Note: Reviews are listed alphabetically by author’s last name. Like my reviews? Buy me a coffee (Ko-Fi) support me on patreon Lines Drawn Abrianna Denae & Leigh Kenzie (Crimson Bonds #5) The authors kept warning that the worst was yet to come, that this might be the book that broke their readers…and they might be right. … Continue reading Five-Star Reads for October 2025
Five-Star Reads for July 2025
Note: Reviews are listed alphabetically by author’s last name. Like my reviews? Buy me a coffee (Ko-Fi) support me on patreon Little Did We Know Cara Dee (Mclean Tales #1) After a dozen books in the primary Game series (and so many delicious cameos across probably a dozen more books set in the same world), I … Continue reading Five-Star Reads for July 2025
Five-Star Reads for April 2025
Note: Reviews are listed alphabetically by author’s last name. Like my reviews? Buy me a coffee (Ko-Fi) support me on patreon 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 … Continue reading Five-Star Reads for April 2025
Five-Star Reads for February 2025
Note: Reviews are listed alphabetically by author’s last name. Mutual Possession Aurora Crane (Nine Tenths of the Law #1) With this book, Crane not only sets a new record high for possessive characters, she obliterates the competition. The way Kendrick and Spencer think of each other isn't necessarily sane, but that doesn't stop their connection from … Continue reading Five-Star Reads for February 2025
Five-Star Reads for December 2024
Note: Reviews are listed alphabetically by author’s last name. Livesuit James S.A. Corey (The Captive's War novella) While the first full-length novel in this new series was well-written and had a fascinating premise, none of the point-of-view characters particularly grabbed me. In contrast, Karin fascinated me from the first scene as I followed his transition from … Continue reading Five-Star Reads for December 2024
Five-Star Reads for August 2024
Note: Reviews are listed alphabetically by author's last name. Tied Down Kate Hawthorne (Trophy Doms New York #2) Though Hawthorne hits some of the more generic queer romance tropes in this book, such as best friend's brother and bi-awakening, she always put her unique spin on them. Ford won me over by being unapologetic about … Continue reading Five-Star Reads for August 2024
Five-Star Reads for May 2024
Immersion Play Katherine McIntyre (Leather and Lattes #1) The experienced Dom and naive sub falling for each other is a pretty common trope in kink romance. However, McIntyre elevates this easy relationship shortcut by making the kink element only a small facet of what develops between Micah and Parker. The chemistry between them is visceral … Continue reading Five-Star Reads for May 2024
Five-Star Reads for April 2024
Devil's Own K.M. Neuhold (Palm Island #6) Neuhold has teased a potential relationship between Raven and married couple Devil and Angel for multiple books in this series, and the full story measures up to all of my expectations. Raven feels much more at the center of this story than the other two men regarding individual … Continue reading Five-Star Reads for April 2024
Book Review: Scene Queen (The Court #2) by Charlie Novak
Read my review of the first book in The Court series, Drama Queen. The grumpy/sunshine trope, that particular twist on “opposites attract,” is one of my favorites. Novak does the trope justice here by adding a dose of spice to the dynamic that initially develops between Rhys and Evan. Their undeniable chemistry, fueled by the … Continue reading Book Review: Scene Queen (The Court #2) by Charlie Novak
Book Review: Heart2Heart (Contemporary) Vol. 7
This post includes reviews of selections from the contemporary half of the 7th volume of Heart2Heart charity anthology. Brie Mine Charlie Novak I have a soft spot for book nerds, being one myself, and I loved that Sage and Benedict first connected in chat conversations over their love of books and reading, especially since they … Continue reading Book Review: Heart2Heart (Contemporary) Vol. 7
Book Review: Drama Queen (The Court #1) by Charlie Novak
