Red Haze by Lark Taylor

Rating:

1/5 tear 💧

2/5 spice 🌶🌶

5/5 star⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

Book 3 of the Caffeine Daydreams series 

Get the book here: https://mybook.to/RedHaze

Release date: March 21 (Also available on KU)

Genre: Bodyguard x rockstar, hurt/comfort, demi-awakening

Honesty time. I did not get into the series until I glimpsed the steamy closet scenes with Jack and Arlo on her patreon, but I don’t know why I doubted Lark Taylor’s writing, she makes you work for the happy ending, and this was definitely a story where she shined in it. Lark’s writing isn’t happy fluffy, but she’s fast becoming a must read author for me. She writes such tragic sad heart twingey love stories that leaves you broken and healed all in the same breathe. 

I can not begin to imagine being in love with someone for that many years, and although they thought they were just bodyguard and the person they guarded (at least on one side),  I can’t believe it took them more than 10 years to get their act together… I don’t know whether to roll my eyes my Jack or hug him so hard for being so clueless.

“…My heart was in the right place, even if my actions didn’t show that.” 

“And where’s your heart now?” 

“In your hands, Arlo,” he said softly, his voice trembling. “Right where it’s always been, even if I didn’t know it.”

Since I was originally getting this story chapter by chapter as a serial, during the down time of not reading about Jack and Arlo, I started to read book 1 & 2, so as to get more of a full story, but this last book works ok as a standalone, really all of them do. It’s just more fun to read more in depth about each band member together.

I love the cameos towards the end of the book. What can I saw, I totally recommend this book, this author, this universe.

Off Season by Jodi Oliver

Rating:

4/5 tear 💧💧💧💧

3/5 spice 🌶🌶🌶

5/5 heart 💙💙💙💙💙

Highly recommend and can't wait for book three!! 

Second book in the Chicago Thunder series, works OK as standalone

Release date: March 7, 2024

My 20 second summary: Daddy Ethan needs a date to face his ex-finance at a family wedding. He invites Jacob to pose as his fake-boyfriend. They hit it off and get their HEA.

I love how Jacob seemed to be this overwhelmed older brother in the first book, but in his own story he comes alive with ruby-red painted toes, and lacy jockstrap, while Daddy Ethan is painted with Clark Kent glasses and definitely that swoony perfect boyfriend vibe. 

"You want today to be like a date, so this is my rule. You want a book? I'll buy you the book. You want a hundred books? I'll buy every damn one."

Their story started out pretty heavy and had a lot of emotional parts, and while I initially thought I'd be put off by the grief, the way Ethan was so open to helping Jacob handle the loss really spoke volumes of how perfect their relationship is. They helped one another heal, Ethan from his ex and Jacob while he misses his family. The scene confronting the ex at the wedding (fist punch in air) and the scene with the robins (Cry) 

There were so many little things inserted in the book that I loved, one of them was how Ethan caught a glimpse of Jacob's book and after reading it, he went to recreate some of the scenes, LOL. 

Genre: Hockey, MM Romance, Contemporary, 

Tropes: Age Gap, Men Lingerie, Fake Boyfriend

Get the book --->https://getbook.at/OffSeason

Add to your Goodreads ---> https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201060039-off-season

#mmromance #myshiodareads #mmreads #jodioliver #hockey #contemporary #daddyethan #meninlingerie 

Leap Year by A.M. Arthur

Leap Year by A.M. Arthur
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reconstruction Book 1

*Loosely connected to the Neighborhood Shindig Series, but OK to be read as standalone. 

Release date: Feb 28, 2024

Rating:

0/5 tear (This story did not trigger my tears, but doesn't mean it won't be emotional for others)

2/5 spice (what's an MM story without spice, this book seemed middle low end for spice, maybe it's due to having a child in the story, less time to do spicy things.)

4/5 heart (went into this book nearly blind to author writing, and plot, came out loving the storyline, the characters and wanting more.)

My 20 second summary: An artist's hermit lifestyle comes to a halt when he suddenly becomes neighbors with a single dad. They plan to stay away from each other, except that they are attracted to one another right off the bat. They navigate the delicate balance of their past traumas to find a HEA.

I love this book more than I thought I would. Based on blurb, I went into this book sorta neutral about it, I was trying to branch out on new to me authors but the more I read the more I love it. It's not only an interesting storyline from all aspects, but it checks all the boxes. Grump x Sunshine, check. Adorable child, check, found family, check, mentioning obscure movies that I love, check!

I love the way the story was weaved, and the honesty in the relationship, the communication, it was all very refreshing. They also both worked through their past trauma to find room for one another.

I'm definitely looking forward to the other books in the series, and I may start reading through backlog stories to see if I can spot other characters from the book.

Oh! There's a trigger warning of past sexual abuse which doesn't get address until further towards the end of the book, but I felt like it was dealt with in a good way between the MCs.

Buy the book here --->https://a.co/d/3t4Tyeg

Add to your Goodreads here ---> https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/207654236-leap-year

#mmromance #myshiodareads #mmreads #amarthur #teacher #contemporary #recluseartist #musician 

View all my reviews

White Noise by Lark Taylor

Book Review 

🩷🩷🩷🩷

Out now on KU or get the signed copy here ——>(https://www.larktaylorauthor.com/product-page/white-noise)

If you love Lark writing Para-normal Romance, definitely give her contemporary one a try. I’m not a big fan of rockstar romance, but this one is a little different, or maybe not, but I like Lark’s writing style enough to give it a try, even though it took me awhile. I joined her Patreon when Green Light was released, but that particular book did not draw me, so I didn’t even think to read White Noise. It wasn’t until she started providing advanced chapters for Red Haze and I’m learning more about Arlo and Jack that I really got into the band, and now I want to read the backstories before Red Haze comes out. So here I am for my redemption arc.

Book summary:

Ollie is suffering from a massive heartbreak from cheating girlfriend with best friend when he meets Luca in an out of order elevator.  They share a moment together, Luca having a panic attack and Ollie helps him off the ledge. In that confined space they open up to each other and is no one else, but Luca and Ollie the people, not Luca the rockstar, and Ollie the journalist. When the lift door opens, and reality hits them and breaks the bond they had during that fleeting time. But they reconnect as tour journalist and headline rockstar and find their HEA.

“He was everything I remembered…but yet so much more. I wanted to get closer to breathe him in. To sniff him to see if he wore the same cologne. To stroke my hand over his jaw just to see if he’d shiver like he had that day in the lift. I did none of those things. Obviously. That sort of behaviour led to a restraining order.”

 Parts that really moved me were the vulnerabilities both Ollie and Luca showed each other and how quick they were to come to the conclusion that they were wrong about one another, but that damn Kevin had to come in and ruin it every time. 

BTW, I’m adding Kevin, the band manager, on my list of hated characters. I mean from this book alone, he doesn’t seem that bad, but I got a glimpse of him in Red Haze and I hated him, so… reading about him here really makes me hate him.

There were so many times where I was like, just get it together and communicate man, your insecurities are unfounded. But I guess that is not what these people are about, lol. I love them nonetheless.

I also love the appearance of other characters from Lark’s PNR books, it’s a nice cameo and makes me feel like I’m actually living in their world and that the PNR boyfriends are just within reach if I visit The Closet. 

I’m now ready to read Silas and Kai’s story, so I’ll leave you with the swoony* things Ollie says to Luca.

“You’re not an experiment, Luca. I’m right here in this with you, and I want to try everything. Are you in this with me?” 

*Sidenote these swoony things are only swoony to me in books, IRL if my husband said these things to me, it would definitely get an eye roll and a laugh. LOL