WHAT ARE WE READING & REVIEWING IN JUNE 2026?

National Reading Day is June 19th...but we can make National Reading Day, EVERYDAY!! Tell Us What You Plan to Read in June.

🏳️‍🌈 - ★
8/23
CAROL'S JUNE READS
M/M ROMANCE
🏳️‍🌈Irises in The Snow - Isabelle Adler -5★(Indiana)
*Cops Cake and Coffee - Samuel York -★
*Second Act - Kaje Harper - ★ - (Minnesota, California)
*Fish Sticks Friday - Rhys Ford - ★ (California)
🏳️‍🌈Tease - Ella Frank - 5★ (Illinois)
*Tate - Ella Frank - ★ (Illinois)
*True - Ella Frank - ★ (Illinois)
🏳️‍🌈Hawk - Jacki James - 5★ (Texas)
🏳️‍🌈Screwed - K.M. Neuhold - 5★ (Wisconsin, Hawaii)
*Stud - K.M. Neuhold- ★ (Wisconsin)
🏳️‍🌈Ernie's Lost Puppy - Dell Cain & Kaytea Kat- 4.5★
*Trusting You, Trusting Me - Jacki James - ★
*Shiver - Jocelynn Drake - ★
*Skin Game - Elle Keaton - ★ (Washington) (14)
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OTHER GENERA
*Angel's Flight - Michael Connelly -★ (Group Read) - (California)
🏳️‍🌈Raven's Gate- Anthony Horowitz -5★ (Friend) (England)
*Bad Blood - Rhiannon Lassiter -★ - (England)
*Truth or Dare -Celia Rees -★ (England)
*Winter Monster - Dennis Mahoney -★ (New York)
🏳️‍🌈Where the Dead Wait - Ally Wilkes - 5★ (The Arctic)
*The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre - Philip Fracassi - ★- (New York)
*Coffin Moon - Keith Rosson - ★ (Oregon)
🏳️‍🌈 The House by the Cemetery - Lisa Childs - 4★ (Michigan) (9)
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Tease - Ella Frank - (Illinois)
Series: Temptation #4
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
Tease - verb: to tantalize especially by arousing desire or curiosity often without intending to satisfy it....unless your name is Tate Morrison. It’s been four years since Logan Mitchell walked into Tate’s life and irrevocably changed it. Four years since the sexy as sin lawyer dared him to try, and four years since Tate won his love. Now, as they approach the next chapter of their lives Logan is determined they won’t end up like many of their friends. Settled. Domestic. Boring. However, that’s easier said than done. With busy careers and working odd hours, finding time for one another is becoming increasingly difficult. But that sh*t isn’t going to fly with Logan or Tate. The two of them are determined to compromise to get what it is they want, and what they want is each other. Tease is the sexy, tantalizing continuation of the two men who stole your heart.

Tease picks up with Loan and Tate four years later from the last book. That's why this series MUST be read in order. They are both settled, both in and with themselves as well as with their jobs. Their respective successes though means that they are spending less and less time together and this is a situation that needed to be remedied fast.

“This was what they’d both needed. What they’d both craved. And the furious way they moved atop their bed was a testament to the fact that while they may have both been busy these past few months, weeks, and days, never had their attraction subsided. Never had their love.”

Our Logan has matured more in this one. Oh yes, he's still cocky and arrogant but that is just Logan being Logan. In so far as his relationship with Tate goes, he was the one that had all the insecurities and has now made a huge turnaround. He has so much love for Tate and his biggest fear is losing him...the one man that he loves more than anything or anyone. This side of Logan is very emotional and made him more human and more rea

Our Tate was just as adorable as ever, but his family is the one thread of storyline that was never truly resolved in books one, two or three. It was good that the author revisited this issue, and while things are definitely not settled it was good to see there are starting to be roads taken to maybe pave the way.

Love and life between these two is effortless. Their love for one and other glows from the pages and their intense chemistry is seriously "off the chart

We got to catch up with some of the other characters that appeared in the other three books. I have enjoyed all four of these books. This series is starting to feel like coming home. I hope there are going to be many more...I know there are two more because of course I have them. If you start this series, the books simply must be read in order to understand any of the "what" or "why" of anything that's taking place.

