We’re 150 days into 2026, and so far, I’ve read 70 books. Another nice even number. Some of my favorite MM reads the last fifty days are the following.
N.R. Walker
I was in a reading slump, and I didn’t have the energy to read something new, so I read The Weight of it All for some comic relief. Then, as I was in the N.R. Walker world, I read Yanni’s Story again. Normally, I stay away from everything daddy-related, but I’m a sucker for hurt-comfort, and Yanni’s Story hits the spot.
After being dumped by his long-term boyfriend for being overweight, Henry Beckett decides to make some drastic changes. In a vain attempt at getting his boyfriend back, Henry does the most absurdly frightening thing he can think of.
He joins a gym.
Reed Henske is a personal trainer who isn’t sure he’ll ever be ready to date again. He’s sick of guys who are only interested in the perfect body image, never seeing him for who he really is.
As Reed tortures Henry with things like diet and exercise, Henry enamours Reed with recipes and laughter. As the friendship lines start to blur, Henry is convinced there’s no way Thor-like Reed could ever be interested in a guy like him.
Reed just has to convince Henry that life isn’t about reaching your ideal bodyweight. It’s about finding your perfect counterweight.
When Yanni Tomaras is kicked out of his family home, his parents’ final words are religious insults and an order to never return. Homeless and desperate, he’s lured in by Lance—charming on the outside, an evil predator underneath—who abuses Yanni until he finds the courage to leave.
Yanni should feel free. But by the time Spencer Cohen finds him, he’s resigned to being handed back to Lance and once again being caged by fear.
Starting school and a part-time job, Yanni begins to reclaim his life. But a love for silent films leads him to Peter Hannikov, a man with a kind heart but who’s twice his age. An unlikely friendship between them blooms into so much more. Neither man knows what he wants, at first. Finding out exactly what he needs is Yanni’s story.
“I’d spent years as a bird, caged with my wings clipped, tormented and beaten.
I thought I’d escaped when I’d left my abuser, but in hindsight, I could see that I was still caged, this time by fear and self-doubt.
Spencer and Andrew, and Andrew’s parents, opened the door to the cage that confined me.
But it was Peter who taught me how to fly.”
Hidden Species by Louisa Masters
This is also related to the reading slump. I’ve read these so many times now I pretty much know them by heart, but…
Indulge in all the shenanigans at CSG in one volume! Hellhounds declaring a glitter fight? Vampires at war with accounting? It’s another day at the Community of Species Government.
Edition contains the following:
Demons Do It Better
Naughty Neil (novella)
One Bite With A Vampire
Hijinks With a Hellhound
Sorcerers Always Satisfy
Plus 12 “Moments With The Hidden Species” slice-of-life scenes, previously only available to subscribers and Patrons!
Couture by Louisa Masters
I enjoyed this! I haven’t read many contemporary books by Louisa Masters, but this was cute!
Up-and-coming luxury brand Phallacy takes red-carpet fashion by storm…
Growing a fashion atelier from the ground up isn’t easy, but it’s still awesome. I design gorgeous clothes that people pay a lot of money for, I work with my best friend, and Hollywood A-listers are starting to murmur my name. Things couldn’t be better.
Except anxiety is a beast that’s ridden me my whole life. It doesn’t matter how good things might be, there’s always something it takes exception to. And when my baseline stress starts to rise, I become nonverbal.
Which is why my first encounter with celebrity stylist Griff Pevensy is both a dream and a nightmare. I have the chance to design an awards gown for one of the most iconic women in the industry, but a mostly silent meeting plus a design that’s not really his style aren’t likely to get me past gatekeeper Griff. If I want to make this gown, I need to connect with him and win him over.
That turns out to be a lot easier than expected. Who knew I’d have so much in common with an ex-Marine stylist who prefers to communicate in grunts? We both love fashion, his perfect princess dog, hanging out with my codependent friends… and maybe each other.
The new problem is… how unprofessional can we get before people notice? And how much do I care?
After Hours at Dooryard Books by Cat Sebastian
Aww, who doesn’t love a book shop?!
1968 New York City
News about the war might be keeping Patrick up at night–news in general might be keeping Patrick up at night–but he’s doing fine. He’s sure of it. He gets to spend his days selling books in the gayest neighborhood on the East Coast and his nights merrily sleeping his way through the rare book community. But when he takes in a drifter who seems to be hiding something, and his best friend and her newborn move into the apartment upstairs, his life gets turned on its head.
