​My poor heart… What an epic conclusion to an epic series. I just want to start this series all over again, not at all ready to leave these beloved characters yet. I really don’t know how to explain how much I love these characters and their love for each other, the world building and the magical, poetically writing. All I know is that this is a series that hit me straight in the heart and will stay there forever. It will be one of my comfort books that I know I’ll reread it many times onwards.

“We must be the gayest werewolf pack ever.”

Yes, this pack sure is. And the most wonderful one. With characters I love. And who love each other. And who make fun of each other. And who tells each other everything. And nothing. And with Carter realizing that his forever love is a dude and he’s never been with a dude, but how hard can it be… he’s brothers seemed to figured it all out. Right?

I absolutely adore T J Klune’s wit and humor, and all his characters. They will all have a special place in my heart. And I know that I will return to this series and read it again. Very soon. But for now, all I want to say is that I couldn’t have been happier with the way this story was concluded and how all lose ends were tied up and the happy wholesomeness after all.

It was warm like a summer day. It was candy cones and pinecones, it was epic and awesome, it was dirt and leaves and rain, it was grass and lake water and sunshine.

I truly love this epic saga about love and friendship, pack and mates. It’s nothing less than a masterpiece. If you haven’t started reading it yet, you should. Please give yourself the gift of experiencing the magical and heartfelt world of Green Greek and get to fall in love with Ox, Joe, Gordo, Mark, Kelly, Robbie, Carter, Gavin, Rico, Bambi, Chris, Tanner, Will, Jessie, Dominique and Elizabeth you too!


Rating:
​5 epic stars

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T.J. Klune

​This second book in the epic Green Greeks series is darker and even more heartwrenching, but also maybe even more gripping and addictive, than the first. This is both a second chance romance and a urban fantasy story about survival, destiny calling and epic fights with werewolfs and witches.

In the first book, we got to learn all of the characters and see Ox and Joe fall in love. In this book, the story is told from Gordo’s POV and we get to know about his past with a terrible childhood with an abusive father, more about the witch dynasty Livingstone and how it’s been interwoven with the Bennetts for such a long time. We also get to see how the Bennetts loved him but also used him and left him behind, and how his heart got broken by Mark. and what happened when he followed Joe, Carter and Kelly to hunt for Richard Collins and how being without the pack and the longing for their loved ones breaks them down. And we get to see and feel all his feelings of sadness, longing, betrayal, heartbreak and yet, neverending love for Mark.

Since the POV this time is the grown-up Gordo the story feels more of an adult one than a YA like the first book did. It’s also darker, with evil wolf hunters and more of a build-up towards the fight that can’t be avoided.

But there’s also love. So much love. And how it’s never too late to put the pieces back together. And pack. And fun. And hunting the moon and howling.

PackWitchBrotherLove

And new amazing characters like the badass Bambi and the formation of Team Human. I love the secondary characters and all their banter! And how Carter is being followed by the big timber wolf everywhere (and I mean everywhere…) and who may or may not turn out to be his big epic love. The last one of the Bennett brothers to join Team Gay? And of course, there’s Mystical Moon Magic and mates and epic love making. I really do love T J Klune’s wit and humor!

Once again, I was completely blown away by this magical, beautiful and so poetically written series. I binged all of these 400 pages in just one day, so hooked I just couldn’t bear to put it down until the end (when I immediately continued with Heartsong…). I didn’t think it would be possible to reach the same epicness as Wolfsong, but T J Klune sure pulled it off!

Rating:
​5 stars

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T.J. Klune

I don’t even know where to begin to explain how much I love this book and what a masterpiece it is. Words aren’t enough to describe all the things I felt with this book and give justice to the impact it had on me. Started to reading it I never expected to have my heart ripped in pieces and to fall so madly in love with all the characters and to read this 500 plus page brick of a book feverishly in one sitting, but I did. This magical, beautiful and poetic tale about love and friendship, pack and mates, will make you cry and heal your heart. Give yourself the gift of experiencing the magical and heartfelt world of Green Greek and its werewolf villagers and read this book you too!

In short, Wolfsong is an urban fantasy/paranormal story taking place in the small village of Green Greek somewhere in USA, where the main character Ox gets abandoned by his father as a young kid. To help his mother, Ox starts to work for Gordo’s car repair shop about the same time as the intriguing Bennett family moves into the house next door, with the youngest son, Joe, immediately taking an interest in Ox. But as Ox is about to find out, the world is not what it seems, and there are werewolf and witches, kindness and cruelty, magic and destiny to discover.

