Wrap-Up Wednesday | June

It’s Wrap-up Wednesday time and if I’ve appeared confused about what I’ve read the last couple of months, it’s nothing compared to this. I’ve reread old books, I’ve borrowed books at the library, and I’ve spent most of my money on MF Mars needs women books (Hey, I was in the mood LOL).

So allow me a moment to scroll through my various reading apps… 😆

Two Man Station by Lisa Henry

This was a new-to-me story, contemporary which I don’t read too often, but lovely. It’s set in rural Australia and is the kind of slow pace that makes you want to linger. Lovely.

Two Man StationGio Valeri is a big-city police officer who’s been transferred to the small outback town of Richmond with his professional reputation in tatters. His transfer is a punishment, and Gio just wants to keep his head down and survive the next two years. No more mistakes. No more complications.

Except Gio isn’t counting on Jason Quinn.

Jason Quinn, officer in charge of Richmond Station, is a single dad struggling with balancing the demands of shift work with the challenges of raising his son. The last thing he needs is a new senior constable with a history of destroying other people’s careers. But, like it or not, Jason has to work with Gio.

In a remote two-man station hours away from the next town, Gio and Jason have to learn to trust and rely on each another. Close quarters and a growing attraction mean that the lines between professional and personal are blurring. And even in Richmond, being a copper can be dangerous enough without risking their hearts as well.

https://books2read.com/TwoManStation

Omega Series by Eileen Glass

I reread the first three of this series. I think the first is still available (and free) but the rest has been bundled up into Omega: Liam & SkyeI have the four first and started rereading to see if I wanted to buy the rest of them, but when I got to the end of the third I was distracted. If you’re in the mood for a shifter romance, check it out.

Omega Trouble

Omega Baggage

Omega Scrape

Thirds by Charlie Cochet

Then I reread the first two of the Thirds series by Charlie Cochet. I had the idea that I was in the mood for bigger plots with a big good vs bad theme, so I started rereading. I don’t know where I left off the first time I read this series, around book five or six, I think. But… after two books I got distracted again 😆

Hell & High Water

Action. Comedy. Romance. And that one weird guy.When homicide detective Dexter J. Daley’s testimony helps send his partner away for murder, the consequences – and the media frenzy – aren’t far behind. He soon finds himself sans boyfriend, sans friends, and, after an unpleasant encounter in a parking garage after the trial, he’s lucky he doesn’t find himself sans teeth. Dex fears he’ll get transferred from the Human Police Force’s Sixth Precinct, or worse, get dismissed. Instead, his adoptive father – a sergeant at the Therian-Human Intelligence Recon Defense Squadron otherwise known as the THIRDS – pulls a few strings, and Dex gets recruited as a Defense Agent.Dex is determined to get his life back on track and eager to get started in his new job. But his first meeting with Team Leader Sloane Brodie, who also happens to be his new jaguar Therian partner, turns disastrous. When the team is called to investigate the murders of three HumaniTherian activists, it soon becomes clear to Dex that getting his partner and the rest of the tightknit team to accept him will be a lot harder than catching the killer – and every bit as dangerous.

https://books2read.com/Hell-High-Water

Blood and Thunder

Action. Comedy. Romance. And that one weird guy.

When a series of bombs go off in a Therian youth center, injuring members of THIRDS Team Destructive Delta, and causing a rift between agents Dexter J. Daley and Sloane Brodie, peace seems unattainable. Especially when a new and frightening group, the Order of Adrasteia, appears to always be a step ahead. With panic and intolerance spreading and streets becoming littered with the Order’s propaganda, hostility between Humans and Therians grows daily. Dex and Sloane, along with the rest of the team, are determined to take down the Order and restore peace, not to mention settle a personal score. But the deeper the team investigates the bombings, the more they believe there’s a more sinister motive than a desire to shed blood and spread chaos.

Discovering the frightful truth behind the Order’s intent forces Sloane to confront secrets from a past he thought he’d left behind for good, a past that could not only destroy him and his career, but also the reputation of the organization that made him all he is today. Now more than ever, Dex and Sloane need each other, and, along with trust, the strength of their bond will mean the difference between justice and all-out war.

