Genre: MM/Contemporary Romance
Series/Standalone: Finding Home #1
How I got this book: Bought

TW: Homophobia, cheating

I've been working a lot lately and found myself in a bit of a book slump, just lacking the desire to read anything, but I had a few Audible credits and decided to pick something almost at random, which is how I settled on Oz by Lily Morton.

After the first couple of chapters, I was a little put off by the narration, not the Irish accent of Oz, but the posh-British accent of Silas which I felt was a bit too exaggerated, and after listening for a while, I decided to switch to the eBook. 

Well, the joke was on me! I tried to read a chapter of the eBook but could not get (the narrator) Joel Leslie's voice out of my head and ended up switching back to the audio, which grew on me really quickly. 

I absolutely love Oz's voice. He's a fantastic character and the narration brought him completely to life...I can still hear his voice now. 

"I tap the magazine. 'The only job advert in there for me would one asking for someone who is PhD level stupid enough to move in with their boss.' I laugh. 'No references given."

Oz is a really great character to read, he's rough around the edges and people judge him based on his appearance and his background, yet he's so down-to-earth, flirtatious and plain hysterical.

The opening scene really sets the tone for Oz and the rest of the book, as the story begins with Oz walking in on his lover/boss having an affair with his new assistant (Oz's current job!) and we're instantly hit with Oz's snark, his capacity for revenge, his eviscerating tongue and also, his heart and vulnerabilities. 

We're then introduced to his best friend who leads Oz to a job interview for a position managing the restoration of a high-end, dilapidated house, something that Oz doesn't believe he's at all qualified for and results in the most hilarious interview. 

“He’s lovely,” I say, putting my hand out to the dog. “What’s his name?”
“Boris Johnson.”
I blink. “Pardon?”
He smiles. “Because he’s blond and stupid and makes very questionable decisions.”

The man in charge of hiring him, however, doesn't agree, which leads Oz on a journey from London to the Cornish countryside and into the path of Lord Ashworth a.k.a Silas who's fresh out of his own bad relationship with the previous house manager and carrying several burdens on his shoulders. 

Silas is a much more reserved character, and once I got used to the narration of his voice, I was charmed by his character. He's strong, reserved, humble and just the sweetest. 

Oz and Silas's chemistry is off the charts and for some of the sex scenes, I would definitely recommend installing air conditioning or setting your room fan to the highest setting...

Not only has Lily Morton done a fantastic job of creating realistic, distinct, likeable characters, she's also made truly detestable 'villains', and a well-paced plot that's both incredibly funny and extremely heartfelt. 

There was one scene in particular that almost reduced me to tears, especially when combined with the impassioned narration. 

“Ask me,” I say quietly. I smile tenderly. “I guarantee I’m going to say yes.”

So, how can I summarise this book?

It's a little bit like Pride and Prejudice but everyone is gay, there's also lots of cursing, and characters in the Austen era would never be permitted to spend so much time naked, especially outdoors!

It was a fun, heartfelt read and I'll definitely be reading (and listening to) more of the books in this series!

Genre: LGBT/Parnormal/Romance
Series/Standalone: VRC: Vampire Related Crimes #1
How I got this book: Kindle Unlimited

TW: Trauma, physical and mental abuse, stalking, addiction

Ahhhh! This started so well...WTF happened?!?

Let me start from the beginning. I picked this book up on a whim when it came up on my Kindle Unlimited recommendations because the synopsis sounded interesting and had an enemies-to-lovers vibe to it. 

It started off really well because of Finn. He's fantastic, he's sassy, cheeky and strong, but wears his heart on his sleeve, and reminded me so much of Sam from The Lightning Struck Heart by TJ Klune, who's one of my absolute favourite characters. 

Finn is disabled, and I can't tell you how refreshing it was to have a disabled character as the hero, especially when paired with an old and powerful vampire. Finn holds his own throughout the entire book and, despite dealing with his own trauma, he's just as powerful and capable as any of the other characters. 

Finn is full of awful jokes but he's lovable and gets everyone to like him, even grumpy, distant Marcus who becomes his friend without really knowing why or consciously agreeing to it. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say as I draw the curtain over the window so I don’t have to look into Marcus’s eyes as I steal his dog.

Also, I should mention Artie at this point, an Irish wolfhound who is a gentle sweetheart...and a bit of a creep at times.

Marcus is the typical brooding vampire, but his character shines when Finn finally breaks down some of his walls, allowing his caring, protective side to come through.

