One Line Reviews Of Some Books I Read This Year
This is a round up of the rest of the books I read this year that I’m too lazy to do a full review.
The Kings of Men MC: King’s Killer – Ki Brightley & M.D. Gregory
Walking the Line Between Good and Evil
Physician’s assistant by day, doctor to the Kings of Men MC by night. Grant Arthur’s life is tough to balance, but he does what he can to help his brother, Aaron “King” Arthur, the president of the motorcycle club. Trapped as an outsider to the club by his brother for safety, Grant prefers the quiet life, until the Kings visit him in the middle of the night with an injured member. With them is Kai Woodrow, rugged and dangerous, who Grant can’t tear his gaze from.
A Killer Who Gave Away His Heart
Reaper kills for a living. He’s the man King calls when he needs to send a gruesome message. Unfortunately, Reaper’s also human, and has all the needs of a man. He’s been in love with Grant since they shared a foster home as teens, but he knows how protective King is. Reaper could never betray his president and friend, even if Grant’s the only one who sees him as Kai. He settles with quietly stalking Grant, until one night they bring him an injured club member.
One Wild Night
When Grant is nearly hurt, Kai can’t resist living in the moment, even if it’s bound to get him killed by King—or someone worse. The world doesn’t stop turning because he finally kissed Grant, but with any illegal motorcycle club, trouble comes along for the ride. When Grant is kidnapped, Kai would move heaven and hell to find him, and destroy the people who took him.
A passable MC romance that could have been better delivered by a different audiobook narrator.
(3 stars)
The Pride: Blind Tiger – Jordan L. Hawk
1924, Chicago. Prohibition is in full swing and gang bosses rule the city with might—and magic.
When Sam Cunningham flees his small-town life to try his luck in the big city of Chicago, he quickly finds himself in over his head in a world of gangs, glitz, and glamour. Fortunately, he has his cousin Eldon to teach him the trade of hex-making.
Everything changes the night Sam visits The Pride speakeasy and meets grumpy cheetah-shifter Alistair Gatti. After losing his first witch to the horrors of the World War, Alistair isn’t interested in any new entanglements, romantic or magical. Especially when said entanglement comes in the form of kind, innocent Sam.
When Eldon is brutally murdered, Sam becomes drawn into the dark underworld of the Chicago gangs. Sam must find the missing hex Eldon created for one of the crime bosses—before whoever killed Eldon comes back for him.
Together, Alistair and Sam begin the search for the mysterious hex, diving deep into the seedy side of Chicago’s underworld while dodging rival gangs. And as they come to rely on one another, Alistair realizes he’s falling for the one man he can’t afford to love.
Good in the sense that all Jordan L. Hawk books are good, but this one’s not really that memorable.
(4 stars)
Adventures in Aquillon: Red Heir – Lisa Henry & Sarah Honey
Imprisoned pickpocket Loth isn’t sure why a bunch of idiots just broke into his cell claiming they’re here to rescue the lost prince of Aguillon, and he doesn’t really care. They’re looking for a redheaded prince, and he’s more than happy to play along if it means freedom. Then his cranky cellmate Grub complicates things by claiming to be the prince as well.
Now they’re fleeing across the country and Loth’s stuck sharing a horse and a bedroll with Grub while imitating royalty, eating eel porridge, and dodging swamp monsters and bandits.
Along the way, Loth discovers that there’s more to Grub than meets the eye. Under the dirt and bad attitude, Grub’s not completely awful. He might even be attractive. In fact, Loth has a terrible suspicion that he’s developing feelings, and he’s not sure what to do about that. He’d probably have more luck figuring it out if people would just stop trying to kill them.
Still, at least they’ve got a dragon, right?
What could have been an epic adventure lost me when it tried too hard to be raunchy with predictable punchlines that always involved dicks.
(2.5 stars)
Joker’s Sin: Heart Beats – Davidson King
Their love story isn’t easy.
Every night Ledger stands on the stage of Joker’s Sin, the most popular gay nightclub in Haven Hart, mixing music. Many of the people who come through the doors want his attention, but lately he’s only had eyes for the red-headed bartender, Shane. When Ledger is invited to be on a panel at DJ Con, he asks for support from his friends at Joker’s Sin. To his surprise, Shane shows up.
For Shane, Ledger is everything he’s ever been attracted to in a person. They’ve danced around each other for a while, but finally getting to know the intense DJ one-on-one, he realizes there’s even more to Ledger than he ever knew.
Then craziness ensues. Someone sets their sights on Ledger, determined to make him theirs, and he and Shane find themselves fighting for their lives instead of living it. Whoever is behind this will stop at nothing to get Ledger in their arms.
