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 Get your own copy: Author links Author info: Lisa Henry Sarah Honey
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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 Get your own copy: Author links Add on Goodreads Author info: Sebastian Nothwell Erica Massey has definitely become an autobuy author for me! I love the Breakaway series so much - and I’ve binged all of the three books, then immediately wanting to reread them. There’s just something in the way Erica Massey writes about feelings and love that’s so far from any cliché but so raw and emotional and true. This series is a true YA romance one, so slow burn and awkward and relatable. And the characters are always amazing. Broken and full of flaws, but with big hearts and tenderness beneath their scruffy surfaces. This third book, All Hail the Underdogs, was no exception, it was just as brilliant as the others. An enemies-to-lovers romance at its finest! We actually did get a glimpse of the romance between Patrick Roman (Rome) and Damien Bordeaux in the last chapter of the second book, Like You've Nothing Left to Prove, when Alex became Rome’s captain after the NHL draft, and he and Eli had a talk with Rome and Damien (or rather Eli and Damien had a talk since their boyfriends are equally awkward with small talks…). So this book is almost like a prequel, giving us the full story of how Rome and Damien met and how their initial hostility turned into understanding and friendship and more…
The story takes place at a hockey prep school, to which Rome manages to get a transfer after his father is sent to jail for years of abusing him, and where Damien is, on the surface, a rotten spoilt rich kid. Rome immediately takes a dislike to Damien and the aversion just grows. But it turns out that Damien has his own problems to deal with. When Rome gets a glimpse of Damien’s struggles and when Damien learns about Rome’s past trauma and how he’s in the fight for his legal emancipation, how he’s not antisocial but has to work for his living and has problems trusting people, a heartwarming friendship starts to form. It truly melted my heart how vulnerable they were towards each other, so open and raw, it was just beautiful. I loved their awkwardness (the way they talked about ‘sex things’ was just the sweetest ever!) and how they truly felt like messed-up teenagers. And the character growth was amazing! Especially for Rome, as he learned to let people in, trust them and accept their love for him as he was, not because they wanted something from him. As in all of Erica Massey’s books, the side characters were gold too. So supportive and just all around kind and good people! Great representation done in a low key way, like how one of the hockey players was a trans girl and how she was so naturally included into and supported by the team. The ending was perhaps a little over the top sweet and adorable, bordering to cheesy, but they both, Rome especially, deserved all the happiness in the world, so I’m not complaining… All in all, this was an absolutely beautiful, emotional and heartwarming story that dealt with difficult topics in a comforting way, and I cannot recommend this brilliant opposites attract, idiots to lovers, team mates romance enough! Rating: 5 stars Get your own copy: Amazon Add to Goodreads Author info: E.L. Massey 9/11/2023 0 Comments Stars and the Stage by D.N. BrynI 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 Get your own copy: Author links Add on Goodreads Author info: D.N. Bryn |
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September 2023
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