The chemistry between Finn and Marcus worked well and built, as did the constant banter between the two. 

“I will try… this,” Marcus says as he waves between us. “But I’m promising nothing. And if I eat you, it’s one hundred percent your fault.”

The plot and pacing also started off strong and intriguing until at some point the story just meandered off and completely forgot about the plot. 

There were a few scenes that felt completely irrelevant to the story and it appeared, for a lot of the book, that the author misplaced the big bad villain, only to bring him out when things got a bit dull.

Then there's the snark and humour, which started off as one of Finn's best qualities, but which grew into something quite annoying and distracting as pages and pages were full of
random back and forth. 

"Did… Did you just ask me out and tell me you might eat me in the same breath? That’s so romantic.”

After all of this, the big build-up, the back and forth, the ominous figure in the darkness and the promises from Marcus to take care of it, we're met with a goddamn cliffhanger that really pi**ed me off. 

I'm now at the point where I'm really bloody struggling to understand how the author is going to fill an entire second book finishing this plot when it could have easily fit into this novel, but, a part of me still wants to find out what happens next, as I want to see Finn get the resolution and the closure from his trauma that he desperately deserves. 

Overall, the book started off really well, it's fast-paced and full of humour that's interwoven with darkness and tons of emotion. I liked the characters, particularly Finn, but would have liked more clarity from the plot. 

This cold has me feeling pretty sorry for myself at the moment but since I can't sleep, I figured re-reading some of my favourite *comfort* stories would do the trick. 

This book was actually an accidental re-read since I'd forgotten that I'd already read it back when I had my Kindle Unlimited subscription and so I bought it again and got a sense of deja vu pretty early on. 

However, that didn't detract from my enjoyment of this book. While it is very short (I read it in just over 2 hours), the characters have great chemistry, depth, and there's just enough plot to keep things interesting. 

The book really only features the two main characters, with very few and brief appearances from minor characters which works in its favour, keeping the story on track and the tension building throughout. 

I love how naive and clueless Fielding and Mick seem to be, Mick especially, but what I love most is how their relationship progresses with relatively little amounts of drama and angst. 

“I want you to teach me how to kiss,” Fielding said in his most arrogant voice. It came out as a demand, like Fetch me the lamp from the sideboard, wench.

For me, this was the perfect, sweet as sugar, grin-inducing book that had me smiling despite the fact that I can only breathe through one nostril.

If you're a fan of innocent, clueless characters and slow-burn romance reminiscent of Anyta Sunday, you'll love Blame it on the Mistletoe.  

TW: Abandonment and homophobia. 

You'll have to forgive me for the poor quality of this post as I'm struggling with a stupid cold right now and my eyes really hurt. It's a little ironic that I started listening to this audiobook a few weeks back when I was sick and now I'm under the weather again just as I've finished it - I blame the crying and the emotional turmoil this book put me through.

I've read a few of TJ Klune's books now and while his books always pack an emotional punch, I think the narrator, Sean Crisden, did a particularly fantastic job of bringing that emotion out through his voices for Bear, Otter and Ty. I also really liked his voice for Creed while I found Anna a tad annoying (both in character and voice). 

I'm not sure how authors like TJ Klune manage to pack so much emotion and pain into a book and yet still have the ability to make you laugh, even through the heartache you share with the characters. 

I haven't yet read a TJ Klune book that hasn't made me cry, or at least brought me very close to tears and Bear, Otter, and the Kid was no exception, I found myself sobbing into my pillow during certain scenes and then laughing out loud, usually at something Bear or Ty said, at others. 

Bear is a fantastic character. He has so many depths and I love the storm and earthquake imagery the author uses to illustrate his anxiety and fears. It's a theme that builds throughout the book and is a beautiful metaphor for his inner turmoil. 

Bear and Ty (the Kid) have a beautiful relationship and I love Ty's intelligent humour. The little eco-terrorist is my favourite character and so reminiscent of Artemis in The Bones Beneath My Skin. I love the way that TJ writes kids and I cannot wait for his upcoming book, The House in the Cerulean Sea for this very reason. 

Otter is also a wonderful character and his evolving relationship with Bear and his dedication to both Bear and the Kid is moving and powerful to behold. 

TJ has written a book containing so much pain (a lot of it via Bear's mother - god, I hate her) and this book had me holding my breath in so many places, just hoping and wishing that everything would work out (this author has a habit of being mean to his characters and readers!) but I'm going to spare you a spoiler and let you find that out for yourself. 