Amazon

Whitetail Rock Series by Anne Tenino

Some time ago, I reread Too Stupid to Live by Anne Tenino, which is a favourite of mine. These two stories are about Nick, Sam’s best friend. They’re not as good as Too Stupid to Live (in my opinion) but entertaining. They were written for Goodreads MM Romance Group’s Don’t Read in the Closet event, but now I couldn’t find them. They’re on Anne Tenino’s website though.

Whitetail Rock

Nikhil “Nik” Larson is a snarky, dark-skinned adoptee from India who grew up in the Whitest Town in America. Back to visit his parents Nik meets Trooper Jurgen Dammerung, a blond, butch motorcycle cop who’s so hot he leaves a con trail wherever he goes.

Jurgen is the epitome of everything Nik hated about growing up the lone Indian boy among a town of white people. But Jurgen surprises him rather (ahem) pleasantly, in spite of — or because of — Nik’s attempts to needle him. By the end of his visit, Nik realizes he likes Jurgen. But Jurgen’s so not the relationship type.

Right?

The Fix

Confident almost to the point of arrogance, Jurgen never worried about his boyfriend leaving him until he overheard Nik telling his best friend he wants to move out of town. That’s when the macho cop realizes that maybe asking Nik to move back to tiny Whitetail Rock—where he was tormented when he was younger for being gay and looking different wasn’t Jurgen’s most brilliant idea. Now he’s on a mission to find a way to fix things so Nik will stay. Which should be no problem because he’s good at fixing stuff, right?

Nik isn’t sure what he was thinking, moving back to his hometown after graduating with his MFA. Jobs in his field are non-existent and reminders of some of the worst times in his life are abundant. But Jurgen lives in Whitetail Rock, and Nik is willing to put up with a hell of a lot to be with him. Except maybe Jurgen’s own efforts to “fix” something that’s not broken…

Change of Heart by Mary Calmes

The Reread Friday post of the month over at Holly’s was about the Change of Heart series by Mary Calmes. I believed I’d read the first three, but turns out I never got around to the third the first time I read them. I did now though.

Change of Heart

As a young gay man—and a werepanther—all Jin Rayne yearns for is a normal life. Having fled his past, he wants nothing more than to start over, but Jin’s old life doesn’t want to let him go. When his travels bring him to a new city, he crosses paths with the leader of the local were-tribe. Logan Church is a shock and an enigma, and Jin fears that Logan is both the mate he fears and the love of his life. Jin doesn’t want to go back to the old ways, and mating would irrevocably tie him to them.

But Jin is the mate Logan needs at his side to help him lead his tribe, and he won’t give Jin up so easily. It will take time and trust for Jin to discover the joy in belonging to Logan and how to love without restraint.

Amazon

Trusted Bond

Jin Rayne is having trouble adjusting to the new life he’s supposed to love. Instead of adapting to being the mate of tribe leader Logan Church, Jin can’t get past the fact that his lover was straight before they met. He’s discovered the joy in belonging to Logan but fears his new life could disappear at a moment’s notice, despite Logan’s insistence that they are forever, end of story.

Jin wants to trust Logan, but that desire will be put to the test both by a rival tribe leader and by a startling revelation about Jin’s existence. At stake is Jin’s life and his place in the tribe. If he’s going to survive to see Logan again, he’ll have to release his fear and freely accept the bond, for only then can he truly trust.

Amazon

honored vow

Jin Rayne is still growing into his frightening new powers as a nekhene cat and his place as reah of Logan Church’s tribe when he learns that a sepat, an honor challenge, has been called. Logan, who has never wanted to do anything but lead his small-town tribe, must travel around the world to Mongolia and fight to become the most powerful leader in the werepanther world.

Logan won’t be the only one making the journey. As his mate, Jin must fight with him to honor his commitment to Logan, his culture, and his tribe. But the trial is long, involving a prolonged separation between the two men, and Logan’s humanity is at stake. In order to make it through the nightmarish sepat, Jin and Logan must accept their fates, trust each other, and honor the vows between them no matter the cost.