A sleepy little bookstore should be the perfect place for Nathaniel to lie low, waiting for his past to catch up with him, but it turns out Dooryard Books is full of political radicals and anti-war agitators. If the FBI isn’t actively surveilling this place, it will be. Nathaniel should go anywhere else. The last thing he expects is to like these subversives. There’s a grieving folk musician and her baby–a demon of a child who will only sleep if Nathaniel, of all people, holds her. There’s a pair of rabble-rousing teenagers who, upsettingly, seem to be right about everything. And then there’s Patrick, who can’t walk past anyone who needs his help–and who is perplexingly determined to help Nathaniel.
As the world balances on the precipice of something new and scary and maybe even hopeful, Patrick needs to decide what he’s willing to risk for this chaotic new community he’s accidentally created. And Nathaniel needs to figure out whether he has a place in this messy, flawed world–and whether he can believe he deserves it.
Enticing the Elf by Louisa Masters
I read the first story in this series some time ago, so I grabbed the second, and I was so happy it was about Dáithí.
There’s nothing I want more than a life with him… but my past is the world’s worst wingman.
For a big chunk of my life, I expected to die along with the rest of my species. Nobody thought we’d make it, and I did my best to live in the now and enjoy every second of precious life.
Now that’s coming back to bite me in the ass.
Because the impossible happened, and we got our second chance. A safe home. A tomorrow worth planning for. And a future I want to spend with Dáithí.
He’s amazing—sassy, clever, the kind of guy who can cut you down with one eyebrow and still make you laugh. We’ve known each other a long time, and convincing him to date me was one of the best wins of my long life. Convincing him to be my boyfriend? That’s a fight I might not win.
Because the reputation I earned when I was living life to the fullest has stuck, and Dáithí’s convinced I’m only in this for a good time, not a long time. He’s protecting his heart from future damage by keeping things casual between us… even though they’re not.
How do I prove I want him forever?
The Dragon’s Aide by Amy Padilla
Dragons! Fun story. I need to read more by Amy Padilla. I’ve only read this and The Incubus’s Assistant, and I enjoyed them both.
Isaac went against his family when he refused to join the military. He had dreams and he wasn’t going to cave to family pressure to give them up. So when his boss offers him an opportunity to get some real experience in the job he’s working toward, he leaps at the chance. The only problem is that his new boss is a grumpy dragon with a short fuse known to terrorize the office. But that wasn’t anything Isaac couldn’t handle. Right?
Maverick always had a temper. Most dragons did. It wasn’t something that affected his work. Until it did. Overworked, consistently dealing with incompetence, Maverick was at his wit’s end and in a last bid to keep his temper in check, he agreed with a recommendation to hire a temporary assistant to help him. But when the stubborn pink haired mage shows up, his dragon takes notice and suddenly, Maverick’s limited control has gone up in smoke. Now his career is on the line, and the only person willing to help him was the one who drove him over the edge. Things couldn’t get any worse. Right?
Grumpy dragons are impossible, Isaac takes shit from no one, Maverick loses his temper, angry sex, knots, teamwork makes the dream work, flying is awesome and Isaac wants more, bjs settle dragons, who knew?, telepaths are creepy, or are they?, never talk shit about a dragon’s mate, Isaac’s ideas are reckless, accidental bonding…maybe, two stubborn men fall in love, what could go wrong?, guaranteed HEA
Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed by Vawn Cassidy
I’m so glad I read this series! I’ve had the first book for a long time, and while I’ve looked at it now and then, I’ve always picked something else. Then I figured, why not? And seriously, why didn’t I read them sooner?! They’re funny, but there were occasions when I had to wipe away tears. So good!
Red Flags & Tuesdays by Nordika Night
I’ve seen this recommended several times, so I figured I should read it. I don’t regret it!
Waking up to his one-night stand trying to flee the scene, Reid sits back to enjoy the show. This blond boy is all snark and quick-wit, but there’s an awkward side to him that intrigues Reid enough to want to con him into a second date. After numerous failed attempts, Atticus reluctantly agrees to an on-the-spot date, and things get quirky from there.
A philosophy major and a wayward son, these two work through their differences, battling red flags and a slew of Tuesdays that have them bonding in ways they never saw coming. There is no normal way to date Atticus, and Reid soon learns that this ‘romance lover’ has no idea what romance is, but he’s willing to put in the work.
Reid is taking back his life. Atticus is taking back Tuesdays.
Together, they’re a brilliant disaster.
Ofelia Grand 