Zhan

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General Notes
-taboo (brothers), unhealthy codependency, erotica...

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: no penetration
-Kinks/sex notes: edging, cuffing, hot-dogging, humiliation and praise, frotting, cockwarming...
-Other:
・nicknames: pipsqueak, squirt, sweetheart, baby...
・possessiveness

This is really just the beginning, like an intro, and it stops rather abruptly - but there's a sequel, so...

Even though I knew this was erotica when I started, I found myself wanting to see more of the plot. Because the plot is there, laid out, but then the focus shifted to smut and stayed there. I assume it will pick up in 3rd book (because I already read the 2nd book and it barely addressed anything, it was still mostly smut).

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General Notes
-Taboo (brothers), unhealthy codependency, erotica.
-Malcolm is 18-19? Clay is around 3 years older.

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: no penetration
-Kinks/sex notes: frotting, fingering, hot-dogging, rimming, thigh sex, humiliation and praise...
-Other:
・Clay has tattoos (never described)
・Malcolm is touch-starved
・nicknames: squirt, pipsqueak, sweetheart, baby...

Grayson put the truck in Park. "If you're coming in with me, I'm gonna need a favor."
"Sure," Reece said easily.
Grayson cut the engne and turned to face him. "Look me in the eyes and say, Evan,I'm not going to wander off."
Reece opened his mouth, then closed it.
"You want me to phrase it another way?" Grayson said, "How about I could be in danger, Agent Grayson, so I promise I'll stay with you. I'd even take I know you're trying to keep me safe, Mr. Dead Man, so today I'm gonna make good decisions for a change."

Way angstier than the first book, but with more sweet moments between Reece and Grayson. But the slow and subtle signs of corruption in Reece throughout the book... Oof. And that cliffhanger killed me. How am I gonna wait until next year for the 3rd book?

Grayson could say don't get upset until his Texas cows came home. Didn't matter; Reece was pissed.

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General Notes

Intimacy Notes

no penetration, but it seems implied that Reece prefers to bottom.

handjobs, dirty talk...

sugar, Care Bear...

"Did someone call you that?"
"What?"
Grayson made air quotes. "Wildly annoying."
"Who hasn't called me that?" said Reece.
"I haven't."
Reece opened his mouth, then closed it.
"If someone's ever bothering you, you should tell me about it," Grayson said casually.
"Why? You're the Dead Man. What are you going to do about someone bullying an empath?"
"You just let me know if it happens," Grayson said, like that was any kind of answer.

An empath who is a bit different from other empaths and an empath hunter specialist trying to find and stop the killer let loose in Seattle before it's too late.

First of all, this was very engaging. Some things seemed like they weren't fleshed out as much as they could've been, but the overall reading experience was so good that it doesn't matter to me much. I cared about the characters and the storytelling was soo immersive that I swallowed it all up. The banter is good and characters have chemistry too.

With Reece having higher empathy than normal, it made sense to me that he is so anxious and prickly. I don't think empathetic people are all sunshine-y (even in real world), rather, having to deal with so many emotions all the time is understandable overwhelming.

At first, I did find Reece a bit inconsistent and even contradictory to what an empath is described to be. But later you learn what exactly happened in March and you start to understand these inconsistencies and what's going on with Reece throughout the book. I don't want to put any spoilers, but it's very subtle and gradual. I was frustrated by it through more than 50% of the book before it finally clicked.

Some things I thought were unnecessary. Like, side characters' POVs - except maybe Jamie, because she is such an important character in the story. Then, revealing information (that MCs don't have) through side characters' POVs or through excerpts at the beginning of chapters. We learn who is the killer very early and way before MCs figure it out, so...

But this didn't ruin the experience for me. I like this series so much and I can't wait for the third book to come out (as I jumped into the 2nd book straight away).

Highly recommended.