Wolfsong is one of those epic family histories that lets us readers follow along for decades and tells the story by letting us readers truly get to know the characters and feel their feelings. The writing style is so unique and perfect, it feels etherial.

“Why do you smell like that? Why is it all candy cones and pinecones and epic and awesome?”

And the characters are so lovable, so vulnerable, so full of flaws that you immediately take them all to your heart.

There is Ox, who’d always been seen as slow and stupid, but who was aimed for greatness. His POV is just one of the best I’ve ever encountered. He sees the world in such a beautiful way, and T J Klune really lets us see and feel all his emotions and his growth from insecure and sad to feeling loved and being able to love wholeheartedly and lead others.

And Joe. Sweet, sweet Joe, who’d been so severely traumatized but who found a home in Ox and dared to start living fully again. Their journey to discover what’s howling between them is so heartwrenching and breathtaking. But also fun! T J Klune has this special humor that I adore.

And all the members of the Bennett family with their amazing bonds and how they run and sing together, Gordo who is suffering from his own broken heart but who nevertheless wraps his love around Ox, the other workers at the shop who are like their own pack and the love and spirit of the village and the nature itself.

PackSonLove
you belong to us
we belong to you
i feel your pain, I feel your grief, we have lost, i have lost, but so have you.

I really don’t know how to explain how much I love these characters and their love for each other, the world building and the magical, poetically writing. All I know is that this is a book that hit me straight in the heart and will stay there forever. It will be one of my comfort books that I know I’ll reread it many times onwards.

Rating:
​5 epic stars

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​Author info:
T.J. Klune

This is the perfect queer Christmas romcom—fun, sweet, heartwarming and with amazing characters and representation. A cute read with the right amount of depth and anxiety mixed with hilarious banter and winter coziness.

I was a bit nervous to read this one, since Alison Cochrun’s first book, The Charm Offensive, is one of my all time favorites. But I needn’t have worried, I thoroughly enjoyed Kiss Her Once For Me. It may not be exactly as amazing as The Charm Offensive, but then again, not many books are… and it was definitely an absolutely wonderful read!

It had all the right vibes, adorable characters, a sapphic romance and tropes like fake dating and typical romcom ingredients like miscommunication and not realizing that your love interest feels the same way about you.
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The story follows twenty-something Ellie, who had all of her future planned out, but who suddenly finds herself without a job, alone and desperate for money. Finding work at a local coffee shop, she’s just getting through the days—until Andrew, the shop’s landlord, proposes the shocking, drunken plan that they should get married to get access to his inheritance and solve Ellie’s financial problems all in one. As part of the plan, they spend the holidays together at Andrew’s family cabin. There’s just one little problem… the meet-cute Ellie had last year with a mysterious woman named Jack turns out to be Andrew’s sister. And the feelings Ellie still has for Jack are not in any way fake…

I absolutely adored Andrew, his hilarious grandmothers and Jack, as well as the flashbacks to Ellie’s and Jack’s perfect day the year before. At times, I was a little annoyed by Ellie’s inability to take initiatives and how she let her perfection-anxiety get in the way of her own happiness, but at the same time, those personality traits were truly relatable and also made me root more for her.

All in all, Kiss Her Once For Me was a sweet and heartwarming sapphic romance with perfect Christmassy vibes and coziness! 

Rating:
4.5 stars rounding up to 5

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Alison Cochrun

This is the perfect Christmas reading! Such a sweet, wholesome, small town mm romance full of Christmas sparkles! I truly warmed my heart and made me want to start wrapping Christmas gifts and bring out my Christmas decorations even though it’s only October...

A Gift-Wrapped Holiday is set in the New England small town Lighthouse Bay, where Luca has fled from LA and his ignorant family to start his own business, an eco-friendly gift-wrapping store. Little did he expect to be so warmly welcomed by the community, nor that a certain single dad should make his heart beat so hard. All Mal wants is to give his six-year-old son the best Christmas ever, to make up for moving him across the country after having lost his job. Falling in love was certainly not on the agenda. But the magic of the season had other plans…

This was such a wonderful feelgood story with all the right Christmassy ingredients; Christmas markets, charity tournaments, hot chocolate, gift-wrapping, family celebrations and of course, a truly sweet and heartwarming love story. Great fleshed-out and relatable characters, with a wonderful small town community. Very low on angst, but full of warmth, forgiveness, redemption and kindness. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to get into the Christmas spirit and read a book that will warm your heart and make you smile!

Thank you to Gay Book Promotions for the free ARC of the book, which I have voluntarily reviewed.

