WHAT, ARE WE READING AND REVIEWING IN NOVEMBER 2025? THIS WILL REMAIN UP UNTIL DEC.5TH

What Are Our Reading Plans for November?

Carol's Reads for November
🦃This Time Tomorrow - Emm Straub - ★ (New York) (21)
51/51
M/M ROMANCE BOOKS
🦃Behind the 8-Ball - A. E. Wasp - 4.5★ (part of the Superheroes) (Nov. Friend #5)
🦃Close Quarters - Romeo Alexander - 5★ (Texas)
🦃Collide - Rilet Hart - 5★ (Colorado)
🦃Stay - Riley Hart - 5★ (Colorado)
🦃Pretend - Riley Hart - 5★ (Colorado)
🦃Winging it With You - Chip Pons - 5★ (Michigan, Massachusetts, New York, Wisconsin, Illinois, Argentina, Bali, England, Spain, Italy, Portugal)
🦃BJ.'s Lost Crayons - Della Cain/Kaytea Kat - 5★
🦃Easton - Riley Hart - 5★ (Michigan)
🦃Rhett - Riley Hart - 5★ (Michigan)
🦃Want You Back - Annabeth Albert -5★ (Colorado)
🦃A Forgotten Mistake - Alice Winters - 5★
🦃Flawsome Explorations - Ariella Zoelle - 5★
🦃 Love Means...No Fear - Andrew Grey - 5★ (Illinois)
🦃Aced - Ella Frank - 5★ (California)
🦃Accidental Lover - Jocelynn Lover - 5★ (France, Italy, Colorado)
🦃Return To Blackcreek - Riley Hart - 5★ (Colorado)
🦃Caulky - K.M. Neuhold - 5★
🦃Touch Me Gently - J. R. Loveless - 3★ (Montana)
🦃Kinky Sprinkles - L. A. Witt - 5★ (Minnesota)
🦃Patchwork - K.M. Neuhold - 5★ - (Wisconsin)
🦃Calling His Bluff - Charlie Cochet - 5★ (Florida)
🦃Illuminate the Shadows - Isobel Starling - 5★ (Scotland)
🦃Their Perfect Daddy - A.W. Scott - 4.5★
🦃After Ben - Con Riley - 5★ (Washington)
🦃Filtration Play - Katherine McIntyre - 4.5★ (California)
🦃Daddy's Little Camping Trip - Della Cain & Kaytea Katz - 5★
🦃Chasing the Dream - Andrew Grey - 5★ (Pennsylvania)
🦃Claimed by the Mountain Man - Denver Shaw - 5★ (Fire Mountain -fictional) (28)
***********************************************************
BOOKS - OTHER GENERA
🦃The Kaiser's Web - Steve Berry - 5★ (Chile, South Africa, Switzerland, Germany) (Group Read
🦃Shadow Ridge - M. E. Browning - 5★ (Colorado)
🦃The Darkest Evening - Ann Cleeves -5★ (England)
🦃They Rise - Hunter Shea - 5★ (Bermuda Triangle)
🦃Hex-Thomas Olde Heuvelt - 5★ (New York)
🦃Now Is Not the Time to Panic - Kevin Wilson - 4.5★ (Tennessee)
🦃The Curse of Wetherley House - Amy Cross - 5★ (England)
🦃The Never List - Koethi Zan - 4.5★ (Oregon)
🦃The Farmhouse - Chelsea Conradt - 4.5★ (Nebraska)
🦃He Started It - Samantha Downing - 5★
🦃The Nanny - Gilly MacMillian - 4.5★ (England)
🦃Little Heaven - Nick Cutter - 5★ (New Mexico)
🦃No Road Home - John Fram - 4★ (Texas)
🦃Whistling Past the Graveyard - Susan Crandall - 5★ (Mississippi)
🦃The Kitchen Daughter - Jael McHenry --5★ (Pennsylvania)
🦃I Yam A Donkey - Cee Cee Bell -5★
🦃Diary of A Worm - Doreen Cornin -5★
🦃Black Canyon - Jeremy Bates 4.5★ (Colorado)
🦃Unsettled - Reem Faruqi - 4★ (Georgia)
🦃This Time Tomorrow - Emma Straub - 5★ (New York)
🦃A Darkness Absolute - Kelly Armstrong 5★ (Canada, British Columbia)
🦃It's One of Us - J.T. Ellison - 4.5★
🦃The Dollhouse - Sara Ennis - 3★ (23)
************************************************************

Yes, I was a bad girl again and jumped into to November early...you can fire me if you want to, but it doesn't mean I'll leave!:)

A Forgotten Mistake - Alice Winters
Deadly Mistakes Series Book #2
Genera: M/M Romance/Serial Killer/Detectives
5★
Liam: Despite winning Gabriel’s heart, my trials are not yet over when I’m stuck competing with Gabriel’s cat for his affection (why is she only evil when he’s not looking?), dealing with coworkers trying to befriend me (I should have blackmailed more of them), and worst of all... meeting Gabriel’s parents (whose affection I will win with lavish presents). Oh, and hunting down another killer. Though that’s the easy part. But when a crime scene brings me face-to-face with someone from my past, I realize I might have to fight to keep my secrets hidden from those who would tear me away from Gabriel forever.
Gabriel: Tackling Liam’s foster sister to the ground outside of a crime scene is the last thing I expected to do. It’s clear she needs help, and Liam might be the only person who can assist her. People are turning up dead, but if we fail to find the connection between them before it’s too late, innocent people might end up taking the fall or piquing the serial killer’s interest. Thankfully, Liam’s no stranger to challenges as he draws us further into his secretive world where the vilest of humanity reside around every corner. He’s opening our eyes and making us fall even deeper in love with every breath as we begin to further realize that his darkness isn’t driving me away but pulling me even closer. This man who is willing to burn the world down for me doesn’t realize just how far I’d go for him.
Right back into the world of Liam and Gaberiel, the world where Liam absolutely adores Gabriel and Gabriel loves Liam and the cat, who barely tolerates the humans.... the cat, not Lian. Liam likes most human's just fine:) Gaberiel has finally been able to accept Liam's slightly altered "moral" compass which is something resembling a homicidal Sherlock Holmes.

Alice Winters is one of my favorite M/M Romance authors. I love her talent for blending humor, love, mystery, and suspense all together to make for such an enjoyable reading experience. As usual, this book, like the last one, had me guessing the entire time, making it an exciting and pleasurable read. The mystery this time involved people and events from Liam's past. We learn a lot more about him. There were also multiple cases going on at the same time that all eventually came together in the end.

It was a great plot with well-developed characters, the perfect amount of humor, and a "who done it" element that keeps you flipping pages. I would recommend this series to anyone that likes M/M Romances, good mysteries and stories that have a bit of humor. The books really need to be read in order.

Collide - Riley Hart - (Colorado)
Blackcreek Series Book #1
5★
At ten years old, Noah Jameson and Cooper Bradshaw collided mid-air when they dove for the same football. For three years, they were inseparable…until one day when Noah and his parents disappeared in the middle of the night. Noah and Cooper never knew what happened to each other. Now, seventeen years later, after finding his boyfriend in bed with another man, Noah returns to Blackcreek looking for a fresh start. And damned if he doesn’t find his old friend grew up to be sexy as sin.
Noah and Cooper were best friends as children; they were inseparable. they had a true bond of friendship, trust and camaraderie. They were neighbors and both had personal family issues; Noah came from a broken family, and Cooper was raised by his aunt and uncle after his parents died. They couldn’t do anything else but form an unbreakable bond...but then one day, Noah’s family moved away...forcing the boys to lose touch.

Many years later, Noah returns to town and runs into Cooper...or Cooper literally runs into him. It was funny!

Both are now adults with careers and, Noah is looking to make a new start. Cooper is more than thrilled to have his best friend back. It doesn’t take long for them to find that close feeling that was always more than just mere friendship, again; it’s like these two best friends had never been separated. But…there's always a "but"... yelp...there are a few changes. Noah is gay, and while that surprises Cooper a little…the romantic tension is "off the charts" and very steamy. It’s the potential romance and definite moments of angst that will keep you reading.

Riley Hart takes you on a journey of the soul-deep bond that was never broken, even though they were separated as kids. We experience each of the minute details of a budding undeniable attraction between these two. We feel the fear of the unknown for the “straight” character who is realizing his attraction to his best friend, and the best friend’s fear of returning that love to someone who just might never be comfortable accepting it. From intense jealous reactions to heartfelt confessions, to all-consuming intimacy… this story has it all.

There were a few minor issues of confusion over which character was thinking what, or over the “flash back” times to the past. There was sometimes barely a delineation from present activity to sudden thoughts of past memories. Small things overall and nothing that took away one moment of my absolute enjoyment.

Stay - Riley Hart -(Colorado)
Blackcreek Series Book #2
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
After Wesley is suddenly left raising his sister's four-year-old daughter his confidence in life is shattered. He doesn't think he is the right person to be raising her but he knows he has to give it his all. His past has told him that he is just not worthy too many times. The last thing he needs or can deal with is a relationship. That is until his former one-night stand, Braden, makes it impossible.
Wes Jensen’s sister, Chelle, has just died of cancer, leaving Wes the custody of her four-year-old daughter, Jessie. Wes was very close to Chelle. She had raised Wes after their mother died. Wes thought he didn't have time to deal with Braden Roth, his one-night stand, that keeps showing up. Wes has Jessie to think about now, and Wes is not really good at letting people get close to him anyway.

Braden has never had a man, or a woman sneak out on him before the sun came up. Wes intrigued Braden at first by that simple act of leaving in the middle of the night. Braden had always gone after what he wanted and what he now wants....is Wes. The more time he spends with Wes and Jessie, he realizes he wants more than just getting Wes into bed again. As their lives continue to intertwine, Wes sees that Braden is not as self-centered and shallow as he had thought. But Wes has lost so many people in his life, he can't bring himself to risk his heart again and doesn't think he will ever be able to ask anybody to just simply...Stay.

This is the second book in Riley Hart’s Blackcreek Series. We first met Wes and Braden in the book #1, Collide. Both books can be read as a stand-alone. Wes and Braden show up gain in this one, but as secondary characters. The epilogue in Collide ended with the funeral service for Wes’s sister and the opening of Stay picks up in the same scene. Riley Hart weaves a few details into the first part to catch the reader up, but this is all Wes and Braden’s story. Both Collide and Stay are exceptionally well written, hot, friends to lovers', stories. If you like M/M Romances with great characters and happy endings, you will find that in Collide and Stay. I'm sure the third book in this trilogy, Pretend, will be just as good. I'm counting on it.

Pretend - Riley Hart
Blackcreek Series Book #3
Genera: M/M Romance
4.5★
Mason Alexander thought all he wanted in life was something to call his own...something without the family name attached. He got that when he bought his bar in Blackcreek...but then a hard truth opens his eyes that he’s been lied to his whole life, and he’s tangled amid the family that loves him, a truth that haunts him, and torn between the life he wants for himself and the obligation he feels for his family. Gavin Davis knows a thing or two about living a double life. Being a gay man with strict Christian parents who believe he’s going to Hell, has never been easy. Instead of dealing, Gavin lost himself in his career. Teaching music gives him solace. So, when he loses his job at a private school for helping out a gay kid, he feels like he lost more than a job. He lost his identity. Blackcreek is a new start for both of them, two men, loyal to a fault, who both feel obligated to people in their lives. What Mason and Gavin don’t expect to find in each other is the place where they can be real.
I really looked forward to this third book in the Blackcreek series since I had really, really liked the first two books and the main characters; but I was surprised at the trouble I was having believing the relationship between Mason and Gavin, as well as their motivations.

There was A LOT of drama. You can't read this and not feel torn in two. Gavin: My heart broke for him with his extremely religious, overly intolerant family...even though it seemed to just run in circles and not actually go anywhere until the very end. Mason: I totally understood him feeling betrayed by his family. They were on so many levels way beyond simply terrible, but I felt that everything was being blown out of proportion, and I just couldn't buy into it. As the mother of a wonderful gay son, who is married to the world's most wonderful man, and that beautiful little girl they have, and another baby soon to join the family...I look at them and have a hard time comprehending parents...sometimes entire families, that can alienate their children of any age, simply because of who they love. Those same gay children that they're ranting at and disowning could rob a bank, steal a car or commit murder and be more readily forgiven by them...but "don't you dare love a person of the same sex!" Sorry about the rant...putting away my soap box now.

A long story short...I loved the first two books, and I really "liked" this one, but it didn't have the same "feelings" that the first two had. I hate to think that this is the end of this series, and it really is only going to be three books long.... but it just didn't have the "finished feeling" that the first two had. Still, it was a very good worthwhile read. Now don't trip over my soapbox:)

The Never List - Koethi Zan - (Oregon)
Genera: Psychological Suspense
4.5★
For years, best friends Sarah and Jennifer kept what they called the “Never List”: a list of actions to be avoided, for safety’s sake, at all costs. But one night, against their best instincts, they accept a cab ride with grave, everlasting consequences. For the next three years, they are held captive with two other girls in a dungeon-like cellar by a connoisseur of sadism. Ten years later, at thirty-one, Sarah is still struggling to resume a normal life, living as a virtual recluse under a new name, unable to come to grips with the fact that Jennifer didn’t make it out of that cellar. Now, her abductor is up for parole and Sarah can no longer ignore the twisted letters he sends from jail. Finally, Sarah decides to confront her phobias and the other survivors—who hold their own deep grudges against her. When she goes on a cross-country chase that takes her into the world of BDSM, secret cults, and the arcane study of torture, she begins unraveling a mystery more horrifying than even she could have imagined.
Every woman or girl has a list of "NEVERS". It may. or may not be down on paper but it's in their heads. They follow that list religiously in order to keep themselves safe. "Never walk to your car alone late at night". "Never accept an open drink from anyone you don't know", and that goes double for unknown men. "Never get into cars with strangers". Never, never, never....

Everyone’s "never list" is going to be different. For me the cardinal rule is never get into a car with strangers, or allow them in your house, and that is the same rule that best friends Sarah and Jennifer violated one night. They had a long list of "nevers" that ranged from avoiding natural disasters, to avoiding rape and kidnapping. Their never list had served them well all the way up into college... until one night they decide to take a cab. That cab ride turned into "the ride from Hell"...literally.

