Tag: Annie’s Reviews

Release Blitz ~ Relevant Heart by Janice Jarrell (Review + Excerpt)

12/20/2023

NEW RELEASE

Book Title: Relevant Heart (Fearless Heart Series, Book Three)

Author and Publisher: Janice Jarrell

Release Date: December 6, 2023

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Tropes: Established Gay Relationship, Ireland, Gay Attorney, Gay Psychologist

Length: 75 835 words/206 pages

Heat Rating: 4 flames

It is part of the Fearless Heart Series but can be read as a standalone.

It does not end on a cliffhanger. They get their HEA, of course!

Goodreads

 

Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US | Amazon UK

 

The best wish is knowing that there’s nothing left to wish for.

 

Blurb

Colin is prosecuting his first murder case, and his ability to remain emotionally detached is challenged as the circumstances surrounding the crime awaken his deep inner fear of losing someone he loves, a fear nearly realized when – only two short months ago – Joshua was kidnapped and violently assaulted.

While Colin and his team gather evidence, Joshua endeavors to create a program that will establish a bridge between veterans suffering a mental health crisis and local police. But the effort drains Joshua’s already fragile health to a dangerous degree, leaving Colin frantic with worry and frustration.

Meanwhile, Nate has a play opening off-Broadway and must live in New York City for six to eight weeks… alone. It is clear from the onset that the director has the hots for Nate – or at least for his talent as a playwright – which has David pacing the floor in anxiety. He is happy for Nate and proud of his husband but worried about the director’s attention and unhappy about Nate’s long absence.

By the time Nate celebrates his opening night, all four friends are exhausted both emotionally and physically and ready for the healing trip to Ireland they’ve been planning for months.

Colin’s breathtaking ancestral home provides many magical moments, but an unexpected and terrifying incident leaves them shaken and questioning the faith in each other that has always been their foundation. Will these shattering circumstances strengthen their bonds or break their hearts and tear their relationships apart?

Continue reading “Release Blitz ~ Relevant Heart by Janice Jarrell (Review + Excerpt)”

Book Review ~ When The Law Needs Help by Jackie Keswick (Excerpt)

11/30/2023

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Book Review & Excerpt:
When the Law Needs Help
By Jackie Keswick

When the Law Needs Help vol1

Dwight & Conrad Casefiles Volume One

Part of The Power of Zero Series

Can love, loyalty, and family step in when the law needs help?

Join Jack Horwood and Gareth Flynn as they tackle murder, secrets, and moral dilemmas in a world where the law isn’t always enough – while finding comfort in each other and their home-made family.

The first volume of Dwight & Conrad Casefiles stories includes:

Mouse Hunt: When a friend’s death and old secrets collide, Jack has no choice but to step up and help.

A Very Bagpuss Christmas: Can adopting a cat really cause so much heartache that Jack considers escaping to Tokyo? Can Gareth fix what’s going wrong?

Grand Union Hunt: Gareth lives to help people. But should he obey the law or follow his conscience?

When the Law Needs Help is a collection of three tales set in and featuring characters from the Power of Zero world.

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Review Tour ~ Second Best Men by Fearne Hill

11/24/2023

Second Best Men, a forced proximity holiday MM romance novella from Fearne Hill is now live! Pick up your copy today!

One Click your copy here!

Blurb:

Two snowed-in men. 300 cows. And a mangy dog.

Tucked away down a rutted dirt track lives a grumpy dairy farmer.

He’s firmly in the closet.

And he’s desperately lonely.

That farmer is me—Rob Langford. I have more meaningful conversations with my prize bull than people. Except, one snowy night, I stumble across a fancy car wedged into a ditch.

The driver needs my help.

He’s injured. Stranded. The snow lies two feet deep.

And over the next few days, I discover this quiet, thoughtful man doesn’t mind my run-down cottage and my lumpy old sofa. He’s even quite tolerant of my smelly arthritic dog.

Strong. Handsome. Self-possessed.

A man who knows what he wants. In bed and out of it. And bizarrely, that thing is me.

But, to be what he needs? I must step out of the shadows. And into his

life.