Amazon

I think that’s all the MM stories I’ve read this month… I might have missed some. As I said above. I’m a little confused right now LOL

#WhatToReadWednesday | Gay Rockstar Romances

It’s #WhatToReadWednesday time, and did you know that it’s World Day of Music today? I hardly ever read rockstar books, or books about musicians at all, but…

I might be imagining it, but I’m seeing more and more rockstar stories around, so I think it might be a trope on the way up?? Anyway here are some old ones (because it’s been years since I read a rockstar book 😁)

Heaven by Jet Mykles

Have you read the Heaven Sent series or the Indigo Knight series? They’re all very… Jet Mykles. Quick and easy, and I think most of them are gay for you. I think it’s fifteen years since I read them.

HeavenThe Weiss Strande Hotel is in trouble. Business just isn’t what it used to be when Tyler’s father ran the family-owned hotel. On top of business being down, Dad’s now sick with cancer so bills have skyrocketed. Desperate to save his family livelihood, Tyler sinks his hopes and money into a new venture: a nightclub at the hotel. It’s imperative that the White Room is a success, or else the hotel will go under. Lady Luck seems to be with them, however, because they manage to sign the mega-popular rock group Heaven Sent to play the grand opening.
Already a huge fan of the group, Tyler couldn’t be more excited to welcome them to his hotel. He’s not at all prepared for the bomb of lust that hits him when he’s finally face-to-face with the painfully gorgeous lead singer, Johnnie Heaven. No, it couldn’t be lust. Yes, Johnnie’s probably the most beautiful person he’s ever seen, but Tyler is straight! It must be a misguided form of hero worship that he’s feeling.
Tyler finds out that he and Johnnie share an obsession: video games. When Johnnie invites Tyler to his room to play, Tyler jumps at the chance. Who wouldn’t snap up the opportunity to spend time with their idol?
He and Johnnie have a great time with the games, but Tyler soon discovers that Johnnie’s got more in mind. The rock star’s aims to introduce Tyler to a whole new level of game play.

https://books2read.com/HeavenMykles

Every Move He Makes by Barbara Elsborg

It’s a few years since I read this too, but I was surprised by how much I liked it, so every time I see it now, I smile. More crime/mystery than rockstar perhaps, but one of the guys is a rockstar.

Every Move He MakesKeeping an eye on his charge isn’t easy. Keeping his hands off? Impossible…

It took attending his own funeral to force Logan to accept a new life as an undercover MI6 agent. That doesn’t make his latest assignment any less aggravating. Babysitting a Russian pop star with delusions that someone’s trying to kill him. Other than an inexplicable attraction Logan ruthlessly suppresses, he couldn’t have less in common with the irritating, arrogant rich kid. He’s even prepared to walk away-until very real bullets start flying.

After his mother’s death, Zak Kochenkov’s life unravels in an impenetrable haze of grief, drugs and alcohol-until one bodyguard candidate stands out. Except his hopes of having some fun with that guard’s body evaporate when he realizes Logan is buttoned up tighter than a clam. The first thing Logan learns is that his charge won’t do as he’s told. And there’s some secret behind his haunted eyes that shakes Logan’s resolve to keep him at arm’s length. Because he knows if he lets passion close his eyes, that’s when danger will find them both…

Warning: Contains a sexy bodyguard with a tortured past, and a spoiled rock star with a tortured conscience. Stir (don’t shake), and prepare for spontaneous combustion

https://books2read.com/EveryMoveHeMakes

Guarding January by Sean Michael

When I started this list, I was spending quite some time trying to remember that vampire rockstar story…this is it. This is the vampire rockstar story 😆 

Guarding JanuaryLord January is at the top of the charts, only comes out at night, and is usually covered in blood. Say what you will, but the man knows how to put on a great show. But when the Vampire King is let out of rehab, the last thing he expects is someone forcing him to eat real food, hang out in the sun, and generally be a human being.

Rye Sommers, the best bodyguard in the business, has been hired to babysit a rock star whose biggest threat surprisingly isn’t all the hard drugs, desperate groupies, and crazy fans—it’s Lord January himself. But the closer Rye gets, the more LJ turns into sweet, gentle, caring Jeff Smart. He may still be the super-skinny, pierced and inked genius Lord January, but he is slowly shaking his death wish as he sheds the loneliness and exhaustion his stage persona saddled him with.