“I don't get to use that as an excuse. I'm not the one suffering-“
“But you're empathizing.” Grayson shrugged. “Maybe humans aren't meant to hurt each other the way we do, and maybe that's why some hearts are too soft to stand it. Maybe there's nothing wrong with you for caring about other people's pain, and there's something wrong with everyone who doesn't.”
Reece bit his lip.
“But if you keep taking in the city's anger and fear, you're gonna break,” said Grayson. “So let me take some of it off your shoulders, Reece, because you can't hurt a dead man.”

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General Notes

Intimacy Notes

no spice in this book

no spice in this book

sugar and Care Bear;

Sweet, low-angst story about Jules who has a crush on his older brother's best friend, Erik, since he was twelve. Erik left the town due to to some family issues and now, years later, Erik is best and old feelings return.

I only thought it was silly for them to hide their relationship from Jules's brother Stef for basically the whole book, considering they're both adult men (30+). And also, that Jules never googled what “elskling” means, despite Erik using that nickname all these years. Other than that, the story was full of sweet and loving moments.

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General Notes
-MC with severe anxiety
-LI who looks like viking; LI with tattoos (Yggdrasil)
-older brother's best friend, low-angst, sweet story.
-familly issues (LI)
-Jules is 33, Erik is 36/37.

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: strict on page; Erik tops, Jules bottoms.
-Kinks/sex notes: first time, virgin MC, BJs, rimming, frotting, penetration...
-Other:
・Big on consent
・Erik is protective of Jules
・Nicknames: Elskling

Oof, this is a bit difficult to rate.

The story is about a Kyle who just lost his left leg in an accident and is still trying to learn to cope with it. He slips on ice and falls in front of Mark, his two years long ‘rival', who insist on helping him get home and then proceeds to take care of him...

What I liked:
-The caretaking, especially at the beginning. It was really sweet and I enjoyed it a ton.
-The way Kyle's shyness was portrayed. I'll admit that I was frustrated with him at times, but people snapping at others and being antagonistic to hide their embarrassment is a thing and I rarely see it in books, so this was refreshing.
-The way Mark was so big on consent. I liked that he could be both bossy and possessive, but still respect Kyle's boundaries.
-Kyle's brother Chris and how he took care of Kyle.

Some other stuff:
-I enjoy possessive love interests, so Mark's behavior didn't bother me, but it also didn't particularly work for me either. I think it felt a little forced at times and a few times he come across as really childish and petty, which was contradictory to his calm & composed demeanour from the beginning of the book.
-The smut was well-written, but I couldn't quite get into it. Their feelings for each other run from long before the book starts (they've known each other for two years at that point), so the intensity makes sense, but as we don't see any of it (we're just told about it later in the book), it felt a little forced and sudden to me.
-I actually don't mind OTT stuff, but that drama at the end was sudden and somehow things happened too conveniently. Not a big deal for me, but I did have a “WTF” moment there.

What really didn't work for me:
-I didn't buy into their past rivalry, and this is mostly because we're only told about it, not shown (not even in flashbacks). Which is a pity, because I really wanted to see it. I think I'd loved it if this book started when they first met and we get to see that rivalry (one mention that particularly stuck with me: Kyle tipping over Mark's boat, then Mark dragging him down too - I so wanted to see that), then somewhere at 40-50% mark Kyle has accident, loses his leg and the rest is them clearing up misunderstandings and building a closer relationship. This is the thing I'm most disappointed about, honestly.
-The way Tommy went from completely ignoring Kyle to getting all in his business. How he kept shifting from encouraging Kyle to be with Mark to getting in their way... And that rivalry between Tommy and Mark, getting into fights etc.
-The way author delayed revealing certain information until later in the book. For some things it was okay, but most was frustrating once it was revealed. I think it would've worked better if we knew about Leonard and Ronan earlier. Also, why would you reveal that the story is set in Ireland or Kyle's eye color in the last 20% of the book, and not earlier? Or not at all. The place really isn't important, but when you spend almost the whole book with one picture you built with what you were given, only to get this info when the book is almost over... Again, what's the point?
-Louis felt like a plot point that was put on a bus. I'm actually glad that he seemed to be Kyle's genuine friend and that he didn't get in the way of his relationship with Mark, but the “hopeful glances” he gave Mark at the beginning now feel misleading and unnecessary.

