Introduction

Wake is a new novel from Anyta Sunday, and fans of her work will be enthralled with her latest story. Readers follow characters who fight their way to the surface, finding their way out of their own grief, coming together to find love and a found family as they surface. This story is deep and meaningful, and readers will empathize with the characters’ journeys because, in the end, we all experience grief in our lives. 

Blurb

Waves

Dylan’s anchor line was cut a long time ago. His life can be packed up and moved on at a moment’s notice. But when the one thing he holds on to—his beloved improv studio—starts to go under, he knows he needs to find safe harbour.

One year. Room and board.

All Dylan has to do is pretend to be someone he isn’t. Play a role that matters far more than it should.

Currents

A charged glance with a stranger outside a Wellington theatre.

A pull he can’t explain, leaving him breathless and disoriented.

Trent is intense, private, and grieving something he refuses to define.

Living together drags and lifts in equal measure. Secrets that feel dangerous. Late nights where thoughts sink too deep. Shared meals, a silly chicken, a riotous grandpa.

A slow, intimate pull towards shore.

Undertow

But grief can drag you out too deep.

Dylan finds himself caught between truth and tenderness, between who he’s pretending to be and who he might finally become. When the past surfaces, they must face what they’ve each been running from . . . and the love they could have if they stop.

~ ~ ~wake is an intimate, slow-burn gay romance about grief, found family, and the courage to stay anchored when the sea keeps pulling you away.

It’s a story of emotional healing and quiet devotion, of two men learning that love doesn’t rescue you from the storm. It teaches you how to stand in it.

Perfect for readers who like:

• forced proximity
• grief-to-healing romance
• emotionally restrained slow burn
• found family warmth
• mature, literary contemporary love stories

Wow, just wow! 

Every now and then, a book really blows me away with the feelings it brings to the surface. Wake is such a book. Much of the figurative language in the story revolves around the ocean, in fact, exploring its volatility, isolation, and renewability, and the human reaction of fear, of looking out onto the vast horizon and fearing what one does not know and cannot see. The ocean is used as a metaphor for both main characters’ deep grief. Wake is used as a double entendre. The first meaning evokes images of coming to the surface, as if waking from a long slumber. The second meaning is found in life’s uncertainties and how events will rock you in their unavoidable wake. 

Anyta Sunday Fangirl

I love Anyta Sunday’s writing style and storytelling. You could even call me a Sunday fangirl, of sorts, so I am pleased that Wake lived up to my internal hype for getting my hands on this book early to provide an ARC review. I come to you, dear readers, with another Sunday success. This story is one you will want to read as soon as it releases on April 7th.

Plot 

Wake follows Dylan and Trent, a whole cast of lively characters that includes an ornery chicken, an ailing but still quick grandfather and his senior daycamp friends, and, most importantly, the spectre of loss: namely, Trent’s dead brother and Dylan’s dead sister. Trent hires Dylan, a struggling actor, to impersonate his dead brother for a year as his grandfather’s health and memory decline. The grandfather has been given a year, and Trent wants his last year to be full of joy and smiles. He’s lied for years, sending postcards home, so his grandfather thinks the brother is just traveling. While Dylan has reservations about this sort of deception, he wants to keep his improv studio open and takes the job. 

Heat 

The obvious tension between the two characters has to be ignored as they share a room, get to know one another, and Dylan finds himself falling not just for Trent but for the whole family. Grandfather is funny, quick on good days, and Dylan finds in their small house a home he has not been allowed to have for years. Dylan has his own grief, his own loss that he carries with him and hides away, and he and Trent are inexorably drawn together. 

Characters

Trent

Trent’s character is complex, a study in reservation and holding back one’s true desires in the name of the greater good. What is better for Grandfather, in the end, is for Trent to be happy, for Trent to find happiness, because Grandfather knows his time is finite. And maybe the whole façade Trent puts on isn’t so much for Grandfather as it is for him. 

Trent acknowledges his attraction for Dylan in such a refreshing, plain-faced way that the reader’s heart breaks when his next line is that nothing can be done to explore it. The smoldering feelings between them have to be ignored for Grandfather. But things reach a breaking point, and eventually those feelings cannot be ignored anymore. 

Dylan

Dylan is flighty, running from his feelings before he can help himself. He’s been rejected, hurt in such a deep way that he avoids his feelings with a determination that is fed by panic and pain. Trent gets him to slow down, to acknowledge feelings he’s avoided for years, and it’s only when he finally breaks that he can surface from his own grief.

Themes

Wake navigates through heavy themes in a way that makes the reader feel as if they are at sea with the characters, fighting our way to the surface and being battered by the wake of life. 

Grief and Healing 

The imagery of grief, feeling like life is passing by while you’re stuck underwater, weaves its way through this book like the currents that batter against the New Zealand coastline. How one finds the surface, works their way through grief that feels like it will never go away or get better, how life goes on and finds a new way, all play into the overall themes in Wake. The setting, the characters, and lines of dialogue all play into the imagery to craft a full picture in a way that’s subtle, artistic and beautiful as much as it progresses the storyline. 

Truth will find a way, love will find a way

Also weaving its way through Wake’s pages is that the truth will find a way to be revealed. No matter what picture Trent wants to paint of who Mikael would be had he survived, Dylan’s self finds ways to push to the surface. Grandfather’s memory might be failing, but that doesn’t matter with how he feels about Mikael and Trent, and how Dylan shakes things up enough for him to pick up on the differences. 

Found Family

Dylan, rejected by his family, finds a new family with his friends at his acting studio. And then he finds another family with Grandfather and the zany cast of daycamp seniors, always getting into some sort of mischief and having fun. Trent has been keeping up a façade of family for years, but having Dylan around changes things, so he learns to let people in and feel like he’s part of the scene, which is more important than a fake image of what a family would have been. Both Trent and Dylan learn that the definition of a family isn’t who one’s genetics are, or how family is supposed to be. Family is who makes you feel as if you belong. 

Recommendation

This book has a lot of depth that readers of MM romance will appreciate. There’s steam and spice, but the greater story is much more impactful. You will root for these characters, cry with them, yearn with them. I highly recommend this book. It’s out as of April 7th, so get it now! 

Review Paragraph

I received a free copy of this book via BookSirens and am voluntarily leaving a review. I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel read my review policy and submit a contact form.

The post Found Family Romance Review: Wake appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars | Goodreads | Amazon | Genres: M M Romance, Novella, Romance,
Friends To Lovers, Celebrity, Music, Contemporary Romance 

Introduction

Jax Calder’s new novella, It Started with a Text, the second in the Queer Ways to Fall in Love series, is simply perfect. I loved the first installment, Moderating Love, and snatched up the opportunity to review the second book as soon as I saw it. The first novella is the introduction to the new universe, and this is the first official title of the series.

Calder’s writing is well-paced, perfectly succinct. The yearning and longing jump right off the page. I have read almost all of Jax Calder’s published works, so consider me a fan in general. But even if this were the first time reading anything by Calder, I would love this book just as much.  

Blurb. 

Nick:

Okay, so making a viral video mocking my celebrity crush’s pretentious apartment tour isn’t exactly a strategy for finding love.

But when some random guy slides into my DMs claiming to be Anthony Devine—Grammy Award-winning pop star, LGBTQ+ icon, and owner of cheekbones that should be illegal—I assume he’s a forty-five-year-old catfish living in his mom’s basement.

However, we start chatting, and it’s the most real conversation I’ve had in ages. One month and approximately five thousand messages later, AntD has become my favorite person to talk to. He sends me funny memes, asks about my assignments, and actually listens when I rant about my cheating ex. And him insisting he really is Anthony Devine has become our running joke.

Hilarious, right?

I need to stop catching feelings for a guy whose real name I don’t even know, but meeting AntD would mean risking everything we’ve built.

What if he’s not who he says he is?

What if he is?

It Started with a Text is a swoony MM novella about finding real connection in the digital age, featuring a broke college student with too many posters on his wall and the one catfish who might actually be the real deal.

It Started with a Text

This book has everything. Mistaken identity, text message conversations with people who just click, goofy grinning at a phone until friends complain about it, and one hell of a reveal. Massively impressive that so many plot twists and turns are all done in a novella-length story! That’s so much harder to do than non-writer people understand! 

Nick, a college student and huge fan of singer Anthony Devine, satirizes a tour of Devine’s house with a quickly filmed video tour of his broke college student apartment. The video goes viral enough to hit Devine’s publicist/keeper’s feeds, and she shows the singer. Devine, lonely and isolated in his fame, reaches out to Nick using a private account .aThey hit it off in a way that is different for both of them. Anthony is easy to talk to, and he gets Nick’s humor. The two just click into each other’s lives so easily that soon enough they are trading messages until 2 in the morning and can’t stop thinking about one another.  

Mistaken Identity MM Romance – Trope Perfection

One snag, though. Nick does not believe for one minute that the person who messages him is really the singer he is a massive fan of. Who would? 

This “sure, Jan.” perspective is just what the two need, because it allows their relationship to grow organically. The mistaken identity trope is perfectly played here. If Nick knew it was Anthony from the start, Anthony would always wonder if Nick was just gaga over him because he was a fan before they met. And there would be a power imbalance. Nick would feel out of his depth dating a celebrity he idolizes and has the posters to prove it. Devine’s mistaken identity is needed for them to be on the same level. Because Nick thinks Anthony is just a rando, the relationship that develops between them has a solid foundation of Yoda memes and debates over the superior cake flavor. 

Hey, I Didn’t Ask for a Red Velvet Cake Recipe

But you’re getting one. This is a complete aside from the book review, sure. But I cannot help myself. Red Velvet cake, Anthony Devine, is not a chocolate cake in disguise! It’s a buttermilk cake with a touch of cocoa powder. This recipe is hands down delish. Modern cheapo cakes might just be chocolate with red food color, but that’s just devil’s food cake. Real Red Velvet is a thing of absolute beauty, and I’m sorry, but Nick wins this debate hands down.

The Mask Comes Off

People are just people, and this is the theme that sticks with me from this book. Anthony has discovered that the downside of fame is that people expect him to be a celebrity all the time. His muse has disappeared because of that. Messaging Nick becomes the refreshing change he needed. He needed someone to see him without the façade of fame. The anonymous messages and a disbelieving recipient mean that Anthony can be his true self, and that’s who Nick falls for. That’s the richness in this story that its length belies. The Anthony in the final epilogue is someone who can be who he is more confidently than before, and this growth and grounding give this story more impact than a quick meet-cute story of mistaken identity.

Recommendation

This is a great series, and I can’t wait to read more. I think I’ll go reread the first book now. Read this if you’re a fan of cute stories with hidden depth, love stories about queer joy and finding one’s true self in the most unlikely of ways. 

Last Thought

One last thing. This website, introduced in the spectacular Moderating Love. I want this website to be a real thing. Please!? I want to read Queer love stories and meet-cutes. I love it so much.

Review Paragraph

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel read my review policy and submit a contact form.

The post Mistaken Identity MM Romance Review: appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

Introduction

Embers of Winter, Kat Sinclair’s forthcoming novel, explores themes of hurt/comfort, parent loss, opioid addiction, childhood sexual abuse, trauma, and ptsd. The story pairs an unlikely alpha and an even more unlikely omega thrust into close quarters when the blizzard of the century blasts through the rural mountain town where Wren grew up and where Russel runs the general store.

Blurb

Wren considers himself little more than a wreck of a man. His life has been a colossal mess for as long as he can remember, and in the past two months, he’s caught his boyfriend cheating with another alpha, relapsed, and then found out about his estranged mother’s death. While he should feel relieved that the monster who ruined his life is dead, her shadow lingers in the form of the childhood home he inherited. Wren is forced to return to the remote mountain town he escaped as a teenager and go through her belongings, unsure if this experience will transform or break him completely.

Russell is content with his slow, quiet life as the owner of a general store high up on the mountain. After returning from the army, he’s accepted that his life is going to be simple and insignificant, the same as people have always described him. But the gentle giant realizes he may not be as content with solitude as he thought when a blizzard traps a troubled city alpha in his store, and changes both their lives forever.

Embers of Winter is a non-shifter, M/M omegaverse standalone romance novel set in Kat Sinclair’s venusverse. It’s an angsty story featuring explicit adult scenes, mentions of parental abuse and other serious topics that might trigger certain readers. A complete list of CWs can be found at the beginning of the book or (most detailed) on the author’s website.

282 pages, Kindle Edition | Expected publication March 3, 2026
Genres: omegaverse/venusverse, hurt/comfort, angst, only one bed, forced proximity

Weighty Themes

Embers of Winter’s weighty themes have the potential to weigh it down, but Sinclair masterfully maintains an atmosphere of hope and healing throughout the story. Each piece of the characters’ backstories is revealed deliberately, enhancing the reader’s understanding of their perspectives and responses to events. Embers of Winter is an alpha/omega story, but the other explored themes enrich it and take it beyond the typical a/b/o tropes into something different and ultimately better.

Characters

Russel didn’t grow up with Wren, even though the general store he runs is literally down the hill from Wren’s childhood home. He has his own traumatic past, but is an even-keel guy. He runs the general store and takes care of his disabled aunt, acting as a caretaker of sorts to all the rural mountain folk who rely on his store. 

Wren is a damaged character. Abuse and addiction leave him with emotional scars that he struggles to overcome. His mother sexually abused him, making his childhood memories fraught with landmines to shatter his mental stability at any given moment. When his mother passes away, Wren must handle her estate. He wrestles with the need for closure, battered against all the horrible memories, the trauma, the anger and bitterness, and the emotional turmoil that he gets lost in just thinking of the woman. 

Finding Inner Strength

His journey is ultimately one of finding his inner strength, so he pushes through the hurricane of emotions to clean out her house to get it ready to sell. Against his friend’s wishes, he heads out of the unnamed city he escaped to and returns deep into the rural mountains where he grew up. Back into the emotional frying pan. Because even though she is dead and gone, Wren’s damaged soul remains, and he’s done more hiding than healing since he escaped.  

Tropey Goodness

An untimely snowstorm and an attempted escape on Wren’s part land the two characters sheltering in place in Russel’s home above the general store. The close quarters triggers Russel’s heat, and Wren helps him through it. 

Glows

This story is much more than a typical alpha/omega story, even though there are the requisite elements: heat and rut cycles, alpha posturing, omega caretaking, only one bed, etc. But the story grows beyond those tropes into something much deeper through its explorations of abuse, addiction, and non-traditional subgender presentations. I ended up liking it more because of its added nuances, but it would have been a good story with just the tropey alpha/omega story elements one expects when reading this sort of story. 

Grows

I find that many readers of omegaverse draw the line at mpreg, so I want to be transparent about there being a pregnancy. The story does feature mpreg at the end, and it is an unexpected mpreg at that. It doesn’t surprise the reader with this plot element, but the surprise pregnancy is a trope I don’t often read, since I generally read MM romances. The story moves through it well, and many readers might not have the issues I have with this part of the story. 

Characters Develop

Wren and Russel’s characters bloom beautifully through the story. I enjoyed that readers part ways with characters who are no longer hiding from their past trauma, but living life together in a healthy way, moving out of the shadows of the past and into a hopeful future together. 

