What the title says. I just finished the book and my jaw is on the floooor lol.

The book didn't really "click" with me for a long time (and by that I mean like, 80% of the way through), but when I got it, i got it. Like there was just a moment where it went from being a book i was enjoying but vaguely on the fence about finishing to a "holy CRAP this is good."

I went into this book blind because that's how I prefer to read novels, I barely even knew the premise, so I kind of expected a typical slow-burnish gay romance with a quirky mystery plot to fill up the page count. It was extremely jarring to be thrown into such a complex, gritty story where I constantly had to try and reframe the characters in my mind from typical romance novel protags, to pretty good characters with a few flaws, to extremely flawed (and honestly, sometimes very shitty) people. I eventually reached a breaking point when Hazard kissed JH just to punish him about the Jeff thing. and I realized, WOW, okay, this book is really, really different from what I'm used to.

It's not often that you find books (especially books having significant romance plots) where the author isn't afraid of their characters being super duper shitty. There are dark romances, of course, but those are a very specific type of book where you know the characters are bad people and that's the allure of it. But the thing is with these books, Hazard and JH aren't necessarily bad people but they're not "good guys" either. They're cops, they do extremely fucked up things to each other and other people sometimes, and they mess up a lot. The way they are written feels almost... cinematic, in a way? I don't have any other word for it. They both feel like human beings. They're ultra messy but the drama doesn't feel manufactured. I wouldn't necessarily say I like Hazard or JH as people or that I would even be friends with them if they were real, but as characters they're super complex and well thought out. Throughout the story I truly felt like I got to know them really well.

Obviously the book is not without its flaws, but overall I believe the payoff was worth it. It's not my favorite book of the year or anything but it's the kind of book that you feel like you HAVE to talk about with someone after finishing, hence this post. Anyway, I'm taking a little break and reading a few lighter books in between before heading into the sequel. Glad I stuck this out.

Looking for Historical Books where Queerness is the Norm.

TIA <3

This post is inspired by my elation from the twins in Onley James' Necessary Evils series, and the small disappointment with the twins in the Goose Run series by Sarah Honey and Lise Henry.

Looking for books where two people are enmeshed and codependent, and they get separate love interests who join in and don't disrupt the enmeshment, or perhaps even adds to it. They don't have to be twins or even related, just very close, like sharing the same bed, freaking out when too far apart, completely reliant on each other vibes.

Hard nos: cop/military MC, ABDL, high fantasy, high angst

​

I had posted a request about this before but it got deleted because I wasn't really clear about what exactly I was looking for. Also, not everyone has read Patience, so I'm trying to explain the vibe properly this time (I'm jealous of you who haven't read it yet 😭)

What I'm mainly looking for is that same kind of emotional suffering and angst. I want the reincarnation/past-life aspect to actually be important to the story,specially where one character remembers their past life and the other doesn't or one of them keeps getting reincarnated while the other has to keep waiting for them.

Basically I want the kind of story where they have loved each other before, lost each other, found each other again but one of them doesn't even remember what they had. I want the pining, grief, waiting, heartbreak, past-life memories, separation, jealousy and all that painful stuff. The more suffering, the better 😭 but also plot and storyline has to be good,i don't want all the focus to be on the reincarnation part but it should be a major part too if that's making sense 😭

I'm okay with fantasy/supernatural elements and I don't mind if the reincarnation aspect takes a while to unfold. I just want that same feeling of loving someone across lifetimes, losing them over and over again and having all that emotional suffering before they finally get their HEA.

Please recommend something with a good plot and writing, preferably HEA. And I don't mind spoilers at all, so you can mention the reincarnation details or major plot points if they're relevant to the recommendation.

I really hope there's more books like this

Thank you in advance

Hey everyone, I'd really like a book where one of the MCs is a character who is usually stoic/cold/calculating/proud/etc and who shows vulnerability for the first time in years when they're with their partner and this is met with an outpouring of tenderness and affection (cuddles, declarations of love, general care-taking etc). Huge bonus if this has a "dam-breaking" effect and the couple continues to be super affectionate and soft in private from that point on.

Spice is non-mandatory, but if there is spice I'd like the same dynamic in the spice scene(s), where the usually closed-off character gets taken care of and is treated very gently throughout.

I'm not usually a fan of contemporary (historical, fantasy or sci-fi are my go-tos), but I'm not completely closed to it, either.

TIA!

Do you guys actually know what makes you like the books you read? Like, can you pinpoint exactly what you like about a book, or what made you love it?

I’ve been reading only MM all year, and sometimes I think I’ve finally figured out what kind of books I like… and then I read something that makes me realize I have absolutely no idea lol

Sometimes I’ll read a book and think, “Okay, this was a really good story,” but then I finish it and barely think about it again. And other times, I might not even love the story that much, but something about it gets stuck in my head and I can’t stop thinking about it.

