This was such an emotional, completely addictive and swooning enemies-to-lovers story with amazing character growth! And some truly amazing chemistry between the main characters... I read this book in one sitting due to how much I loved it.

On Board is actually the second book in the Painted Bay series, but I had no problem to get right into the story without having read the first book. The books in the series focuses on different persons, and even though the couple from the first book and other side characters played a major part in this story too, it was so well done that it was no problem to follow the story along. Some events from the previous books were also discussed, but everything was explained to keep you clued in to what had happened in the past. I actually really love it when an author creates an own literary universe by weaving stories together the way Jay Hogan has done with this series.

The two main characters of this story are Leroy Madden, who is the brother of Judah from the first book, and Fox Carmody, who is the son of Leroy’s mother’s lover. The very first time Leroy met Fox he felt an overwhelming attraction. Which made no sense at all, since Leroy is straight. Or isn’t he? Struggling with his new confusing feelings, Leroy hid his attraction in irritation and pointless bickering, to keep Fox at a safe distance. But when Fox needed a place to stay after his divorce and Leroy’s mother ignored Leroy’s complaints and invited him to the house, it became impossible for Leroy to keep his true feelings hidden.

I absolutely loved Jay Hogan’s writing style and the amazing love/hate-dynamic between Leroy and Fox. I loved their banter and the humor, and not to mention the burning chemistry… I wasn’t a fan of Leroy at first with his grumpiness and slight homophobia, but he really stole my heart soon enough! It was so adorable the way we got to see him be confused about his sexuality and not knowing how to act on his attraction to Fox, it all felt very real and realistic. The sexy parts were quite explicit, but still very sweet. They really showed how Leroy felt vulnerable from not having any experience from being with other men, but how he allowed himself to open up and trust Fox to explore new things in a safe and respectful way. I also really appreciated how Leroy never was ashamed of his feelings once he understood them, and he how he was proud of who he was with Fox.

My only minor complaints are about Fox’s ex and how he was portraited as purely evil and selfish and how the dog custody fighting was just a little too much drama for my taste. I also had some problems with Leroy’s brother Judah, but that might be because I hadn’t read “his” book and didn’t fully understand his reasons for being so self-centered in the way he reacted to Leroy’s and Fox’s relationship and some other things and persons in the story.

But those minor complaints set aside, this was a truly amazing bi-awakening, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance with all the feels and character growth. I read it in one sitting, it was so addictive and I rooted so much for all characters that I just couldn’t bear to put it down until the very end! Highly recommended and I can’t wait to continue this series and read more from Jay Hogan!

Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours for the ARC and blog tour invitation for this wonderful book! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

Rating:
4.5 flaming stars rounding up to 5

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About the author:
Jay Hogan

This is the second book in the Ashes & Dust series, which in turn is a spin off from the Not Dead Yet series. I was kindly provided an ARC by NetGalley and assumed that it would be fine to just jump right in to this book, but I must say that I strongly advice you to read at least the first book in the Ashes & Dust series, All Fired Up, first. Since I hadn’t, I was quite lost to the whole paranormal system and all characters, sadly.

Normally there’s some kind of recap at the start of a sequel that can give you the broader perspective, but not here. The story just started off at a furious pace, throwing characters and facts at you in a way that made it a bit hard to keep track of who was who and relate to them. I must admit that I never quite got the system with vampires, shapeshifters, Gods and demon co-existing with humans and why vampires could (needed?) to eat normal food, how the hierarchy worked and which of the characters to cheer for and which the bad guys were and why.

This is of course my own fault for not having read the first book, but I still would have wished for some more build-up and time to get to know the characters. Now it was so hard to keep up with who and what everyone was which took me out of the story a lot. I immediately rooted for Colin though, the Phoenix who had been held captive and forced to suck the magic of his victims, only to be bond-mated with a vampire, Evan. Evan took much longer to get to know, despite that he was the narrator and main character. He came across as quite locked-up and stiff and just off when it came to the romance part. It was like he was telling us readers how much in love he was, rather than letting us truly see and experience his feelings.

