Best friendships are often tested as people age. This is doubly true when one person is a confused, possibly bisexual athlete and the other is a self-involved diva who hates serious discussions. Even worse, they both liked the same guy.
In this scene, Luke tries to clear the air with his best friend while Zach tries to avoid the conversation as always. This is from One Little Lie,where a clueless athlete learns the world is more than just gay or straight in this coming of age love story about secret relationships, friendship, and bisexuality.
~
Luke
I rarely understood the way his brain worked. There was only one thing I needed to be sure about.
“You and Ryan seem friendly again,” I commented casually.
“Yep.” He kept his eyes on the road. Okay, he should keep doing that as he was driving.
“Cool. Great.” They should definitely get along. As long as it was only friendship. “You’re over Ryan, right?”
“No, Luke,” he replied dryly. “Let us commence a fight to the death to win the hand of our fair spaz.”
“Okay, you were joking for most of that, but you said no, so it’s no, right?”
“If I really wanted him, you wouldn’t stand a chance—”
“Not sure that’s true since—” I already had Ryan. He picked me.
“Which must mean I don’t want him.”
“Awesome.”
-Grab this book as part of the One Crazy Love Story Box set, which features the first four books in the One More Thing Series.
Let’s play a game. Let your imagination run wild when thinking about this question.
What’s your dream home and who’s your dream neighbor?
In this scenario you’re free to live anywhere and have any kind of home your heart desires. And when you move into your ideal neighborhood, who would you be super happy to see living across the street?
(I wanna make some joke about the eye candy adding curb appeal but I don’t have it.)
Are you picturing a log cabin in the mountains with a sexy lumberjack? Or a palatial estate with an infinity pool, acres upon acres of land, and a classically handsome hottie with a square jaw grinning at you from his sports car?
Admittedly my head started somewhere around the latter but then I realized I’m a whimsical romantic sort. Cute, cozy, and a little quirky is much more my speed. So I started searching for fairytale-esque cottages.
The house is in Carmel-by-the-Sea California. Awesome name, and you don’t even have to ask if it’s near the sea because it’s right there in the title. The town apparently attracts artists and oddballs that want the area to retain its eccentric charm, so I’m guessing there’s no Chipotle nearby but otherwise looks like a nice place to live.
And since this is a fantasy I don’t have to ask myself who would water those plants and why I thought I could handle the responsibility of keeping them alive.
My ideal neighbor was a bit of a challenge because I wanted someone super good looking who also might be able to walk into a small cottage without bumping his head.
I went with Freddie Stroma from Bridgerton, though I recently watched him on Unreal where sometimes he looks nice and conventionally attractive and other times he grows a beard or gets this steely look in eye and goes from cute to dirty hot in a very appealing way.
The inspiration for today’s hypothetical question came to me based on my newest novel.
The book is a paranormal romance, so I suppose the scenario actually goes like this: What if your new home came with everything you desired, including a sexy new neighbor? What if your new neighbor was also a werewolf?
The Werewolf’s Heart is my new book that launches on May 9th. There’s a lot more to share with you soon, including the cover and special release day bonuses.
(No idea if this needs to be said, but in case you’re wondering, the book is of course M/M.)
General Summary: Werewolves and a wayward hunter help one witch unlock his birthright. But starting fires and hunting the creatures who go bump in the night brings danger for him and everybody in his life.
Overall Impression: An intriguing first book with a keen sense of location. There’s an engaging love story and lots of potential for expansion.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Rainbow Roy unicorn plush toys
Is that a rusty sword in your pocket or are you happy to see me: Landon thinks he’s a regular guy in a small town, working to keep his family farm alive until a stranger asks Landon to sharpen his blade with witchcraft. Which is not a pickup line, though if it were, it would be a memorable one. Too bad it comes with the side effect of making the recipient wonder if you’re crazy.
Rousseau isn’t crazy. He’s a hunter tracking a werewolf, and this brings them together as they start an adventure bigger than one wolf. One of them is a plucky protagonist who makes wise cracks and flirts, the other is a tough guy hunter with a tragic past. While there are many serious and suspenseful moments, the romance is pretty much always adorable.
