to his friends’ place for a short vacation during the All-Star Weekend. But failing to pay attention to the weather leaves his stranded alongside the road, trudging to the nearest sign of humanity. Shawn loves his home in the woods, and the […]
Fake Date Flip-Flop (2021) Hank Edwards Nash is looking forward to his niece’s wedding. He isn’t looking forward to all the questions and comments about his ex. Tobias is back in town for his 30th high school reunion, but isn’t looking forward to it, since he’s only there to support one of his friends who […]
Wonderstruck (2021) Allie Therin (Magic in Manhattan) Set in New York and other locales in 1925 Arthur and Rory are searching for a way to destroy the magical artifact that could be used to enslave non-magical minds, not just because it is evil, but because an evil man is searching to control it himself. But […]
Open for Business (2016) Angel Martinez (Brandywine Investigations) Gods are real. They’ve always been around. You just never guessed that mogul was actually the god of thieves or that an agent of chaos now runs the local funeral parlor. Hades has been sued for divorce. Persephone wants to be her own woman, live her own […]
Candy Hearts (2000) Erin McLellan (So Over the Holidays) If you’re read this blog for more than a handful of months, you know that casual sex doesn’t work for my in stories. It’s a me thing, and I’m ok with that. But I’ve been struggling, and needed something that was over-the-top sweet, and remembered this […]
Jericho Candelario’s Gay Debut (2018) R. Cooper I am struggling pretty hard right now, so I needed a story that was going to let me feel things, but in a soft way, and that would be a hug. This is a love story in two parts. First, of Jericho’s love for his family and their […]
The Hideaway Inn (2020) Philip William Stover (Seasons of New Hope) Vince Amato heading to New Hope for an investment. To make money after everything in New York went down in flames. He may be built and fit and wear bespoke suits, but inside he seems to still be Skinny Vinny, the bullied boy who […]
A Gentleman Never Keeps Score (2018) Cat Sebastian (Seducing the Sedgwicks) Set in London in 1817 This is a reread, but one of a different type. I did a group read with several people on the the reddit r/romancebooks, where we read five chapters then chatted about all our thoughts. As may be blindingly obvious […]
Marked by Death (2020) Kaje Harper (Necromancer) Set in an alternate 1963. Darien is out of alternatives. Demons or ghosts, whatever keeps invading his mind and body is quickly driving him crazy. So he seeks out the town’s necromancer, in the hope he’ll be able to help. Silas has power, but he doesn’t have any […]
The Husband Gambit (2018) L.A. Witt Marry me for 1 year. Payment: $ 1.2 million. I’m a man looking for a temporary husband. $ 100K per month. Cohabitation, legal marriage, and NDA are required. Sex is not. Contact for more info. The ad seems like either a joke, or something posted by a serial killer, […]
Making Love (2017) Aidan Wayne Carla wants to be cupid that finds and brings about True Love. But although her aim is perfect, her ability to figure out who to aim at… is much less so. “Oh,” Carla said, abashed. She’d seen the travel match in both of their profiles and hadn’t dug deeper to […]
Changing Colors (2018) Elyse Springer (Seasons of Love Book) I got 43% done and decided I just couldn’t finish it. 43% and then I just read the final two chapters. Which was just a little further than I got on the previous book in this series, Heat Wave, that I also DNFed. Which is bizarre, […]
Come Unto These Yellow Sands (2017) Josh Lanyon Professor Sebastian Swift was raised to be a poet–and it almost destroyed him. Now he is content teaching. But when a students shows up at his office, beaten and desperate, Swift makes a choice that may well cause him his job–and his lover, the chief of police. […]
Grumpy Jake (2019) Melissa Blue Bailey Thorne doesn’t have time for Jake the Rake. He may be a great dad, but she doesn’t need to be involved with a parent–and she needs to make sure all the kindergartners in her class are looked after. So, despite being a serial monogamist, Jake isn’t a bad guy. […]
Right after New Year I stumbled across Prolific Works Winter Giveaway and picked up a bunch of free ebooks. Since many were short stories, I decided to only do individual reviews if the ebook was a novel or novella and if I really liked it. I haven’t read all the stories yet, but I have […]
Cry Wolf (2021) Charlie Adhara (Big Bad Wolf) Cooper Dayton is under significant pressure: His family wants all the details about his upcoming wedding to Oliver Park and Cooper has none to give them. Cooper groaned. “Who’s coming is the hardest part.” “Well, there’s us, of course. What about Oliver’s family? You’re going to invite […]