For three long years, Sarah and Jennifer endured torture, disturbing sexual acts, beatings, and starvation. Sarah was eventually released along with some of the other girls, but Jennifer, alive or dead...was never found. Ten years go by, and Sarah has tried to move on with her life and forget the past. She has taken a new identity as “Caroline” but unfortunately, she is struggling to live her life. Her never list is now longer than ever, she rarely leaves her apartment and is struggling for closure....and Jennifer has still never been found, dead or alive. Then the unthinkable happens…. Sarah finds out her abductor is up for parole! Sarah and the other survivors see this as a way to gain closure and make sure that their abductor never sees the light of day again.

I really liked the complexity of the plot and the characters. It’s definitely a dark, dark, psychological thriller. I also liked getting to know the Sarah character. the author did a good job of allowing the reader to explore her character and yet allow a small bit of uncertainty about her to remain. You can’t help but feel like Sarah is holding something back, but not so much that you can’t trust her. It was equal parts of reliable and unreliable. Sarah’s paranoia and PTSD came across brilliantly and added depth as well as anxiety to the story.

There was enough description to give the reader an idea about what’s going on, but a lot is left up to the imagination. For example, the sexual and physical assaults in the novel were explained but not written in graphic detail leaving it up to us to imagine it happening, which made it all the more chilling. Overall, the story was realistic and believable.

The only things that I didn’t care for in the book was that some of the supporting characters seemed a bit flat and the ending seemed to wrap up too quickly. There was such a large build up to the end of the novel with a lot of twists and turns but when it finally all came together…. I found myself wondering if that was all there was. The actual climax and action sequence needed a tad more.

Overall, there are many aspects of the story that will not appeal to some readers, but if you are able to overlook some of the more "unconventional" material, you'll find this to be a mind-bending thriller.

The Kitchen Daughter - Jael McHenry - (Pennsylvania)
Genera: Fiction, Family Secrets, Ghosts
5★
After the unexpected death of her parents, painfully shy and sheltered 26-year-old Ginny Selvaggio seeks comfort in cooking from family recipes. But the rich, peppery scent of her Nonna’s soup draws an unexpected visitor into the kitchen: the ghost of Nonna herself, dead for twenty years, who appears with a cryptic warning (“do no let her…”) before vanishing like steam from a cooling dish. A haunted kitchen isn’t Ginny’s only challenge. Her domineering sister, Amanda, (aka “Demanda”) insists on selling their parents’ house, the only home Ginny has ever known. As she packs up her parents’ belongings, Ginny finds evidence of family secrets she isn’t sure how to unravel. She knows how to turn milk into cheese and cream into butter, but she doesn’t know why her mother hid a letter in the bedroom chimney, or the identity of the woman in her father’s photographs. The more she learns, the more she realizes the keys to these riddles lie with the dead, and there’s only one way to get answers: cook from dead people’s recipes, raise their ghosts, and ask them.
Ginny Selvaggio is...well... different. She doesn't like to be touched. She can't look people in the eye when they speak to her. She finds socializing to be excruciating. However, she is a wonderful cook and finds a great deal of peace when in the kitchen. She's twenty-six years old...she's never been really what you could call "on her own". Her parents died in a car accident while on vacation, and Ginny has trouble "coping" with almost everything. Amanda, Jenny's sister, wants to sell their parents' house and have Ginny "evaluated" for Asperger's Syndrome. Ginny is afraid it's just a way to prove that she's incompetent so Amanda can sell the house. In the meantime, Ginny meets and makes friends with David, who is the son of the cleaning lady, Gert. He's a sad, lonely man who is mourning the death of his wife a year ago.

I really liked Ginny. It's a story that the reader can relate to even if they haven't experienced the traumas that Ginny had experienced in her life. Another aspect of The Kitchen Daughter that I really liked was the food, and the recipes. Each chapter is focused on a different dish that Ginny cooks. She discovers that she is able to call up the ghosts of the people who created the recipes as she cooks. She also learns some important things about her family and about herself.

I liked this story much more than I thought I would when I was looking for a book about food for...yep...another challenge. It has something to say to everyone about what "normal" actually is...what grief can do, and how important those things can be for those left behind after loved ones have died. It was a really impressive story, and 5-star worthy.

Close Quarters - Romeo Alexander - (Texas)
Isaiah Ranch series Book #2
Genera: M/M Romance/Cowboys & 2nd Chances
5★
The only thing that frustrates me more than my life, is Elliot! And the feeling is mutual.
Elliot and Reno are both supposed to be serving prison sentences, but they have been given a chance to work the rest of their sentences out at the Isaiah Ranch instead as part of a program designed for prisoners with good behavior.

Eliott is simply adorable...he has ADHD which causes his mind to "spin" for most all of the day. He is also very communicative and often gets himself in trouble.

Reno is a man that is always angry and doesn't get along well with people as a rule. When he received the news that his grandmother had died, it was just the thing to get him into trouble again. As punishment, he is forced to work with Elliot as well as share a cottage. Yeah...some punishment that will turn out to be:)

It was interesting to see the dynamic that develops between these two. The more we learn about Reno's past, the better we will understand him. Your feelings for him will morph into different degrees of emotions, the more you learn about this man.

Just when you think that the path the two of them have chosen is a good one for them to take, unexpected danger again raises its ugly head, again providing some unexpected thrills and more suspense. This is going to be another good series or perhaps a trilogy by one of my all-time favorite authors, and I am already looking forward to the third book in the Isaiah Ranch series.

The Farmhouse - Chelsea Conradt - (Nebraska)
Genera: Mystery & Suspense
4.5★
Every woman who has lived on this farm has died. Emily just moved in. When Emily Hauk's mother dies, it's time for her and her husband, Josh, to finally leave San Francisco. A farm in rural Nebraska is everything they wanted for a fresh start: clear skies, low costs, and distance from the grief back home. Of course they didn't, but they should have asked why the farm was for sale.
This is advertised as a "psychological, supernatural thriller". Believe me, you will need a great deal of patience because it's one of the slowest "slow burn" stories I have ever read...but so worth the wait. It's 432 pages long and keeps you at a low level of tension throughout the entire story.

A young couple leave California, after the death of the wife's mother. They buy and move to a farm in the middle of "no-where" Nebraska. It isn't very long before the wife starts to feel that something is "wrong" with the house...actually, something is "wrong" with the entire farm. She does some research and learns that the daughter of the last owner had gone missing and shortly after that the missing girl's mother died after suffering a tragic accident. The wife, Emily, tries to make her husband, Josh, understand that there is something "wrong", very wrong, with the farm. Of course he doesn't believe her, and he tries to blame it on her grief and lack of sleep after her mother's death.

This book is a masterpiece of invisible but tangible, horror, as well as a social commentary on the perception, that unfortunately still sometimes exists, that the "little woman" is simply prone to hysteria and therefore shouldn't; couldn't possibly be believed.

There were parts of this story that were a little unnecessary...page and word count filler most likely. Our "little woman" character had sense enough to investigate and find out the info that they should have learned before handing over the money or moving into this "way cheaper than it should have been" house and farm. She contacts the town librarian who was more than happy to help her research the place. I was a bit disappointed here as that storyline never really gets resolved, and it could have added so much to what was already becoming an interesting story.

This book wasn't particularly scary, but I think I have read so many books of this particular genus throughout my lifetime, that it takes a great deal now to really "scare" me. But there was one moment in the book that did produce some chills, and that alone was worth the 4.5 stars that I'm giving the book. The psychological aspect was a much stronger presence than the supernatural was, but still a good, absolutely worth the time, read.

Easton - Riley Hart - (Michigan)
Swift Brothers Series Book #2
5★
Easton: I’m the youngest Swift brother. The one who’s always in trouble and can’t get his life together. I wouldn’t know where to start, and ever since my twin died, I can’t bring myself to care. After my last “situation,” Dad washed his hands of me. And though my brothers should’ve done the same, they stood up for me, fracturing their relationship with him too. He’s a terrible father to all of us but considering we’re just figuring out how to build a relationship, I don’t want them to lose him because of me. Officer Archer Thorn won’t stop coming around either. After every screwup, every bad day, Archer’s there to offer a hand. Before I know it, we’re going to dog parks, sharing meals, and Archer seems at home hanging at my place. When he touches me, fills me, all the noise in my head goes quiet. He makes me want more, but he doesn’t know how much that terrifies me, how much I worry that getting better means breaking a promise I made years ago. Each moment with Archer shows me how good a man he is. For the first time, I actually want to face my trauma and get over my past. Archer makes me see there’s beauty in the world and, more importantly, he makes me want some of it for myself…that is, if I don’t ruin Archer Thorn first.
Easton is the youngest Swift brother as well as the one with the most trauma. He’s angry and also prone to isolation. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, for him, Archer Thorn, simply refuses to leave him alone.

Archer is a police officer and so is not a stranger to the type of trouble Easton gets himself into. But Archer knows there’s more to the "bad boy" persona than what Easton lets everybody see.... including his own family.

I really liked the first book in this series, Morgan, that I had read some time ago, so I was really looking forward to the rest of the brother's stories. I already knew some of Easton's background. His trauma and difficulties were well explained, and I thought that Archer was the perfect character to help him through them to find the love he so deserved.

This series is very much character driven, and it was very easy to get sucked into the drama, but also the final happiness was so worth the wait. The characters were wonderful, and the happily ever after was simply perfect.

Winging it With You - Chip Pons - (Michigan, Massachusetts, New York, Wisconsin, Illinois , Argentina, Bali, England, Spain, Italy, Portugal)
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
Catching flights . . . and feelings. Asher Bennett thought his relationship was just fine. Until he’s unceremoniously dumped at the Boston airport ahead of The Epic Trek, the worldwide travel competition reality show. Armed with only a ticket and righteous indignation, Asher finds solace at an airport TGI Fridays. Luckily, right in front of him is a smooth-talking airline pilot ready for takeoff.
Theo Fernandez has been grounded. He’s the only pilot that has never taken a vacation and the edict has been passed down: Prove you're prioritizing work-life balance or say goodbye to your wings. Struggling to bask in his new downtime, he stumbles upon the perfect opportunity. The handsome guy at his favorite terminal eatery has a sudden opening for a partner . . . on a nationally televised reality show.
The book opens with quite a bang, given that Asher is left standing at the airport check-in desk by his ex-boyfriend who chose THAT moment to call it quits. No matter that they were supposed to compete on a reality TV show similar to The Amazing Race.

Theo the airline pilot now enters the story. He has some "inner demons" that he’s been trying to outrun, but eventually they begin to catch up with him. He is more than willing to help out and immediately jumps on board to be Asher’s fake boyfriend in order to complete for the million-dollar prize, unknowing that true love would be the ultimate prize they would find with one another.

This was a cute M/M romance that has you rooting for Asher and Theo both in love as well as on the show. It was a slow burn story that I often wished would pick up steam several chapters before it did, but you come to understand why that is, as they are both guarding their hearts.

I enjoyed the reality show aspect but would have loved to have had even more focus on the actual events they had to compete in. They were a bit braise towards the ending, but it felt like the show was a great backstory to back up their forced love story.

Overall, this was a sweet love story from an author who is definitely making a name for himself in romance, and I cannot wait for more. Besides, he's another author from my state of Michigan that I try to support, plus the author has lived in Battle Creek, my hometown....so Win, Win!

Behind the 8-Ball - A. E. Wasp - (California)
Part of: Sub-par-heroes various author's series of 14 books
Genera: M/M Romance/Supernatural
4.5★
In this city, a PI like me deals with more than just cheating spouses and runaway heirs. My name’s Dashiell Bucur, and I’ve got a knack for cases with a supernatural twist. My trusty sidekicks? An immortal twink with a story for every occasion and a plastic Magic 8 Ball that’s never wrong – even when I wish it was. The game changes when Harlan Dean, the one who got away, saunters back into my life with trouble snapping at his heels. Someone’s trying to kill him, and he’s clueless about the prediction my 8 Ball made years ago: Harlan and I, we’re fated to tie the knot. Now, we’re racing against the clock through the streets of San Francisco, dodging new threats and old resentments. I’ve got to solve the case, keep us alive, and maybe, just maybe, convince Harlan that destiny does have a sense of humor.
Overall, this wasn't at all a bad book...but it was a book that felt a bit "rushed". I've found that this is often the case with these multi-author series. It also could have used some better proof-reading...but that wasn't his fault. I've read a lot of books like that recently. Maybe I should get a job as a proof-reader:)

Here we have a private detective...a second chance at love, and a whole lot of "supernatural" abilities. The characters were great...amusing...and for the most part, lovable. You get a few laughs, along with some seriousness, and in some places, you find yourself holding your breath and wondering what was going on and what could happen next.

Every story needs a "hero"...and I believe in this story the real hero was the "8-ball". I once had one...my three kids each had one...who didn't have one of these magical, little black fortune-telling balls as a kid?? Everything you ever wanted to know about your future was in that little round, black plastic. two-dollar, "fortuneteller". (I'm telling my age now:)

Harlan and Dash had their long-awaited reunion, but it was a really rocky road to get back to the friendship...and even rockier one to get to the "more" part of their relationship. Harlan's backstory will pull at your heart the most, because he was not only a victim but also a pawn. He tried to get out, but he kept being pulled him back in. This story is filled with danger, laughter, and love. It appears that more adventures are planned for Harlan and Dash and there are perhaps going to...or maybe already are...several more books already. I hope so. A.E. Wasp is one of my favorite authors.

Overall, it was a book that was quick and easy to read, and it did keep me captivated....and it fit an on-going challenge category for me. Win! win!

B.J.'s Lost Crayons - Della Cain/Kaytea Kat
Found By Daddy series Book #13
Genera: M/M Romance, Daddy,little
5★
BJ lost his crayons and found his new daddy.
BJ clings to a deeply personal collection of retired crayons, particularly the elusive violet-blue, that he sees as a symbol of his own past sense of being cherished and then forgotten. Then a box containing this cherished collection is lost during a very stressful move, BJ’s quiet "little" world is shaken. In desperation, he reaches out to the community, and when Glenn from the moving company unexpectedly replies that he’s found it, relief floods his heart accompanied by a familiar spark...a spark that he hasn't felt in quiet some time. Gratitude and attraction blur hinting at a possibly deeper connection beneath the surface of what seemed to only be a simple recovery.

I own and love all 13 of these "Daddy/little" stories. They are short little books, but each one is so packed full of genuine love. This story was sweet, symbolic, and filed with a hopeful ache that the reader can't help but share with BJ. It was quietly intimate and brimming with understated longings.