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Book Review ~ A Fall Of Light by L.G. Greene (Excerpt + Giveaway)

11/23/2023

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Book Review, Excerpt & Giveaway:
A Fall of Light
By L.J. Greene

A Fall of Light Cover

LJ Greene brings to life one of her most compelling characters: the intensely creative bass guitarist, Greg Van de Meer. A Fall of Light weaves together the strands of Greg’s private and public lives—a shattering personal history, a love affair with potentially disastrous consequences, and family bonds that are stretched to their breaking point.

It’s been fifteen years since Greg was outed by his fundamentalist father at age sixteen and sent from home, with devastating consequences for both he and his younger brother, Asher. Now unlaid ghosts from the past are stirring. With his band’s success on the world stage, Greg’s life takes a complicated turn when he develops a friendship with Louis Angel, an ex-Marine with a secret of his own, and finds himself facing familiar threats from an unexpected source.

Strained loyalties, a private affair, and Greg’s own guarded history collide dangerously until a visit from an old foe forces him to confront past wounds and present beliefs. Allegiances are called into question and he must decide whether the secrets he’s fighting to protect are worth the life he’s finally ready to have.

A Fall of Light is a standalone adult contemporary M/M romance.

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New Release Review ~ The 21 Day Boyfriend by A.S. Kelly

11/08/2023
Title: The 21-Day Boyfriend
Author: A.S. Kelly
Genre: MM Romance / Romantic Comedy with Christmas vibes
Release Date: October 25, 2023
Eric O’Shea needs to make a decision. The annual event his family forces him to attend is just around the corner, and he doesn’t have a date.
Eric never needs help when it comes to finding men. But this time is different – his ex and his new boyfriend will be there, and Eric can’t just bring along one of his usual flings.
His only hope seems to be him: the best friend of his best friend, who he never wanted to meet.
Sean Quinn is a calm, collected, and cultured man; someone who would rather stay at home and read a book than waste his time chasing a date with no future.
Sean isn’t in a rush to find the perfect man, and he certainly doesn’t intend to go out with Eric: his best friend’s other best friend, who he’s avoided meeting for years.
But Sean has a flaw: he can’t say no to anyone, especially not when it comes to his friend Jake, who has a habit of worming his way into other people’s lives.
But it’s just one date, after all: pure fiction. It’s a shame, then, that when Eric needs Sean for another favour, he can’t turn his back. It’s a shame that just when Sean is beginning to understand that Eric isn’t what he seems, he can’t seem to stop before he gets hurt.
Twenty-one days: that’s the agreement.
Twenty-one days of grazing hands, furtive glances, and unexpected kisses.
Twenty-one days where anything goes; except falling in love.

New Release Review ~ Hold On (Fate We Make Bk#2) by Barbara Elsborg

10/20/2023

Sixteen long years behind bars. Almost half his life. But finally, freedom and a future Dominic can see. Yet as he steps into the world, a whispered threat shatters his hopes of a fresh start. He’ll never be able to stop looking over his shoulder.

Ren narrowly survives the most dangerous situation of his life, but at least his attackers think he’s dead. Spending the summer stuck on his brother’s archaeological dig isn’t his idea of fun, but it beats being fussed over by his mother. It’s as good a place as any to heal physical and mental scars, and he has plenty of those.

The roar of Ren’s motorbike is his lifeline, the one thing that makes him feel truly alive. But a moment’s lapse in concentration and he knocks Dominic off his feet. The accident brings together two damaged souls whose pasts won’t stay buried. With danger on their tail, hanging on to hope—and to each other—won’t be easy.

Join Dominic and Ren as they fight to keep the shadows of the past at bay and their future bright. In a world where love is fragile, two hearts learning to heal may just discover love is worth the risk.

WARNING
Please note that one of the main characters in the story is in prison for murder. Sexual, physical and psychological abuse of a child is mentioned but no on-page detail is given. Sexual abuse of an adult is also mentioned but not shown on-page. Suicide is also mentioned in passing but not part of the story. There is some graphic violence.

