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    SERIES REVIEW: Frat Wars by Saxon James

    *** you can scroll to the bottom for the tl;dr version ***

    Greek life shenanigans ship frat boy to frat boy in this riot of a series by contemporary MM romance author Saxon James.

    Frat Wars is about two fraternities, Sigma Beta Psi and Rho Kappa Tau, and their bitter rivalry to out prank each other. The Sigmas are the popular jocks, given a lot of leeway with their antics because of all the accolades they earn for the university. The Kappas are sorta nerdy but typically wealthy, whose parents make hefty donations to the school. Frat boys can pretty much wreck havoc as long they don’t break the golden rule: don’t get the dean’s attention.

    The series is crazy fun! The Sigmas, in particular, love practical jokes. It’s not just the Kappas they love to annoy, they even do it to their brothers. There are a lot of hilariously dumb dialogues that had me cracking up.

    The author picked the perfect narrators in Alexander Cendese and Iggy Toma. I rarely like dual narration, but these two synced so seamlessly. Their voices are perfect as frat boys and their delivery of the rapid-fire snark for snark banters is ridiculously on point.

    There are three books in the series, featuring the four brothers who hold the top executive positions in the Sigma House.


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    Frat Wars: King Of Thieves – Saxon James

    We’re basically Romeo and Juliet. But dudes. And without all the dying.

    Chad

    Being VP of Sigma Beta Psi is wild. I get all the benefits of being in charge with hardly any of the responsibility.

    Parties, pranks, and frat politics—college life has never been sweeter.

    Until I meet Bailey Prince.

    He has the face of a goddamn angel. I don’t know where he came from or why I’m so obsessed.

    But I do know he’s a Kappa.

    And our houses have a rivalry that’s written into legend.

    Bailey

    At Rho Kappa Tau, I’m a legacy.

    It’s a lot of pressure, but I’ve always been responsible, never had that rebellious need to rock the boat, and I like it that way.

    But after a party at Sigma—the jock frat—I meet Chad Doomsen, and for the first time in my life I want to step outside my square.

    Our houses have always had a rivalry, but some of the guys seem to hate Chad specifically, and I don’t know why.

    He’s surprisingly sweet and kind. At least to me.

    I need to stay away. A relationship with Chad would be betraying the very legacy that brought me here.

    But I can’t help myself. And it seems, neither can he.


    Chad Doomsen is the VP of Sigma and the mastermind of the best pranks they pulled. He met Bailey Prince at a party, found him cute, and decided to pursue him, not knowing he’s a new Kappa member. They hooked up several times on the down-low. Bailey takes the opportunity to steal some of Chad’s stuff as part of the King of Thieves game. This is a stealth steal game where each item they take will earn their House points.

    The Romeo and Juliet angle was cute, but I was more into the game and the brotherhood than the romance. The games and pranks in this series are brilliant! I dunno if real-life fraternities do the King of Thieves game, but this sounds so fun. On the other hand, I don’t want anybody creeping into my room and grabbing my stuff.

    The book sets off a series of events that connects the entire series. The books are not standalone and should be read in order.

    Rating:
    4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits

    Soundtrack: You Stole My Heart
    Artist: My Sun and Stars
    Album: You Stole My Heart


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    Frat Wars: Master of Mayhem – Saxon James

    Bro big or bro home.

    Robbie

    As social chair of Sigma Beta Psi, I’m the life of the party. It’s what I’m known for, and if it’s not fun, I’m not interested, simple as that.

    I’m not someone who overthinks.

    So when one of my brothers hooks up with a dude from another frat house, it catches me off guard when I can’t stop thinking about them … together.

    There’s only one way for me to get this obsession out of my head and that’s by jumping in with both feet and putting it into practice.

    The problem is, the one guy who’s up for the ride, is the last one I’d expect.