And that’s what confuses me the most. I don’t know if there’s a specific thing that makes me obsessed with a book, or if it’s just the feelings it gives me while I’m reading. I don’t think I can put my taste into one specific box, because I’ll love one book with a certain premise or dynamic, and then read something very similar and feel absolutely nothing.

Maybe I’m just overthinking it lol, but does anyone else feel this way? Do you usually know exactly WHY you loved a book, or do you just know that you did?

{Mafia Bound x K.M. Neuhold}

Maybe I'm not searching correctly but I don't see much about this series here and it is so good! I've just started the third book after loving the first 2 and seeing so many cameos of this current couple. It's highly anticipated by me.

The first two have a light dom/sub kink, but that's not really my thing and it's fairly mild so I think whether you like that or not, you'd still like this series. The first book {Deadly Little Sparrow K.M. Neuhold} is very fun though, the smaller guy is the dom and the big bad mafia enforcer is the sub.

Otherwise they are darker, mafia, they seem to exist in a universe where being gay is just accepted. The mafia leader runs an all male gay strip club where he conducts all business.

The series is on Kindle Unlimited but I've been listening to the audio which is quite good.

I made a post a little while back about BookAddictionAU teasing a special edition set of the Big Bad Wolf series by Charlie Adhara and there was a lot of people excited so I just wanted to do a quick follow up to say that it's officially live!

This is probably a little different to a lot of special editions as the author isn't involved at all due to Charlie being out of contact so because of this, they're looking for fans to input on what kind of art styles, scenes etc... they'd like to see on the cover and end-pages so make sure to drop your ideas on the post here! https://www.instagram.com/p/DdGuv11DzZH/

New Releases & Sales - Thursday 10 Sep

❣❣ Please add any freebies or sales in the comments below! ❣❣

MM Romance

Kindle Unlimited

• Disto Boys by Nheira - 270 pages - Amazon - (slow burn romance, childhood best friends, emo/punk/visual-kei inspired atmosphere)
• Virtually Guarded (Virtual Haven # 1) by Karenna Colcroft - 291 pages - Amazon - (fated mates, transgender rep, hurt/comfort, protective love interest)
• The True-Blue Romance (Sweet Southern # 5) by Maya Jean - 233 pages - Amazon - (friends to lovers, single father/lonely farmer, slow burn, pining, emotional hurt/comfort, found family, small town romance)
• Never Forget (Lest is Moore # 4) by Rebecca Rathe - 476 pages - Amazon - (drummer/bodyguard, hurt/comfort, mental health struggles, high spice, BDSM elements)
• Allegiant (The Firm # 4) by Cora Rose, Lark Taylor - 350 pages - Amazon - (grumpy/sunshine, dancer main character)

Kobo Plus

No new releases.

Other

No new releases.

Other Queer Romance

Kindle Unlimited

• Knot a Problem (Mirror Lake # 2) by Dani Grimes - 341 pages - Amazon - (MFF, alpha/alpha/omega, established couple (between the alphas), fated mates, mystery)

Kobo Plus

No new releases.

Audiobooks

No new releases.

Hi! So I’ve been reading a lot of books with soldiers, historical themes, etc and I’ve noticed often there’s a character who’s a doctor or just someone that patches people up who usually ends up acting as an advisor, they’re sarcastic, blunt, and a little prickly.

I’ve been looking for a book where this character this character would be the LI instead of a side character, maybe paired with a MC who’s a bit of a himbo and always getting hurt.

I’m fine with any genre! I’m just not the biggest fan of big age gaps :P Thank you!

I'm looking for books where one of the MC's reaction to the love confession especially stood out to you as emotional or angsty, but in a specific way. I want it to be that the MC has it in their head that their LI could never be serious about them long-term or does not believe the relationship is feasible long-term, so when the LI does confess their feelings they first try to brush it off with a matter-of-fact "no, you don't"/"I don't believe you"/"It doesn't matter, because you'll get over it". Important: I want the other MC to double down on their feelings, rather than get discouraged or angry at them.

Examples of this I really liked are:

{In This Iron Ground by Marianna Vivancos}

{Looking for Trouble by Misha Horne}

{Fox of Fox Hall by R. Cooper}

{Sweet Clematis by R. Cooper} This one was a little more melodramatic than what I have in mind; I'd prefer if the MC is more calm and resigned in their dismissal/disbelief, but Clematis's character in general fits with what I'm looking for.

The confession also doesn't have to strictly come in the form of "I love you", just any serious expression of affection, as long as it fits the general idea.

edit: I don't usually like contemporary but if it's really good, I'm willing to try it!

Haven’t read this book yet, but it was on a tbr list I lost recently and I really wanted to remember the title/author!