Recommendation

I recommend this book; it steps beyond traditional omegaverse tropes and explores themes that one doesn’t usually see dealt with in a solid way in MM romance. Mind the triggers, as there are parts that will be difficult to read, but overall, this is a very strong story. 

Reviews

I received a free copy of this book via BookSirens and am voluntarily leaving a review. I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel read my review policy and submit a contact form.

The post MM Romance Review: Embers of Winter appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars Goodreads | Amazon | Genres: Fantasy, mm fantasy romance books, historical romance

Introduction

The Squire and His Prince by Briar Niran, a prequel novella to the upcoming The Sun King and his Knight quartet, sets up an intriguing world and an interesting take on the historical fantasy romance genre. While the world-building was sufficient for the prequel, I am excited for the next installments to fill in some much-needed complexity to the situation. 

Blurb

For eighteen-year-old squire Kaelen, the crown prince is everything—ruthlessly clever, disciplined, devoted to his siblings, and a man Kaelen has hopelessly loved since childhood.

Richard, however, barely notices his existence.

When the king invites the Estaran royal family for marriage talks, the court rejoices. Richard’s refusal to share his bed with any man or woman has, to them, long been a strange defect—one that a political marriage would solve. But Kaelen is left heartbroken.

Worse, when the Estaran prince—Richard’s intended consort—boasts his crude intentions, Kaelen retaliates with his fist.

The single punch explodes into a diplomatic crisis. Caught in the middle, Kaelen soon realises that worse than losing his life—

he may lose his prince.

138 pages, Paperback
Published December 30, 2025

Plot

Worldbuilding is this prequel’s main task. The reader is introduced to the kingdom, major players, and dynamics, and the main conflict of the series is hinted at by the end of the prequel. 

In this book, the major conflict surrounds a foreign envoy from a neighboring kingdom and the problems they bring. Ostensibly there for marriage arrangements, Kaelen’s heart and Richard’s honor are on the line. When the rival prince wrongs various people and talks poorly about Richard, Kaelen jumps in to defend Richard’s honor, ultimately putting himself and the kingdom’s international relations in peril.

Readers are introduced to all important characters in the Prince’s immediate family: the brother who is close in age to Kaelen, the younger siblings, Kaelen’s parents, who are close friends with the King and Queen, and, of course, the King and the Queen themselves. 

Themes

In this first installment, major themes examined are devotion, longing, and fulfilling one’s duty.

Kaelen is not so secretly smitten with the crown prince, but is mostly ignored by him. He longs for him from afar, as he is better friends with the prince’s siblings than Richard himself. 

Compelled to find a partner, Richard agrees to meet with the other kingdoms’ royal children to see if he could be a match for either of them. But as we learn, this will be a duty Richard fulfills out of obligation, not for any real desire to form a partnership. 

Characters

Kaelen 

Kaelen is eighteen years old. He trains as a squire under Sir Joffrey, a demanding master to the young squires. Side question: Is it still too soon to include this name in any fantasy setting?. Kaelen famously asked for Richard’s hand in marriage at the small age of five, and has been in love with the crown prince ever since. 

Honor

Kaelen’s tasks at the castle are menial when he is not training for battle with other young squires. He takes linens to various places and does chores. So he’s often around when other things are happening. He witnesses a foreign prince being horrible to a servant and speaking poorly of Richard and acts brashly, putting himself and the whole kingdom’s international relations at risk. In so many words, he acts his age. 

Age Gap

The age gap between the two love interests is 10 years, which seems larger given that Kaelen is only 18. The difference between an 18-year-old and a 28-year-old is vast. Were they 28 and 38, for example, I don’t think this would be as striking a difference. As it is in this book, Kaelen acts as immaturely as one would expect an 18-year-old to act, and I can’t imagine the crown prince romantically thinking about Kaelen. Which, speaking of, it might not just be because of the age gap.

Prince Richard

The crown prince is described as serious, clever, and protective of his unruly siblings. His seriousness serves the kingdom well, as he will be ruler one day, and sooner than later if his mother’s visions are true. His siblings are important to him, but they run amok more than toe the royal line. 

Asexuality 

The most important aspect the reader is introduced to in this prequel novel is that Richard is likely asexual or aromantic. The court revels in rumors and speculation around Richard’s lack of romantic partners or dalliances. 

So while the two characters’ age gap alone causes me to ponder the veracity of a romance between the two leads, the more complex characterizations being set up in this first prequel will cause the two MCs to have an even more difficult path towards eventually finding love with one another. 

Maybe Richard is demisexual and needs to get to know Kaelen better. One might presume that the quartet of books will take place over several years, and their relationship can develop over time. 

Glows

Writing Style

I enjoyed the writing style and immersive world-building in this prequel. While this was a brief novella, look forward to the world being fleshed out in the next installments of the MM fantasy romance books. I appreciated that the author did not bog the story down with massive amounts of world-building. The stage was set with just enough detail for the reader grasp the goings on. I am sure more will be divulged as the series progresses. 

No Homophobia

I love reading about worlds where the concept of homophobia just doesn’t seem to exist. I find great escapism in these sorts of stories. This world is one such world, and I loved seeing how the discussion about the prince needing a partner did not revolve around one gender or another. Ultimately, though, what matters is that the prince ends up with someone, so he doesn’t rule alone. It makes me wonder how the concept of the asexuality spectrum will be handled in a world where homophobia doesn’t seem to exist.

Grows

Age Gap

I’ll circle back to the age gap between the characters. While this book contains very little spice, and it’s only in the form of a fantasy or dream, the age gap is hard to believe at 18/28. I think the quartet of mm fantasy romance books will take us from their young age until they are much older, though, so the age gap becomes increasingly irrelevant as they age. 

Recommendation

I think this will be a fun mm fantasy romance quartet, and it’s my pleasure to recommend this to fans of MM romance, especially the fantasy genre.

Review

I received a free copy of this book via BookSirens and am voluntarily leaving a review. I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel read my review policy and submit a contact form.

The post MM Fantasy Romance Books Review: appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars Goodreads | Amazon | Bookbub | Genres: cozy romance book, cozy MM romance

Introduction

Kind by Hannah Leigh is a cozy romance book where two flawed and real characters come together in a refreshing and realistic romance that subtly takes on complex issues with a well-rounded brush, creating both a nuanced narrative and fully developed characters who have motivations that extend beyond just getting together with a love interest and having a happily ever after. Because of this, I found Kind to be more than just a run-of-the-mill MM romance. It’s a character study and would be well-categorized as LGBTQ fiction. It does have spice, but it’s a rare gem in the MM romance genre because it focuses on whole characters, and the plot isn’t fully centered on the development of a romance.  

Blurb 

A recovering workaholic and a recovering jerk find love at a community volunteer group.

Drew’s life needs to change. He knows he’s a workaholic—he worked so hard that he literally ended up in the hospital. Now he’s recovering, but he doesn’t know how to fix things. What is this relaxing that everyone always talks about?

He’ll try joining a volunteer group. That’s not work, right? So it doesn’t count.

Ellis has been a jerk for his entire life—until he finally lost enough friends to wake him up. He’s turned over a new leaf, but he barely knows how to be a person, let alone a good one. How do you be kind without being fake?

He’ll try joining a volunteer group. That’s what good people do, right?

Kind: A Romance Where Nothing Bad Happens is the story of a recovering workaholic and a recovering jerk who find love at a community volunteer group. It has NO crises, NO breakups, and NO long dark nights of the soul—just a slow climb out of misery and into happiness.

Overall Impressions

Hannah Leigh releases her debut novel with Kind. I wasn’t sure what the blurb was getting at when it branded Kind as a cozy romance book where nothing bad happens. But that’s what the reader gets, and with everything *gestures vaguely* being like it is, I think readers really, really need to find some joy in the world right now. I was very happy to immerse myself in a world where characters work to better their community and work on themselves. Characters have complex lives, motivations, and perspectives. I think I needed to read this book this week for my own sanity. 

The main characters, Drew and Ellis, feel real, like they could be people you know. The book’s setting is also super believable and real. Overall, Kind knocks it completely out of the park. Kind impressed me very much, and I enjoyed getting to know the characters in the novel. 

Flawed Characters are Good Characters

One thing I enjoyed was that Drew and Ellis are flawed. Kind, branded as a cozy romance book, is not set in a world where nothing is wrong. Kind’s world is realistic, the real world. But nothing huge and dramatical happens. In Kind, characters are self-aware. They recognize shortcomings and are working on themselves. Sometimes they fail. Sometimes they gripe about their shortcomings and want to give up, just go back to what they’re used to. 

Drew and Ellis don’t even like each other much at first, like at all. The development of their friendship and then how it blossoms into more is so real and human. It’s not over-the-top romance, but at the same time, it is so romantic. 

Drew

Drew is a workaholic who, while recovering from a serious accident, realizes that he needs to learn how step away from work at the end of the day, at a normal time. He also needs to learn to enjoy himself. Drew reads as a little neurodivergent, like he is hyper-focused on his career. He seems like he’s been fixated on finding success from a young age and never developing the muscles for activities that don’t directly contribute to developing his future successes. 

I can see this over-fixation on serious things tracing back to his youth. Drew was likely the kid who focused on academics to the detriment of his social life throughout secondary and post-secondary school. 

Too Much Work and No Play…

In the end, though, what does that get him? A disaster, that’s what. His workaholic ways nearly cost him everything. A bad car accident after he nods off at the wheel is the wake-up call he needs. His injuries were severe enough to have him in PT months later. Frustrated, pulled down by chronic pain, his recuperation progresses more slowly than he’d like. 

Resonated with Me

His frustration resonated strongly with me, as I broke my ankle last January. I had surgery, did months of PT, and have struggled with the rate of my recovery. Chronic pain also plagued me, just like Drew. 

My recovery journey is ongoing, and I felt like I walked next to Drew with every step he struggled with, every step he took, every time he realized he couldn’t finish his walk without a lot of pain. So yeah, Drew’s story meshed with my recent struggles in a way that I just felt his struggle. 

Change is Hard

While Drew recognizes that he has to change this about himself so he doesn’t repeat his nearly fatal mistake, he doesn’t know how to make those changes. Plus, his job demands the crazy hours that led to his accident in the first place; it wasn’t all his fault. Eventually, he forces himself to make big changes to have a healthier work-life balance. 

Volunteering: A lot like work

One outlet is a community volunteer group that Drew joined recently. His responsibilities include planning and organizing the summer community BBQ. That definitely seems like a lot of work, and I really love how he thinks planning this will be just like delegating and planning projects at work.

He starts by transferring some of his workaholic habits onto his volunteerism hours, but it’s a start. Ellis joins the group and is quickly assigned to help Drew out on his BBQ party. Drew learns he cannot treat working on a volunteer project like his projects at work. This actually calls for people skills.  

People Skills

Drew sucks at people skills. Drew is pretty terrible at being anything but a worker-bee architect. While he comes off as unfriendly at first, he seems real. Someone who works like he does 80+ hour weeks wouldn’t be bubbly and friendly, especially if this work ethic stems from a lifetime of overachievement and an overemphasis on work as his main identity.

Ellis

Ellis is our second main character. He leads Drew to realize that working on a volunteer project isn’t like big projects at work. Ellis joins the volunteer group, unsure, out of his depth, and overwhelmed. But he’s there, working through his discomfort, and joins Drew in organizing the BBQ. He stands up for himself by telling Drew off for being a jerk to him. And Drew is a jerk to him, at first. Drew doesn’t like him at first. There’s no spark of attraction at all. To find this in a romance novel is honestly such a refreshing thing, which sounds funny to write, but it was. 

Perfectly Flawed

Ellis is a wonderfully flawed character. A recovering Internet troll, stuck living with a toxic ex, also an Internet troll, he has a change of heart and works to change who he is, how he deals with the world, and start over from a seven-year relationship with the toxic ex. Ellis doesn’t believe he can change, but he is changing. 

Therapy Helps

Therapy guides Ellis to try out new approaches to human interactions. Over the last few months, he has implemented new behaviors and seen results. He remains deeply insecure, though, worried that his newfound skills are just a facade, that they are a mask that at any moment could take off and reveal that he’s still that horrible person underneath. Ellis’s worrying about that shows the reader that Ellis has changed. The Ellis readers meet is not Internet troll Ellis. Ellis makes me believe it is possible that an Internet troll could see the error of his ways and do an about-face. 

Escape to a Meeting

A fight with his ex leads him to the volunteer meeting. He agrees to help Drew with the BBQ, much to Drew’s displeasure. They start adversarial, mostly because Drew is being an ass to Ellis. But because of Ellis’s history, he stands up for himself and essentially says hey asshole, back off. It works, and is just the push Drew needs to really analyze himself and how he moves through the world. They counter one another well even before they like each other, truthfully.

Slow Steps to Friendship

In slow, baby steps, Drew and Ellis become friendly. They help each other move. Ellis offers Drew advice on how to unwind and relax. He gives him advice on how to engage in small talk. Ellis is offering Drew lessons on how to be a functional three-dimensional human. From the outside perspective, it reads a bit like the blind leading the blind. But for both of these characters, it just works. Ellis’s advice to fake it till you make it is about as human and real as it gets. 

By the end of the story, we have two characters who really, truly grow as people, not just as a part of a relationship. 

Full Characters 

That’s the true heart of this cozy romance book: the characters feel real. Drew and Ellis exist in their world, they are not one-sided tropes. Being gay isn’t Drew’s whole identity. Nor is being Chinese. Being a nerd isn’t all Ellis is. They are written as full characters who have flaws and motivations beyond those tent poles of their personalities. So often, for the sake of a concise romance story, characters are not fully fleshed out like this. 

Kind could be a case study; it is such a good take on the characterization of romance characters. Other cozy romance books take note, this is how you develop characters.

Character Nuance

Culturally, I enjoyed that Drew being Chinese-American did not play into the why of him being an over-worker. The author avoids leaning too heavily on stereotypes. Drew is a workaholic. He’s also Chinese-American. But correlation is not causation. 

That being said, neither was his ethnic identity brushed over. He is Chinese-American. This is not treated as his entire identity any more than his being gay is. Drew seems like a real person. His family seems like a real family. I would love to play Xiangqi with his father and get advice from Yeye. 

Ellis, characterized as an internet troll and an unapologetic nerd, is also characterized in a way that I really appreciate. We have all met an Internet troll, be it virtually or in real life. This part of his personality feels deeply authentic. 

Ellis is entrenched in nerd culture, loves making video game references, and watching anime. But that isn’t his whole identity. His thoughts and feelings exist on their own, outside of the checkboxes of his archetypes. The problems he has and the things he wants to work on and change about himself, have very little to do with his interests or his sexual identity. I can’t exactly express how refreshing that was to read. 

Recommend or No?

Strong recommend here, this cozy romance book is a keeper! 

Review Paragraph

I received a free copy of this book via BookSirens and am voluntarily leaving a review. I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel read my review policy and submit a contact form.

An Aside:

I’ve been absent, sorry.

The post Cozy Romance Book Review appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

Introduction

The Male Luna by Vanna Bay is an omegaverse MM romance, but it’s different from other omegaverse stories I have read. The Alpha’s mate is called Luna. 

In this story, Brayden has just moved to Rocky Falls with his siblings, whom he has custody of after his mother’s death. They are in dire straits, destitute and desperate for a new start. He is the fated mate of the resident Alpha, but unaware of his lineage or status, and deeply confused about everyone in town’s strange reactions to him. 

