Legacy Mechanics Book 3: In Plain Sight by Willow Dixon

 

Legacy Mechanics Book 3

Zander

The last thing I expect when I meet the new guy at work is for my life to be thrown into chaos. I’ve spent years hiding my attraction to men, but Luka is funny, outgoing, and for reasons I can’t explain, he sees past my introverted nature and wants to be friends.

I’ve never felt a connection with anyone like I do with Luka. He makes me want to open up and share the parts of myself I usually keep hidden. I don’t want to make things awkward between us, but the more I try to get over my feelings, the harder it is to stay away.

Just when I think my life can’t get any more complicated, I start chatting with a guy on an anonymous kink app. Sinbin might be a stranger, but he’s everything I’ve ever wanted in a man. But then again, so is Luka.

How did I go from never having guy trouble to wanting two men I can’t have?

Luka

Being the new guy at work isn’t easy. Neither is having a crush on one of my coworkers. Zander is quiet and shy, and doesn’t have the best social skills, but he’s also sweet and caring and one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met.

I’ve never known anyone like Zander, and the more time we spend together, the harder it is to only see him as a friend. I want him, but he’s straight. And to the outside world, so am I.

In a desperate attempt to get over my crush, I log into an anonymous kink app and start chatting with a man who doesn’t just rock my world but understands me in ways no one else ever has. I might not know what MrNiceGuy looks like, but he feels familiar, like we’ve known each other forever. But then again, so does Zander.

How can I be drawn to two men at the same time? And more how do I choose between them?

Zander and Luka’s story is a coworkers to friends to lovers romance featuring two mechanics who have no idea they’ve been sexting with each other on a kink app. You can expect anonymous texting, D/s vibes, found family, hurt/comfort, fantasy exploration, lots of dirty talk, tons of steam, all the heat, and so many feels as these coworkers realize that what you see isn't always what you get. It is book 3 in my exciting new Legacy Mechanics series but can be read as a standalone.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/219835797-in-plain-sight

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

Luka is the new guy at work but he has to admit, being there is so much better than his previous jobs. Unfortunately, his personal life has been giving him some issues between friends and family issues, that his anxiety has been kicking in more and more. Even subtly staring at his new crush and coworker, Zander, isn’t enough for a distraction. So he decides to try a new hook up app. He may not have told anyone else in his life he is bi, but here he can be himself. And when he matches with someone and actually connects with the guy and has an awesome hook up, he can’t help but start to feel things. But what he doesn’t know is that this app guy is none other than Zander. Only a few people in Zander’s life know he is gay and for now he plans to keep it that way. He is pretty sure his mom, his only family, won’t like it and he isn’t ready to lose her. In the meantime, he’ll try to keep his crush on his new coworker, Luka, under control. Then he goes on this hook up app and has a great experience and somehow him and Luka are starting to be friends and get closer. It’s only a matter of time until the truth comes out! And it’s wonderful! I adored Luka and Zander. They have such a sweet relationship and they balance one another so well. They both have introvert tendencies and yet with one another, they find that comfort and ease of loneliness they both have been feeling. I love how they just found who they were very clearly meant to be with. This is such a fun world, with such amazing characters, and I loved getting to know Luka and Zander! So excited for the next book in this series!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Crimson Moth Book 1: Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli

 

Crimson Moth Book 1

On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is.

Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe – a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution – who she can't help but find herself falling for.

Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/127305713-heartless-hunter

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My Review: 4/5 Stars

This has been on my TBR list for a while and I finally got a chance to read it! Which I’m glad I read it now because now my wait for book two is only a month, LOL. I love a good witch and witch hunter story and this one definitely was a good one! With a few twists that I haven’t seen in that particular trope. Rune is a witch spending her days pretending to be a young socialite while at night doing what she can to rescue witches from their deaths. While Gideon is a leader in the hunt for witches, he will do what it takes to see them gone. And considering his past, you can’t really blame him. But when Rune needs access to save a particular witch she has been looking for and Gideon received some information that may point Rune to being the Crimson Moth, a witch wanted for aiding other witches, both of them find themselves playing a dangerous game. They each set sights to court one another. But the line between what is real and what is not gets blurred the more time they spend with one another. Because in order to sell their act, they must give some truths. I loved when their guards were down enough to let the other in, because it was clear how easily they could fall for one another by giving their true selves. I really enjoyed the story, though there were some things that were a bit predictable. However, I’m still really excited to see what book two has in store after that ending!