Comparing the drag queen main character in this story, Bubblegum Galaxy, to the drag queen protagonist of an earlier Novak book would be easy, but this author immediately puts her excellent characterization skills to work by making their personalities and general vibes drastically different (in both drag and boy mode). At the same time, I … Continue reading Book Review: Drama Queen (The Court #1) by Charlie Novak
Book Review: Like I Wanted (Heather Bay #5) by Charlie Novak
Read my reviews of previous books in the Heather Bay series: Like I Pictured (#0.5) | Like I Promised (#1) | Like I Wished (#2) | Like I Needed (#3) | Like I Pretended (#4) Though this book nominally stands alone, I’m glad I’ve been following along from the start so that I, too, could be utterly and delightfully confused … Continue reading Book Review: Like I Wanted (Heather Bay #5) by Charlie Novak
Book Review: Like I Pretended (Heather Bay #4) by Charlie Novak
Read my reviews of the previous books in the Heather Bay series: Like I Pictured (#0.5) | Like I Promised (#1) | Like I Wished (#2) | Like I Needed (#3) One of my favorite aspects of Novak’s writing is that not only does each series portray a fantastic cast of well-developed primary and secondary characters, but each of … Continue reading Book Review: Like I Pretended (Heather Bay #4) by Charlie Novak
Book Review: Pole Position (Lights Out) by Charlie Novak
I’m jumping into this multi-author shared world series in the “middle,” starting with this book, since I was privileged to receive an advance copy from this author. I’m not much of a sports romance reader unless it’s hockey or rodeo, but I found that F1 racing hits that same sweet spot of being a team … Continue reading Book Review: Pole Position (Lights Out) by Charlie Novak
Book Review: Like I Needed (Heather Bay #3) by Charlie Novak
Read my reviews of the previous books in the Heather Bay series: Like I Pictured (#0.5) | Like I Promised (#1) | Like I Wished (#2) I couldn’t figure out why I had mixed feelings about this book until I slept on it after finishing. No uncertainty about the quality of the book—as usual, Novak delivers with her … Continue reading Book Review: Like I Needed (Heather Bay #3) by Charlie Novak
Book Review: Up to Snow Good by Charlie Novak
This book is a follow-up and features some of the same characters as an earlier winter story by Novak, but it easily works as a stand-alone novel. The brief backstory did make me curious about the previous romance, but I was quickly swept up in the events of this one. Max and Luca don’t have … Continue reading Book Review: Up to Snow Good by Charlie Novak
Book Review: Like I Wished (Heather Bay #2) by Charlie Novak
Read my reviews of the previous books in the Heather Bay series. There are a lot of characters in the delightful found family created by Novak for this series, but each is so distinct that they are easy to keep track of. Just a hint of the relationship for this book is teased in the … Continue reading Book Review: Like I Wished (Heather Bay #2) by Charlie Novak
Book Review: Couture Crush (Model Love) by Charlie Novak
My first visit to this new, multi-author series happens to be with one of my favorite authors, so I knew I was in for a treat. Novak brings her lovely writing style and well-crafted characters to a series about professional male models (and the men who love them) with a frank look at both the … Continue reading Book Review: Couture Crush (Model Love) by Charlie Novak
Book Review: Heather Bay Series by Charlie Novak
This post includes reviews of the following books in the Heather Bay series: Like I Pictured (#0.5)Like I Promised (#1) Like I Pictured (Heather Bay #0.5) This novella is available as a free download via Prolific Works as part of the Your Book Boyfriend’s Boyfriend M/M Romance Group Giveaway 2022. Novellas that act as a shorter prequel … Continue reading Book Review: Heather Bay Series by Charlie Novak
Book Review: Oh So Oscar (Forever Love #3) by Charlie Novak
Read my reviews of the previous books in the Forever Love series: Always Eli (#1)Finding Finn (#2) This book gives the final son of the sprawling combined family that has threaded its way into every corner of Novak's shared book universe his happily ever after. So far, Oscar's travel-writer lifestyle (and London home base) means that he … Continue reading Book Review: Oh So Oscar (Forever Love #3) by Charlie Novak