I know I complained a lot here, but I wouldn't say this book was bad. Just some things didn't work for me and some left me disappointed.

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General Notes
-Anxious MC, shy MC x Possessive & Protective LI
-sort of rivals (past) to lovers
-caretaking
-disability (prosthetic leg), trauma, anxiety, panic attacks, abusive family, on page physical violence (not between MCs)...

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: strict on page, never really discussed; Kyle bottoms and Mark tops.
-Kinks/sex notes: dry humping; neck grabbing (possessively, not choking); frotting, mild spanking, rimming, penetration, use of condoms...
-Other:
・Consent
・Possessivenes & Protectiveness
・Mark is boss and low-key daddy
・some handtimacy and necktimacy

Alright, I was enjoying this until the epilogue, when it was mentioned that Kecey was at home doing math homework, and that he sucked at math so sometimes Winston would help him... Which made me ask myself how old is Kecey?

I just assumed he's college age, but we don't get his age anywhere. We know that his mom died a week ago. We know that he's with two friends (who are not real friends) smoking weed at the haunted house before he meets Winston. And Winston kept calling him “boy”, but I thought it was a kink thing, or that Winston is significantly older.

There are CWs at the beginning and there's nothing about one of the MCs being a minor. But I don't know? Don't tell me I just read an erotica involving a minor, ffs...

This is my first book by this author and it has a very OTT humor, so be warned. I didn't really dislike it and, actually, if it wasn't for the humor, this book might have been quite heavy because it deals with grief, loss and ghosts of loved ones.

But for me personally, it was a little frustrating whenever a romantic or vulnerable situation was suddenly turned into a funny scene, and this happened constantly. It's just a personal preference, because I feel like this book had such potential for some good hurt/comfort, yet it was mostly laughs. I loved the more serious and scary parts, even though there haven't been many.

Descriptions of characters are very lacking, and the book is mostly focused on mystery and humor. It was engaging and it kept me reading, but while I didn't dislike the humor, I think I am a reader than needs books that will give me deep feels, rather than make me laugh.

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General Notes
-paranormal, mystery, comedy, ghosts...
-MC can see ghosts; LI is a detective.
-CWs: grief, many attempts at killing MC (strangulation in particular)
-9 years age gap; Hiro is 29 and Maddox is 38.

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: strict? It's not discussed, but on-page we have Maddox top and Hiro bottom.
-Kinks/sex notes: BJ, penetration...
-Other:
・rescue & protection
・protectiveness (both Maddox and Hiro's family are protective of Hiro)

This book was such a delight.

Larkin is a (genius, sort of; he has a rare condition) detective who works on cold cases. At the beginning of the story, he reaches out to a forensic artist Doyle for help and together they work on solving a case.

The writing, mystery, characterization, slowly building romance, emotional intimacy, hurt/comfort, everything was so good. I truly don't have the right words to describe just how good this was, so please just trust me and go read this.

This was recommended to me for a slow-burn (and I tagged it as slow-burn), but it is really? It is in a way that nothing sexual happens except few kisses. But it also isn't if you consider that the story covers three days (from Monday to Wednesday) and that Larkin and Doyle develop deep connection by the end of the second day. However, this didn't feel unnatural; to me it read like two wounded souls have met and recognized something in each other that they never found in other people.

And there's cheating, not between Larkin and Doyle, but Larkin in married. I didn't know this when I started reading this book (I thought nothing would happen between Larkin and Doyle until Larkin gets divorced) and cheating is something that really bothers me and I avoid reading about it. It did bother me, but I'm still glad I read it, because this book is just that good. It helped a little that Larkin's marriage was already falling apart at the beginning and that his husband Noah is a manipulative and unlikable character.