    Brandon

    Being risk manager of a frat house is nobody’s idea of a good time. My brothers get annoyed when I put a damper on their plans, and wrangling drunken frat brothers isn’t how I pictured my Saturday nights of senior year.

    I’m bored.

    In a rut.

    Study, frat duties, planning for the future.

    When is it my turn to let loose for a moment?

    So when my dumb-as-bricks frat bro is scoping out the house for a little experimenting fun, I throw out the offer like it isn’t the most nerve-wracking thing I’ve ever considered.

    I never imagined I’d actually enjoy it.


    Master of Mayhem stars Robbie (forgot last name), the Sigma social manager, and Brandon (forgot last name too), the risk manager, in their bicurious frenemies romance.

    It all started when Robbie point blank asked his best friend, Chad, if he could touch his dick. The big guy had questions about his sexuality and had no hesitations whatsoever asking, because who else can help a guy out but his frat brothers? Chad was all hell no! Then at a party, Brandon was urged by his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend to try kissing the persistently curious Robbie. The two frat brothers were gob smacked by how much they liked it!

    Robbie completely won me over for being comfortable in his own skin. He’s the first to admit he’s not a brainiac, but far from being insecure about it, he embraces his impulsive, fun-loving nature shamelessly and has a childlike candor that’s very endearing. Also, he’s the reason why Sigmas have the best parties.

    Brandon is his foil. This guy’s a born risk manager, always planning steps ahead.

    This was a whole level of crazy! The boys up the ante with Chad and Robbie vying for the title of Master of Mayhem, a contest of who can come up with the best prank. The romance was hella cheesy and sweet with the kind of chemistry that reduces one to goo. And leave it to Robbie to pull off the cheesiest, most bombastic grand gesture to end all grand gestures!

    Rating:
    4.5 Stars – perfection is only half a step away

    Soundtrack: Curious
    Artist: Franz Ferdinand
    Album: Hits to the Head


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    Frat Wars: Presidential Chaos – Saxon James

    Two houses. Two Presidents. One hell of a happy ending.

    Zeke

    Being President of a frat house means everything is on my shoulders.
    Idiot brothers, epic pranks, a list of organizational duties long enough to make my eyes bleed.
    None of it fazes me.
    But senior year is almost over, and I’m ready to take a step back.
    Until the hazing rumors start.
    I might not know where they’re coming from, but I know they’re total BS.
    Now, instead of dialing back the stress, we’ve broken the number one rule on the row: Don’t get the dean’s attention.
    I need to find out who’s driving the lies.
    And all evidence points to one person.

    Charles

    I never wanted to become Kappa President.
    The appointment was made easier, though, when none other than Zeke Ariston took over Sigma house. I’ve always been … drawn to him.
    Fascinated.
    And maybe a little attracted too.
    Pity I’ve never been more than an afterthought to him.
    But when rumors start to circulate about hazing, and the sources lead back to my house, it puts me square on Zeke’s radar.
    I want to help him get to the bottom of it all.
    And with his attention finally on me, I want to tell him how I feel.

    The guys on Greek Row meet their chaotic conclusion with this rivals-to-lovers romance full of pranks, shared hoodies, and secret meetings made in the dark.


    Squeed when I saw the cover because that is exactly how Zeke looks!

    There are some books that you just instantly know will be awesome even before reading. I had a good feeling about Presidential Chaos beforehand. And, I was right, it totally swept me off my feet!

    Zeke Ariston is the super cool, super chill Sigma president. While his brothers ran amuck, Zeke is above it all, calm, always in control, and secretly anal retentive. He’s hyper-focused on his goal to win Olympic gold in swimming. My favorite character in the entire series.

    In contrast, Charles Levine is the passionate, easily flustered, but confident Kappa president. He’s usually red-faced with annoyance confronting the Sigma president over yet another prank by the Sigmas. Charles has a legacy to uphold and a law degree he has no desire to pursue. He’s also secretly crushing on Zeke.

