July 2021 – Love is Love Reviews

Review: Swallow (Forbidden Desires Spin-off #1) by Piper Scott and Virginia Kelly

A nice novella that adds to the Drake family’s happiness.

4 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Edition. 128 pages. Published July 29th 2019

Blurb:

Grimbold Drake, influential patriarch of the Drake family, revels in his solitary life of order—a life which is thrown into chaos when his son pays him an unexpected visit, bringing with him a broken but gorgeous young man more than a millennium Grimbold’s junior. A man Grimbold instantly finds himself yearning to fix, to protect, and to claim.

Meek, subservient, and eager to please, Wally Brand doesn’t doubt the tales he’s been told of the cruel and deceitful Amethyst clan, so when he’s forcibly taken from his home and entrusted to Grimbold Drake—the most powerful Amethyst dragon of all—he knows he won’t be long for this world. Only there’s a gleam in Grimbold’s eyes when he looks Wally’s way and a tenderness to his touch that Wally can’t understand.

All he knows is one thing: whether Grimbold means him harm or not, if he can be good to his dragon captor, maybe, just maybe, he’ll get out of this mess alive.

Swallow is a 30,000 word steamy omegaverse mpreg-ish romance set following the events of the Forbidden Desires series. It contains a broken young man who badly needs love, a curmudgeonly dragon with a heart of gold, new nicknames, familiar faces, and the sweetest dog known to dragonkind. For maximum enjoyment, Swallow is best read as a companion piece to the Forbidden Desires series.

Likes:

Short but complete.
Grimbold did his best to help Wally with his issues.
Wally and Grimbold, together and separately.
Grimbold didn’t force Wally to do anything.
How even dragons like Grimbold can see the harm that’s been done to Disgraces.

Dislikes:

How traumatized Wally is.
Wally’s name.
Wally’s scars aren’t brought up much.

I was honestly surprised that Grimbold got a story. He’s been in the background of all the books, this powerful, looming figure. He didn’t seem like the type to take in an omega, especially considering how big the age difference would be. Grimbold is over a thousand years old and Wally is twenty-two. Talk about an age difference.

Still, Grimbold’s age did give him advantages. He’s willing to take Wally in and is able to quickly ascertain ways to help keep Wally from freaking out too badly. Normally, I’d say that Wally needs extensive therapy, but that doesn’t seem like a thing dragons do, nor would they turn to human therapists.

Wally is traumatized, both from his experiences and from what he’s been told about the Amethyst clan. My heart went out to him. He was initially so focused on just surviving, constantly expecting to be hurt.

I’m not sure how I feel about the lack of attention on Wally’s past trauma. On the one hand, the book didn’t really focus on it, making it feel very ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Even though Everard commented that Wally had extensive scaring, it wasn’t brought up again. On the other hand, delving into it might have done more damage to Wally’s fragile psyche. It would also have lengthened the story and given it a darker overall tone.

As it is, the story is sweet and cute. Watching Wally relax and realize that he’s somewhere safe with someone who cares for him was heartwarming. In the same way, watching Grimbold’s tender care was cute.

There wasn’t as much going on in this book aside from the romance, which makes sense considering its short length. I’m not complaining about the lack of subplot. Wally and Grimbold got plenty of characterization while giving their romance time to grow. I liked that Grimbold didn’t initially plan to be with Wally physically, and when he realized his growing feelings, he made sure they were returned and took it slow.

One of the upsides of having Grimbold be a main character is that we got to see him realize how badly dragon society has been treating omegas and Disgraces. Not only with what happened to Wally, but with the mother of his own children. In a way, taking care of Wally allowed Grimbold to atone for past mistakes.

Even the meaning behind Wally’s name is just another example of how poorly dragons treat Disgraces. Luckily, all of Grimbold’s children seem to be on board with the recent societal changes. Even if Everard said he wouldn’t call Wally ‘dad’. That made me laugh.

Overall, I think this was a good addition to the Forbidden Desires series. Even though this novella clearly had a different theme than the first three books, it’s nice to see how quickly society can change. Even if the dragons are only changing for selfish reasons.

Be sure to check out the other books in the series – Clutch (Forbidden Desires #1), Bond (Forbidden Desires #2), Mate (Forbidden Desires #3)

Review: Mate (Forbidden Desires #3) by Piper Scott and Virginia Kelly

Out of all three books so far, this one had the most satisfying ending.

5 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 380 pages. Published February 17th 2019

Blurb:

Spitfire Disgrace Matthieu Boudreaux has one wish: to age out of the Pedigree he despises, then destroy it. With one year left before he achieves the first step of his goal, Matthieu finally has some hope for an independent future… until a surly Amethyst dragon by the name of Geoffrey Drake and his entourage show up at Matthieu’s cloister and inform him he’s been selected to be part of an ‘experiment.’