Everything else was perfect. I highly recommend this book.

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General Notes
-detective with a rare condition x forensic artist;
-mystery, hurt/comfort...
-(seemingly) cold MC x sunshine LI
-MC with anxiety (takes pills), rare memory condition, obsessive-compulsive tendencies...
-green flag LI
-lots of consent and respecting boundaries.
-Larkin is 35 years old; Doyle is 39 years old.

-Doyle is 6'4'' and Larkin is about a head shorter.
-CWs: suicidal ideation (vague), depression, ptsd & flashbacks; emotionally abusive husband...

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: no sex in this book
-Kinks/sex notes: none really, but they do make a few "daddy" jokes; I'm not sure if it was really all jokes or they were hinting at anything in the future.
-Other:
・handtimacy & necktimacy (+ Doyle has big hands)
・autobiographical memories (HSAM)
・nicknames: Larkin is called Grim, Spooky (by other people); Evie (by Doyle)...

I liked it and I hope the author writes more stories about Match and Ronan.

I couldn't forgive the town for turning their backs on Match and I'm happy that he didn't either. He's not resentful and he didn't turn his back on them, but he also didn't dismiss and justify what they did. I liked how Match's friends stood up for him and protected him, and the ending was really satisfying.

I just wish I could see Match and Ronan more together, but it's a short story, so... I really hope there's more.

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General Notes
-hedge witch x dark paladin
-fantasy, small town, short.

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: no smut
-Kinks/sex notes: no smut
-Other: //

He'd been carrying a torch for Ronan since the first day he'd strolled into Match's sophomore homeroom. All these years later, he was still the most beautiful person Match had ever seen, and the only thing he loved more was that deep voice, like smoky whiskey on a cold night, or the low thrumming bass of a sultry song.

I really liked it. This author's writing is simply beautiful.
It's a short story about a lonely witch Match who has pining for his teammate, a dark paladin Ronan, for years. Cozy fantasy with a little bit of angst.

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General Notes
-lonely MC (Match), POC LI (Ronan), witch x dark paladin, teammates, pining...
-cozy fantasy
-Match is 26 years old; not sure about Ronan's age.

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: no smut
-Kinks/sex notes: no smut
-Other:
・Match has a quirk habit of sticking a burnt match in his mouth after using it.
・Match has pixies and I found it really endearing how he still cared and worried about them even during moments when he himself was sad and crying.

A sweet little story about MC with abusive family who is sent to a barbarian clan as a tribute, where he's placed under the care of a gentle barbarian.

I have some complaints, but I still enjoyed it.

I wanted to know more about barbarians and their traditions. I found it unbelievable how Finn learned language within one week. The drama with a group of women tributes felt a little rushed and underdeveloped.

The barbarians are just giant marshmallows, but I liked that a lot. I liked how gentle and patient Rath was. I especially loved all those forehead touches. Finn cried way too much for my taste, but I liked how Rath was accepting of that. He was like “my bondmate is an emotional man”. No judgement or attempting to change him, but instead striving to see tears of happiness, not sadness.

That being said, I think that Finn's trauma was well portrayed. His catastrophizing and trying to plan ahead (of the imagined bad outcome), blaming himself, constantly waiting for something bad to happen, crying when someone shows him love and affection, being afraid that the smallest mistake means that people will give up on him... It makes sense for someone whose family was abusive and, may I say, it made me believe that Finn possibly struggles with CPTSD.

Overall, the story is light and sweet, with focus on hurt/comfort.

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General Notes
-hurt MC; touch & love starved MC; barbarian LI
-hurt/comfort, fluff, found family, caretaking...
-size difference; virgin MC...
-CW: domestic violence (by father); abandonment issues...

