Syopsis:

One month. No feelings. They’ve totally got this fake dating thing under control.

Bisexual ex-barista Oliver is finally a high school math teacher, and it’s everything he ever wanted. Until he stumbles across the mysterious customer he crushed on back when he worked at Knockdown Coffee… and kinda sorta accidentally tells his Vice Principal that he’s dating her. Oops?

Octavia, a bi programmer, didn’t expect to run into the cute blue-haired barista again. Certainly not while volunteering at a local arts high school. He’s much too young and much too nice for her—but when she discovers he’s told people they’re dating, it’s a stroke of luck. She needs a fake relationship to stick it to her nemesis, and Oliver’s the perfect fit.

Their assignment is simple: one month of a convincing charade, and after the company gala, everything between them is absolutely and completely over.

Sometimes, however, the homework is harder than you expect.

A high heat contemporary queer M/F romance with a guaranteed HEA.

Tropes: fake dating, age gap (she’s older), cinnamon roll hero, bisexual romance.

Detailed content warnings are available in the book’s front matter and on the author’s website.

Thank you to the author for an eARC of this title

This was so cute! I loved how this was like a comedy of errors and turned into the sweetest development of a relationship. Oliver is adorable and so sweet. It was really hard watching him struggle to feel like himself at his new job and learning about his past experiences.

I loved when, as his fake relationship with Octavia developed, they had so much intimacy along the way. It was really cute seeing them bumble through faking dates together. I really like how Octavia encouraged Oliver to be himself. Seeing them get close and be intimate in the most simple ways was the sweetest thing in the world.

It was really sweet seeing the two of them support each other through their jobs and experiences. I loved how supportive Octavia was of Oliver’s need to express himself and how even before they were officially dating she was doing what she could to make him feel comfortable and supported.

In the end they were very cute together and I really enjoyed seeing them support each other and warm up to each other.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Synopsis:

When two painted-faced nobles take a guided raft trip on a muddy river, they expect to rough it for a few weeks before returning to their life of sheltered ease, but when mysterious swirls start appearing in the water even their seasoned guides get rattled.

The mystery of the swirls lures them on to seek the mythical wetlands known as the Living Waters. They discover a world beyond their imagining, but stranger still are the worlds they find inside their own minds as they are drawn deep into the troubles of this hidden place.

The Living Waters is a Sword-Free Fantasy novel featuring an ethereal love story, meditation magic, and an ancient book with cryptic marginalia.

Author’s note: The two books in this duology are sequential and related, but The Isle of a Thousand Worlds is not a traditional sequel; it’s more of an adjacent story with significant points of contact. It follows some of the characters from The Living Waters, but not all, and one of the side characters in The Living Waters is a main character in The Isle of a Thousand Worlds. While the first book has only one kiss, the second book is quite steamy and includes explicit, consensual sex scenes. Either could be read by itself, but readers intending to read them both should probably read them in order.

Continue reading “The Living Waters – Book Review” →

Synopsis:

Laced with romance, gothic imagery, Catholic mysticism, diaspora, and horror…

When lonely transgender exorcist, Colin Hart, finds himself challenged by an unruly haunted house in Gideon, Colorado, he’s kept awake by ghosts, demons, ghouls, and the handsome nonbinary homeowner, Bishop Martínez.

Unlike the simple hauntings Colin is accustomed to, Bishop’s house is a living beacon, attracting a plethora of inhuman creatures, including a vengeful wolf-headed spirit who might be the key to quieting their sleepless nights.

But as a heartbreaking mystery unravels, Colin comes face-to-face with the past Bishop tried to bury, opens a closet full of bloody skeletons, and trips into an accidental romance.

As paranormally skilled as Colin might be, this particular haunting may be too messy for him to handle…

Continue reading “Heart, Haunt, Havoc – eARC Review” →