Friday, May 30, 2025

Like Real People Do

                


Title: Like Real People Do
Series: Breakaway #1
Author: E.L. Massey
Publisher: NineStar Press, August 23, 2022
Pages: 425
Genre: LGBT NA Romance

Nineteen-year-old hockey phenom Alexander Price is the youngest-ever captain in the NHL. With a polarizing social media presence and a predilection for dirty play, he typifies the stereotype of young, out-of-control athlete. But away from the cameras, Alex is a kid with an anxiety disorder and the expectations of an expansion franchise on his shoulders. And maybe he tries too hard to fit the part of asshole playboy, but it’s better than the alternative; in his line of work, gay is the punchline of an insult, not something he can be.

Eighteen-year-old vlogger Elijah Rodriguez is a freshman in college recovering from an injury that derailed his Olympic figure-skating dreams. Mixed-race, disabled, and out of the closet since he was fourteen, Eli is unapologetically himself. He has no qualms about voicing his disapproval of celebrity jocks who make homophobic jokes on Twitter and park their flashy cars in the handicapped spaces outside of ice rinks.

After an antagonistic introduction, Alex and Eli’s inexplicable friendship both baffles and charms the internet. But navigating relationships is hard enough for normal teenagers. It’s a lot harder when the world—much of it disapproving—is watching you fall in love with your best friend.


These children are entirely too emotionally mature. Unrealistic AF.

Don't take that to mean I didn't enjoy it. Because I definitely did. Could not put it down for the most part. But these kids have clearly done the work and they actually put it into action and like....not any 19-year-olds I know! I wish I knew 19-year-olds like that. I wish I had been a 19-year-old like that, though I'm glad I did things the way I did. These emotionally mature kids were an absolute delight to read about.

Ratings
Stars: 5/5
Spice: 2/5

The Broposal

               


Title: The Broposal
Author: Sonora Reyes
Publisher: Forever, January 21, 2025
Pages: 371
Genre: LGBT Romance

It’s about time roommates Alejandro and Kenny get married. Or at least, that’s what all their close friends and family think when they announce their engagement. The kicker? The two are faking their whole relationship so Alejandro can get a green card. But if Han was going to marry anyone, it would be his ride or die since second grade.

Han has never been able to put down roots, and the only one who truly breaks through his walls is Kenny. Sweet, sensitive Kenny is newly single, and what better distraction from his soul-sucking relationship than proposing marriage to Han? Kenny can’t think of anything more fun than spending his life with his best friend, even if it’s just for a piece of paper. But as Kenny keeps up the charade, he’s soon struggling to resist their sizzling chemistry.

The line between fact and fiction begins to blur the closer they get to their wedding date. With all eyes on Han and Kenny—including a meddling ex and immigration officers—will these two bros make it down the altar for real?


Han and Kenny are delightful. Both are bundles of anxiety, and that was actually kind of hard to read. But only kind of. 

I don't believe in defrauding the government. However, these two are absolutely soulmates and I'm so glad that they finally figured it out. They didn't undertake their mission lightly. And both of them had their doubts and stumbles. But hot dog, was it all worth reading. Sonora Reyes is brilliant at getting me to feel wholly what their characters are experiencing. The emotional accuracy is 10/10.

Ratings
Stars: 5/5
Spice: 2/5

The Fake Mate

       


Title: The Fake Mate
Author: Lana Ferguson
Publisher: Berkley, December 5, 2023
Pages: 400
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Mackenzie Carter has had some very bad dates lately. Model train experts, mansplainers, guys weirdly obsessed with her tail—she hasn’t had a successful date in months. Only a year out of residency, her grandmother’s obsession with Mackenzie finding the perfect mate to settle down with threatens to drive Mackenzie barking mad. Out of options, it feels like a small thing to tell her grandmother that she’s met someone. That is, until she blurts out the name of the first man she sees and the last man she would ever date: Noah Taylor, the big bad wolf of Denver General.
 
Noah Taylor, interventional cardiologist and all around grump, has spent his entire life hiding what he is. With outdated stigmas surrounding unmated alphas that have people wondering if they still howl at the moon, Noah has been careful to keep his designation under wraps. It’s worked for years, until an anonymous tip has everything coming to light. Noah is left with two options: come clean to the board and risk his career—or find himself a mate. The chatty, overly friendly ER doctor asking him to be her fake boyfriend on the 
same day he’s called to meet the board has to be kismet, right?
 
Mackenzie will keep her grandmother off her back, and Noah will get a chance to prove he can continue to work without a real mate—a mutually beneficial business transaction, they both rationalize. But when the fake-mate act turns into a very real friends-with-benefits arrangement, lines start to blur, and they quickly realize love is a whole different kind of animal.

Hell yes, marriage of convenience. Mating of convenience? Fake mating! It's amazing. Why not tell everyone at work that you're in a relationship so your grandmother will stop setting you up on horrible blind dates and the doctor that everyone hates can keep his job. That's a perfect idea.

And it was so fun to read about! Especially when they realized that everyone thought they were hooking up, so like...why not hook up? That was very very fun! 

Ratings
Stars: 4/5
Spice: 3/5

The Game Changer

       


Title: The Game Changer
Author: Lana Ferguson
Publisher: Berkley, July 9, 2024
Pages: 395
Genre: Contemporary Romance

When a very public breakup becomes a PR nightmare for Ian Chase's team, he hopes to focus on his game, but that suddenly seem less likely than a hat trick. With his career and the team’s image in jeopardy, Ian is surprised to find a solution through none other than Delilah Baker, his best friend and teammate's little sister…who isn’t so little anymore.

