Since MM Romance is a genre I read a fair bit of but don’t always publish a blog post for my reviews, I thought I might do a monthly round-up of any I have read for those who are interested.
This month’s round-up is quite a big one.
I listened to the audiobook version of Bossy by N.R Walker. I really enjoyed this fun romance. I enjoyed the narrator, Glen Lloyd too, (I’m very picky about my narrators) and will be looking for more read by him. N.R. Walker has made two really likeable characters who worked so well together and their interactions always had me smiling. Lots of sexy scenes in this one.
Sparrow (#2 Rebel Sky Ranch) by Kelly Fox
I absolutely loved book #1 Goodnight, and while this didn’t live up to my expectations after the first book, I did still enjoy it and will definitely be reading book #3 Navarro.
This is a case of Sparrow, a horse trainer and rescuer having an opinion of the rodeo and rodeo riders that might not be true these days, or at least not for the majority of people. He takes an instant dislike to Luke who is a rodeo star because of his prejudice towards the industry and from an accident he saw Luke have while he was there.
Sparrow was actually quite rude and unprofessional when Luke arrives at Rebel Sky Ranch looking for a place to work and recover from his injuries and to lay low after being outed after the accident. Sure Luke had a swagger to him, but he set out to prove he wasn’t who Sparrow thought he was and Sparrow just kept on writing him off.
When these two finally sort things out, I started to really enjoy both characters and enjoyed the way they were with each other.
Luke hasn’t had it easy, his parents rate very low on my scale of human beings, writing him off because he is gay and then his mother using him for all she can get financially. He’s also come from an abusive relationship and feels ashamed that he allowed himself to get treated the way he did.
Both characters have things to work out so that they can make a go of what could be something special. I love the characters that make up the found family at Rebel Sky Ranch and enjoy seeing them expand.
I’m looking forward to book #3
Sledge & Claw by Jennifer Cody
Based around the main character Lex who is an investigator for IDIA – the Inter-dimensional Immigration Agency. There are beings of all different types that come from numerous planets and dimensions, if it can be imagined, Jennifer will imagine it. Lex is the best at what he does, other than his mentor, and that is debatable depending on who you speak to. Lex has a problem, someone is setting him up and one of the office agents, Gillian Roberts decides she doesn’t trust him and she’s going to start her own investigation into him. Lex has plenty of need-to-know secrets and he is also cursed in some awful ways. What starts as a pain-in-the-ass agent following him where she shouldn’t be turns into a new team when Lex decides he’s going to take Gillian on as his trainee, unheard of since she is human. I didn’t like Gillian much when I first met her, but she grew on me as the story developed and I’m really looking forward to seeing how she goes with her training.
For my full review click here.
Code Red by N.R. Walker
I read this in June 2021 but I was looking for something to listen to with a specific narrator Nick J Russo and figured since I really enjoyed the book I’d give this a go. I do struggle with American narrators, but Nick does do a good job of narrating this book and I enjoyed it just as much this time around as when I read it last year,
We get a good look at the toll being famous, especially from a young age, can take on the people involved. Maddox is struggling with anxiety which he has been doing a good job of hiding for a while now. Roscoe has been his manager for years and has been falling for him for at least half of that time. When Maddox needs him emotionally, and he offers his support, this is the catalyst for the change in the dynamics of their relationship.
This is a relationship that is against all the rules, but the feelings they have for each other stop them from wanting to follow the rules anymore. I loved Maddox and the way he would ambush Roscoe when he was trying to be strong and keep their relationship professional, and I loved the way Roscoe unknowingly touched Maddox, whether it be on the arm or his lower back, offering support and his presence. Their friendship and attraction were a great foundation for their romantic relationship.
For my full review click here.
Crew (#1 Murphy Contracting) by Jamie Luther
I really liked Crew and Rogan, both as individual characters and as a couple. Poor Crew, after having a massive crush on his best friend’s dad, he then starts to develop serious feelings towards him, it doesn’t help that the attraction he feels isn’t one-sided.
I liked that Rogan considered his son Ace’s feelings about how a relationship with Crew might make him feel, but at the same time, Ace is an adult now and surely Rogan can start to put his own happiness first.
The sexual tension between Crew and Rogan created a strong pull between them, as well as being Ace’s dad, Rogan is also his boss, (way to complicate things). As much as they fight it, you know there is going to come a time where they give in to the pull and then things really heat up. It’s a sexually frustrated journey for these two to get together, but the waiting and pining was worth it.
Ace has his own issues with his and Crew’s other best friend Hux and because of this his mood is up and down, (doesn’t he know open communication is the only way to go). I am guessing that we will get to see Ace work out his own frustrations in book #2 and I’m looking forward to seeing where Jamie Luther takes us if the end of this book is an example of how things are going to go down.