With people getting hurt and dying around Ledger, can he keep the one man he’s just finally admitted he wants from a murderous fate, or will someone’s crazed obsession end it all?
What could have been a heartwarming romance between a DJ and a bartender left me cold because of petty jealousies and weak plot.
(2.5 stars)
Dante’s Infernal: Taming Dante – Joel Abernathy
Keeping up the rock star image ain’t easy, but someone’s gotta show these fakers how it’s done.
Hotel-room-trashing tantrums?
Check.
Daddy issues galore?
Check.
Glitz, glamour and general debauchery?
I wrote the f**king book.
I’m a textbook bad boy rockstar cliche, and I’ve never claimed to be anything else.
Hell, I own it.
At least, I did, until he came along: Mr. Self-Righteous who acts more like a priest than a drummer. Now he’s my bodyguard and the guy in charge of making sure I don’t OD before the tour ends.
Oh, right. I also have a crazy stalker who’s been obsessed with me since I was a kid. So that’s fun.
It doesn’t take long to figure out Cash is more of a danger than any freak with a shrine of me in his closet, and he’s way harder to shake. He’s managed to convince our band manager (AKA, the crappiest father ever) that he’s the only one who can protect me from my stalker and my own vices.
Cash thinks I’m stuck with him while he forces me to get clean, but what starts out as a Daddy/boy roleplay meant to freak him out turns into so much more than a game.
For the first time ever, I don’t know who’s going to win, but I’m not going down without a fight.
My new job is a nightmare.
The name of that nightmare? Dante Jung, lead singer of the world-famous band Dante’s Infernal, living trainwreck, and all-around brat.
His manager hired me to be the new drummer for Dante’s Infernal–since the singer has run everyone else off–and his undercover bodyguard.
The only problem is, I’m pretty sure Dante is more of a threat to himself than even his obsessed stalker. He drinks hard, parties harder, and he’s never turned down a lovesick groupie.
And there are a lot of those.
Dante is a brash, selfish, narcissistic douchebag. And he’s also a brilliant, devoted and passionate musician who can be unexpectedly vulnerable at times.
When he asks me to be his “Daddy” for the month we’re stuck together, I’m shocked, but not for the reasons he thinks.
Taming Dante is going to be one hell of a challenge, but he will break before I ever back down, no matter how undisciplined he is now.
He doesn’t know what he’s in for, but he’s about to learn.
While rock stars are my jam, age play is not my cup of tea.
(3 stars)
Four Bears Construction: Stud – K.M. Neuhold
Stud: A boss, knob, or nail head…or, you know, the hot guy who’s way too young to keep asking me out with that adorably earnest smile …
It’s been three years since West walked into my bar and asked me out for the first time. I was relieved he stopped asking after the first few “no”s and a way-too-good-to-be-real kiss. He’s fifteen years younger than I am; it can only lead to trouble.
Of course, now he’s running through people off dating apps like it’s his job and wearing these lace panties that look really unfair on someone as furry and muscular as he is, and, um…what was I talking about?
I probably shouldn’t sabotage his dates, but I’m only human. I might not be ready to admit that I want him, but I’m definitely not ready to let anyone else have him either.
He’s too perfect, too hot, and I am in way too much trouble…
*** Stud is a friends-to-lovers, construction-worker-in-panties, omg-so-much-swoon story that happens to be the fifth book in the Four Bears Construction Series. Every book in this series CAN be read as a stand alone, but they’re a lot more fun together!
Idiot older guy nearly ruined it for me but the titular young stud and their gaggle of geese saved the day.
(3.5 stars)
Four Bears Construction: Stripped – K.M. Neuhold
A ripped, transgender construction worker and a tweed-wearing, tortoise-shell-cozy-knitting, bear of a professor… Somebody’s getting stripped.
The last place I expected to run into my childhood camp crush was at the local university, looking all kinds of cute in a tweed jacket with a nervous blush. I’ve always had a bit of a thing for the nerdy professor type.
Demetri says he doesn’t date. I want to believe that it’s true and not that he’s not interested in a transgender man like me. If all he can offer me is friendship, I’m more than happy to take it.
Coy looks during sweaty workouts, rainy nights on his couch watching him knit shell cozies for his pet tortoise… I’m falling for him whether I want to or not.
Can I break down his walls and prove to him that he can trust me with his heart? And can I trust him with mine?
***Stripped is a swoony, steamy MM romance that is the 6th book in the Four Bears Construction Series. It can be read as a stand alone, but you won’t want to miss these bear’s antics. This series does not contain any shifters, only the OTHER kind of bears.
