Note: Reviews are listed alphabetically by author’s last name.
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Shifting Ties
Abrianna Denae & Leigh Kenzie (Crimson Bonds #2)
One of the authors in this co-write team told me before release that this was the “nice” book in this series. Either nice is a relative term, or we’re in for a real ride in the upcoming stories. I’d argue that this book is instead an excellent and emotional bridging story that further brings the Amato and Martelli families closer together–in more ways than one. Denae and Kenzie “break” multiple genre expectations in how their various characters develop relationships in this crossover epic. I’m thoroughly enjoying that this new saga isn’t two families acting in a shared interest but clearly staying in their own lanes as the authors trade off chapters. Instead, I often find myself having no idea which author penned each scene as the numerous characters intertwine and find their new normal without Cristian and Il Padrone at the helm. This book closes with a twist I never saw coming in a million years, and I’m officially in for the long haul…even if later books aren’t so “nice.”
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.
Sweet and Sire
Taylor J. Gray (Streetboys Series novel)
I have to give the author credit for her attempt to have this book act as a stand-alone story. However, with so many characters, so much background, and so many interconnected relationships and dynamics, asking readers to enter this world at this point in the story is a big ask. That being said, this is a stunning and engrossing continuation for the characters of this world that I thoroughly enjoyed as a reader familiar with all that has come before. One element I really appreciate about this world is how the relationships are not stagnant, as shown by how this book shifts the dynamic established by Julian and Jacob in the very first venture into this world. The first third of this novel is equal parts heartbreaking and poignant as these men prepare for the next part of their future, still side-by-side, but not in the same way as before. At the same time, I adore that Julian and Joe’s love story also brings each man their true perfect match. Watching how Joe and Jacob both grow together as they find their own way in the otherwise strict dynamics of their world was a true treat, and I can’t wait to see how this entire amazing family continues to evolve in the future.
The Villain’s Beast
Kate Hawthorne (Thorned Vows #1)
Being skeptical of this book because of how many tropes and genres Hawthorne crams together would be easy…until you read it and understand how the disparate pieces are only fleshed out enough to create a brilliant, cohesive whole. She doesn’t waste time on unnecessary details, instead keeping the focus narrowed to the five main characters and how external plot factors affect the shifts and facets of their individual relationships. A dark romance allows for a delightfully messy polycule, with relationships at various points of development and power imbalances that are as sexy as the men themselves. The dark academia aspect reads as a proto-mafia, but this didn’t feel like a book that would necessarily work with older characters in a “traditional” dark mafia romance setting. Gideon, Fletcher, Daren, Luca, and Bellamy are allowed to be, at various times, both older and younger than their years in how they confront and react to the family politics that they’ve vowed to dismantle. Hawthorne never skimps on the emotion she packs into her books, and I hope she had as much fun indulging in developing characters on the darker end of the spectrum as I did reading them. While this book is a bit of a departure from her previous projects, I hope that she also finds plenty of new audience who will appreciate the unique elements of this book.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.
Forever Rebel
Garrett Leigh (Rebel Kings MC #11)
This ensemble series deserved a happily ever after “wrap-up” more than any other I’ve read, and I’m so pleased that Leigh indulged both herself and her readers by writing one. A few lingering plotlines are visited that I expected, but Leigh doesn’t just throw together a bunch of fan service moments and call it a day. These amazingly well-crafted characters were never stagnant during their main books, and they certainly aren’t now, either. We revisit each character and relationship dynamic in overlapping, connected storylines that culminate in a whole that left me incredibly satisfied. I’ll definitely be re-reading this full series in the future, and I look forward to seeing glimpses of this amazing found family in later books by Leigh. For now, though, I’ll grab a blanket, enjoy the music, and bask in the sunrise of a new dawn with them.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.
Royal Crush
E.M. Lindsey
One of my favorite things about the enemies-to-lovers trope is that, often, the two main characters are not actually enemies of each other. In this instance, Lindsey’s twist on the trope is that the main characters’ greatest enemy is actually himself. Both Camillo and Aleric have to fight both their bodies and the echoes of their pasts in various measures to reach a point where they can accept softness from each other instead of the sharpness they might feel they deserve. I loved the dichotomy of characters who have each reached fame from different angles and how this fame impacts their individual struggles. Camillo and Aleric don’t heal each other, but their interactions from the very beginning crack open carefully crafted facades until their future together feels inevitable. Along the way, readers get all the delicious heat and angst they expect and deserve from a story by this author, who has mastered telling unique stories that always satisfy.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.
Cocky Bastard
Charlie Novak
Even though we already know about Kane and Austin’s full happily ever after from earlier books by Novak, this lovely story is still very much worth reading. The origin of their incredibly nontraditional romance is sexy and sweet, as two men realize they fit together emotionally and mentally as well as they do physically…they just had to grow up a bit first, putting distance between their unique pasts and the futures they are building for no one but themselves. We’re lucky enough to be along for the ride as they realize they want those futures to include each other as more than fleeting hookups. Even though there’s a certain comfort to knowing everything works out in the end, for the romance arc and this book’s external conflict, Novak still includes plenty of tension in how both stories unfold. As usual, we get familiar faces from this author’s sprawling shared world playing roles both familiar and delightfully unexpected. Finally, I thoroughly appreciated how Austin’s profession plays a realistic role in the nature of the external conflict but also a refreshing (lack of) role in the romance itself.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.
Outfoxed
Jodi Payne & B.A. Tortuga (On the Ranch #4)
(Amusing side note: Though the first book is obvious, it took me until book 4 to realize all the titles in this series included the name of a character!) Payne and Tortuga’s “east meets west,” low-angst books are the literary equivalent of a warm hug. In this particular story, Trent may have returned to his house, but the unexpected turn in his life plan and accompanying health issues make it difficult to truly settle. Conversely, Fox is literally running away from his previous life in search of a better future for himself and his daughter. Romance is the last thing each man is searching for, but friendship turns to friendship with benefits turns to Trent and Fox finally finding home–and each other along the way. The accompanying secondary characters, including the kids, are just the right doses of helpful and adorable. I finished this story with a huge grin, like always.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the authors.