Cheap Heat

             

Title: Cheap Heat

Series: Goliaths of Wrestling #3

Author: Lily Mayne

Publisher: September 27, 2024

Pages: 505

Genre: MM Monster Romance

Rafe
I really, really don’t like my neighbour.

We’ve lived next door to each other for three years, and we couldn’t be more opposite. I’m a quiet, introverted ghoul with a small friend group and a love of true crime podcasts and tabletop role-playing games. Dan Ewen a party boy with an endless string of ‘guests’ who likes to blare country music all night. He’s loud, inconsiderate, messy, loud, a total dudebro… did I mention loud?

And when I start my new job as IT manager at Goliaths of Wrestling, an underground supernatural wrestling organisation, I quickly discover that my terrible dullahan neighbour is now my new colleague. Great.

I still don’t like him. It doesn’t change anything. I can avoid him at work. But when I spot him one night through his living room window doing something that is utterly shocking, obscene, really weird… I find myself thinking about my annoying neighbour. A lot.

All the time, actually.

Oh no.

Dan
That neighbour of mine is a cute, surly ghoul whose pretty green eyes and angry scowl just make me want to rile him up even more.

We’ve never really been buddies, despite living side by side for three years. But when he starts working at Goliaths as our IT manager, helping to bring us into a new digital age, our lives begin to become a bit more entangled.

Mainly because he starts watching me each night while I… relax. So I make sure to give him a good show through my living room window.

I’ve always assumed Rafe Hare is straight, but it quickly becomes clear that I might be wrong. And when I propose a fantastic new way for us to get… ahem… friendlier, he’s as all-in as I am.

Which means I get to show him just how weird it can get with a dullahan. And I can’t wait.

Oh my gosh! I was so curious how we were going to get an HEA for Frank and Beans. And I will give nothing away beyond Lily Mayne is an absolute gem and a genius and I am so thrilled with the way F&B's story is going. 

But this story is for Rafe and Dan. And these enemies be enemying to start! At least in Rafe's mind! He was such a grumpy guy. And Dan was just here for a good time in any way it happens. And it happened a lot. You've got some exhibitionism, some voyeurism, some office set role playing games. What's not to love! Now I need to know what's the deal between the Rolling Rimmer and High Lord Crossbody. They're clearly hot for each other and I can't wait to see how that plays out! I'm also STOKED for new wrestlers! Llllllleeeet's get ready to Ruuuuuuuumble!

Ratings

Stars: 5/5

Spice: 5/5

Morbidly Yours

                                        

Title: Morbidly Yours

Series: Love in Galway #1

Author: Ivy Fairbanks

Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons, July 25, 2023

Length: 351

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Callum Flannelly would rather dive into an open grave than take a stranger to dinner. But he can only inherit the family undertaking business under one condition: He must marry before his 35th birthday. So it’s out of the mortuary and into the dating scene. Lark Thompson came to Galway, Ireland to embrace life, not be reminded of losing her husband by moving in next to a funeral home. 

     Then the vivacious Texan animator learns of painfully shy Callum’s dilemma and makes it her mission to help him find The One.  Although sworn off love herself, she’s certain Callum will find his match. But as the dating project progresses and their friendship grows, their attraction is undeniable. Spending time with serious, sarcastic Callum starts to crack the ice around Lark’s heart, and the more color Lark brings to Callum’s monochrome existence, the less he can imagine life without her.

     If they think they can ignore their connection, they’re dead wrong.

The. Pining. This is a lesson in Pining 101. It's a beautiful lesson, but dang. I don't even want to know what this did to my blood pressure. These two are so very cute, and I'm desperate for another book in this series. I don't know if I can take it a second time, but if it's anything like this book, it'll be worth the trauma. 

Ratings

Stars: 5/5

Spice: 2/5

Never Been Witched

                                       

Title: Never Been Witched

Series: Starfall Point #3

Author: Molly Harper

Published: Audible Originals, October 3, 2024

Length: 10 hours 17 minutes

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Alice Seastairs leads a quiet life working in her grandparents’ antique shop and hiding her magical secret from the human world. As one of Starfall Point’s resident witches, it’s her job to protect the Island from dark magic and unruly ghosts—including the ones that show up at her shop attached to antiques. But her orderly life is turned upside down when a gorgeous stranger buys the islands most historic—and haunted—hotel.