I also think that the cover and the blurb about how Colin is “done fighting his attraction to the sexy vampire” gives the impression that this is a romance between two young men, which it isn’t. There are romantic elements, sure, but it’s more of a paranormal mystery story than a romance. I also think the cover gives the wrong impression about the characters age. Colin was around 30 when he was transformed and then 30 years have lapsed, and even though he hasn’t aged during those years it still feels wrong with such young persons on the cover.

I really enjoyed the writing style though, and all queer representation, and I think that I would have enjoyed it much more if I had read the books in the Not Dead Yet series and All Fired Up first and had felt attached to the characters already from the start. So if you have read and loved those books, don’t let my review discourage you from reading this one too!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin (Carina Press) for the free review copy! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

Rating:
3 stars

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​Author info:
Jenn Burke

This first book in the Shore Leaves series by Annabeth Albert is a sweet, light-hearted, low angst, fake-dating mm romance between a submarine chief and an adorkable musician, with some of my favorite tropes; fake-dating, opposites attract and falling for best friend’s younger sibling.

When his big brother calls, Arthur Euler agrees to help his brother’s friend, Navy Chief Derrick Fox, out with a plan to make his cheating ex boyfriend jealous. Giving Derrick a home-coming kiss doesn’t seem like much of a deal. But when the whole Euler family is there and so happy for the two being involved and invites Derrick to the annual family holiday, Arthur and Derrick find themselves pushed into continuing the charade for much longer than expected. But how fake are the feelings they have for each other, really? Arthur has a rule about not dating military men and Derrick is done with relationships, but they decide to take this fake dating opportunity to practice being better boyfriends for the future. But as the days go by, it all seems more and more like real love…

This was such a cute, sweet and fast read! I love the adorkable Arthur and the big Euler family. I also loved the way Derrick made Arthur feel seen and always stood up for him against his competitive family.

I had some issues with the pacing though. It was strangely enough both too slow and too fast. I’d wished for the attraction between Derrick and Arthur to have been allowed to take a little longer, but on the other hand, the family holiday with their constant pining and all focus on the bed-sharing issue felt a bit too drawn out, if that makes any sense…

But all in all, this was a highly enjoyable and cute read with two tropes that I love: fake-dating and opposites attract, plus a wonderful big, chaotic and loving family. It’s one of those stories that will make you smile and warm your heart!

Thank you to Carina Adores for the ARC and blog tour invitation! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

Rating:
4 stars

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I absolutely adored this book! Follow the Stars is a sweet, tender and emotional story with a main character on the spectrum who is trying to navigate his way in life after the death of one of his best friends. I loved the extra dimension with the neurodivergent representation, but most of all, I loved it for being such a gripping story about overcoming grief and finding love where you never expect it.

Follow the Stars has such a wonderful main character, Noah, who is on the spectrum. Noah has had two best friends, Rory and Ezra, who has loved him unconditionally and been his support system almost his whole life. But when Rory dies because of her cystic fibrosis, Noah feels completely lost and not being able to put words to his feelings without Rory’s guidance and help to explain the world. When Ezra suggests that he and Noah should fulfill Rory’s biggest dream and go on the road trip that the three of them had planned for years, Noah feels terrified and worries that the connection he has with Ezra will be lost without Rory helping them to communicate. Ezra on the other hand fears he won’t be able to hold back his feelings and will risk losing his other best friend too by letting him know how deep his love really is.
​
“If you follow your heart, can you find love as bright as the stars?”

Or will the road trip break the friends apart forever?

Gwen Martin did such an amazing job explaining the way a neurodivergent person experiences the world differently. As she pointed out in the introduction, Noah is just one representation of someone on the spectrum though, so of course there are million other ways to portrait a character with neurodiversity, but it was so well done and with such knowledge that you could really tell that Gwen Martin knew about this first hand and had put a lot of effort into the representation.

