B3 - Brooklyn's Book Bites

my thoughts about what I read

Not Safe For Work

Not Safe For Work - L.A. Witt An ARC of this book was provided by Samhain Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow!! Loved this! A dominant and a submissive find each other via a kinky dating app, while in a business meeting. Literally! I loved the connection between these two men. Both over 40, which was awesome, and long standing business men.

But things get ugly when the boss finds out. It was awful! Jon was blackmailed into keeping his boyfriend Rick happy to keep his job. Because Jon's bosses were desperate to get a contract with Rick's company. Of course, that didn't end well. Duh!

But Jon had a wonderful support network in his friends and family. Although they were stunned and without advice, they supported him and stood by him. I liked that this book wasn't about homophobic attitudes keeping them quiet. It was all about who they worked for. It was business related. Two guys met and realized they were a perfect match. But their work relationship made things difficult at the office.

The blurb made it seem like there would be more focus on BDSM in this, but I think the focus was more on the relationship itself rather than on the kink part of it.

Of course it all worked out in the end and they got their HEA.

Confessions of a Wild Heart

Confessions of a Wild Heart - Kade Boehme Wow! These two guys had horrible parents. I mean seriously horrible! But they had an instant bond. A connection that went beyond insta-lust. It was beautiful. Even though they had a lot of crap to wade through before they could move on to being together in love. Great story!

The Keeper

The Keeper - Hollis Shiloh Meh.

Him

Him - Elle Kennedy, Sarina Bowen This book was so right in my comfort zone. I just absolutely loved it. It was fabulous. And I'm glad it didn't turn out to be a GFY. I love those as well, don't get me wrong. But I was happy to see that this book didn't go that route. Jamie discovered he is Bi and it was so awesome to see him realize that he didn't lose that attraction to women, but that he felt the same way towards guys. It was refreshing because so many times, it turns out the guy was deluding himself in his attraction to women or he only gets hard for the one guy. But Jamie had real attraction to both. And it didn't freak him out. It was great!

All Kinds of Tied Down

All Kinds of Tied Down - Tristan James Mabry, Mary Calmes So good!! Mary Calmes is growing on me. Each book I read by her gets better and better. With Tristan James as narrator, this was just that much better. I can't wait to read book 2.

The US Marshals are hot! And Ian's slight neediness and submissiveness with Miro was just so sexy!

The Subs Club

The Subs Club - J.A. Rock This was really good and I can't wait to read the rest of the series. I wish it was already out! A group of friends, who are submissive, are dealing with the death of one of their own. Dave, the MC of this book, is struggling to find his place as a submissive. He decides to create "The Subs Club", a blog where submissives can openly discuss issues with Doms they've played with and review them in hopes of warning others which Doms are and aren't safe to play with. But, of course, it's the internet and it eventually gets out of hand. I absolutely loved the topic of this book. It's a serious topic, but it's dealt with in a light-hearted way that doesn't give the book a dark feeling.

It wasn't what I was expecting from a BDSM book. I felt there was more focus on the sub club and how Dave was handling his friend's death. It was more a story of personal growth in the aftermath of tragedy with a romantic subplot thrown in. But it worked and I enjoyed it. I think maybe that's why I also felt the sex was surprisingly tame and sparse, although the BDSM scenes were definitely not.

I look forward to seeing how each of the other boys deals with the tragedy and finds his own way.

ARC of this book was provided by Riptide Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

For Real

For Real - Alexis Hall I loved this book! I loved how Toby and Laurie were able to connect and read each other. It was so refreshing to see the Dom in the making as a beginner and it was awesome that he found a seasoned sub that looked at his innocence and discovery with admiration and love rather than thinking him silly for it. It was beautiful!

Safe in His Arms

Safe in His Arms - Renae Kaye, Randy Fuller I listened to the audio of this book, and though I was initially thrown by Randy Fuller's voice, it was perfect for Lon. Rough, slightly older sounding voice, that I could totally picture as part of Lon.

When Lon's story came out, wow! What a crazy, soap opera story! This book had some great funny moments that had me laughing out loud. But it still retained a serious undertone with Casey's abuse and Lon's family drama.

Widdershins

Widdershins - Jordan L. Hawk, Julian G. Simmons I don't know why I waited so long to read this. It was great. It took me a bit to sink into the narrator's voice, but once I did, I could totally picture his voice for Whybourne. This had the right elements of mystery, paranormal, and romance. It wasn't quite what I was expecting and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

Behind the Eight Ball

Behind the Eight Ball - M.A. Church ARC was provided by the author for review.