Delilah Baker is known as “the darling of baking” on her local cable show, and being in the public eye is her bread and butter. But with her numbers dwindling and her producers turning up the heat, Delilah offers up the half-baked idea to collaborate with her brother’s team to entice the hockey fans of Boston to tune in to her show. Delilah thinks it will be a piece of cake—until the team sends Ian Chase, her brother’s best friend and the object of a decade-long crush that she’s never quite gotten over. 

Delilah's and Ian’s teams think it’s a true win-win situation—gaining higher numbers for Delilah’s show and casting Ian in a more positive light. And viewers are eating them up like a cupcake, sparking the idea to play up their relationship for the goal of good press. With more than just their careers on thin ice, the line between what’s real and what’s for show begins to blur, but one thing’s for certain: This PR stunt will either be a total game changer—or leave them both totally pucked.

I am thrilled that hockey romance is trending right now. I love it so much and I am ravenous for almost all of them. Obviously some MF sports ball romances can lean toxic for me, but this one was very good. It was hockey mixed together with second chance and brother's best friend. A potent combo if there ever was one. Their chemistry certainly didn't hurt. 

Ratings
Stars: 4/5
Spice: 2/5

The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School

              


Title: The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School
Author: Sonora Reyes
Publisher: HarperCollins, May 17, 2022
Pages: 400
Genre: YA LGBT Fiction

Sixteen-year-old Yamilet Flores prefers to be known for her killer eyeliner, not for being one of the only Mexican kids at her new, mostly white, very rich Catholic school. But at least here no one knows she’s gay, and Yami intends to keep it that way. 

After being outed by her crush and ex-best friend before transferring to Slayton Catholic, Yami has new priorities: keep her brother out of trouble, make her mom proud, and, most importantly, don’t fall in love. Granted, she’s never been great at any of those things, but that’s a problem for Future Yami. 

The thing is, it’s hard to fake being straight when Bo, the only openly queer girl at school, is so annoyingly perfect. And smart. And talented. And cute. So cute. Either way, Yami isn’t going to make the same mistake again. If word got back to her mom, she could face a lot worse than rejection. So she’ll have to start asking, WWSGD: What would a straight girl do? 

Told in a captivating voice that is by turns hilarious, vulnerable, and searingly honest, The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School explores the joys and heartaches of living your full truth out loud.


Another book that you really have to watch your trigger warnings on. If you've ever dealt with bullying, this one might hit close to home. This made me feel a little grateful that I was oblivious to my feelings when I was in high school. Kids are brutal, especially when they're confused. 

Then you have the friends who are brutal because they're scared. Yami is so scared of being outed that she loses herself for a bit. I won't say her fears were totally unfounded, but I'm glad that she had it just a little wrong. All told, this was joyful and heart wrenching by turns. And man, did this book exactly capture the anxiety before and during coming out. Every time. No matter how you think someone will react. Or how much you think you do or don't care how someone will react.

Ratings
Stars: 4/5

Thursday, May 29, 2025

Archangel's Kiss

                                                   

Title: Archangel's Kiss
Series: Guild Hunter #2
Author: Nalini Singh
Published: Berkley, February 1, 2010
Pages: 354
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux wakes from a year-long coma to find herself changed - an angel with wings the colors of midnight and dawn - but her fragile body needs time to heal before she can take flight. Her lover, the stunningly dangerous archangel Raphael, is used to being in control - even when it comes to the woman he considers his own. But Elena has never done well with authority...

They've barely begun to understand each other when Raphael receives an invitation to a ball from the archangel Lijuan. To refuse would be a sign of fatal weakness, so Raphael must ready Elena for the flight to Beijing - and to the nightmare that awaits them there. Ancient and without conscience, Lijuan holds a power that lies with the dead. And she has organized the most perfect and most vicious of welcomes for Elena...


I still don't know exactly how to feel about this series. But I also can't get enough. It's really everything my urban fantasy grungy paranormal loving self needs. It's certainly not cozy, but also feels very cozy to me. I don't usually love series that are all centered on the same couple, but Elena and Raphael are perfect. In that they're pretty toxic, but also hot and hot for each other. I'm still so in love with Raphael's 7, they are massively interesting!!


Ratings
Stars: 3/5
Spice: 2/5

Ashley & the A-Listers

                   


Title: Ashley and the A-Listers
Series: Sweet Omegaverse #10
Author: Lana Kole
Publisher: December 27, 2024
Pages: 504
Genre: Omegaverse Romance

Ashley should be used to celebrities walking through the glass doors of All Jacked Up.
But those celebrities weren’t Cameron Thomas, Hollywood’s hottest new action star. Those celebrities didn’t need to learn kick boxing, which happened to be Ashley’s expertise.
Those celebrities definitely weren’t omegas who made Ashley’s alpha hindbrain howl.
But nothing can be easy.
Cameron is a package deal, and comes with an alpha bodyguard. A familiar one.
Dylan.
The childhood best friend, the one who got away… or ran away, over ten years ago.
And that’s not the only addition. River, the hot beta she met at the coffee shop, happens to be Cameron’s secret boyfriend.
The thing is, Ashley wants a pack. But as instinctual as it is to fall back into old habits with Dylan, a celebrity’s life is anything but easy.
As their time together at the gym comes to an end, Ashley will have to muster up the courage to go after what she really wants… once she figures out what that is.

I will never not love a book in this series, I guess. It's just perfect. 


This book was very good. I love a second chance, and I don't know if Dylan deserved a second chance.. But I did enjoy watching him get one. Almost everything about this book was perfect, except what they did to River. I'm not going to spoil it, but it was hard to read. 


But, per usual, they were adorable, sexy, and hilarious. I love them. 


Ratings
Stars: 4/5
Spice: 3/5