Desires Unleashed Collection Book 1: Mine by Riley Hart

 

Desires Unleashed Collection Book 1

JT

For as long as I can remember, I’ve craved submission, but have struggled to put my wants into words. Then along comes a man online that I know only as Sir, and the connection is instant. Our desires align in a way I’ve never experienced. Anonymous or not, Sir is exactly what I’m looking for.

After several intense online sessions, no faces involved, we finally agree to meet. Except the man waiting for me isn’t a stranger—it’s my dad’s lifelong best friend, Marshall.

Marsh

John’s my chosen family, my safe space. The only thing we don’t see eye to eye on are my personal needs in the bedroom. So, when his son, JT, turns out to be the first person who’s excited me in longer than I can remember, I’m devastated. John would never forgive me if I let this happen.

And I try to stay away, I swear, but I can’t.

What starts out as simple fulfilment of physical desires grows into something more. The trust JT and I share, his submission…it reaches me on levels I didn’t know were possible. He makes me crave forever.

JT is mine, but to claim him, I’m sure to lose everything else in the process.

Mine is a dad’s best friend, steamy romance. Naughtier than most of my books, please use the look inside feature to check the content warning.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221332313-mine

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My Review: 4/5 Stars

Riley Hart has become a favorite author of mine, so I’m always willing to try to read new things she writes. With that said, this is definitely a different kind of romance than her norm. Exploring a way steamier romance that explores different types of kinks. So depending on what type of romance you like, may determine if this is something you are into. So this story follows Marshall and JT. The two of them meet online through a site that caters to the type of kinks they are very much into. As they talk anonymously, they begin to realize that they may be a good match and be exactly what the other one has been looking for in a partner to explore this side of their sexuality. However, the two of them are shocked when they finally come face to face. Because JT is the son of Marshall’s best friend since they were kids. They shouldn’t feel this way for one another. However, neither has ever felt this way about someone before. So they decide to take the leap. Knowing that they can lose those most important to them in the process. But the more you read about their relationship with one another, the more you realize just how great a match they are. Marshall allows JT to be exactly who he wants to be without judgment. Something JT needs, especially when his owns parents are so determined to do right by him, that they end up making him feel like he is doing it wrong. And Marshall never imagined he could fall for someone and accepted that relationships were never in the cards for him. But JT changes it all. When they just get to be themselves with one another, and not think about the things that tied them together before they met online, they are perfect together. Expect lots of steamy scenes in this one as they explore their kinks! And a love that is just as sweet.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Knight Blade Boys by Renee Kiser

 

NOEL

Being called a “loner Knight” doesn’t faze me; I’m not a typical eighteen-year-old compared to my classmates, and that’s fine. I prefer solitude.

The only reason I'm a Knight in the first place is because my mom thinks I'm alone too much. She wants me to make friends, which is why I joined the Knight's fencing club, even though I'd much rather be stargazing or watching anime.

When a new student shows up, I'm surprised to see it's Alexander Madison, a boy who was my science partner at thirteen, and broke my heart when he moved away without a goodbye.

He was my best friend.

But Alex doesn't recognize me when I take off my mask, and I don't tell him who I am.

I’m devastated, but more than that, I’m pissed.

From this moment on, I hate Alex.

ALEX

Running away and moving back to Vermont, into the home of a woman that never wanted custody of me, is the last thing I wanted to do my senior year of high school.

But I didn't have any other choice.

My father took things too far, and I had to get out.

Now I'm at Knight's Valor Academy and on the fencing team for shits and giggles.

Noel Hale likes to challenge me every chance he gets, and I push every single button of his with my biting comments and playful personality that he doesn't understand.

When our coach catches wind of the animosity and the almost fight we get into, she forces us to practice together outside of school.

Our mandatory bouts turn into so much more. 

Our foils clash just as hard as our personalities do, but I like our kind of foreplay. 

Noel's senior year gets a little wild when our three teammates and I drag him along into our world of parties, drama, and illegal activities he’d never attempt, resulting in unexpected friendships, a brawl or two, and I somehow make him fall in love with me, even though he doesn’t like people.

