This novella is something of a prequel to The Amazing Alpha Tau Boyfriend Project and takes place in the same Alpha Tau frat universe, letting us know how Trey and Scout became boyfriends.

Scout needs his space and time alone from all social activities, but his roommate is the exact opposite. Trey also takes his duties as house manager a little too seriously. But both of them are single and currently on a romantic try spell, so somehow they end up helping each other out. Which doesn’t really mean anything, right? Scout isn’t even into guys, or is he…?

This short novella was an easy and fun read, but maybe a little too simplistic. There really wasn’t any drama, not about the helping out part nor the part where Scout finds out he’s not as straight as he thought he was. But still, enjoyable and nice! I especially appreciated how supportive and openminded the frat bros were. No toxic masculinity at all, which was a pleasant fresh new take, and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more stories about this wholesome group of frat bros!

Thank you to the authors for the free copy, which I have voluntarily reviewed.

Rating:
3 stars

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Lisa Henry
Sarah Honey

This was a cute historical queer romance, with adorable main characters and the right amount of spice. But the plot was kind of all over the place and there was a lot that didn’t make sense.

Set in Industrial Manchester in the 1890s, this book tells the swooning and unlikely romance between mill clerk Mr. Warren and the young baronet Sir Lindsey. Aubrey Warren was born in a workhouse and has struggled to make a life for himself ever since. Not stopping at earning his money as a ‘telegraph boy’, i.e. a prostitute. When the mill he works at gets a new owner, his life will change dramatically. Lindsey Althorp has never worked a day in his life and has no real clue of what it takes to earn a living. Nor the danger of showing his not-so-professional affection for his new employees…

The book started off really strong, and I immediately loved the purehearted, cinnamon roll, Golden Retriever naïve Lindsey. He was the absolute sweetest! So clueless, but always so kind and endearing. I also enjoyed the rich/poor, employer/employee situation and the historical settings with the gentlemen’s club, the boarding school friends and the strong willed women who found ways of pursuing their dreams despite the society’s restrictions, as well as the very sarcastic and British kind of humor (I actually don’t know if Sebastian Northwell is British or not, but the humor and writing style really had that vibe).

But after the strong start, the book started to drag sadly, and the plot started to take all kinds of turns with random things happening and characters acting in ways that didn’t really make any sense, or contradicted the way they had behaved before. I think some more editing could have solved this issue, as well as the problem with the transitions between the different POVs that made this book lose some of the flow. Too bad for a story that had such great potential!

But all in all, it was nevertheless a sweet and swoony read, with characters to root for and great humor!

Rating:
3 stars

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Sebastian Nothwell

I adore D.N. Bryn’s unique, queer and hilarious vampire romances and was so happy to get an ARC of this new sub/dom second chance novella set in Los Angeles in the 90s! It’s a bit different than the other books in the Guides for Dating Vampires series as the characters are not the cinnamon roll precious disasters I’ve come to love in the series, nor did it have the cozy feels. But it was nevertheless an intriguing and highly entertaining read!

This novella is something of a prequel to the Guides for Dating Vampires series, but can be read as a standalone. It takes place at a role play club that creates fantasies for vampire-human couples, where the transmasc/non-binary vampire Diego is working. Diego has finally found a new home and family and has regained their confidence, after having fled their hometown and the high school sweetheart who spurned their fangs a decade ago. Until said high school sweetheart, Maddox, turns up at the club to bid forgiveness and Diego decides to engage in a kink role play to find out Maddox’s true intentions.

I really enjoyed this story, even though it wasn’t as cozy and sweet as D.N. Bryn’s other books. I’m also not usually into kink or too much spice, but here it worked really well. (Just be sure to check the trigger warnings before reading this novella though, as some of the scenes are quite intense.) I rooted for all the characters, even though they were not the shy, awkward, gentle ones that I’ve come to expect in D.N. Bryn’s vampire universe. Diego was a completely other kind of character, with their confidence, self-worth and determination never to be betrayed or shunned ever again. I did miss the slow burn from the other books though, but that is probably mostly due to the short format that doesn’t allow for much time to explore the characters and their feelings for each other fully. But the switch from Diego pushing Maddox away to completely giving into the relationship felt a bit too quick and easy.

But all in all, this was another highly entertaining story by D.N. Bryn full of unique characters and amazing representation, and an interesting premise with the role play club!

Disclaimer: I received an eARC for free, but I am leaving my honest review. Many thanks to the author D.N. Bryn for the opportunity!

Rating:
4 stars

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Author info:
D.N. Bryn