Geoffrey Drake, proud and stuffy legal counsel for the Amethyst clan, has been charged with ruining his own life. His mission? Deliver a potential mate to the son of the Amethyst clan’s most despised enemy—and the man he’s loved in secret for the last hundred years—Topaz dragon Ian Brand. Refusal is impossible. Dragons don’t consort with dragons, and should Geoffrey decline, he risks exposing them both.

Ian Brand, charming black sheep of the Topaz clan, is trapped between his forbidden love for an Amethyst dragon centuries his senior and his duty to his family. Chosen by his unhinged father to be the Topaz candidate for the mating experiment, Ian is faced with a terrible choice: run away with the man he loves and face the deadly consequences, or accept his fate with a broken heart.

But dragon magic, as Matthieu, Geoffrey, and Ian soon discover, works in mysterious ways. When an unforeseeable circumstance draws them all together and puts their futures at risk, they have no choice but to set their differences aside and work together to prove a new, startling truth…

What the dragon world knows about mates has been wrong all along, and it will be up to the three of them to prove it.

Mate is a 103,000 word steamy omegaverse mpreg-ish romance that will leave you in stitches. It contains an experiment gone awry, five eccentric peacocks, an unusually large number of whelps, an ancient Viking Daddy dragon, and science! For maximum enjoyment, Mate is best read following the events of Clutch and Bond.

Likes:

Matthieu, Geoffrey, and Ian, together and separately.
Matthieu’s plans for the future.
The angst Ian and Geoffrey feel.
Hooked me fast.
Kept me hooked.
Geoffrey isn’t as much of a stick in the mud as he appears.
Open, honest conversation.
Snorre and his family.
The peacocks.
Very satisfying ending.
Good smut.

Dislikes:

Sigric.
Dragon society’s stupid rules.
Not all the French was explained.
Didn’t seem like the Disgraces got a choice whether to take part in the experiment.

After reading Bond, I was eager to see how Harry’s experiments would turn out. I expected things to go smoothly. There was never any doubt in my mind that Harry was correct.

I didn’t expect the emotional pain and angst that would be caused by the experiment. But I loved it. Geoffrey and Ian’s relationship wasn’t typical, by dragon standards. Alpha/alpha romances aren’t accepted by society, which I think is just as dumb as they way omegas and Disgraces are treated. There’s a very strong machismo to the dragon society, demanding they be dominant and proud while also rigidly adhering to a specific type of behavior.

In a way, I’m glad that Ian and Geoffrey had been together for a century by the time the book started. Not only is their love solid, they’re both comfortable with their roles. I’m not sure I’d call it a D/s dynamic, though Ian is the top and Geoffrey the bottom. The men themselves don’t think of it as BDSM.

There were brief flashbacks to the beginning of their relationship, which were helpful to see how they got together. There’s a definite Romeo and Juliet vibe to their relationship. Their respective clans are adversarial, and their relationship is taboo not just because they’re both alphas but because of their family rivalries.

As I hoped, Geoffrey wasn’t as much of a stick in the mud as he seemed from the glimpses of him we’ve gotten in the previous book. The angst he went through, expecting Ian to bond with Mattheu and abandon him, made he ache for him. Geoffrey also didn’t think he had a real bond with Ian.

Ian was just as shaken by the prospect of loosing Geoffrey because of the experiment. At the same time, he couldn’t say no to being part of it. His father was a true villain, cruel and scheming. I really felt for Ian on that account. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Mattheu was also easy to like. He had a solid plan for his future, and was understandably upset when he was chosen for the experiment. It didn’t seem like he was given a choice about participating, which is definitely a con of the experiment. But Mattheu didn’t let that get in his way. He was the one who came up with the plan for how the three of them would proceed.

I’m really glad at the amount of open, honest conversation between the men. It’s definitely part of why they achieved their happy ending. There were only a few times when Ian and Geoffrey tried to mask their emotions, and Mattheu quickly put a stop to it. Luckily, Ian and Geoffrey understood French, since that was Mattheu’s first language, and he reverted to it when angry. Most of it was translated for the reader, but not all, which was a little annoying.

I’ve only read a few romances featuring three people, but in all of them, each person brings something unique to the romance. Mattheu fit well into the dynamic between Geoffrey and Ian. He was versatile, which added a lot to their sex life. More than that, he changed the way the alphas thought of their future. Without Mattheu in their lives, they wouldn’t have sought out Snorre and his family.

I was hooked all the way through the book. There was always some new development or threat to their happiness. All three men went through big personal changes by the end, all for the better. They also changed dragon society for the better. Out of all three books so far, this one had the most satisfying ending. While Harry is still my favorite character, I like this book better than Bond.