Your sex is on fire: there are all kinds of metaphors about steamy romance, being hot as fire, sizzling chemistry, etc. But in this book, the sex is literally on fire. Which is fun and makes for a memorable love scene.
(I’m not a huge fan of this song, but I feel compelled to put it here anyway)
Titles are hard: If I were rating my ability to remember the title of this book, I would say 0 out of 5. There was fire on the cover and the dude wields said fire, so my brain decided the title was Firestarter and would not be dissuaded from this. I eventually realized that wasn’t the title and so somehow I started referring to it as Firebrand instead. It’s actually pretty simple. The main character is a witch. He makes fire. Witchfire. There ya go.
There were a fair number of typos and formatting issues, which bothers some people, so I should mention that. It has been a minute since I read the book, so it’s also possible this has already been corrected.
A small town boy. A dark stranger. And secrets that no one was supposed to uncover.
When cattle begin to turn up dead on the family farm, twenty four year-old Landon Winfield assumes it’s the usual culprits. But along with the string of mysterious deaths that threaten him and his mother’s struggling farm, the arrival of a handsome newcomer with strange tattoos brings Landon face to face — or more like face to frothy mouthed muzzle —with the real predator that stalks the forests of Rock Creek.
A werewolf.
Yeah, those exist. And apparently, so do people that hunt them. Crazy, right?
The shocking revelations continue as the attractive hunter Rousseau reveals that Landon is a witch and has the power to summon fire at his fingertips. But his hands aren’t the only thing that heats up as he and the hunter work closely together to rid the small town of its werewolf problem and Landon finds himself falling for the knife-wielding stranger from Texas.
As they get closer, so does the angry beast that’s stalking them and Landon must embrace his newfound power if he hopes to save the farm, his family, and the hunter that holds his heart.
Have you ever wondered why vampires are called vampires? It had never crossed my mind to ask where the name came from until I came across the origin when looking up what a group of vampires were called. (the answer is lots of things, but I like clan best.)
‘Vampire’ comes from the Greek word, are you ready for this, one who drinks blood. Yeah. Kinda anticlimactic. And literal. At least if you’re an ancient Greek.
Well, actually, this is what I thought vampire meant, until I saw the origin only meant ‘drink’ and apparently my brain just added the blood part after.
So now I know. Even if it only comes from a word meaning drink, it’s still not a very creative name for a very creative concept. Since, you know, vampires are fictional and only exist in imaginary form. Right? Yes.
Yet I feel like I should keep the mystery alive and be all ~ooooglly, spooky, you never know~ because that’s more exciting, but I am a big wimp. True story, the only reason I’m agnostic about ghosts and aliens is because I am not ready for either to introduce themselves to me.
Since I learned this info when writing my M/M paranormal romance Vampires vs. Werewolves?I feel like I should mention it here. That feels like an authorly thing to do.
Quick summary: An amateur warlock must make an impossible choice: mate or die. The former doesn’t sound so bad when tying himself to a gorgeous tough alpha… who hates his guts. Is die still on the table? Possibly, if their enemies get their way.
Overall Impression: This enemies-to-lovers paranormal romance is right up my alley, so I LOVED IT SO MUCH and highly recommend. Lots of ‘I hate you but you’re hot’ and snarking at each other even during life-threatening situations, their need to bicker is so strong.
Rating: five out five magical socks (or ten if they’re in pairs)
The enemy of my enemy
Nate has lots of potential, but his father siphoned away and controlled his magic when he was alive. The young warlock is a relatively late bloomer, still learning to use gifts. The story starts when a fun night out got him kidnapped and nearly bonded to a member of the Kimball pack. He seeks help from their neighboring rivals, the Armitages.
Except their help requires more than borrowing a cup of sugar or hiding out in their territory. The mating bond process has already been started on his end and he needs to complete it or he’ll die.
Nate already knows his potential new mate, which is part of the problem. He is incredibly sure Ian despises him and has always despised him. Ian used to glare daggers at him when they were kids, and he’s drawn to yet also on guard against the tight-lipped wolf. And if you don’t know where this is going, you will probably be able to tell when you read it. So I don’t wanna spoil, and even if it is a bit predictable, let’s just say that when they clear things up I wasn’t surprised, but I still found it very satisfying and well-done.