There’s something about Collin Bancroft that that makes Alice want to muss his polished exterior and find out what’s underneath his expensive suit. But romance will have to wait, because his hotel is being haunted by a ghost so dangerous that Alice’s whole coven must step in. Turns out, a supernatural event is unfolding that’s bigger than any of them ever imagined—and it’s about to blow the secrets of Shaddow House wide open. Will Alice and Collin survive long enough to have a future together?

This trilogy was a cute little escape. Riley, Caroline, and Alice are great. I wasn't pleased that miscommunication was the biggest conflict in this story, but you can't have everything. I'm just glad somebody taught that girl that she didn't have to take the baloney from her grandparents lying down. I know that there will be another trilogy in this world, and I might seek it out. It's cute enough, and time will tell!

Ratings

Stars: 3/5

Spice: 2/5

King of Hollywood

    

Title: King of Hollywood

Series: Tales from the Tarot

Author: Fae Quin

Publisher: September 2, 2024

Pages: 413

Genre: LGBT Paranormal Romance

Marshall: I’ve lived a carefully cultivated life on a quiet suburban cul-de-sac. My anonymity and meticulous routine are all by design. No one knows of the monster that lurks inside me, this insatiable urge to commit murder, that thrives just beneath my pastel sweater vests and buttoned-up demeanor.

No one, that is, until my tiny menace of a neighbor comes along and ruins everything.

Felix Finley and I have nothing in common. He’s small and pretty, all friendly chatter and soft features, fair skin and pearly sharp teeth. He’s intriguing and I hate it, loathe him entirely. Definitely don't want to kiss his stupid, gorgeous lips.

But late one night, when I witness him dragging a lifeless corpse from his home and across his front lawn, I wonder if maybe Felix and I have more in common than I thought. Maybe Felix Finley needs my help, my expertise, and this is my time to shine. He’s batty and wicked in a way I never expected. Because I may have lived years of cautiously concealed truths, but in the wake of Felix’s pouty lips and sad eyes, I’m tempted to spill every secret at his feet. And that thought alone, is more terrifying than any monster.

Marshall is such a sassy thing. I love that he is huge and a scary killer and all of that. But he's also so petty and sassy and kind of dainty when it comes down to it. When things are not going his way, no one is happy. Especially Marshall. And I love him.

Felix is tiny and flighty and wants to be admired. And Marshall is so very good at admiring him. Some might call it stalking, but Felix is down for that. I like the way they balance one another. Felix somehow makes Marshall more human. And Marshall does the same for him. And they're adorable. Also, you've got to love a bit of size difference.

Ratings

Stars: 4/5

Spice: 3/5

Ice Massacre

                        

Title: Ice Massacre

Series: Mermaids of Eriana Kwai #1

Author: Tiana Warner

Published: Rogue Cannon Publishing, September 18, 2014

Pages: 378

Genre: LGBTQ Young Adult

For twenty years, the island of Eriana Kwai has sent its young men to battle the mermaids that plague their waters. None have ever returned alive.

Now, Eriana Kwai sends its daughters to fight—their last hope against the mermaids’ deadly allure. Among them is eighteen-year-old Meela, trained as a warrior and ready to avenge her brother's death.

But Meela has a secret: a lost childhood friend named Lysi, a mermaid who is nothing like the vicious creatures Meela was taught to hate and fear. When Meela comes face-to-face with the mermaids in battle and reunites with Lysi, their hatred for each other melts as their old friendship lingers beneath the surface.

With her loyalties tested and her mission in jeopardy, Meela must choose between duty to her people and the dangerous yet irresistible connection she feels with Lysi. Her decision could either end the war or ruin them all.

