Better late than never.
Another bingo has come to a close and we have a new winner, but first:
Here's a reminder of August's Reading Bingo.
And August's winner is Lisa K.
Below, you'll find a list of August's participants' reads and perhaps you'll find a new favorite.
Please note this article contains affiliate links.
Forever Asher by Rhys Everly
I kissed my best friend. And I liked it. I’m at the lowest point of my life. Retiring from my SEAL team was not in my life plan. Yet here I am, 30 years old, no wife, children or career. And now I have to start over while dealing with the after-effects of my last mission. All in all, life can’t get more complicated. Until it does. Suddenly I'm turned on by Asher’s gay romance audiobooks and kissing him when he brings me a new furry friend. Before I know it, I start dreaming of a life with him. Have I had it wrong all this time? Is Asher my soulmate? Is he the love of my life? Is he my forever Asher? Welcome to Mayberry Holm, a small island in the Atlantic full of crime, secrets and happily-ever-afters, and the ex-Navy SEALs that come to deal with them all.
Antagonist by Ana Ashley
Single dads. Polar opposites. Undeniable chemistry. Harrison Meeting at a bachelor auction for charity has trouble written all over it as far as I am concerned. Especially when the guy with the winning bid seems to be after only one thing...a good time between the sheets. Refusing the advances of a man who’s too good looking for his own good, is easy at first. But how can I stay away from him when our kids are in the same class and trouble is already brewing between the two? Fletcher What do you do when the guy you can’t stop thinking about—and thought you’d never see again—turns up at your kid’s school? You bring your A-game and flirt until he caves. Harrison is hell bent on resisting the chemistry between us. That is until we’re thrown together to organize the school’s Spring Fair. Will that be my only chance to prove to him that I’m looking for more than a casual fling? Antagonist is book 2 in Ana Ashley’s new series, Dads of Stillwater. You can expect bumping heads, show-stealing kids, a school fair so heated it may just go up in flames, lovable secondary characters, and Ana’s usual happy ever after.
Collided: An MM romance (LSU) by Becca Steele
From USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Becca Steele comes a new standalone M/M romance. When my mother told me she was getting married, I had no idea just how much my life would change. Her new husband does his best to make me feel welcome, but his son is a different story. Huxley Granger is rude and aggressive, and from the moment we collide, he makes it clear that he loathes me. Then, something happens. An event that alters everything between us. I find myself looking at him in a different way. A way I shouldn’t be looking at the person who has been so hostile to me from the beginning. A way I shouldn’t be looking at the one person I’m not allowed to have. Even though I tell myself to forget him, I can’t get him out of my head. And I could be wrong, but I think he might have the same problem. I know I should stay away. I should. But I won’t. Collided is an M/M new adult romance with enemies to lovers themes. It is a prequel to the LSU college romance series. Each book in the series can be read as a standalone. Part of Collided was first available in the Anti-Valentine anthology. This edition has been extensively expanded.
Crossing Blades by Hayden Hall
This year is my last chance to take the Titans to victory. I cost us the cup last year, but I’m not making the same mistake again. And I’m determined to get drafted by the end of this season. The success I anticipate is built on three years of razor-sharp focus and hard-earned respect. Not to mention how much of my personal life I sacrificed for hockey. The Titans trust me to lead them and I won’t betray that. Nothing could possibly go wrong. Until the former love of my life and current arch nemesis, Cameron Martinez, skates back into my life. His very presence throws me off balance. His intense gaze and aggressive, dominant, and possessive streaks feel like a lasso pulling me toward him. It only takes so many shared showers and locker room encounters before I’m too weak to continue resisting this pull. But we both know there is no future for us. Our ambitions have always left a trail of ruin and heartbreak in their wake. Why should this time be any different? Except I can’t think straight when he’s around. And every private moment we share makes me forget why I’m even here in the first place. Crossing Blades is the first book in Hayden Hall’s Arctic Titans of Northwood U series of gay, college hockey romance novels. Expect fiery encounters on and off the ice, bickering enemies with a single, steamy way to vent, a second chance at greatness and love, and the emotional rollercoaster of self-discovery, acceptance, and growth into adulthood. Crossing Blades can be read as a standalone.
Cat's Chance in Hell by Meghan Maslow
When a feline fatale meets his magical match, Baltimore might just go up in flames. I, Carter Strike, Siamese shifter extraordinaire and a powerful demon’s right-hand cat . . .er, man, have a job to do. My boss’ boy toy is in the crosshairs of an unknown assassin. And when my boss is unhappy, all of Charm City burns. That’s where I come in. Intel is my specialty and leads me to the doorstep of one drop-dead gorgeous but annoyingly secretive Rakshasa. Bengal Damon-Cowles—even his name is obnoxious—runs South-West Baltimore and is nothing if not frustratingly contrary. I don’t care if he is a demi-god among shifters, I don’t need the complications from a sexy as sin Rakshasa with the utter gall to turn down a fine piece of feline-fantasy like myself. Especially when we’re forced to work together. Except, every day we spend in close proximity turns up the heat between us. A roomful of secrets, a looming Nor’Easter, and friends with questionable—or nonexistent—morals, add gasoline to the blaze. As the stakes climb ever higher, and people start dying, I’ve got a cat’s chance in hell of coming out of this one unscorched. Cat’s Chance in Hell is a 113k snarktastic, size difference, forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers, car-careening-out-of-control romance with a guaranteed happy ending and lots of steam. Shenanigans include: a catnapping gone very, very wrong, a hot pot incident that will go down in infamy, and a Rakshasa with more layers than a Smith Island Cake. *Can absolutely be enjoyed as a standalone, but would be more enjoyable read in order.