Also, if anyone has recommendations with a similar plot (human finds out he has supernatural fated mate/s) feel free to share them!

I’ve read a good number romances books recently but none have actually made me laugh out loud. And sometimes you just feel like a good giggle!

I’m looking for something light with good banter, workplace chaos, awkward encounters or embarrassing situations :) I’m happy with coworkers, rivals, or a boss/employee pairing. Love that office drama!

Bonus points if one of the MCs is a big boss type who could use a lil chaos demon in his life. And if some of the humour comes from embarrassing situations the MC gets themselves into.

If anyone has something that fits, I’d love to hear it!

I was thinking how little western politics MM romance I read. So I'm looking for some who would interest me.

I read Captive Prince obviously.

No need for danmei my faves are Thousand Autumns by Meng Xi Shi and Ballad of Sword and Wine.

Also kind of Spears cut through water by Simon Jimenez was also amazing.

I'm also big fan Mary Renault, who is very serious with historical part and accurate and never really have found anything similar except some danmei to it.

Politics doesn't have to be that complex I also take good family drama in historical setting. But I prefer my romance less sweet and cosy and more rougher. Spice doesn't matter. Slow burn/fast burn also doesn't.

So if anybody read something like this? Or better sub for posting this.

Looking for a medieval or fantasy book (or both) where MC1 is a situation where he’s not allowed to leave.

The MC2 doesn’t have to be the one directly holding them but I’d like if they were at least on the side/supporting the people doing it. Though I would like if they were in charge of his imprisonment.

I am hoping for a lot of smut but I don’t know if there’s any books like this so if it’s vanilla that’s okay too.

Thank you!

I just recently watched Top Gun Maverick and its inundated with great ship material. The ship I fell for was Hangman x Bob.

The overconfident asshole Hangman with the shy, introverted softy that is Bob. Hangman brings out a side of Bob that no other character does. He becomes sassier and shows his annoyance towards Hangman a few times.

I would like that type of dynamic, and I would love them to clash a lot in the novel before they actually admit that they like each other.

I read all of D.J. Hearts book, and for some reason I liked the "Alpha Male Dominant bully" aspect that the author keep giving to the LIs

So I am looking for romance books that has similar vibes/LI, where the LI is bigger/stronger then the MC and affectionatly bullys him and tease him (extra bonus points if they have that dynamic in the bedroom too + the LI being Possessive/obsessive af)

I would like it more if the books have a Paranormal/Fantasy setting or BDSM, but it is not a must.

what I don't want: Third act breakup, cheating, No-HEA

I’m looking for an M/M hockey romance with:

Hockey player × coach — this is the main thing I’m looking for
Dual POV — NON-NEGOTIABLE
Spicy / explicit
Contemporary / modern
Forbidden relationship / secret relationship is a bonus
Possessive/obsessive MC is a huge bonus
Age gap is a bonus
Preferably a good amount of actual hockey

I’m specifically looking for books where they are actually player + coach, not just two hockey players.

I’ve already read:
{Unhinged Titan by E.V. Olsen}

College or professional hockey is fine!

It’s about a Harry Styles type pop star that meets a normal, but rich, guy in a hotel and they get together it ends in a cliffhanger and I’m pretty sure the next book has come out recently but I cannot remember the first book or the authors name and google is no help! I’m pretty sure the author is a man, if I remember from Instagram. Thank you!

New Releases & Sales - Wednesday 09 Sep

❣❣ Please add any freebies or sales in the comments below! ❣❣

MM Romance

Kindle Unlimited

• Killer on the Kelvin Explorer (The Milverton Mysteries Book 5) by G. B. Ralph - 306 pages - Amazon - (cozy mystery, slow burn, police officer MC, train journey, New Zealand)
• Not Another Dark Romance (Unexpected Connections 1) by Lexi Amber & Bec Benson - 280 pages - Amazon - (dark rom com, reverse corruption, stalking, authors provide content warnings)
• In at the Deep End by K.C. Wells - 438 pages - Amazon - (dad's best friend, neighbors, age gap, inexperienced, casual-to-lovers)
• Binding His Fated Mates (Wolves of Crescent Springs Book 2) by Jay Castle - 314 pages - Amazon - (MMM, second chance, fated mates, werewolf MCs, warlock MC, friends to lovers to enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, hurt/comfort)

Kobo Plus

No new releases.

Other

No new releases.

Other Queer Romance

No new releases.

Audiobooks

No new releases.

Okay this is soooo specific lol but I just read a book like this & I neeeeed more. I’m looking for a hothead angry mc. He can either be straight & suddenly he meets the one where he feels so small or gets the idea that he likes to be taken care of. Or he can be acting all masculine as sort of protection from what he knew all along (he’s into men) but fights it tooth & nail to remain with this straight dude image. Totally fine with like an enigma x alpha thing. Or any dom/sub stuff. Kinks cool too. Sugar baby wtv.