Blurb

Normal was the goal. Fate brought fur and a punchline.

Brayden’s life is a chaotic mess with the appearance of a broodingly possessive Alpha Damien and one ridiculously inconvenient mate bond later. Lukewarm coffee is out and ancient pack laws are in. Brayden is having none of it, determined to resist this unwanted destiny with a full-scale sarcastic rebellion against this supernatural nonsense.

Prepare for a darkly funny rom-com that gleefully claws its way out of the werewolf genre box. While Damien’s possessiveness howls ‘fated mate’, Brayden’s inner monologue is a laugh-out-loud revolt against any predetermined bond.

His wit is sharp. His mate’s teeth are sharper. Who bleeds first in this untamed romance?

340 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication June 3, 2025
Genres: Omegaverse, Fated Mates, Enemies to Lovers

Overall Impression

The Male Luna offers a story with characters who are flawed and real, who wear their emotions on their sleeves. The depth of world-building speaks to the author’s attention to detail and the nuances of their imagination. The world is complex, with a social hierarchy that becomes clearer as one reads. Descriptions are rich and allow the reader to immerse themselves in the world. However, the story struggles with pacing, characterization issues, clarity, and copyediting issues. 

Thanks for the Contact

I read The Male Luna after the author, Vanna Bay, reached out to me on my site, and I am happy to provide my review. The opinions in this review are my own. 

Plot Overview

After his mother’s death, the duty of caring for his five siblings fell to nineteen-year-old Brayden. Brayden, who is barely old enough to take care of himself, let alone a whole brood of children, has uprooted the family and moved to Rocky Falls for a new job, an unspecified position in the local hospital. They move into a dilapidated trailer on the outskirts of town. 

Ill-Behaved Children

Brayden’s hope for a fresh start immediately derails, however, due to his brothers and sisters being unable to behave themselves in a grocery store. His older siblings, a 15-year-old and a 12-year-old, don’t help him keep control of the younger children at all, for some reason, and only add to his burden. It all comes crashing down when one of the twins spills a drink on another patron. 

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

Enter Damien, the other MMC in this story, who, in a completely unhinged moment, almost immediately physically assaults Brayden. And he gets off scot free because he’s the town’s mayor. (Read: he’s the alpha.) 

I do want to note that later in the story, Brayden physically assaults Damien, also, so if physical abuse is a trigger, there may be some behaviors that you find problematic. But as presented, a fully grown man assaults a teenager over a spilled drink. To put it mildly, it’s a bad first impression. 

Clear Communication? Don’t Know Her

Everyone in town else knows that Damien’s erratic behavior is due to Brayden being his fated mate. Some communication would alleviate so many issues. Confusingly, no one bothers to tell Brayden what’s going on until 64% of the way through the story. There are so many opportunities for someone to sit Brayden down and clearly tell him what’s going on. In fact, readers would benefit from this vicariously through Brayden learning about what’s up. 

Key Themes

Power and Social Hierarchy

Society in Rocky Falls is different from the real world. Alphas are dominant, betas are their administrative assistants, and omegas or lunas are submissive or vulnerable. Brayden rejects this stark power imbalance. Mostly because he doesn’t know about it until he’s trapped by it.

Consenting in Relationships 

And this is key. Brayden doesn’t know what is going on until it’s too late. This reality reveals what is likely the most problematic aspect of this scenario. Brayden cannot consent to any relationship with Damien because the power balance is already present. His choice will always be made under duress. 

Long-Reaching Effects of Trauma  

Brayden is traumatized as hell. He was groomed by his mother to be a sex worker and uses sex as a tool. He has compartmentalized his trauma to the point that he cannot sense his werewolf side. His trauma means he’s reactive, he’s emotionally stunted, and he can barely hang on. The traumatized child (let’s face it, 19 is still a child) cannot possibly comprehend that he is the fated mate of a werewolf. Yet he’s forced to. And things are rough. 

Sacrifice For the Greater Good

Brayden does not want to be Damien’s mate. For most of the novel, Brayden hates Damien. For good reason. He fights violently against the role he’s been forced into. He almost makes it. Damien’s packmates, however, force the situation. Because, as Damien’s mother says, “Damien’s position as Alpha meant that there would have been wider consequences for the entire pack.” 

Compromise for the Greater Good

Brayden struggles with the compromises he must make in this world. Especially because he’s in the dark about things for so long, he feels backed into a corner. He cannot make a choice freely; the ability to consent willingly was taken from him. 

However, after Damien’s impulsive actions, they have a biological imperative that must be fulfilled for both their sakes. And also the pack as a whole. This conflict is one that the characters are not emotionally mature enough to grapple with. I mean, sure, Brayden is too young to approach much of his life rationally. He’s 19. Damien, while older, is also emotionally immature. Both characters struggle to communicate their needs in a way that makes compromise possible.

Characters

Brayden

Brayden is trauma wrapped up in a person. His mother was a sex worker. And hey, there’s nothing wrong with doing sex work. As long as the person doing it enthusiastically consents. Well, Brayden was groomed into doing sex work from a too-young age by his mother, who later died. 

Maladjusted

Beyond being exceptionally problematic, this familial abuse, abject poverty, and lots of mouths to feed is the equation for Brayden to be a completely maladjusted young person. He’s only nineteen, his brain not finished maturing, and ooh buddy does he have some convoluted values about sex. He sees it as a tool, and is quick to use sexual behavior to get what he wants, even if what he wants is NOT sex.

Dissociated

Brayden is emotionally dissociated to the point that he cannot tap into something that should be innate to him: his half-werewolf side. Things to a werewolf shifter should be instinctive, based on centuries of genetics. But Brayden has severed his brain’s access to emotions and instinct, and his bewilderment about the town’s entire population’s strange behavior could have been avoided.

If Brayden had not come to Rocky Falls with such deep emotional trauma, this novel would be more of a run-of-the-mill omegaverse story. The fact is, though, that Brayden is flawed. As such, it sets The Male Luna apart from the rest and makes it unique.  

Redemption Arc?

Brayden’s tragic characterization needs a redemption arc in the sequel to The Male Luna. Damien needs one of those, too. Now that I think of it, the whole town does. They really treat Brayden like a pawn in a game that he isn’t even aware is being played.

Damien

Damien is erratic, and because we read about him primarily from Brayden’s POV, it’s no surprise that Brayden thinks he’s an explosive, aggressive, and emotion-driven brute. He shows some hope though, and despite the fact that he’s older, he’s inexperienced in love. His world frowns upon dating before finding their fated mate. Imagine the crushing realization that his fated mate hates him because of his emotional outbursts. Also, his behavior must be viewed from the perspective of an unreliable narrator. Brayden’s behavior is just as erratic and wild as Damien’s. 

Secondary Characters

A cast of characters brings the town to life. Lou, Aiden, and Olivia are all important werewolves in the town’s complex hierarchy. Travis is a rival sexual partner and someone Damien wants gone. 

The Children

The children play critical roles in Brayden’s life. I’m introducing them as a monolith because there are so many of them. But they serve as Brayden’s major motivation through the story. Providing them with a better future is the reason they moved to Rocky Falls. Their behavior is all over the place. Brayden isn’t their parent, but he needs to set some structure for them or they’re going to go batshit later in life. 

Glows

Lovely Illustrative Writing

The author has a firm grasp of rich description and attention to detail. The world comes alive on the page. Giving space to small details about the surroundings and atmosphere gives the reader a window into the world. This was done beautifully. 

Potential Character Growth

This book very much feels like the start of a series, as the characters can only go up from here. Especially Brayden, I feel like he gains some semblance of control as the novel wraps up, and he has so much potential for growth. 

Potential for Eventual Romance

In the last few pages of the book, I finally glimpsed a future where the two main characters could be romantically involved. Damien is controlled. Brayden isn’t reactive. They can come to an eventual peace and let feelings develop over time. I can see it. 

Grows

Omegaverse Metaverse

There are many variations and iterations within the omegaverse genre. One shouldn’t assume the reader understands how a particular omegaverse story’s universe works because they’re familiar with the subgenre as a whole. 

It seems like this story takes place within the omegaverse variation from Wattpad. I am less familiar with the tropes of this variation. So when reading this story, I had questions. I tried to make things fit within the boundaries of the omegaverse and fated mates stories I’ve read (and written!), but still had questions about some things. An information dump about how this particular omegaverse world works would not go amiss. 

Pacing

There are some pacing issues, namely in the Run. There was so much going on, without much explanation, and it was unclear. Storyboarding the action sequences could shed light on pacing issues. 

Copyediting Issues

The story’s biggest grow lies in copyediting. There are numerous issues with copyediting, namely in verb tenses and inconsistent tense shifts. Written primarily in the present tense, there are many occasions where the story drops into the past tense, sometimes in a sentence that started in the present. 

The past perfect tense and present perfect tense are also used with inconsistency. Unfortunately, these sorts of syntax issues detract from the story and muddle the clarity of the writing. 

Strong copyediting would fix these issues. 

Recommend?

I recommend this book, and look forward to seeing where it is going. 

Fans of fated mates and alpha/omega stories will enjoy the complex world-building and lore behind this story. 

While there are some issues with the story, I think each character has great growth potential, and the series could evolve into an epic love story between the main male characters. 

Review

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel read my review policy and submit a contact form.

The post Omegaverse MM Romance Review: The Male Luna  appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

Introduction 

Shadow & Ash is a well-researched historical mm romance by author Timoteu Montroig, with supernatural elements that fit right in with the time period. Well-paced and original, I flew through the story. It’s an enjoyable romp. However, it has several struggles. Telling instead of showing, history dumping, unrealistic dialogue, and uncomfortable intimate descriptions weigh the narrative down. All the same, I am giving this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars. If you are a fan of vampire stories, you’ll like the unique world-building found here. If you’re a fan of history, especially Greek history, you’ll definitely enjoy the context in which this story takes place. I recommend this one, give it a try, and support an indie author trying to get his book out there. 

I was pleased to get an email from the author to review his first novel, and I am always happy to give indie authors a read. Being an independent author is difficult, and I offer support when I can. 

Blurb

In the shadowed world where myth and reality collide, love knows no boundaries. “Shadow & Ash: Bloodbound” transports readers to ancient Greece, where Aristion—a century-old vrykolakas—and Kallian, a fearless young Spartan soldier, are bound by a forbidden, unbreakable connection. As their worlds clash, their love defies death itself, igniting a daring quest to transform Kallian into a vrykolakas. But few humans survive the perilous path to immortality.

Set against the backdrop of Sparta’s brutal conflicts with the Achaemenid Empire of Persia, Aristion and Kallian must navigate a world filled with treacherous allies, vengeful enemies, and ancient powers beyond comprehension. With each step, the lovers risk not only their lives but their very souls. Can love transcend the boundaries of mortality? Or will the shadows of fate tear them apart?

241 pages, Paperback

Published November 13, 2024

Plot

Set in the Classical Period of ancient Greece, around 482 BCE, Shadow & Ash follows the adventures of Aristion and Kallian as they infiltrate the Persian-controlled city of Sardis to gather intelligence on the military machinations of the enemy #1 of the Greek state. 

Love Blooms

As the year passes and they settle into their subterfuge, the feelings that bloom between the two become undeniable. Aristion tries to resist. They finally face their feelings when the danger comes from all sides. Despite the barriers that Aristion believes they face to being together, their shared experience pushes them to realize the lengths they’ll go to in order to be together. 

Hidden Vampire

One barrier Aristion struggles with in this historical mm romance is that he is a vrykolakas and by necessity his true identity is hidden from everyone, including Kallian. A vrykolakas is a vampire from Greek folklore, also known as a “walking dead” or “undead” creature. (Wikipedia). Aristion was changed some 70 years ago and carefully hides his immortality while he becomes a trusted advisor to Greek rulers. However invested he is in ensuring Greek victory, he knows his time with the current rulers is short. It’s only a matter of time before he will be forced to leave his current station because his lack of aging will become more obvious. 

Bad Guys

It’s worth noting that, like many historical mm romances that feature vampires, Montroig’s vrykolakas are misunderstood and only drink what they need to survive. They kill only when threatened. Aristion isn’t a bad guy, but there are definitely people who believe it’s their mission to wipe vrykolakas off the face of the Earth. 

Zoroastrian Warriors

It’s these, guys, they’re the ones. Aristion has placed his bets with the Greeks because he’s constantly aware of the lurking danger of Zoroastrian warrior priests who, in this alternate history, exist not only to keep the peace and social order, but to defeat vrykolakas. Replete with clerics who have harnessed magic to overcome vampires’ superhuman strength, these warriors ‘magos’ are the only threat these apex predators have. 

Important Themes

At its core, Shadow & Ash is about immortality and the morals surrounding it. Aristion perceives that a potential relationship with Kallian crosses lines, as his eternal existence means he is on a separate path in life from Kallian. He feels conflicted from this existentialism: what good is a vrykolakas’s eternal life if he’s lonely and still yearns for companionship?

Contextual Placement in History

Another important aspect of Shadow & Ash is its contextual setting. It is a fantasy set in a real historical period, the lead-up to the Spartan war with the Achaemenid Empire of Persia. After the Greeks defeated the Persian army at Marathon in 490 BC, tensions were still high between the rival empires. Aristion and Killian infiltrate the Persian city of Sardis in 482 BC, and leads up to the subsequent invasion led by Xerxes I, which culminated in the famous Battle of Thermopylae, which you might know about from that minor indie Zack Snyder flick 300 (being facetious of course this movie grossed $667 million globally).

The narrative of Shadow & Ash situates the fantasy elements of Montroig’s take on the vrykolakas mythology within these historical events and cultural contexts, making a rich MM historical romance. Exploring these intersections, where mortal humans and immortal vrykolakas collide within the wider historical context of ancient Greece and Persia, is where the story really shines. You can see the intensive research that was done and Montroig’s deep understanding of the history in every description of clothing, and each historical mention.

Characters 

Aristion is a warrior, someone who has worked his way into an important advisory role with the Greek military. He’s a vrykolakas, so he has to carefully hide the fact that he doesn’t age. He also needs to drink blood to stay strong, and must be vigilant to hide. This makes him guarded and closed off. But he’s drawn to Kallian in ways he can’t resist. 

Kallian is a young Spartan warrior newly graduated from the agoge, the military schooling Spartan boys undergo to make them fierce warriors, strong and fully laconic characters. He’s a fierce warrior, but still naive and fresh to the world. Kallian takes joy from simple things: hunting and sparring are the highlights of his days. Though he also appreciates his leisure time in the baths with Artisian very much, if ya pick up on what I’m putting down. 

Glows

Written by a Lover of History 

With every description in this historical mm romance, you can tell that Montroig loves history. The fascination with details is written lovingly into paragraphs. Great care was taken to ensure this story fits within its historical context. As another lover of history, I appreciated this as I read. Everything fit well into the time period, even people’s prejudices against vrykolakas. 

Well Situated Enemies

The Zoroastrian Warrior Priests of the time hunting the vrykolakas fits so well within the historical narrative that it seems authentic. The best alternative history takes are those that seem plausible within the actual historical context. While the vrykolakas come from Greek myth, the fact that these societies lived so close together makes it an easy jump to them being present in Persia at the time too, and the Zoroastrians’ connection with the supernatural makes them the obvious vampire-hunters of the day. 

