Note: Reviews are listed alphabetically by author’s last name.
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Xerxes Ascendant
Adelaide Blaike (House Epsilon #2)
I’ve been anxiously awaiting the conclusion to this story since I finished book 1 and screamed. A lot. Luckily, Blaike doesn’t draw out that particular cliffhanger for too long; instead, she hits readers with the expected and well-deserved emotional angst that was sure to follow certain revelations and actions. Kyle and Akira both walk a difficult road to find their way back to each other, but Akira does the work to deserve a second chance, and Kyle more than deserves a happily ever after. He even gives chances to those who might not be so deserving, which Blaike ties neatly into the external conflict elements of this story. She deftly balances the characters’ immediate needs with the overarching dilemma facing the floating city of Xerxes, giving them appropriate roles in the bigger picture while staying true to what she has already established about them. This epic conclusion was more than satisfying, and I wouldn’t mind another visit to this world with other members of House Epsilon.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.
Damian & Jun
Ciara Darren (The Residency Boys)
Note: This spoiler-free review covers all 16 episodes of the Damian & Jun serial. When I read the previous serial set in this world, I was pleasantly surprised by the multiple layers of story encompassed in the episodes. I enjoyed the characters enough to happily return for another peek into their world. Once again, Darren takes a handful of familiar romance tropes and elevates them with a solid external plot and satisfying character development. Even better, Damian and Jun are nothing like Colin, giving us brand-new relationships and dynamics to explore along the way. Though they had already begun a tentative relationship before this story takes place, the inciting conflict of this serial seamlessly intertwines with the romance aspects, giving each man the opportunity to support the other regardless of the power exchange nature of their bond. Darren doesn’t shy away from the darker elements of what Damian and Jun face; while readers should mind the content warnings, details are used with care and for relevance rather than as an emotional shortcut. I adore this unique found family and the numerous secondary characters who are adopted into the fold, and I’m already looking forward to a return following hints of another relationship I want to see find their happily ever after as well.
Disclaimer: I received digital review copies of episodes 9-16 from the author.
Consequences
Abrianna Denae & Leigh Kenzie (Crimson Bonds #4)
Cristian and Allesandro are finally home, but now the real work begins. New conflict arises in how to best care for the wounded, compounded by the shock of realizing that their families are not quite in the same state the bosses left them. The way each man retreats to lick his wounds is expected, but the tension is strong throughout the book regarding how they will deal with this unexpected aftermath. Two characters who have faced one of the hardest roads reconnect in a surprising and emotional manner, giving yet another twist to the road these families face, while the seeds of other potential relationships are planted despite the distance. Of course, the families are not the only ones to effectively trauma-bond during the first three books of this intense series, and a moment I’d been anticipating finally arrives. The title of this installment is a bit of a misnomer; the true consequences of how the Martelli and Amato families deal with their internal and overarching external conflicts have barely begun. I eagerly await the next chapter of this saga!
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the authors.
Misfit
Alethea Faust (Sex Wizards novella)
Faust gives us a tantalizing glimpse into Arlon’s past in this prequel novella to the setting’s primary series, showing the awkward transition phase between when he was a prisoner of the Crux and first exploring his potential as a wizard. Both he and all those around him must struggle to overcome significant misconceptions on both sides, but I admired how he takes the first step toward building a friendship with Garrett. I also appreciated that Faust put a bit of a twist on her own world by having that friendship develop from a platonic base before magic ever becomes involved. The thread of genuine romance in this story is even more unexpected, both in terms of the source and how Arlon navigates accepting that he is deserving of that love. Though I look forward to next installment of the main series, this sweet and sexy novella is almost enough to tide me over, especially since I know I will return to it to further appreciate Faust’s incredible talent for worldbuilding and character development.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.
Casual Felonies
Kelly Fox (Wildlings #1)
I’m low-key convinced that everything Fox has written in her fabulous connected world up to this point has been leading to this series, which combines everything I already loved about Fox’s writing with a sneaky bit of near-future speculative fiction. She’s been open about inserting certain POV chapters purely for her own entertainment, proving that if you truly love what you write, others are sure to love it too. That those POVs are genuine fan favorites is a feature, not a bug, while also serving the legitimate narrative purpose of adding subtle worldbuilding to bring readers forward to this time point. Rami and Truett share genuine chemistry, but little do they know how perfectly their worlds mesh. They don’t, at first, which leads us to the comedy of errors that starts with the worst stalker ever, leads to accidental heroism, and concludes with both men finding their futures both as a romantic pairing and their individual roles in this intriguing world. This book also does the heavy lifting of introducing us to the many characters who make up the next generation of Fox’s world, but I never felt overwhelmed, only intrigued by the clues she has already dropped about what might come next.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.
