Glitterland by Alexis Hall

I adore Hall but this was a challenging book for me. We are so much in the head of Ash Winters who is so in the midst of upheaval that it was hard to read. 

Ash is in the midst of a self-destructive spiral when he meets Darian Taylor. It begins as a one night stand. Ash doesn't even remember Darian's name. But the two meet again, accidentally, and start to realize that they just might be perfect for each other. 

Three stars
This book came out May 15, 2013

Followed by Aftermath

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Holiday Trap by Roan Parrish

This is very much like a gay version of the movie "The Holiday." Two people, Greta and Truman, who have a mutual friend. That mutual friend helps to arrange a swap when they both hit points in their life where leaving seems like the best way to move forward. For Greta, she has an overly-involved family who are loath to let her live her own life. Actually, they are actively interfering in her life, including setting her up in a bachelor/ette auction which a) they know she hates as a general premise and b)she's gay. 

Truman, on the other hand, has just discovered that the man he's been dating for a year is cheating on him. Or, really, cheating on his husband with Truman. He is ready to escape. A small island off the coast of Maine sounds like a perfect place to go. 

This was an adorable book though the romances both seem incredibly fast. But, we can all suspend a little disbelief for good fiction, right?

Four stars

This book came out September 6, 2022

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble by Alexis Hall

Wow. If you have any problems with self doubt, this book may not be the best as we get the first person view of Paris as he wobbles his way through a version of the Great British Bakeoff. He doubts every single thing he does and we get to read paragraphs of it. Lots and lots of paragraphs of it. And we don't get nearly enough of the romance in this book (same as in the first one in the series) but it is still an incredibly charming book. Hall is such an amazing writer that , in another's hands (words?) I wouldn't have kept going but I did. 

I wish we had gotten to see more of the behind-the-scenes as Paris finally figured out how to start the long road to being more confident. And how to be in a relationship with Tariq. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out November 1, 2022

Follows Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

All Through the Night by Suzanne Brockmann

Suzanne Brockmann is one of my favorite authors simply because she write with a one-two punch and started writing gay romance before just about any other "mainstream" author. Her books might be fairly traditional but her characters are always outside the box. In this book, the main story revolves around Robin Chadwick and Jules Cassidy, a gay couple whose wedding is the central story. We've seen their story grow from when they met and were immediately attracted, through them being pulled apart by age and distance, then having Robin work through his addiction to alcohol and both of them coming out and how it affected their careers. While this would still happen today, a lot of this would have been even harder almost a decade ago when only one state was acknowledging that gay marriage = marriage. 

We get to see all of the characters from the series as well as meeting one new couple. The subplot of Jules and Robin's assistant falling in love with a reporter who accidentally got Robin smeared in the press.

Short, but very cute.

Four and a half stars

This book came out October 30, 2007

Follows Force of Nature

Followed by Into the Fire

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Deven and the Dragon by Eliot Grayson

Five years ago, Fiora (a dragon shifter) had sex with the wrong man and was cursed by his wife, a witch, to never be able to fall in love nor to have anyone fall in love with him without somebody dying. So he picked up and moved to a new town, Ridley. And the Ridley town council seems to want something from him so they've offered up a sacrifice. A young, innocent virgin. 

Fiora is not pleased. It's not like he even likes women. Maybe they've heard of the curse? But then why send a sacrifice?

Deven Clifton is definitely not a virgin. In fact, he's slept with most of the young people in town. Some of them married, some of them not, but always they've been enthusiastic. And he's really enjoyed it. Being a bartender, he's confused as to why the town council has summoned him. However, he seems to be the sacrifice. Because one of the town council needs a dragon's scale and, as I heard on <a href="https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/podcast/503-bread-cozy-fantasy-sex-and-romance-with-jane-buehler/">Episode 503 of Smart Podcast, Trashy Books</a> "they're all like, we'll send Deven; Deven can seduce anyone." Because, in actuality, they've promised an innocent, not a virgin. And, he hasn't technically committed any crimes so he is sort of an innocent.

This retelling of Beauty and the Beast is absolutely adorable. There are some parts that didn't make a ton of sense but I overall really enjoyed the story.

Four stars

This book came out June 26, 2020

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall

I had heard rave reviews of this book on several podcasts that finally changed my mind about reading this book. Even though Alexis Hall is an amazing writer, I wasn't sure I would love the book. I was wrong. Hall creates vivid characters and engaging situations that make for a scintillating read that is, admittedly, a little hard to believe in a few places but overall delightful.