Overall, this is a book that I fell in love with, with characters that made me laugh and cry. It's a heavy book, but at the same time it's light and with love, laughter, and family at its core. If you love TJ Klune, if you love heartfelt, meaningful and emotional romances, this is the book for you. 

TW: sexual assault, body image issues and anxiety.

So, this is it, I'm finally at the end of my Devil's Rock series binge and I'm kinda disappointed with how it ended - I just can't help but feel a little let down with this book. 

Maybe it was reading all the books in the series back to back but by this point I just feel bored (for want of a better word) with the same, repeating format. I swear there were even sections of text that were almost exactly the same in this story as in some of the previous ones. 

There was just no spark, no emotional connection between me and the book (and between the two main characters). I could barely stand the female MC, I found Gabriella really annoying, whiny and hypercritical at times. 

Cruz I did like, for the most part, but his character felt underdeveloped and just stuffed into the 'dark, brooding, misunderstood' type-cast mould that his character just felt really two dimensional. 

For me, there just wasn't much of a story here. Just lots of nonsensical back and forth between the two characters, and supporting characters who were just annoying and distracting. 

Overall, this book sadly just didn't do it for me but it doesn't mean that I love the other books in this series (or the author's other books) any less. 

TW: Rape, Drugging, Abuse, Predators. 

So, it seems that I subconsciously decided to binge read this entire series. I'm going to blame that decision on the crappy, cold British weather we're having right now and my longing for a bit of heat. 

I wasn't disappointed. The fourth book in the Devil's Rock series focuses on Hale (Sweet Hill's Sheriff and all around golden boy) and Piper (the girl from the wrong side of the tracks with a dark secret) - tale as old as time, right?

Truthfully, I didn't expect too much from this book but it pleasantly surprised me. Aside from the dialogue which felt a little stiff and unrealistic in places, the chemistry between Hale and Piper was great, especially as Hale is revealed to be a little more of a 'bad boy' than he first appears.  

Piper is funny, strong and confident and was the key to how invested I was in the outcome of this story. 

This book is a romance, can be read as a stand-alone (although I recommend that you do check out the rest of the series) and features a sweet HEA. As with the other books in this series the author does deal with some pretty dark themes and there are references to rape, abuse, murder and predatory behaviour. 

This is meant to be a dark and gritty romance series so bear that in mind if you do decide to give it a try. 

I loved the tension that was built between the two characters in this book and I devoured the whole thing in a couple of hours. 

If you're looking for a book to keep you warm on these cold autumn nights, the sizzling chemistry between Hale and Piper will certainly do the trick. 

Calling all fans of Anyta Sunday, friends to lovers, M/M romance and second chance romance!

If any of the above applies to you, I have a special treat lined up for you today!

​I was feeling a bit crappy on Thursday night last week when I reached for my ARC of Happy for You by Anyta Sunday and it turned my mood right around, my grin growing with every page I turned.

Today, I'm taking part in the Release Day Blitz for Happy For You (book 3 in the Love & Family series). You can check out my reviews for Book 1: Taboo For You and Book 2: Made For You on Goodreads because I just found out that apparently I never added them to the blog ?

I've loved every book in this series so far, as with most of Anyta Sunday's books I have a habit of devouring them in one sitting and laughing my head off at characters antics. Keep reading to see what I thought of Book 3. Plus, read an exclusive excerpt, a Q&A with the author herself and an international giveaway!

STARS: 4 STARS!

Genre: MM Romance/LGBT
Series/Standalone: Love and Family #3
How I got this book: ARC from A Novel Take Promotions

Mort wants his de facto family back. . . .
He knows he doesn’t deserve them. Not yet, anyway. Not without making up for leaving them in their time of need.
But it’s not easy to make amends. Mort must show how much he wants the Rochester family back in his life. When his best friend’s younger brother, Felix, has his license suspended, Mort jumps at the chance to play chauffeur and to win back the family he desperately wants to call his own.
Repairing his broken relationships—with all five Rochester siblings—becomes Mort’s personal mission. Especially with Felix. Felix, who used to follow him everywhere. Felix, who idolized him. Felix, whom Mort has not stopped thinking about . . .

Felix is just trying to keep it together. . . .
With a perma-smile as his armor, he’s determined to make his family happy. Determined to be a positive role model to his three younger sisters, while their mum struggles with depression after her kidney transplant.
Unfortunately, no amount of smiling can save his license when he gets pulled over for the umpteenth time, and he still needs to get his sisters to school, soccer, and dance classes.
The solution to his problem emerges in the return of their prodigal neighbor, Mort. Mort, who left their lives without a word. Mort, who was in love with Felix’s older brother.
Mort, who is the last guy Felix wants charging back into their lives. . . .