Grows

Shadow & Ash does, unfortunately, struggle with a few elements that weigh the narrative down. 

Telling, Not Showing

 This is such a pitfall that a historically based novel can fall into. Someone with great historical knowledge is used to telling stories, and historians are natural storytellers. However, where a history book is expected to summarize information or state straight facts, it can lead to a flat and less engaging read in a romance story. Using rich descriptions and actions enriches the reader’s experience in a romance to something they can closely relate to. Despite the thousands of years that separate modern times from ancient Greece, the reader wants to feel like they’re there.  

History Dumping

Much like the previous pitfall, stories set in actual historical settings also run the risk of trying to put too much history into the story. When someone knows a lot, they want to share it. While I deeply respect that Montroig knows the history very well, it sometimes felt like too much time was spent telling the reader the actual history before we could get back to the story. More editing to blend the history with the story would help the narrative shine while informing the reader of the interesting history.

Dialogue Inconsistencies

While the author deeply understands the history of the ancient Greek world, what this book misses the mark on is the dialogue. Much of the dialogue reads as too modern. While I don’t want them to be speaking in their native ancient Greek, the tone was off for much of the dialogue. There are also far too many exclamation points. I believe I read once that a sharp editor will allow for exactly one exclamation point per novel. 

Laconic: Linguistic Sidebar 

Kallian using so many exclamation points just dumped me out of the immersive atmosphere. Given the deep understanding of Spartan history, Kallian’s character was so far from how I would expect a laconic Spartan warrior would act or speak. He should be, well, more laconic. 

la·con·ic
/ləˈkänik/ “lah-con-ic”
adjective: laconic: (of a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words.
Example: “his laconic reply suggested a lack of interest in the topic.”
Synonyms: brief, concise, terse, succinct, short, economical

Etymology: mid 16th century (in the sense ‘Laconian’): via Latin from Greek Lakōnikos, from Lakōn ‘Laconia, Sparta’, the Spartans being known for their terse speech.

Definitions from Oxford Languages

Linguistically, the word laconic comes from the Spartan word for their country, Laconia. And it is used to describe how the people from this area would speak and act. Terse, people of few words, they got straight to the point. Their way of speaking said much about Laconian culture: they were a proud, war-loving, strict, and structured society. The Spartan people were not a very exuberant people.

Uncomfortable Intimate Descriptions 

Some words are just an ick for me. And this novel, unfortunately, uses them almost every time. I didn’t enjoy the spicy parts of this story because of the consistent use of words to describe the male anatomy that I don’t like. Muscle between his legs, manhood, and shaft are words that make me cringe. Just say cock. It’s okay to say cock. Cock. See?

Recommend or Naw? 

I recommend Shadow & Ash to readers who enjoy mm historical romance and vampire romance. If you know your ancient history passably well, you will be interested in this book for the detailed research that enriches the pages of this story. MM vampire romance aficionados will appreciate the unique mythology referenced here. The vrykolakas mythology is not your average vampire myth, and I appreciate something that’s unique much more than a vampire story that’s leaned into the tropes so hard it’s indistinguishable from any other vampire story. 

Reviews

I received a free copy of this MM historical romance from the author. Thank you very much for asking me to read your story! Let’s hope it’s the start of a series. I am voluntarily leaving a review. I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel, read my review policy and submit a contact form.

The post MM Historical Romance: Greek Vampires Review appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

Second Chapter is a brilliant second-chance romance between famous author Thomas and his high school sweetheart Oliver. You’ll want to read this one. I’m giving it a very strong recommendation. I read it all in one evening, and it involved tears, cheers, and a much too late bedtime. I simply could not put it down. My 4.5 out of 5 would be a solid five, except for some noticeable repetition of lines and some time incongruity that made me pause and run things back to see if I missed something. 

Blurb

Fifteen years ago, he wrote their love into the stars. Now fate is writing back.

When celebrated science fiction author Thomas Winters returns to Harbour Point after fifteen years away, he’s only seeking solitude to finish his bestselling space series. Instead, he finds Oliver Chen—the man who got away—now a widowed bookstore owner raising his thirteen-year-old daughter Lily.

As Thomas struggles with writer’s block, young Lily becomes the unexpected bridge between these two men with unresolved history. A passionate fan of Thomas’s books, she senses a deeper connection between her father and the author whose novels line their shelves.

In a small coastal town where private matters rarely stay private, Thomas and Oliver must navigate not only their complicated feelings, but also the challenges of building something new under the community’s watchful eye.

Second Chapter is a heartfelt story about second chances, found family, and the courage to choose love—proving that sometimes the most important journeys lead us back to where we truly belong.

Plot

A second-chance romance isn’t always my thing. But I vibed with this one fully. Famous author Thomas Winter’s career has taken him far from Harbour Point, where he grew up, and he never looked back. His feelings for closeted Oliver, who he left behind, haven’t ever gone away. He’s kept his love alive and well, because basically the whole story he has spent 15 years writing and gaining fame over is about his love for Oliver. It’s not very subtle. 

He’s having major issues writing the last book in the series. His writer’s block is extreme. Everything feels fake. His agent, his editor, and most especially his publisher are at the end of their rope. So, he finds himself going home to Harbour Point to work. How his agent chose his hometown randomly seems a bit of a stretch, but it works for the narrative the author is crafting.  Since the main character in his books is just a fictionalized version of Thomas himself, there’s a parallel with the story playing out this way. 

Once he arrives, it doesn’t take him long to reconnect with Oliver, who he is surprised to discover has a 13-year-old daughter, Lily. 

Characters 

Thomas

Thomas is a bit of a mess. But he’s an enjoyable mess. Thomas has not been back to his hometown since he grabbed the chance to leave when he got accepted into college. Now he’s back, and he’s anxious about his writer’s block. Being back in Harbour Point brings back all the nostalgia and a new perspective. Thomas has enjoyed success with his space-opera book series that he started writing while still in high school. He bounced his initial ideas off Oliver. Olive pulled back when Thomas got accepted into college. He let him go. 

Oliver

After Thomas left 15 years ago, Oliver decided to be the traditional, perfect son that his father needed him to be. He dove deeply into the closet. He navigated his father through illnesses and took over the family bookstore when his father passed. Oliver married Sarah. Sarah died of cancer three years ago. Even though theirs wasn’t a romantic love, they were each other’s rock and best friend. Oliver has been lost and drifting ever since her death, while at the same time helping his daughter deal with her mother‘s death.

Lily

Oliver‘s daughter Lily is my favorite in the whole book. Thomas’s books, which he wrote basically as love letters to Oliver, acted as a buoy, a life jacket for Lily, who is also a huge creative sort. She loves science fiction and has stories of her own bubbling inside her. 

Sarah 

Sarah is nearly a fourth MC because she is a driving factor in Lily’s motivation to write a story, which brings the main characters closer together. So why not, Sarah gets her own paragraph, too. Their solid partnership leads them marriage and start a family, even though Sarah knows Oliver is gay. They have Lily. Sarah got sick, and ultimately passed on. 

Glows

This Second Chance Romance is SO Romantic

Oh, how this story is romantic. The parallels between what needs to happen in the book Thomas is trying to write and what needs to happen to settle Oliver and his history are heart-swelling and lovely. Thomas’s character is stuck because Thomas hasn’t faced his past. 

He’s spent 15 years running away. He’s resisted coming home in the same way his character, Captain Elian, needs to in order to finish her story. To finish their story, Thomas needs to return to Oliver. They have to find one another again. 

The romance is fairly by the book, but it WORKS. Oh, how it works. Their love seems big and true and inevitable from the very beginning. What doesn’t make sense to me is why Thomas doesn’t see that this is what he needed to break through his writer’s block from the beginning. Maybe he is just in denial. 

Lily’s Story

The story Lily writes for the Young Authors competition is literally so gorgeous and compelling. I want to read it. Like I would purchase a book of the story that she writes today, yesterday, two weeks ago. It’s beautiful. It’s absolutely beautiful. So, if the author just came up with that idea to flesh out their side character’s plot, wow. 

Note to the author: You need to write Lily’s book. Publish it, because it’s beautiful. You should also go ahead and write the Captain Elian series because I would read that, too. But make Elian a man because I hate straight fiction, hah. 

But could a 13 year-old write that book I doubt it. It’s not out of the realm of possibility, but I would strongly doubt That that doesn’t make it a bad plot. It’s a book and the story works too adds to the journey that Thomas and Oliver are on in a way that isn’t subtle, but it’s very effective.

Parallel Character Development 

Much like Lily’s story, I want to read the series Thomas writes. The plot compels me, the details are poignant and beautiful, the characters, the science, the star charts that are mapped out. I want to read it. And it makes the story come alive, like Thomas is a real author. It’s one thing to say that the MC is an author, and then have it never come up again, and it’s another to have details about what the MC writes play a huge part of the plot. Well done on this part. 

Yes, the main characters are thinly veiled iterations of Thomas and Oliver. What Thomas needs to do to get his life back on track is what Captain Elian needs to do too. The journey Captain Elian and Thomas have taken in their lives is parallel to one another. Yeah, it’s not subtle but it doesn’t even matter because it just works. 

Grows

Not Subtle

It can be a glow and a grow, okay? I mentioned already that the metaphors and connections to their real-life love story are in no way subtle. I mean, the navigator’s name is Chen, which is Oliver‘s last name. Harbour Point is a main character in Thomas’s books; the whole town is there. Albeit, it’s Harbour Point with a space-façade over the real-life town. 

Pacing and Time Inconsistencies

On a few occasions, a character mentions something time-specific that conflicts with some other already established event. It was enough to make me stop and search the text for keywords to make sure I didn’t miss something. I didn’t, there are just some inconsistencies. 

For example, the deadline for Lily’s story is tomorrow. But later they mention the story again, and she’s still working on it. It seemed like time passed oddly a few other times that I am not remembering off the top of my head. 

Do You Know or Not, Friend?

And then there’s Oliver’s whole freak-out. At one point, Oliver acknowledges that he has known all along that the series is all about him and Thomas. Which is why it surprises me when, later in the book, Oliver has a complete freak-out at a sci-fi convention when confronted with this fact. 

If he knew about it all along, if he read the books and picked up on the not so subtle parallels with his life and Chen, with Thomas and his love story, it totally doesn’t make sense for him to lose it after he had previously expressed his understanding that the whole book the whole book series is Thomas’s love letter to him. 

I digress, that’s one of the reasons that it’s getting four and a half out of five instead of a solid five.

Repeating Phrases

I am nitpicky about this, but I dislike it when an author repeats phrases. Two intimate scenes had very similar verbiage, and I think readers notice when words and phrases are repeated. It takes the reader out of immersion and makes whatever is happening on page feel less important. And since it was an intimate scene, it pulled me out. 

Lily’s Maturity 

Seeing as I teach 13-year-olds and Lily is 13, I am largely skeptical about how mature, advanced, and unselfish Lily is written. It’s true that Lily is described as a very intelligent child. For what it’s worth, I have taught thousands of 13-year-olds in my career. 

The prose that Lily writes in her story is extremely advanced for a 13-year-old. I’m not saying that a 13-year-old couldn’t write like that, but most 13-year-olds that I have taught could not achieve the level of storytelling and prose that Lily can. 

But, this is a thing, people. Authors often miss the mark when it comes to writing children in a realistic way. Either they write children far too mature or far too immature. They’ll write very young children as speaking in full sentences and doing things autonomously at 2 years old. I’ve seen older children written as far too advanced. 

It seems it’s often the case that adults don’t know how children act if they’re not actively around children all the time. That might be a little bit of what’s happening here. However unrealistic I think Lily may be, Lily is still my favorite character in this book. 

Recommendation

I give this book a very rare 4.5 out of five stars. It’s nearly perfect. It is gorgeous. It is a second chance romance, which I incidentally don’t usually like so it’s even more remarkable that I give this one, a strong, strong recommendation.

Reviews

I received a free copy of this book via Booksirens and am voluntarily leaving a review. I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel read my review policy and submit a contact form.

The post Second Chance Romance: Review of Second Chapter appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

As someone who has been perhaps a little over-invested in a boy band or two, I have maybe–in the privacy of my own heart–shipped a few of those men. So I was really interested to see where Zarah Detand was going to take us with her most recent release. Would it be all glamour and spotlights or would it be set more intimately? I trusted Zarah to not overdo the Rich Guy vs Regular Guy trope as many MM Romances do, so I was really looking forward reading this. I was lucky enough to get an ARC for it and I’ve had time to read and then re-read it to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I promise you it wasn’t a hardship!

First off, let’s talk about the cast, starting with the supporting characters. One thing that stood out to me is the fact that the seven-year-old niece of one of the MCs is written like an actual child. She’s not too mature nor too babyish. She’s a seven-year-old who acts and speaks like a seven-year-old. Kudos to Zarah for this because so many writers don’t hit the mark here, and she just nails it. In fact, most of the dialogue is vary natural, especially between the (former) band members. There really aren’t many caricatures in this book, either. It makes for some really amusing conversations sprinkled throughout the story.

On to our MCs: Cassian and Levi fell in love as very young men when they were part of a stratospherically successful boy band, but split up due to the pressures of fame and industry-standard homophobia. But that was years ago. Cass is enjoying a brilliant (closeted) solo career while Levi spends his time mentoring young artists and raising his niece, having quietly come out some time ago and mostly content to have put the life of a star behind him. They both seem to have moved on, but no matter how much time has passed or how their lives have changed, Cass and Levi can’t stop thinking—ok let’s be honest, pining—for each other.

Enter Cass with a fake-dating scheme that just might be worlds away from fake, if they could stop mis-communicating long enough for Levi to trust Cass again and give their romance a second chance. 

You can expect some light angst alongside some really likeable characters, a few “not meddling and even if we did, they deserved it” friends, and enough sweet out-of-the spotlight romance to make your heart hurt in a good way. It’s not all sweetness, though–Cass and Levi have serious chemistry that makes even the tamest of love scenes a little heated, and they’re really uninterested in keeping things tame.

I’d love to hear what you think.

The post Guest MM Romance Review – Second to None: It’s not a break-up, it’s a hiatus! appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

Links: Goodreads | Bookbub | My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Overview

Hero Taming follows superhero Rapport, an empath hero, and Dolor, a villain, who tumble into a relationship together. The relationship starts as purely physical, progressing into one with feelings and more along the way. The world is rife with superheroes and villains operating in the background, but the focus of the novel isn’t crime-fighting or action/adventure. The superhero backdrop is just that, readers draw in close to the evolving relationship instead of focusing on the broader world. If you seek a fully fleshed-out superhero universe in a superhero romance novel, this story might seem a bit light on details.

Blurb

Rapport gets into fights just to feel something. Feel pain. He is dancing on a fine edge every time he returns home injured but the itch under his skin is too strong to stop. It takes a Villain for Rapport to realize there are better ways to get what he needs. But to taste the sweet pain he craves he has to submit to Dolor.

If there’s one thing Dolor hates it’s wastefulness. And letting Rapport complete his plan to unalive himself in the stupidest manner possible would be wasteful. It’s the role of a villain to stop heroes’ plans, right? He will make sure Rapport gets the pain he is seeking… but only at Dolor’s hands.