Be sure to check out the other books in the series – Clutch (Forbidden Desires #1), Bond (Forbidden Desires #2)

Bond (Forbidden Desires #2) by Piper Scott and Virginia Kelly

So much better than the first book. I’m definitely glad I continued with the series.

5 out of 5 stars

Kindle Edition. 338 pages. Published November 11th 2018

Blurb:

Adorably naive and shockingly brilliant Harrison Lessardi only needs two things in life: his pet iguana, Steve, and his undying love of science. That is until he witnesses his best friend lay eggs, and a third must-have strolls into his apartment—the sardonic and mischievous Everard Drake.

Everard Drake, celebrated doctor of the tremendously wealthy Drake family, has one goal in mind when he arrives at the scene of his youngest brother’s latest disaster: incinerate Harrison Lessardi. Unfortunately for Everard, the moment he spots Harry, incineration becomes an impossibility—he must have the gorgeous beta as his own, even if it means holding him captive on his estate.

But something else lurks behind Everard’s interest in Harry—something that tugs at Everard’s soul in impossible ways, and that will send Everard and Harry down a rabbit hole of discovery that will change the world as they know it.

An alpha and a beta can’t share a bond.

Can they?

Bond is a 78,000 word steamy omegaverse mpreg-ish romance that will leave you in stitches. It contains an unexpectedly consensual kidnapping; giant magical lizards; an iguana with a full wardrobe named Steve; never-ending nicknames; and a HEA that may, or may not involve mosquito nets. For maximum enjoyment, Bond is best read following the events of Clutch.

Likes:

Harry and Everard, together and separately.
All of Harry’s questions.
Everard’s pet names.
Dragon whelps.
The recap parts weren’t boring.
Harry’s discoveries.

Dislikes:

Everard can be a bit of a dick.

Clutch was just an okay book for me, but I’m glad I continued on with the series because this book was fantastic.

I enjoyed Harry and Everard in Clutch, and was excited for their story. I was initially a little worried because it can be boring when events shown in one book appear again, even if it’s from a different point of view. Luckily, that wasn’t a problem. Yes, there was rehashing of a few scenes that were in Clutch, but enough new information was presented that the scenes were still fun to read.

I did wonder how Harry and Everard would spend enough time together to grow their relationship when Everard had basically gifted Harry to Sebastian and Perry. It turned out that Everard couldn’t stay away for long. Plus, when he and Harry started working together, it not only gave them plenty of time together, but touched on something I’d noted from the last book.

Dragons generally don’t treat omegas with any sort of respect. It’s a function of their society, and has been going on for centuries. It makes total sense that Harry, with his love of science, would want to delve into the mysteries surrounding all things dragon, including how they reproduce. He asked all the questions I wanted Nate to ask in the last book, and then some. It definitely felt like there was more world building and information on dragon culture revealed in this book.

Harry’s discoveries are going to change dragon society, and will likely create the impetus for the following books. It’s a great way to structure a series, as well as address the fundamental power imbalance between dragons and omegas.

Harry and Everard were an adorable couple. Everard can be kind of a dick to people, his brothers especially, but the way he cherished Harry was great. I loved all the little food related nicknames.

Sebastian and Perry’s dragon whelps were adorable. Steve the iguana had much more pizzaz than Olive the pig, as well as more screen time. An unusual pet to be sure, but he suited Harry perfectly.

The introduction of the next Drake brother, Geoffrey, piqued my interest about the next book. Geoffrey does feel like he has a stick up his ass, but that just means he’ll undergo a lot of character development. I’m hoping the next book will be as fun as this one, though any future characters will have a hard time competing against Harry.

Be sure to check out my review of the first book in the series, Clutch (Forbidden Desires #1).

Review: Clutch (Forbidden Desires #1) by Piper Scott and Virginia Kelly

Not the best start to a series, but the second half was better than the first.

3 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 240 pages. Published October 6^th 2018 by Piper Scott & Virginia Kelly

Blurb:

Bookish, snarky, and fiercely independent Nate Boudreaux leads a solitary life. Between teaching classes at the university and working toward his PhD, he doesn’t need a partner to occupy his time, and he certainly doesn’t need a man like Alistair Drake complicating his future.

Alistair Drake, black sheep of the tremendously wealthy Drake family, is more interested in adding another notch to his bedpost than another zero to his bank account. When a Grindr message brings him to Nate’s doorstep, then straight to his bed, he has no reason to believe that what they share will be more than a simple hookup, until, three months later, a tug on his soul informs him otherwise.