Amazon (Available on KU) | Goodreads

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Release Tour ~ A Boy Called Rainbow by Robin Knight (Review + Excerpt + Giveaway)

10/12/2023

A Boy Called Rainbow Banner

Release Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway:
A Boy Called Rainbow
By Robin Knight

A Boy Called Rainbow Cover

Love comes in all colors…

Art evaluator Miles Tate is finally about to start living his dream… that is if he can get the funding in place to open his own art gallery in New York. But when an unexpected turn of events finds every one of Miles’ perfectly-planned dreams turned upside-down, it’s time to escape Manhattan and reluctantly take up a well-paid job in the tiny seaside town of Hope’s Bluff, Georgia. For Miles, it’s his only chance to make some money, claw back what little dignity he has left, and figure out what the hell to do with his life.

But evaluating the art collection of a deceased estate isn’t made easy by the grandson of the dearly departed in question. Indeed, the young man who calls himself Rainbow is a hot-tempered, hotter-than-hell artist whose secrets run deep and passions run raw. He is talented, troubled, tempestuous and deaf… and possibly the one person who can save Miles from his own heartache.

Can Miles finish the job he’s been paid to do… or will two opposites find that they have more in common than they first imagined? Can the pair of them find the strength in each other to rebuild their lives… or will the traumas of their pasts drive them both away? Will Miles turn his back on the handsome, hurt, artistic genius he’s stumbled upon… or will he finally find true love in the arms of a Boy Called Rainbow?

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New Release Review ~ You, Again by Lane Hayes (Reviews + Excerpt + Giveaway)

10/10/2023

You Again Teaser 2New Release Review, Excerpt & Giveaway:
You, Again
By Lane Hayes

You Again Cover

The Elmwood Stories, Book 1

The hometown hockey hero and his best friend’s brother…

Vinnie

Hockey is in my blood. I learned to skate before I learned how to ride a bike. I’ve been on a wild ride, playing at the highest level for some of the biggest and best teams in the league. But now it’s over, and I’m not sure what to do with myself.

So I’m going home to Elmwood.

But I’ll tell you what I’m not gonna do—I’m not going to coach my buddy’s junior hockey league. No chance. I don’t know how to deal with kids, and besides, the other coach—who happens to be my best friend’s brother—hates me. With reason.

That may be old news, yet something tells me we’re going to have to deal with the past.

And that’s almost as scary as coaching teens.

Nolan

No, I don’t hate Vinnie, but he drives me nuts.

He’s cocky, goofy, selfish, and yeah…after all these years, I’m still attracted to him. But I’m a responsible adult now. I run my family’s business, and with the help of my ex, I’ve made Elmwood Diner into a New England institution.

So maybe my life isn’t particularly exciting at the moment, and maybe Vinnie isn’t the worst. Nonetheless, I have no desire to rekindle a friendship with the hockey hero who no doubt will be on the first flight out of town the second he gets bored or gets a better offer.

And I’m not coaching with him. No way.

Ugh…

I can’t believe I’m doing this again.

You, Again is an MM bisexual, best friend’s brother, frenemies to lovers romance featuring old friends, a new quest, and a little hockey HEA!

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Book Review ~ Whiskey Business by Becca Jackson (Excerpt)

09/30/2023

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Book Review & Excerpt:
Whiskey Business
By Becca Jackson

Whiskey Business Ebook

Love in No Man’s Land Series, Book 3

When Marcus suggests we make a bet and if I win I get his ex’s ticket on a four day cruise, I’m not sure he’s for real. He doesn’t like to gamble and he hates to lose even more than I do. Yet, the allure of sharing a room with him for four glorious days is too tempting to resist.

To my surprise, I win, and Marcus doesn’t resist the outcome. It’s almost like he actually wanted to lose. But that would be crazy, right?

Things take an even wilder turn when Marcus’s mom mistakes me for his fiancé, and neither of us corrects her. Now, his whole family believes we’re engaged, and we’re caught in a tangled mess of lies, with even his brother and our friends joining the charade.

Amidst the chaos, I have to admit that this plan might just be the best idea I’ve ever had. Well, except for our little rehearsal of a staged kiss, just in case we need to perform it in front of his family. That was the best idea ever, because with his hands on my waist and his mouth on mine I’m starting to think this fake relationship might be more real than either of us thought.