Mort and Felix. Two guys bound by a rocky past--
—a past they must come to terms with to find true happiness in the here and now.

TW: ​Depression and generalized anxiety (of a side character)

Unlike the other two books in this series, this one took me a little longer to get into. I was a little confused at the beginning, as though there was a little information missing and so parts of the relationship felt a little rushed almost. 

But the characters quickly got under my skin with their flirty, clueless ways. Anyta writes the most adorable, bashful characters and the slow-burn just sizzles. 

This book did sadly have a bit of an uncomfortable (for me at least) twist to it that I didn't really like and that to be honest almost made me lower the star rating, but the cute, likeable characters won me over. 

​Anyta does deal with some difficult topics in this book including depression, grief and sexual anxiety through the side characters in a way that gives more depth to the story but doesn't detract from the mushy, slow-burn romance.

I can't say that this is my favourite book in the series, as that's probably reserved for Taboo For You, which I adored. Made For You also came in a close second with Happy For You falling into third place, just because of that one, uncomfortable twist (I don't want to give too much away but it's relating to Mort's relationship with Felix's older brother as hinted on in the synopsis). 

If you love clueless, romantics with big families and light-hearted drama, Happy For You is a book not to be missed. 

Now, keep reading to check out an excerpt, Q&A with Anyta Sunday and your chance to win! 

What is the significance of the title “Happy For You”?
 
AS: This book’s all about happiness – where to find it for ourselves, how to make others happy, and how to live with the fact that we can’t make everyone around us happy.  Mort and Felix have to learn it the hard way: if they’re both only trying to make others happy, they’ll lose sight of themselves. They have to find their own happiness first to finally be happy together.
 
What were the key challenges you faced when writing this book?
 
AS: While every book has its own challenges, this one was special because it features a large family that wanted to have ample space on the page. To give all of them their rightful place was not easy, but they all demanded to be heard ☺ This spring and summer, when I worked on “Happy For You”, was also a time of transitions for my family – from my son changing schools to me transitioning to a new diet, so finding time for the book wasn’t always easy.
 
Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers about?
 
AS: I am always working :D At the moment, I’m diving back into astrology and star signs, and tackling book 5 in the “Signs of Love” series. A Cancer and an Aquarius are the lucky couple in this one, and I’m already having so much fun with them. It’s quite emotional, but just like all the other SoL books, also full of banter and romantic comedy!
 
Where do you draw inspiration from?
 
AS: Inspiration is all around – walking the streets, seeing a couple interact at the café, getting a lovely message from my husband. So many things can spark an idea, like a smell that brings back a memory or a piece of music that becomes alive in my head. I try to soak it all in and scribble it down as soon as possible.

Do you have any new series planned?
 
AS: There are a few ideas currently swirling in my head, and I never know how they’ll finally arrive on the page. One series idea I just cannot stop thinking about is what I call the “Love Shack” in my head. A beachside house that brings different roommates together, always sparking new misadventures and love stories! Another idea is a cozy, super sweet and romantic mystery. But whatever series comes next, you can be sure it’ll be full of slow burn romance!
 
About Anyta Sunday:
 
I'm a big, BIG fan of slow-burn romances. I love to read and write stories with characters who slowly fall in love. Some of my favorite tropes to read and write are: Enemies to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Clueless Guys, Bisexual, Pansexual, Demisexual, Oblivious MCs, Everyone (Else) Can See It, Slow Burn, Love Has No Boundaries. I write a variety of stories, Contemporary MM Romances with a good dollop of angst, Contemporary lighthearted MM Romances, and even a splash of Fantasy. My books have been translated into German, Italian, French, Spanish, and Thai.
 
Connect with Anyta:
 
Author website:http://www.anytasunday.com/
Author newsletter signup: http://www.anytasunday.com/newsletter-free-e-book/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anytasundaybooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/anytasunday
Instagram: https://instagram.com/anytasunday
BookBub: https://bookbub.com/authors/anyta-sunday

Click the cover photo above to add the book to your Goodreads TBR and enter below for your chance to win one complete paperback set of the Love & Family series: Taboo for You, Made for You, and Happy for You, or, one of three e-books of Happy for You. Prizes are open internationally. Must be 18 to enter and win.

​Now, excuse me while I enter the competition myself!