As much as I love these stories, there were a few minor issues. Usually there always is...but this time there was no discussion between the two men, before they had unprotected sex. Also, some of their conversations had been summarized, leading me to wonder if parts of this story had been removed. This being an MM Romance story with mature content and a BDSM DD/LB dynamic...I can't imagine anything actually needing to be censored. We, the readers of M/M romances expect to read things that wouldn't be found in other genera, and I never fail to indicate what the books genera is in every review that I post, so that no one is unpleasantly surprised, and can either choose to read the review or choose to skip it. In spite of these two issues the story still gets the 5 star rating that it deserves.

No Road Home - John Fram - (Texas)
Genera: LGBTQ/televangelists/Mystery/Thriller
4★
POSSIBLE TRIGGERS: Homophobia
A young father must clear his name and protect his queer son when his wealthy new wife’s televangelist grandfather is found murdered.
Toby Tucker has married Alyssa Wright and with her and his son Luca they travel to Alyssa's parents' house to stay for a while. Alyssa is the granddaughter of a very famous televangelist, and the majority of her family works for his church.

When they arrive at the Wright family's compound, Toby starts to feel uneasy right away. The family has their own "plans" for his son, who is part of the LGBTQIA+ community. The author really never actually says that it's in the "LGBTQ genera" although it is listed as that on Goodreads. Throughout the story, Luca is only referred to as "sensitive", which I thought might be a bit offensive to those folks in the community. My gay son has never called himself "sensitive". He might be about some things but has never been sensitive about his sexuality. Anyway...on to the rest.

On the night of their arrival there is a huge storm that blocks the roads and leaves the compound without power. During this time Alyssa's grandfather is found murdered and all fingers start to point at Toby. Meanwhile, Luca begins to talk about "a black figure in a suit that has unfinished business". Not to mention that the family still is trying to use Luca for their own agenda.

I liked the story, but I have to say that it was an extremely "weird" book. I never expected the story to go the way that it went. There were not many characters that you could actually "like" or even care much about, except for Toby and Luca. As most of you know, I have a wonderful, sweet gay son, who is happily married to a wonderful man, so the way that Toby constantly called his son "sensitive" seemed to make me like him a lot less. I wanted to yell at him to call his son "Gay", he wasn't going to burst into flames or go to Hell if he said the word!!

For the most part, the background on the religious extremist seemed to be portrayed authentically. I wanted to tie them to a railroad track also! The wealth and manipulation that was mentioned is definitely what you can see happening in the real world. The paranormal aspect to the book was also interesting but didn't make or break the story...just "BLAH". I don't know what, but there just seemed to be something missing from the storyline that I couldn't quite "put my finger on".

Until the ending of the book I was going to give the book 3 stars, but then the "BIG reveal" changed that. I didn't see this coming, and I really liked the way the author chose to close it. That was extremely clever and very satisfying...but still only 4 stars.

It doesn't Take long to read 32 pages:)

I Yam A Donkey - Cee Cee Bell
Genera: Children's Book
5★
Even frustrated grammarians will giggle at the "who’s-on-first" routine that begins with a donkey’s very excited announcement, “I Yam a Donkey!” Unfortunately, the donkey’s audience happens to be a yam, yes... the vegetable type, and one who is particular about sloppy pronunciation and poor grammar. An escalating series of misunderstandings leaves the yam furious, and the poor clueless donkey bewildered by the yam’s growing...and amusing... frustration. The yam finally gets his point across, but regrettably, he’s made the situation a little bit too clear . . . and the story ends with a dark but outrageously funny twist.
This is a cute very, very short book. It would be perfect for kids who are just starting to understand jokes and "play on words". It is worth parents or educators, to read ahead of time and discover "your very own personal ignorant donkey voice", before reading it to or with a child. It certainly was not meant to be read in a boring sound or a monotone voice. It probably wasn't meant to fulfill a book challenge either, but it very well did. I have to give it 5 stars...not because it's the next great "literary classic", but it was well written, it made me laugh, it will be one of my 4-year-old granddaughter's Christmas presents...and for the 15-minutes of "entertainment" it provided.

Diary of A Worm - Doreen Cronin
Genera: Children's Book
5★
Worm is all about having fun, respecting the earth, and never taking baths. He lives with his parents, plays with his friends, and even goes to school. But unlike you or me, he never has to take a bath, he gets to eat his homework, and because he doesn't have legs, he just can't do the hokey pokey—no matter how hard he tries.
I'm not regressing to 5 years old, no matter who tells you differently. I'm previewing my 4-year-old granddaughter's Christmas presents and will probably be buying her more unless her dads stop me. I just recently found these cute little books about some of nature's least understood, admired or liked creatures. There is a spider one, but since I have this "thing" about spiders, I will skip that one!

A young worm shares with us one unfortunate adventure after another. He tries to teach his arachnid friend how to dig a tunnel...he figures eight legs digging should get the job done fairly fast. He also learns several other useful things, like the dangers of hanging out on a sidewalk during a game of hopscotch. He has a nightmare because he had eaten too much garbage before bedtime. He made a one-piece macaroni necklace in art class; he reasoned that one piece was ll he needed since he didn't evenhave a neck. My favorite one. I really loved this one...he gets reprimanded for telling his sister that “no matter how much time she spends looking in the mirror, her face will always look just like her rear end,” and there is so more.

Our little worm buddy comes with the cutest little face and a red cap. He also has a scrapbook/photo album with picture with the caption, “My favorite pile of dirt,” one from his teacher titled “My report card” with the caption “Needs to resist eating his homework”). Readers will come away with the insight that worms may not be so good at walking upside down or doing the "Hokey Pokey", but they do play an important role in taking care of our Earth. Better than some folks that live on the planet. Worms may not have legs, arms or necks, but they really aren't so different from us, after all.

My husband says "put the books away or you're going wear them out before she even sees them. But they are so cute!!! I might be able to read another one if I disguise it carefully.

Rhett - Riley Hart - (Michigan's U.P)
Swift Brothers Series Book #3
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
Rhett: I’m the eldest Swift brother, the one who should have taken care of my siblings and protected them, but I’ve never been the kind of brother they deserve. Both Morgan and East had the courage to walk away from our abusive father before I did, but now that I have, there’s no turning back. With that comes the realization that my whole life has been spent trying to be exactly what my father wanted, what I hate. My brothers are moving on with their lives, and that brings Tripp Cassidy and his daughter, Meadow, into my orbit. For a reason I can’t understand, they both seem to like me. Tripp asks me about my favorite things, pushes me to figure out my dreams, and at thirteen years old, Meadow knows herself better than I ever have.
This is a remarkable book. It's hard not to be able to imagine someone you might know in your life being like Rhett. Not particularly the gay part, but the emotional part that made up "Rhett, the man". I know people who have experienced in their lifetimes the lack of emotional love and positive reinforcement that was very similar to Rhett’s and was also the same as his constant need for perfection, for guilt, and for pleasing a particular man...a man like his father...a man who will never be satisfied no matter what Rhett, or any of his other sons, ever does.

Rhett’s story is nothing short of heartbreaking. You will have no problem at all of emphasizing with him even if you have never had the same experiences. For Rhett, it’s hard to live up to someone else’s high standards...standards which only have meant a life of constant disappointment and shame for him. The phrases he should use…"let it go" and "move on", unfortunately was hard to impossible to do for this deeply wounded man. That is, it was until he ran into Tripp Cassidy and his daughter, Meadow, and they turned his entire world inside out and upside down.

Tripp was optimistic...super sweet...and genuinely the best Dad imaginable. He’ had known Rhett for most of his life or at least knew "of" him. Everyone in town knew the Swift family...most had some degree of dislike for them...especially for their father. Rhett and Tripp went to school together but were not ever really what could be called, friends; even though they had lived in the same small town of Briar Brich, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan since they were born. Like happens in many small towns, the guys found that they were more like acquaintances than actual friends. That remained true until Tripp's daughter, Meadow, invited Rhett Swift to her birthday party. That was the start of everything changing. Rhett still has an entire lifetime of guilt to unload, and Tripp was the perfect person to help him do this... and to help him become the man he always wanted and deserved to be. I don't usually care for children in my M/M romances, but Tripp's daughter was a delightful character and added so much to this story.

The book is about healing and accepting the things you can't change and changing the things that you can. This was true not only for Rhett, but also for his two brothers (Books 1 & 2). Rhett's story was beautifully written, and I simply loved it! I'm going to miss these Swift brothers, but I own the three books in the series, so, rereads in the future.

Whistling Past the Graveyard - Susan Crandall -(Mississippi)
Genera: Southern Fiction/Mississippi/Racism
5★
In the summer of 1963, nine-year-old Starla Claudelle runs away from her strict grandmother’s Mississippi home. Starla’s destination is Nashville, where her mother went to become a famous singer, abandoning Starla when she was three. Walking a lonely country road, Starla accepts a ride from Eula, a black woman traveling alone with a white baby. Now, on the road trip that will change her life forever, Starla sees for the first time life as it really is, as she reaches for a dream of how it could one day be.
I grew up in the 1950's south, and my very dearest and best friend was a little black girl named Cordelia. Reading this book, I found myself placing Cordelia in Starla's shoes. Unfortunately, those shoes fit her very well. My friend, Cordelia never had a bad homelife, but she did have to adhere to, what I thought were some ridicules "rules" set by the society of that time. I know that some of the issues that Starla faced on her journey to find her mother, would have been ones that my friend would, in reality had to face if she had made the same journey that Starla made.

It's a "coming-of-age" story that will stay with you for quite some time. Nine-year-old Starla Claudelle will absolutely steal your heart away right from the very first page. It's the summer of 1963 in Mississippi. Segregation is in full force, and civil rights demonstrations are just starting. Starla, lives with, and is being raised, by her "Mamie", who is her father's mother. Her father works on the offshore oil rigs, so she doesn't see him as much as she'd like to. Starla has not seen her mother since she was three-years old. She hardly remembers what she looks like. Her mother took off to Nashville to try to become a recording star. She's almost an entire story by herself.

When Starla and her grandmother have another fight, and after yet being grounded again as punishment, Starla decides to run away and go to find her mother that lives in Nashville. Starla has no idea that Nashville is 600 miles away from her home in Mississippi, but she sets off anyway.

While she's walking a lonely country road, she accepts a ride from a black woman who has a white newborn baby in her car, taking him to a family that has adopted him. This begins Starla's big adventure...the journey that will forever change her life.

The story brings out so many emotions. You'll laughed and you'll cry with plucky little Starla. It's a wonderful story and I highly recommend it. I couldn't put it down and read it in just half a day. It's not a very long book, but it's packed from the from front to the back cover with true humanity.

He Started It - Smantha Downing
Genera: Family Dynamics
5★
Beth, Portia, and Eddie Morgan haven't all been together in years. And for very good reasons—we'll get to those later. But when their wealthy grandfather dies and leaves a cryptic final message in his wake, the siblings and their respective partners must come together for a cross-country road trip to fulfill his final wish and, more importantly...secure their inheritance. Time with your family can be tough. It is for everyone. It's even harder when you're all keeping secrets and trying to forget a memory, a missing person, an act of revenge, the man in the black truck who won't stop following your car...and especially when at least one of you is a killer and there's a body in the trunk. Just to name a few reasons. Money is a powerful motivator. It is for everyone.
We meet this family that consists of Beth Morgan, the middle child and mostly the narrator of the story...her handsome, arrogant older brother, Eddie the firstborn, and the surprise baby sister, Portia. Their grandfather has recently passed away. He left an unusual request that the don't dare not follow to the letter...he wants them to travel cross-country from Georgia...just as they did twenty years ago...they must do this if they want to inherit a sum upwards of three million dollars. That's a lot of money in anybody's book...even split three ways. Sounds easy enough you say, but these three siblings have only kept loosely in touch with only the loosest of ties, but a million dollars speaks over their differences, and they agree to hit the road. Grandpa is along for the journey this time, only his "seat" is in a box in the trunk of their rented minivan instead of behind the wheel. They see some unusual sights along the way. Did you know there is actually a museum devoted to barbed wire? I'll put that on my "Must See" list:)

There’s another significant difference from their other family road trips; this time their spouses are along for the ride. Eddie and Krista are newlyweds who haven’t been together very long. We learn that Eddie abruptly ditched his long-time girlfriend to marry Krista, his receptionist. Beth and Felix have been together and married for a lot longer, which only means that they’ve had much more practice at keeping secrets from one another. Portia is single, having graduated from college a short time ago, but she has as much experience as her siblings in lying and manipulation, especially to them. One could argue that their family dysfunction opened into full bloom on their last road trip, as the Morgan kids traveled through America with their "trunk bound" grandpa. On the plus side, they do get to see some really interesting things...like the aforementioned barbed wire museum.

As the Morgan kids and Grandpa drive from one strange and bizarre attraction to another, along with their increasingly baffled spouses, some strange things begin to happen. There’s a car following them everywhere...stopping when they stop and leaving when they leave. Some odd little accidents keep happening to their minivan as they plot along. How to cope with the memories, real or manufactured, that arise from their experiences as kids those 20-years ago. There’s a lot of lying, gaslighting, missing persons, and at least one murder...and that’s even before they all come to a reckoning with what they and their grandfather did that long ago, fateful summer. (Oh, no, I'm not going to tell you!)

This author has outdone herself with this constantly twisting tale of these three totally "messed up" people who are trying to secure an inheritance. Forcing family together is always a recipe for drama and/or disaster...even families that get along well. The author, Samantha Downing, has given us "the road trip from Hell"! Along with that she has told a really clever, expertly created story of this deeply flawed family dynamic that was several levels beyond merely complex. I picked up this book because of the accusatory phrase that makes up the book’s title. Which of us didn't make this our childhood mantra?? The story was very human on many levels, as well as sometimes being very sympathetic, giving the reader a look at problems that are common to almost every family.

This is one good, "train wreck" that is almost impossible to stop reading once you start.