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: strict; Rath tops, Finn bottoms.
-Kinks/sex notes: dry humping; BJs; hotdogging(?); penetration...
-Other:
・protectiveness and some possessiveness
・lovely forehead touches and kisses
・Rath likes to carry Finn around. Finn likes being pinned down by Rath.
・a cute (and protective) horse Vann
・Rath humming a tone to comfort Finn and help him fall asleep was so adorable.
・cuddling up at night for warmth; riding a horse together

I'm so torn about this one.

I wouldn't suggest this if you are looking for romance. Even though this particular kink (kidnapper x victim play) isn't my thing, the scenes were really engaging. I liked the characters too and especially their friendship.

The thing is, they're both completely straight and this isn't really “gay for you”. Neither of them find the other attractive, nor they want to kiss or be intimate with each other (there is not a single kiss in this book, you guys). Preston is attracted to the idea of feeling helpless and forced, while Luke has a bit of a sadistic side. Luke has tried to seek this with girls, but they would giggle when tied up and ruin everything (he likes when they resist, when they fight back, and he likes both winning and losing). Preston discovers that he enjoys feeling helpless, but he knows that no girl will ever understand that.

At the end of the book, Preston confesses his feelings, but it felt a bit weak after he repeatedly reminded us that he's not attracted to Luke when he looks at him, but he gets aroused when he thinks about the “kidnapper”.

Luke ignored Kevin, and Kevin cast occasional unsubtle glances at the way that Luke's tight wetsuit clung to his body. I found it hard to understand why that was a turn-on, other than intellectually. I'd seen that sight almost every day for years, and even now, seeing him sit there drying in the shade, legs spread around the bulge of his cock and balls, I didn't want to do anything but maybe order some ceviche and drink some more beer. But if I were tied down, and he was standing over me in that thing... At that thought, my cock twitched in my pants, and I wrenched my mind into paying attention to the conversation.

“The idea of sucking dick,” I said, “makes me kind of gag.” That was true, as far as it went. But the idea of having a dick forced down my throat while I gagged, having him force it down my throat... still disgusting, but at the same time, my own cock stirred a little at the thought.

A thought occured to me. Maybe I just liked all this, being tied up and forced to do all those things because I really, secretly wanted to do them. Wanted to suck his dick, wanted to get fucked by him, wanted to feel those muscles overpower me. Maybe I was secretly gay and this was the Freudian excuse I needed to expolore that gay side of me.
But no, I thought, it was the other way around. The idea of sucking his dick, even now, even with my cock throbbing at the thought, made me cringe a little. It wasn't that I wanted to suck dick for the sake of the dick itself. I wanted to suck his dick because it meant he was forcing me. I needed the force, the domination, the control, and the beauty of his muscles was in the struggle against their power, not in admiration.
I was something much weirder than gay, I thought.

We didn't talk about games, or about girls, or about hide and seek. He talked about surfing. I talked about French poetry. Neither of us really understand much of the other's interests, but that, too, was a kind of friendship; letting people talk about what you didn't understand, and caring anyway.

I looked up at him, at his body towering over me, all power and dark menace, covered in black. The shadow of Luke, the Kidnapper. My shadow too, in a lot of ways. We made him up together, this bastard, and of course he'd used the gun on me. He didn't even try to hide the ridge that grew against the black pants, along one thigh.

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General Notes

Intimacy Notes

doesn't happen on page, but Luke in his "kidnapper" role implies that both of them will take it up their ass :)

hitting/flagging (with spatula and other stuff; whole body); tickling feet as a torture(?), use of clothespin on nipples, cnc mouth fucking, cnc handjob, restriction, overstimulation, use of ropes, duck tape and other stuff...

Leaning his forehead against mine, he took a deep, ragged breath. "Falling in love feels weird."
"Like you have worms eating your insides?"
"Like I'm actually falling, but there is something to catch me."

Older brother's best friend trope, short, sweet and spicy, with a lot of possessiveness and protectiveness from the brother's friend.