But when a past hookup threatens to expose everything, it forces Marcus to choose between revealing the truth or pretending I’m just like his former flame.

Can our fake relationship survive reality, or will it crumble under the weight of secrets and revelations?

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Book Review ~ French Fancy by Lily Morton (Excerpt)

09/30/2023

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Book Review & Excerpt:
French Fancy
By Lily Morton

French Fancy Cover

The Model Agency, Book 2

Pip Simmonds is the twinkiest twink in London. He’s loud, proud, and packed to the brim with sass. But when he’s laid low by illness, even his hotpants lose their sparkle and his worried boss sends him to the South of France to recuperate in his holiday home.

Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat is beautiful, and the periwinkle-blue villa is luxurious, but the real draw for Pip is the villa’s other resident—his boss’s younger brother, Olivier Durand.

Olivier owns a perfume empire and has spent his whole life running from any other form of commitment. He’s worldly, carefree, wild, and the perfect choice for a holiday fling.

Drawn together by proximity, the two men become lovers and friends and then something more. Something special. But will their special bond hold true after summer’s end, when they both must return to their real lives?

This is the second book in the bestselling Model Agency series, but it can be read as a standalone.

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Review Tour ~ Patience by Lark Taylor

09/09/2023

Patience by Lark Taylor is available now!

Blurb:

I paid the ultimate price when I took the gamble to save my mate’s soul.

Ferry

Ferryman. The Grim Reaper. La Muerte. La Pelona. Shinigami. Charon.

I’ve been called many names over the millennia, all thanks to my role in Hell.

Ferrying dead souls over the river Styx.

But few know the demon behind the legend, how I came to be here, or the freedom I sacrificed to save the man I love.

Now I’m free to find him again.

The problem? He doesn’t remember me.

And he’s straight.

Leo fell madly in love with me once before.

Will he fall again before it’s too late?

Leo

All my life, I’ve felt like something is missing.

Neither my job as a firefighter, my brother Matty, nor my ex-girlfriends have been able to fill that hole.

When a mysterious stranger approaches me in a bar, I find myself captivated.

I’ve never been attracted to men before, but I can’t seem to resist him.

Why is it that spending time with Ferry feels so…right? So familiar?

Patience is a fated-mates, second-chance PNR romance. The first in the Damned Connections series, each book will follow a different couple as they find their HEA. Although better read in order, these books can stand alone.

 

Grab your Copy today!

https://geni.us/patienceevents

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Blog Tour ~ Cold Day Dawning by Thom Collins (Reviews + Excerpt + Giveaway)

08/31/2023

BLOG TOUR

Book Title: Cold Day Dawning (Jagged Shores #4)

Author: Thom Collins

Publisher: Pride Publishing

Release Date: August 22, 2023

Genres: Contemporary MM romance, thriller, suspense

Tropes: Small town romance

Themes: Family, rivalry, revenge, overcoming PTSD

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 63 223 words

Although it can be read as a stand-alone, this book is best read as part of a series.

It does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

 

Buy Links

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Available from Amazon Kindle Unlimited, Pride Publishing,

First For Romance, B&N, and Kobo

 

Danger comes in the cold of morning

 

Blurb

It should be the perfect weekend away. Dalton Caine makes the long journey to Nyemouth to attend a party hosted by his sister. Catherine is estranged from most of the family, but Dalton feels the time has come to build bridges between them. Things don’t turn out how he wants, however, when Catherine gives him a cold reception at the party. But the evening is not a complete waste of time when he meets local photographer Antoni.

Following a near-fatal attack six months earlier, Antoni has struggled with his physical and mental recovery. Catherine’s party is the first time he has been out at night since then, and he’s ready for an early exit when he meets Dalton. The stranger is warm, friendly and incredibly handsome. When Antoni overcomes his reservations and accepts a drink at Dalton’s hotel, it could be the start of something new for them both.

Despite the joy of fresh romance, things soon take a darker turn. The morning after the party, Catherine’s boyfriend reports her missing. Dalton isn’t initially concerned. Catherine has disappeared of her own will before, and he’s more interested in getting to know Antoni, but the men soon find themselves at the centre of a twisted mystery, one that puts both of their lives at risk.

