The Love Study (2020) Kris Ripper To say that Declan has commitment issues is an understatement. He left his boyfriend (and best friend) at the altar, and refuses every offer of permanent employment he receives, preferring to remain with the temp agency. What I especially like about temping at offices: never feeling like I’m trapped […]
The Charm Offensive (2021) Alison Cochrun I am having a really hard time writing this review. Because I keep diving back into the book and reading passages an getting sucked back in. Charlie Winshaw was forced out of the company he helped found, and now he’s hoping to rehabilitate his image by appearing on a […]
Let Me Show You (2019) Becca Seymour (True-Blue) Carter Falon inherited his grandfather’s house and decided to uproot himself to the Kirkby. Unfortunately, the house needs a lot of work. towel. In my haste to get myself together and then answer the door, the dodgy floorboard didn’t even register until my foot slammed through it, […]
Paladin’s Hope (2021) T. Kingfisher (The Saint of Steel) The third book in the Saint of Steel series. Piper is the lich-doctor (think coroner) for the White Rat. He’d worked with several of the paladins of the Saint of Steel in solving the a series of murders. Now it looks like there is another murderer […]
The Lion Tamer (2018) Dahlia Donovan (The Sin Bin) As noted throughout the series, Scottie us a wreck, who is incapable of being a functioning adult. Scottie sat up slowly and glanced around to find the scenery had changed quite significantly. “Why the fuck am I in a hospital bed?” Taine placed a hand on […]
The Royal Marine (2017) Dahlia Donovan (The Sin Bin) Akash Robinson moved to Cardiff to open his own bakery after working at his parents for years. Unfortunately, running his own bakery means he has no time for the social life he had hoped to develop with the move. (H)e’d never brought a date home once. […]
The Caretaker (2017) Dahlia Donovan (The Sin Bin) Freddie Whittle is a cancer nurse. It’s an incredibly hard job, and he puts too much of himself into it, but he doesn’t want to do anything else. Taine stood silent while the nurse gathered himself. He squared his shoulders, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly […]
The Wanderer (2017) Dahlia Donovan (The Sin Bin) This is a romance. With cancer. Graham languished in his bungalow on the water for two days. He never got sick, which made him the worst patient in the world. One of the things that makes this story so good is that it is unflinching in looking […]
After the Scrum (2016) Dahlia Donovan Francis Keen is perfectly happy living in Looe with his grandmother. He doesn’t want to leave her alone, and if it helps his anxiety, that’s not a bad thing either. And since he is a somewhat successful interior designer, it’s pretty good. He hated leaving his small workspace in […]
A Gathering Storm (2017) Joanna Chambers (Porthkennack) Set in England (Cornwall) in 1853. Edward Fitzwilliam has spent the past year destroying his reputation as a scientists, in an attempt to reach and speak to his dead twin brother. He believes that Porthkennack is the perfect spot to recreate the conditions where he saw and heard […]
The Lights on Knockbridge Lane (2021) Roan Parrish (Garnet Run) Adam had always wanted to be a father. What he didn’t expect was to end up a single parent, back in the hometown he ran away from as soon as he graduated, relying on his sibling to help him with child care. And Adam is […]
Team Phison Forever (2019) Chace Verity (Team Phison) Tyson Falls loves Phil and wants to propose. But the discovery that he has a half-sister–and a sister who is apparently loved by the father who disowned Tyson–makes him doubt the concept of family and his own suitability for having one. “Things are good the way they […]
Gilded Cage (2019) KJ Charles (Lilywhite Boys) Set in London in 1895 Templeton Lane fell far from his noble birth to become a notorious jewel thief. A matched set of black opals, Jerry had said scathingly. Really. Was there also an advertisement placed in the paper for the attention of Templeton Lane? Susan Lazarus has […]
Mr. Winterbourne’s Christmas (2018) Joanna Chambers (Winterbourne) Set in England in 1823 Lysander and Adam have been content, living as a steward and landholder by day and lovers at night. Except neither has used that word: Love. When both are invited to Lysander’s family home for Christmas (Adam’s brother is married to Lysander’s sister) multiple […]
The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks (2008) Josh Lanyon This is an interesting story in a lot of ways. First, I think this is one of her earlier books, and the writing isn’t quite as smooth as I’ve come to expect from her. Secondly, it’s set in that weird time where before DADT ended and before […]
Love, Marriage, and a Baby Carriage (2016) CS Poe I love this story. I mean, it’s like someone dared her to put every single trope she could think of into less than 40 pages, and she made it perfect. I was attending a singles’ convention for special people like me to find their forever penguin […]
The Remaking of Corbin Wale (2017) Roan Parrish After his life blew up around him, Alex headed back to his home town to take over (and reinvent) his parent’s coffee shop. Down a boyfriend and a job in forty-eight hours, Alex hadn’t been sure which had been the bigger blow. Everything about this story is […]