Raven's Gate - Anthony Horowitz - (England)
Series The Gatekeepers, Book #1
Genera: Horror/Paranormal/YA Fantasy
5★
He always knew he was different. First there were the dreams. Then the deaths began. When Matt Freeman gets into trouble with the police, he's sent to be fostered in Yorkshire. It's not long before he senses there's something wrong with his with the whole village. Then Matt learns about the Old Ones and begins to understand just how he is different. But no one will believe him; no one can help. There is no proof. There is no logic. There is just the Gate.

First thing you should know is that this is a YA urban fantasy...still if you are an adult and like paranormal, horror stories...you might find this one interesting. I've read this author before and always found him likeable.

Our main character, Matt is a troubled 14-year-old with quiet a tragic past. His parents died when he was very young, and he was then raised by an aunt that mostly ignored and neglected him...but was more than happy to send him to a rehabilitation program for troubled teens, after he is arrested for burglary.

Matt's life didn't change much as now he finds himself in the custody of a very odd woman, Jayne Deverill. Matt works on her farm, with only the very strange villagers to talk to. (Lots of strange folks in this story:). After several strange and unusual things begin to happen; like the sound of chanting in the woods, the suspected murder of one of the villagers on the farm, Matt turns to the news reporters when the police pay absolutely refuse to believe his version of what happened.

Matt on his quest to find someone to listen to him and believe his story meets Richard, who is a journalist in the nearby town. Richard helps him unravel the mystery of the evil cult that Jayne Deverill is running and uncovers the cult's plan to open "Raven’s Gate", and allow the horrors that it houses to again roam the earth. Matt soon realizes is that he is filled with dormant power and is the key to opening Raven's Gate.

This book hardly ever stops to take a breather. It's filed with continuous action, and a mystery that makes the reader continue reading. Eating and sleeping are over-rated activities!

Our Matt is a very relatable character that teens may relate to more than adults, since the way he deals with his circumstances speaks more to the young adult audience. Matt is a victim of his circumstances, he's misunderstood or simply ignored by all the adults he encounters in his life, and he is forced to adapt in order to survive, He goes from a troubled teen to a hero. At the beginning of the book, you will be overwhelmed by all his bad choices, but by the end, you will be cheering for him.

This story is a creepy combination of an isolated village, spooky woods, and some really strange residents...but it also adds a touch of magic. There are some sinister undertones, but that is what creates the book’s alluring intensity.

Irises in The Snow - Isabelle Adler - (Indiana)
Genea: M/M Romance/Christmas
5★
It’s Christmas, and Justin’s life is fraying at the edges. The family business he took over instead of going to art school is bleeding money, and his boyfriend of seven months cheated on him. Under these circumstances, family gatherings can be rough, but Justin believes he has everything under control. That is, until Elliot, his former best friend (and the first guy to ever break his heart) unexpectedly shows up at the holiday dinner party. With both of them still nursing the wounds of the past, it might take a real Christmas miracle for Justin and Elliot to learn to appreciate the art of second chances.

This book was very well done, I don't often read often novellas or short stories, as I usually find them to be a bit underwhelming and usually underdeveloped, but this was really well done in both, while being fast paced and addicting at the same time. In the short time we knew our characters, we get a real look into their personalities, struggles and dreams. You can't help but feel connected to Justin, the main character, as well as to Elliot. The art subplot only added another layer that I could well appreciate.

The story is set at Christmas, so it had to be fun! It's June when I read it, but it made me get into a "Christmasy" mood since it's set a couple of days leading up to Christmas and then a few days afterwards. The book is not an entirely "feel good, happy go lucky" romance. Justin's father is recovering from cancer, and Justin is trying to hold up the struggling family business by himself while letting go of his dreams, which was sad. I really felt sorry for him.

My favorite part of this story though was of course, the romance. It was developed meticulously and not rushed. The usual sexual content of M/M Romance books is mostly non-explicit in this one...but there are descriptions of small moments like hands touching. Folks that are not huge fans of this type of genera will probably be okay with this one.

