Five-Star Reads for October 2024

Xerxes Descendant

Adelaide Blaike (House Epsilon #1)

The short version of this review basically boils down to “insert screaming and flailing here.” This author knows that I’m extremely picky about my speculative fiction, so I considered it an honor that she invited me to be a beta reader for this story, even though my schedule at the time meant I had to decline. Honestly, I’m not sure what I could have contributed to make this book any better. Blaike builds a fascinating setting through a combination of on-page events and epistolary inserts before each chapter. This is a book of layers, from the simple push and pull of the unrequited attraction/affection between Kyle and Master Epsilon, to the more complicated drama of city politics between the “haves” and “have nots,” to the grander scope of Xerxes’s tenuous position in the sky itself. Be warned that, as the first half of a duology, this book ends on a dramatic emotional cliffhanger, but I more than consider the pain of the wait worth the pleasure of reading the book.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.

The Story of Danny Rose

Cara Dee (Hillcroft Group #1)

I read the first half of this book in its original incarnation as a novella for a limited edition collection. I enjoyed the characters and the solid “happily for now” the story ends on, but the premise promised so much more that I was thrilled to learn Dee planned to expand the book. Even better, the new version serves as the anchor title of a series she’s been teasing for ages, featuring a cast that will include both familiar favorites and names we’ve only gotten glimpses of previously. As usual for Dee’s work, it can exist as a stand-alone, but her expansive world means those familiar faces are integral parts of the story, not merely fan service cameos. I love Emerson and Danny’s full love story almost as much as I love this background for an organization that exists as such a formative element to the history and core of so many characters I also adore.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.

Odyssey

Alethea Faust (Sex Wizards #4)

From the very first book in this series, which could have been nothing more than a sexy parody of the magical school trope, Faust has dedicated so much development to the characters and greater world that each subsequent installment reads much more like an epic fantasy with a refreshing twist. Dom and Olbric, with their nontraditional romance, might be the anchor characters for the series, but I adore this full ensemble cast because they are each integral in their own way to the depth of the plot and journeys (both physical and metaphorical) that Dom and Olbric have traveled so far. This book is huge, but I never once felt that it dragged. Faust strikes an excellent balance between plot, exposition, character development…and the kinky sex we originally came here for. Not only am I excited for the next book in this series, I already can’t wait to re-read this one.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.

Cried Out

Kate Hawthorne (Trophy Doms New York #3)

Pretty much every Trophy Doms book I read is my newest favorite Trophy Doms book, and this novel is no exception. Brooks and Dylan experience intense, perfect chemistry that shouldn’t be possible during a spontaneous hookup. Of course, this is a Hawthorne book, so it’s obviously not all smooth sailing from there. That being said, once these lovely men get their acts together, they have a pretty good shot at a happily ever after…if they lived in a bubble. Since they don’t, we get to enjoy the treat of many more of Hawthorne’s delightful Trophy Doms (east and west coast branches) as a long-running conflict hurtles toward a fulfilling conclusion. That just leaves one final Dom on his own, and Hawthorne also sets up the promise of an amazing epic conclusion. The only tears for this book all belong to Dylan, but like Brooks, I found everything about it absolutely delicious.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.

Loving You

E.M. Lindsey (Words We Never Said #4)

Lindsey is a master at seeding a series with secondary characters in such a way that you can’t help but be excited for their story. Bronx and Monty don’t necessarily “fit” on the surface, nor does either man feel like a relationship fits into their life, which explains their initial friends-with-benefits arrangement. However, the chemistry between them is off the charts, and it’s utterly unsurprising that such good men can’t help but develop feelings for each other. I appreciated that the angst over this change isn’t overwrought, especially as Lindsey also intertwines it well into the external conflicts of Bronx and Monty’s lives. Bonus points for the meddling teenager who is a well-developed character in his own right, not merely just a plot device. And, of course, I’m already anxious to read what comes next because of how well Lindsey has already set the scene for the next romance to unfold.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.

Naughty November

[preorder charity anthology]

“I’ll Tell You What You Are” by Cara Dee: Dee delivers another short, sweet, and sexy take on the intersection of kink and real life as these two best friends finally give a relationship a shot…in the most intense way possible. The weight of Reid and Max’s history is present in every scene without ever getting bogged down by exposition. While many novellas end on a solid “happily for now,” I have full faith in this particular happily ever after between such solid friends, no matter how their kink dynamic evolves.
“Drawn to You” by Colette Davison: Anyone who doesn’t believe that kink and sweet don’t go together obviously hasn’t read anything by Davison. This story is sheer perfection for her brand, and while the kinks might seem simplistic on the outside, she uses character details to enhance their use and the way they bind these two men together despite the nontraditional road they take to their happily ever after.
“His Slutty Angel” by E.M. Denning: Like any other element of storytelling, especially when it comes to romance, well-written kink is much more about the dynamic between the characters than the formal trappings of BDSM. The elements explored in this story wouldn’t necessarily be out of place in a “regular” romance, but Denning heightens every moment of the encounter between Riley and Adrian, elevating a simple club hookup to a connection between both men that goes so much deeper. Stunning in its simplicity, and perhaps also all the hotter for it.
“Hands Off” by Kate Hawthorne: Full disclosure—I’m one of the people who poked at Hawthorne to give Niko a story. I’m also the luckiest reader in the world because the story she gave Niko and Parrish is packed to the brim with everything she does so well, from kink to romance to the craft of writing itself. The seamless blending of power exchange and pure emotion makes this a standout story in this collection, along with being a near-perfect encapsulation of the best of Hawthorne’s entire body of work.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the anthology organizer.