Any Old Diamonds (2019) KJ Charles (Lilywhite Boys) Set in England in 1895. Alex wants revenge upon his father and step-mother, and he is going to get it however he can. So he decides to seek out the Lilywhite Boys–some of the best jewel thieves in London. Consider me the antithesis of a Romish priest. […]
Not Even a Mouse (2015) Dahlia Donovan Kat is a shifter. (T)he feathertail glider shifter— not a mouse, thank you very much. She has also been in love with her older brother’s best friend for years. Not that she’d ever tell him. Declan has spent his adult life studying genetics, trying to determine the genetics […]
Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions (2015/2016) Mario Giordano translated by John Brownjohn (Auntie Poldi) To clarify, this is a book published in Germany, about a Bavarian widow who retires to Sicily and is near her husband’s family, and is told by the widow’s nephew. “Your Italian is pretty good.” “Apart from my accent, you […]
The Bellingham Mystery Series Volume 2 (2015) Nicole Kimberling One Man’s Treasure Birds of a Feather Pentimento Blues This book starts in 2011. Which is important since events changed quickly in the world (specifically the legality of gay marriage). “But,” Kjell continued, his brow still crumpled in confusion, “am I supposed to have card?” It […]
The Bellingham Mystery Series Volume 1 (2015) Nicole Kimberling Primal Red Evergreen Black Cat Ink Like Grilled Cheese and Goblins, the story is fun and enjoyable. In addition to writing articles, Peter was in charge of circulation, which meant that every Thursday morning he drove bundles of the free weekly to various locations in the […]
Grilled Cheese and Goblins: Adventures of a Supernatural Food Inspector (2018) Nicole Kimberling This is such a fun book. I mean, supernatural food inspector! Keith could have epitomized the word “average.” Not good-looking or bad looking. Brown hair and eyes. Nothing beyond that to report. He was the kind of man nobody noticed for very […]
Hither, Page (2019) Cat Sebastian (Page & Sommers) Set in England in 1946. Leo Page works for a government agency that kept him going all over the continent–first to try and keep England from war, and then trying to help get them out of it faster. He has no illusions about what he does, and […]
Best Laid Plans (2021) Roan Parrish (Garnet Run) This is another story where both characters have dealt with a lot, but we see they learned healthy ways to deal with their shit. He looked at the situation and chose to acknowledge all the dimensions of it. Dimensions (as he thought of them) weren’t positive or […]
Better Than People (2020) Roan Parrish (Garnet Run) One of the things that resonated so strongly with me was the misery of being laid up after a bad break that requires you to stay off your feet. Every day had dilated to a month, every night to a year, and Jack found himself wishing for […]
The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows (2020) Olivia Waite (Feminine Pursuits) Set in England in 1820 Let’s start with what I loved about this story: The history. The politics. George had at the same time enjoyed a cheery reunion with his mistress, Lady Coyningham, whose husband had recently been elevated to the Privy Council […]
The Ruin of a Rake (2017) Cat Sebastian (The Turner Series) Set in London in 1817 All Courtenay really wants is to see his nephew. But his past (and other circumstances) have made it so Radnor is refusing to allow him any contact. Courtenay was effectively stranded in London, a city populated by people who […]
The Lawrence Browne Affair (2017) Cat Sebastian (The Turner Series) Set in England in 1816 Lawrence Browne is waiting to go mad. In the meantime, he’s trying to be useful, putting his efforts into various inventions, but refusing to let anyone get close to him, for fear of taking them down with him. Penkellis was […]
American Dreamer (2019) Adriana Herrera (Dreamers) This is a reread, and as with the first time through, I really liked everything except the boinking. Luckily, I could skim that–especially since this was a reread. Otherwise, there is much to love about this story, especially the friendships. “Oh my god, Jude Eugenio Maria Fuller! What did […]
Paladin’s Strength (2021) T. Kingfisher (The Saint of Steel) Istvhan is a Paladin of a dead god. When the Saint of Steel died, every paladin went mad, sub-coming to battle rage, and only a few survived the madness. Those who were left went on to work for the Temple of the White Rat, assisting as […]
Kneading You, Joy, The Color of You (2019, 2017) C.S. Poe The Haven Investigation series was excellent, but emotionally rough. So I decided to reread the Lancaster series, for some comfort. No one deserved to lose access to books simply because of where they lived. Kneading You All I did was give a guy tacos. […]
Model Exposure (2017) Lissa Kasey (Haven Investigations) This picks up immediately after the end of the previous book. Ollie is healing, but so is Kade. But Kade doesn’t like having to admit that he needs help, and fears that if he needs help, he’ll lose Ollie. “Ollie needs me.” He was healing from a (thing). […]
