Review: Alpha Heat by Leta Blake

Alpha Heat (Heat of Love #2) by Leta Blake
Amazon, Goodreads
Novel: 424pgs

4 Pants Off

Blurb: A desperate young alpha. An older alpha with a hero complex. A forbidden love that can’t be denied.

Young Xan Heelies knows he can never have what he truly wants: a passionate romance and happy-ever-after with another alpha. It’s not only forbidden by the prevailing faith of the land, but such acts are illegal.

Urho Chase is a middle-aged alpha with a heartbreaking past. Careful, controlled, and steadfast, his friends dub him old-fashioned and staid. When Urho discovers a dangerous side to Xan’s life that he never imagined, his world is rocked and he’s consumed by desire. The carefully sewn seams that held him together after the loss of his omega and son come apart—and so does he.

But to love each other and make a life together, Xan and Urho risk utter ruin. With the acceptance and support of Caleb, Xan’s asexual and aromantic omega and dear friend, they must find the strength to embrace danger and build the family they deserve.

This gay romance novel by Leta Blake is the second in the Slow Heat universe. It’s 130,000 words, with a strong happy ending and a well-crafted, non-shifter Omegaverse. It features alphas, betas, omegas, male pregnancy, heat, and knotting. No cheating. Content warning for brief sexual violence.

Review

ALPHA SIZED OMEGA

All the ways I was excited to read this after falling truly, madly, deeply in love with the first book Slow Heat. Alpha Heat was very much on my radar featuring two characters that really pissed me off but who I eventually grew to like. Alpha Heat brought the sexy but it also brought heart. 

Xan Heelies is a young Alpha who doesn’t feel like an alpha. For his entire life Xan has known that he doesn’t fit the make and model of what an alpha should be. His desires are forbidden and will never be looked at favourably because you see Xan knows with every fibre of his being that he’s an Omega and though the world sees Alpha it’s the one thing he can never be truly. Xan slates his desire in the worst way possible and it often leaves him bloody and bruised. He once felt loved when he was with his best-friend but his friend found his own omega, his one true mate. Yet, Xan has to live an Alpha life and that means having his own omega and producing children regardless of what he feels inside. Then there is Urho, all that is Alpha and man  Xan yearns for but what Alpha would want a man that’s broken and is only an Omega in feeling. 

“I don’t think what’s wrong with me is something that can ever heal.” 

Urho lost his true mate (erosgape) a long time ago and his long time lover not too long ago. His life is pretty much picturesque and he’s fulfilled by his job and friends. He’s old fashioned and set in his ways and that does cause some strife between him and his friends but no one gets to him like Xan, Xan the mouthy Alpha who invokes feelings in him that he has no business feeling. And mostly it makes him angry because the things he wants is not allowed. 

A chance meeting between the men lead to some awful truths and also some inevitable ones. If Urho can give Xan what he needs then he can also keep him safe and besides he’s realizing that it’s also something he craves and one things for sure his alpha sized omega will be his undoing.  

Together they navigate a forbidden attraction and pair that with Xans contracted but asexual omega and you have a unique story filled with many delights. For me the first 50% was hot as hell and so incredibly sexy. The push pull dance between Urho and Xan was done so well I think I almost passed out from holding my breath for a few minutes. That part was done amazingly and yet it really started to fizzle out for me, not so much where it wasn’t enjoyable but enough for it to lose what made it exciting. 

As I mentioned I didn’t much like Xan when first introduced but he turned out to be a multilayered character, and Urho was just Urho (which is surprising because I couldn’t stand him in book 1. He was a obnoxious, condescending prick) a great fit for Xan and an even better alpha for him. Throw in characters that I’ve come to love and new ones that I’m starting to appreciate and you have a solid second story in the ABO verse.  