Awesome trans character, endearing romance, turtle onesies!
(4 stars)
The Theriot Family: Remington – Silvia Violet
An M/M Mafia Romance.
A mobster rescued me, and I rescued him right back.
I should never have approached Remington’s car. I knew he was dangerous, but he needed help and I was sure he could pay well for it.
When he offers me an astronomical sum to stay with him for two weeks, I can’t say no. Even then, I know when our time is up, I’ll wish we had forever.
Remington cares for me like no man ever has, and I can’t help falling for him. But how could a crime boss be my Prince Charming or give me the fairytale happily ever after I’ve always dreamed of?
Love the Theriot boys but the plot is the same as several other books I read from this author.
(2.5 stars)
The Theriot Family: Corbin – Silvia Violet
A bratty mobster and the man who wants to take him in hand…
Everyone says I need discipline, but no one’s willing to give it to me until I meet my match.
I can’t stand the arrogant man who refuses to cower at the mention of my family’s name.
But my hate isn’t strong enough to keep me from wanting everything his hungry look promises.
The same old D/s dynamics I’ve read many times before from this author.
(2.5 stars)
The Theriot Family: Lancelot – Silvia Violet
Men like me don’t spend a lot of time at the library, so I’ve never had a reason to suspect cardigan-wearing, uptight librarians would push all my buttons.
Then I met Julian.
I wanted to hate him. He’s my opposite in every way. I’m impulsive, and there’s no rule I won’t break. Persnickety Julian follows every rule.
But when I make demands and he stands his ground, I know he will be mine.
To win him over, I’ll have to do the impossible, prove that occasionally, I can be reserved and restrained.
Wasted great characters by falling back on the same tired template.
(2.5 stars)
Prosper Woods Chronicles: True Knight – Patricia Logan
My name is Romeo Harmon and I’m the new sheriff of Prosper Woods, a small California town smack dab in the middle of the sequoia forest. People around here tell me the town hasn’t changed a whole hell of a lot since power lines and telephones were installed. It’s a quaint place with a movie theater that shows the old classics, a saloon with a decent choice of beer, a general store with a grumpy old coot behind the till, a gas station with a pimply young mechanic, and a bed and breakfast that attracts tourists and vacation money.
I think I’m gonna like it here.
My name is Vincent Lasco. I’ve searched a long time to find a new place to settle down. Because of what I am, I need to pull up stakes and start over every twenty years or so—before people realize that I don’t age anymore. Prosper Woods has everything a man like me could ever want. Though there aren’t many humans, it doesn’t really matter. I’m so old, I don’t need to eat very often and there’s no reason to expose myself to the locals whom I hope to call friends some day.
I think I’m gonna like it here.
There’s newcomers in town. Prosper Woods is a nice place as long as you’re passing through. I wonder how long these folks will stay once they find out what’s really going on here. Somehow…
I don’t think they’re gonna like it here.
(True Knight is the prequel to the Prosper Woods Chronicles and includes an excerpt from True Mate, the first book in the new series)
A great introduction to a wildly diverse town.
(4 stars)
Prosper Woods Chronicles: True Mate – Patricia Logan
True Mate is the first book in the Prosper Woods Chronicles but don’t miss True Knight, the incredible prequel to the series!
When I moved to Prosper Woods, California a couple of weeks ago, I’d had big plans for a quiet life. Let’s just say, things haven’t exactly turned out the way I expected they would. For one thing, as new sheriff, I hadn’t planned on investigating a murder the day after my arrival. For another thing, no one told me supernatural creatures existed. I didn’t believe it at first, but when Vincent Lasco suddenly smiled at me with a mouth full of fangs, things got interesting.
Quiet small town life indeed!
The moment I decided to take Sheriff Romeo Harmon home for a roll in the sheets, I knew hiding my true nature was a huge mistake. Then again, things never turn out the way I expect. The simple life of anonymity I’d hoped to have in Prosper Woods has blown up in my face in the most poetic and spectacular way. Not only that, the guy isn’t even aware that he has secrets of his own. How a guy could have lived all his life not knowing what he was, seems nearly impossible but in his case, I know it’s true.
Supernaturals are everywhere!
The town of Prosper Woods has a couple of new residents who at first glance, seem very unsuited for small town life. Before long though, I realized they were right for the town… probably the only right thing about this weird place. Surprisingly, they fit right in.
Things are about to get interesting!
A fun and steamy paranormal mystery filled with all creatures great and small.