His hand reached for its favorite place, at my nape, pulling my hair lightly. “I'm the only one who gets to take care of your little crush on me. A fucking jock won't get to do that. He wouldn't treat you right.”
“You don't own my crush,” I said, unwittingly admitting to it.
“Yes, I fucking do,” he almost growled.

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General Notes

Intimacy Notes

strict; Eliot bottoms and Jonathan tops

handjob in public space (in a dark corner at the party); BJ; grinding, dry humping/clothed frotting; penetration; covering mouth to keep him quiet, praise (together with "good boy")...

And yeah, that's right, I'm older. Twelve minutes, bitches. Probably because, even in the womb, I figured I'd need to scope out the situation first before letting my brother venture out into the world.
I look out for him. Not because he's not capable of looking out for himself, even though he's definitely not as assertive as he should be sometimes, but because he's mine. And no one fucks with what's mine.

Damn, I really liked this.

Milo, who is innocent and insecure, asks Finn, who is unapologetically possessive and protective (and a little manipulative!), to help him prepare for a lead role that he was unexpectedly assigned to.

Deep down, a part of him must realize he's already mine.
He must know, in the very core of him, just like I do, that I've got a right to his body. That I'm the only one who does. And that I'll move heaven and fucking earth to make him feel good, fucking always.

Fuck, the sweet boy. He really is too damn good for me.
Which doesn't mean I'm giving him up.
I don't give a shit if I don't deserve him. The only thing I give a shit about is claiming and keepig him.

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General Notes

Intimacy Notes

strict; Milo bottoms, Finn tops.

handjobs, blowjobs, grinding, hotdogging (but one of them wears boxers), some good dirty talking, fingering, penetration...

Be warned, this is a taboo and mostly smut.

Micah is a troublemaker and a sex addict. When he crosses all the lines by sleeping with his mafia family's rival, his dad hands him over to Xander, Micah's older brother and 2nd in command. Xander is rutheless and a bit sadistic; he gets off on seeing blood on Micah (not Micah's blood though), his tears and fear.

One thing I didn't particularly enjoy was dad getting involved at the end. It was sharing, not cheating, but I would've preferred if it only stayed with two brothers. Also, their refractory period was kinda unrealistic.

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General Notes
-taboo, incest, two brothers + dad
-mafia family, on-page murder & blood
-Micah is 22; Xander is 33 (11 years difference).

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: strict; Micah bottoms, Xander and dad top
-Kinks/sex notes: spanking, fear play (gun pointed at head), fingering, orgasm denial, edging (for days), mouth fucking, rimming, some pain play, frotting, restraints (just wrists), multiple orgasms...
-Other: //

I actually liked how it all went with Rowan and Jason, but then it just ended abruptly. It doesn't see like there's going to be a continuation, so I'm very disappointed.

The writing was nice though.


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General Notes
-short, erotica, centaurs
-non-con (three centaurs try to force themselves on human MC)

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: no penetration; there is just one handjob scene between Jason and Rowan; three centaur soldiers try to force themselves on Jason, but they are stopped by the centaur prince (Rowan) before penetration;
-Kinks/sex notes: forced mouth fucking (by one centaur soldier), handjob and grinding (Jason and Rowan); use of aphrodisiac (centaur soldiers force it on Jason)
-Other: //

He made to stand up and leave, but the thing darted out a hand, clamping its wet hand around his ankle. It tugged him back down, then moved forward. It leant in, muscles flexing under its silvery skin, until it was nearly face-to-face with him. It planted its hands on either side of his hips and grinned, showing an expanse of its needle-like teeth. Jonah swallowed and tried to edge backward, but the tree at his back refused to budge.The thig tilted its head, regarding him with its bright yellow eyes. "Not nice to be caged in, is it?"

The writing was nice and the were-candiru was intriguing. The smut didn't work for me unfortunately, because of the sounding; just the thought of inserting anything into a penis makes me flinch.