Superhero Team

Rapport’s role as an empathic tether for his team of superheroes holds his group together. In tandem with a communication network, Rapport can feel his team and works to ensure everyone is safe and sound on missions. With strong empathic powers, his finger is constantly on the pulse of feelings, the feelings of others.

But Rapport’s powers don’t extend to himself, which leads him to proclivities that he thinks forbidden. Rapport is a masochist. He rushes into fights so that he can feel something. In a dramatic twist, Rapport cannot feel enough when he’s a superhero whose power is to feel what others are feeling. He seeks out criminals to beat him up. He relishes being bruised. The twinges of pain remind him that he has his own feelings.

Complimentary

Dolor’s power compliments Rapport’s desires. As a counterpart to seeking out pain, Dolor heals people. However, as he heals, he inflicts excruciating pain on his victims. He’ll bring people to the brink of death and then heal them. They wish they’d died; the pain is that bad. Dolor brings fear to the concept of healing. That’s why he’s a villain, in his eyes.

Above all, Dolor sees through Rapport’s actions. He calls Rapport out on his pattern of rushing into fights and taking hits that he could have avoided.

“Do not deny it, Rapport. I have been watching you, and it’s clear as day… You go looking for pain.”

Rapport Needs to Let Go

Rapport’s conceptions hold him back. Who is a hero is allowed to be? Thirsting for someone to hurt him doesn’t seem like hero behavior. Dolor offers him the sweetest taste of what could be, dangling the carrot that Rapport cannot resist. A safe way to fulfil his needs. A path that won’t lead to Rapport dead in a morgue.

They are the perfect pair if it weren’t for the fact that they are on different teams. The hesitation is minimal, though. Rapport ponders for a very, very brief period before he seeks out Dolor to collect on his promise of delivering pain in a controlled way. And here, the author introduces my one gripe with this quick jaunt through pleasurable pain.

Undernegotiated Kink

As a voracious reader of romance, erotica, and full-on smut, I have a bag of expectations that come with reading kinky things. And the biggest thing in that bag of expectations is that kink will be approached with the respect it deserves, and the partakers of the kink will both be on board with the well-known mantra: safe, sane, consensual.

That’s not entirely what happens in this story. Rapport and Dolor do not talk about their initial scene before they do it. No safeword is established. Whatever boundary-pushing events happen within a scene is less important to me than the participants being on board and consenting enthusiastically beforehand.

Rules

They DO talk about rules. Masks stay on; no permanent damage; no powers. Dolor does tell Rapport to tell him if he wants to stop. But for people in kink, saying “no” is often part of the scene. Safewords, hell, even the stoplight system, work to allow immersion into a scene so a participant can cry, beg, and complain as part of the scene.

So I will give the author some credit that things were talked about, but it falls short of an actual discussion of the approaching scene and a missed opportunity to establish a safeword between them. It’s the minimum when writing kinky scenes. A safeword should be agreed upon.

Feelings Develop Quickly

These supposed enemies can’t seem to stop real feelings from developing any more than they can help manifesting their superpowers. They are quickly gone for each other. Without much thought or discussion, their relationship is exclusive. They seek each other out for pleasure, simple pleasure, not kinky pleasure. They share meals, they take baths, and they become friends and lovers. And I like it. I like them.

Dolor to the Rescue

One evening marks the turning point in their relationship. Rapport stumbles to Dolor’s door for help after a horrible night. And Dolor lets Rapport empathically connect to him. Dolor is a soft, gooey sweetheart, is what it reveals. And he’s so not a supervillain. The pair end up using their powers on one another after that,t and then soon after, the masks are gone. They’re boyfriends and not scene partners.

Rapport to the Rescue

The tables turn at a pivotal moment of the story. Rapport becomes caretaker for Dolor, clearly in love with the man under the persona of a villain. As the story wraps up sweetly, the once-upon-a-time villain and the hero are together and happy.

Recommend or Nah

This story is a quick read. The progression of the characters from enemies to lovers flows smoothly. I enjoyed it. If you are looking for a superhero romance novel, this will fit your desires nicely, much like Dolor and Rapport’s needs complement one another. As for me, it’s a recommend from me.

Reviews by Fae

I received an advance review copy for free from Booksirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel, read my review policy and submit a contact form.

The post Superhero Romance Novel Review: Hero Taming appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

Series 

The Smoke & Mirrors Tavern interconnected series of mm fantasy romance books, with each book following a different couple in a large network of paranormal found family. It is a spin-off of the The Contractor’s Curse Series by the same author. The Contractor’s Curse Series follows human/imp Ollie and her little polycule harem of paranormal hotties, while the Smoke & Mirrors Tavern series is, from my cursory glance, fully MM paranormal romance.

Set in the human town of Eastbend and a small but tight-knit group of paranormal residents, the series follows an overarching plot, good vs. evil, where the paranormal community is maligned and feared by humans. But within the many species of paranormals, in fighting often tears their ranks apart with sabatogue. Sometimes, the biggest villains are the ones who should be closest to you.

Buzz Kill is the seventh book in the series, so a lot of things have already happened. The plot from previous books continues in each new book. They are not standalone stories, even though each book follows a new set of main characters. But with so many books, characters abound, and there are many characters on-page sometimes. They have already found their true mate (I didn’t really know this was a true mate type book until the end, so heads up there.)

Blurb

DECLAN:

Look, I didn’t come to Eastbend just to cause problems and play the bad guy — but I do it so well, why stop now? I crashed this town’s little friendship circle for one selfish reason. Problem is, the payout isn’t quite what I expected. How was I supposed to know my escape plan would get me sucked into the town’s troubles and sent on a mission that would bring me right back within the reach of my dear old dad?

This town’s woes aren’t my problem and I’m not some sentimental do-gooder who has the capacity to help other people. Save that crap for Alwin, the proper elf and upstanding citizen of Eastbend, always stepping in to help save the day. Stoic and unyielding, noble and strong, transcendently beautiful. If the man knew how to smile, he could bring the world to its knees. It’s not that I’m unaffected by the piercing looks in those crystal blue eyes, but alas, he’s immune to my charms — rudely going right for the truth behind my distractions instead of just taking the bait. Such a shame.

The clock is ticking, and my time in Eastbend is quickly coming to an end. No matter how much the beautiful elf tries to butt in, some things are just too big, even for him. I’m already cornered, and it’s too late to change the decisions I made that led me to this point. But like a knight in a fairytale, that’s Alwin’s cue to come to my rescue. It can’t last. It’ll never be over. So why do I keep taking his hand and letting him pull me out of the dark just for a glimpse of his light, especially when I know it’ll only make everything harder in the end?

It’s more than obvious Eastbend wants to use me, but I can’t bring myself to let Alwin face my family alone. My fate is already sealed, but people like him are meant for great things and I can’t let him throw it all away. Might as well go out with a bang, right? Or maybe I’ll just make things worse for all of us. Apparently, that’s a little more my style.

ALWIN:

My first two centuries in Faerie forged me into a model elf. An upright soldier with a noble bearing, earning much respect among my people. Then my brother came into my life. A half-human baby my mother ordered me to get rid of, and in defying her, everything changed. More than fifty years later, Aiden has found his way and will soon have a child of his own. My brother pulled me into his life in the human world and influenced my life in Faerie in ways I would never have considered. I would do anything to protect the family he’s built here in Eastbend.

So when a Prescott sorcerer showed up in town with a lot of excuses that didn’t add up, I considered it my duty to ensure he wasn’t a threat. Declan isn’t the first Prescott sorcerer I’ve met and they certainly left an impression, yet this strange man who’s rejected both his magic and his powerful family has grabbed my attention in ways I never expected.

Elves are not an expressive people by nature. We are not easily moved by the whims of others, but the closer I get to Declan, the more I find myself on uneven footing. Never have I been so frustrated and unnerved by another. And yet, despite the way he makes me feel, I find myself drawn to him again and again. He tests my control at every opportunity, and I can’t help but want more.

One by one, I’ve unraveled all of this man’s secrets. So why do I still feel like I don’t understand anything at all?

Buzz Kill is an opposites attract MM paranormal romance around 100k words about a slacker screw-up of a sorcerer and a noble, uptight elf. It is recommended that this book be read after books 1-6 in the Smoke & Mirrors Tavern series. This book is not recommended for anyone under the age of 18 due to swearing, sexual content, and violence.

Continuing Adventures … 

Since this is book SEVEN of a mm fantasy romance books series, it follows a full, FULL cast of characters. There is a lot going on that has been previously established, so this book would be best enjoyed if one has read all the other books in the series. There are always characters popping up that are clearly from previous stories. So, read this series in order. Unfortunately, I haven’t read it all. But I still was able to pick up on context and learn the important players during the course of the book, which speaks to the author’s ability to write a cohesive, well-paced story. Even a story like this, that’s very multifaceted and complicated. 

Declan 

• — passionate
• — cursed
• — reckless? But not really
• — dark past with a family out to get him
• — honestly, he should be more traumatized than he is.

A complicated character, I felt drawn to Declan. I sought to understand his nuance because his actions are often in direct conflict with the way he outwardly portrays himself. Chapters from his POV were windows into his inner thoughts that were vastly different than the carefree and reckless persona he was putting on for the group of friends he is making in Eastbend. His conflicted and bruised psyche screams out for comfort and a helping hand while he actively pushes people away. He’s the type say he doesn’t care about someone while doing everything in his power to protect that person. Declan is passionate and conflicted. 

He’s fled his family, a toxic and evil villainous group of people and sought out his cousin Elliot, a character from a previous book. His family are sorcerors but Declan refuses to use the innate magic he possesses due to his family’s abuse. He’s cursed in ways the reader doesn’t understand until they get into the meat of the story, and his curse drives a lot of the seemingly reckless behavior. I think once the reader learns about the root of Declan’s motivations, they will feel like I do and like Alwin does: they’ll want to protect Declan at all costs!

With his family out to get him and such a horrible life under their thumb, I think Declan should be even more traumatized than he is. But because he’s actually a total badass, he’s just really strong and resilient. 

Alwin

• — austere and hard to get a read on
• — noble in his own realm but not in the human world
• — total badass 
• — passionate under the surface
• — a bit mystified about human interaction

Alwin reads like elves are on the neurospicy spectrum somewhere, and if you know anything about me, you’ll know I am all for it. I thrive when there are neurodivergent-esque characters in a story. If that’s just how elves comport themselves as a species in this universe, whatever, I still like it. Alwin is Aiden’s brother, yet another character from a previous book. Elven society shunned Aiden for being half-human, and Alwin has always protected Aiden because of that. He moved them to the human realm to get away from the prejudice. But Alwin, a centuries-old elf, doesn’t quite fit in. He’s not as emotive as humans, and he doesn’t get human interaction. He’s drawn to Declan, though, even if much of their early interaction consists of Alwin rolling his eyes at Declan’s over-the-top flirting. 

Reluctant Partners to Lovers

I wouldn’t say this is enemies to lovers because, from the very start, Alwin keeps hovering around the periphery of Declan’s life. Alwin and Declan work together to further their group’s mission, details of which I, as a first-time reader, am honestly still murky on. But there is a villainous organization of paranormal hunters who are after the group of found family in Eastbend, and Declan and Alwin go on a mission together. 

Forced Proximity in the Demon Underworld

Things go tits up though on their mission. Declan and Alwin are transported into the demon underworld. It forces the duo into an extended period of living in close quarters. They work closer than ever since they are unexpectedly stranded in a completely foreign land. They rely on each other to survive. Declan’s over-the-top flirting becomes less about provocation to get a rise out of Alwin and more actual flirtation, and feelings emerge and are acted upon. 

I enjoyed reading this part of the book. I wish the author had fleshed it out further. Declan and Alwin quickly establishing themselves as rulers of their own little demon kingdom is the best part. Where they could be totally cowed in a scary place, they prevail. They successfully fight off wave after wave of demon combatants. Eventually, they make it out of the demon realm, but I do wish they’d stayed a bit longer. The best part? They gain a sidekick who I absolutely adore. Rith is the best side character. 

The transition from back to the human world shifts the tone quite jarringly back to a lot of details about the overarching struggle with various organizations out for paranormal beings’ demise. The underworld section of the book is a nice interlude, but a lot of that takes the back burner since they are quite literally in a different plane of existence. 

Complicated Plot

Complicated plot from previous stories aside, the action in this story remains complicated. Multiple bad guys, some colluding with one another. Evil families, shadowy organizations, paramilitary hunter groups that verge on cults, you name it, this series has it. Even with details from previous books interspersed throughout the story, I grasped the main ideas just fine. Then, when the action picked up, I fully invested in the group of found-family fighting for the safety and protection of their paranormal family. I want them to prevail!

Overall

This series of mm fantasy romance books is fun and really well developed, and there are six previous books to read. I liked Buzz Kill and plan on reading the whole series! This one is a recommend for me.

MM Fantasy Romance Books

Some tropes are overly common in mm fantasy romance books. This series is not immune to checking off the tropes left and right. But it’s enjoyable here, and readers of these mm books generally LIKE these tropes so that’s okay!

Reviews

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel read my review policy and submit a contact form.

The post MM Fantasy Romance Books Reviews appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

Blurb

Cake & Cocktails is a steamy, M/M age-gap romance featuring a grumpy teddy bear of a bar owner and a quirky baker just looking for love, acceptance, and a forever family.

Henry is well-aware he’s a bit of a grump. Outside of his passion for running the Riggs Family Roadhouse, and a precious few close friends and family, Henry doesn’t need anything—or anyone—else. But when a mysterious young man walks into the bar, Henry finds himself obsessed with making sure the blue-eyed beauty is taken care of.

Determined to get far, far away, Jack fled his nightmarish home life with barely a hint of a plan. Five hundred miles later, the small town of Haven Grove might just hold the perfect recipe for healing Jack’s wounded heart. Maybe he’ll stay a while, especially if the cuddly bear of a man behind the bar keeps plying him with food, kindness, and sweet smiles.

Henry just wants to help the newcomer get back on his feet. Instead, for whatever reason, his interfering heart is mixing up a different plan. Jack doesn’t know how he could leave when Haven Grove has all the ingredients for his happily ever after, but do Jack and Henry have what it takes to bake up their very own perfect slice of love?

The Men of Haven Grove Series

Cake & Cocktails is the second book in The Men of Haven Grove series. They are both age gap romance books. I think that’s going to be a continuing theme, too. When I saw this ARC available on Booksprout,, it just so happened that I had finished reading the first book in the series, Peaches & Cream, literally the night before. So I snagged this one quickly since I could bounce from the first book to the series to the second and stay immersed in the world being built by Ellis.

The first book introduces the main characters of Hudson and Lance. Hudson is the younger of two brothers, and Lance is the older man who comes back into his life and convinces him to take a chance on him, and possibly love. Peaches & Cream plays out as a cute, age-gap, father’s best friend story. Hudson and Lance have incredible chemistry.

The Family Business

I mention all the world-building from the first book in the series because the author did an incredible job of naturally dropping plot-driving elements into the Men of Haven Grove series. Haven Grove comes to life with descriptions of personable characters and landmarks alike. I especially like the way Ellis incorporates business details into the plot to flesh out how natural and real everything feels. It elevates the story from a run-of-the-mill romance to one in which the reader is invested in the success of the Riggs family and their businesses. I want them to succeed and flourish in both romance and business.