Want You Back - Annabeth Albert - (Colorado)
Second Chance Ranch series Book #1
Genera: M/M Romance/Friends to Lovers/Ranch life
5★
"When Maverick Lovelorn left town, it almost broke me. I’m determined to not let his return do the same".
This is a "small-town, second-chance romance" between two best friends who reunite after more than twenty years, only to find that the spark that ignited the love affair of their youth, has never faded. Want You Back has a lot going for it and I love Annabeth Albert's work and I did so enjoy reading it,

Maverick Lovelorn, (love that name), and Colt Jennings are best friends despite them having very different backgrounds. Maverick’s family had founded the town that is named after them, and they run the ranch that has been theirs for generations. Colt lives with his mother and siblings, where money is tight, but where Colt is loved and cherished. Maverick’s father is unimaginably cold and overbearing. You will absolutely hate him. He only sees Maverick as an "extension of himself" and is constantly going on at him about all his obligations and responsibilities to the ranch he will one day inherit. Maverick and Colt form an early bond built on their losses...Colt’s dad, who was the town sheriff who was killed in the line of duty, and Maverick’s mother and older brother who died in a plane crash, making his father even colder and harsher than before. Maverick longs for the kind of warmth that is shown him by Colt’s family but that he never gets at home.

His friendship with Colt is the one thing that makes his life bearable, and late on Prom night, that friendship turns into something much, much more. Maverick has known he’s gay for quite some time but didn't tell Colt for fear of losing his friendship. Colt has been worrying about the fact that he doesn’t think about sex all the time like most of the other boys and wonders if there was something wrong with him. Then he and Maverick kiss for the first time, and everything falls into place. Colt finally understands what it's all about. However, they both are almost sure that it can’t last. Colt knows how miserable Maverick is in this town. His friend has never made it a secret that he’ll be gone as soon as it's possible. His father expects him to go to the university in Colorado, but instead he's off to California, to ULCA. Being the friend that he is. Colt encourages him, knowing Maverick will never be happy if he stays. Two decades go by before the friends and almost lovers are reunited.

This is a low-angst, feel-good romance with totally engaging characters. There are no misunderstandings, and the two men communicate openly about past disappointments and future hopes. They discuss their expectations, their fears, and allow themselves to be vulnerable. Both men have to decide if the risk of being hurt again is worth a second chance at love. While there’s a bit of uncertainty surrounding Colt’s belief that Maverick isn’t going to stay around for good, it was interesting watching him work through those worries. I liked that Colt and Maverick moved on with their lives after Maverick left and that they aren’t holding grudges over the way things ended between them. It was also good seeing them learn about each other’s lives in the present time. You never get the idea that Maverick won't stay so there is no real tension in the story.

As always in Annabeth Albert’s books, the characters are well-drawn and relatable. I’m a huge fan of this author, and this book has a lot going for it...mature communication, warm, friendly vibes, and engaging characters...so no one will be surprised that it gets 5-big, bright, beautiful stars. Anyone searching for a sexy, low-stress romance will enjoy it, just remember that it's a pair of hot, sexy men. I believe this is a three-book series. I know I have book #2.

The Curse of Wetherley House - Amy Cross - (England)
Genera: Horror
5★
When she agrees to visit a supposedly haunted house with an old friend, Rosie assumes she'll encounter nothing more scary than a few creaks and bumps in the night. Even the legend of Evil Mary doesn't put her off. After all, she knows ghosts aren't real. But when Mary makes her first appearance, Rosie realizes she might already be trapped. "For more than a century, Wetherley House has been cursed. A horrific encounter on a remote road in the late 1800's has already caused a chain of misery and pain for all those who live in the house. Wetherley House was abandoned long ago, after a terrible discovery in the basement, something has remained undetected within its rooms. Even the local children know that Evil Mary waits in the house for anyone foolish enough to walk through the front door. Before long, Rosie realizes that her entire life has been defined by the spirit of a woman who died in agony. Can she become the first person to escape Evil Mary, or will she fall victim to the same fate as the house's other occupants?
A malevolent entity had been inhabiting Wetherley house since 1888, when Robert and his pregnant bride, Marguerite, came to live there.

Amy Cross begins the tale in the present time. Although after only a handful of chapters, she switches to the events of 1888, leading back up to the present in chronological order. While I found this a little tricky at first, once I got into the horror happening in and around Wetherley, I had something else to think about.

The book says..."it's the kind of place that a lot of people don't even want to talk about"

The ghost, "Evil Mary", was the result of something more horrifying and soul shattering than most every day, average, ordinary, normal people could even begin to imagine. I won't go into "spoiler territory", but some of the things I read actually made me wish I could reach in and pull the poor characters out to safety or at least warn them.

". . . To see her face is to know true evil, and to feel her touch on your shoulder is to feel the chill of death itself."

When we are finally brought back around to the current people investigating the house, I didn't think there was much else that could have surprised me.
But of course...I was so very wrong. ". . . "Funny how a few little incidents can change everything."

This was the second book that I have read by this author. After reading Stephen, my first book by Amy Cross, I knew what absolute unimaginable horror this author is truly capable of...and this time I was ready for anything. This was a wonderful fantastically creepy horror story with some very terrifying. unique and unexpected twists. This is one that I would diffidently recommend to any true fan of horror, and I will, at some point, certainly read again.

Black Canyon - Jeremy Bates - (Colorado)
The Midnight Book Club series Book #1
Genera: Mystery/Thriller/Paranormal
4.5★
The new face of evil. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado is home to one of the most breathtaking and deepest canyons in the United States. For twelve-year-old Brian Garrett, a weekend camping trip is meant to be a chance to reconnect with his distant parents. But when his father suffers a brutal accident during a hike to the canyon floor, things spiral out of control. In the next twenty-four hours, Brian will discover a horrifying dark side to his father—and an even darker side to himself.

My neighbor rushed over in Sunday's snow...gave me this book and said..."it's yours you have to read it. and you can keep it since it's going to give me nightmares for many nights".
I read it in one day and a big part of the night and I have to say that while few stories actually scare me anymore, this one did manage, in its short length, to give the reader a well-rounded... deeply, deeply flawed characters...a chilling story...and a rather satisfying terrifying ending that would make "The King of Horror""...Stephen King proud.

The story follows 12-year-old, Brian and his parents on a camping trip to Black Canyon in the Gunnison National Park in Colorado. At first the trip starts out like most camping trips...a hot dog roast, some family bickering, and plans to see the canyon. Before any activity happened, Brian's father has a really bad fall, and his mother leaves Brian to watch him while she goes for help. Down in the canyon was scary and it's getting dark, Brian tries to be brave, but along with thirst, a wandering bear, and his father's verbal abuse... which was nothing new...the night drags on. To make matters worse, if possible, Brian must confront a more recent, a more awful darkness that he feels taking root within himself, a darkness so much worse than anything the night can throw at him.

The writing here is okay but not excellent. I've read many Jeremy Bates books, and his writing was always top-notch...not by any means bad, but not as much this time. In spite of that it somehow, just fit this story. Much of the story was being told from the point of view of a child, so the writing is simplified without being "dumbed down". It fits and helps us get a better understanding of Brian's mind. The suspense, at this point, is slowly and carefully built and maintained through the last half of the book. The ending??? Wow! Maybe I should have seen it coming, but all I'm going to say is that it was chilling and startling.

The characters are surprisingly well-rounded for such a short read as well. The family starts off being seemingly pleasant at, but hints are soon laid down early that everything is NOT as it seems, and we gradually see that both Brian and his parents are hiding secrets and flaws from each other. Well done, Mr. Bates!

I spent 28 years of my life working as an educator and wildlife biologist in our local zoo, so I have to question the behavior of the bear in the story. I don't believe that any species of bears behave the way that the author has them behaving. It's probably a minor nitpick...but I have found that the ideas that people have about animals is what they see in movies and read in books...so I want it to be correct. Our message was always that wild animals are NOT pets.

"Black Canyon" is a chilling and suspenseful short story, with well-done characters and a scenario that wouldn't be entirely out of place in a "Criminal Minds" episode. If you enjoy a well-crafted short horror tale, give this one, or almost any of Jeremy Bate's books a shot. This seems to be a series, or part of a series so you can look forward to even more thrills and chills even after this tale is finished.

They Rise - Hunter Shea - (Bermuda Triangle)
Genera: Horror
5★
Some call them ghost sharks, the oldest and strangest looking creatures in the sea. Marine biologist Brad Whitley has studied chimaera fish all his life. He thought he knew everything about them. He was wrong. Warming ocean temperatures free legions of prehistoric chimaera fish from their methane ice suspended animation. Now, in a corner of the Bermuda Triangle, the ocean waters run red. The 400-million-year-old massive killing machines know no mercy, destroying everything in their path. It will take Whitley, his climatologist ex-wife and the entire U.S. Navy to stop them in the bloodiest battle ever seen on the high seas.
Are you old enough to remember the TV show "Creature Feature"? My cousins and I watched it every Saturday afternoon. The world would have had to have ended by 12:30 for us not to have been rooted in front of the TV at 1:00 on any given Saturday afternoon! This story reminded me of one of those Saturday afternoon films. What absolute pure fun, me...the horror show enthusiast, had with it! It starts out with a bang...well, okay... a splash, along with an unexpected incident on a fishing boat when they bring aboard a horrific species of fish that few people had even ever heard of, much less ever seen before.

Dr. Brad, (Whit), Whitley, is an Ichthyologist. The fabled "ghost shark" had become an obsession with him. Thanks to "Mr. Google", I learned something new! "The "ghost shark" is "a "chimaera" fish, and one of the oldest fish from thousands of years ago that can still be found in the world's oceans". Author, Hunter Shea's descriptions of this monstrous species will leave the reader absolutely stunned. Wait until you find out about the sheer brutality and ferocity that these creatures are capable of. They were once the ultimate killing machines in the seas, and now something has brought them back to the Atlantic in staggering numbers. "It doesn't look real... and That's because it's not supposed to be."

In addition to the fish...which IS the star of this show... we are given a cast of characters that are so finely detailed and so humanly "flawed", that they don't feel like they are characters in a book...they instantly feel like they just stepped out of the house next door...in flesh and blood form. In addition to Whit, we have his ex-wife's climatologist crew, Nestor...a retired man but still a "jack of all trades", and various other personnel that are realistically portrayed as well.

The story starts off with immediate action and keeps the adrenaline flowing through each successive scene. Just as the characters are not given a chance to rest, neither is the readers. The body count and carnage continue to rise, with, I warn you, very graphic depictions of the various deaths the chimaera is capable of, and those horrific deaths increase exponentially. Some of the men are rightfully frightened but there are many who are positively stunned just by the actual presence of this "alpha fish". We keep hearing the crew saying, "This shouldn't even be here". Seems that someone had failed to tell the fish that...or else they became "fish food" while delivering the message. Be aware... if you are not into mounting action, and gore splattering everywhere at all times...then you have picked up the Wrong Book! This is the story of a predator that literally has no equal. Anything and everything around them are fair game...and they're hungry with a capital "H".

This book is a "horror-lover's" dream. It's a novel that you may not want to remember, but you won't be able to forget. The characters are realistic...the scenes and the slaughter are just short of insane...and this is combined with a literal mass of enigmatic killing machines. Horror enthusiastic will love it.

I included the picture in case you think you might want to get one for your swimming pool or fish tank:)

Accidental Lover - Jocelynne Drake - (France, Italy, Colorado)
M/M Romance/Assassins
Exit Strategy series Book #5
★
Rule No. 1 of being an assassin: Don’t sleep with your mark. Eh. Alexei has never been big on rules. It’s not his fault Soren is too sexy for words.
And it’s not like he knew Soren was the cat burglar he’d been hired to kill. But as they dodge other assassins, the CIA, and even the Russians to keep Soren alive and a stolen hard drive out of their hands, Alexei might be in even greater danger of breaking Rule No. 2. Don’t fall in love on the job.
This book follows Alexei and Soren. After a night together shenanigans ensue. As they discover who one another is, and try and escape secret agents, assassins and a pair of very protective uncles, they're drawn to one another in a beautifully special way.

This is the final book in the Exit Strategy series. It's a steamy romp around Western Europe, while trying to evade assassins and various security agencies who are determined to take out Alexei and his new boyfriend, cat burglar extraordinaire, Soren. The story was fun, the couple was perfect for one another, and the bullets were flying fast and furiously. A great cameo from the "Uncles" and a nice set up for the new series. I'm a little sad this one has ended.

Alexei and Soren's romance was a wonderful way to wrap up this series, and I enjoyed every twist and turn of their adventure. You can't say much about the storyline without giving a lot away...but I can't wait to see what follows. I have never been disappointed by this author.

Return to Blackcreek - Riley Hart - (Colorado)
Blackcreek Series Book #3.5 (Novella)
Genera: M/M Romances
5★
It's time to go back...
Wes and Braden; Braden plans a surprise weekend getaway for him and Wes. Two days alone in a cabin with his husband? There’s no telling what kind of trouble they can get into. Wes isn’t fooled though. He knows this weekend is about more than just a sexy escape. When Braden lets him in on what he has planned, it has the potential to change their lives forever.

Gavin and Mason: It’s the start of winter break and Gavin is looking forward to spending it working at Creekside with Mason…only he realizes that’s not the only thing he wants. He sets out on a path to give Mason the surprise of a lifetime, and the end result is a night neither man will ever forget.

Noah and Cooper: Cooper is determined to start a new holiday tradition. He’s planned an ugly sweater party that will go down in Blackcreek history. Not even Noah realizes everything he has in store for the night. If Coop can pull it all off without a hitch, the party will either be a huge success, or the biggest mistake of his life.

I'm not usually a big fan of novellas, but how could I refuse the three couples that I had already spent time with, in their individual books that told their stories in precise detail? Three couples...three major life altering events. It’s a December to remember for all our men in the little town of Blackcreek, Colorado. I absolutely love Riley Hart. She has included all the little details that you might need in order to remember exactly what went on with each of these men...how they got to this point in their lives.

Return to Blackcreek an absolutely remarkable little 152-page "treasure chest", filled to the top with sweetness and a wonderful batch of holiday "cheer", "memories" and "fluff"... but also a bit of serious stuff that wraps up a successful series for these six men who found love and happiness with one another. The book is short, but so, so, so incredible. It was like reading an epilogue to all three books in the series at once. If you are like me and love "happy ever after's"...you will get three of those feelings all in one small book. All the characters, and all the storylines, were wonderful. I loved how they all became a family and we got to be a part of each of their journeys to love and happiness. I wish more authors would "take us back" like Riley Hart did.