For the Drake family has a secret—one that will force Nate and Alistair together as much as it will demand that they be torn apart. One that Alistair and his brothers have carried all their lives… and one that Alistair and Nate’s future children will carry, too.

Bound to each other by the three precious impossibilities, Nate and Alistair have no choice—no matter the consequence, they will fight for their forbidden clutch.

Clutch is a 64,000 word steamy omegaverse mpreg-ish romance that will leave you in stitches. It contains a Grindr hook-up gone very wrong (or very right); giant magical lizards; a pig named Olive; a wank throne; and a HEA, right down to the white picket fence.

Likes:

Dragons.
Nate and the eggs were cute.
Good smut.
Good hook for the next book.

Dislikes:

No world building outside the dragons.
Nate didn’t ask a ton of questions about dragons.
Alistair thought humans were beneath him.
Both men were moved by instinct not logic.
The way the draconic society is structured.
Nate keeps forgetting that his best friend got dragged everything too.

I almost dropped this book after about 16%. Not because of the writing or the characters, but because of the structure.

There’s a common writing tip I see a lot, telling authors to start their story as close to the action/turning point as possible. I think it’s because a lot of books where a normal human discovers the supernatural world start off by showing the human’s normal life. In all honesty, that normal life can be a bit boring, and authors want to hook the reader right from the start. I get it.

But that hint of the character’s normal life serves several functions. The biggest is introducing the main character to the reader. This book did not do that. Neither Nate nor Alistair got any introduction. The prologue opens up at the start of the sex scene, chapter one jumps straight into Nate laying the eggs, then Alistair barges in and takes Nate back to his place amid much confusion. There’s not really time for any solid characterization for several chapters.

I don’t think I really got a good feeling for either man until about 25% into the book. Needless to say, Nate and Alistair didn’t know each other until then either. If you’re a fan of unplanned pregnancies driving the romance, this book is for you. It was the only reason Alistair and Nate ever saw each other again.

Thankfully, and I did end up liking both men once they were properly introduced. At first, Nate was bothered by the lack of independence having the clutch caused, but he turned out to be a fantastic parent. Watching him fuss over the eggs was surprisingly adorable.

It took me longer to warm up to Alistair. He didn’t like humans; thought they were beneath him. He was clueless when dealing with Nate, which was clearly supposed to be funny but seemed a little childish. It did fit with his character though. Alistair hasn’t been focused on building wealth like most dragons. His hoard is small because he prefers to travel and buy artwork that appeals to him, rather than what’s worth the most.

However, this allowed Alistair to have the most character growth. It didn’t take him long to realize that Nate wasn’t some stupid, fragile omega. Alistair tried to give Nate what he and the eggs wanted and needed, including building his wealth. While Nate might have been the egg’s predominant caretaker, Alistair loved them just as much, and was willing to go the distance to make sure they and Nate stayed safe.

That being said, this book did feel like a bit of a dumpster fire. Neither Nate nor Alistair had any real experience with romance, parenthood, or dragon eggs. Their hearts were in the right place, but damn. To call them unprepared would be a massive understatement. It was a good thing all dragons have Attendants to serve them.

In the same way that there was no time to get to know the characters at the start of the book, there was no time for initial world building. I know that humans are aware of alpha/beta/omega dynamics, but have no idea how that impacts people or society. There is practically no world building outside of the dragons, and even then it’s lacking.

One of the notes I wrote when reading this book was, ‘Why isn’t Nate asking more questions!!??’ He’s surprisingly blasé about the whole dragon thing, when I expected him (a history professor) to be full of questions. The only one who seems to pepper everyone with questions is Nate’s friend Harry, who got caught up in the whole mess. And strangely, Nate tends to forget about Harry for large swaths of time.

On the plus side, Nate accepted his new reality well. Of course, for the first third of the book, both he and Alistair were basically going on instinct. Especially when Alistair brings Nate and the eggs to his place. Their relationship doesn’t really start to develop until around the 33% mark.

What is shown of the dragon society is definitely a little fucked up. The fact that Nate is allowed to stay with the eggs is rare. The fact that omegas aren’t generally treated well is touched on, but not a main focus of the book, thankfully. But the whole thing smacks of rich men doing whatever is necessary to produce sons.

Overall, this wasn’t an impressive start to a series. I am glad I finished the book, and will say that the second half was much more enjoyable than the first. I’m definitely looking forward to reading the next book, since it’s about Harry and Everard.

Review: Wolfsbane (Werewolves of Boston #1) by S.J. Himes

So excited for the expanded universe this novella is set in!

4.5 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 129 pages. Published July 25^th 2020

Blurb:

Introducing a new series, Werewolves of Boston, set in the same universe as The Beacon Hill Sorcerer!