But as Rye falls in love with the real Jeff, he finds himself in over his head. He knows he can keep Lord January away from the drugs and the groupies, but saving Jeff might force Jeff to choose between his career as Lord January and his very life.

https://books2read.com/Guarding-January

The Missing Butterfly by Megan Derr

Aww, this is cute.

The Missing ButterflyCassidy Monarch had dreams—to sing, to be famous, to tour the world at the head of his own rock band. Then his parents were killed in a tragic accident, leaving him to raise his two siblings. Determined to hold on to what remained of his family, Cassidy settled into an ordinary life, his dreams of fame reduced to occasional nights of singing at karaoke dives. But his careful, ordinary life began to fray with his new job, and the beautiful, charming boss who reminds him of all the things he tried to stop wanting.

Malcolm Osborne is a classic rags to riches story, a foster child who wound up with the perfect family and more money than he knows what to do with. He’s wealthy, beautiful, successful, and completely miserable. Then he hires a new worker for his office, a young, hard-working man with a sadness in his eyes that Malcolm aches to banish, hoping that in doing so he will be rid of his own loneliness as well.

https://books2read.com/The-Missing-Butterfly

Moonlight Becomes You by Piper Vaughn and M.J. O’Shea

I should reread this series. I remember liking it, though I liked book two better than the first, but better start from the beginning 😊

Moonlight Becomes You

Can’t forget the boy he left behind. Can’t seem to win the respect of the man he’s crazy about. Shane Ventura might be rich and famous… but his love life is a disaster waiting to happen.

Eleven years ago, Shane Ventura made the biggest mistake of his life.

He caved in to pressure from his record label to kick his best friend, Jesse Seider, out of their band, Luck. To this day, Shane has never wanted anyone more. All the sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll can’t fill the void Jesse left behind. Not even the prospect of teaming up with Britain’s hottest band, Moonlight, for a massive world tour can get him out of his funk.

Then he meets singer Kayden Berlin and falls into Instant lust.

Kayden may act like he’s not interested but Shane knows he feels the spark between them. Yet the harder Shane pushes, the more Kayden pulls away, until on explosive night leaves Shane with a broken heart. 

That seems to be his lot in — lucky at everything but love.

Shane still has one lesson left to learn: when it comes to love, you can’t always leave things to chance.

https://books2read.com/moonlight-becomes-you-Oshea

And that’s about it. I know I’ve read more, but I can’t really remember them. Oh, and I have one, though it’s more of an after-the-rockstar-career story LOL

The Drunken Dog

thedrunkendogZev Nightfall has a secret. For two years, he’s been the beta in a loosely knitted werewolf pack, but he’s not a werewolf. He’s a crossbreed, part wolf, part fae, which is a death sentence in most packs. That’s not his only problem. One night he meets Otis, a vampire. Shifters and vampires aren’t friends, yet fighting is the last thing on Zev’s mind.

Otis Miller is in the middle of rebuilding his rockstar persona. Again. A hundred years ago, all he had to do was to move when people started noticing him not ageing. With cameras and social media, it doesn’t work anymore, and he isn’t sure he has the energy to start over. Then there is the shifter coming to the bar where he’s singing. He makes Otis want to jump off the stage and never look back.

Zev knows he shouldn’t get involved with a vampire; he has enough problems as it is. But Otis is alone and vulnerable, and it tugs at Zev’s heartstrings. Normally, Otis stays away from other supernatural beings, but something about Zev makes him want to curl up on his lap and forget about the world around them. But how would two people from enemy species make things work, and will Zev’s pack ever accept not only a crossbreed but a vampire as well?

https://books2read.com/TheDrunkenDog

Guest Post | How to Hook a Vampire by Holly Day

Hello, everyone! I’m here as Holly today 😁 A few days ago, How to Hook a Vampire was released. I wrote it to celebrate National Go Fishing Day which is observed on June 18th. 

It isn’t so much about fishing as it is about Jameson being on the run and hiding in his uncle’s fishing cabin. The problem is that there already is someone living in the cabin. A slightly grumpy vampire named Harland.

What’s interesting with Jameson is that he can tell if you’re telling the truth or not, but only if you answer a question. He can’t listen to a conversation and know if someone is lying or not, only when they’re given a direct answer to a question. And he’s always trusting the wrong people.