The Darkest Evening - Ann Cleeves - (England)
Vera Stanhope series Book #9
Genera: Mystery & Suspense
5★
A stranded toddler leads Detective Vera Stanhope to a Christmas party where a woman lies dead in the snow, uncovering dark family secrets.
Detective Inspector, Vera Stanhope is again immersed in a murder investigation. This one is close to her estranged family home, Brockburn. It's a cold blustery evening, and on her way home it starts to snow harder, and when she takes a wrong turn, she unexpectedly comes upon an abandoned car on the side of the road with a door left standing wide open and a small child left crying inside. The darkest nights can hide the deadliest secrets
Where is the driver? Vera knows that no parent...even the very worst one...would ever leave a toddler stranded in a snowstorm that is quickly turning into blizzard territory. Vera takes the child from the car and drives on and soon realizes that she has arrived at "Brockburn", the now run-down stately home she recognizes as the house her father, Hector, had grown up in. She decides, even though she no longer has ties there, surely someone there would help this little victim of circumstances.

Inside Brockburn a rather loud party is going on, with music and laughter to welcome the soon coming Christmas season. But outside in the snow, a young woman lies dead, and Inspector Vera Stanhope now has a new case. Could the dead woman be the child’s mother and, if so, what had happened to her?

This mystery is based around a fairly dark storyline, but it has some beautiful countryside descriptions, and some surprising twists that includes revelations about Vera's family that we had not heard before. I thought her father, Hestor's storyline had completely been finished long ago, so it was fun to find out more! about Vera's family and her childhood...a childhood and family that either one was not especially happy. One thing that was also a bit different from the previous books was the mistakes Vera made. The "book Vera" nor the "TV series Vera" NEVER EVER made mistakes. She did keep mentioning how she was getting older...how was she changing with age. On a positive side she was a lot nicer to Holly and Joe than in previous books. I'm curious to see how the relationship develops in the next book.

If you like good British mysteries with a really good, but not always likeable character...you will probably like the Vera Stanhope series. Thanks to the "Vera" TV series, she will not ever be a stranger.

Shadow Ridge - M.E. Browning - (Colorado)
Jo Wyatt series Book #1
Genera: Mystery & Suspense
5★
Death is one click away when a string of murders rocks a small Colorado town. Echo Valley, Colorado, is a place where the natural beauty of a stunning river valley meets a budding hipster urbanity. But when an internet stalker is revealed to be a cold-blooded killer in real life the peaceful community is rocked to its core.
Both the main characters were incredibly stubborn, but also quick-witted, and unapologetically blunt. While I wasn’t a huge fan of either of them at first, they began to grow on me as the story went on and I learned more about them.

The plot was interesting...for lack of a better word. I liked how the author cleverly centered it around video games and cyberspace as well as how determined Detective Jo Wyatt was. She refused to back down even when everyone else was ready to close the case. The banter between Wyatt and "Squint" was sometimes hilarious and just what the story needed. We got to see little into Jo’s personal life also. I'm curious to see what happens in future books since a few plot elements were casually sprinkled about in this one. I was also impressed with how well the author handled the sexism that the main character often faced. It was clear that the author added this in with a lot of forethought and sensitivity, but she also wasn’t afraid to show how bad it could get. Many scenes will have you disgusted, if not down-right angry.

I really did enjoy this story. It was great how everything came together at the end as the tangled path of the mystery was finally sorted out. If you enjoy mysteries featuring headstrong characters with a lot of heart...you should really like this one.

Touch Me Gently - J.R. Loveless - (Montana)
Genera: M/M Romance/Ranchers
3★
A scarred young man finds security in the arms of a sexy cowboy with a big heart.
This is Kaden's and Logan's story. Kaden is a young man who survived horrible abuse in his childhood. He struggles with that and is barely able to function outside of his little New York apartment. He is constantly trying new temporary jobs, but they never work out because of his anxiety. The job agency manager feels sorry for him and takes a chance and offers Kaden a job as cook at his cousin's ranch in Montana, hoping this will work out for him.

Kaden, who is running out of options takes the job. As soon as Kaden sees Logan the ranch owner, he is cautious of the large man. Kaden is fearful of big men due to his past trauma. Logan, although not gay, is instantly drawn to Kaden...he sees Kaden's anxiety and very slowly starts to draw him out. Logan's love and caring ways slowly erase Kaden's fears, and he knows that he's found a new home and family with Logan and his sister.

It's a good story...BUT there were several things bothered me... 1. The way that the author kept referring to Kaden as "boy" or the "teenager". He was 19, nearly 20 years old...he wasn't a "kid". 2. Logan kept calling him "little one"... This was a "man". not a "child". A man that he was considering having a sexual relationship with. Yes, there was a significant age difference... but that didn't need to keep being brought up. 3. Logan was way too relaxed about falling in love with a man. He had NEVER been even attracted to men before. I don't know any supposedly straight men that would approach a gay relationship that quickly or that easily. In his defense, perhaps he had always been bi and never explored it until meeting Kaden. 3. The end threw me off a bit. It felt like it was thrown in to tie up the loose ends. I could have easily done without the last ten pages. This may be just me being extra picky, but I felt like I should mention it...it's number 4. I have a couple of good friends that live in Montana and believe me, Montana is a wonderful, beautiful state... but it is NOT that liberal when it comes to this type of relationship.

It's by no means a bad story. I don't want to, nor do I like to be critical of any book, but I have read so very much better by this author.

Caulky - K.M. Neuhold
Four Bears Construction series, Book #1
Genea: M/M Romance
5★
Ren is in desperate need of a rebound fling. Lucky for him, the smoking hot contractor he hired has just the tool for the job. "The last thing I want is another relationship or another broken heart. All I need are my bees and the occasional hookup to scratch the itch. Okay, maybe meeting up with my hot contractor weekly is a little more than occasional. And maybe the way I’m starting to feel about the guy I’ve been anonymously chatting with online should concern me". But "Caulky" doesn’t want to meet, and Cole doesn’t want anything serious, so what’s the worst that could happen you ask?
First of all, I have to admit that I have zero interest in "bears", except the furry four-legged kind... or in construction workers in general. What I do really like and have interest in is the stories that K.M. Neuhold has in her head and that I am so happy that she keeps putting on paper. I've NEVER read a bad book written by her. (fingers crossed)

We first meet Ren just after he has had a terrible breakup. His loser ex-boyfriend dumped him by leaving an invoice from the moving company on his kitchen table. After that Ren decides to have his bathroom remodeled to his liking. In an effort to get his ex out of his system, Ren’s best friend, Daniel, takes him to a bar to find a hook-up. The hook-up later turns out to be Cole; the contractor he had hired to do his bathroom remodeling.

Cole is one of the owners of Four Bears Construction. The other owners are his brother, Ollie, and their friends, Everett and Stone. Cole is confident and bossy. Always a "player". He's never been in a relationship, and furthermore... never intends to be. But there’s just something about Ren. Oh...we know where this is going. And... they soon move from "one-time hookups" to "buddies". They each then meet an "online friend" that really "understands" them. Soon they were sharing everything with their chatmates. Inevitably, feelings start to develop…for the hookups, as well as the online friends that they have never met. So... the question soon becomes; who are they going to choose...the awesome flesh & blood buddy who blows your mind, or your online friend that you have barred your heart to, but have never met in the flesh & blood? But...hey... didn’t they swear off relationships for good? Never again...done with all that! Of course, we the readers, know better and can't wait for them to meet the "online friends". Won't they be surprised?

The book has the proper amount of steam, as well as a very solid plot. It contains the typically required amount of sex scenes that are well-placed and totally skippable if that isn't your "thing". Can't imagine why you are reading M/M Romances if that isn't your thing. The story is fairly low-angst and actually is just a lot of fun. It took well-loved tropes and added some nice twist. Even if I knew what to expect, I did really enjoy the build up until the big reveal. The story had an easy pace to it. Caulky highlighted this author’s talent in this highly entertaining tale of rebound flings, online dating and, yes...even bees. It's the first book in this series and it introduces us to a group of friends and brothers that I look forward to getting to know better. It's the story of two people falling in love despite themselves and learning that sometimes, you don't even really have a choice.

I have read and own many, many, many of this author's books and I love them all. She is such a good author. I believe there are more books in the "Four Bears Construction" series that I will be looking forward to reading and owning. Opps...I already own 3 of them, there are 7, now I just have to read them. It'll be a tough job, but hey, somebody has to do it:)

Aced - Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine -(California)
Preslocke Series Book #1
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
Ace Locke is Hollywood’s hottest action hero. Women across the globe fling their "unmentionables" in his direction, but Ace isn’t interested in those—he’s more of the "boxer briefs" type of guy. Specifically, those of the nearly naked male model on a billboard that he drives past every day. Though he recently made headlines for his public "coming out", Ace is wary about pursuing a relationship, fearing what the public opinion could/will do to his career. But there’s something in that billboard model’s expression that intrigues him and has him wondering "what if"?
Dylan Prescott just scored his biggest modeling campaign ever. One that has him plastered all over L.A. in not much more than what he was born with. And when he’s cast in Ace’s latest blockbuster movie, it puts him in close proximity to his ultimate fantasy. Outwardly confident, Dylan has no problem with his sexuality, or his "pretty-boy" looks and uses both to his advantage to get what he wants. And what he wants is the impossible...he wants Ace Locke.
When Dylan and Ace finally meet it’s beyond anything you could ever have imagined. Dylan never came equipped with a filter of any type, so he lets Ace know exactly what he thinks of him, and there is absolutely not a single doubt about what he wants.

Ace and Dylan are cute together. Oh, they do have their "complications", but they try and make the most of it since they enjoy each other and don't really care what the outside world thinks. But because of their careers they do have to hide their relationship from many people...oh, and they can’t ever be seen in public together. While it seemed like that would only complicate the relationship...it didn’t. I liked how the authors and the characters didn’t make arguments out of nothing just to up the storyline or to over-push the two guy's budding relationship.

Aced is a terrific story. It has just the right amount of dialogue, monologue and description. I hate when there's too much of any of those things. The story is told in a dual "point of-view" with both characters expressing their various viewpoints. By the story's end you know the likes, dislikes and hopes of both the two men.

I usually avoid dual author books unless I know them both very well. I've read Ella Frank's work before and always liked it, but Brooke Blaine was a new author for me. I have to say that they both did a really great job making this story come together and flow very well. They also didn't make everything be about the sex. The sex was there, and it was hot, but it wasn’t used to solve problems or to carry the story along. The essence here was more about the connection and the trust that these two main characters were building together. Great job and a big thank you to both these wonderful authors.

Flawsome Explorations - Ariella Zoelle
Suite Dreams Series Book #2
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
An unexpected encounter with a sexy Frenchman makes Zio question everything he knows about himself. What’s the harm in exploring his new feelings of attraction for Armand while on vacation in a tropical paradise?
I, of course, have read this series out of order...what else is new? I really don't see that it effected the stories...since each story features different characters. This series is all very special, but I thought this book was a bit more special. It’s about being able to be yourself... flaws and all... and accepting love from someone, but it’s also about simply loving that very, very special someone that's...YOURSELF!

We first meet Armand as a sexy playboy in the book Picture Love by this same wonderful author. Armand totally stole the spotlight, and I was waiting to get his story. We then meet the "real" Armand...not Armand the playboy but the one that exists behind the playboy. He was nothing short of incredible. We met the other character, Zio, in the book, Snowbody Like You. He was Armand's sweet loveable roommate and best friend. These two are so absolutely perfect for one another. Armand loves all of Zio, even the things he sometimes finds slightly unlovable. Zio is simply drawn to Armand, but he isn't entirely sure why. What ensues is a beautiful story of two people who learn to love themselves as well as each other.

The book isn't "new, new" but it was new to me. Ariella Zoelle has put out many other books since writing this series, and I own and have read most all of them. I believe that this one is AMONG the best, if not THE best that she has given us yet. Each and every book gets better and better, and she is able to weave a unique story into each one. You will also absolutely adore every single character and will be invested in them finding and having their own happiness. If you love sweet and steamy romances, this one is diffidently calling your name, and while you're at it, check out some of her others. Just be aware that the characters in all of them are "same sex couples."

What I thought was extremely special in this one, other than it being another great story, was how the author treated both the anxiety and the OCD issues. These subjects are only parts of the characters and are not made to be their entirety. The subjects are presented and handled with care and feel very real in the way she describes them. I work with youth that nearly all have anxiety issues or OCD. I have to say, many, many kudos to Ariella Zoelle for getting this 150% right, while making it something that if someone with either condition should happen to read this, will feel they are "seen" and know that they diffidently can be, and are loved.

Hex - Thomas Olde Heuvelt - (New York)
Genera; Horror
5★
Whoever is born here, is doomed to stay 'til death. Whoever settles, never leaves. Welcome to Black Spring, the seemingly picturesque Hudson Valley town haunted by the Black Rock Witch, a seventeenth century woman whose eyes and mouth are sewn shut. Muzzled, she walks the streets and enters homes at will. She stands next to children's bed for nights on end. Everybody knows that her eyes may never be opened, or the consequences will be too terrible to bear.
Black Spring is a small town in the Hudson Valley of New York. At first look, it appears that life in this town is perfect, think Andy Griffith's Mayberry. They even have their own resident celebrity... Katherine van Wyler, who happens to be an old witch, at least 100 years old or older, who spends her time now wandering the streets. Sometimes, she drops in unexpectedly on the families and nearly always overstays her welcome.

You would think having a resident witch would be entertaining and fun. That the town would have a thriving tourist trade. That they would do anything and everything possible to showcase her presence since Katherine, the witch, comes across as a curiosity more than anything else. She never changes her routine; you could "set your watch" by the times she makes her appearances around town, and she never appears to be particularly threatening. But Katherine and the town have a history...a history that shows she can be unpredictable...so the town's people have certain "rules and regulations" that they religiously abide by...and any violations of these "rules", which are almost laws, often result in archaic forms of punishment. A system in place that monitors the witch's appearance, and Heaven forbid she should appear in public or just hang around, they have safety measures in place to make certain no outsiders ever become aware of her presence...actually they just keep out the non-residents, and anyone that ignores the warnings and decides to make Black Spring their home... find they have more or less signed not only their own lives away, but also the lives of their children, and their children's children...and their children's children...well, you get the idea. You see, what "goes on in Black Spring stays in Black Spring". Think "roach motel": you can visit, and all is well, but stay and live in Black Spring??? Nope...you can never leave". Oh... attempts have been made, but they resulted in either insanity, or some cases, even death.

But as with any strictly regimented community, you have a certain number of "rebels". Except for a few adults who resent their current living conditions, you have the teenagers, and in this case, a handful of pesky teenagers who, living in the age of social media, resent having their freedoms monitored or restricted and have established an underground club-like society, that is gathering evidence and planes on going public with their towns "dirty little secrets". They think that this will break the "Black Spring curse", as they refer to it, and regain everyone's freedom. They forget that there are some in town who are content to just "let sleeping dogs lie" and are willing to go to any extreme to make sure the town keeps its secrets.

