Queer Romance Wrap-up June 2022

This Wrap-up includes all of the romances I read in June outside of the week long Queer Romance Readathon (post here).  All of the romances I read this month were queer in some way and I was glad to get through so many that have been on my TBR for a while. 

 

 Work For It - Talia Hibbert

This grumpy/grumpier MM romance follows Keynes and Griff.  Keynes needs a break from his life in London after a traumatic situation that has left him anxious, especially in sexual situations.  He heads out to the countryside to a small village to clear his head by spending time in the clean air and helping with the annual elderflower harvest. When Keynes's first interaction with Griff doesn't go to plan, both are surprised to see the other at the farm the next day.  Griff is the production manager in charge of just about everything - including the flower harvest.  The two trade barbed insults, heated looks, and some honesty neither of them expect.  I absolutely adored this read and the journey Keynes and Griff went on.  These two men both have some pretty significant walls up and they try their best to keep people at arm's length away.  I did like the push/pull of their relationship where one would get a bit past the other's wall and then get pushed away.  The small town setting was adorable and it was nice to see a bit of the 'darker' side of small towns (gossiping, cliques, etc). These two, despite their histories and their walls, had some pretty realistic communication where they maybe didn't say things perfectly, but they did own up and apologize when they really put their foot in their mouth.

TW/CW: outing, homophobia, anxiety, depression, suicide, death of a parent, blackmail

Hang the Moon - Alexandria Bellefleur

This is the second book in the Written in the Stars series and follows Brendon and Annie.  Annie is Brendon's sister's best friend who comes into town unexpectedly.  Brendon had a crush on Annie when they were growing up, but nothing ever came of it.  Brendon is a textbook hopeless romantic and when he finds Annie to be a skeptic, he decides to show her that magical romance is still alive.  As a fellow hopeless romantic, I absolutely adored this book.  I thought Brendon walked the line really well between being a lover of love without veering into the cringey or unrealistic territory.  This had a really nice mix of opposites attract banter with some sister's best friend pining. I really loved how open Brandon was with his feelings and how comfortable he made Annie so she could also express herself. We get a lot of Darcy and Elle from the first book which was fantastic.  I also loved how we didn't get any weird possessiveness over Annie between Darcy and Brendon.  I don't love how, in many of these types of books, we would get Darcy telling Brendon that Annie was her friend first and he should stay away - basically calling 'dibs' on Annie.  In this case, Darcy was really relaxed about the situation, but did ask Brendon to only proceed if he was serious about Annie and to do his best not to break her heart.

Psycho - Onley James

This is the second book in the Necessary Evils series and we're back with everyone's favorite family of psychopaths.  In this book we follow August and Lucas.  August is the genius in the Mulvaney family but that genius comes at a cost.  Lucas is an ex-FBI profiler who used his secret clairvoyant ability to help close cases.  Once Lucas's secret came out, his coworkers think he's crazy and he ends up out of the FBI and teaching at the same school as August.  The two bump into each other, literally, one day and Lucas gets a vision of what August does in his free time (namely, torture and murder).  As the two spend more time together, their connection deepens and when a threat from Lucas's past life comes to town they just might have to work together and get a little messy.  I really enjoyed this read and I was so excited that James was able to capture that same dark humor that I loved so much in the first book.  I do think the pacing was a bit too fast for my personal liking and I would have preferred maybe a little slower, more gradual introduction of the main antagonist.  August is autistic (at one point he does refer to "his Asperger's" but later does just say he's autistic) and I really enjoyed how he shows his caring for Lucas in his own way.  He never tries to mask who he is when he's with Lucas and both of them pretty much lay everything out from the beginning. I really liked Lucas and his passion for helping the victims.  However, I felt like his shift from FBI guy to being okay with how the Mulvaney's dole out justice was a little fast.  The victims of the main antagonist include indigenous women and I felt like James handled this topic pretty seriously and in the acknowledgements James did include some information on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women organization (https://mmiwusa.org/).

TW/CW: kidnapping, torture, sexual assault, indigenous women victims, child neglect, suicide,

Satisfaction Guaranteed - Karelia Stetz-Waters

This FF romance follows Cade and Selena who initially meet at Cade's grandmother's funeral.  Cade's family is full of colorful, eccentric people and her grandmother was no different.  Selena helped Cade's grandmother run Satisfaction Guaranteed - a sex toy shop.  Cade was expecting to return to NYC and her role of running her parent's art gallery but when her grandmother's will dictates that Cade and Selena must work together to save Satisfaction Guaranteed, these two opposite women will need to find a way to work together. I really enjoyed this slower burn read and how Cade and Selena's relationship grew.  They're both attracted to the other from the get-go but Selena is in a period of celibacy and Cade is too busy to even think about a relationship.  Through working together to save the store, the two women also learn some life lessons from each other that really helps them build their relationship outside of pure attraction.  I also loved the representation of Cade never having an orgasm - not even solo - and some of the hardships that caused in her previous relationships.  Art and being an artist are a pretty big part of this book and I really felt the passion come off the page.  I loved the personal growth that both Cade and Selena showed and how they were finally able to come together.