The Gangster (2021) C.S. Poe (Magic & Steam) Set in Steampunk New York in 1882. Special Agent Gillian Hamilton of the Federal Bureau of Magic and Steam is back in New York, and hoping to spend New Years Eve with Gunnar the Deadly–who he met in the first book, when he was out west. A […]
Why Shoot a Butler? (1933) Georgette Heyer This story was all over the place. Barrister Frank Amberley gets lost taking a shortcut to visit his aunt and uncle, and comes upon a car alongside the road, and a young woman beside it. A closer look find a man dead in the drivers seat, and the […]
Mr. Right Now (2019) Annabeth Albert When Russ offered to make Thanksgiving dinner for his sister’s family (including her mother-in-law who is also Russ’ boss) his new boyfriend was going to help him. But when Soren dumps him the day before Thanksgiving, he decides to try it on his own, to show that he is […]
Let Your Heart Be Light (2019) J.R. Lawrie This is a collection of three short stories, two of which are about the same couple. Kind Of A Big Deal For Services Rendered The Farringdon Club This first story is “Kind Of A Big Deal” features Zack, who is a stand-up comedian, and Richard, who is […]
A Midnight Clear (2020) Kaje Harper This was another pleasant surprise. This was another book from the Winter Wonderland giveaway of holiday stories, and after the first story I read, I didn’t have the highest expectations for the rest of the books. But this one was also quite good. Adric and Royce are roommates studying […]
Recipe for a Curse (2021) Lissa Kasey (Romancing a Curse) I downloaded this novella as part of a Winter Wonderland giveaway of holiday short stories and novellas. As the first story I read wasn’t good, I haven’t expected too much from the other stories I’ve read. Montana works as a chef for a retreat in […]
Getting It Right (2015) A.M. Arthur (Restoration) Nathan Wolf and James Taggart have been best friends for half their lives. “Thank God for Gina, or you’d never eat.” “Fuck you, Wolf. I can cook just fine.” “Only you don’t, because you’re lazy.” “True.” And James has been in love with Nate for most of that. […]
So We Meet-Cute Again (2019) Geneva Vand Aiden and Jason keep seeing each other everywhere–at the coffee shop, and the local market, at the grocery store, on the street–so much that each feels like he’s stalking the other. There was nothing at all wrong with this story. My problem is that once the two had […]
Little Wolf (2015) R. Cooper (Beings in Love) Tim Littlewolf ran to Wolf’s Paw to try and (at least briefly) find sanctuary on his run from his uncle and his uncle’s henchman. “Who meant well, Tim?” Nathaniel was right in front of him, larger than before, as if he’d straightened in response to a threat. […]
A Beginner’s Guide to Wooing Your Mate (2015) R. Cooper (Beings in Love) Zeki Janowitz has returned to Wolf’s Paw while trying to figure out what to do with himself now he’s finally graduated college. If attending high school in one of the longest surviving werewolf refuges in the country had taught him anything, it […]
Not So Cookie Cutter (2019) Aidan Wayne Jerrell is content being second baker, but he doesn’t mind taking over the kitchen when his co-worker is out sick. What he doesn’t expect is to be called out front so a customer can talk to him. He clasped his hands behind his back, at-ease stance so he […]
Loud and Clear (2016) Aidan Wayne Let me state first that the cover may be innocuous, but it also gives you completely the wrong idea about the book. There are no car chases are action scenes, it’s just that one character is a cab driver in the city. Jaxon may be a high school drop […]
A Christmas Dance (2014) Alissa Johnson Set in London in an indeterminate time. William Renwick, Earl of Casslebury needs a wife. He knows his is disciplined, so he hopes to find a woman who smile and laugh. But he wasn’t in need of additional efficiency in his house. He was drowning in efficiency. He was […]
The Deserted Heart (2018) Mary Lancaster (Unmarriageable) Bringing her brothers home from school, a thick fog forces them to stop at an inn. But they enter to discover not a soul around, even though the doors were unlocked and everything inside looked normal. Since it is too dangerous to continue, they settled in, and are […]
Gay All Year (2020) Richard May These are twelve short stories–one for each month of the year–with a variety of men in a variety of situations, including age differences, second chances, friends to lovers, some supernatural elements and a BDSM story. Which is a lot. As with most anthologies, I didn’t love all the stories, […]
There Galapagos My Heart (2020) Philip William Stover (Love Beyond Boundaries) Mike Davis is perfectly content being an account manager. Of course he’d rather be an artist, but after his mother got sick he needed a job and it’s not a bad thing to be comfortable. I can never go back to not knowing where […]