Main Character Moments

The Riggs family: father Casey Joe and children Hudson and Henry are prominent members of their small town. In the first age gap romance,

They also come with a lot of baggage due to their life circumstances. Casey Joe’s wife, and the boy’s mother, abandons them at a young age. She splits, never to be seen again. When Casey Joe turns to his brother for a shoulder to cry on, he discovers his snake of a wife in bed with his own brother. This sets up a years-long feud that drives a wedge between the brothers and leads to both the elder Riggs adopting unhealthy lifestyles. Casey Joe’s brother is an alcoholic who has finally succumbed to his disease before the first book starts.

The children never quite recover and spend their lives not trusting anyone and avoiding all potential relationships where they might get themselves hurt. Hudson only does casual hookups. Henry just doesn’t date at all.

In the first book, Hudson recently took over the peach orchard the Riggs family is known for. Acres and acres of peach trees that Billy nearly ruined because of bad financial decisions and poor management. Lance returns to the town, and much of the first book revolves around the business venture between Hudson and Lance, whose family runs and operates the local ice cream place, and the two develop a synergy working together. Henry also incorporates peaches into the menu at the Roadhouse. So, the Riggs family’s peach orchard is important to the town. The two brothers work hard to uphold the family legacy, even in turbulent times.

The Set Up

Henry

Henry mans the Roadhouse, the local bar. He likes his place in life and runs the roadhouse with pride. When he notices that someone has been messing up the trash out in the alleyway, his investigation leads him to suspect that someone is sleeping out on a bench outside the restaurant. Henry starts leaving food for the mystery man. And who might that man be?

Jack

Jackson has recently moved to Haven Grove. Saying he moves is not entirely accurate, as what happens is he escapes from his abusive family situation. Without a destination, he flees and ends up in Haven Grove. Turns out he’s the one who is hanging around the Roadhouse and trying to avoid anyone noticing that he’s homeless. But Henry notices something is up and starts to look out for Jack.

Henry and Jack orbit one another for a few days before they finally make contact. I think it’s really sweet the way it happens, but I don’t really want to spoil too much. But Jack starts sleeping on Henry’s couch because things happen. Instantly attracted to one another, it’s only a matter of time before their relationship becomes physical and romantic. This behavior is out of character for both of them. Demisexual fits both of their characterizations. However, no one mentions they identify as demisexual. They have to know their potential partners, they don’t feel attraction before they are friends, etc.

So, demisexuality, yes. So, they dance around one another for a bit, even mesmerized as they are. Once the couple feels comfortable with one another, their romance is off like gangbusters, and they are sweet as hell.

Daddy Vibes

Now, I am going to definitely insert my own reading preferences here. And it’s totally because I have fallen down the rabbit hole and have recently read a few series of Daddy/little books. So take this as my two cents. But I’ll mention it because the vibes are strong.

Henry and Jack have major Daddy/little vibes going on. Jack’s characterization isn’t quite written as a little, but many of his mannerisms scream little. He says cute things like ‘Skywalkers’ for skyscrapers and has a child-like naivete about him that screams little. Henry is quite a Daddy too, with his need to take care of the people around him. It isn’t a kinky book, but the vibes were all there. With it being an age gap romance there’s a hint of this, but to me it is more than just a hint!

Overall: Recommend or Nah?

I love this series. Strong recommend on this installment and the first one Peaches & Cream. I can’t wait for the next one!

MM Romance Reviews

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel read my review policy and submit a contact form.

The post Age Gap Romance – Review of Cake & Cocktails appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

Cabin Fever by Jack Harbon | Goodreads | Amazon | My rating: 4 of 5 stars: This quick, steamy weekend MM erotica read will go by just as quickly as Jayden’s weekend away does. This one gets a strong recommendation from me, I enjoyed it.

Blurb

When Jayden’s father falls ill from a questionable gas station sushi roll, he reluctantly takes the man’s spot on his company trip. He’d much rather stay in the safety of his bedroom, distancing from the world and stewing under his own rain cloud. But the trip up to the cabins isn’t all bad; he’s rooming with three of his father’s sexiest employees, and after a shocking and voyeuristic late-night discovery, Jayden soon begins to understand why these three are so eager to return to this cabin every year. Team-building exercises have never been so downright filthy, and with a little help from the guys, Jayden just might start to take action and get himself out of his own seemingly-endless despair.

CABIN FEVER is an erotic novella intended for audiences over 18. For a full list of content notes and acts portrayed, please check the back of the book.

Jayden

Jayden is 26 and in a dark place. In his own words, he’s still “trying to figure out what the fuck I’m doing with my life”. But he’s not doing a great job of it, lately. He’s depressed, down on his luck, and floundering. His father had already paid his way on an annual weekend trip with his employees but he got sick, and Jayden is tagging along in his place.

Enter the MM Erotica

Maybe some good weekend sexytimes will get Jayden out of his slump. And he’s in luck! Because Jayden soon discovers that his roommates for the weekend don’t just come on this annual trip to commune with nature and drink beer, they come to hook up. Three men share the cabin with him: Derreck, Julian, and Sidney. It’s the very first night when Jayden hears a suspicious sound and discovers them hooking up. Jayden’s longstanding fantasies come true, and they beckon him to join.

The three men couldn’t be more different from one another.

Julian

Jayden catches a ride from Julian, and he’s the caretaker of the trio. He’s the first to spy Jayden’s untouched depression medication. Even before he sees the pill bottle, Julian tunes in on the vibes that while Jayden might say he’s fine, under the surface he might be barely treading water at this point. Julian and Jayden have the best chemistry, and the sweetest burgeoning relationship, in my opinion.

Derreck

Derreck ticks all of Jayden’s boxes and is the ideal man he’d like to hook up with. He’s “lusted after this mother fucker for as long as I’ve known him.” Lucky for Jayden, then. All of Jayden’s lusty fantasies come true over the course of the weekend.

Sidney

Sidney is mean, to put it nicely. He’s someone Jayden has also lusted after, which works well when he’s being super mean to Jayden in the bedroom. It helps that Jayden is into it, but of the three of them, I was least into the vibe Jayden had with Sidney because I’m not into degradation at all and I had to skim through the scenes where Sidney was being actively mean to Jayden. The power imbalance was too stark for me, Jayden being so much younger, and with him and Sidney not being in a relationship, it just wasn’t my thing.

Once Jayden Peeps the Situation

Once Jayden gets a better idea of what’s going on for their annual weekend trips, it’s game on. Hot sex, MMMM style. MM erotica squared. I enjoyed the group dynamic and how each archetypal character got their time with Jayden and there are also whole group fun times.

Jayden Does some Self-Reflection

The second day of the trip, everyone sets out on a hike up the mountain. Jayden quickly discovers he’s not in shape and questions if he can make it to the terminus of the hike. He pushes through and makes it up the mountain. Even though he’s not an outdoorsy type, he feels the freedom and power of being able to succeed. He did that, step by step by step up the hills until he gets the payout, looking out over the vista. It sets something free in him. He understands the box he’s been stuck in is self-made. And maybe he’s ready to push his way through the funk he’s been stuck in.

This bit of character development transforms this story from straight-up fantasy-fulfilling erotica to an uplifting story of growth, self-reflection and hope. I was so very glad the author chose to include this element to the story.

Hurt/Comfort

I think I liked the hurt/comfort element that comes into play later in the novella most of all. And I was glad Julian is there for Jayden to help him after he gets hurt.

MM Erotica vs. MM Romance

The MM romance reader in me was screaming for MORE relationship development, but for what it is, branded as MM Erotica, this story ticks most of my boxes and I strongly recommend it. If it were developed into a full romance story I’d want Jayden and Julian to end up together, with hooking up with Derreck and Sidney relegated to their annual weekend trip. But that’s not really what this story is, and that’s totally okay.

Recommend

This is a quick, easy, steamy MM erotica read and I’m recommending it.

Reviews

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel read my review policy and submit a contact form.

The post MM Erotica – Review of Cabin Fever by Jack Harbon appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

Reckless Hearts: A Best Friend’s Brother, Hurt Comfort MM Romance by Jax Calder | Goodreads | Bookbub | My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5/5 Loved This Book

Okay, wow. Let me be honest. I started out struggling with this book. I was trying but found myself unable to relate to the characters. They seemed like upper-middle-class, privileged kids. They live an idyllic life of rented-out castles for birthdays (wtf) and expensive weekend getaways. Rich kid things, but the rich kids don’t recognize they’re super privileged. Can’t relate.

The Struggle is WORTH IT

So I was struggling. Big time. But by the end of the book, I was crying happy tears and cheering for everyone—fully invested. So, if this book starts out slowly for you and you want to put it down, I beg you: Please, please don’t! Give it a chance and keep reading. Eventually, this book will deliver a full return on your investment.

Seb and Marcus

Seb and Marcus are magnetic, they’re drawn to one another. They can’t help but get caught in each other’s orbit.

Seb

Seb is shy and awkward. He’s in his first few years of college studying science. Lucky for him he’s in New Zealand, an ecological wonder with lots of science stuff to study. He’s been the kid fascinated by science to the detriment of his social skills, the stereotypical nerd. But there’s usually a lot more going on beneath the surface of a nerdy exterior. Seb is fascinated by his older sister’s best friend, Marcus. Fascinated as in he’s got a huge crush on him. A huge, longstanding crush to the point that he can hardly get a sentence out when Marcus is around.

Marcus

Marcus is a few years older, way cooler, and totally cocky. He’s got all the swagger that Seb doesn’t. Marcus is hot. He’s popular. Most of all, Marcus is terribly charming. He’s so carefree and blasé about things, it almost seems like a façade (small spoiler alert: it is). And while at first Marcus seems to be toying with Seb when he gets flirty with him, it’s quickly clear that the two have explosive chemistry. But here’s where the first bit of angst in this hurt comfort mm romance enters stage left. They fall into a relationship that has been on the down low since its inception. Why? Because of the sister.

Saskia

Seb’s sister is the clear favorite in the family, something that sort of broke my heart multiple times as I read. Their parents dismiss Seb without seeing how awesome he is in favor of fawning over his older sister, Saskia. Saskia is pre-law and very very self-centered. She’s truly not a likable character for the majority of her page time. She does, finally, come around, but dang it’s a long haul.

Picture Perfect

She’s a picture-perfect daughter. Smart, popular, and pretty, her perfect future is all mapped out for her and it wouldn’t dare deviate from that picture-perfect plan. But the way her family pushes Seb’s interests into the “you’re a nerd we’re disappointed” pile to further build up Saskia’s already massive ego is really devastating. Seeing this happening develops the angst. It’s part of the world-builidng. I understand that. Boy, do I. And I really empathized with Seb, how he always feels overshadowed. Belittled. It is as if what he’s interested in, what he’s really good at, is somehow not enough. It just hit close, I guess. Great character development though, Saskia’s character arc really impressed me.

Hush-Hush

The hush-hush nature of Seb and Marcus’s fling speaks to how fearful they both are of rocking the S.S. Saskia. They don’t want her to know so they hook up in private. That might make things hotter but it also perpetuates Seb’s feelings of inadequacy. And their fling has a terminus date: Saskia and Marcus are going off on an American road trip to celebrate their last year of college. Seb knows it’s futile to maintain any sort of long-distance thing. They’re not even together together, they have a situationship. Getting attached is a mistake he tries to avoid. He thinks that his inevitable heartbreak is one-sided because his self-esteem lies to him and tells him that Marcus couldn’t possibly be as into him. Lies, big lies.

Marcus is HOT

Did I mention that Marcus is like, model-hot? Well he is. And not just to Seb with the heart eyes and the hormones. Marcus gets discovered while on his road trip and never returns to New Zealand. He becomes a model and then later an actor and hits it big. Like blockbuster big. Good for him.

No-Contact

Good for him but what a massive douche move to NEVER CONTACT SEB again. Ugh I wanted to throat-kick him for just dropping. I was feeling all the hurt and none of the comfort here. Readers will understand a lot more about Marcus’s motivations and perspective as they delve into the meat of this story but just prepare for feeling some sort of way about Marcus’s actions for a while.

The Wedding

They see each other after a long, long seven years at Saskia’s wedding. Bridezilla brings everyone to a tropical island destination wedding and the two find that they are in each other’s orbit again and can’t resist each other. They rekindle their relationship and it’s off to the races after that.

The Payout

I don’t want to write much about the inevitable angst and the majority of the hurt comfort elements in this mm romance because the plot is really something that should be read and discovered on your own. But let me tell you. This book is so good. So, so good. I loved it. Seb and Marcus are love. I rooted for them. I would be best friends with them. They’re so, so perfect for each other. This one should be at the top of your to-read list, full stop.

Great read, loved this book so much!

Reviews

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel read my review policy and submit a contact form.

The post Hurt Comfort MM Romance – Review appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

Reluctantly Bonded/Slow Burn Romance

MM Shifter Romance is a guilty pleasure of mine. It’s not everyone’s thing, and that’s totally fine, but I can devour a good shifter romance in a few days. And that’s just what I did with Accidental Bonds, the first book in the Elemental Bonds series by Marie Reynard.

This is a fantastic story. I love Reynard’s writing and can’t wait for more of this series. This is not a new release but I loved it so much I have to post this review so I can sing its praises. You should read this book if you are into shifter romance, slow-burn romance, and aren’t shy about erm.. knotting. Like I said, not for everyone. But it’s for me, okay?

Mage Elijah

Elijah Lauring is a mage in a complicated world where mage councils determine the business decisions mages make and likely have their fingers in lots of mage-related areas. I love the shared universe Reynard continues to paint, full of shifters, supernatural lives living parallel to the mundane world. Complete with ahem, adult entertainment.

Shifter Victor

Victor Mills is the alpha of the Mills pack, in a small town in the northest of the US. Towns with shifter packs in the vicinity have mage shops for their magical needs. Packs need magical wards to protect the boundaries of their territory, among other things, so they employ the services of mages from time to time. Mages and shifters have a complicated and tension-filled relationship though, because of a history of manipulation and entrapment.

Rotten

Victor hires Elijah because something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Or rather, the wards that surround his pack’s territory are sick, and only a mage can help. Victor does not trust mages. He dislikes magic. The reader finds out why later, but at the story’s start Victor doesn’t trust Elijah at all, and their relationship is rocky from the moment he steps foot in Elijah’s store.

An Accidental Tether

Elijah is an incredibly talented mage but everyone can make mistakes. He does. He and Victor forge a bond that neither want, or meant to have happen. Suddenly, Elijah has more power than he knows what to do with, he can’t control his magic, and he can’t make sense of what is happening. Victor and he grow closer as they try to work out what’s plaguing Victor’s territory, and the sexual tension mounts.

Delicious

Their slow-burn is really delicious. I loved their relationship and how it finally came together. While they both start out distrusting of the other, by the midpoint of the novel the reader is rooting for them. The reader can see that they are clearly meant to be. They, however, are a bit obtuse to what’s obvious to everyone else. They’re hot together. Even their subconsious knows!

Lucid Dreaming And Sex Rituals

So much so that Elijah has some incrediibly realistic lucid dreams involving sex rituals, being chased on the full moon, and lots of outdoor sex, so much so he ends up actually bruised the next day. I want that, please! I am flat out INTRIGUED. It’s so hot!