At least buy me dinner first
This is an enemies to lovers story on steroids as the enemies are forced not only to have sex but bind their souls together. Undoing it is technically possible but not exactly easy or pleasant. The ‘fuck or die’ trope naturally comes with implied consent issues, though I would say both people don’t want Nate to die and are as on board as they can be given the circumstances.
In fact, the sex part is simple. Or should I say totally scorching hot and delicious because it is very damn good smut, a+ steamy scenes. The other parts give them more issues, as they’re suddenly living with a stranger who maybe hates you and they’re forced to get along and work together while sinister forces conspire against them.
There’s a fair bit of angst with their feelings, which I adored, but even if you don’t enjoy angst the main character Nate is full of humor and snark. Such a witty protagonist, he builds the drama one moment then has me cracking up. This was the first novel I read where sprinting through the woods and evading pursuers turns into a piggyback ride, which is honestly a travesty since this scene is delightful as hell. And Nate is lucky he barely has to search for shoes because he can craft the perfect footwear with his powers. It pays to be a witch with magical powers. How do I make this happen?
Cursed, mated, and in for the fight of their lives…
Warlock Nate Hawthorne just wants a cup of coffee. Is that too much to ask? Apparently. Because instead of precious caffeine, all he gets is cursed by a pack of werewolves who want to use him for his magic. Now the only way to fix the damage is a mate bond to a grumpy and oh-so-sexy alpha in the rival pack, who happens to hate him. This is so not how he wanted to start his day.
Ian Armitage never intended to take Nate as his mate. The Hawthorne family can’t be trusted. Ian knows that better than anyone. The fact that he’s lusted after the way-too-gorgeous man for years? Totally irrelevant. Ian’s just doing what is necessary to protect his pack. This whole mating arrangement has nothing to do with love and never will. That’s his story and he’s sticking to it.
Nate and Ian will have to work together if they have any hope of staving off the pack’s enemies and averting disaster. That’s assuming they can stop arguing (and keep their hands off each other) long enough to save the day…
The Alpha’s Warlock is an explicit M/M paranormal romance featuring a snarky warlock, a brooding alpha werewolf, knotting, enchanted socks (long story), and a guaranteed happily ever after. This series does not contain mpreg.
There’s a March M/M giveaway going on right now, so get these free gay romances while you can. They’re all M/M or M/M/M and many appear to have fantasy/sci-fi elements.
About: A witch in a small town runs a psychic parlor. He wants to stay under the radar, which means he shouldn’t fall for the sexy investigator who seems intent on getting his help or seducing him. Hint: it’s both. There may also be zombies.
(Fun fact: ‘psychic’ is a world I’m physically incapable of spelling right. Along with ‘physics.’ I think the two words existing in the same language is what trips me up. I always get confused about what order the ‘y’ and ‘s’ go in and all hell breaks loose when adding the ‘h’ in there somewhere.)
Witchin’ Warlockis a fun, fast read with a little heat. The trouble with shorts like this is if it’s halfway decent, people want more. And I thought it was really cute and interesting. So I would have loved spending more time in this world, and it feels very fast paced because it’s over before you know it.
If you like M/M paranormal romance and novellas, there’s no reason you won’t love this one. Otherwise I’d call it worth checking out for anyone who has Kindle Unlimited. Though it is only .99 cents if you want to buy.
Caspian comes from a long line of witches. Brock is third generation F.B.I. They shouldn’t fit but they do.
A year ago, Caspian moved to a small town in Ohio. He hoped the lack of competition in the area would be good for his psychic business, Futures Untold. The last thing he expected was a sexy F.B.I. agent to show up and treat him like a missing person’s bloodhound. Even though Caspian keeps doing favors for Special Agent Brock Wray, his distrust of authority runs deep. After all, they used to drown witches in this area back in the day, and Caspian has no desire to end up on Brock’s missing persons’ list.
Officially, no one knows how Brock keeps solving so many huge cases. Caspian is Brock’s secret weapon. The man knows things no one should. That’s not why Brock keeps showing up and making excuses to see Caspian. Caspian fascinates Brock. Not only does Brock’s inner detective need to know how Caspian knows so much, but Caspian is also smoking hot. He is the single most gorgeous man to step foot in their tiny town in ages. Brock isn’t dumb. He has to take Caspian off the market as quickly as possible and he’ll use any excuse to get close enough to do it.