(4 stars)
Lords Of Discord: Healing Aiden – jocelynn Drake
Aiden Varik has had two great loves in his very long life.
And he lost them both too soon.
His only wish is to protect his four vampire sons and their mates.
But someone from Aiden’s distant past has returned to break down the walls erected around his wounded heart.
Temptation never tasted so sweet.
Can Aiden find the strength to risk his heart yet again? Especially when this man is accompanied by Aiden’s enemies.
Healing Aiden is the fifth and final book in the Lords of Discord paranormal romance series. This book contains vampires, werewolves, witches, overprotective sons, secrets, broken hearts, hope, redemption, and a love that will never end.
A most satisfying balm to a millennia of loneliness and the most moving tribute to the vampire daddy who started it all.
(4.5 stars)
The Kings: Wild Cards: Raising The Ante – Charlie Cochet
Former firefighter Frank Ramirez has never been afraid of the heat, until it came in the form of the sweet and sinful Joshua Sterling.
Frank’s days of rushing into burning buildings might be behind him, but as the owner of one of the most prestigious gay nightclubs in Florida, he’s still putting out fires. Lately it’s been one disaster after another, making Frank grumpier than usual. If that wasn’t enough, someone is out to sabotage his business.
Joshua has a plan. He’s done pining after the man of his dreams and ready to do something about the sizzling attraction between them. He sets out to help Frank, and as executive assistant to billionaire Colton Connolly—and friend to his mayhem-magnet husband—Joshua knows a thing or two about managing chaos.
When a hidden threat raises the stakes, Joshua and Frank are put to the test. Can they win the fight for their love… and their lives?
Should’ve made more use of that legendary spreadsheet but still as super fun as only a Charlie Cochet book could be!
(4 stars)
Scales N Spells: Breath – A.J. Sherwood & Jocelynn Drake
A Mage’s List for Freedom:
1. Escape his evil, controlling clan.
2. Get a job.
3. Work magic on HIS terms.
4. Avoid all dragons.
Tori was doing great until sexy dragon Baldewin interfered.
Between the little gifts, constant protection, and the steadfast confidence from the overgrown lizard, Tori wonders if maybe that last step needs revising. He has no chance to consider it.
Not before trouble called Jaeggi REALLY hits. Now he’s on the road trip from hell to the one place he’d never thought would be a safe haven. A clan of dragons.
Assuming they make it, that is.
Tags:
Dragon shifters, mages, fated mates, hurt/comfort, enemies to lovers, not mpreg, interracial couple, road trip, No Flying, nope not even with a dragon, dwarf hunting in Poland, Tori needs allll the hugs, Baldewin is happy to supply them, dragons are ninjas, attempted kidnapping, mages being BAMF, insecurity, trust issues, Tori is an arse, Baldewin is adorable, Cassie is over it, virgin character, but not for long fufufufu, dysfunctional family, family of choice, magical realism, cuuuuudles, the authors regret nothing
Cute, sweet, fun but hella repetitive.
(3.5 stars)
Wages of Sin: Bad Habits – Onley James & Neve WIlder
Jonah taught Cas a million ways to protect his body but not one to protect his heart.
Smart-mouthed hacker Caspian escaped an abusive home at 16. Now he’s one of the most sought-after black hat hackers in the world.
Jonah is a ruthless contract killer with only one weakness, the vibrant runaway he took in years ago: Caspian.
But Cas bailed when he turned 18 and Jonah has maintained a steady diet of eat, kill, sleep since then.
Jonah had always been the fatal flaw in Cas’s code, the bug that froze the part of his brain separating logic from emotion.
A threat to Cas’s life brings him back years later—not as the boy Jonah remembers, but as a hardened computer hacker with a price on his head and a list of names everybody wants.
The chemistry between them is as undeniable as it is dangerous.
In a world of secrets and murder, trust is a liability and feelings can get you killed. But Jonah let Cas go once, and he’s not willing to do it again. Even if it means confronting his past, solving a twisted puzzle, and taking out half of New York city’s seedy underbelly to keep Cas safe.
Bad Habits is a steamy, action-packed thrill ride of a romance with a HEA and no cliffhangers. It features morally ambiguous men, dirty, dirty lovin’, pancakes drizzled with snark, chosen family, drive-in movies, and the kind of love that drives a guy to murder in order to protect. In short: all the emo, heat, and sarcasm you’d probably expect from an Onley/Neve collab. This is book 1 in the Wages of Sin series. Each book will follow a new couple.
A sweet and steamy bad boys do right action suspense that made me want to eat pancakes.
(4 stars)
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