I also really loved the slow burn relationship development and how Noah was allowed to experience all these new feelings at his own pace. A part in the middle of the story dragged a little bit and at times I had some issues with the main characters age. They were supposed to be college graduates, but the way the interacted and depended on their parents made them sound more like high schoolers. But those are just minor details!

All in all, this was such a wonderful, gripping and authentic story about the world from a slightly different view and how much you can hurt even if you don’t express your feelings the same way others do. I really loved this heartwarming and hopeful story about overcoming grief and finding love and hope again and about being brave enough to risk losing it all for a chance of happiness.

Thank you to the author Gwen Martin for the opportunity to read this book in advance! I’m so happy it’s now out in the world for everyone to read!

Rating:
4.5 shining stars rounding up to 5

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​Author info:
Gwen Martin

The Life Revamp is such an adorable story about finding your happy ever after even though it looks nothing like you’d expected. This third book in the wonderful Love Study series focuses on Mason, who is recovering from being left at the altar and who only wants to fall in love again, get married and live a traditional happily ever after life.

The Love Study series follows a college group of friends calling themselves ‘The Motherfuckers’, who is one of my absolute favorite literary found families. It was so good to be back in their world again! Each book in the series can be read as a standalone though as they all focuses on different persons from the group and their problems and relationships.

Mason was such a sweetheart, really trying to put himself out there after being left at the altar. But the hunt for happiness is beginning to pull him down and he’s almost given up on love when his friend Claris sets him up for a blind date with… her own husband! Apparently, Claris and her slightly famous fashion designer husband Diego have a polyamorous relationship and Claris is convinced that Diego and Mason will be a perfect match. Which they are. Everything sparks between them; the banter, the sex, the fiery eye contact across a crowded room. It’s just that Diego can never give Mason what he’s ever wanted: the traditional married happily ever after.

I loved the way Mason’s dream about a traditional married life was described without any irony or attempt to diminish how important this was for him, but at the same time showing how meaningful and loving relationship can come in many different shapes. And Diego and Claris just stole my heart from the very start! I loved their loving, respectful relationship where they allowed each other to be true to who they were and generously wishing the very best for each other.

The writing style was very light, fast-paced and easy and the bickering between all characters made it such an enjoyable and fun read.

Compared to the previous books in the series it was perhaps not quite as gripping and or with the same depth, but all in all, it was a sweet and heartwarming story about finding love and being brave enough to accept it even though it doesn’t come in the shape you’ve dreamed about!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin (Carina Press) for the free review copy of this gem! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

Rating:
4 stars

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Author info: 
Kris Ripper 

This book tells the story of a transgender teen girl, Rita, and her struggles to find out and accept who she is, but not from Rita’s view but from her cousin’s. At first, I really appreciated this concept and thought that it was a fresh and interesting way to tell the story and to show how the nearest family also is affected by Rita’s decision. But sadly, the concept didn’t feel as great after a while when there was too much transphobia and a main character that wasn’t very likable.

15-year-old Ivy Scattergood has traveled with her family to their vacation home in Maine, where also her cousin Robert will spend his summer. The only thing is that there is no Robert getting off the ferry, but instead a beautiful, glamorous young woman who has re-named herself Rita Gomez. Thus starts a summer where Ivy and her family will question their views of the world, their beliefs, understanding and empathy.

At first, I really enjoyed getting the views from Ivy and how she described the reactions from her parents and her two brothers, and how she took Rita under her wings. But that changed when Ivy’s long time crush, Bailey Cooper, started to talk appreciatively about Rita and when Ivy’s brothers warmed up to her. From there, Ivy didn’t come across as a very likable person, sadly. With all focus on how Ivy felt about Rita being trans, rather than on how Rita herself experienced this major life-changing struggle she was going through, it made Ivy seem very selfish. She also had a bad attitude thinking that she knew everything and that the transition ‘wasn’t worth all the hassle to go through’ which in no way was for her to have any opinion about. There were also some scenes where Rita was being harassed and Ivy didn’t stand up for her, which really didn’t sit well with me. Especially as Ivy then complained about Rita’s parents letting her down and other people for not understanding.