I am really hoping that there will be more books featuring these characters.

Hawk - Jacki James - (Texas)
Series: Three Bears Tactical, Book 1
Genera M/M Romance/Bodyguards
5★
POSSIBLE TRIGGER WARNING: Past domestic abuse, and a little trauma
At six foot four, muscles for days, and a take charge attitude, Duncan Hawkins is exactly my type and everything I've sworn to avoid... So when I find myself in trouble, why is he my first call? Mika has run before—first from trouble at home, then from an abusive ex. For the past two years, he’s built a quiet, safe life in Vesper, Texas, determined to never run again. But when his past comes knocking, he needs protection. And there’s only one man he trusts to keep him safe...Hawk. Hawk is ex-military, a seasoned bodyguard, and the very type that man Mika has spent years avoiding—big, tough, and in charge. Exactly his type. Exactly the kind of man who once broke him. But Hawk is different. He’s protective, patient, and unwavering in his promise to stand between Mika and danger. As Hawk teaches Mika to fight back—both in his self-defense classes and in life, sparks fly. But trusting a man like Hawk means risking everything, including his heart. And with his ex-boyfriend growing more dangerous by the day, Mika must decide; keep running or stand and fight; with Hawk by his side.

In some previous books by this author, we've been with the firefights of the town, but this time we're with the security experts at Three Bears Tactical Service. I waited for this first book in this series to arrive from Amazon, and I couldn't wait to start it. I'm happy to say that it did not at all or in any way, disappoint...but Jacki James has never disappointed me. Mika and Hawk are just perfect together; they 100% compliment and deserve each other. Mika has been through a lot. He was young and made a bad choice in a boyfriend, but he planned and executed a clever escape and thought he had run far enough way that his ex would never find him. Wrong! This guy didn't like to lose or be told "no", so when his past shows up again in the form of this brutish ex-boyfriend that he thought he had escaped from...Hawk is there to help out and protect him.

Daniel Hawkins; (Hawk), loves what he does. He's part owner of the Three Bears Technical, a Security firm. While teaching a self-protection class that Mika was taking to help him better defend himself...especially if his ex should show up.... Hawk becomes very interested in the young man. Later while Hawk is providing protection for Mika, they both became "interested" in one another. Hawk was trying to give Mika time to be more comfortable around him, but when Mika is scared and reaches out there's just no more time or space between them. Hawk & Mika are so perfect for each other. They each have something to offer one another; something besides sex.... but of course, sex is on the table also! Hawk shows Mika how strong he really is, and Mika helps Hawk feel more connected to his new life. There are also some really great side characters. You can't help but love Mika's elderly friend, Mrs. Thompson, who taught him to crochet, and of course all the men that make up Three Bears Tactical. Is anyone surprised that I read the books out of order? With this series, it really doesn't matter all that much. An added benefit of this one is that there is a really, really cute dog!

If you like the M/M romance genera and a story that is engaging and filled with action, chemistry, healing and fun I can highly recommend this one or any other books by Jacki James.

Where The Dead Wait - Ally Wilkes - (The Arctic)
Genera: Horror
5★
POSSIBLR TRIGGERS: Abandonment, & cannibalism
William Day should be an acclaimed Arctic explorer. But after a failed expedition, in which his remaining men only survived by eating their dead comrades, he returned in disgrace. Thirteen years later, his second-in-command, Jesse Stevens, has gone missing in the same frozen waters. Perhaps this is Day’s chance to restore his tarnished reputation by bringing Stevens­—the man who’s haunted his whole life—back home. But when the rescue mission becomes an uncanny journey into his past, Day must face up to the things he’s­ done. Aboard ship, Day must also contend with unwanted passengers: a reporter obsessively digging up the truth about the first expedition, as well as Stevens’s wife, a spirit-medium whose séances both fascinate and frighten. Following a trail of cryptic messages, gaunt bodies, and old bones, their search becomes more and more unnerving. The restless dead are never far behind in this “breathtaking achievement”

Our main character William Day is in every sense of the word, a "haunted" man. He's haunted by his failed expedition, he's haunted by his very own reputation, and most of all he's haunted by Jesse Stevens, his second-in-command on this failed expedition. We soon learn that William Day and Jesse Stevens had a relationship that was a lot more than simply friendship. It was complex...it was personal and intimate, or as intimate as two men could be in the mid-1800's. It simply wasn't talked about in their era. Willima Day, fourth in command on the expedition, was thrust into the captain's role since nearly all the men around him had died from scurvy, and other disastrous endings. One of the themes I found the most intriguing throughout the story was that of his leadership.

