As M/M Reviewers, between us we have read thousands of m/m romance novels over the years and we would like to share our favourites with you, those reads that have been 4+ stars for us. So every Monday we bring you our Quick Bites, short reviews of our recommended reads.
Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! We have four great Quick Bites to brighten up the start of your week from Grace R. Duncan, Brooke Blaine, Andrea Speed and Brad Vance. Don’t forget you can also enter the giveaway below for your chance to win a Kindle eBook of your choice from this week's Quick Bites.
Beautiful Boy by Grace R. Duncan
Synopsis
Malcolm Tate hung up his flogger when his submissive sought out another Dom and landed in the hands of a serial killer. Convinced his lack of dominance sent his sub away, Mal has spent two years blaming himself for what happened. But when his best friend finally convinces him to go back to the local dungeon, Mal’s grateful. Especially when he wins beautiful, submissive, firmly closeted Kyle Bingham in a charity slave auction.
College grad Kyle hasn’t earned enough to move out of the loft his conservative, homophobic parents bought, much less to buy any of the other things still in their name. When he’s won at auction by the hot, amazing Mal, he’s shocked that anyone would want him. No one else seemed to—not his parents, his former Doms, or any of his disastrous dates.
But Mal does want him and Kyle lets his guard down, only to be outed to his parents. With his world crashing down, he must find a way to trust Mal—and their developing relationship—or risk losing everything.
Debra’s Quick Bite
This story grabbed me from page one. It’s got an age-gap, hurt-comfort and plenty of kink. Grace R. Duncan created two well-written characters and a beautiful and loving relationship between Kyle and Mal. Whether it was through the intense BDSM scenes, the tender vanilla love scenes or even just hanging out on the couch, everything is focused on building the relationship with very little outside influences. Mal quickly becomes fiercely protective of the younger Kyle and does everything he can to foster Kyle’s belief in his own worth.
While Mal is intent on showing Kyle how beautiful and special he is and teaching him how to trust, he doesn’t realize just how Kyle is teaching him how to live again after having spent years mourning his last love. I just adored the relationship and watching these two fall in love and I hope you do too.
Forget Me Not (The Unforgettable Duet #1)
by Brooke Blaine
Synopsis
Get ready to experience the heartbreakingly beautiful love story of Ollie and Reid in USA TodayBestselling Author Brooke Blaine's The Unforgettable Duet.
Three sugars, two creamers.
That’s how you took your coffee every morning at Joe’s Grab ’N Go.
But you don’t remember that.
You don’t remember anything.
Anything, that is, except me…
That day…
And the tragedy that catapulted us together.Ollie & Reid's journey concludes in book two, Remember Me When.
Jane’s Quick Bite
I don't want to say too much about the plot of this book as it would spoil it. Suffice to say Ollie and Reid crash into each other's lives in a pretty spectacular way and so begins their incredibly romantic journey. This is such a beautiful, romantic love story with a gripping plot and all the feels! I fell hard for Ollie and Reid and just adored the easy, flowing writing style. It does however, end on the mother of all cliffhangers. Luckily for you guys the second part of The Unforgettable Duet, Remember Me When, is available now and boy will you NEED to dive straight into that. I pity the poor folk who had to wait for the sequel. Though mercifully, even their wait wasn't too long. You really should read both parts of this emotional, engaging love story, it will leave your heart happy and full.
Infected: Holden (Mean Streets #1) by Andrea Speed
Synopsis
Mean Streets: Book One
From the Infected UniverseWith his friend lion shifter Roan McKichan no longer in the picture, former sex worker Holden Krause is now working as a detective investigating cases in Seattle. When he receives a request to investigate a rather unusual case for Big Mike, a local drug dealer, he ignores the potential hazards in working for such a client and takes it on.
But Holden hasn’t given up his vigilante ways, occasionally seeking violent retribution for those ignored by the justice system. There’s a man stalking the streets, assaulting anyone he perceives to be trans or gender-nonconforming in any way. When the brutality escalates, the case becomes personal for Holden.
If he cannot juggle being both a detective and a vigilante, his taste for blood and danger might finally catch up with him.
Jay’s Quick Bite
Will a former prostitute turned vigilante finally find a place in the world?
This could be considered the 9th book in the Infected series, but is more a spin off from the main story. The book follows Holden Krause, a former gay prostitute turned private investigator slash vigilante with sociopathic tendencies, who had became part of a group that helped Roan, a lion shifter, who has now retired. He’s trying to reconcile his relationship with his hockey playing boyfriend when an untraditional case lands in his lap, along with a killer of trans people in the area. He has to deal with all of this, especially finding and seeking vengeance for all the injuries and murders. Can he find a balance?