Rogan and Crew made a really sweet couple and I look forward to seeing how they are going down the track in future books (they’d have to remain side characters surely)
Never Trust a Guy With Fangs (#1 Covens of Eaton Falls) by Mia Monroe
Never Trust a Guy With Fangs was such a good read, I actually read it twice as I didn’t write my review straight away and wanted to refresh my mind and ended up rereading the whole novel.
I love Leo who is a witch, he’s a little bit sassy, knows what he wants but has a vulnerability about him too. Augustus is the head vampire of his coven and is extremely likeable too, he’s lived a long time, seen a lot and experienced a lot of loss during his 2500 years.
The attraction between these two was hot, but fun too, Leo and his sassy ways made it fun, he just wouldn’t give up when Augustus said they couldn’t be together, for many reasons, the treaty between the witches and vampires being a big reason.
For my full review click here.
Fire in the Ice by Ryan Taylor and Joshua Harwood
This was a sweet, low angst read that I really enjoyed. I haven’t read the first in this series but will be going back to remedy that to see how Nick and Jacob get together.
In Fire in the Ice we get Kevin and Tyler’s story, they knew each other in school and stayed in touch for years, Kev always had a huge crush on Tyler, but Tyler thought he was too you, and he was in love with NIck anyway. (Tyler and Nick’s story is in a novella which I haven’t read either).
When this story starts Tyler has been traded to the Bethesda Barracudas, Kevin and Nick’s team and while Nick is happy to be able to play with Tyler again, Kev is not. Their friendship was seen by both very differently and Tyler’s decision to not keep up the communication between them has led to Kev feeling pretty hurt.
After the initial passive/aggressive behaviour from Kevin, the two eventually sit down and communicate and from then on love is on the cards. I loved that they communicated how they felt, that they weren’t afraid to show each other how they felt and that because of their past history they were comfortable with each other and pet names came easily (I can’t say I really liked the whole giving their dicks a name, but each to their own).
For my full review click here.
Night & Day by Rachel Ember
I originally read this as part of a newsletter serial and really enjoyed it, this full version has been tweaked a bit and was an enjoyable read. I liked that there is no angst, the main characters communicate well with only a small hiccup along the way to achieving their happy ending. I thought it ended slightly differently in the serial, so I was waiting for that, but I may have mixed my books up, regardless, the ending was a good one.
The blurb was a bit confusing, having read the original version and now this one, Ty’s parents definitely didn’t have their act together in any way, shape or form and he constantly worries about his sisters, especially the youngest who is still at home. Ty has felt responsible for taking care of his sisters since they were young and he’s put his life on hold for them, never really having a dream or a plan about where his own life is heading once they don’t need him anymore. I really felt for him in this regard, it would be a tough thing to take on that sort of responsibility.
I liked Jonathan a lot, I loved how he was trying his best with his new baby after the mother ran out on them and I liked seeing him become happier once Ty was in his and Isabel’s life.
This is an easy read with a small amount of drama and a HEA.
Frat Wars: Masters of Mayhem (#2 Frat Wars) by Saxon James
I really enjoyed Robbie and Brandon’s story, there was a great deal of humour throughout and I loved the interactions between these two.
I enjoyed this more than book one, possibly because there were fewer pranks and there seemed to be more connection between these guys, probably because they were already friends. I also liked that Robbie was secure in his quest to explore his sexuality and was just, it is what it is, no need for drama. That Robbie wanted to explore this with one of his Frat brothers was sweet and understandable in that he felt safe with these guys and was secure he wouldn’t be judged. I thought the way that Brandon and Robbie decided to dive into the experiment after two very hot kisses was sweet too and the fact they were able to communicate, for the most part how they were feeling about it all was a bonus. I’m never a fan of miscommunication or lack of communication being used to create unnecessary drama, and in this novel, there was none of that.
For my full review click here.
No More Secrets (#2 Zone Defence) by Becca Seymour
I loved Sutton and Jayden, and I loved their story. Following on from Ryan and Nate’s story in book 1 No Take Backs, Sutton and Jayden’s kiss has created a massive rift in their friendship and Jayden has set off to Australia to have a break and catch up with Ryan and Nate. When he has an accident, Sutton jumps on a plane to see his friend.
Oh, I loved the way these guys ended up getting together, what starts as a fake engagement, becomes a real fake relationship and then a real relationship. I loved how they (mostly) communicated really well with each other as they were working through all of their changing feelings.
There was humour and sweetness galore, low angst and it was a really enjoyable read as these two guys navigated their friendship and their romantic relationship combined with their pro basketball careers. It wasn’t always smooth sailing and I liked that, I liked that they both struggled with different aspects of the way this changed not only their relationship but how they saw themselves, but it wasn’t too challenging for them to work things out and it didn’t drag on creating unnecessary angst.
I am really looking forward to more in this series.
The Kiss of His Blade by Romeo Alexander
This was a bit of a slow start while the scene was set up, but after that it was non stop action and attraction.
I thoroughly enjoyed this latest book by Romeo Alexander. Tristan, a professional hitman with a code of honour is required to too take out Dane, a retired marine who is supposedly using a charity to cover for weapons dealing.