William Day, both on the past expedition and in the present one, has been thrust into a position of power that he has no business ever being in, and he knows it and he hates it. Power is constantly at play throughout both timelines between Day and his "crew".... such as it was. I never thought I found that the ship "politics" held a definite fascination and a sharp edge. When order and civility hung by a thin thread; when food supplies became less and less, and when the nights got darker, any wrong decision Day made was more than likely to have severely disastrous consequences. Wounds don't seem to heal in the arctic's freezing atmosphere and "Captain" Day, unintentionally or perhaps otherwise, is constantly in danger of inflicting many types of wounds, both physically and emotionally on his dwindling crew.

The relationship between Day and Stevens is at the heart of both the expeditions in this novel. It's a stark view in not just what could be called an "unhealthy" relationship, but a terminal type of affection that had unthinkable consequences for the surviving crew. Stevens' personality totally dominates, engulfs and overwhelms William Day. We get an up-close view into what could be called a case of "dormant wickedness". Day is very much aware of Stevens’ schemes and plans and yet he decides to ignore them and chooses love over truth and his broken heart. The present-day narrative does a great job of presenting Willliam Day coming to terms with his reckoning.

Day is haunted...haunted by physical manifestations of Stevens and other things. Finally, he will be forced to confront his past. The author is careful how she uses the supernatural. Reality and insanity are constantly intersecting leaving the reader sometimes unsure of what is real and what is figments of the crew's over-active imaginations. I loved the story, but the writing can sometimes be a challenge. At rimes left slightly disorientated. You may fell what I can only describe as a constant uncertainty about what is real and what isn’t, what is harmful and what is harmless". and this is all because of William Day’s actions as captain. His past is fast catching up with his present...and you know that the results are not going to be good.

Questions such as, "What does it mean to be a hero or a villain? A good person or a bad person? As always, the answer is usually found to be neither black nor white but many different shades of gray....and that's where this author excelled with her story and I gave it 5 well-earned stars.

Screwed - K.M. Neuhold - (Wisconsin, Hawaii)
Series Four Bears Construction Book 4
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
I've had my fair share of less than proud relationship moments, but waking up married to my brother-in-law's best friend is a new low. A drunken wedding to a man who already rejected me once? Check. A hefty bet about how long it will last? Check. My feisty new husband, determined to make our friends pay up? Double check. I've never managed to make a real relationship last nearly a year, there's no way Daniel will stick around long enough to win this bet. The only problem is the longer he stays, the more the lines blur between what's real and what's for show. Does he feel it too or am I totally screwed?

Ollie had suffered a lot of so-called humorous abuse from the other partners at Four Bears Construction. He was the butt of many jokes and pranks because of his belief in true love and his continuous search for his true soulmate. Unfortunately, he's had very bad luck in his quest for love, that has made him a continuous target. His brother Stone's fiance, Ren, thought the guys were too hard on Ollie. It was a sentiment he expressed many times to his best friend Daniel.

Daniel did not believe in love despite all the couples around him that were IN love. He was certainly a love'em and leave'em kind of guy. No one was going to tie him down... he'd never allow it, but he felt sorry for Ollie and how he'd been treated by his so-called friends. This begins the setup for the fake marriage. It started out as a bet that Daniel was determined to win for him and Ollie.

I really enjoyed how the slow build up to the explosive passion between Ollie and Daniel was rolled out. The heat was real and the writing was incredibly sensual. If you are an M/M Romance fan, don't hesitate to read this book, if you do, you will be missing out. K.M. Neuhold has quickly become one of my favorite authors

The House by the Cemetery - Lisa Childs - (Michigan)
Series: Gravediggers Series Book #1
Genera: - Suspense, Horror
4★
In Gold Creek, Michigan, legend has that the ghost of a local grave digger still walks the cemetery, swinging his shovel, looking for his next victim to bury. But when the town’s wealthy undertaker dies, his estranged daughter must contend with the ghosts that haunt her own family . . .