Rating:
5 stars

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Amy Aislin

​Cuteness overload! This novella was a pure joy to read, it really warmed my heart and made my day! I’m so happy that Jamie got his moment of glory and for the wonderful wrap-up of this series. Epic was nothing less than an epic conclusion of one of my all time favorite mm romances. If you haven’t read this series yet, I truly urge you to do so!

Him is easily one of my absolute favorite m/m romances, which I first read in 2020. I’ve always planned to continue the series, but I was so scared to be disappointed that something always kept me from buying Us. Not until I saw the new gorgeous editions of the series and just had to get them. And let me tell you, I needn’t have worried at all! Us is a perfect sequel that made me fall in love with Wes and Jamie all over again! It made their epic love story even more relatable and amazing, by adding depth and struggle, while making their love for each other even stronger. I absolutely loved this book!

Please note that this review contains spoilers for Him, so please don’t read it unless you’ve read Him first.

Him ended on a blissful note with Wes and Jamie getting their happy ending by being bold enough to admit their love to each other after years of friendship (and a few years of estrangement). In this sequel, we get to see how secrets and hiding affects the relationship, no matter how strong the love is. This book was much darker, with Wes and Jamie struggling with miscommunication, distrust and jealousy when seeing the other one pretending to be into women, and the toll it takes to always have to hide your true self. In addition, Jamie struggles with his work with his team underperforming and his colleagues being homophobic idiots, as well as depression when getting sick.

But even though Us deals with a lot of heavy topics, it’s truly an absolutely amazing and heartwarming love story! Wes never waved from his support for Jamie, and really showed how deep his love was. At times I got a bit frustrated with Jamie, and how he changed so much from the easygoing, positive and adorable west-coast surfer guy to a grumpy and quite selfish person at times. But it made it all so real and relatable, and added a whole new layer of depth to the relationship between Wes and James, and made me love Wes even more for standing by his man no matter what.

Just like in Him, the love and support from Jamie’s family was one of my favorite things in the book. That family is just the sweetest, funniest and most supportive family ever! I love their banter and snarky comments, but also how they always have each other backs.

I also really loved Blake, the nosy neighbor who in the end turns out to be nothing but a big, wonderful, goofy, protective friend.

All in all, this was such an honest, tender and beautiful story showing the importance of communication and the danger in keeping things secret. But most of all, it showed Wes’s and Jamie’s unwavering love and the courage it takes to put that love first. The steamy parts were perhaps a bit too explicit for me, but other than that, Us was the perfect sequel which added new layers to one of my all time favorite mm romances!

Rating:
4.5 stars rounding up to 5

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Sarina Bowen
Elle Kennedy

This is my second time reading this book and I loved it even more this time around! I still think that the steamy parts are a bit too explicit for me personally, but Wes’s and Jamie’s love story completely stole my heart with their relationship development, their sizzling chemistry, the perfect execution of the friends-to-lovers and second-chance-romance tropes and all the feels! I’m definitely change my rating to 4.5 stars rounding up to 5 after this reread!

“I have the same damn weakness I’ve always had… My weakness is him.”

Original review from October 15th, 2020:

Him is easily one of my absolute favorite m/m romances! I read this book in one sitting, it was completely unputdownable. This friends-to-lovers, second chance romance is so sweet, funny and steamy, with an absolutely sizzling chemistry.

Jamie and Wes are both college hockey players, who’ve been best friends since they were young teens; meeting up every summer at the hockey camp at Lake Placid. Wes has loved Jamie since he was 13, but he knows he can’t do anything about it with Jamie being straight.

“Jamie Canning was my first crush and my first love. But he was never mine to have.”

Then last night at summer camp, a bet derailed and everything changed between them, making them lose contact. Now, four years later, fate brings them together when their college hockey teams play for the championship. And even though Wes fears facing Jamie again, he can’t miss this chance to make amends.
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Even though the book is set in a hockey environment, don’t worry if you are not into sports, this is not a sports jock kind of book! There were some parts that were a bit too sexually explicit for me (I’m more into YA…), and the cover is a bit on the cheesy side, isn’t it? But apart from that, this is such a sweet romance story about a guy falling for his best friends, about taking chances and putting yourself out there with the risk of getting hurt, but potentially to find love. 

Rating:
4 stars changed to 4.5 stars rounding up to 5  after reread on October 22nd, 2022

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Sarina Bowen
Elle Kennedy

Jax Calder does it again! I was a bit nervous starting Attractive Forces, since Jax Calder’s book The Other Brother is one of my all time favorite YA m/m romances, but luckily this book met and exceeded all of my high expectations! I absolutely loved this adorable, slow-burn nerd/jock friends-to-lovers romance!