    I spent most the book feeling sorry for Charles because boy, did he pine! I rooted hard for the patient, selfless Kappa president. But as soon as Zeke realized he had feelings for the Charles, it was so worth the wait! I didn’t know Zeke had it in him, but he uttered some of the most romantic lines in the series. The Sigma president fell HARD! He literally fell to his knees when he realized that his Charlie was perfect for him.

    Zeke and Charles are the kind of power couple that can conquer the world. The way they support each other are goals! I loved how they helped each other find the freedom to pursue their goals. They’re just fit so perfectly!

    This is a fabulous presidential finale and one of the swooniest, most delicious, squee-tastic execution of he fell first, he fell harder!!!

    Rating:
    5 Stars – absolutely perfect

    Soundtrack: Sweet Chaos
    Artist: Day6
    Album: The Best of Day6


    Frat Wars is a story of rivalry, brotherhood, youthful shenanigans, secret hook-ups, sexual awakening, and freedom. It’s one of the year’s most entertaining series. It’s the best kind of chaos, mayhem, lifelong friendships, and everything we love about Greek life.


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    KING OF THIEVES | MASTER OF MAYHEM | PRESIDENTIAL CHAOS

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    REVIEW: Secret Admirer by D.J. Jamison

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    Secret Admirer – D.J. Jamison

    You deserve all the kisses you want …

    Benji,
    I want you to know how amazing you are. You won’t believe me, because I’m just your brother’s best friend, but it’s true. Each day my feelings for you grow, confusing but undeniable.

    With a few anonymous love tokens, I finally have an outlet for all the things I can’t say. And with each gift and note, you smile. For me. Not your brother’s straight friend, but something new. Something more. Something that will change everything if we can both find the courage to believe.

    All I have to do is confess who I really am:
    Your Secret Admirer


    Secret Admirer is a super cute, feel-good offering from D.J. Jamison. She’s one of the more enjoyable MM romance authors out there. I said this about her before, she can make me read and like pure contemporary romance, a genre I typically struggle with.

    This is an opposites attract, nerd + frat boy, brother’s bestfriend romance. It’s not really breaking new grounds but it makes up for it by all the adorkable moments.

    First off, I really liked that the identity of the secret admirer was known to the reader right off the bat. I don’t have to drive myself crazy trying to figure it out. This is dual POV.

    Benji is out and proud. He’s been secretly crushing on Ace, the best friend of his older brother, Jeremy, since forever. He knows it’s hopeless because the guy is straight. Ace has always been kind to him. Now that he is in college, Ace looks out for him on behalf of Jeremy. Ace treats him like a lil’ brother. Or so Benji thought.

    Normally, I’m all over the shy, nerdy types and I was so ready to love Benji. But as the story progressed, his insecurities got the better of him. He gradually lost his charm.

    Ace was the better guy here for being genuinely nice, caring, sweet and selfless. He had to reflect on his attraction to Benji a bit, especially in relation to his bi-curiosity and his best friend who might not think too highly about Ace hooking up with his baby brother. Eventually, he became honest with himself and took a chance to see where his feelings would lead.

    There is the spectre of Jeremy hanging over most of the story with the guys holding off from telling him. He made his grand entrance, surprising both Ace and Benji. Then it tapered off to a blessedly drama-free but yeah, also anti-climatic, ending.

    Secret Admirer falls somewhere between like and love. While there were many scenes that gave me warm fuzzies, these were mostly because of Ace’s efforts. The Benji issue could be a ME thing because many other GR reviewers were okay with him. I could still say the romance developed nicely despite Benji not appealing to me as a character. The story is low-angst and humorous, ideal for days when you’re in the mood for light, fluffy college boys shenanigans.

    P.S.

    Posts on D.J. Jamison’s works here.

    Rating:
    3.5 Stars – that place between like and love

    Soundtrack: He’s So Fine
    Artist: The Chiffons
    Album: He’s So Fine


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