Rael Morrow is a human-werewolf hybrid, and he’s about to be kicked out of his pack. Unable to transform, Rael is left with few options. He can accept the Alpha’s ruling and be banished, pulling his mother with him—or agree to a courtship with Jameson Mercer, heir presumptive of their Boston Southside Pack and the object of Rael’s longtime unrequited crush.

If he mates with Jameson, he can remain in the pack, and he and his mother won’t have to suffer the indignity of being forced to uproot their whole lives.

Rael reluctantly agrees to the plan. He’s been in love with Jameson since he was a kid, and there’s no way Jameson cares about him in the same way. Rael is afraid he’s setting himself up for a lifetime of misery.

But then begins a seduction that breaks down every preconceived notion that Rael had about Jameson, and he dares to hope.

Of course, things are never that easy. Jameson is the perfect alpha, and Rael’s human heritage hides a secret that threatens his life. The Southside Pack is primed to fracture as power dynamics shift. And Rael is forced to reconcile who he always thought he was with who he could become.

WOLFSBANE is a 37,000 word novella set in the Infinite Arcana, an expanded universe shared with The Beacon Hill Sorcerer, but can be read as a standalone.

Likes:

Excited for the new series.
Love the way werewolves work.
Rael and Jameson, together and separately.
The discoveries Rael goes through.
Good plot.
Kept me hooked.
Angel cameo.

Dislikes:

Too short!
Alpha Mercer, his wife, and her family.
The way the pack treated Rael.

I put this on my kindle, then forgot that it was a novella. So I was honestly disappointed that it was so short. I loved the Beacon Hill series, and was thrilled to learn there would be an extended universe.

I could have easily read much more of Rael and Jameson, but at the same time, the story was complete. Rael and Jameson have great chemistry, and it doesn’t take long for them to realize they fit well together. The initial setup felt similar to a marriage of convenience. I was worried at first because of how big a crush Rael had on Jameson, and was glad to learn that Jameson liked Rael as well.

Werewolves were never a big part of the Beacon Hill series, so it was interesting to see how they functioned in this world. The Mercer pack is still clinging to the old ways, which include dividing people into a caste system of alpha, beta, and omega. There is a difference between someone who’s born an alpha, and the Alpha of the pack. Alpha Mercer is determined that his successor be born an alpha, which is why Jameson is next in line.

I liked what Rael was going through, and all the discoveries he made during the story. He had great support from his mom and his boss. It was too bad most of the pack had turned their back on him by the time the story starts. But Rael ended up with Angel Salvatore in his corner, which was awesome.

The non-romantic plot was good, with danger and bad guys and surprises. It was well balanced with the romance and kept me hooked. Even though the novella doesn’t cover a large time frame, Rael and Jameson have plenty of opportunities to bond and grow closer, which is always the most important thing to me in a romance. I especially loved that Rael respected the work Jameson did. I sincerely hope they form their own pack, and am definitely looking forward to the books to come.

Be sure to check out my reviews of the The Beacon Hill Sorcerer Series – The Necromancer’s Dance (The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #1), The Necromancer’s Dilemma (The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #2), The Necromancer’s Reckoning (The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #3), A History of Trouble (The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #3.5), Mastering the Flames (The Beacon Hill Sorcerer #4)

Review: The Luckiest by Mila McWarren

There was very little I liked about this book.

2.5 out of 5 stars

E-book. 256 pages. Published July 7th 2015 by Interlude Press

Blurb:

When New York-based memoirist Aaron Wilkinson gathers with his high school friends to marry off two of their own, he is forced to spend a week with Nik, the boy who broke his heart.

As they settle into the Texas beach house where the nuptials will be performed, Nik quickly makes his intentions clear: he wants Aaron back. “He’s coming hard, baby,” a friend warns, setting the tone for a week of transition where Aaron and Nik must decide if they are playing for keeps.

Likes:

Good reason for the week long pre-wedding gathering.

Dislikes:

Lots of side characters with little introduction were hard to keep straight.
I was initially confused by the romance’s timeline.
Didn’t connect with either man.
Hate that Aaron is made to feel like the breakup is his fault.
Didn’t like any of the characters.
All the time jumps, e-mails, blogs, texts.
So much felt like filler.
The epilogue is told entirely through voicemails, blog posts and text messages.

This book was massively not my cup of tea, and I would have DNFed it if I wasn’t reading it for a challenge. At first, I thought I didn’t connect with any of the characters because I’m not a twentysomething anymore. Then I realized that I have no problem reading stories with characters in their twenties. There was something about the way this book was written that was a massive turnoff.