I did have a few things I didn’t like. First, I caught Xan in many lies and then he sorta just brushed it over. Second, how you gon feel it’s ok to be beaten to an inch of your life and think that’s ok because you “need” sex, I’m sure there’s many avenues he could have gone and I’m trying to understand why it had to be him 🤔. Third, how Mr abuser was conveniently handled but also how it felt like what he did was no big deal (The he was a problem, we made him more of a problem and then snipered him out). Fourth, and this really bothered me. The description of Urho being dark skinned but I’ve been trying to figure exactly what that means. Dark skinned as in black man, dark skinned as being south Asian or just dark skinned as being tanner than the other characters? Representation is an important thing and I found that with not saying exactly what he was just felt like avoidance, but that’s just my opinion. Last but not least the crazy ending there. It followed the same pattern of the first book where all the crazy just happen at once and I wasn’t checking for that.. 

Overall, I still very much liked this story and while I didn’t fall in love like I did the first book, I still really liked it. It missed it mark by trying to follow the same steps or setup and what worked for a Slow Heat didn’t work for this one but it’s still an enjoyable story. If you’re like me and love Mpreg and Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics then this series is definitely something to check out. 

SideNote: I need this on Audio asap. Michael F. I’m looking at you baby 😁

Review: Book #1 Slow Heat

Audio Review: Jack: Grime and Punishment by Z.A Maxfield

Jack: Grime and Punishment (The Brothers Grime #1) by Z.A Maxfield
Audible, Goodreads
Time: 5hrs and 52 minutes

4 Pants Off

Blurb: The Brothers Grime is Jack Masterson's way of helping people in crisis after disability ends his career as a firefighter. Jack's people get to a scene long after the physical trauma ends. They don't solve crime or rescue the victims. They help people move on. The new job is all Jack wants or needs, until he gets the call about old flame Nick Foasberg's suicide. Ryan Halloran's cousin Nick has been on a downhill slide for a long time. Despite that, Ryan does everything he knows to help. Ryan only understands part of what happened between Nick and Jack in high school, but after Nick's suicide, Ryan agrees both he and Jack need closure. They work together to clean the scene and despite the situation, heat flares between them. Jack is keeping a painful secret and fighting his attraction to Nick's lookalike cousin, Ryan. Ryan calls himself a magnet for lost causes and worries Jack might be the next in a long line of losers. Despite his misgivings, despite the past and the mistakes they've both made, Jack gives Ryan something to look forward to, and Ryan gives Jack a reason to stop looking back, in Grime And Punishment.

Review

I enjoyed this just as much the second time around. Z.A offered up a story with a profession that I’ve never read in m/m before and it just makes it so interesting, and plus I really enjoy the authors writing. 

The Story: 4 Pants Off  

Jack is one of the owners in The Brothers Grime, a crime scene clean up service. Once a firefighter, an accident left him unable to continue the job of his heart but was able to find another way to help others. One wouldn’t think about what happens after the cops leave but Jack and his crew think about all that comes. They make it easier to clean up so the family, or maybe a spouse won’t have to deal with the hard reality of worrying about getting blood off the walls and out of a carpet.  

When he gets the heads up from his detective on and off lover that his first love Nick from his teen years committed suicide Jacks knows he needs to bid for the job no matter that he’s too emotionally connected to the case. How he and Nick ended was very tragic and Jack still carry the scars of it all but deep down he knows he needs do the cleanup even though it will bring old hurts to the forefront. All that’s left is convincing his cousin Ryan who happens to be Nicks lookalike. Cleaning up what’s left of Nick while looking into eyes and face that’s a dead ringer to his once lover now dead is a bad idea of epic proportions. 

As I said. I love the crime cleanup part of the story. No one ever thinks about what happens to crime scenes and the care that’s needed to cleanup. Thinking about blood born pathogens and all that isn’t even on people’s radar but Z.A brings it up here and gives you something to think about. 

The relationship between Jack and Ryan wasn’t hot fire but I liked it well enough. What bothers me is how Ryan viewed Jack in the beginning without knowing anything and how Jack took everything on like it was his fault. I also didn’t understand why the story revolves around Nick and yet I know nothing about him expect he was a drug addicted asshole. He obviously was dealing with somethings and his story intrigued me because I just wanna know “why”. 