I really enjoyed this book. There were mermaids, training sequences, battle scenes, etc. It had a little bit of everything. There was also a heavy sprinkle of Lord of the Flies in there. When you send 10+ 18-year-old young women to be in charge of one another for at least a month in a life-threatening situation, tensions are bound to boil over. And boil over they do. 

At the end of the day, this is a second chance romance between Meela and her childhood, mermaid friend, Lysi. Not a romance novel. That's not what I'm saying. But a second chance romance, absolutely. And they reunite just long enough to be ripped apart again, which is why I have purchased the second book and am very excited to have time to fit it into my reading calendar!

Ratings

Stars: 4/5

Shark Heart

    

Title: Shark Heart: A Love Story

Author: Emily Habeck

Publisher: S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books, August 8, 2023

Pages: 415

Genre: Lit Fic

For Lewis and Wren, their first year of marriage is also their last. A few weeks after their wedding, Lewis receives a rare diagnosis: He will retain most of his consciousness, memories, and intellect, but his physical body will gradually turn into a great white shark. As Lewis develops the features and impulses of one of the most predatory creatures in the ocean, his complicated artist’s heart struggles to make peace with his unfulfilled dreams.

At first, Wren internally resists her husband’s fate. Is there a way for them to be together after Lewis changes? Then, a glimpse of Lewis’s developing carnivorous nature activates long-repressed memories for Wren, whose story vacillates between her childhood living on a houseboat in Oklahoma, her time with her college ex-girlfriend, and her unusual friendship with a woman pregnant with twin birds.

TikTok, you are such a bad influence. I mean, maybe the correct phrase is just that TikTok is such an influence. I really enjoyed this book. It was poignant and melancholy and kind of beautiful. Even if the premise is absolutely wild and fantastical. 

It felt really tragic for this woman to have cold-blooded creatures surrounding her for her entire life. Like what are the odds? In this world where evolving into wild animals is hereditary and always skips a generation, fairly good, apparently. But bad luck all the same. Also, I think my biggest concern about all of this is that the solution for evolving into a wild animal is either release into the wild, or "ethical euthanasia." We can't come up with a better solution in a world where this is a known medical condition?!? Seems rough. 

Now. If I lived in this world, I would really hope that evolve into a house cat. I already know that my partner is excellent to our pets, and I think they would take care of me too. I don't want to ask them because I already asked them if they would still love me if I turned into a worm, and it shockingly hurt my feelings when they said no. Like I get it. But here we are. And it was still a great book.

Ratings

Stars: 4/5

Celestial Monsters

                       

Title: Celestial Monsters

Series: The Sunbearer Duology #2

Author: Aiden Thomas

Published: Feiwel & Friends, September 3, 2024

Pages: 415

Genre: LGBTQ Young Adult

Teo never thought he could be a Hero. Now, he doesn’t have a choice.

The sun is gone, the Obsidian gods have been released from their prison, and chaos and destruction are wreaking havoc on Reino del Sol. All because Teo refused to sacrifice a fellow semidiós during the Sunbearer Trials.

With the world plunged into perpetual night, Teo, his crush Aurelio, and his best friend Niya must journey to the dark wilderness of Los Restos, battling vicious monsters while dealing with guilt, trauma, and a (very distracting) burgeoning romance between Teo and Aurelio. Determined to rescue the captured semidioses and retrieve the Sol Stone, the trio races against the clock to return Sol and their protective light. With it, order can be restored.

The future of the whole world is in their hands.

Reading my review of the first book, I really did love that book. I'm a little sad that I didn't have the same love for this second book. The beauty of the mythology was still there, absolutely. But I don't know if I just really am burnt out on YA right now, or what. 

Now just because I didn't like this as much as The Sunbearer Trials doesn't mean that this wasn't a beautiful story. Teo is a wonderful protagonist, he's so funny and cute! I think this would make the cutest TV show. If they leaned into the fun light vibes of the book, not the dark spooky ones! The plot line can still get heavy as necessary, but anyway. I'm not a screenwriter! I would love to see an on-screen version of Teo's wings though!

Ratings

Stars: 4/5