Someone, in a review had said they were disappointed because the book wasn't scary. When you think about what's happening and the lengths some are willing to take their town's secret to, the story is 150% terrifying. The entire town for generations has been governed by superstition and any attempt to change it would start the gradual unraveling of their society until they are reduced to a "primal mob mentality", resistant to any form of logic or reasoning. It's made all the more horrifying by what is revealed at the book's conclusion. It is a "doozie".

Overall, Hex is small-town horror at its very best. The author does a fantastic job of painting a chilling picture of what superstition and living in a constant state of fear can drive people to do, and how the tension of living with that constant fear can build until it finally explodes allowing a civilized society to devolve to a primitive level.

Patchwork - K.M. Neuhold - (Wisconsin)
Ink Slingers Series Book #3
Genera: M/M Romance/Tattoo Artist
5★
It's not a relationship; it's just a patchwork of tattoo sessions and sweaty secrets with a rock star. No big deal. I've been keeping this secret for four years, counting down the months in between visits from Onyx. To everyone else I'm “Hero” but he mostly just calls me “yes” and “more” while we trade heated kisses and wandering hands. I know it won't ever be anything more than a wild secret and eventually he'll get bored hooking up with a tattoo artist fifteen years too old for him from Nowhere, Wisconsin. But I'm more than happy to enjoy this while it lasts. But when Onyx shows up unannounced and tells me that instead of a hurried weekend, we have 3 full months before he has to hit the road again, I don't know if I'm more excited or terrified to see where things will go. I’m sure there’s more to life than tattooing Onyx and spending late nights talking until the sun comes up, but whatever that “more” is, it can’t be as fun as this. No matter how hard I’m falling for him, there’s no way that he’s going to give up his rock star lifestyle to stay here with me… is there?
A chance meeting, Onyx’s first tattoo and a night neither forgets keeps bringing onyx back to the small-town tattoo artist, Hero. Though Hero doesn’t understand why he would ever want to be with him at all but is happy to take any little bit of Onyx that he can get. When he turns up and says he was staying for 3 months, Hero tries to keep his heart guarded more than usual. Which obviously wasn't going to work.

I have absolutely loved this series, and this story was no exception. It was so just, sweet. Seeing how Onyx and Hero’s relationship built over the four years with the flashbacks and snippets of their time together was perfect.

This was more than just a rockstar and tattoo artist romance. I really liked the direction the author took with the two guys and of course bringing in the whole family at Ink Slingers. It was great seeing the flashbacks of all their time together...the moments of happiness and all the connection that blended in and made up their present. The characters feel real while working out their insecurities and making their way to their happiness.

Hero wanted to protect his heart...the heart that he had already given away. Onyx was aware the words he kept from saying was limiting them while he was still wearing his heart on his sleeve. They both didn’t knew how to take the next step...but waited until they could do it together. The progression of their story and love was both natural and believable! It was just a really sweet story... that was almost impossible to put down and one that I couldn't wait to see how it would end...although I wished that it didn't have to.

Kinky Sprinkles - L.A. Witt - (Minnesota) - (Re-Read)
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
Andre has wanted Joel since the first time he laid eyes on him, and finally Joel is single. But Andre is a Dom and a sadist, and Joel is unapologetically vanilla. There’s no happy medium—either Andre reins in the kinky side that took him years to accept, or Joel grits his teeth and subjects himself to kinks that aren’t his thing. No matter who bends, someone’s going to be unhappy.
It's a short story...and it's from one of my all-time favorite M/M Romance authors, L. A. Witt.

Joel and Andre have been secretly attracted to each other for several years, but until recently, Joel was in a relationship. Now both men are unattached and able to act on their mutual attraction, but Joel has learned from his disastrous previous relationship that kink is not his thing, and he knows he not only can’t, but won't, try to change who he is just to please someone else. He's been there and done that before and now says and means, "never again".

Andre is a Dom and a sadist, who is very much attracted to Joel. Like Joel, Andre knows who and what he is, and can’t, nor does he want to deny that part of himself just to please a partner, no matter how much he cares for that other man.

L.A. Witt has put her reader in difficult position. I really liked both of these men...and I could understand both of their views and what the problem was. Neither of them was wrong; both knew that they wouldn’t be happy living a lie; but there was that big part of one's life that the other knew he could never be a part of. As I read their story, I found myself trying to figure out how, or if, a compromise was possible. How were they going to make a relationship between a "vanilla" man and a sadistic Dom, ever work?

Their story was filled with many emotional highs and lows. It was obvious these two cared deeply for each other, and I really wanted them to find a way to be together and still stay true to themselves.... but was that even possible? The story is very much about BDSM and one partner...no matter how much they love one another...just not being into it. Throughout the story the reader has to hope that the attraction and love between these men will give them the means to find a way to make it work.

Little Heaven - Nick Cutter - (New Mexico)
Genera: Horror/Thriller/Cults
5★
A trio of mismatched mercenaries—Micah Shughrue, Minerva Atwater, and Ebenezer Elkins, colloquially known as “the Englishman”, are hired by Ellen Bellhaven for a deceptively simple task; check in on her nephew, who may have been taken against his will to a remote New Mexico backwoods settlement called "Little Heaven", where a religious cult holds sway. But shortly after they arrive, things begin to turn ominous. There are stirrings in the woods and over the treetops...and above all else, the brooding shape of a monolith known as the "Black Rock" casts its terrible pall. Paranoia and distrust soon grip the settlement. Escape routes are gradually cut off as events spiral toward madness. Hell...or the closest thing to it, invades "Little Heaven".
I’m one of those slightly weird people who loves horror movies and books. Somehow, I've got it in my head that being scared is a form of fun. Of course, I want a sturdy, closed door and four-solid walls around me:) Sadly, I've read so much of the paranormal and horror genera, that very little actually scares me anymore...so when I found a Nick Cutter book I hadn't read, I thought this might do the trick...and it certainly did. I have a slightly overactive imagination, and I don’t really like being in the dark by myself. My husband just says, "I'm weird". In spite of being "weird", I was confident that I could close the cover. put this book down, and keep my sanity, in spite of being alone, and there being strange sounds going on somewhere. This is "just a book", and a book isn’t as scary as a movie, because it doesn’t have pictures that can be replayed over and over in my mind, right? Well, I held onto that theory, until.... I discovered that. guess what... this book DOES comes with PICTURES!!! Who would put scary pictures in a book like this??? Well. Stephen King says right here in the front, that he liked it...so who am I to argue with "THE KING" of Horror?

Nick Cutter used a well-feared tactic to start to scare us...the dreaded "possessed children"!!. I ask you, who, in their right mind, doesn't find weird kids creepy? Nick Cutter begins the book with a weird kid who is being abducted by a supernatural being, so he’s also now thrown into the mix, the most common fear of all parents the entire world over: "the kidnapped kid".

However, we do get a few moments of relief in the form of some often-laughable dialogue between the three men, who are, of course, all hired killers. They may be killers but their dialog among themselves is funny, and their back stories are.... well, let's just call them "something else". This unlikely gang of three accompanies a woman into the backland of New Mexico to try to find her nephew, who has been brought to a Christian Survivalist Camp with the very, very misleading name of "Little Heaven". It’s in the "middle of nowhere" in order to help their members "find God among nature", away from the evil world’s many temptations.... Yeah, that's what they all say! When did God say to start kidnapping kids? I must have missed that one somewhere. This aspect of the story probably gives an entirely different meaning to the word "horror" to some readers. Can you hear the music from the movie "Deliverance" in your head after you learn about the village in the woods and realize that things are not quite "Heaven" in "Little Heaven"?

I really, really liked everything about this book even though, I warn you...it's gory...very gory, as well as to some it will be quite..."disturbing", for lack of a better word. I know there are many folks that not only want, but that look for "actual...real...in their face. horror" in a horror novel, nothing wrong with that....to each his own. So, if you're a member of the "Over-the -top - in- your- face horror club"...welcome home, "my child...you've come to the right place". Nick Cutter's Little Heaven is a well-written book that is well worth your time. Just leave the lights on and you'll be okay in a few weeks.

Now is Not the Time to Panic - Kevin Wilson - (Tennessee)
Genera: Coming of Age/Friendship
4.5★
An exuberant, bighearted novel about two teenage misfits who spectacularly collide one fateful summer, and the art they make that changes their lives forever. Sixteen-year-old Frankie Budge...aspiring writer, indifferent student, offbeat loner is determined to make it through yet another summer in Coalfield, Tennessee, when she meets Zeke, a talented artist who has just moved into his grandmother’s house and who is as awkward as Frankie is. Romantic and creative sparks begin to fly, and when the two jointly make an unsigned poster, shot through with an enigmatic phrase, it becomes unforgettable to anyone who sees it. "The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us." When the posters begin appearing everywhere, people wonder who is behind them and start to panic. Satanists? Kidnappers? The rumors won’t stop, and soon the mystery has dangerous repercussions that spread far beyond the town.
The story is about how two bored and eccentric teenagers in this small Tennessee town spent their summer. Frankie, a local 16-year-old girl meets another teen, Zeke, a boy from Memphis, who is spending the summer with his grandmother in Coalfield.

Frankie is an aspiring author who was writing a book about a "mean Nancy Drew". Frankie is drawn to dark themes, so one day she invented a "two-sentence" cryptic mantra that was almost nonsensical and was very, very open to interpretation. Zeke, her new friend and talented artist supplied random drawings to go along with Frankie's required, "two sentences". He added seemingly unconnected renditions... power lines...shacks...children, along with two giant hands. Then Frankie and Zeke decided to make copies of the posters and hang them up everywhere all over town, which set off a round of paranoia that quickly became out of control. Crazy theories started to pop up that "Satanists" had taken over Coalfield. The vigilantes that came looking for said "Satanists" did much more harm than good. That summer ended badly for Frankie and Zeke, and the secret role they played in what became known as the "Coalfield Panic", remained hidden for years.

it was a strange little story, and I was surprised at how much I wanted to know what would happen next throughout this book. In some ways, it seemed to be trivial, but on another level, it seemed to be almost profound. Overall...I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Calling His Bluff - Charlie Cochet - (Florida)
The Kings Royal Flush Series Book #2
Genera: M/M Romance/Private Investigators
5★
Welcome to the Royal Flush series, where love is the ultimate gamble. Ryden Foster is a Marine scarred by a painful past of loss and hardship, but with the support of his Four Kings Security family, he’s finally healing. As he rebuilds his life, the only thing he enjoys more than his job is sparring with Jay Starling, Ward Kingston’s flashy executive assistant. Their longstanding feud is filled with sharp banter, weaponized romance novels, and a heat neither will acknowledge.
Ryden Foster was at rock bottom when his plan for revenge turned into his chance of redemption. Taken in by the men at Four Kings Security, he’s found a new family and now has a best friend that he can count on, and his life now has a purpose. The only downside is the friction Ryden has with King’s assistant, Jay Starling. The man that comes to work every day decked out with outrageous bowties, and never ever fails to get under his skin.

Jay knows he’s a valuable member of the Four Kings family and he’s secure in his place there. Now if only Ryden would stop picking on him!! Ryden can’t seem to leave him alone, and Jay finds it is more than infuriating. Neither man sees what everyone else does though: that there is attraction there; attraction that Ryden and Jay don’t even recognize.

Of course, trouble rears its ugly head, and the family at Four Kings rallies themselves around Jay as the mystery deepens and the team starts to unravel all the facts. With Jay in danger, Ryden at last acknowledges his attraction to Jay, and Jay can now take a deep breath and do the same. Just as the two men are finding their way, things take another turn. Jay’s brother arrives on the scene...and danger knocks at their door. It’ll take the whole team to save the day so Jay and Ryden can have their happily ever after.

As usual in this series, the characters are all very well drawn. Ryden comes with plenty of baggage...but you know the whole team will stand with him. Jay is about as opposite he can be from Ryden, but he has an inner strength that was good to see. The two had always had chemistry... right from the start, which had begun long before this 2nd book. It was good to see them finally move past the blocks that were holding them back. There were times that it felt that their relationship moved a little too fast... not the physical side, or them acknowledging their feelings, but their declarations of love. On the other hand, they had been in love for a long, long time.

It seemed that Jay’s relationship with his brother was solved way too quickly. It would have been nice to see their issue explored a bit more, or perhaps just left with the beginnings of healing between them with more to be explored later; as Finch, Jay’s brother, is clearly a possible future character in this series.

I’m a big fan of the Four Kings world and all the characters that Charlie Cochet has created. If you’re a fan of this series or this author, you should absolutely pick this one up.

The Kaiser' Web - Steve Berry - (Chile, South Africa, Germany, Switzerland)
Cotton Malone series Book #16
Genera: Adventure & Suspense/Thriller/November Group Read
5★
Two candidates are vying to become Chancellor of Germany. One is a patriot having served for the past sixteen years, the other a usurper, stoking the flames of nationalistic hate. Both harbor secrets, but only one knows the truth about the other. They are on a collision course, all turning on the events of one fateful day ― April 30, 1945 ― and what happened deep beneath Berlin in the Fürherbunker. Did Adolph Hitler and Eva Braun die there? Did Martin Bormann, Hitler’s close confidant, manage to escape? And, even more important, where did billions in Nazi wealth disappear to in the waning days of World War II? The answers to these questions will determine who becomes the next Chancellor of Germany.
When Cotton Malone answers Danny Daniel’s call, the duo together unearths a conspiracy 76-years old, that begs the question: what really happened in the Fürherbunker on April 30, 1945?

Meanwhile, two candidates are vying to become Chancellor of Germany, and as the political race becomes heated, the world watches to see if a newcomer spewing nationalistic hate can unseat Eisenhuth, who has been in power for more than a decade and a half. Daniels, a friend of Eisenhuth, intends to help her become elected, but as he and Cotton follow a web of deceit and long-buried secrets, it becomes clear that both candidates have bony skeletons in their closets; and that those revelations are just the tip of the iceberg.

Soon, Cotton will travel to Chile, South Africa, and then Switzerland to learn the true fates of Adolf Hitler, Eva Braun, and Martin Bormann (Hitler’s closest confidant), as well as the whereabouts of billions of German dollars that went missing during WWII. Together, the answers will shake all of Europe, as Seve Berry delivers one of the most shocking endings imaginable.