Overall, another solid book by ZAM. I’ve never really disliked a book by this author and this one had that dark morose element that doesn’t exist much in the other author’s work. It was a new type of pace. 

The Narration: 3.5 Pants Off  

The narration wasn’t horrible but I did find it forgettable. It’s a good thing the story is so enjoyable. The was no strong difference between the voice of Jack and some of the other characters. While not incredible I still enjoyed Joe Arden's narration. There was a lot of emoting and no actual strong emotions coming across and that stopped it from getting a higher rating.

Review: Shiver by Jocelyn Drake & Rinda Elliott

Shiver (Unbreakable Bonds #1) by Jocelyn Drake & Rinda Elliott
Amazon, Goodreads
Novel: 330pgs

4 Pants Off

Blurb: Lucas Vallois is always in control. He’s building an empire in the glittering city of Cincinnati and created his own family from his three close friends. The self-made millionaire has everything he wants within his tight grasp. But his world starts to crumble after he’s jumped by a trio of thugs late one night after leaving a club. The warning is clear—give up his new property venture or end up dead.

Caving to the demands of his friends, Lucas accepts the help of bodyguard, Andrei Hadeon, as as he hunts for the source of this new threat. But as Lucas gets closer to uncovering the danger, he realizes the sexy Romanian bodyguard poses an even bigger risk to his carefully constructed world. Trapped by a need he never expected, Lucas must find a way to deny the shiver of longing he cannot control.

His brother. His warrior. His heart. Four friends. Unbreakable bonds.

Review

SHAKING AND QUAKING 

Well, well, well what have we here? I was never expecting to enjoy this book so much so I went in with little expectations. The last time I went in thinking I’m gonna love a book (ahem Try) I was very disappointed so I went in to Shiver expecting nothing and man was I surprised. The book was hella enjoyable and I am so looking forward to reading the entire series. Let the hot man fucking commence. 

Lucas Vallois, hot man and millionaire. He doesn’t have many things that he loves in life. His love boils down to his three best-friends and his job. Life is good until Lucas finds himself being jumped on a night out with his friends. In a fight Lucas can most definitely handle himself but against 3 seasoned fighters it’s a bit of a stretch, plus the men have intent to do some serious damage. He gets away (barely) and land in the hospital with some serious injuries. Seems someone wants him to hold out on his business ventures and Lucas doesn’t take threats easily.  But it seems his life is in danger and needs to protected, in comes Andrie Hadeon bodyguard extraordinaire. 

Andrie Hadeon knows how to do his job but Lucas is making it hard. First he’s got him all tied up in knots, and second he can’t seem to do his job properly. Lucas Vallois is a problem, a serious problem. Andrie has never been this attracted to a man before and it’s messing with his head, add to the fact that he’s supposed to be protecting his body not effing watching and drooling over it. Complicated shit is complicated. Lucas is more dangerous than the crazy situation they’ve landed in. 

When I say I wasn’t expecting this level of story telling and enjoyment, believe me because I wasn’t expecting it. A few pages in I knew I found a new series to get lost in and fall in love. I really enjoyed Lucas and Andrie together they were cute as hell, and Lucas’s makeshift family is already the best.  

I love the push and pull dance both men do. Is it just fucking? Is it a relationship? Is it just a strong feeling of like? I love that I got to figure it out with them. The plotty device of the thugs trying to stop Lucas’s shine was enjoyable but it was my least fave part of the story. The bad guy reveal had me giggling cus I was like “look at this fool”. While I was a little surprised, his ass was effing amateur. 

Overall, really enjoyed this one and  am looking forward to the rest of the series. Unsure if Shiver is the authors first foray into M/M and if it is, I gotta say, job well done. While it still has that hyper masculinity that some new m/m authors who predominantly write m/f books possess, I find that I didn’t mind that much and there was a nice balance. These new to me authors have found a fan in me and I am looking forward to reading about my man Snow. I’m Canadian so I can handle the cold 😈

Review: Tequila Mockingbird by Rhys Ford

Tequila Mockingbird (Sinners Gin, #3) by Rhys Ford
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 250pgs

4 Pants Off

Blurb: Lieutenant Connor Morgan of SFPD’s SWAT division wasn’t looking for love. Especially not in a man. His life plan didn’t include one Forest Ackerman, a brown-eyed, blond drummer who’s as sexy as he is trouble. His family depends on him to be like his father, a solid pillar of strength who’ll one day lead the Morgan clan.