Infected was one of the first M/M series I had the pleasure of reading. I feel this book has been sometimes panned because it doesn’t focus on the lead from the original series, Roan, but that is not the purpose of this story - it’s to tell the tale of the others, including some of the most interesting supporting characters coming more to the forefront. I found it fun to revisit some aspects of the original series after so much time since I’d last visited this world. Though there are completed stories within the book, this is also an overarching transitional story for Holden to come into his own. Short on romance but chock full of mystery and action, Speed continues to dazzle with her realism and gritty writing within an almost phantastical universe where animal shifters exist. They’re not the fluffy, fated kind, but can be very dangerous yet play little part in this book except to influence the dark, inky view of the world.
Apollo’s Curse by Brad Vance
Synopsis
All Dane Gale ever wanted was to be a successful writer. After a few sessions with his new friends Rose and Sherry at a romance book club, well, the more romances they read, the more they're convinced they can do better. And do they ever! They join their creative forces to become "Pamela Clarice," self-published romance novelist. When they look for a cover model for their first book, Dane sees the photos that will change his life.
Paul Musegetes is the world's most popular romance cover model, and the most secretive. Dane soon finds himself obsessed with this supernaturally handsome man, and when he meets Paul at the Romance Writers' Ball on the Summer Solstice, he and Paul connect for one night of passion...
After that night, Dane's a writing machine. He can't stop writing romances, and every story he touches turns to gold. But he also finds that he can't write anything but romances. And soon he's spending every waking moment of every day writing another after another...Then Dane finds out that this Midas touch has a heavy price. When the year is over, he'll never write again. Not a romance, not a serious novel. Nothing. Not even a grocery list. And that leaves him with only one option - find Paul, and get him to break the curse. But before he can do that, he'll have to track down Paul's equally mysterious photographer, Jackson da Vinci...
Mark’s Quick Bite
Have you ever opened a book and been completely broadsided by it in a positive way? Well, this definitely was the case for me when I started to read Apollo’s Curse by Brad Vance. This whole idea and concept really caught my imagination, why not? I mean this is something that a lot of authors know only too well and I’m sure can really appreciate. For me it was like having a peek into the world of writing and the trials and tribulations that go along with it. Excellent. Seriously well written, paced and plotted. I feel when you write about something you know well, it brings a new dimension into the words.
I have read a number of books from Brad, but this one is by far the best one I have personally read to date. The writing is concise, dialogues are entertaining, realistic and seriously funny at times, the story develops at a nice pace and always leads the reader on. When I think there is absolutely no erotica or steamy sex in this book at all, it just goes to show that a romance doesn’t need this if the writing and the story are heartfelt, has something interesting to say and brings across a message of love and caring. The ending for me was just perfect!
Giveaway
From this list I'd go for Infected: Holden. Haven't had the chance to start the series yet, but loved the other Infected books a lot.
ReplyDeleteForget Me Not by Brooke Blaine is my favorite from the list
ReplyDeleteForget me not would be my choice this week
ReplyDeleteI've wanted to read Beautiful Boy for awhile so I would choose that
ReplyDeleteI would be interested in Infected.
ReplyDeleteAPOLLO'S CURSE has a fantastic premise!
ReplyDeletevitajex(at)aol(Dot)com
Trix in the Rafflecopter, forgot!
DeleteBeautiful Boy by Grace R. Duncan sounds like a hot read
ReplyDeleteForget Me Not. I've heard nothing but great things about it.
ReplyDeleteA couple good ones but Beautiful Boy wins out this week.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently reading and enjoying another book with a strong mythological element, so Apollo's Curse appeals to me.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful boy. I've read two of the others.😀
ReplyDeleteI would choose Forget Me Not by Brooke Blaine, because I love her writing. The story sounds great!
ReplyDeleteI think I would pick Infected: Holden (Mean Streets #1) by Andrea Speed
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Boy. I do love a great kinky novel with a HEA.
ReplyDeleteInfected: Holden, it's been quite a time since I've read anything by Andrea Speed.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Boy by Grace R. Duncan, I love her books.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Boy by Grace R. Duncan
ReplyDeleteThanks for the bites, and I'd go for Infected: Holden by Andrea Speed. I've heard good things about the series, and I liked what Jay said about the Mystery & Action. - Purple Reader,
ReplyDeleteTheWrote [at] aol [dot] com
Forget Me Not (The Unforgettable Duet #1)
ReplyDeleteby Brooke Blaine
It is a toss up between Beautiful Boy and Forget Me Not. colby69@verizon.net
ReplyDeleteApollo's Curse, just because Francesco Cura is on the cover!
ReplyDelete