But fate had already written our love in the stars a long time ago.

KBB is written in first person, dual POV. Knight Blade Boys is a high school fencing romance with +18 consenting adults. There is found family, high angst, slow burn to high heat, and features a neurodivergent MC. It is a full length MM romance standalone in a series. Each book will have a separate couple.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222803134-knight-blade-boys

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

Noel has always had trouble making friends. He’s always felt different and views things differently from others. Then there was the time he thought he finally found someone who had understood him. Alex was different and the best friend Noel had been waiting for. Until he left without saying goodbye. Now, Noel is a senior in high school just trying to make it to graduation. He is used to being on his own and hasn’t tried to make any friends. But then Alex shows up at Noel’s fencing practice. And for a moment, the hope that Noel had sparked to being reunited. Until Alex looks at him without recognition. Acting like they have never met before. Heartbreak once more but this time anger too. He won’t let Alex hurt him again. Meanwhile, Alex’s home life has been anything but good. His father hurts him and finally Alex’s self-preservation forces him to flee. Back to Vermont and to a mother who wants nothing to do with him. But he doesn’t expect Noel. Or any of the guys who want to be his friend. And Noel has a way of getting under his skin. And no matter how much Alex pushes away, he finds himself right back by his side. The two of them are magnets. Bound to come together again and again. And when they finally accept that truth, they’ll realize they are exactly what one another needs. I really loved this story! I couldn’t put it down. We had such interesting characters and dynamics. It was fun getting to know them. Even when things got rough when it came to their pasts that shaped them. I loved Noel and Alex’s romance and how they found one another once more. This time giving them a chance to be together in a way they were beginning to unwrap when they first met. Great story all around! And it looks like we are getting another one!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Empyrean Book 3: Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

 

The Empyrean Book 3

THE STORM IS COMING . . .

Get ready to fly or die in the breathtaking follow-up to Fourth Wing and Iron Flame from #1 New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Yarros.

After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons.

No more time for uncertainty.

Because the battle has truly begun; and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust.

Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre.

The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves - her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything.

They need an army.

They need power.

They need magic.

And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth.

But a storm is coming... and not everyone can survive its wrath

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209439446-onyx-storm

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

Incredible!! Oh man, what a wild ride. I could not put this book down. And it’s probably my favorite of the series so far. So, so much goes down in this story. And I’m gonna do my best not spoil anything because this is one book you don’t want spoiled! And if you haven’t read the previous two books then definitely don’t read past this! The book starts shortly after the previous book ended and Violet, Xaden, and all their friends and family have a lot to deal with. The war has truly begun and it will take everyone working together to survive. But Violet has a few priorities in this book. And the first and most important: Curing Xaden. She will look for any answers, everywhere she can. Including helping Andarna find her family. The seventh breed of dragon that disappeared long ago. She hopes they will be the key to defeating the venin and even saving Xaden. Like I said, a lot happens in this book. We learn a lot about the world we are in and see places we haven’t seen before. We learn more about their families and the secrets they carried. A lot of our own questions will be answered. Again, not gonna spoil, but some pretty big things we’ve been wondering the last few books are touched upon. Things become clearer just in time to ask more questions. And then no one will be surprised to find a cliffhanger ending to this one. I figured there would be one, but not the way we saw!! So mean to have to wait so long to learn what the hell happened at the end. Cause that final chapter alone brought way too many questions. Overall, really loved this book. Violet and Xaden have grown a lot in this one even with the threat of him fully turning over their heads. Everyone has stepped up in so many ways and we learn so much more about them. I really can’t wait to see how this series goes! 

Frat Wars Book 4: Royal Scoundrel by Saxon James

 

Frat Wars Book 4

Royal Scoundrel is the prequel novella between Charles's dads. Even though it takes place twenty years before the Frat Wars books, it's best enjoyed last. 

DASH

Archibald Levine the third is a pain in my ass. Rich, cocky and the closest thing to a prince that our school has. 

I hate everything about his entitled attitude and the stupid Kappa crown he wears. 

I also hate the gigantic crush I have on the guy. 

One night, backed up by the courage of tequila, my mouth gets away from me and I offer him the one thing he can't stop thinking about. 

Me. 

On my knees. 

Because Archibald Levine also has a secret, and one kiss between us seals his fate. 