All his life, he’s tried to hide what he is, but he’s starting to question if it’s the right decision. 

Harland has a job to do. He doesn’t have time to babysit his boss’ nephew. Or so he thought. He soon realises the case he’s working on is connected to Jameson. 

Vampires go missing, psychics are endangered, and someone they know is betraying them.

How to Hook a Vampire

howtohookavampire

A vampire on guard. A psychic on the run. A cabin with one bed. 

Jameson Whitlock trusted the wrong person. Again. As a walking lie detector, he should be able to tell when he’s being played, but so far, he hasn’t had the best of luck. After yet another kidnapping attempt, he leaves town in a hurry and runs to his uncle’s fishing cabin to hide. 

Harland Duke comes back after having fed only to find a light on in the cabin. Had he known there would be takeout, he wouldn’t have bothered to go into town. 

No one is happier than Harland that he didn’t snack on the man sleeping in his bed when it turns out he’s his boss’ nephew. Jameson isn’t pleased with having to share the cabin with a vampire, but it’s not safe to return home yet. To pass the time, he spends his days fishing, but what’s easiest to catch — a fish or a vampire? 

Buy links: 

Gay paranormal romance: 34,072 words 

JMS Books :: Amazon :: books2read.com/HowToHookAVampire 

Excerpt:

Harland took in the horrified expression and frowned. He should snap a picture and send it to Frank to make sure it was Jameson and not someone else with tattoos and missing fingers. The world was crawling with yakuza and yakuza wannabes, so how could he be sure it was his nephew? Would Frank’s nephew object to bombs? Okay, Frank objected all the time, but it was more out of a clean-up angle than anything else.

 “Are you yakuza?”

Yubisume is when you cut your pinkie off.” Jameson waved his left hand, which was missing the top of his long finger, severed at the first joint. Damn. “Members of the yakuza also tend to be a bit more Japanese than I am.”

Harland considered him. He didn’t look anything like Frank, who was tall, broad, and fair-haired, but maybe there was Japanese blood running in his veins. “I’m sure they accept non-Japanese people on occasion.”

“I doubt it.” Jameson squinted at him. “What’s your name?”

“Harland.”

“Nice chatting with you, Harland, but I think I’ll get going now.”

Nope, Harland had to keep him here, which was why he’d removed the spark plugs from his car. It had taken several YouTube videos, and now he knew more about cars than he’d ever wanted to. “I’m afraid you have to stay.”

Jameson glared at him. “I can go if I want to, and you can’t stop me.”

“We both know that’s a lie.” Harland could stop him. He was much stronger than a human, and all he had to do was tie him to a chair or something to make sure he stayed put.

Something close to panic blossomed in Jameson’s eyes, and Harland considered his words. They hadn’t been threatening, more informative.

“I’m leaving.”

“No, you’re not.”

Jameson drummed his fingers, the few he had, on the tabletop and watched him. “I am.” He got to his feet, and Harland moved to stand in the doorway, keeping him in the kitchen.

The gasp told him he’d moved so fast, Jameson hadn’t perceived it. He’d often wondered if Frank was human or not. He smelled human, but who worked with supernaturals if they were human? He wasn’t a vampire, though Harland suspected he consumed vampire blood, and he wasn’t a shifter, but there were other possibilities. Not many, but there were psychics. They were rare, rarer than shifters and vamps. Judging by Jameson’s reaction, they were human. But maybe psychics had human senses? He’d never spent much time with one.

On the few occasions he’d talked to a psychic, they had been hired to help on a case. It was how most psychics worked. They offered their services at an hourly rate, which didn’t leave much room for chitchat.

Jameson took a step back. “What are you doing?”

“Preventing you from leaving.”

“You can’t. I’m not your prisoner.”

Hmm. “No, not exactly.”

He took a deep breath and looked into Harland’s eyes. Not afraid of mind control. Vampires couldn’t control minds like they could in the movies, but they could make themselves look unmemorable and give small mental nudges. It was never about controlling minds, though. If a person didn’t want to go right, they wouldn’t simply because Harland willed them to, but if they hesitated and he pushed them toward the right, they would. And the whole having to look into someone’s eyes to influence them was a lie, but most humans didn’t know. But then again, most humans never guessed he was a vampire, either. Jameson had taken one look at him and called him a bloodsucker.