The one thing I did really appreciate was that there was a concrete reason why everyone was gathered for a week long pre-wedding hang out session. They were all being used as unpaid labor to help decorate the house, make the food and wedding cake, tailor the clothes, help shop, make the music playlist, take the pictures, and more. Which, honestly, sounded awful. Bridezilla Alex did practically nothing to help any of them.

There were a lot of side characters, and all of them got introduced at once when Aaron arrived at the house. It was hard to keep them all straight, especially since many only got a few lines of introduction.

In a similar way, it was initially hard for me to keep the timeline of Aaron and Nik’s romance straight. There’s so many flashbacks and references to the past that I didn’t have a good grasp of what had happened between them until about halfway through the book.

Neither Nik nor Aaron was particularly likeable. The same goes for the side characters. They’ve all just finished college and are looking back at their high school days with nostalgia. It definitely didn’t feel like enough of a time gap for the intensity of emotion. Not when they should have been looking forward to the next step in their lives.

I get why Aaron thought about high school a lot. That was when he and Nik were together. Aaron’s still not over Nik, in part because their breakup lacked closure. He never did know why Nik suddenly decided not to follow the plan they’d made and go to college in New York with him.

I absolutely hated that Nik made Aaron feel like it was his fault they broke up. And I don’t mean as teens. Adult Nik made adult Aaron feel bad because when they broke up as teens, Nik didn’t explain anything to Aaron. Despite Aaron calling Nik to ask what was going on, Nik didn’t tell him anything because he wanted Aaron to show up in person. Nik wanted Aaron to get over his own heartbreak so he could coddle Nik, who’d just learned that his parents didn’t have an infinite amount of money.

I think I would have liked the story more if it hadn’t been for the time jumps, flash backs, and use of e-mails, blogs, texts. I especially hated that the entire epilogue is told through voicemails, blog posts and text messages. It felt gimmicky.

I know that the wedding preparations were supposed to function as a subplot, but they ended up feeling like filler. I didn’t care about the wedding or the bride and groom. Especially since it turned out that Alex was a cheater, and David got mad that Nik and Aaron were getting involved, when it was obvious that would happen. The entire story takes place in a week, and it honestly felt like there was more flashbacks and filler than anything else. I got to the point when I just wanted to see the present day romance move forward.

Review: The Quiet House (Black and Blue #2) by Lily Morton

A great follow up.

5 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 271 pages. Published March 26th 2021

Blurb:

Levi Black has mostly recovered from the events of a year ago. The only lingering effects are that he’s much more well known in York than he’d like to be, and he’s a lot more cautious about walking around his house naked. However, those events brought him the capricious and fascinating Blue, so he’s not complaining. On the contrary, he’s happy, in love, and looking forward to Blue finally moving in with him. And if sometimes he wonders what Blue sees in a boring cartoonist, he keeps that to himself.

Blue Billings is finally ready to throw off the memories of his past and move in with the person who means the most in the world to him. His psychic abilities have grown in the last year to his mentor Tom’s consternation, but Blue is determined to look on the bright side. He’s also focused on ignoring all the warning signs that he’s received lately.

However, even deeply buried secrets have a way of rising to the surface. And when a surprise from Blue’s past turns up and draws them away to a lonely house on the Yorkshire moors, Levi and Blue must fight for their survival once again.

Likes:

Hooked me fast and held my attention.
More ghosts than the first.
The tie-in with Blue’s personal history.
Blue and Levi, together and separately.
That both men still had worries about their relationship.

Dislikes:

That Blue went to the quiet house in the first place.
That Blue ignored his crow.
That people like the house owner actually exist.

I reread The Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings before starting The Quiet House, since Levi and Blue are the main characters of both books. It was a good choice, since I wouldn’t have remembered the little details of the relationship and lives otherwise. And while Levi and Blue were happily together at the end of book one, their relationship isn’t completely settled yet.

I really love Levi and Blue together. Their feelings are genuine, but they still banter a lot. In this book, despite everything they went through in the previous one, both men aren’t convinced that it will last. Blue’s past makes him worry that Levi will eventually abandon him. Levi, who was cheated on by his last partner, sees Blue getting more and more popular and wonders why someone as amazing as Blue is with someone as boring as him. Their worries felt realistic for them.

When a warning spirit shows up, Blue knows something big is coming. I was surprised who the ‘surprise from Blue’s past’ was, and the way the entire interaction played out, but was happy with the way things ended. It definitely had a hopeful feel to it.

What I wasn’t thrilled with was the fact that Blue went to the Quiet House in the first place. Everything was pointing to it being a bad idea, but Blue went anyway. And while I can understand why he did, I didn’t like it. Especially since the two people most important to him went along to keep him safe, and ended up in danger.