No, Connor has everything worked out—a career in law enforcement, a nice house, and a family. Instead, he finds a murdered man while on a drug raid and loses his heart comforting the man’s adopted son. It wasn’t like he’d never thought about men — it’s just loving one doesn’t fit into his plans.

Forest Ackerman certainly doesn’t need to be lusting after a straight cop, even if Connor Morgan is everywhere he looks, especially after Frank’s death. He’s just talked himself out of lusting for the brawny cop when his coffee shop becomes a war zone and Connor Morgan steps in to save him.

Whoever killed his father seems intent on Forest joining him in the afterlife. As the killer moves closer to achieving his goal, Forest tangles with Connor Morgan and is left wondering what he’ll lose first—his life or his heart.

Review

 ONE SHOT, TWO SHOT

This series man…it’s a rollercoaster ride of epic proportions and this book had me in hoops with a series of huge drops. Tequila Mockingbird is the 3rd book in the Sinners series and just like its predecessors it brought the murder and mayhem, and of course the family drama.  

Connor Morgan gets called to go bust down a meth lab, being swat means him and his men get to go in first and hope they don’t get filled with bullet holes. The scene doesn’t turn out to be a meth lab, but he does find himself rescuing a dead body and then comforting the dead mans son in his arms. Surprisingly, comforting the boy is turning out to be a highlight and Connor finds that he is very drawn to Forest Ackerman and keeps going to wherever the boy seems to be. Connor can’t explain the fascination since he’s never in his whole life been attracted to a man but Forest seems to be an exception to the rule, and the men begin a tentative friendship. Well Connor begins a friendship and Forest just side eyes 👀 him.  

When it becomes clear that the murder of Forest’s dad wasn't an isolated incident, Connor had to put everything on the line to protect his man. Someone wants Forest dead, and Connor will make damn sure that it doesn’t happen. You see, Forest has been through way too much in his short life, and now is the time for him to be protected and nurtured. Morgan knows where his feelings stand and he will not lose the man he loves to some psychopath bent on destruction. Because when you get one Morgan, it means you get all the Morgans. Forest has got an Arsenal at his back and they’ll keep him safe, even from himself.  

As with most Rhys Ford books the killer is just out there doing the most. Shooting up coffee shops, killing everybody in order to get to one person. Forest has no idea who would want to harm him, since he just moves by him lonesome and focuses on his drumming. His life before has made him guarded, and I don’t even want to mention the things he had to do to survive and mostly forced by the persons who is to love him conditionally (his weak sauce mom). I don’t even want to mention it much less think about it, it gets me hella ragey.  

Forest and Connor are really cute, and their relationship is something akin to insta-love but it feels more like friendship with the added bonus of dick in ass. But insta-love, insta-lust or whatever totally makes sense when dealing with Connor (panties poof) the Irish brogue and all that, plus he’s big with the black hair (panties forever gone), he had me at “hello”. Mix in the guys from the previous books and all the Morgan Clan, and Tequila Mockingbird is a great mix of all the characters and I just really enjoyed it. 

My dislike, was who turned out to be the killer. I wasn’t feeling any of it, was really quite disappointed because the destruction up until the reveal was quite entertaining. I did a eye roll 🙄 when all was revealed, his revenge became insignificant and with the medical stuff eventually redundant. Disappointed, Darien was disappointed 😞  

Overall, another solid read by the talented Rhys Ford. When I need fast pace, psycho shit, and sexy sexy times I know just the author to give it to me. Another great addition to the series, and I am looking froward to see who wants to kill these guys next.

Review: Book #1 Sinners Gin

Review: Book #2 Whiskey And Wry