When Brock takes Caspian along for the ride on a case, things will get weird. Let’s hope Caspian isn’t forced to show why he’s the most witchin warlock around or Brock might run for the hills.
Ryan Miller may be a science genius, but his relationship skills are put to the test when his boyfriend struggles to ditch his beard and come out of the closet in the coming of age love story One Little Lie. In this scene, Ryan uses his questionable expertise to figure out whether he’s about to go on his first double date. He is contractually obligated to freak out for all big moments like this. The contract is his life.
~
Ryan
“Why aren’t you more worked up? This is our first double date.”
The words first and date so close together made my heart speed up in anxiety. Ryan’s didn’t do well under pressure. Hey, wait. I pointed a finger at Luke. “I see what you’re doing.”
Instead of giving me his clueless, earnest gaze, he smirked. My boyfriend was secretly evil! I’d be upset about it, but it was a little hot.
“Is it working?” he asked hopefully.
“Why do you want me to be a nervous wreck like you?” I asked with a pout.
His smirk only intensified. “You’re fun when you’re a nervous wreck.”
“It’s not going to work,” I said haughtily. I did the teasing to Luke. It didn’t work the other way around!
Evil boyfriend continued to smirk. Had we ever been on a double date before? Oh, mother fu-
Wait! “No, we went to dinner with the girls earlier,” I realized triumphantly. I already defeated my first double date. Or a word less combative.
He frowned for a moment, then shook his head. “No, that doesn’t count.”
“You can’t decide that,” I decided. “Who made you the decider of all things?”
Relationships weren’t dictatorships! They were about give and take. God, I was one of those people who acted like an expert anytime I was in a serious relationship. I hated those people. Except when those people were me. Maybe I really was an expert.
Wait, I totally wouldn’t mind if we had a dick-tatorship…
-This is from One Little Lie, the second sweet and snarky M/M romance in the One More Thing series of contemporary YA novels. Grab the book here as part of the One Crazy Love Story box set, which features the first four books in the One More Thing Series.
Quick Summary: Getting picked up by a rich, sexy British stranger might just be too good to be true for a grad student with minimal magical abilities.
Treasured is a fun, magical heist book featuring a relationship between a sorcerer and shifter. This one is relatively low on angst and danger for the paranormal romance genre, there’s no tragic backstories or traumatic events, which fits with the heist style. It’s an exciting, steamy short read.
Made Up Rating System: 4/5 priceless magical artifacts
About Treasured
The action begins when a magical grad student with nominal abilities meets a sexy stranger at work. Danny can’t believe his luck that a total hottie is into him, even after he nerds out over magical artifacts. Rhys, the charming British hottie, asks him to dinner. And of course, we learn at the beginning that Danny is one of only a few people whose hands can pass through the magical glass safely at the museum where he works because he handles the exhibits.
Yes, the love interest is likely a mysterious thief with unknown shifter powers and motives. It’s not exactly subtle but the book is short so the action moves quickly. The short length may or may not bother you. I think a novella works for the theme and feeling of the book, but it may feel too brief and incomplete if you’re used to longer paranormal novels. This is more the start of a love story and grand adventure than complete in its own right, but the book is enjoyable and there’s a lot of potential for the future.
Finally, while I noted the book was light on angst and life-threatening situations, that doesn’t mean there’s no drama. What starts as a whirlwind romance gets complicated with that age old question: is he really into me or does he just want my museum clearance level?
Yes, that’s totally an age-old question. I ask it all the time.
My thoughts
Seeing the future or reading minds are valuable superpowers, but they come with such hassle and guaranteed TMI. And Danny’s foresight ability only gives him glimpses of like, a second later, so the same insight into the future can be attained by just, you know, waiting a second to see what happens.
Don’t get me wrong, he does have the chance to successfully use his gift throughout the book. It’s just one of those barely-a-power powers, which I admit I do love.
Sort of reminds me of a character I wrote recently, who starts turning invisible. He does the fly on the wall thing and has some fun seeing people behind the scenes and then it’s like… what now? Not terribly useful powers are probably some of the most fun to write and read about.