There were way more ghosts in this book than the first. I was hooked fast and stayed invested as more and more ghostly phenomenon occurred. It was so blatant that even someone like Levi, without any special ability, had run-ins with the ghosts. One of the biggest compliments I can give a book is being so caught up reading that I forget to take notes, and that happened with this book. No soggy middle here!

The sad thing is that there are people like the Viscount Ingram out there in real life. People who enjoy collecting and being around objects that have witnessed lots of human suffering. I found all of the less-than-pleasant side characters to be completely believable. The charlatans and faux ghost hunters were only out to make money and further their fame.

I hope we get more books about Blue and Levi. I’d also take a book about Will and Jem. Even though they were minor characters, they were both sweet.

Be sure to check out my review for the first book, The Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings (Black and Blue #1)

Review: Lupine Road by Cal Matthews

I’d recommend this book to anyone looking for a different kind of shifter romance.

5 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 277 pages. Published September 1st 2017 by Cal Matthews

Blurb:

A wolf on the run

Cyrus Del Basque has been running his whole life. Born to a pack of fugitive werewolves, he travels the country with his family, trying to stay one step ahead of the hunters who pursue them. With only each other to rely on, his family roams from town to town, never stopping long enough for Cyrus to make friends, let alone have a relationship.

But living under constant threat has taken its toll, and when Cyrus’s grandfather falls ill, his desperate family takes refuge in the most unlikely of places—a drive-in movie theater outside of tiny Modesty Creek, Montana.

A man looking forward

Nathan Anderson is comfortable in his world. Proud owner of the Throwback Theater, Nate’s life revolves around movies, books, and World of Warcraft raids with his long-distance best friend. He’s spent the last few years healing from a car accident that left him in a wheelchair, and though he has lingering mental and physical scars, Nate is happy and content in the life he has built.

But Modesty Creek is small, and the dating options slim. So when the strange family blows into town, Nate is immediately drawn to the quiet, intense oldest son. And when sparks fly, Nate—ever the romantic—can’t help but start imagining the future they might have together.

Two world colliding

But Cyrus knows he can’t risk putting Nate and his family in danger. How could he even begin to explain? He knows that, at best, they can only have a few days together. But even as Nate and Cyrus are drawn closer together, Cyrus knows that at any moment, hunters could arrive to tear them all apart… and burn down the world that Nate has created.

Likes:

Handicapped main character.
Tough subjects handled well.
Nate’s disability was a part of him without defining him.
Nate didn’t immediately believe that Cyrus was a werewolf.
Nerd references.
Everything about Nate and most things about Cyrus.
Nate’s family.

Dislikes:

No trigger warnings.
Not immediately hooked.
Multiple tough subjects.
Confusing beginning.

If I had to describe the characters in this book in a few words, it would be ‘damaged, but still trying’. If you’re looking for a happy, fluffy book, keep moving. I normally don’t go for stories where the main characters have suffered extensive physical and/or psychological trauma. But something about this story called to me, and I’m glad I read it.

I am a big fan of HEAs and HFNs, and this book definitely had an HFN. It’s tentative, but reminded me of the first flower to bloom in spring – a sign of better things to come. Again, not my normal type of book. I like the big production ‘and then they rode happily into the sunset’ kind of endings. But the ending fit. Nate and Cyrus chose to take a chance on happiness and each other. After everything they’d been through, together and separately, that was a wonderful thing.

That being said, this book was a little tough to get through. All the characters, major and minor, have gone through a lot before the story started, and proceeded to go through a lot during it. Which brings me to my first major dislike: no trigger warnings. So I’ll put them here. This book touches on/deals with subjects of disability, self-harm, sexual assault, incest, assault, abduction, death, and murder.

But here’s the part that mattered most to me – everything was handled well. I’ve read books where an amputee’s missing appendage is barely mentioned (looking at you, Merrychurch Mysteries). Reading this book, I never forgot that Nate was in a wheelchair, but it didn’t define him. I was happy to see that Nate thought of his wheelchair as a form of liberation. That without it, he wouldn’t be able to get around. I also thought that Emily’s decision at the end made sense with everything that she’d been through. Even though she’s a side character, it was nice to see her get a tentative HFN as well.

Nate was hands down my favorite character. I loved that he was fairly happy with his life, despite being in a wheelchair. He turned to books, movies, TV shows, and video games to take him on adventures to far off places. Which meant that his nerd culture was on point. Watching him teach Cyrus about video games and slowly open up to being intimate was wonderful.

Cyrus gets major brownie points for letting Nate set the pace. Nate was extremely self-conscious, but Cyrus never pressured him. It was the opposite of how I normally think of shifter romances. This wasn’t a book about fated mates, it was about two people who have both been hurt in the past, finding each other and wanting to try even though they don’t think it will last.