TW/CW: student/teacher relationship

A Lady for A Duke - Alexis Hall

This historical romance follows Viola and Gracewood.  When Viola was presumed dead after the battle of Waterloo, she took the opportunity to finally live as herself. However, returning as Viola means she had to give up her title, wealth, and best friend.  Two years later, Viola's family receives a letter from Gracewood's sister detailing how Gracewood is not doing well.  Viola and her sister-in-law go to visit, and Viola strives to bring Gracewood back to being the man she knew.  This is my first historical romance ever and I absolutely adored it! I really enjoyed the balance Hall was able to strike between the polite, super light flirting I'd expect from a historical romance and some pretty heated moments. I also loved how this story also explored Viola becoming more comfortable in herself and being able to ask for and get what she wants out of her life.  I loved the side characters and how supportive they were to our main couple.  This was a long read (480 pages!) but it didn't feel like that long of a read.  There were a lot of things going on in the plot outside of the romance that I was also invested in.   I also really liked how the main conflict in the relationship wasn't Viola being outed and becoming a 'scandal' (although that is an understandable fear of hers).  Bonus points to Hall for making me actually love an epilogue just as much as I loved the rest of the book.

TW/CW: abelist language, PTSD, dead-naming, opioid use, suicidal thoughts

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC.  Publication date was May 24, 2022

Falling for the Enemy - Katie Golding

This is the second book in the Malibu Millionaire series and follows Jasper and Blake.  They work for rival companies, both trying to sign new and upcoming bands, and that rivalry has grown over the past few years into some pretty heated contempt on both sides.  Another thing they both have in common is they've been texting a mystery person after a wrong number text kept going.  But when Jasper and Blake turn their heat up a few notches and start falling into bed together, they both feel bad for continuing to text their mystery person on the side.  But as Jasper and Blake learn more about each other, they may just find that their perfect mystery texter has been in front of them all along.  This was a really fun and steamy read.  I loved seeing the differences between Jasper and Blake when they're verbally sparring vs when their being vulnerable via text.  I thought the reveal was done in a really great way that was surprisingly low angst.  The verbal sparring was really great between Jasper and Blake and I loved how their fighting was so well known amongst the other people in their industry.  I think it was really interesting how they both had some pretty thick walls built up around themselves and I thought it was really realistic that it would take a while for them to feel comfortable around someone to let those walls down.  Their chemistry was off the charts pretty early on, but the real journey of this book was them both feeling comfortable enough to open up all the way.  I do think the magnitude of Jasper's reaction at the end didn't feel aligned with his character through the rest of the book and felt a little like Golding wanted to put in some extra drama at the end.

Queer Romance Readathon Wrap Up

This is my wrap up for the Queer Romance Readathon that ran from June 13-20, 2022. I didn't get around to all the books I was planning on reading during this readathon, but I'll keep them all on my TBR and start working my way through them.  All of these books are queer in some way and I tried to squeeze in as much variety as I could. 

 

Neighborly - Katrina Jackson

This steamy novella is the second in the Erotic Accommodations series and follows Heaven as she and her boyfriend Calvin move in together.  They think they've found the perfect place - with plenty of space for Heaven's art and feeling like they're starting to lay down roots together.  Another big plus?  The couple next door.  Tasha and Stephen are married and they're very welcoming to their new tenants next door.  But when Heaven and Tasha meet, the connection between the two women is electric and their men only want them to be happy so the two couples work toward an arrangement that could satisfy them all.  This was a really great, low angst, steamy read.  Both couples are already established at the opening of the story and this is really a journey as Heaven and Calvin's relationship takes a new step.  I loved how much time we spend with each couple separately before they start crossing in order to really solidify the relationships.  Most of the poly romances I've read have ended up in an official triad or relationship between all participants.  In this case, the two couples don't end up in a four-person relationship in that same sense but they do enjoy their time together.  I also really enjoyed how the communication was handled both in each pairing as well as a group. 