Luckily, the whole Scattergood family seemed to go through a great development over the summer and to be more understanding at the end, but it was never really explained how this change happened, so it was a bit confusing at the same time.
I really enjoyed the writing style, but I had expected the things mentioned in the synopsis about the Scattergoods being a blended, mixed-race family with old Philadelphia area Quaker roots to at least play a part of the story. There were also some things that were a bit too detailed. Like the music references, and all Red Sox details. Even though Ivy was a huge fan, the baseball details were not of relevance for the story at all.

Old Music for New People had a lot of potential and the author clearly is a very skilled writer, but the execution wasn’t all that I had hoped for. But I appreciated the new concept and how it pinpointed the hardship and struggle transgender persons are faced with.

Thank you to Net Galley and The Story Plant for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

Rating:
3 stars

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​Author info:
David Biddle

I’ve read quite a few of Briar Prescott’s books now and loved them all, but Rare is my absolute favorite! It had such depths and sadness in addition to the sweet and heartwarming second chance romance that I read it feverishly in one sitting, hoping for the HEA the main characters so deserved.

This adorable, gripping and heart-warming m/m romance had such wonderful characters with flaws and secrets, and tough attitudes trying to cover their insecurity and vulnerability. Alex Ellison is the spoiled rich brat, who never takes anything seriously and who keeps getting himself into trouble. When his father finally has had enough and sends him off to community service in a wildlife center in the middle-of-nowhere in Oregon, Alex never expected it to be the best summer of his life. He never expected to meet someone like Noah Price, who could see right through his attitude, who would make him feel valued and special, and who would make him open up and start to trust other people. He especially never expected to fall in love. Nor did he expect, when he finally was brave enough to reveal his most vulnerable self for a chance of true love and happiness, to have it all taken away from him.

I rooted so much for both Alex and Noah from the very first moment and my heart ached for them in their struggles. They were both such wonderful characters, with depth and flaws, and their chemistry was just amazing! I loved the way Briar Prescott captured the suppressed feelings and longings, and how she made us readers come along on Alex’s and Noah’s journey to finding themselves and coming to a decision what’s really worth living for.

All in all, Rare was such an addictive, emotional, poignant and sweet second chance romance about first loves and finding your forever that was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. I can’t recommend this book enough!

​Thank you to the author Briar Prescott for providing me with an ebook copy! All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Rating:
5 stars

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​Author info:
Briar Prescott

This historical coming-of-age story set in Elizabethan London is a unique mix of fairytale atmosphere and the harsh reality for an outcast gender-fluid country boy. It was beautiful and poignant, desperate and hopeful at the same time, and with intriguing glimpses into Shakespeare’s world.

The story follows the young country boy John, who’s never fit into his village. Not only is he gender-fluid and often mistaken for a girl, he also sees magical creatures like faeries and hobglobins. Accused of causing his sister’s and mother’s deaths, he’s driven from his village to try and find a new life for himself in London. There he meets the fast-talking pickpocket Black Jack, who takes him under his wings. And when he first sees Shakespeare’s wondrous Globe theatre, John becomes convinced that this is where he truly belongs. But evil people have other plans for the ‘Fair One’ as they call the naïve John, and can Black Jack really be trusted to not give him up for money before John has made it to the theatre?

This story is completely unique. It’s something of a magical apparition of Shakespearean London and a historical and paranormal coming-of-age story full of adventure and feisty characters. I loved the dreamy atmosphere and the fairytale style, and the gender-fluid main character. I especially appreciated the discussion about labels and how hard it is when you don’t fit into any of them.