Love by Design
Kate Hawthorne (Club Rapture: Risk Aware #1)
So much is stacked against Silas and Marshall from the start, from their professional relationship to the way they first encounter each other outside of a professional setting. Neither of them expects the less-than-professional immediate chemistry between them once they discover their shared interest in power exchange. Exploring together is the logical next step, and helping them keep boundaries around that dynamic is the external conflict that hits from all sides. We’re introduced to Marshall’s brothers through the revelation of more family drama, while the remnants of Silas’s family simultaneously implode. Though this forces the men even closer together, I appreciated that each obstacle leads the men to adjust the limits of their relationship rather than delve into unproductive angst. As usual, Hawthorne incorporates kink in a manner relevant to the character and relationship development rather than as extraneous spice. I was thrilled to learn she was returning to the world of Club Rapture for this next series. This first installment reminded me how much I enjoy visiting, and I can’t wait to explore the rest of the Covington brothers along the way.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.
Inheriting Miss Fortune
Lucy Lennox (Billionaire Brotherhood #3)
I enjoyed all of the books in the Billionaire Brotherhood series, but this one stood out for me on multiple levels. Lennox does an excellent job throughout each of the novels of balancing the perks and drawbacks of immense wealth, making the brotherhood’s billionaire status a significant plot element without veering into unsympathetic “poor little rich boy” territory. For this book, it is particularly entertaining that one of the characters is both the billionaire AND the cowboy, highlighting how appearances can be deceiving. Dev’s history with lawyer Tully, who appears with his surprise daughter, adds another interesting twist, especially when the custody battle for said daughter starts to blend the personal and the professional for Tully. The legal elements of the external plot were fascinating, especially when Lennox takes things in an unexpected direction that had me gasping out loud in shock. I loved that the resolution for Dev’s daughter hinged less on money than on genuine parental love that can bloom even unexpectedly. This happily ever after wouldn’t truly have been complete without all three of them coming together as a family.
Tender
E.M. Lindsey (Beginning of Always #4)
As much as I enjoyed the original incarnation of this book, it was so clear that there was more to this story begging to be explored. Viewing Emmett and Cosimo through only Miles’s perspective was only a tantalizing glimpse into a deep, layered relationship. Expanding this romance into a full-length novel and giving readers those additional perspectives intensifies everything about this book, from the nuances of the individual dynamics that develop between the three men to the conflict that originally brings them together. So often, polyamorous stories focus on how the third character is not there to fill gaps in the original relationship; though that has nothing to do with how Miles originally enters Cosimo and Emmett’s lives, Lindsey takes risks with this story that I applaud by having that literally be the appeal of Miles once they get to know him better. They also don’t shy away from highlighting the differences between abuse and consensual power exchange when relevant to the story. Finally, I appreciated seeing Emmett and Cosimo struggle with reconciling their love for their daughter with recognizing that she was the source of Miles’s abuse, flipping the common trope of parents being the source of trauma.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.
Man Advantage
L.A. Witt
This is the second book I’ve read this summer in which a single-dad professional sports player ends up involved with his nanny. The amazing thing about the romance genre, though, is how both books are still completely different and each fantastic in its own right. For this story, Trev and Cam reconnect to help each other out in suddenly difficult circumstances, with the men trying to do the best they can with the hand they are dealt. Though they used to be high school sweethearts, I wouldn’t call this a traditional second-chance romance because the initial connection faded due to the unintentional conflicts of growing up. As adults, their platonic chemistry remains, and the transitions they’ve undergone on that path to adulthood mean their physical chemistry is even more explosive than before. The external conflicts of the novel mesh well, combining the stress of the “forbidden” nature of the employee/employer relationship with drama on the ice as Trev navigates being teammates with his ex-husband’s new partner. With this book, Witt shines as a writer of queer romance by how she balances the ways the heroes’ queerness affects the plot while still crafting a conflict that any reader can relate to. The spicy bits of this novel are also a masterclass in how identity and attraction are more important and relevant to the emotional impact of physical intimacy than biological characteristics. And, of course, she’s pretty good at that hockey stuff, too.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.