“Are you going to stop me if I try to leave?”

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

Harland kept his face blank. It wasn’t a lie. He’d already done things to keep him here, but would he physically restrain him? He hadn’t made up his mind yet.

Jameson took another step away, moving toward the counter. Harland scanned the surface. There were no weapons. He’d had a knife when he’d entered the kitchen, but Harland didn’t fear it. He could move fast enough to avoid a knife.

“I’m free to leave when I want, and I want to leave.”

Harland tried to remember exactly what Frank had said. Keep him alive. “I’m to keep you alive until things have settled, and I can’t go outside right now, which means we’re not leaving.”

Jameson groaned. “I didn’t come here to get a babysitter. I came to rest. Had I known you were here, I wouldn’t have.”

Babysitter. How dare he? “Listen here, punk—”

“Punk? Punk!” Jameson kicked the table, not hard enough for it to topple over, but enough for everything on top of it to slide toward the edge. Harland rushed forward, and as he did, Jameson unhooked the latch on the window and pushed it open.

Harland froze. He’d opened the window. Sunshine.

Jameson grinned. “I’ll leave now, okay?”

“No. And it’s not okay.”

“Maybe not, but you stay there, I’ll hop out—” He jumped, so he sat on the counter bathed in sunshine. “—and I’ll close the window after, so you’re safe. You can latch it afterward, right?”

He could. As long as the sunshine was cut off by something he was fine. “Yes.”

“Good. Nice meeting you, Harland. Tell Frank thanks for the bed.” He turned around on the counter and pushed his feet out the open window before jumping. Then he closed the window and waved.

Harland sighed and grabbed his phone.

One signal rang through. “Frank.”

“How’s it going?”

Silence followed. “What happened?”

Harland grimaced. “He jumped out the window, but I’ve taken the spark plugs from his car, so he won’t get far.”

Frank cursed. “I didn’t mean to keep him by force.”

Oh… “Why didn’t you say so then?”

“I haven’t found anything. Nothing specific. There was a guy stabbed by the river, but I don’t think it has anything to do with Jameson. One man was admitted to the hospital, beaten badly in a motel, and is in a coma. A woman was raped in an ally—not connected to Jameson unless he tried to prevent it and got in a fight with the perpetrator. From the supernatural channels, I have two missing vampires, which is bad since it makes five missing vampires in only seven days.”

Harland cursed.

“And we have a bear shifter gutted outside The Night Owl, but it looks to be made by claws, so most likely another shifter.”

The Night Owl was a nightclub for supernaturals. Humans could get in if they had a written invitation, which Frank had. They’d met there several times to talk business. It was open around the clock and served both food and drinks.

“His knuckles are bruised.”

Frank hummed. “He’s not a violent person, though I don’t know what he’ll do when cornered.”

“Jump out the window.”

“Yes, he’s more likely to run than to fight, but given his past, I imagine he’ll fight before he allows anyone to take him anywhere.”

“What happened?” Harland shouldn’t care, but he was curious. How did someone end up missing fingers? He could think of a few ways, but he wasn’t sure any of his made-up scenarios fit Jameson. He didn’t know him, though.

He’d stayed away from his blood instead of trying to get to it. He hadn’t believed him when he’d said he needed a Band-Aid. And he made sure to keep distance between them at all times, preferably having the table between them.

“You fucker!” Jameson stomped into the kitchen. “You fiddled with my car.”

Frank chuckled on the other end. “I’ll let you get back to that, Harland. On second thought, don’t allow him to leave. At least not until we know what’s going on.”

About Holly Day 

According to Holly Day, no day should go by uncelebrated and all of them deserve a story. If she’ll have the time to write them remains to be seen. She lives in rural Sweden with a husband, four children, more pets than most, and wouldn’t last a day without coffee.  

Holly gets up at the crack of dawn most days of the week to write gay romance stories. She believes in equality in fiction and in real life. Diversity matters. Representation matters. Visibility matters. We can change the world one story at the time.  

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