Top Secret by Sarina Bowen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Filled with heart, this book just resonated with me.

Keaton is the heir to a pharmaceutical company and lives a pretty luxurious life. He's up for president of his fraternity, he's got the perfect girlfriend. But if you look under a magnifying glass you'll see that things with his parents are strained, he doesn't want anything to do with his dad's company, and his girlfriend wants a threesome for her birthday because things are a little vanilla in the bedroom.

Luke has worked for every penny he has. He's living in the frat house on a full scholarship, but he's got to pay for his books, housing and food. In an effort to let off a little steam, he logs on to his Kinky! app and searches for a party. When he finds a couple looking for a third person, he's all in. But things quickly twist and turn and get messier than anyone could have expected.

I was so enthralled in this story. It had so many points of interest for me. First of all, it started with a first time gay experience, then added in a bit of enemies to lovers and ended with a brilliant HEA, giving me one hell of a satisfying experience.

The writing was fantastic and I loved all of the modern references. Keaton started out a bit of a snob and I worried that I'd hate his character, but he showed some class and some balls and just really wowed me. I loved Luke from the start and his character just had me laughing and cringing and hoping for his happy ending. He deserved it. They both did. And I love a story that makes me feel so much for the MC's. I wanted to badly for them to work out their issues and doubts, fears and insecurities and become their potential.

Loved this story, loved everything about it. Perfectly done, entertaining and fluffy. 5 won me over stars.

*Galley copy generously provided by the authors in exchange for an honest review. Cross posted to http://gaybook.reviews/ *

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Sweating Lies - Criminal Delights: Taken by Emma Jaye
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Holy hell can Emma Jaye write a dark, filthy, gritty story! I adored this.

Jiao Sweatt is undercover and taken. When he awakens to find he's imprisoned on a slave ship he does his best to get his bearings and figure out his move. But he quickly learns that there is a hierarchy at play and the one he thought was a toy ends up being more than he ever thought possible.

The story started out with a bang and unraveled consistently throughout each chapter. More and more information was brought to the surface and each time things became murkier. I loved the suspense and the anticipation that this writing style created. I was on the edge throughout the story and literally had no idea how it would end.

This was so well planned out and artfully executed. I was lost in the emotions and twists of the story until the very end. And what an end it was. Brilliant. I can't wait to read the next book!

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The Perils of Intimacy by Rick R. Reed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The emotions in this story were so real and raw and powerful. Two broken souls both fighting to be better, hurting others in the process. How much forgiveness can be expected when you've caused so much hurt? This story is about second chances and mending what's broken to be deserving of them.

Jimmy is a recovering addict. It's been two years and he's got it together. But when Marc walks into his cafe and asks for a cinnamon roll, Jimmy has to figure out if he's worthy a second chance.

Marc has a sense of deja vu when it comes to Jimmy but can't place why. Could he be one of his many hookups? The feeling of rightness he gets from Jimmy overpowers his judgement and after 48 hours, he's left back in a place where he felt he'd been at his worst.

I loved Miriam, Jimmy's sponsor. I loved Kevin, Jimmy's roommate. In fact, each and every side character had something remarkable to add to their story, something that shifted the axis of their worlds. This was very well written and thought through with extraordinary depth.

Honestly, this book just gutted me, but the emotional whirlwind was well worth the ending. This is THE book about redemption and forgiveness. It was full of hope and heartbreak and pain, but brought so much light and happiness. Oh, and personally, a nod to the Golden Girls will make me smile every time. As well as this beautiful cover.

Recommended to everyone. Amazing work of art.



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The Accidental Baker by Clare London
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Clare London has found a way to create a fairytale town with quaint shop owners and neighbors and blooming romance in a manner of just a few pages.

This short novella contains 4 separate stories, all revolving around some misplaced chocolate bunnies. Each tale has it's own meet cute and sweet little love story that will melt your heart.

My favorite was Jez and Eric. Eric has a bit of social anxiety/awkwardness/issues and he runs into Jez, his bedding and cardboard box sitting in the store's entry. They calm each other, tell jokes, laugh and find that life can give you good days with the bad.

I had so much fun reading these stories. A recommended sweet treat!

*Galley copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Cross posted to http://gaybook.reviews/ *

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The Well-Dressed Werewolf by Gillian St. Kevern
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Gillian St. Kevern is masterful at creating Victorian style stories, but this was much more than just a murder mystery. This was a labyrinth of twists and turns, leaving you wondering until the very end.

Told in single person POV, we meet Felix Wood, the valet/best friend/lover of Robin, whom he's known since childhood. At the full moon prior to Robin's 21st birthday, they are invited to stay at the country estate of Westaway, who has more tricks and secrets up his sleeve than anyone had thought possible.

When half the men turn to werewolves and the other half their caretakers, the sudden security measures aren't enough to keep everyone alive. But who is murdering their friends and why?

While this was more of a mystery/thriller/suspense, there was a hint of romance behind the scenes, which was just enough to tide me over and leave the story feeling emotionally sated. I loved the introduction of werewolves to this series, as well as a hidden society of caretakers. It was an exciting read infused with suspense and action and had me guessing from start to finish. Very well done.

*Galley copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Cross posted to http://gaybook.reviews/ *

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Hidden in Darkness by Alice Winters
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book: 4 stars

Narration: 5 stars

I have never laughed so hard listening to a book in my life. Felix and his pranks just killed me!

As much as I enjoyed the story I think the audio was the way to go here! Joel Leslie was just sublime. He had sass and grit and snark and pulled off comedy and timing flawlessly.

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A Light in the Darkness by Alice Winters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I totally humiliated myself over a couple of days at the gym while listening to this. I had to put the weights down I was laughing so hard.

Felix is his typical bratty, snarky, mean, fabulous self as he and Lane move to California to be closer to Lane's family. They move into a new home, become somewhat domesticated and find that life together is somehow never a walk in the park.

I loved this story, but felt like the scene towards the end with the psycho murderer putting them through a game was a bit long and weird for me. I really wanted to fast forward through it, but was afraid I'd miss something. Because of this section alone, I gave the book 4 stars.

I give the narration 5 stars because Joel Leslie was anything but boring. His whiny version of Felix did me in. Every time he said, "Laaaaaane!" I died. It was just the perfect amount of masculine, deep and throaty for Lane and jovial and petulant for Felix. He was a master at playing out this story.

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