Welcome to my stop on the Within Ash and Stardust book tour. This is the third book in the Xenith Trilogy by Chani Lynn Feener. 

Huge thanks to Xpresso Book Tours for the review copy and for including My Endless Shelf in the blog tour!

​Before I get into the full review, if you want to avoid spoilers and haven't read the first two books in the series, feel free to check those out at the following links - Book 1: Amid Stars and Darkness and Book 2: Between Frost and Fury. 

Rating: 4 STARS

Genre: Sci-Fi/YA/Romance
Series/Standalone: The Xenith Trilogy #3
How I got this book: ARC from Xpresso Book Tours

Having gone from kidnapped faux princess to the legitimate heir to an intergalactic throne, an impulsive, sarcastic teen must take charge of her own destiny in this epic YA novel.

On Earth, Delaney is a normal teenager who recently graduated high school with a fantastic best friend and a loving boyfriend.

But Delaney isn’t on Earth. She’s on Xenith, a war-torn planet half a galaxy away. Originally mistaken for an alien princess, Delaney has gone from kidnapped imposter to the recognized heir to an alien throne. Oh, and she’s engaged to the prince of an enemy nation whose ruthless father is on the warpath.

Torn between two planets, two fates, and two loves, Delaney is finally ready to choose her own destiny in Within Ash and Stardust, the stunning conclusion to Chani Lynn Feener’s Xenith Trilogy.

I can't believe it's finally here! The last instalment of a series that I fell in love with back in 2017 and have been desperately waiting for since the cliffhanger that left me absolutely reeling at the end of book two - honestly it was one of the most heart-wrenching cliffhangers ever and gave me ALL THE FEELS!!

I love this author's writing style, I've read a lot of her other books and her writing style is so easy to fall into, her characters are relatable and likeable and her world building is fantastic. She does seem to enjoy writing love triangles and for the most part, I do enjoy the complicated relationships. 

I've been following the journey of Delaney from out-of-place Earth girl to the heir of an alien planet with rapture. Delaney is completely relatable, in book one she was frightened, in book two she was angry and in book three she's determined to make her own choices and forge her own path. 

Some parts of the plot in this book did give me moments of deja-vu, especially in terms of Delaney being put into corners she can't get out of but there were plenty of new elements too with new character revelations, plot twists and more alien culture. 

I did have a pretty big problem with Ruckus in this book. If you've read my other reviews, you'll know that I've been Team Trystan from book 1, so it's no shock that Ruckus isn't my favourite character. Trystan is a big, sullen sweetheart with a cheeky side that's just irresistible. Ruckus was a solid character for me in book 1, who I did like, but who, in book 2, was so clearly not the one for Delaney. Whilst reading Within Ash and Stardust I felt as though Ruckus's character just disappeared in terms of depth, he was pretty pathetic, trailing after Delaney like a puppy dog and with seemingly no personality at all. I mean, at one point the book reads:

"He didn't want to be an Ander anymore, he realised with a start. He just wanted to be Ruckus Wux. Boyfriend of Delaney Grace." 

Which is pretty pathetic really, especially for someone who in the first book was portrayed as a tough-as-nails soldier. 

The romance in this book is also a little off compared to the last book, where things between Trystan and Delaney had started to heat up despite the frigid ending. In this book, Delaney is all over the place trying to choose between Ruckus and Trystan (when the choice was clear from the start!) and it felt a little awkward, with the ending seeming a little too clean-cut. It had lost some of the sizzle that I'd enjoyed in Between Frost and Fury. 

However, there is plenty of action in this book and the pace is great, I didn't want to put the book down at all. There's also more culture and world-building, especially in terms of the Dust Market which is both strange and wonderful. 

I like that Delaney finally manages to break free of her chains in this book, to some extent, and can make her own choices and do what she believes is right instead of what's already been decided for her. 

Overall, this was a nice end to what I feel is a very underrated YA series and one that opened the gates to sci-fi for me, but with the romance toned down, it felt as though it was suddenly aimed at a slightly younger audience. 

My favourite book of the series has to be Between Frost and Fury, with Amid Stars and Darkness coming in at a close second. 

I've truly enjoyed following Delaney's journey, exploring these new worlds, meeting interesting new characters and falling in love with Trystan's sweet, cinnamon centre along the way. 

I can't wait to see what this author does next! 

As always, you can add the book to your Goodreads TBR by clicking on the book cover above and feel free to let me know what you think in the comments below!

​To win a print copy of Within Ash and Stardust enter the giveaway below (US/CAN only).