Here we are, once again! These are my reads and recommendations for this week!
- Goodbye, Paradise by Sarina Bowen
- This is an M/M romance, and holy shit did it give me ALL the feels. Caleb and Josh are best friends who were raised in a religious cult in Wyoming until one day Josh gets kicked out and Caleb goes after him. Josh as harbored feelings for Caleb for years, but homosexuality is a sin in the eyes of the religious fanatics around them, so he has kept his true feelings hidden. The story follows Josh and Caleb as they trek across the country to a place that they hope will be a safe haven. Once they reach their destination they learn what it truly means to belong to a family. I went through a lot of tissues reading this story. Not because it’s sad, but because Josh struggles with self-doubt, self-worth, and the conditioning of the cult as he learns what it means to be accepted for who you are. I cried a lot of empathetic tears. While Josh struggles with his self-doubt, Caleb is all alpha trying to take care of his man. Bonus: the sex scenes are smokin’ hot!!
- First book in the Hello Goodbye duo
- Stand alone
- No cheating/triangle
- HEA
- This is an M/M romance, and holy shit did it give me ALL the feels. Caleb and Josh are best friends who were raised in a religious cult in Wyoming until one day Josh gets kicked out and Caleb goes after him. Josh as harbored feelings for Caleb for years, but homosexuality is a sin in the eyes of the religious fanatics around them, so he has kept his true feelings hidden. The story follows Josh and Caleb as they trek across the country to a place that they hope will be a safe haven. Once they reach their destination they learn what it truly means to belong to a family. I went through a lot of tissues reading this story. Not because it’s sad, but because Josh struggles with self-doubt, self-worth, and the conditioning of the cult as he learns what it means to be accepted for who you are. I cried a lot of empathetic tears. While Josh struggles with his self-doubt, Caleb is all alpha trying to take care of his man. Bonus: the sex scenes are smokin’ hot!!
- Hello, Forever by Sarina Bowen
- M/M romance. Axel and Cax were each other’s first crush when they were teenagers, until they were caught making out. Cax’s dad is a humongous homophobe and makes Cax’s life a nightmare. About six years after they last saw each other, Axel is contemplating taking a job as a social media/marketing guru for a college athletics department. While reviewing a highlight reel for the school’s basketball team, he spots Cax in the crowd and makes the decision to take the job. Axel is openly gay, while Cax has been closeted because his father has threatened to cut Cax out of his brothers’ lives otherwise. Axel and Cax can’t stay away from each other, once they’ve reunited, however, and that sets off a chain of events that will make or break Cax’s family.
- Book 2 in the Hello Goodbye duo
- Stand alone (though Caleb and Josh from book 1 are secondary characters)
- No cheating/triangle
- HEA
- M/M romance. Axel and Cax were each other’s first crush when they were teenagers, until they were caught making out. Cax’s dad is a humongous homophobe and makes Cax’s life a nightmare. About six years after they last saw each other, Axel is contemplating taking a job as a social media/marketing guru for a college athletics department. While reviewing a highlight reel for the school’s basketball team, he spots Cax in the crowd and makes the decision to take the job. Axel is openly gay, while Cax has been closeted because his father has threatened to cut Cax out of his brothers’ lives otherwise. Axel and Cax can’t stay away from each other, once they’ve reunited, however, and that sets off a chain of events that will make or break Cax’s family.
- I Wanna Text You Up by Teagan Hunter
- Laugh-out-loud NA rom-com! This book is the follow up to Let’s Get Textual (both are stand alones, but feature recurring characters.) Zoe has found herself in need of a new roommate, so she posts a flyer asking for applications. She hits it off with one of the applicants via email, only she doesn’t realize that the applicant is someone she already knows- her best friend’s ex. Caleb is in desperate need of a place to stay, and Zoe hates being alone. Can friendly flirting grow into something more or will Zoe be unable to get over the fact that girl code demands that your best friend’s ex remain off-limits? This book was hilarious and sexy. Very low on angst (they have one little tiff), and they get over it quickly.
- Follow up to Let’s Get Textual
- No cheating/triangle
- HFN/HEA
- Laugh-out-loud NA rom-com! This book is the follow up to Let’s Get Textual (both are stand alones, but feature recurring characters.) Zoe has found herself in need of a new roommate, so she posts a flyer asking for applications. She hits it off with one of the applicants via email, only she doesn’t realize that the applicant is someone she already knows- her best friend’s ex. Caleb is in desperate need of a place to stay, and Zoe hates being alone. Can friendly flirting grow into something more or will Zoe be unable to get over the fact that girl code demands that your best friend’s ex remain off-limits? This book was hilarious and sexy. Very low on angst (they have one little tiff), and they get over it quickly.
- Reaping Angels by Laura Thalassa
- Superhero vs. Supervillain = HEA. This novella was not really what I expected going into it. I’ve gotten used to Thalassa’s dark, gritty, epic tales. This story was a little campy, but oh-so-fun! The heroine, Angel, is a superhero who heals people with her touch. The hero (anti-hero? villain?), Executioner, can kill people with his touch. In other words, he’s never had any kind of loving contact because his touch literally burns people alive. Until he meets Angel. Angel is immune because she self-heals. Once the Executioner realizes this, he becomes obsessed with her. So, for those of you who like your heroes to be obsessive/possessive/protective alphas, this one’s for you! It’s fast-paced and action-packed. Again, a super fun read.
- Stand alone
- Novella
- No cheating/triangle
- HEA
- Superhero vs. Supervillain = HEA. This novella was not really what I expected going into it. I’ve gotten used to Thalassa’s dark, gritty, epic tales. This story was a little campy, but oh-so-fun! The heroine, Angel, is a superhero who heals people with her touch. The hero (anti-hero? villain?), Executioner, can kill people with his touch. In other words, he’s never had any kind of loving contact because his touch literally burns people alive. Until he meets Angel. Angel is immune because she self-heals. Once the Executioner realizes this, he becomes obsessed with her. So, for those of you who like your heroes to be obsessive/possessive/protective alphas, this one’s for you! It’s fast-paced and action-packed. Again, a super fun read.
- Fighting Weight by Gillian Jones
- Whew. This story is heartbreaking, gutwrenching, and beautiful. It was a little difficult to get through at times because the heroine struggles with bulimia and body dysmorphia, but watching her battle through to the other side is a magnificent sight to see. The relationships and support system surrounding the heroine are beautiful. The journey was pretty epic, and I cried a lot of ugly tears. It was worth every single second.
- Stand alone
- Rockstar romance
- No cheating/triangle
- Triggers for eating disorder, body dysmorphia, childhood trauma
- HEA (The epilogue is EVERYTHING.)
- Whew. This story is heartbreaking, gutwrenching, and beautiful. It was a little difficult to get through at times because the heroine struggles with bulimia and body dysmorphia, but watching her battle through to the other side is a magnificent sight to see. The relationships and support system surrounding the heroine are beautiful. The journey was pretty epic, and I cried a lot of ugly tears. It was worth every single second.
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