The Pack and the Group-Chat

I adore the dynamics of Victor’s pack betas and especially Kade. He’s a hoot. They obviously respect their alpha but they also give him so much shit. Almost as much as Elijah’s mage friend-group. I really, really wonder who Aran will get with, because has anyone checked to see if he’s not actual sex demon?

Great World-Building

Really good world-building makes everything so plausible and believable, the world Reynard crafts in her books seems so natural it’s almost believable that there is a whole parallel world full of supernaturals just exisiting right under the mundane world’s nose.

MateHub is Referenced!

I loved the nod to Reynard’s MateHub book, which I thoroughly enjoyed and was my introduction to the author. MateHub was such a beautiful surprise! Honestly I was not expecting such a phenomanal story from such a premise. But I was recommended it and flat out loved it.

Sat in the Kindle for a Bit

I downloaded Accidental Bonds as soon as I finished that one a few months ago. I checked, I downloaded it October 19th! I didn’t get around to reading it until now. Kicking myself that I waited. Indeed, I read it voraciously, barely put it down! The second book released the 14th of December. And it’s Kade’s story. Double win. Kade, Victor’s cousin and second in command, is a huge amount of fun in the Accidental Bonds. His story promises to be an incredible read.

Reynard Means Fox, Get It?

I love that the author’s name is fox in French, because it’s a perfect MM Shifter Romance novelist’s name. Well played Reynard, well played.

Reviews

I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel read my review policy and submit a contact form.

The post Mm Shifter Romance: Accidental Bonds Review appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

Urban Fantasy Romance

In this Christmas short story, Alessandra Hazard paints the backdrop of a fascinating world of juxtapositions: a magical urban fantasy complete with witch covens casting spells that go awry, affecting Europe and the Eastern seaboard of the US. Add to that a modern urban center, and a cutthroat law firm eager to provide legal counsel to these covens.

The love interests in this boss employee mm romance short story are lawyers, a junior associate at the mercy of his boss, and the managing partner of the law firm, someone who is just as arrogant and uptight as any managing partner is in our mundane, non-magical reality.

Blurb

Peter Hayes has everything a man can wish for: a successful career as a lawyer, wealth, good looks, people falling at his feet—and Justin, to do all the grunt work for him. Justin is (“Not your slave!”) his personal associate. Until the day he suddenly isn’t, and Peter’s perfect life stops making sense. His associate wants a personal life? He wants to find his soulmate? Unacceptable. Peter can’t believe Justin believes in that nonsense. Soulmates don’t exist.

Or do they?

A short MM romance novella. ~13,500 words.

Boss Employee MM Romance

Follow Peter and Justin as they traverse the fallout from a magical soulmate spell affecting everyone in their office and a Christmas schedule that, as per usual and much to Peter’s displeasure, involves time away from the office. Cheer them on as they realize they love each other along the way.

The Premise

Peter and Justin are lawyers in the country’s most prestigious law firm. Justin, a junior associate and assistant to managing partner Peter, is an overworked underling. He’s overextended at work mostly because of Peter, who is every inch the demanding boss. Peter doesn’t realize, possibly because he’s got his head up his own ass, that his incessant need to keep Justin around him at every moment is probably because he’s freaking obsessed with Justin.

The Magic

A coven of witches casts a soulmate spell and inadvertently makes the spell cast a much wider net than planned. Instead of being localized, the spell affects huge regions of the world and sends everyone into a frenzy. They feel antsy—like they have to move—like they need to find their soulmate. Everyone starts fucking off to seek them out, wherever they might be. Everyone requests time off, much to Peter’s dismay. He has no time for this sort of bullshit. But it’s not just low-level employees. Senior-level partners ask for time off left and right to find their soulmate. The two people unaffected by this strange turn of events? Peter and Justin.

Until the Weekend

That is, though, until Justin begs for a day off so he can pick his brother up from the airport. Sundays are usually days off anyway, Justin argues. Peter disagrees but Justin sasses back and gives Peter attitude until Peter agrees to let him have a day off.

But then Peter starts to feel off. He’s still in denial, but it’s pretty clear that the way he’s feeling is pretty similar to the effects of the spell. He’s antsy, he’s not interested in random hookups, and he’s driven to call Justin and wake him up just to hear his voice. He’s oblivious and convinced he’s somehow immune to the soulmate spell. But, he only starts feeling better when Justin returns to the office. Hmm, strange that.

They Hook Up

It’s not advisable to fuck your boss, Justin knows this. Peter knows this. Everyone knows this. But the draw is undeniable and they give into temptation and have sex. Subtle soulmate magic, or just something they’ve both repressed since forever? We don’t get Justin’s POV and Peter is determined to disavow belief in soulmate magic, so we’re left to decide.

The Sex

It’s way, way better than they expect it to be. Peter thinks he’s going to get over his feelings after they are together one time. He’s wrong. Twice, then. Wrong again. So they hook up a lot. It only makes things worse.

They know they have a problem. If people find out, they’ll think Justin’s position wasn’t given to him based on merit. It would be ruinous. They know they need to stop hooking up to save Justin’s career. But, they’re two crafty lawyers. Surely they can do better. Peter has the offhand thought to say that they’re soulmates. Justin leads him into the understanding that, perhaps, what if they actually are soulmates?

As an aside, they are soulmates, of course. I don’t consider that to be a huge spoiler either because the whole premise of the story points to them being soulmates.

Overall

I enjoyed this quick read from Alessandra Hazard. I’ll be honest when I say it’s not her best, and I rate it only 3 out of 5. I am a fan of her other work, especially the Wrong Alpha and the Calluvia Royalty series. This one needs some more something.

One of the drawbacks is that this story is super short. Because of its brevity, world-building is limited, making the whole thing feel sparser. I’d be very interested in a full series set in this world. It has potential.

But at times it seems like the concept is still two disparate tropes sort of stuck together. Boss Employee MM Romance is a good trope. Urban fantasy lawyers who represent magical folks is a fun trope too. Together? I think it works. But just barely. More development would make it work better. It’s full of covens and legal counsel representing them and that’s an intriguing mix of ideas.

I still recommend reading this one. I like Hazard’s style a lot and want to support authors I enjoy.

MM Romance Reviews

I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel read my review policy and submit a contact form.

The post Boss Employee MM Romance: His Boss for Christmas Review appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

Decorated: The Art of Love Review

Decorated by Merry Farmer | Amazon | Goodreads | Bookbub | My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Happy Holidays in a Book!

It’s the perfect time to read Decorated: The Art of Love by Merry Farmer. This Christmas-time story is the ideal book to cuddle up next to your Christmas tree with a cup of tea and read this time of year. Set in England with a main character who is in the RAF, or Royal Air Force, for those of us not super up to date with all things British, and another who is a flamboyant interior designer, this opposites attract Christmas story is a super quick, super sweet read perfect for the holiday enjoyment your heart needs this time of year. MM Christmas romance books really hit right in December, so I encourage you to read one today!

Blaine & Alfie

Blaine is a creative, eccentric, and very down on himself interior designer, who runs, er, ran, a successful business with business partner Dave until recently it all came crashing down. Burning down might be a better way to put it. After Blaine leaves a client’s house, a circuit shorts and the whole house burns down, leaving him and his business up in the air.

He’s convinced he’ll be sued into tomorrow, and at the beginning of the story, he’s hiding out from Dave at his familial house, the Hawthorne House. This Yank pictures this place as right out of Downton Abbey with its country charm and old-money polish.

Alife is a soon-to-be-retired cargo plane/logistics expert who flew cargo planes in Afghanistan and carries some emotional trauma back home with him. He’s looking forward to civilian life and has been making sure everything is ready for his retirement. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have solid plans for post-military life. He is, however, looking forward to being out and able to mingle, date, and hook up. Because apparently even in modern times it can be iffy to be out and proud in the military in England. As one of his last acts as a military man, he’s helping to coordinate a toy drive for local children’s houses and partnering with Hawthorne House.

Hawthorne House

Hawthorne House is a community arts center now, but it was once a school, and before that, it was the ancestral home of the old-money Hawthornes, Earls of Felcort (I have no idea what that means). The house is old old. The original building was built pre-1700 in the middle of a British civil war that I also know next to nothing about.

Gaps

There are some definite gaps in my understanding of British history and it’s not the goal of this story to educate. It’s a lighthearted holiday romp at its core, it does that very well. But the Hawthornes’ back story is interesting and, to me, realistic in a contemporary setting. I am sure there are a bunch of houses just like the Hawthorne house in real life peppering the English countryside and a bunch of families who have been prominent in British nobility for centuries who are still around and live modern lives. I trust that it’s solidly in the realm of plausibility. And for a story like this, I didn’t need to look into it too deeply anyway.

Artsy Family

The Hawthornes are all artists these days, except for Blaine’s twin brother who is /gasp/ an accountant. This bit cracked me up and I cannot wait to read about him in his story if he gets one. A lot of them are queer too so I wonder if Farmer has a whole series about the Hawthornes and I’m jumping in mid-series. Just speculation here.

Blaine has Low Self-Esteem

For someone from old money, poor Blaine has a very low regard for himself, and that has shown itself in his choice of lovers, from what he tells Alfie. He’s used to being thoroughly disposed of once a date is done with him, and it’s so sweet when he realizes that Alfie is not like the other men who have used him and spit him out.

Alfie is a GOOD GUY

Ok, y’all I really like how good Alfie is with both Blaine and the kids. It almost seems too good to be true but I do really hope there are men out there like Alfie who are good at managing and boosting the confidence and self-esteem of good guys like Blaine.

Read this MM Christmas Romance Book today!

This story is low angst and totally sweet and I really think it’s perfect for the holiday season. Read it now and you’ll feel the same! Or read another of your favorite MM Christmas romance books, it’s a hard time of year and you deserve it!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel read my review policy and submit a contact form.

The post MM Christmas Romance Books: Decorated appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

Unspoken: Forbidden MM Mafia Bodyguard Romance | Review

Unspoken by N.N. Britt | Amazon | Goodreads | Bookbub | My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Blurb

Loyalties and rules are put to the ultimate test when a disgraced ex-cop and a younger sibling of a ruthless crime leader cross the line a bodyguard and his protectee aren’t allowed to cross.

A disgraced ex-cop, Logan McKenna, finds himself reluctantly taking a job as a bodyguard for Alexander “Sasha” Solovey, the spoiled younger brother of the feared Las Vegas crime boss Vlad Solovey. But as Logan fights to keep Sasha safe from escalating threats, he’s drawn into a forbidden romance that could be the much-needed spark in his life…or his last mistake in a city where betrayal means death.

Set after the events of Isaac and Dallas. Can be read as standalone. First person, alternating POV.

Unspoken: Mafia MM romance

This forbidden romance mafia story will sweep you into Sasha Solovey’s dark world. The younger brother of crime boss Vlad Solovey, and born into the Solovey crime family, Sasha seems to have grown up in London boarding schools and largely shielded from the realities of what it means to be born mafia royalty. When he’s transplanted to Las Vegas after a close call, he’s traumatized and petulant in equal measures. He needs a bodyguard, in the form of Logan McKenna, a former cop who reluctantly takes the job because he needs money.

Overall Opinion

If you are a fan of Mafia MM romance, forbidden romances, mafia typical violence, virgin MC with experienced MC, age differences, and danger/suspense, you will like this book. The plot compelled me to keep turning the page, the spice level was hot, and the characterizations of the main love interests are good, with morally gray areas that are always compelling. I wish the world and character motivations made a bit more sense, but it’s a solid story. I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure: Third Book in a Series

I haven’t read the first two Mafia MM romance books of the Light & Shadow series. I borrowed Issac from Kindle Unlimited a while ago but haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. While the blurb indicates this novel can be read as a standalone, I think the world would be more fleshed out if one reads the series in order, as more world-building would clarify parts of the story I had questions about. It is highly likely those details were established and explained in previous installments of the series.

Assassination Attempt

Haunted by the explosive assassination attempt that took the life of his best friend instead of him, Sasha is adrift. He had been months away from finishing university but now those plans are on hold as he’s confined to the family compound for safety reasons. He doesn’t want to be in Nevada. Sasha doesn’t want a bodyguard. He resents that he needs a bodyguard. Much like the Banks children running off nanny after nanny until Mary Poppins comes to help, Sasha has driven away numerous bodyguards due to his behavior. Sasha lashes out at them childishly and remains unmanageable until Logan steps into the position. Logan sticks. He’s not going anywhere.

Brotherly Love? Never Met Him

Sasha and his brother Vlad have a very distant relationship. As for Vlad, well, he’s hard to get to know in this book. And it often reads like Sasha hardly knows Vlad. There’s no brotherly camaraderie. Do they have any shared history at all? There’s no warmth or even familiarity in their interactions. Sasha acts like a brat, Vlad scowls and orders him around. It makes me wonder… Did Sasha just never see his family, like ever, since he was sent to England for school? I would question the likelihood of that. Surely even kids at expensive boarding schools are required to come home for the summers, holidays, etc?

RIP to Sasha and Vlad’s Dad

Recently, Vlad and Sasha’s father met an untimely demise under mysterious circumstances, so Vlad just came into power and now leads their family crime syndicate. Because of that, he’s too busy to get to know Sasha better.

However, even with Vlad’s hands full as he takes the wheel of the family business, it reads as if he’s mostly uninterested in getting to know Sasha.

Vlad’s personality is stark. He only shows warmer facets of his personality later in the book. Finally, the reader begins to understand that there really is a real person behind the authoritarian dictator Vlad comes across as.

For most of the book, Vlad lords over Sasha with harsh commands and directives, giving him no say over his own life. Vlad tells Sasha how things will be and what he will do. One would guess that a softer approach would work out better in the long run if he wants to have a relationship with his remaining family. Because of this, it’s almost logical that Sasha would turn toward Logan, desperate for some sort of connection, something to ground him in his new reality.

Logan

Logan’s character is stubborn, stoic, a real strong-but silent type. Logan is the disgraced cop turned bodyguard archetype to a T.

Logan’s Backstory is Wack

Logan takes the fall for a partner, getting him kicked off the force. This completely doesn’t make sense to me because his partner is a dick to him in this book.

So like, why? Why would he want to ruin his career for this person? MAYBE stuff that happens in previous books will make this make more sense but it does NOT make sense to me from just reading this book. No way would someone do that just because their partner has a new baby and is friends with the partner’s wife.

Nah fam, that’s not it. As previously mentioned, I have not read the first two books in this series so that might be why I am not understanding this part.

Major Plot HOLE Leaves Logan’s Motivation on Shaky Ground

Lending his character more depth, the reader learns that Logan’s mother is sick and dying. So, it’s explained that Logan needs the money for her care, especially as he has no insurance. *record scratch* Wait . . . most states give monthly benefits to surviving spouses until they die or remarry when their spouse dies in the line of duty. That’s like.. a legit thing. Logan’s father was shot by someone in the line of duty. Nevada law has this benefit, I looked it up. So his mother would still qualify for INSURANCE through her dead spouse.

In summary, Logan losing his insurance when he was fired from the force would NOT mean that his mother doesn’t have insurance. That doesn’t make sense because that’s not how it works. And at any rate, Logan would have to have, at the very minimum, insurance through the Marketplace, right? Ok ok, let the music continue… I’M IGNORING THE GIANT PLOT HOLE.