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General Notes
-human MC (Jonah) x were-candiru
-short, erotica

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: no penetration
-Kinks/sex notes: sounding (were-candiru inserts a thin snake probe into Jonah's penis); grinding.
-Other: //

It was alright. Short and spicy little story about a guy named Dom who is struggling with accepting his sexuality, but gives in to the charms of were-orca named Til.

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General Notes
-human x were-orca
-short, erotica

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: strict; Til tops, Dom bottoms.
-Kinks/sex notes: BJ, penetration
-Other: //

Quite a light read.

Hayden is dumped by his girlfriend because he's “bad in bed”, but he's one oblivious boy, so he doesn't understand that “bad in bed” doesn't refer to hogging the covers and kicking people in his sleep. Thus when he asks Nick, aloof boy he met at a party, to help him out, he finds himself in an unexpected situation...

The characters pretty much act their age (they are both 19), but they're also rather mature and are all green flags (both of them). At the very beginning, I thought that I'm not going to like Hayden because of his obliviousness, but as I got to know him, I realized that he's actually a hurt boi in need of love... And I'm utterly weak to MCs who hide their hurt behind their smiles. That being said, his obliviousness fades away fast and then he appears rather observant. It might not seem consistent, but I personally was glad about that, because I think I'd find it frustrating if he was like that throughout the whole book.

Nick was also very intriguing. I could relate to him on many levels (having grown up in poverty myself), to his insecurities, the aloof mask he hinds behind, fear of vulnerability... I do wish I could've learned more about him and what kind of childhood he had exactly that made him become that way.

The banter and dialogue was very interesting and it just kept me going. Despite being low-angst and without that college OTT drama (which I personally don't mind), it never gets boring. There is a lot of healthy communication and compromise, which I really appreciated.

I'll just have to admit, one thing I struggled with were their “sex lessons”, because I couldn't really feel the tension between them. It also threw me off a bit that, when they'd get to that part, it would sort of switch from showing us to telling us what they did and that Hayden found it hot. I was a little disappointed, because I was looking forward to these “lessons” (that's the premise of the story, after all). However, their intimate scenes get much better later on, after they stop with the “tutoring” and start having sex for real, and there's more showing there. Also, I really liked the fact that they decided penetration wasn't working for them and they were both happy to use their hands and mouths.

I'd recommend it if you are looking for an easy/light new adult romance, with mature MCs, no OTT drama, and with focus on communication and building healthy relationships.
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General Notes
-new adult, light read
-opposite attracts (sort of)
-both MCs are 19; Australian MC (Hayden), Greek MC (Nick)
-CWs for: abandonment by a parent, abandonment issues.

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: no penetration scene; neither of them enjoy it
-Kinks/sex notes: blow jobs, hand jobs, use of flashlight, one MC (Nick) watching the other MC (Hayden) while masturbating, sucking fingers...
-Other:
• (note to myself: check out these card games: Avalon, Codenames, The Mind...)
• the scene with Nick and Hayden sharing a fork and a spoon will forever live rent-free in my head.
• the red rose scene was also so endearing.

Short smutty read about a “straight” MC who is fantasizing about another dude's nine inches. Than that dude becomes MC's roommate. :)

It's just a smutty read with some added romance in the last few paragraphs... I think it would've worked better for me if this was a little longer and more explored.

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General Notes

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: strict on page; Dominic tops, Kyle bottoms.
-Kinks/sex notes: mouth fucking, penetration...
-Other: //

His hand cups the back of my head and he pulls me up, and he moves his lips over mine like he's exploring, like he's learning all the parts of me he never knew before.
The only parts he never knew.

For something that was only a couple of pages long, this was entertaining. It's just that it's way too short (around 10 pages on my e-reader), so it left me a little unsatisfied. But I'll definitely check out more works by this author.

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General Notes
-taboo, older brother x younger brother
-super short story (around 10 pages or so)

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: on page, Ezra tops and Milo bottoms
-Kinks/sex notes:
-Other: //

This is a treasure. For such a short story, it's very rich, full of emotions and with characters who have depth.