 

Reader advisory: This book contains violence, murder, PTSD, memories of a child in danger and mental illness. Although it can be read as a stand-alone, this book is best read as part of a series.

Continue reading “Blog Tour ~ Cold Day Dawning by Thom Collins (Reviews + Excerpt + Giveaway)”

Book Review ~ Where The Sky Meets The Sea by Kit Barrie (Excerpt + Giveaway)

08/30/2023

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Book Review, Excerpt & Giveaway:
Where the Sky Meets the Sea
By Kit Barrie

Where the Sky Meets the Sea Cover

Sometimes the truth changes everything.

Sky Diver First-Class Eron Marcel makes his living hunting whalls, giant sea creatures valued for their oil and hide. But when a hunt goes disastrously wrong, Eron is saved by a creature he did not know even existed: half-human and half-fish. Working with his rescuer, a young mer named Ket, Eron learns that the mer rely on the whalls for protection from the sea’s dangers, and both species are facing potential extinction.

But conservation means nothing compared to profit to the rich oil barons. The mer and their relationship with the whalls might be the key to gaining even more power over the sea and its spoils, and Ket is the perfect bargaining chip. Eron is faced with the decision of what is more important: saving the mer, or saving Ket?

Where the Sky Meets the Sea is an M/M adventure-romance set in a steampunk-style world. It is a standalone novel with a HEA and no cliffhanger.

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Review Tour ~ Cloud White by Fearne Hill

08/18/2023

Cloud White by Fearne Hill is now available!

 

About Cloud White

Meet Milo and Mungo. Mungo and Milo.

Just friends. Best friends.

Honestly, there’s nothing more to it.

Just best friends. And bad timing.

That awkward moment when you realise you’re dancing alone. That you’re hopelessly in love with your oldest friend, except somehow along the way, you forgot to tell him. Tired of waiting for you to come to your senses, he’s moved on, he’s found his significant other.

And now it’s too late.

Though slowly dying inside, you pick yourself up, swallow your pride, and grieve from the side lines. And everything is fine, until the day you notice your best friend is acting strangely.

Why is he unhappy? A shadow of his former self?

You know him better than anyone and something is not right. Against good advice, you confront him. And risk ruining everything.

Cloud White is a friends-to-lovers romance with a hard-won happy ending. Be kind to yourselves and heed the trigger warnings.

Triggers: domestic abuse (on page) gambling, addiction (off-page)

One click your copy of Cloud White by Fearne Hill today

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Book Blast ~ Tea and Antipathy by Meredith Spies (Review + Excerpt + Giveaway)

08/17/2023

BOOK BLAST

Book Title: Tea and Antipathy (Damien Murphy Pet Sitting and Murder Investigations Book 1)

Author and Publisher: Meredith Spies

Cover Artist: Samantha Santana/Amai Designs

Release Date: June 31, 2023

Genre: Cozy mystery, MM romance that is cozy-specific

Tropes: fish out of water, opposites attract, murder in a small town, quirk small town, amateur sleuth, pet sidekick

Themes: self-discovery, not all that glitters is gold, starting over, letting go of the past

Length: 72 000 words/246 pages

Heat Rating: None – There’s a romance subplot but as it’s a cozy mystery, it is a slow build across the series with no on-page sex.

It’s the first book in the series. It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

 

Buy Links

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Damien Murphy isn’t a detective, but he played one on T.V. once.

 

Blurb

Not everyone could say their luck started improving the day they got hit by a car, but not everyone was me. Which was good because one me is all the town of Lester Cove can handle.

Ever since, murder’s been afoot and my new friend seems to be right in the thick of things. Mrs. Witte is a sweet older lady but she cannot keep herself from getting involved with the murder mystery, and her stepson Benjamin seems to think that’s somehow my fault.

Look, I’m just a washed up child star turned accidental pet sitter and sometimes plucky sidekick. I had nothing to do with the deaths that seem to be happening at an alarming rate, deaths Mrs. Witte wants me to help solve. Dealing with Ben’s antipathy is on my list, right below cleaning up after a dead woman’s dog.

Continue reading “Book Blast ~ Tea and Antipathy by Meredith Spies (Review + Excerpt + Giveaway)”