Once again, M.A. Church delivers a fun, playful, sexy story about a feline shifter and his human mate. Heller does not like humans. Personal history left him with a strong hatred for the species. So when he scents his mate, and realizes it’s a human, he is horrified. He initially rejects his mate and refuses to acknowledge him, but his view changes when Lawson, is threatened.

“Can I treat you like a cat?” My favorite scene is when Heller shifts for the first time for Lawson. And although he's known about paranormals for years, is a bit shy and doesn't quite know how to act around Heller's cat. They play for hours with the box of cat toys Heller has stashed in the living room. I said this in my review of book one, but Ms. Church really brings to life the persona of the cat, including all the quirky mannerisms.

Heller’s hatred of humans didn’t seem to make sense, until he explained to Lawson what caused it. I could totally understand where he was coming from. He experienced a horrific ordeal at the hands of a human, and it would be enough for any paranormal to write them off.

Lawson is threatened, but it’s really nothing to do with Lawson. And the story doesn't fully end at the end of book two. It is left unfinished as it shifts to revolve around Lawson's friend, Marshell. I can only hope we do not have to wait too long for the resolution and Marshell's story.

If you like cats, and you like shifters, this series is a must read.

This review is cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews.

In The Absence Of Light

In The Absence Of Light - Adrienne Wilder Wow! This story was fabulous! One of the things I really liked about this book was that although we only got Grant's POV, I still felt connected to Morgan. Grant's POV and how he saw Morgan came across so clearly. I really appreciated that.

Unscripted

Unscripted - Nico Jaye An ARC of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Teddy Carbone runs the Oasis, a community theater in Heartsville. When the owner dies, Teddy learns he is now part owner, along with Carter Monroe, the deceased owner's nephew. When Carter mentions selling the Oasis, Teddy realizes he has to do everything he can to show Carter that the Oasis is worth keeping.

Of course, they hook up. Right out of the gate in this book. It's a bit sudden and unexpected. And I wasn't really thrilled about it. The story is told solely from Teddy's POV. Teddy was sweet, somewhat shy and just a lovable guy. And he had a great family. I didn't really connect with Carter, probably because of the lack of his POV. At times, it felt like he found Teddy charming, in a slightly condescending way, but I don't think he was meant to be seen that way. He was a bit standoffish, even though it was obvious he liked Teddy.

But it all somehow worked. I enjoyed the book and can't wait to read the rest of the series. Heartsville has a warm sense of community and I love stories like that. This book seems to take place around the same time (Fall season/Halloween) as [b:Bookmarked|26854872|Bookmarked (Heartsville)|Piper Vaughn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1444191875s/26854872.jpg|46787565], which I thought was fun. It kind of tied the books together, in a loose way.

This review cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews

Body and Soul

Body and Soul - Jordan Castillo Price, Gomez Pugh I'm really enjoying this series. I love supernatural/paranormal so this has been super fun! I'm looking forward to the next book.

And I'm finally sinking into Gomez Pugh as the narrator. I think my problem with him is when he does Jacob's voice. He goes deeper and it throws me for some reason. But it's growing on me (after three books, lol!).

First

First - K.C. Wells I loved this book! It was awesome. So sweet. I love that the age difference wasn't ever really an issue. I love how Mike never looked at Tommy as anything other that a suitable partner despite their age difference. I loved how Ben's family just took over when his own parents were shits.

I can't seem to find anything I didn't love about this story.

Too Stupid to Live

Too Stupid to Live - Anne Tenino Fun book.

Love's Crash Landing

Love's Crash Landing - Amylea Lyn This was a bit cheesy. Mi'Kel was portrayed very much like a woman, and that bothered me. His mannerisms, his appearance, his clothes, and how he reacted to the pregnancy. He's an alien. Give him a bit more foreign mannerisms. His planet was dying so they adapted to the change and men now carry, although many not to term. But although he was humanoid, I felt he should have had some more glaring differences from humans. Mainly in the way his body handled pregnancy. Sure, some bits were explained, but then it turned out he was all typically hormonal. Almost like he became a simpering little lady. It bothered me. The story as a whole was good, but it needed a bit more development to be believable.

Currently reading

Fit to be Tied
Tristan James Mabry, Mary Calmes
Pain Slut
J.A. Rock