The Hideaway Inn - Philip William Stover

This second chance, MM romance, is the first book in the Seasons of New Hope series and follows Vince as he rolls into town with one goal in mind - successfully flip the Hideaway Inn and earn a good return on his investment.  He isn't expecting to run into Tack - his first love and first heartbreak.  Vince has spent years changing both physically and mentally so he would no longer be the skinny kid who got bullied for reading poetry.  But after just a few conversations with Tack, Vince finds himself struggling with the same feelings he had back in high school. Tack has also changed over the years and now that he's comfortable with who he is, he's ready to take advantage of Vince showing up out of nowhere and show him that maybe the Hideaway Inn is the best place for Vince to finally let those walls down and be himself again.  I really loved this small town romance!  Vince and Tack were really dynamic characters and I loved how their relationship developed and deepened over the weeks.  I thought their past dynamic with Tack being a bystander to Vince being bullied was handled well and wasn't brushed away too quickly.  Their relationship started off a little rough with Vince being really reluctant to let Tack in, even a little bit.  But after they cleared the air, they really seemed to fall into each other so easily and I loved following them along the way.  The side characters are also fantastic and I can't wait to read more in this series.  

TW/CW: homophobia, bullying

Drag Me Up - R. M. Virtues

This is the first book in the Gods of Hunger series - a contemporary Greek myth re-imagining (this book follows Hades and Persephone).  Hades is the owner of legendary Casino Asphodel but he does everything he can to stay out of the limelight and let his reputation and rumors about him swirl through the city of Khaos Falls.  He pulls threads from the shadows and has his fingers on the pulse of the city - both legitimate and criminal business practices.  Persephone is thrilled to have earned the spot in an acrobatic show and to finally be following her dreams of performing.  Hades is immediately entranced by Persephone and the two share a connection that surprise them both.  But when outside threats start closing in, their connection is put to the test.  I really enjoyed this mafia-ish world that Virtures built and I'm so excited to continue reading on in the series.  I'm pretty neutral on Greek mythology so up until about a year ago, I had no idea what a Hades/Persephone romance meant.  So for me, I really enjoyed that the world was so well developed that I could still understand the relationships and dynamics without having to be really knowledgeable on the mythology.  I completely adored Hades and Persephone as a couple - especially how soft Hades was for her.  Their relationship was so supportive and caring from the very beginning and they're really solid all through the story.  I really enjoy romances where the main couple is super solid and the source of tension comes from outside the relationship.  There are a ton of characters introduced in this book, but I think Virtues does a great job of really focusing in on the handful that are important in this story while giving us just enough details on the other characters but not too much to overwhelm the reader. 

TW/CW: stalking

Fall Into You - Georgina Kiersten

This FF short novella follows Imari as she relocates to the small town of Appeley after a traumatic and dramatic leaving her fiance at the alter.  A few months after settling in, Imari runs into her childhood friend, Cassidy, and the two women have instant chemistry.  Imari is initially hesitant to get into a new relationship so soon but her connection with Cassidy might just be once in a lifetime. This was a really great read and I enjoyed the small town, fall atmosphere.  It is only 50 pages, but Kiersten packs so much information and characterization into those pages.  I thought Imari and Cassidy worked really well together and their instant connection really came across well on the page.  

Three of Hearts - Lillian Lark

This paranormal, MMF romance is the first in the Harpies of a Feather series and follows Zephyrine, Greg, and Asa. Greg and Asa were in a relationship but when Greg's inner wolf started to desire to search for another mate, Greg broke up with Asa despite still loving him.  When Zeph literally crashes into Asa with Greg quickly following behind, the three of them find themselves in a fog of attraction.  But Zeph is a harpy and harpies don't take mates, much less two of them.  However, the attraction between the three of them is electric and they seem to work really well as a triad and the three of them decide to give a relationship between all of them a shot.  I really enjoyed the world building and character development in this, but felt the pacing was a little off.  This was insta-lust central and I felt like some of the more serious portions of the relationship didn't really make sense that they came so early on.  Some of the more romantic-suspense elements toward the end also felt like they came on and then were resolved a little too quickly.  I did enjoy the relationship building and how some of the internal issues were handled.  We have some really great family moments that I enjoyed.  I also really enjoyed the lore building that Lark wove into the story and I found it really easy to follow the various rules/abilities of these different entities.  I think Lark does a good job balancing a second chance romance between Greg and Asa and the new romance with Zeph.  This was a relatively short read at only 191 pages and I think if it was a bit longer, I would have liked to see more non-sex relationship building between our trio. 

TW/CW: pregnancy, human trafficking, kidnapping