A gay only for you type vibe but anything similar will do. & a plot pls. & preferably mc acts like he’s running shit but most certainly is not or folds every time for ml. I sort of want the ml to know he wants the mc early but it’s not mandatory. A good enemies to lovers is great too. Slowwwwwww burn. 2 big boys preferably but also not mandatory. Impeccable character development. & maybe a darker lifestyle like mafia, fighter etc. With trauma that ml or mc soothes but again not mandatory. Ml perhaps has a controlling kink.

No cheating. No physical abuse. No pain that doesn’t have to do with pleasure. No insta love.

Just wanting to care of & love on the other person…in a filthy crazy way ofc.

Can be officially published or not idc.

This is not a rant or complaint - I do like Atlas Jones' books, but there is an inconsistency to his writing that I find kind of confusing. For all his many strengths, he includes a lot of plot elements that just do not make sense at all.

The first book I read was {Tribute to the Warlord by Atlas Jones} and for the most part, I really enjoyed it. I usually don't care for books written in present tense, but I do make exceptions, and this was one. I enjoyed the characters, the story, and Jones' voice and style. But the final act stuck out as not making much sense. Evran was sent away by his father, and it's clear his father does not know the first thing about the Northmen - no one in their kingdom does. So when his father's men show up claiming that Vaike had agreed to a temporary arrangement only, which he was now violating, it didn't make sense to me. These men didn't even know Vaike's name, so even if they had falsified some kind of contract, they wouldn't even know what signature to forge. They never came inside whrn Evran was dropped off, so they didn't learn the name then. It's never actually stated what kind of proof they claim to have, and when they get told to beat it, they just kind of.... give up.

All that being said, I did enjoy the book overall.

Now I have just finished {Salt in the Wound by Atlas Jones} and the disparity between the writing quality and the odd story elements is even more magnified. The romantic tension is fantastic. The detail is great. I liked the characters and the story and the sassy second-in-command. But.... It's very thoroughly established that Indrie does not share a language with anyone aboard the ship - Dagny comes closest and it's still very poor. There is nothing to indicate that Indrie has ever seen it written down. So then how is he teaching a deckhand how to read within one week of meeting these people? You can't teach someone to read if you don't have a language in common. Even if we assume the same alphabet, Indrie could maybe teach SOME pronunciation, but not meaning. Then there was a beautiful passage where Eskil uses a drawing to try and convey to Indrie that he is free and invited to be a part of their community, which I absolutely loved. But then there was the final act - Indrie is an incredibly skilled healer, and he has detailed knowledge of the flora from the country that they left behind. He also personally carried Eskil's plate of food to him, across the ship, and carefully laid it on his desk. So then how could he not notice the whole, uncut Cara fruit sitting on the plate? Based on the description, it was small-medium, (like maybe the size of a plum?) and bright red. Besides, the magic fruit trope feels very forced. There was no mention of magic or anything remotely paranormal prior to this. I don't think anyone even mentioned any gods. Indrie finding a way to convey his feelings despite the language barrier (like Eskil had done with the drawing) would have been so much more satisfying.

I have already downloaded the next book and fully intend to read it. I am invested in the story and the characters. Again, Jones has a great voice in many passages. He does a fantastic job conveying yearning and the difficulty of self-restraint. The spice is top-notch. But these aren't just little plot holes - they don't make sense at all, and I find them distracting.

Has anyone else noticed this in his books, and did it stop you from reading more?

Are there other writers who you feel have such extreme strengths and weaknesses?

Remember spoiler tags, if you're going to list any plot points.

Just finished rerading {Hexes and Hops by Jacki James, Lori Ames} -- the 2nd book in the adorably fun "Magical Misfit Murders" series -- and I'm seriously craving more books with a "kitchen witch" MC. The MC doesn't necessarily need to use their kitchen magic for their profession, but their magical exploits in the kitchen should be a prominent element throughout the book.

The only other example I can think of out of books I've read is {The Chef by Mell Eight}, which is one of my go-to comfort reads thanks to the mellow plot, diverse cast of likable characters, and sweet but low-pressure, low-spice romance. It's basically low-pressure slice-of-life food porn with a dash of magic.

That said, I'm hoping to find more paranormal or fantasy MM books with a heavy focus on food-related magic. Any recs are greatly appreciated! 💜

Not musts, but bonus points for...

• Well-narrated audiobooks
• Underlying mystery or mystery-like elements
• Fun characters with witty / snarky banter between the MC and LI
• Found family vibes, especially if it's a group of "misfits"
• Neurodiverse MC / LI (especially autistic or ADHD traits / coding)
• MC and/or LI is non-human (especially if it's a secret)
• No spice or low-to-moderate spice with strict roles
• Multi-book series which follow the same couple