Book Quote
Treasured by Cari Z
Daniel Hart barely has enough magic to qualify as a student at the University of Arcane Studies. He’s not trying to change the world; all he wants is to study, work his job at the museum, and enjoy his calm, routine life.
Everything changes when he meets Rhys Daveth, a shifter with mysterious connections and even stranger taste, who pursues him with a passion that Daniel has never experienced before.
The chemistry between them is undeniable, but things take a turn for the worse when Daniel is arrested for a crime he didn’t commit–one that he suspects his new lover had a hand in.
Once the truth comes out, Daniel will have to choose between the steady, reliable future he’s always seen for himself and something deeper, more exciting, and far more dangerous than he could have imagined.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. An angel and a regular human walk into an antique and curiosities store that the human owns and bicker over the ownership of a possibly possessed box. Oh, you haven’t heard this before?
Yeah, the premise of Galen feels fresh and intriguing, a unique spin for those looking for new takes on familiar paranormal romance stories.
Rating: 5 out of 5 possibly cursed rings (yikes!)
More than Demon but less than Angel
Angelic beauties who have heavenly origins fight against the forces of hell even though some think they should be damned too. When one of the fiercest warriors meets a hard to forget human, his strength and willpower are put to the ultimate test. Can an immortal angel love a human without it ending in tragedy?
Galen and his brothers are cursed because their fathers were Lucifer’s generals. They were taken early and trained to fight for heaven, though aren’t allowed in heaven. (Which is some BS if you ask me, but celestial leaders do not care what I think.) The brothers are the embodiment of deadly sins. Galen is wrath. Sometimes rage overcomes him and he loses self completely, he almost had to be put down because of it.
After learning the hard way, Galen has sworn to never love a human again. They all grow old and die while he doesn’t, so it’s too painful. Though there may be a way to ensure a bond with the right human doesn’t end in despair, though it involves a big sacrifice…
Fluffier than angel wings
Okay, there’s some angst over the nature of relationships between immortal beings/humans with short lifespans. And Galen has some anger issues. Plus, all the danger, secrets, and intrigue you might expect from matters of heaven and hell.
Yet somehow this novel is incredibly sweet, gooey and adorable. Sweeter than it has any right to be considering one part of the main couple is the embodiment of wrath and fighting his feelings every step of the way. Not that I’m complaining about any of this. Does it sound like I’m complaining? A little maybe. Let the record show: not complaining. It’s not the love story I was expecting, but the sweet human and his unshakeable connection with Galen balanced out the darker parts and it was very easy to get absorbed in this world.
While the romance at the core of the story is very sweet with lots of smut, there’s also a lot of action and adventure. Traveling to hell, epic sword fights, a lesson in demon cooking, all very exciting stuff.
A wild ride
The story is engaging also because of the vivid details the author uses. Osborn really makes everything come to life and the scene plays itself out in front of you.
Blame my ADHD brain, but I do get confused between the brothers. There are seven of them! Just make extra note of who is who at the beginning. Fortunately, they’ll probably become more familiar if you read the whole series.
Simon just wants to run his antique shop in peace. But then he finds a small mysterious box that’s (probably) haunted, and his shop is broken into by the hottest man he’s ever seen who then steals said creepy box. Now demons are after him and his only hope is to trust the tall, muscled, combat-boot-wearing thief who claims to be the son of a fallen angel.
Galen is charged with protecting humanity from dark forces. Cursed with Wrath, he’s hot-tempered and spends his days fighting demons and trying not to kill his six brothers when they irritate him. His number one rule? Never fall in love. But then he meets Simon, a clumsy human who asks way too many questions and is—unfortunately—a total demon-magnet, and he starts breaking his own rules.
What’s inside the box, and why do the demons want it so badly? One thing is for sure… Simon can kiss his peaceful, ordinary life goodbye.
Book 1 in the Sons of the Fallen series. A low-angst urban fantasy MM romance featuring a grumpy half-angel and the human he swears he doesn’t like (he’s lying), seven warriors representing the deadly sins, a seaside mansion where they all live, banter, a snarky demon, and a HEA.
Gay Paranormal Romance 