After she left home at seventeen, River Gold swore she would never return to Gold Creek, Michigan. Growing up at the Gold Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens was a nightmare. Her classmates constantly teased her for being part of the “Ghoul” family, while her own family denied that she was actually a Gold at all. Her father, undertaker Gregory Gold, certainly never acted like a father. He was far more interested in making money from other people’s tragedies. Now Gregory has died. And River has surrendered to her mother, Fiona’s, pleas begging her, and then demanding that she return to Gold Creek for his funeral.

The mourning period is cut short when it was learned that Gregory had died of poisoning...and guess who is blamed??? You got it...Fiona is arrested for his murder. It's clear that Fiona, who was Gregory's third wife and the cosmetologist at the funeral home, is being framed. There are lots of more likely suspects, actually an entire town of them. He was clearly NOT going to win any "Citizen of the Year awards, and River is determined to prove her mother’s innocence. To make things more complicated, she will have to work with the sheriff, who was her enemy when they were in high school...but she figures that that's a small price to pay.

There is an absolute fortune at stake here, and River is sure the killer must be one of Gregory’s first two wives...or one of their children...or perhaps one of the grandchildren. As you now realize, she was NO IDEA whatsoever. Soon, other discoveries, that would give too much away to mention what they were, are made, and many old and newer secrets are revealed. Then something that I thought had nothing to do with anything but was being included to get word count but okay, let's throw this into the mix...teenagers, that use the cemetery to make-out, talk, tell ghost stories.... just be kids, start to disappear from the cemetery. Now the danger is hitting much closer to home. Closer than River could imagine possible. She now finds herself where she never wanted to b again...drawn back into the lives, and all lies of the Golds.

It was a book certainly worthy of 4 stars. I expected a bit more mystery, but my only real complaint was there was a lot of characters, sometimes making it hard to keep everything straight. I missed several important clues to the story. So, read, carefully and try to remember each and every one and perhaps you'll solve the mystery before its done! Then, there is the ghost...you'll have to read it to solve it...or t least TRY to.

Ernie's Lost Puppy - Della Cain and Kaytea Kat
Series: - Found by Daddy Book #16
Genera: M/M Romance/ Daddy, little relationship
5★
Ernie lost his puppy and found his new daddy. I have one rule: Pup-Pup stays home. My sweet stuffed puppy is my most treasured gift. The ER doctor who treated me after my accident told me that when things felt impossible, I should hold him close and remember I was strong and brave. Pup-Pup has been my lifeline ever since, worn soft from years of desperate hugs. I was transferred that night and never saw him again. But I never forgot his soft smile, his kind eyes, his calm, supportive voice…or the way he made me feel safe. Today, I break my rule and bring Pup-Pup to a job interview. I need to remember I’m strong and brave and that I can do this. And it works. It’s my best interview yet. I celebrate with a fancy coffee in the park…where a real dog steals him from my open bag.

Ernie says "I’ve had nightmares like this where Pup-Pup is gone, leaving me all alone. Only this isn’t a nightmare—it’s more of a dream come true when the dog’s owner brings him back." It’s him. The doctor who once placed Pup-Pup in my hands is now returning him. And he’s not looking at me like a patient anymore. He’s looking at me like a man.

Ernie never took his Pup stuffie out. However, today he did. When he was in the park a dog ran up, and snatched "Pup Pup", his stuffie. A kind man returned it to Ernie and when he looked up, it was the man that he thought fondly of as "The Doctor"...the very doctor that had saved his life ...and gave him "Pup Pup". From that time, they slowly began to have a relationship that soon turned into them being "Daddy/little". For those that don't quite get that...it's a form of "age play".

This was an excellent short sweet and steamy read. There is now 17 of these Daddy/little books in the series "Found by Daddy". They are all short, sweet, steamy reads.