This is book #16 in the Cotton Malone series, and Steve Berry has no problem continuing to find lots more trouble for Cotton to get into along with earth-shattering conspiracies for him to unwind. The Kaiser’s Web contains another riveting plot that perfectly weaves historical truth with a devilish thread that, even though it’s fiction, will leave readers unsure if it's true or not. As always, it’s that ability to blur the lines between where fact ends and fiction begins that makes Steve Berry one of the best authors on today's market. This offering proves that Cotton has plenty of adventures left in him. Moreover, Steve Berry keeps rounding out his cast of characters by utilizing Daniels, a fan-favorite, and introducing a scene-stealing Chilean officer who gives Cotton a run for his money in more ways than one.

I struggled for some time on the rating for this book and finally decided on 5-stars. I like this author's and his Cotton Malone series. There were parts of this one that were very interesting, but there were also parts that were long and drawn-out, at least as far as I was concerned. If this had been a movie I probably would have been going out a lot for popcorn. I think one of the reasons that I particularly enjoyed it was because it was the group read for my Mystery & Suspense group on LibraryThing. Always a pleasure to read and discuss books with these very special friends.

Illuminate the Shadows - Isobel Starling - (Scotland)
Shatterproof Bonds Series Book #2
Genera: M/M Romance/Mystery
5★
“A Scotsman and an Englishman fall in love… "After the most amazing week of his life, at Dunloch Castle on the banks of Loch Ness. The charming, mysterious Samuel Aiken has turned Declan Ramsay’s life upside down. Declan has experienced a remarkable change. He has come to terms with the fact he is bisexual, and he has fallen head-over-heels in love with his boss’s son Sam. However, falling for his boss’s son was never going to be an easy path to happiness, mainly because the boss in question is multi-millionaire property tycoon and former MI5 operative, Sir James Aiken.
I fell in love with Declan and Sam in the first book in this series, and this, the second one did not change that feeling at all. It picks up right after Oliver and Annabelle’s wedding...Sam disappears, leaving behind a worried and eventually emotionally wrecked Declan. The man had just discovered that the lack of interest he had in any long-term relationship with a woman was due to the fact that he was bisexual and in love with Sam. He had also recently learned that Sam was a spy working for his father, Sir James. Declan feared that the homophobic man would keep them apart indefinitely. However, just as Declan was nearing the end of his rope, his Sam reappears and Declan demands some answers. He wants to know what Sam’s role is in his father business, and what will it take for him to remain a part of Sam’s life. It's not long before Declan will find out just how ruthless Sir James can be, and life as he knows it, will be changed forever. He desperately needs to be sure that Sam will be there to share that life with him, no matter the danger.

Unlike the first book, this one was action packed and emotionally charged from the very start. Declan still struggles to figure out how he can fit into Sam’s world of espionage and intrigue, being a rather simple man with little to offer someone as trained and deadly as Sam. Add to that the fact that Sam’s father is both homophobic and brutely ruthless, so Declan knows that he must fight if he's going to have any chance of making it in Sam’s world. He loves Sam, and is determined to stay the course through a grim and brutal “interview” by Sir James and his team, as well as during combat and fight training that will keep him apart from Sam for six long weeks...all this while the two are trying to establish a new relationship, and to further complicate matters...one of them had never been in an M/M relationship before.

There were times when the story went ahead a bit too fast with some plot points being just mentioned as being "about" to happen and then on the next page they had already occurred. Declan’s six-week training course was announced and then just happened. Given how the author had allowed us to be with Declan during this brutal "training course", we were left without any of this from Sam’s point of view.... except that he knew how it was going to be and had never said a single solitary word to Declan about it. The story did move along, and it kept me glued to the pages. I loved the little twist during Declan’s interrogation and how we later found out just why he didn’t give in to Sir James’ less than polite methods at trying to break him down. The real winner here was the developing relationship between our two guys and how unsure they both were that they even deserved one another. The reader is allowed to watch their affections grow strong, solid roots.

All in all, Illuminate the Shadows affirms the love Declan and Sam have for each other, while leaving some little tidbits of the story unfinished, making us excited for the third book, and I believe, but hope is not the last in this series, Return to Zero.

Love Means...No Fear - Andrew Grey - (Illinois)
Love Means Series Book #5
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
Story Raine Baumer is living the party life in Chicago, indulging in short relationships with little emotional commitment. But after he’s severely injured in a gay bashing, close friend Geoff arrives to take him to the country to recuperate. There Geoff and his partner Eli treat him like part of the family, and Raine meets Jonah, Eli’s brother, who is exploring life in the world outside his Amish community. Jonah and Raine’s mutual attraction draws them together, but they may not have a chance to explore it. Jonah’s father is making ultimatums, and the police believe that the attack on Raine may not have been as random as it initially appeared. Raine and Jonah will have to face what they fear most in order to have any chance at a life together.
Raine is Geoff and Eli's friend from the previous story. He's single and loves his job at his predominately gay office. He's happy with his life. That is, until the night of the Pride Parade. He was attacked and beaten on his way home by a group of strangers, and he knew it was just because he's gay. When he wakes up in the hospital and speaks to the police, Raine then goes back to the farm with Geoff to finish healing, and while the police are searching for the men that attacked him.

While Raine is on the farm, Eli’s younger brother, Jonah, shows up from the Amish community for his one-year exploration outside of their community. Jonah is aware Eli has left the community but does not know Eli's sexual orientation. The community would shun the entire family if they knew, so he has not told anyone. But when Jonah shows up, he figures out that Eli and Geoff are a couple. He doesn't completely understand at first, but Eli explains it all to his younger brother and Jonah can see the love that they have for one another.

Investigating the attack on Raine lead the police to a whole other situation. There have been embezzling taking place, and it takes quite some time to catch the suspect and work out if the two cases might be connected. The police feel Raine that needs protection, so he is asked to stay on the farm. Things now become complicated when he falls in love with Jonah. Now Raine and Jonah have to make some decisions as it has now come time for them to get back to their own lives.

I love Andrew Grey's books. He has shown yet again, how love can be enough if you can put your fears aside. He is so good at showing the true strength of his characters and making you want to believe that real people can have that strength. The stories are believable. He always makes it easy to relate to his characters and their hopes and fears.

I would recommend this series or any of Andrew Greys's books to any fan of romance.... just keep in mind that they all feature gay characters, and they are M/M stories. They all also could easily be read as standalones.

The Nanny - Gilly Macmillian - (England)
Genera: Mystery & Suspense
4.5★
When her beloved nanny, Hannah, left without a trace in the summer of 1988, seven-year-old Jocelyn Holt was devastated. Haunted by the loss, Jo grew up bitter and distant, and eventually left her parents and Lake Hall, their faded aristocratic home, behind. Thirty years later, Jo returns to the house and is forced to confront her troubled relationship with her mother. But when human remains are accidentally uncovered in a lake on the estate, Jo begins to question everything she thought she knew.
it's a story of family secrets and complex relationships.

Anna, the mother, hires a nanny to help with her young son after a tragic accident. Yet, as the plot unfolds, it becomes clear that the past is not as buried as Anna had hoped it would be. A vivid picture of how grief can shape and distort relationships quickly begins to unfold, and then a skull is discovered in the lake by the manor house, and the 30-year-old mystery begins to immerge.

Jo’s husband had died suddenly, so she reluctantly brings their 10-year-old daughter, Ruby, home to Lake Hall. Jo’s memories of her childhood home are mostly unhappy ones, especially after her beloved nanny, Hannah, had left under mysterious circumstances. Despite her mother’s warnings, Jo takes Ruby out on the lake one day, and they discover a skull...a human skull.

The detective that comes to investigate has a major chip on his shoulder when it comes to the "upper class" and really stats to try and prove that the village rumors are true and that the Holt family has casually disposed of "inconvenient" bodies over the years. Jo’s mother knows exactly who that skull belonged to, and she wants to keep the secret from Jo as long as she can. Jo suspects it might possibly be Hannah's since she knows that Hannah would never have left her by herself. But when a handsome older woman shows up on their doorstep saying that SHE IS HANNAH, no one is sure what to believe.

Jo desperately wants to believe this person IS Hannah...to reclaim the connection she had once had with her beloved Hannah. This is necessary to escape the coldness that she receives from her mother. She invites the woman into to her home to help care for Ruby. The reader knows without a doubt that it's a huge mistake...a mistake of catastrophic proportions.

The author has created a gothic atmosphere, but I didn't find it to be particularly creepy, and I really wanted it to be. There is no sympathy in this story either and there are places that there diffidently should have been. Nevertheless, I was completely drawn into the mystery. It lost the half star because of the things that I mentioned, but it was well written and intriguing enough to get a 4.5-star rating. Well worth the reading time.

Unsettled - Reem Faruqi - (Pakistan, Georgia)
Genera: Grades 10-12
4★
"A coming of age story exploring family, immigration, and most of all learning to belong. This empowering story will resonate with people who have struggled to both fit in and stay true to themselves".
Nurah's father gets a job in America, and the family moves there from Pakistan to Peachtree, Georgia for job security and better schools. Nurah misses her grandparents back home. She feels "lost". She eats lunch alone in the school stairwell. The recreation center swimming pool is her only comfort. She thinks of it as her "blue cocoon" where she practices for the swim team. But she also meets Stahr, a new friend.

Things are not a lot better for the family as a whole. The family has to deal with a miscarriage, a visit from the FBI after a terrorist attack, the beating of Owais, her older brother. In an accessible voice, Nurah relates this story of difference, loneliness, and ultimately hope and resilience.

Overall, the story relates some strong messages, some great characters. I thought it was interesting that the author based this story on the many of her own experiences when she had to make a similar move.

After Ben - Con Riley - (Washington)
Seattle Stories Book#1
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
POSSIBLE TRIGGERS: Death of a long-time partner.
A year after the sudden death of his longtime partner, Ben, Theo Anderson is still grieving. The last thing he's looking for is a new lover. But as Theo soon discovers, sometimes life has other plans.
Losing a longtime partner, someone you've loved with all your heart, can't ever be easy. Even if we've never experienced it, we all understand this at least on an intellectual level, but to be confronted by it emotionally would be so much harder. Writing about it credibly, and with compassion, while keeping the readers' interest seems would be a challenge, but this author, Con Riley, has met fully with this book. Just be aware that it will leave you emotionally drained, but satisfied with the way things have turned out for Theo. The story is a slow burn, totally realistic, and illustrates the different stages of grieving and survivor's guilt at every step Theo takes.

Theo has lost more than his partner; he has lost his will to live. He goes through the motions, and he tells himself that this is "coping", but he has clearly completely shut down. His friends try to bring him back into the "land of the living", but Theo just can't deal with it. He tells himself that it's too early, but the truth is a complicated mixture of guilt, not knowing where to start, and a reluctance to even think about much less start another relationship to possibly face another loss. He knows won't survive it.

His and Ben's friends, Peter and Morgan are total opposites and finally confront Theo with some real choices he needs to make. Peter is all about the physical, but even just taking that step back into even touching a man is difficult to even imagine for Theo. Actually, there are not many emotions that he does feel would be easier for him to deal with. But, in the end, the question becomes something has got to work for him, but the question remains if it is going to ever be enough.

Morgan is the one man that Theo really feels attracted to on an intellectual level. They didn't meet until fairly late in the book, so their relationship has time to develop. When they do meet "all hell breaks loose"... in more ways than one. Dealing with his attraction to Morgan forces Theo to confront not just the need to say good-bye to Ben, but also to face some of his own preconceived ideas of what a relationship really should be.

One of the things that was truly amazing was how quickly and deeply the author got me into Theo's head and heart to actually feel those emotions with him. When he is torn between the two potential new love interests, even though he barely even acknowledges them as such initially, I felt torn as well. The gradual dawning of the solution, and the slow awakening of Theo's desire to live again were a real joy to watch. If you like realistic stories about men who deal with loss; if you enjoy the slow burn of a new romance; and if you are able to deal with grief as being a part of life and is a topic you may want to find out more about, you will probably like this novel. Just be aware there are parts that will break you apart.

Their Perfect Daddy - A.W. Scott
Bellport Romance Series
Genera: M/M/M Romance - (an M/M/M Romance story with a BDSM-like Daddy/boy/princess dynamic.)
4.5★
A Brat, a Princess, and a Daddy walk into a room…Monty is the life of the party. He can bring a smile to anyone’s face. Anyone except the one person he wants most. After a misunderstanding, leaves him feeling confused, he decides to attack the challenge like he wound his opposition on the football field. Only things don’t go quite as he plans. Danny is a diehard sports fan. He’s also best friends with his boss, who happens to be related to the single hottest athlete he’s ever seen. His crush turned awkward interaction leaves him embarrassed beyond all measure. Of course, things have to get worse before they get better.

Monty is a charismatic cheeky “brat,” who is used to winning hearts; except for Danny, the sports-loving friend of his boss who leaves him flustered after a misunderstanding. Danny is more than simply mortified by the entire encounter, especially since Monty is the athletic star that he has a huge secret crush on. In the meantime, ...Skye, a surgeon with a huge social media presence, longs for a romantic connection but is afraid that it won't ever happen... that he’ll never find “his boy.” Oh but "fate" is listening and enters with a bang. What starts out as a mismatched encounter, turns into an unexpected three-way journey of filled with desire, vulnerability, and a chance at something none of them ever dared to hope for.

I really liked this story. It had flirty chaos, tangled hearts, and a surprising amount of depth. I have always liked all the stories set in this fictional little town of Bellport, and this one was not the exception. It contained very real emotions and feelings for all three of the guys. I'm looking forward to the next journey into this queer friendly little town. It may not be for everyone, even those that like and read M/M Romances on a regular basis, so please pay attention to the description. It's an M/M/M Romance story with mature content and a BDSM-like Daddy/boy/princess, dynamic. The 4.5-star rating instead of the usual 5 that I usually give this author, was because the story seemed to begin to drag a bit about halfway through. May have just been me.

Filtration Play = Katheryn McIntyre - (California)
Leather and Lattes Series Book #4
Genera: M/M Romance / Kink
4.5★
Ollie’s always been drawn to trouble, but he’s never met trouble quite like Fin before…Ollie’s difficult to love. The youngest of five. The problem child. And after getting dumped by his boyfriend, he’s aimless—more invisible than ever. But when Fin drops into his life like a hurricane, one hookup with them opens up a whole new kinky world…at Whipped.
Fin has finally met their perfect sub in Julian's brother Ollie. Ollie is new to the kink scene and newer to understanding his attraction to all genders. These two meet for an explosive scene together, not knowing if they'll see one another again.