Nuke and Lee are the polar opposites, but somehow they work together. They've been friends for years (they met in college), but the story starts with Nuke accidentally discovering Lee's kink. He is momentarily grossed out by it, but he loves Lee, so it doesn't matter to him and he tries to prove this to the insecure Lee by offering to do him a favor, without realizing that it'll completely change their friendship.

Even though it's about a kink, just be warned that it's not kinky or smutty, but rather emotional. The scenes with the kink don't linger (and since it's all from Nuke's POV) and the story focuses more on characters, love and friendship, acceptance and how their relationship works, with and without the kink.

The miscommunication between them kind of dragged out, but it's acknowledged that Nuke and Lee are bad at communicating and they eventually learn to talk and express themselves, so this worked out well. And I wish there was a little bit more of showing rather than telling, but I didn't mind this too much because the book was short (if it was longer, I'd definitely be frustrated by this).

Recommended!
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General Notes
-friends to lovers, kink, short story, one POV, 3rd person
-opposite attracts: laid-back MC Nuke (the narrator), (somewhat) poor, grew up in a happy family x serious love interest Lee (the one with the kink), rich but emotionally unavailable family.
-kink: piss kink
-Nuke is 30, about to turn 31 in June; Lee's age isn't specified, but he should be around the same age.

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: off-page descriptions of penetration, they switch
-Kinks/sex notes: piss kink; blowjobs; grinding/dry humping
-Other: Nuke is physically affectionate and loves to cuddle Lee; Lee is not used to being touched by others, but he lets Nuke give him all the cuddles.

Truly wonderful storytelling.

A ropemaker Olaf returns to his village after a long trip, delighted to reunite with his son Luk, only to be greeted by a horde of undead. After managing to escape, Olaf has to go find the nearest necromancer, who is their only hope in surviving this nightmare they found themselves in.

The world and characters are fleshed out so well considering the length of this book. The plot is fast-paced, dark and VERY gory, so be warned and take that ‘horror' tag seriously.

I very much enjoyed romance between our two MCs, the ropemaker Olaf and the necromancer Korbinian. I particularly loved how they were drawn to each other's kindness. Their relationship developed in a short timeline, but I thought it made sense under such life-threatening circumstances. I didn't find it unnatural, because they had good chemistry and fit well together.

The spice was also chef's kiss.

My only complain is that I couldn't really connect to side-characters, which made some scenes way less impactful than they were probably meant to be.

All in all, this book and this author are definitely going to my ‘favorites' shelf.


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General Notes
-ordinary citizen MC (a ropemaker) with a son; necromancer love interest.
-dark fantasy, high fantasy, gore and horror (some truly nasty stuff, you're warned), characters dying (not MCs), death of children (not MC's kids), undead/zombies...
-fast-paced

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: strict roles
-Kinks/sex notes: BJs, mouth-fucking; penetration; praise ("good boy" included)
-Other:
•precious forehead & temple kisses
•possessiveness and protectiveness
•Körbl (Korbinian, the LI) is a huge tea lover and there were some really fun tea scenes and jokes.
•caretaking

That was just beautiful. My first read by Megan Derr and I fell in love with her writing.

Esen was very easy to relate to and feel for, with his loneliness and isolation. Gaston was a perfect match for him and the two of them had so much chemistry, it's such a pity that this is a short story. I really wish to see more of them, how their relationship develop, and learn more about this world.

Still, loved it.

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General Notes
-fantasy world with dragons, satyrs, centaurs and similar creatures.
-Slyph MC, shapeshifter LI
-short story
-Ages: Esen could be 20 or in his early 20s, not sure exactly; Gaston is 32.

Intimacy Notes
-Top/bottom/verse: seems to be strict roles?
-Kinks/sex notes: one fade to black scene; one little described scene.
-Other: a tiny bit of necktimacy.