Blue Blood by L.C. Davis
If three's a crowd, what does that make four? My love life, apparently. Now I'm on the run with Cyrus, Sam, and Alex, and that's not even accounting for the fact that I'm pregnant—with twins—and my overbearing mother is along for the ride. Oh, and did I mention I found out Zeus is my father? Yeah, that Zeus. Turns out Cameron's not the only one who's been hunting me down. And I might have to rely on my not-so-absent dad to protect me from the relentless vampire who's probably the father of my children. Can you get a bulk discount on paternity tests? Because I'm going to need around half a dozen to sort this shit out. - Blue Blood is the third book in the Godbearer series, which should be read in order.
Red by KC Kean
“To convince a man to marry you, you have to be what they envision. Pretty, quiet, caring, and barefoot in the kitchen.”
My mother's expectations have never wavered. I’m determined to be more, even if it is within the confines of Featherstone Academy. I'm tired of being forced into a mold I don't fit in. I want to be me, however that looks.
Finding myself, and understanding what matters is my number one focus, over everything else. Taking inspiration from my reading obsession, I know what I want my life to look like, but getting it is a completely different issue.
I'm trying to keep my love life under wraps so nobody can interfere or watch me crash and burn as I try to lose my weak persona. My senses are flooded with the new temptations that surround me. The deepest voice that makes my insides melt, a searing hot touch from the campus playboy, and the stormy gaze of the world's biggest jackass.
Along with them, comes a deeper exposure into the Featherstone life. Watching Featherstone close in around my friends, dealing with parental issues, relationship drama, and a stalker, makes me realize I’m drowning in trouble.
Let the sambuca shots burn my throat as I get lost in my own journey of shedding my old skin, and becoming Red.***** - She is completely bold and straight forward with her wants and needs and it makes her way more sexy! Jess absolutely comes alive.
***** - If you are a fan of RH, bad boys, and sassy heroines, then this spin on the Mafia trope is for you.
***** - This series has been amazing!
Red is a 100k word reverse harem romance novel, which means there is more than one love interest, with a #whychoose approach. This book contains consensual steamy scenes including MM, and MFMM. Some scenes may be dark for some readers, so it is recommended for readers aged 17 and over. Red is the fourth book in the Featherstone Academy Series, but the First book in her duet.
Brown Eyed Boy by BL Maxwell
Lance and Billie met and fell in love over their mutual love of food and their drive to have a successful business in the small town of Stoney Brook Maine. Both are driven to succeed, but now it’s time for a vacation, a real vacation.
Billie plans a trip to Dublin, Ireland to explore Lance’s Irish roots, he takes a little convincing. But when Billie tells him they’ll be spending time with an uncle who also runs a small café, it’s more than Lance can resist.
They spend their days trying new foods, exploring ancient wonders, and meeting more new relatives than either of them could have imagined. And at an ancient castle, Lance discovers that everything he needs is right in front of him.
What starts as a vacation ends up being life changing, and something Lance and Billie will never forget.
The Red Collar by M. Kato
Chief Inspector Hayashi Teruo is short-tempered, impatient and a perfectionist. When another one of his partners resigns, Teruo is assigned a new one transferred from Hiroshima. But this comes with a condition: if his partner bails on Teruo before the end of the month, he risks demotion. Miyazaki Shinji wants to forget the problems of his past, focus on his new position at Tōkyō MPD and work with the department’s best homicide detective. As a supernatural, Shinji speaks with ghosts of murder victims, gaining insight into the cases and solving them faster. Before they get a chance to become acquainted, Teruo and Shinji are thrown into a new murder case. The body of a young man is found, killed with a weapon bearing a strange resemblance to a dog's collar. As more victims are discovered, they need to dig deeper and find the connection between them. While working on the case, Teruo and Shinji are caught into an irresistible attraction. But being partners on duty and lovers in bed isn't easy. As Teruo slowly unravels Shinji’s secrets, he questions his partner's integrity, while Shinji is caught in endless lies threatening his relationship with Teruo as lovers and coworkers. ***The Red Collar is a high heat gay detective romance with a paranormal twist. It's Book 1 in the series and features a happy ending. The book contains profanity and sexually explicit scenes meant for mature audiences only. It's not a slow burn romance.***
If you'd like to take part in September's Bingo, here are the details!
