monday minis

Heyyyyyy! I'm finally posting a review lol It's been a few months I think. I kind of enjoyed the break but it's time to do a little blogger housekeeping and catch up on a few for books I read for review over the holidays.

                                    Someplace Secret: A Holiday Romance by G.G. Andrew


What happens when you can't get over the past?

It's been two years. Zoe has moved on. She's got a great teaching job in Boston, friends, and the sweetest boyfriend.

She shouldn't still be thinking about the man who turned her life upside down two winters ago...

Trouble is, he's staring at her from across the bookstore.

Source: e-arc provided by the author in exchange for an honest review ~ Goodreads

My thoughts: I thought Zoe and Evan had their HEA in Someplace Warm: A New Year’s Eve Romance. While Andrew’s does a good job here, via flashbacks, recapping their whirlwind romance and how it went wrong – I would still recommend reading Someplace Warm first just to get a better feel for why they belong together. They are very quick reads and you could easily read them both in one sitting.

There’s quite a bit of drama, some that felt unnecessary, but I do like both Evan and Zoe and that they finally got the HEA they deserve.


The Gryphon King’s Consort by Jenn Burke

Love takes flight.

The sudden death of the Gryphon King throws the kingdom of Mythos into uncertainty, and Crown Prince Luca rushes both his coronation and an arranged marriage to a man he’s never met. Eirian is young and idealistic, and while they both want what’s best for their people, their philosophies couldn’t be more different. While Luca believes in honoring tradition, Eirian is determined to infuse modern values into their kingdom of magical creatures. When given the choice between loyalty to his husband and his own crusade, Eirian makes a decision that might doom their marriage.

Still, Luca is committed to making their union work, and that means forgiving his brash consort. But when Eirian becomes the target of a deadly conspiracy, Luca must act fast—or forever lose the chance to explore their burgeoning love. ~ Goodreads

Source: e-arc provided by the author in exchange for an honest review

My thoughts: Not a fan of the cover and I don’t think it conveys the tone of the book but the story itself had a fun arranged marriage trope, royal backstabbing and intrigue and an old school shifter PNR vibe.

I loved how Luca (the new King) & Eirian stood toe to toe in fights, yet respected each others differences. I’m always a fan of exploring differing political and moral pov’s and how it tests a relationship. That was done well here.

I enjoyed The Gryphon Consort but do wish there was bit more heft to the relationship. They had great chemistry but they kind of kept going in circles – drawn to each other physically and intellectually – then a miscommunication or doubts would creep in. Start over. It makes sense but happened too often.

So... fun! But not as much depth as I had hoped.



Down by Contact (The Barons #2) by Santino Hassell

Two rival football players begin a game with higher stakes than the Super Bowl in this steamy romance from the author of Illegal Contact. ~ Goodreads

Source: arc provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

My thoughts: Really good hate to love story! I mean...they REALLY hated each other. lol

Down by Contact had Hassell's trademark gritty style but I found this couple to be really adorable and sweet together as well, which surprised me given how they start out.

I thought it got a little heavy handed on messaging at times. Even though I agree with everything and liked how it confronted things like toxic masculinity- especially in sports culture - it still felt like pausing for a lesson rather than a natural extension of the story/dialogue.

I also think it ended rather abruptly but that's an issue I've had with this author's writing in general but wouldn't deter me from highly recommending this book in any way (or any of his others).

I was so absorbed by this story & characters that I forgot to eat. lol And yay for having complex friendships and female characters - something not often seen in M/M romance.

Illegal Contact (book #1 in the Baron's series) was very good but, even with my few quibbles, I enjoyed Down by Contact even more.

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Have you read any of these books yet? Planning on it?

I really enjoy all of these authors and have a few more book rec's if you wanted to give them a try.

G.G Andrews wrote a super hot story for all the grammar nerds lol, Girl Meets Grammarian in the Covalent Bonds anthology, The Chaos Station trilogy by Jenn Burke & Kelly Jensen is one of my favorite series & you can't really go wrong with anything by Santino Hassell- although my favorite is the Cyberlove series co-written with Megan Erickson.

Happy Monday!