I really liked both of these characters, they were both tortured by their past and their circumstances and when things don’t go to plan, the attraction between them is explosive.
As they work together to uncover who set them up and who the bad guys are, they both discover things about themselves and form an unbreakable bond.
I enjoyed June, Tristan’s offside who managed to snark her way into his closed off heart.
An unputdownable read once the action starts.
All Inclusive (#2 California Crush) by Mia Monroe
I enjoyed returning to Hillcrest Hideaway, I liked that it started where Extended Stay finished and we get to see how well the work Atlas, Rome and the staff from the hotel turns the fortune of the hotel around.
I really liked both our main characters in this one, Milo and Archer were both adorable and their friendship was great. While I don’t mind a slow burn romance, this was a bit too slow to start burning, especially because I felt that the self-doubts of both our characters and their hidden feelings for the other, and their inner thoughts were a little too repetitive for my tastes and seeing as they were best friends, I felt they really should have been able to talk to each other about the harder stuff a bit better. I enjoyed the secret admirer idea and loved that their friends, especially Oscar who has hidden depths (I’m looking forward to uncovering these in a future book), are willing to help these two with their surprises.
This was a really sweet read though and once they admitted their feelings for each other I really enjoyed seeing the relationship blossom.
I’m looking forward to more in this series
Extended Stay (#1 California Crush) by Mia Monroe
I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the people who call Hillcrest Hideaway their home-away-from-home. I got a fleeting glimpse in the prequel novella Room Upgrade so really enjoyed getting to know them better. The staff who work at Hillcrest Hideaway are like an extended family and when their boss becomes sick and the financial state of the hotel comes to light, there are some stressful moments for them all.
I liked Atlas a lot and I liked that he took on board the worries of the staff and the wishes of his uncle. Putting his own career on hold to help out and try to get the rundown hotel back up to a standard where it can earn a proper income. Along comes Rome, fresh out of a relationship with his girlfriend of two years, this is the perfect job to get him out of the rut he is in. I really liked Rome too, he was down-to-earth and way more helpful than any tradesman I’ve ever had do jobs for me, and he dives straight in to help out Atlas and Hillcrest.
These two became fast friends and I enjoyed seeing the relationship bloom and subtly change as they both spent time with each other at work and out of work. There was no angst as they explored their new feelings towards each other and though this is my preference if you like angst, you won’t find any here. There was communication and a willingness to take a risk on both sides.
I’m looking forward to spending more time at Hillcrest and in California.
Room Upgrade (#0.5 California Crush) by Mia Monroe
I enjoyed this short prequel introducing us to some of the characters from Hillcrest Hideaway. Cato a guest at the hotel catches his boyfriend cheating and decides to jump in and chase away his blues with one of the staff, Tigo. It was short and sweet and I’m looking forward to catching up with them as secondary characters in the rest of the series.
Promote (#3 Shattered Pawns) by Jennifer Cody
Book 3 in the Shattered Pawns series continues to feed us information from the previous two novels (you need to read in order), adding on to what we experienced in the previous two books, we also get to know Ryan aka The Queen of Houston and Kim Aka The King and Overseer of The Hub. I really liked both of these characters, and it was good to see how they got together.
Their Dom/Sub dynamics was an interesting one, I can’t say it was my favourite of the different relationship dynamics of the two series, but I did enjoy seeing how it worked for both Ryan and Kim and what each got from the dynamic. I loved that Ryan could see Kim for who he was, really see him in ways no one else had ever done and how Kim responded to Ryan being able to see him.
I liked learning about Ryan’s background and how his species of Titan Pixie came about. I loved his reaction when he found out who one of his parents was, it really did show what a beautiful heart he has.
Finding out who the man in the mirror was put a spin on things I wasn’t expecting and I’m really looking forward to the final book in this series where we find out how he came to be how he was and find out more about the relationship he has with Den.
I cannot emphasize how good this series is and how much I can’t wait until Shah Mat comes out later this year!
Sapphire Sunset (#1 Sapphire Cove) by C. Travis Rice
What a great introduction to both this author and this series. I adored both of the MCs, Connor and Logan.
When these two meet the attraction is instant, when Logan shuts down anything happening with Connor I was holding back tears for them both, but I could really feel Connor’s hurt and my heart hurt for him, he’d put himself out there and got kicked to the kerb.
When it comes time for them to meet again 5 years down the track, I was reading with my fingers crossed the whole time. Two people from such different backgrounds, but who after 5 years had not let go of the connection they shared for that one night, and who were still instantly aware of each other, I could only hope that as things spiralled back and forward and as the dramas around Sapphire Cove unfolded and played out, that Connor and Logan could manage to create something wonderful between them. While both Logan and Connor came from different backgrounds, both carried their own baggage given to them by their families, in learning to love each other, they both needed to look at their pasts and put down the baggage and see it for what it is.
For my full review click here.
Until next month, happy reading.
Claire's Reads and Reviews 