The fling between us can never go anywhere, not with his powerful and homophobic father, but we don't let it stop us from indulging at every opportunity that we get. 

I also don't let it stop me from falling stupidly in love with the guy. 

He's always made it clear he can never come out and I know we're destined for destruction. 

After all, happily ever after doesn't exist between a prince and a scoundrel.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217457649-royal-scoundrel

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

If you have read this series, you will possibly recognize Archie and Dash. They are Charles’s parents from book 3 and now we get to rewind a bit to their story! I was super excited for this book and wasn’t disappointed! Dash can’t believe he can’t get Archie out of his head. He has had a crush on him for a while but knows nothing will come from it. Yet, when Archie seeks him out and reminds Dash of their last encounter (an encounter Dash didn’t remember much of, thank you tequila), Dash begins to realize that perhaps Archie is just as interested in him. One problem though. It is clear Archie is deep in the closet and seems to have a pretty big reason to be. Yet, even after these two hook up, they can’t stay away from one another. Archie knows he shouldn’t keep seeking Dash out. He can’t ever truly be with him but maybe he can pretend for a while. But the more they see one another, the harder it is to let go. Can they find a way to have a future together? These two were so fun! Great banter between them and I loved how they slowly fell in love. They knew it was a bad idea to pretend but couldn’t help but hope that a future could happen for them. So happy we got to see their story! It was definitely worth the long wait!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Desert Ice Hockey Book 4: Spinning to the Goal by Christie Gordon

 

Desert Ice Hockey Book 4

As a hockey goalie, I don’t back down. When I meet my match in a figure skater, will my relentless pursuit win his heart?

Ace

Being in a dry spell sucks. Not my hockey game, my love life.

My friends decide it’s time to fix it. So they drag me out, dressed to impress.

Then I see him—exactly my type, all smoldering eyes and a slender body that’s got me forgetting how to breathe.

When our hookup leads to a connection, he gives me his number and I can't believe my luck.

Then... he ghosts me. Out of nowhere. Why?

Zoma

All I wanted was a quick hookup to take the edge off. No complications, no strings.

In walks this guy. He’s massive and sweet. Plus, he’s got a way of making me feel safe. I think he could be more.

Then I find out he’s a goalie.

I’ve been down this road before, and still bear the scars. The last time I fell for a hockey player, I gave him everything and he left me shattered.

No, I’ll focus on my figure skating competitions and the kids I train. It’s easier.

But Ace keeps showing up, all broad shoulders and an infuriatingly irresistible, aw-shucks smile.

How am I supposed to guard my heart when he refuses to give up on me?

Spinning to the Goal is the fourth book in the college hockey series, Desert Ice Hockey, and is the follow up to the Rock U series. It features a figure skater burned by love and a goalie with a cowboy background, size difference, opposites attract and found family. Desert Ice Hockey follows a group of queer hockey players, known as the squad, while they each battle for their HEA.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/220269221-spinning-to-the-goal

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My Review: 4/5 Stars

Ace has watched so many of his closest friends achieve their hockey dreams and find the person they are meant to be with. And he can’t help but hope the same will happen to him. He is praying that the Coyotes will sign him as their goalie so he cannot only remain in town but play with two of his best friends. But until the, he’ll keep playing his heart out. He just never expects that his heart will find the one he has been waiting for. When he meets Zoma at a club, it’s like everything clicks. Their chemistry is undeniable. And Ace knows Zoma feels it too. Yet at the end of the night and even after they exchanged numbers, he can’t help but feel like something happened. Especially with Zoma ghosts him. Zoma has one rule. No hockey players. Not after his ex smashed his heart. So of course it is his luck that when he meets the most perfect guy he has ever met, at the end of the night he learns he is a hockey player. Nope. Not happening… right? He tries to stay away. Even when his best friend tells him he is crazy. But fate has other ideas when they cross paths again. And this time, Ace isn’t letting Zoma go without a fight. As the two navigate a new relationship, Ace will have to figure out his hockey future and Zoma will have to decide if he can take a chance on another hockey player. Ace and Zoma were such a great couple! Loved their chemistry. And I loved how Ace wasn’t going to let his dream guy go. He really fought for Zoma. And Zoma wasn’t so closed off as he thought he would be. A fun story all around and I am looking forward to the next one!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.