The Duke of Malvern has finally proposed to Miss Arabella Tarleton. She... doesn't seem impressed. In fact, the next morning, EARLY the next morning, her brother Bonaventure ("Bonny") invades the duke's bedroom to let him know that Arabella has exited, stage left. 

The two are soon on a road trip adventure that has the duke discovering that there are pleasures in life that he had never conceived of. True, the situations are outlandish but the prize, his true love, is worth it in the end.

Four stars
This book came out January 25, 2022

Followed by Something Spectacular

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Plus

Opinions are my own

Mystery at the Masquerade (, #3) by Josh Lanyon

Ellery Page is settling into his new home town and running the local bookstore. He might be a little disappointed that the romance he thought he had going with Police Chief Jack Carson seems to have cooled into a friendship but this small town has been welcoming. He's got a Scrabble night, a book club, and an invitation to the yearly Marauder's Masquerade. The party is thrown by a local founding family who still wield a lot of influence and money, the Bloodworths. There is mother, Marguerite, her younger (and philandering) husband Brett, and son Julian.
Not sure why he was invited, Ellery soon discovers that Julian has a massive crush on him, based on Ellery's past as a movie star. Ellery is bemused by his overtures but not as amused when the two stumble across a body in the family crypt. When Julian is arrested for the crime, Ellery is conscripted to help find the truth.
I hadn't read the other two books in this series but didn't feel like I had missed very much. The mystery in this story is given some short shrift with a B plot feeling a little underdeveloped. The flow of the story was also sometimes stilted but this was overall a light story with engaging characters (I was invested in Jellery (is that a thing?) from their first scene together.

Three stars

Follows Secret at Skull House

This book came out February 28th, 2021

ARC kindly provided by JustJoshin Publishing, Inc. and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Gay All Year by Richard May

I am trying to expand my reading horizons so, when I saw this book of short stories from NetGalley, I requested them. And, from a literary standpoint, most of these stories were good but some gaps in stories and things left unfinished. I am very much a reader who likes character development and relationship building (which is possible in short stories) but there wasn’t much of that in this volume. And one story also had a main character who sort of cheated on his partner who wasn’t technically his partner... But if you are one-true-pairing kind of reader, at least one story will not be your cup of tea.

Within the page constraints, these author did a fairly good job of giving an idea of how he could stretch his wings. I very much appreciated the range of characters and the celebration of holidays outside of Christmas and Valentine’s Day. I was surprised by the touches of Christianity added in the first couple of stories. If the author writes longer stories at some point, I would be tentatively interested.

Three stars

This book came out August 17th

ARC kindly provided by NineStar Press, LLC and NetGalley

Opnions are my own

A Royal Christmas Cruise by Max Walker

A Spanish prince is not supposed to be gay. But Nick is tired of living a lie. Especially in this day and age. So he breaks up with his girlfriend and heads on a cruise. He doesn't expect to see a hot guy wearing nothing but some brief banana-printed underwear fall out of the security booth.
Shiro Brooks is traveling with a group of friends that he hasn't seen for four years. He hasn't yet told them that he and his boyfriend (another from the friend group) have broken up. But a hot makeout session in a bookstore gives him an idea. Maybe this man would like to pretend to be his boyfriend... Nick turns him down but they end up hanging out anyway. And close proximity in a romance novel usually leads to an HEA. If only they can figure out who is taking pictures of them, outing Nick before he's ready.
If you like Max Walker, you'll enjoy this book. As usual, the plot is not real deep and most of the joy of reading can be found in the relationship building (and the hot sex scenes.)

Three stars
This book came out November 23rd, 2019
Borrowed as an audiobook from the library
Opinions are my own

See the Light by Kate McMurray

Jeremy and Max are best friends and used to be roommates. And now that Jeremy's been dumped, they're roommates again. Well, Jeremy is crashing on Max's couch. Both work on Broadway, Jeremy as a dancer, Max as a makeup artist. Both seem on the brink of success but can they achieve it both in their personal lives and professionally.
This was a really good story but, and I rarely say this, could have benefitted from being a little bit shorter. There was a last Big Misunderstanding that really made me think less of both characters and didn't exactly feel true to the story. But McMurray's writing was fun and I liked them both up until then and will definitely read more of her stories.

Three and a half stars
This book came out January 28th, 2019
This was a hard copy I didn't keep
Opinions are my own