I will say, the beginning of the book was a little confusing. It took me a while to understand the pack dynamics and what was going on with Cyrus’s grandfather. Information was sprinkled through the beginning, which made me curious about what was going on, even if I wasn’t immediately hooked.

The way that Nate didn’t immediately believe that Cyrus was a werewolf, even when the evidence was right in front of him, was a new way of handling the typical werewolf coming out scene. In fact, everything about this book was different from the normal shifter romance. I’d recommend Lupine Road to anyone looking for a different kind of shifter romance.

Review: Vespertine by Leta Blake and Indra Vaughn

This has been on my TBR list for years, and I’m so glad I finally got around to reading it.

5 out of 5 stars

E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 420 pages. Published September 10th 2015 by Ledra

Blurb:

Can a priest and a rock star obey love’s call?

Seventeen years ago, Jasper Hendricks and Nicholas Blumfeld’s childhood friendship turned into a secret, blissful love affair. They spent several idyllic months together until Jasper’s calling to the Catholic priesthood became impossible to ignore. Left floundering, Nicky followed his own trajectory into rock stardom, but he never stopped looking back.

Today, Jasper pushes boundaries as an out, gay priest, working hard to help vulnerable LGBTQ youth. He’s determined to bring change to the church and the world. Respected, admired, and settled in his skin, Jasper has long ignored his loneliness.

As Nico Blue, guitarist and songwriter for the band Vespertine, Nicky owns the hearts of millions. He and his bandmates have toured the world, lighting their fans on fire with their music. Numbed by drugs and fueled by simmering anger, Nicky feels completely alone. When Vespertine is forced to get sober, Nicky returns home to where it all started.

Jasper and Nicky’s careers have ruled their lives since they parted as teens. When they come face to face again, they must choose between the past’s lingering ghosts or the promise of a new future.

Likes:

Jasper and Nicky, together and separately.
Jasper didn’t feel preachy.
Kept me hooked.
People’s reactions to Jasper felt real.
Nicky’s views on his maintenance patches.
The dark night of the soul moment.
The story flowed well.
The memories were woven into the story well.
Safe sex.
The LGBTQ youth shelter.

Dislikes:

The band manager.
The way the church pressured Jasper.
The setup is heavy-handed.

I’ve had this book on my TBR list since 2015, which is around when I got into MM romance. I probably wouldn’t have ever read it, if not for a reading challenge. The setup of priest x damaged musician is heavy-handed to say the least. Plus, at 420 pages, the book is long, and I’ve encountered so many self-published books in need of major editing that I tend to stay away from anything over 300 pages.

Needless to say, I wasn’t expecting much from the book. Which is part of why I was so shocked that I loved it. Despite being a priest, Jasper wasn’t preachy at all. He was quietly content with his faith, and didn’t push any of the kids at the LGBTQ youth shelter to convert. Jasper just wanted to give them a safe place to live. He even made sure to help them transition into adult life when they aged out.

Nicky was a typical damaged musician. That’s not a bad thing. I’ve enjoyed books about damaged musicians before (hello Sinner’s series), and it helped that Nicky wanted to change. He missed how things were before all the drugs, but was worried that he couldn’t get back there sober. His journey through the book, struggling with sobriety and explaining to Jasper that he’d likely always need a management patch to control his addiction, was well grounded. For all the fans Nico Blue had, Nicky Blumfeld turned out to be a really great guy.

Both men go through powerful journeys during the book. I might have initially been worried about the length, but the book takes the time the story needs, without cutting corners or stretching anything out. There’s no soggy middle, and I was hooked the entire time.

The story’s a slow burn, which felt natural. Jasper and Nicky have history, and while neither of them expects to become more than friends when they reunite, they kept circling each other, getting closer and closer until falling back in love became inevitable. The memories the two had of their time together as teenagers were woven into the story well, as were all the non-romantic plot points.

Not everyone excepted an only gay priest, despite the fact that Jasper was celibate. His superiors in the church weren’t happy with the LGBTQ shelter, and it was heartwarming to see how hard Jasper fought for it. The way people, both in church leadership and in the community, viewed Jasper and the shelter, felt realistic. The same goes for the band manager, constantly pushing drugs on the members as a way to keep them compliant.

I was glad to see Jasper and Nicky practice safe sex. Not only did they know that spit wasn’t enough, they were both willing to stop when Jasper wasn’t willing to take things to the next level.

The dark night of the soul moment should have been cheesy, but it worked really well. My emotions flipflopped around as I worried about Nicky, then Jasper, then back and forth again.

I can see why more than 50% of the Goodreads ratings for this book are 5 stars. It’s the best kind of rollercoaster of emotions. I’m so glad I finally read it.