Honestly, I hope that these unclear details are explained as part of the plot in another installment of the Light & Shadow series and when I go back and read them it will fill in the gaps in understanding I have. Because this character’s motivation doesn’t fully make sense.

Mafia MM Romance = Forbidden Romance

This book is not a case of insta-love. I hate insta-love, so I relished the amount of antagonism between the two love interests. In the beginning, Sasha acts like a child more than a grown man. His characterization is purposely immature and bratty. And he genuinely doesn’t like Logan at first, nor does Logan see Sasha as anything more than a bratty client.

There is no chemistry between the characters when they meet. They clash. It takes a few weeks if not more of book time until they are civil toward one another. In the end it’s pure adrenaline that pushes them together the first time. But after that, hormones take over and the two fall into a relationship that they both agree needs to stay secret.

Why Secret?

Sasha’s father abused him when he found him with another boy. Sasha believes he will be disowned or worse if he comes out to Vlad. And with things being so dicey with Vlad, Sasha he hasn’t seen anything to make him believe Vlad is any different than his father.

Logan similarly doesn’t believe he’ll survive Vlad finding out either, as it would seem like he is taking advantage of a younger, vulnerable person. So they sneak around for a while.

Sasha is Innocent Innocent

After Sasha and Logan kiss for the first time, the reader learns that Sasha has no sexual experience, he’s completely innocent before getting involved with Logan. He’s never even kissed another man since he was found by his father and shipped off to London. I found that element of the story in Unspoken somewhat hard to believe. From the start, the author seems to describe Sasha’s life as unhindered by the burden and danger of the mafia lifestyle while in London. It doesn’t seem like he was stopped from living as he wants. So, why wouldn’t he have done normal teenage things while at boarding school and university?

Of all things, this plot element sticks out as the most unrealistic. And yes, I stand by this that even in a book filled with mafia-typical violence and behaviors, it really doesn’t track that Sasha would have had no partners while in school. With as attractive as he’s described, with as rebellious as he is once he’s transported to Nevada, I think he’d have lived it up as a teenager just to get back at his father. Especially as the opening scene has Sasha’s friend group mentioning parties and nights out that would lend themselves to these sorts of normal, adolescent things that teenagers get up to while away from their parents, especially young and wild university students .

Of Course, Vlad Finds Out

Vlad finds out what the love interests are up to before either of them can come clean about it. That definitely makes it worse. But soon after Vlad finds out what’s going on, we are hurtled into the major climactic events of the novel. Sasha gets abducted by Vlad’s enemies, so his anger toward Logan and Sasha has to wait until things are resolved.

Logan and Vlad Work Together

To save Sasha, Logan and Vlad work together and this is the first time in the whole book the reader sees beyond Vlad’s cold façade to the real person below the surface. I wish we’d seen that side of him from the start. Before, it seemed like he was controlling Sasha to be controlling, but when Sasha is taken he seems to come unraveled a bit and we see the genuine concern and emotion that motivates him. I like that Vlad much more. He lets Logan stick around without too many threats to his life, so Vlad must see that Logan is earnest in his intentions toward Sasha.

Alls Well

After Sasha’s rescue and recovery, the book ends with a happily ever after. The ending ties up Logan and Sasha’s story well, and it left me feeling satisfied that their story had played out the way it does.

MM Romance Reviews

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel read my review policy and submit a contact form.

The post Mafia MM Romance Review: Unspoken appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

Feuds and Interludes is a rock and roll MM Romance about two rockers who have been each other’s nemesis in the press for years. A Happy ending is guaranteed, but it does take some time to get there. Buckle up, rock star, we’re going on a ride.

Blurb

Boone Collins and Shane Butler are two of rock music’s brightest stars today. Their grandfathers founded a powerhouse rock supergroup that ruled the airwaves in the late 1970s, and the grandsons grew up in their shadows to become frontmen of their own successful bands. The epic rivalry between Boone and Shane is notorious, and it’s about to blow up.

When Shane’s grandfather Bruce inducts his deceased bandmate into the Rock Music Hall of Fame, he admits to the world that he wrote the band’s biggest hit about his best friend’s widow—Boone’s grandmother Vera Jean. The two want to rekindle their relationship, and their grandsons are determined to keep them apart. Only, working together for a common goal reveals surprising similarities between the rock stars as well as a chemistry they cannot ignore. Shane sees behind Boone’s glittery facade to the secrets he hides from his bandmates, and Boone is there to pick up the pieces when Shane’s professional world implodes. Together, they plot a musical collaboration to celebrate their grandfathers’ accomplishments instead of fighting—a star-studded tribute at the storied Rocktoberfest event in the Nevada desert—but will being in the spotlight prove to be too much for their fledgling romance to handle?

Feuds and Interludes is part of the multi-author Road to Rocktoberfest 2024 series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but why not read them all and see what antics our bands get into next? Hot rockstars and the men who love them, what more could you ask for. Kick back, load up your Kindle, and enjoy the men of Rocktoberfest!

Feuds from the Start: Backstory

Boone Collins and Shane Butler’s lives are inexorably linked because of their legacy: Their grandfathers were in a legendary music group together in the 1970s. That musical partnership brought all the drama and ups and downs that can accompany emotional, passionate, and talented musicians. Their fictional band, California, coined hit songs that are still renowned in the rock world.

The book opens by detailing the years-long Boone and Shane are stuck in. They trade petty disputes in the press, and before a tribute performance at Boone’s deceased grandfather’s induction ceremony to a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (type thing, not the real Rock Hall of Fame), they actually square up and nearly come to blows, pushing and trading barbs. It impeccably sets up the antagonism between the two MCs, showing not only their entwined history but also that as things are, they are oil and water. Nothing, it seems, will bring them together.

Feuds and Interludes seamlessly weaves a fictional world filled with bands and music together with real-world music groups. And it does it well, so much so that I had to google a few names of bands to see if they were a real group I just hadn’t heard of. I especially enjoyed it when the book cuts to a magazine article about someone, the tone matches real entertainment copy so well.

Nepobabies

Both the MCs are deeply motivated to distance themselves from their nepobaby label. They work hard to become successful on their own, despite their famous grandparents. They are each famous in their own right. And despite their intertwined history, they bristle when asked about the other. It’s cataloged in the press from both angles, how much they hate each other, even though with words they try to downplay the antagonism. But fans can just tell they can’t stand the sight of each other.

Boone

Boone was raised by his grandparents, John Boone and Vera Jean Collins. John Boone is a musical legend, a true rock star and guitarist in the group California. California ruled the airwaves in the 70s. Vera Jean is a film star. John and Vera Jean raise Boone after tragedy strikes. They raise him right, and despite his early trauma, he becomes a rock star too, following in his grandfather’s footsteps to be a top-selling artist. When the book starts, it’s about a year after John passes away. Boone lives with Vera Jean in their beautiful Hollywood mansion as Boone’s group “Stellar” enjoys success.

Boone also has some health issues. He’s newly diagnosed with type II diabetes and it’s proving difficult to keep his condition stable. It leads to several misunderstandings and some surprising hurt/comfort when the MCs are still technically enemies.

Growing up, Boone was always around when the band rehearsed or at parties. The other star of California, Bruce Duncan, often brought his grandson Shane to these get-togethers. So Boone and Shane have known one another since forever. To kids, a few years difference in age seems like a whole lot more than it does when older. So, when Boone would follow Shane around at parties Shane didn’t like that at all. That’s when their antagonism started, it seems.

Shane

Shane is a metal musician who has a serious temper. He is notorious in the musical world for being firey and volatile. Also, Shane is a control freak. Shane writes all his band’s songs and doesn’t let his fellow bandmates do much, so it’s unsurprising when they break up with him. It sets him up for some downtime and he and Boone finally getting together inspires him with the creative drive to pursue something new with Boone, musically as well as romantically.

Legends of Their Time

Shane and Boone’s grandfathers are rock and roll legends. Shane’s grandfather, the surviving member of California, is a whole character. Boone’s grandfather John is deceased before the start of the book. I liked learning about him and it was sad that he died. But his death moved the story along.

Love Can Bring Us Together

Boone and Shane seem stuck in a never-ending cycle of back and forth. They can’t get the right footing around one another, and always end up pissing the other off. What finally changes? Their grandparents, mostly. When Bruce reveals, in dramatic fashion, that he wrote California’s most famous song Paisley pining for Vera Jean who went on to marry John, it sets the gears in motion for the ground under Boone’s feet to start shaking.

Vera Jean and Bruce

They decide that they’ve dilly-dallied for too long. They are going to be together for the years they have left. Love birds, teenage-style. Except they are in their 70s. Septeenagers, or something along those lines. Well, Boone and Shane, neither of them likes that idea at all. And for once, they agree on something and they have an actual conversation. It doesn’t take much for both of them to realize that they don’t really hate each other, they actually maybe like each other. After all, it’s a thin line between love and hate.

There Was Only One Bed Recording Studio

What finally tips the scale into sexy-time land? The musicians end up double booked at a recording studio/retreat. When they spend time in close proximity for a few weeks, they suddenly can’t keep their hands off each other. Recording studio hijinks ensue, hickeys galore. I am sure the producers wouldn’t want any bodily fluids on that expensive equipment, but that’s what happens.

Rock Stars

Rock Stars are, by nature, immature and emotional. This rings true in Feuds and Interludes. The way the MCs act is immature, from time to time. And they definitely let their emotions rule their reaction to things. The main conflict, in fact, shows that they have the emotional maturity of teenagers in grown men’s bodies.

Conflict Resolution and Emotional Maturity

It happens late in the story. Things are good, no, great. The two love interests are in love, and their troubles seem to be behind them, even with some ups and downs with band breakups along the way. They play an amazing show at Rocktoberfest. And then? Well, I guess the author felt like the story needed some conflict so the immature rock stars push each other away one more time.

I didn’t care for this, because it seemed petulant on Shane’s part to push Boone away when Boone really could have used the support of his boyfriend on his long overseas tour. Shane stomped away and pouted for a few months instead of being there for him. It all works out in the end but I wish the character had shown some growth and maturity and instead of making a grand gesture had just been there emotionally to support Boone on his tour. Maybe that’s just me, I don’t know. I didn’t think the story needed that whole part. I did enjoy the ending, it was gratifying to see them finally come together for keepsies at the end.

Feuds and Interludes: Overall Reccomend

Feuds and Interludes keeps you entertained. Spice level is piquant. I liked the book overall.

MM Romance Book Reviews

I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel read my review policy and submit a contact form.

The post Feuds and Interludes: Review appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

Blurb

Inherited magic.

A secret neighborhood.

And… a formidable Homeowner’s Association?

When Mathias Mandrake becomes the unexpected heir of Mandrake Manor, he and his friends are thrust into a world of witchery and mystery. Juggling romance, nosy neighbors, and looming fines, they must decide: is the magic worth the mayhem?

Mandrake Manor Plot Details

Mandrake Manor is a 2023 novel about three recent college graduates: Mat, August, and Frankie. Mat inherits an old family manor. Unsure of their post-college plans, Mat convinces August and Frankie to move with him to this mysterious manor with him. They know nothing of the estate, Mat didn’t even know about this aunt who willed her entire estate to him upon her death.

Is Mandrake Manor is ALIVE

The estate, it turns out, is magic, the neighborhood is a shelter for magical beings, and everything is not as it seems. The trio quickly discover this as they acclimate to the neighborhood. Frankie works at a veterinary office run by a werewolf, Mat is a dentist who has clients who freeze time to reveal their magical side so he can deal with their magical toothaches, and August is a novelist who finds a quiet but magical café where they can settle in and write their book.

Henbane Hollow

The Henbane Hollow neighborhood seems to be an entity itself. The trio of friends can’t even find the neighborhood at first, which is hilarious. But, the neighborhood is being taken over by a overzealous HOA suburbanization project that sounds awful with how dull it will make everything. Who in their right mind would take historic Victorian mansions and make them McMansions straight out of the 90s? This plot is so sinister in its drive to take all the character out of a perfectly paranormal neighborhood that it is outwardly the big bad in the novel from the start. The HOA president takes being the nefarious neighborhood Karen to the magical next level.

World-Building

The audiobook narration is spot on for building the mystery and sense that there’s something not quite right with the neighborhood. The character POVs are interwoven well and the narrator’s voices for the various characters are entertaining. I loved how Graves narrates Frankie most of all, the character with the most sass.

Characters

I enjoyed the main characters and their POVs were clearly written as different, such a hard thing to do when writing from so many POVs. Narration also differentiated between the characters well so it was easy to tell whose chapter it was from the narration style.

Mat

Despite being the main character I felt like his characterization is the weakest and could use some bolstering. He just seems anxious and awkward but we never get beyond that. I mean, he saves his budding love interest from freaking hell! He should show some character growth.

August

August is my favorite character and not just because it makes me think of my boy Augst D. They are nonbinary and I loved the seamless narration and writing of a nonbinary character who uses they/them pronouns. I was reading a review and someone was saying there were grammar errors because of the use of they/them pronouns and I couldn’t tell if the reviewer was being willfully obtuse or if they thought the author really didn’t catch all those “mistakes” but anyone who knows anything queer will love the way August is described. I loved his quiet, lucid-dreaming self so much. Readers get to know him the most.

Frankie

Frankie is all sass and I love him, but he is another character I wish we got more insight into his inner workings, so to say. He’s bright, altruistic, and funny. He’s not just the one who brings the sassy takes on things. So we need more of him being authentically himself to see that.

Love Interests

I liked the love interests and how they were integral to the overall story. I wish we had more actual romance building instead of the SLOW burn we’re setting out on if this series continues.

Audiobook Gripes

Ok pronunciation gripe. The narrator said the word “vague” as “vahg”. It’s pronounced “vayg”. That rubbed me wrong. And then let’s talk about the French. Oh the French. I KNOW I can be super picky about French dialogue. Full disclosure, I am a French teacher IRL. But Oh My God y’all. If you know there is French dialogue, make sure you have the phonetic pronunciation to guide you.

French is hard, y’all

I don’t want to be mean. I can tell the narrator tried and they probably took French at one point in their life because it wasn’t all wrong. But there were times when he was reading spells that I couldn’t even tell what he was saying. And I am well versed in understanding butchered French pronunciation. I hear all sorts of wildly mispronounced French on the daily, as a MIDDLE SCHOOL teacher of French. Middle schoolers were not taught to read with phonics, they used sight words. Most of my students cannot look at words and understand how to break the word apart and predict pronunciation at all. I would be so happy to help with pronunciation. Or there are so many websites where you can ask native speakers how to pronounce things.

Narrator Did a Great Job

Overall I enjoyed the narration, the narrator did a good job of building the tension, speaking clearly, acting out characters differently, and keeping the pace steady. I also enjoyed the narrator’s reading of the poems at the start of each chapter. On the flip side, the narrator’s voice lulled me into not paying as close enough attention as I could have been, at times. This is likely a user error, as I don’t often listen to audiobooks and find my adhd self’s attention wandering quite easily.

Overall

Overall, I enjoyed this book and want more from the series. I hope we continue to see character growth and development as they continue their adventures as the Mandrake coven.

MM Romance Book Reviews

I received a free copy of this book from Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel read my review policy and submit a contact form.

The post Mandrake Manor Audiobook Review appeared first on Fae’s Journal.