Fin is that weird, perfect combination of a bratty Dom who needs a snarky sub who just accepts them as they are. The processive nature while still both having feelings is that right dichotomy of two people trying to figure out how to make this work out. This book could come across a Fin centric, but the balance just works cause of Ollie's other issues he's all learning to come to terms with.

The author handles self-harm recovery in a respectful way and not in an "over the top" way. You get the feelings behind the thoughts, but it's not politely put as being insensitive to readers who may have had similar pasts. Another great addition to this kink-based series with just the right blend of a little angst, lots of kink, and a found family that will do everything and anything for the people that they allow into their inner circle.

Daddy's Little Camping Trip - Della Cain & Kaytea Kat
Series: Found by Daddy - Book #14
Genera: M/M Romance; Daddy/little
5★
My idea of roughing it is a 3-star hotel, and here I am signing up for a weeklong camping adventure. My ideal vacation includes day spas, theater, and fine dining; not bugs, dirt, and bears. When Chained announces its Little Summer Camp, I have no interest. None. Why can’t it be a week in Paris or splashing in white-foamy waves and playing on the beach on some tropical island? I could really use a week of being little and surrounded by playmates. During a night of little fun, the hot daddy I’ve been eyeing asks me if I’m going. I forget the thousands of reasons I shouldn’t be and sign up on the spot. What am I thinking?
This is a Quill's story. Quill is a man who prefers luxury and city life, but when at his BDSM Club, "Chained", he finds himself signing up for a week-long camping trip at the club sponsored "Little" Summer Camp", to impress the man that is interest has been drawn to.

Our Quill is NOT, by any stretch of the imagination, an "outdoorsy" person. He would rather be on a clean sheet, bug free, room service, relaxing vacation...some place with spas, air conditioning, and fine dining. He initially had zero interest in a rugged camping trip. Nope! No Way! But...there's always a "but"...when a man he's been watching and drooling over, AND he learns that he's a "Hot Daddy"...it's starting to not sound quiet so bad. Gilbraith, the "Hot" Daddy, asks him if he's going to go on the camping trip...and when Quill can breathe again and his rapidly beating heart, begins to return to normal...he hears himself answer "YES"... and just like that, he has immediately agreed. What in the world was he thinking?!! He instantly regrets that impulsive decision, but the prospect of spending time with "Daddy" Gilbraith is enough to make him WANT to face a week of dirt, bugs, and bears. How bad can it be???

I actually felt rather sorry for Quill...but I've now read enough of these little "Found by Daddy" books to know that they always end well...so in spite of the dirt, bugs and bears...I wasn't too worried. Like all of this little, (no pun intended), series has been, this one was also a short, (less than 100 pages), but sweet story about two men who meet through their shared kinks and a BDSM club event, like this camping trip. Also, with this type of story, it is also an "instant love" story. Thus far, all 14 of these books have been easy to read and easy to understand....and easier to become addicted to. They're small so they fit nicely on your bookshelf also:)

This Time Tomorrow - Emma Straub - (New York)
Genera: Father/Daughter/Grief/Time Travel
5★
What if you could take a vacation to your past? On the eve of her fortieth birthday, Alice’s life isn’t terrible. She likes her job, even if it isn’t exactly the one, she expected. She’s happy with her apartment, her romantic status, and her independence, and she adores her lifelong best friend. But her father is ailing, and it feels to her as if something is missing. When she wakes up the next morning, she finds herself back in 1996, reliving her sixteenth birthday. But it isn’t just her adolescent body that shocks her or seeing her high school crush...it’s her dad, the vital, charming, forty-something version of her father with whom she is reunited. Now armed with a new perspective on her own life and his, some past events take on new meaning. Is there anything that she would change if she could?
This is a time travel book... Alice's story. Alice is a forty-year-old woman who’s found her life has turned out a little differently than she expected.

Nothing is terrible...she has a good job, and she’s not unhappy with her single, dating life. But her father is sick, and she can’t help but wonder if something’s missing.

Growing up, it was always Alice and her father...and her lifelong best friend. But now, on her fortieth birthday, her best friend is busy with her own family, her father is in the hospital, and nothing feels right. After a solo night of drinking, Alice wakes up the next morning to find herself back in her childhood bedroom, in 1996, on the eve of her 16th birthday.

If you’ve ever wondered if there’s anything you would change if you could go back in time, you will be drawn to this book—and Alice’s decisions. As she relives her sixteenth birthday, and her high school crush! She also sees her young, healthy father with new eyes making her able to appreciate in an entirely new way.

After I read this book I did some Google searching and I learned that this author, Emma Straub's father was Peter Straub, the famous horror author. While he was in and out of the hospital in 2020, he jokingly suggested to her that she write a book about a woman who visits her dad in the hospital. "Father knows best", so; she did.

When I then learned how this book came to be, and the grief Emma herself experienced, it all made sense why it had struck a nerve. This Time Tomorrow and the relationship between Alice and Leonard is intimate and real. There’s courage on the pages, and it feels special to be able to read her words in this way.

A Darkness Absolute - Kelly Armstrong - (Canada, British Columbia)
Rockton Series Book #2
5★
When experienced homicide detective Casey Duncan first moved to the secret town of Rockton, she expected a safe haven for people like her, people running from their past misdeeds and past lives. She knew living in Rockton meant living off-the-grid completely: no cell phones, no Internet, no mail, very little electricity, and no way of getting in or out without the town council’s approval. What she didn’t expect is that Rockton comes with its own set of secrets and dangers.
Casey has been living in Rockton about four months. The longer she’s there, the more secrets come to light, including the dirty details about some of Rockton’s residents. Casey reports to Sheriff Eric Dalton, who she also has been having a romantic relationship with. Their dynamics are intense, but it...hey... it works.

Casey along with Will, the deputy, discover a woman that had been held hostage in a cave for a year. Everyone had assumed that she had left Rockton on her own, and this discovery opens up a whole new set of dangers and discoveries. Questions, of course, arise...Who took her? Why? How does this connect to the newly discovered bodies of the women who also disappeared years earlier?

The mystery is convoluted and tricky, with lots of clues, mis-directions, suspects, and timelines that conflict. Of course, that all presents several levels of danger also. The forest surrounding Rockton is filled with threats...both human, animal, and environmental. Every time Eric, Casey, or anyone else from the town ventures past Rockton’s borders, they’re at risk. No one comes out of this case unaffected, and we learn more disturbing secrets about the town, the town council, and the various residents when secrets are revealed.

Casey and Eric have a fascinating chemistry, both on and off the job. I liked how much their relationship had progressed...it must be serious since they even get a dog!! There’s danger everywhere. It appears that any interaction with any of Rockton's residents needs to be closely inspected for hidden agendas and threats. I'd hate to be the head of the Chamber of Commerce in this place:)

There's always tension and danger, and while the ultimate solutions usually work, it sometimes takes "mind-boggling" efforts to keep track of all the characters, the timelines, and the possible motives behind each of these folk's actions. No one is safe. Casey ends up in "grave peril" time and time again. A Darkness Absolute is a compelling page-turner. The characters are not always likeable...but their relationships and connections add emotional drama and a sense of deep danger, as the action unfolds.

I have always liked Kelly Armstrong's books, especially her really "ghosty" ones. This series isn't especially scary, but it contains enough "good mystery" to hold my interest...so, I will diffidently continue with this series. I believe there are five books still to go, plus a spin-off series, so there’s plenty of reading left. The Rockton series is just as good as I had expected it to be, and I really want to find out what's in store for Casey and Eric.

It's One of Us - J.T. Ellison
Genera: Mystery & Suspense Thriller
5★
Everybody lies. Even the ones you think you know best of all . . .
Olivia and Park Bender are trying desperately to have a child when Olivia discovers that Park has already fathered children... as a sperm donor when he was in college. Not only that, but are you ready for it? It seems that one of his children is a serial killer. The police tell them that he's left DNA at a crime scene. Olivia’s world is supposed to be one of order and beauty as she designs home interiors, creating wonderful spaces for happy homes. Instead, her world is instantly an insane combination of reporters, police, distrust of her husband and loss of a dream.

The story is told in multiple points of view and although I enjoyed getting into the mind of each character, I identified with Olivia’s POV the most. Park was not a one of my favorite characters, although he was a devoted husband and wanted to be a father as much as Olivia wanted to be a mother.

The twists that take place in the telling of this intricate web of deceit, murder, infertility and sperm banks, was so very well written that I was almost waiting for the documentary credits to roll at the end. I feel that I learned from this book as well as having been entertained and absolutely totally absorbed by the story. The ending was a surprise twist that I didn’t see coming and was so good! The fast pace, the mesmerizing topics and the mystery all made this book one of the best books that I have read! The story is a haunting one, as it takes a close-up look at a difficult and delicate topic...but does so in an informative way that makes the reader empathetic, not only if they have friends and/or family that the subject relates to, but to anyone, including our fictional main character.

I would give the book 10- stars, if that were possible, so we'll go with 5 for the writing and the plot and characters and for educating me about infertility in an entertaining yet heart-tugging way.

An ADDED NOTE: If you are a reader who stops reading at the end of the book and doesn’t read the dedications, acknowledgements, author’s notes, etc., I recommend that you read all the way to the end, every word on every page. You'll be caught up and understand the sacrifice that writing this book must have cost Ms. Ellison.

Chasing the Dream - Andrew Grey - (Pennsylvania)
Genera: M/M Romance/Cowboys
5★
Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Brian Paulson has lived a life of luxury and ease. If he’s been left lonely because of his family’s pursuit of wealth and their own happiness, he figures it’s a small price to pay for what he sees as most important: money. Cade McAllister has never had it easy. He works two jobs to support himself, his mother, and his special-needs brother. They don’t have much, but to Cade, love and taking care of the people who are important to him mean more than material possessions. When Cade is mugged in the park, he can’t afford to lose what little he has, and he’s grateful for Brian’s intervention. Cade is given a chance to return the favor when Brian’s grandfather passes away, and Brian’s assets are frozen. Cade offers Brian a place to stay and helps him find work, and the two men grow closer as they learn the good and the bad of the very different worlds they come from. Just as Brian is starting to see there’s more to life than what money can buy, a clause in his grandfather’s will could send their relationship up in smoke.
Brian has just lost his grandfather, and the rest of the family are literally vultures, and that doing a disservice to all the bird-type vultures. There is a condition in the will, that says that spoiled-rotten Brian must prove he can do several things in order to inherit his fortune.

Cade is saved from a beating by Brian, and they meet again at the restaurant where Cade works. Brian finds that his charge cards don't work, and that his assets have been frozen. Cade helps Brian by taking him in. Brian continues to discover the far-reaching extent of his grandfather's many "tests". Brian tells Cade everything and they become more than merely friends, they're soon "friends with benefits". Neither man can stop thinking about the other. Cade wants Brian to stay so he helps Brian get a job. During this time Brian discovers just how good his old friends were since they all now ignore him since he's basically broke.

This is an interesting story about a grandfather who helps his grandson find his true inner self. It was beautifully written...but I would expect nothing else from Andrew Grey. He is a terrific writer; one of my favorites in these genera. Lydia the Lawyer, could have used a bit more work to make her appear less mentally challenged, but Phillip was a marvelous character. The two guys have some hot sexy times, and they actually do communicate often and well. Cade is amazing, caring and big hearted. Brian learns a lot about himself and how he can turn his life around. This is a terrific, low key, smooth flowing story with people you will hold in your heart.

The Dollhouse - Sara Ennis
The Komorebi Serial Killer Series Book 1
Genera: Mystery, Very Graphic Violence
3★
Possible Trigger Warnings: Child Abduction, Child Death
Alfred collects Dolls. Not the kind found in stores—the kind that breathe. The kind that scream.
At the beginning of the story, two teenagers, twins Angel and Bud, are kidnapped by a woman: Jennifer. They find that they are in the basement of with another girl, Olivia. They then discover that their only function...the reason they are there, is to recreate scenes from the childhood of Jennifer’s partner, Alfred. Alfred refers to the children as his “dolls. He's trying to exorcise the demons of his past. it makes you cringe to consider what kind of past this man must have had to turn him into this present-day monster.

In the meantime, Olivia’s father, a journalist, tries to reach out to the twins' mother, to explain that he can see similarities in their situations that lead him to believe that the same person or people are behind both kidnappings.

The rest of the book switches between the perspectives of the children, those that are looking for them, and Edward, a high-school teacher whose role only becomes clear closer to the end...an end that culminates in a breathless race against time to save them before Alfred decides that he is finished with his "dolls."

Pay attention to the trigger warnings. Even though the book was well written...it will diffidently NOT be for everyone. The middle section is almost "too much" with very graphic violence being inflicted on the young captives. I read a lot of this, but it was almost too much and at one point I was ready to give it up. It was at that point that the focus changed, and it improved... somewhat. I mainly wanted to find out what Jennifer's motivation was in this whole scheme. If you are still reading at this point, you'll find that it does become a little clearer...but the situation is a bit of a cliché. 3 stars due to what seemed to me to be an excessive amount of dwelling on the torture scenes and not enough on the reasoning behind it all.

Claimed by the Mountain Man - (Denver Shaw) - (Fictional town of Fire Mountain)
Men of Fire Mountain Series (a part of 8 books)
Genera: M/M Romance/Small town /War Hero
5★
Two broken men. One chance at love. A connection neither can deny. And a claiming they both need. Cooper Jackson served his country honorably; he came home damaged but determined. In the blink of an eye, he went from soldier to bartender, back home slinging drinks at his family’s bar.
There’s a reason Gage Halloway avoids human connection, and he’s not about to let Cooper Jackson make him forget… even if that’s the one thing his heart most wants.
Gage is hiding from his trauma on his mountain. Cooper just came back home to finish recovering and try to move on from his trauma. They are both so drawn to each other. The book is based on the question; can they get past everything and make a go of this?

It's a heartbreaking, but beautiful, emotional, slow burn, emotional read. Gage lost loved ones in his past due to poor decisions he made, and Cooper was damaged from his time in the military. Together, they help one another piece the broken bits of themselves back together. I don't care for a lot of angst in my stories; I really like the "happy" ones, but this slow angsty burn made me want more and more. I loved the big romantic gesture Gage did at the end of the book. Thank you, Denver Shaw, for this amazing read!