The two main characters of this story are teenagers Jake and Logan. Jake Stenton is the smart new kid, who’s moved to a new town to start over with his mother and younger brother, trying to escape the scandal caused by his father. Logan Madison is the captain of the rugby team and the most popular guy in school, who is hiding who he truly is from everyone. Being gay is just not an option when you’re the star rugby player and the son of a homophobic Presbyterian minister. But when Jake is assigned as Logan’s chemistry tutor, the feelings that develop between them might be too powerful to control…

I rooted so much for both Jake and Logan from the very first moment and my heart ached for them in their struggles. They were both such wonderful characters, with depth and as far from any stereotype cliches you can come. Yes, Logan was a star rugby player, but he was certainly not the typical jock. And yes, Jake was a chemistry nerd, but he was also so fun and easygoing. And the banter between them and the fun chemistry jokes, as well as their mutual respect for each other, was amazing.

I love Jax Calder’s writing style and how she captures the suppressed feelings and longings between the characters. The slow burn romance was so well executed and so heart-warming! I especially loved the way she made us readers come along on Jake’s and Logan’s journey to finding themselves, understanding their sexuality and coming to a decision what’s really worth living for. It was so accurate how Jake thought he was just a late bloomer when in fact he’s on the asexual spectrum and only starts to have feelings for Logan after they become close friends.

All in all, Attractive Forces was such an adorable, gripping and heart-warming m/m romance with all the feels and amazing character growth. I read it in one sitting as it was completely unputdownable until the very end!

Thank you to BookSirens for the free ARC of the book, which I have voluntarily reviewed.

Rating:
5 stars

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Jax Calder

This second book in the Hockey Ever After series was even more addictive and wonderful than the first book! The pace was even faster, the characters even more lovable and the chemistry even hotter, and I loved meeting some of my favorite characters from the first book again. This book truly warmed my heart!

Both books in the Hockey Ever After series are set in the NHL hockey world, but each book can be read as a standalone as they focus on different characters. But I really loved the way Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James gave us glimpses of the characters from the first book, and how some of the characters were even part of the story in the second book but with new positions.

Scoring Position takes place about seven years after the events in Winging It, and follows the openly gay hockey player Ryan Wright, who gets traded to a new team in an attempt to support the struggling would-be superstar Nico Kirschbaum with his lack of results.

Twenty-six year old Ryan is known for his fun and laid-back attitude and for being the go-to-friend for any struggling team mate. So even though he might not be the world’s best hockey player on the ice, he’s highly regarded as an asset in creating a winning team spirit.

Twenty-one year old Nico on the other hand has the potential of becoming a truly great player, if only he could learn to control his performance anxiety and stop cracking under pressure, but find a way to deal with the demands from himself and his famous former hockey-player for a father. He certainly does not appreciate that management traded for another openly gay player and told them to make friends, treating him like some kind of trouble kid in need of a baby sitter. He’ll solve his problem on his own with hard work, not by bonding with the class clown.

Ryan knows his future on the ice depends on how well he succeeds in the locker room and in finding a way to set Nico’s mind straight. But convincing Nico to let him help means getting closer than is wise for Ryan’s heart, which has already been broken and made him afraid of any kind of deeper commitments.
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Just like the first book in this series, Scoring Position was such a wonderful and sweet mm hockey romance, with the perfect amount of steam and two lovable main characters. I truly rooted for both Ryan and Nico, and I really appreciated the slow burn from loathing each other to becoming friends and getting to know each other, to slowly letting the attraction take them further. I also loved the witty banter and all the humor.

Another favorite part was to meet the characters from the first book again, with rookie Yorkie from the first book now being captain in the Fuel team and with Kitty still being very much Kitty. And of course, the scenes with Gabe and Dante, which just melted my heart… So wholesome! It was also so sweet how Ryan, but especially Nico, were thankful for Gabe having paved the way to make it easier for them to be out and proud, and how Nico could tell his homophobic father off by showing him an openly gay hockey player in NHL.

Compared to the first book, I also felt that there was a better balance between the actual hockey parts and the more human/relationship parts, and that the story had a great focus on character developments and mental health issues.

All in all, this was such a heartwarming slowburn romance and a truly sweet and addictive reading experience. I read it in one sitting as it was completely unputdownable until the very end!

Thank you to Gay Book Promotions for the free review copy and blog tour invitation! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

Rating:
4.5 stars rounding up to 5

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​Author info:
Ashlyn Kane
Morgan James