Model Investigator (2017) Lissa Kasey (Haven Investigations) Back to Ollie, this book takes off after the events of the previous book–which ended on a cliffhanger. First and foremost, this is one of the few mysteries I’ve ever read that actually has characters deal with some of the real-life consequences of repeated concussion. The sparkles around […]
Model Bodyguard (2016) Lissa Kasey (Haven Investigations) The second book in the Haven Investigations series switches from Oliver’s POV to Kade’s POV. Which is fantastic, because Oliver sees Kade as strong and almost perfect, whereas Kade actually? A huge mess. This was the stuff of nightmares— a mental hospital. It wasn’t my first trip. No, […]
A Little Light Mischief (2019) Cat Sebastian (The Turner Series) Set in England in 1818 Alice Stapleton has spent her life keeping house for her father and taking care of her siblings and nieces and nephews. So it came as a rude surprise when her father threw her out and disowned her, and she was […]
One Bed for Christmas (2018) Jackie Lau (Baldwin Village) Wes Chang has been in love with Caitlin Ng since she almost knocked him unconscious with a door their freshman year in college. But Caitlin is a successful CEO and Wes… Wes is now living a life that makes him happy, but he is a disappointment […]
The Ultimate Pi Day Party (2019) Jackie Lau (Baldwin Village) Josh Yu is a successful CEO and on the list of the “35 Most Eligible Bachelors Under 35 in Toronto. But he doesn’t have love. Of a partner or his father. Despite the fact that everything he has done is to try and live up […]
Model Citizen (2015) Lissa Kasey (Haven Investigations) Oliver Petroskovic hoped that once he bought the house his life would start to be more settled. Sure, he’d do more modeling gigs, but with the house he was finally able to repay his brother for the years spent raising him. He’d paid for private school and attended […]
Red Dirt Heart (2014) N.R. Walker (Red Dirt Heart) For the first time since Charlie’s father died, Sutton Station is going to have an agronomy exchange for a month during round-up. Charlie is hoping whoever they get will be competent and helpful. He doesn’t expect to fall in love. One of the things I enjoyed […]
The Labours of Lord Perry Cavendish (2021) Joanna Chambers (Winterbourne) Set in England in 1824 Six months ago, Perry Cavendish had been shocked to discover his best friend–Lysander Winterbourne had the same inclinations he did–and was in love with the man he was working for. After several months of drowning his sorrows, Peregrine finally takes […]
Where There’s a Kilt, There’s a Way (2021) Ella Stainton (Kilty Pleasures) Set in Scotland and Sweden in 1930 Joachim Cockburn and Ainsley Graham have been looking for summer positions to broaden their fields; specifically Jochaim wants to change how patients in asylums are treated, and hopes that working at a prestigious university will give […]
Mischief: A Daydream, Colorado Short Story (2021) A.M. Rose Dylan loves running the pizza parlor, almost as much as he loves his rescue dog, Buck. Dylan pulled up outside the familiar house and barely had time to get his helmet off and butt off the seat when he heard a thundering BARK! from inside. A […]
A Lady’s Formula for Love (2021) Elizabeth Everett (The Secret Scientists of London) Set in London in 1842. Now that Lady Violet is a widow, she can do all the chemistry experiments she wants AND she can fund a Lady’s Society that is really a secret laboratory where women and be scientists. But after her […]
Blindspot (2021) A.M. Rose (Daydream, Colorado) Back in January, I picked up a bunch of free MM romances from Prolific Books, and I found Daydream interesting enough that I decided to get the first book in the series. Drew grew up in Daydream, a magical enclave, standing out as the only one without magic. He […]
The Queer Principles of Kit Webb (2021) Cat Sebastian Set in England in 1751. After a carriage hold up that cost him the full use of his leg as well as his best friend, Kit Webb decided to take over the running of his coffee shop. There might be some planning and deals and fencing […]
The Hanged Man (2019) K. D. Edwards (The Tarot Sequence) Occasionally, it takes time for me to realize how good a book is. Other times, I know it’s good, but don’t realize just how much the story is going to stick with me. The Atlantean World War was brief. The cost was high. Magically radioactive […]
Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake (2021) Alexis Hall (Winner Bakes All) Rosaline Palmer gave up medical school to become a single mother. “The last bold thing I did was decide I was keeping the baby, and while I’m glad I did, as decisions go it’s not exactly been without consequences.” She loves her daughter, and […]
The Last Sun (2018) K.D. Edwards (The Tarot Sequence) My name is Rune Saint John. I am, before anything else, a survivor: of a fallen House, of a brutal assault, of violent allies and complacent enemies, of life among a people who turned their back on me decades ago. KD Edwards recently published several short […]
Subtle Blood (2021) KJ Charles (The Will Darling Adventures) Set in London ~1924 Will Darling is finally somewhat comfortable in his relationship with Kim Secretan, even if they continue to have to hide they are more than just acquaintances. Will is also finally doing a decent job with the bookstore he inherited–due in part to […]