“But how can you be… something… if other people don’t recognize you’re… something? Don’t you just end up being nothing?”

I have to admit though that I struggled a bit with this story. Some parts were really confusing, and I never fully understood if some scenes actually happened or were just in John’s mind. There were also a lot of characters to keep track of and it was very unclear at times what or who they were and the role they played in the story.
But all in all, it was an enjoyable and beautifully written story about finding yourself and your purpose with a unique and interesting magical touch.

So, 3.5 stars rounding up to 4 for the uniqueness and great representation.

Thank you BookSirens for the free review copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Rating:
3.5 stars rounding up to 4

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​Author info:
Clarissa Pattern

I love Beth Bolden’s Food Truck series and it was so wonderful to get a small glimpse into the lives of my favorite group of gay food truck owners via this New Year’s Eve novella. Chronologically, this novella takes place between the first and the second book, but just like all books in the series it can be read as a standalone.

This time we got the story of the Funky Cup bar owner Jackson and how one New Year’s Eve changed his and food truck owner Alexis’ lives forever.

It was bordering to insta-love the way one night (no matter how amazing) made Alexis change his plans for the future. But since it was a decision that took the time and didn’t come easy for either of them, it was executed well enough to be reasonably realistic and so very sweet and heartwarming. And the New Year’s magic really added to the story. We all know how New Year’s Eve can make you believe in fairytales and for new futures!

All in all, it was a really cute and enjoyable novella about taking chances and finding love when you least expect it.

I received a free ebook copy of this book as part of a promotion tour. All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

Rating:
4 stars

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This was such a heartwarming, sweet and romantic story about finding yourself and finding love in the process. The characters were so fleshed out, adorable and easy to root for. The geek/jock romance and nerd makeover tropes were so well done and so sweet it melted my heart.

Andy Carter is the supersmart physics geek, who struggles with anxiety and stage fright, and who thinks he needs to change a thing or two about himself to make his best friend and longtime crush Falcon really see him and reciprocate his feelings. Hence, ‘Project Hero’ is born, where Andy will no longer be the sidekick in his own life, but the actual hero going after what he wants.

Enter Law Anderson, the assistant hockey team coach, who needs someone to tutor his team in physics and persuades Andy to take on the job. Along the way, Law also ends up helping Andy with his Project Hero, and becomes his friend. Or maybe even more, since the idea of Andy succeeding with his mission suddenly doesn’t feel like anything near success at all…

The story is told from both Andy’s and Law’s POVs, which really helped in getting to know the characters and feel for them. There was so much more to both characters than first might be expected. Andy was so adorable and so funny! I loved the way he analyzed everything, and his sarcasm and humor, and the way he dealt with his problems. And Law was such a sweetheart! Not at all the stereotype jock, but kind, caring and sweet. I loved the way their feelings evolved; how Law still wanted to help Andy get the other guy, because he thought that what was Andy wanted, and how clueless Andy was to the idea of Law actually having feelings for him.

Another thing I really appreciated about this story was that both Andy and Law, and Falcon for that matter, were so clear about their gay identities and had already come out years ago and been accepted for who they were by their families and friends. So this was not a story about coming out as gay and dealing with people’s reaction or trying to get accepted, but just as in any other romance novel, it was all about the feelings, the butterflies in your stomach, the wonder of falling in love and having someone love you back. This approach was really refreshing and hopeful, and excellently conveyed. I especially loved Andy’s big, loving, chaotic family and how they immediately took Law to their hearts.

All in all, this was a wonderful and sweet romance, with adorable characters and the great message that the right person will love you for who you are without the need for any makeovers. And that epilogue made me so happy!

​Thank you to the author Briar Prescott for providing me with an ebook copy! All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Rating:
4.5 stars rounding up to 5

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​Author info:
Briar Prescott