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oceaneanagonye's reviews
186 reviews
Knock Knock by Nordika Night
5.0
"Knock, Knock" is the third and final installment in the "From Nothing" series by Nordika Night. What a ride it's been! I fell in love with Maddox and Devon in "Garron Park" and "Lot 62" and was intensely curious about the relationship between their sweet meddling brothers. In "Knock, Knock" we finally get a look into Nate and Xavi's lives. We pick up right where we left off, with the boys working and living in the boat shop and trying to figure out their new sexy feelings for each other. There's a lot of miscommunication at first, which was really odd because Nate and Xavi have been best friends forever who talk about everything. Eventually it all gets sorted, the truth comes out, and the sexy times begin.
But there's more to life than banging for these two. They grew up constantly in protection mode trying to care for their younger brothers. What happens when their brothers don't need them so intensely anymore? With Xavi's clock ticking as he gets older, he has to decide if the life he has is really the one he wants or if there's something missing. Nate on the other hand has to figure out what will make Xavi happy and fulfill his dreams.
We got to see many characters in this book, both new and old. They all added so much to the story and felt fully fleshed out. While there was a bit of miscommunication in the beginning, it didn’t overwhelm the story and frustrate me like the trope usually does. Where "Garron Park" and "Lot 62" were edgy, passionate, and intense, "Knock, Knock" is a gentle, swoony, seductive goodbye. I don’t want to include any quotes because I think you should go into this relatively blind. Trigger warnings should include mild violence, sh!tty parents, off-page child abu$e, and June bugs.
Listen, if you loved the first two books, I can almost guarantee you'll love this one too. Just remember this is about Nate and Xavi. Besties-to-lovers. Sweet lil golden retriever boys. The trailer park vibe is still the same, but the perspective is COMPLETELY shifted. Keep this in mind and you'll have a great time.
A massive thank you to Nordika Night for the ARC of this book.
But there's more to life than banging for these two. They grew up constantly in protection mode trying to care for their younger brothers. What happens when their brothers don't need them so intensely anymore? With Xavi's clock ticking as he gets older, he has to decide if the life he has is really the one he wants or if there's something missing. Nate on the other hand has to figure out what will make Xavi happy and fulfill his dreams.
We got to see many characters in this book, both new and old. They all added so much to the story and felt fully fleshed out. While there was a bit of miscommunication in the beginning, it didn’t overwhelm the story and frustrate me like the trope usually does. Where "Garron Park" and "Lot 62" were edgy, passionate, and intense, "Knock, Knock" is a gentle, swoony, seductive goodbye. I don’t want to include any quotes because I think you should go into this relatively blind. Trigger warnings should include mild violence, sh!tty parents, off-page child abu$e, and June bugs.
Listen, if you loved the first two books, I can almost guarantee you'll love this one too. Just remember this is about Nate and Xavi. Besties-to-lovers. Sweet lil golden retriever boys. The trailer park vibe is still the same, but the perspective is COMPLETELY shifted. Keep this in mind and you'll have a great time.
A massive thank you to Nordika Night for the ARC of this book.
The Royal Curse by Eliot Grayson
4.0
ARC Review
"The Royal Curse" by Eliot Grayson is a steamy tale of magic, devotion, and finding your own self-worth. Prince Nikola is something of a pariah in his kingdom of Surbino due to his status as a cursed twilight mage. Years of being an outcast have led to him being a rather cold brat in the beginning of the book. As we learn more about his life, however, his hard exterior starts to make more sense. Niko is desperate to be independent and feel like a man. This isn't helped at all when his mother the queen assigns him a looming personal guard named Andreas to shadow his every movement. But it does allow Niko to travel to a far-off meeting of experts who could possibly help him learn how to control his magic. A treacherous journey ensues which sees Andreas and Nikola in a particularly harrowing situation. Can the prince give away some of his power to save himself? And could Andreas ever be swayed to do what it takes to protect the prince with something other than his sword?
At first, I was a little worried that I wouldn't like Nikola. He definitely starts off cold and wildly insecure. And that insecurity and constant second guessing honestly lasted a bit too long for my liking. I did like his overall character arc and growth around the 80% mark. And Andreas... Andreas was perfect. Devoted, loyal, filthy in bed, and willing to die for Niko. He had my heart from the beginning.
The spice in this book is delicious. You all know I'm a Smut Connoisseur and this was pretty high up on the list. Expect open-door, habeñero hot, dirty scenes that will make you clutch your pearls. 10/10, would recommend.
Overall, I'm happy that I received an ARC of this wonderful story. I would recommend it to anyone who likes loyal knights, bratty mages, and a little bit of fantasy with their MM romance. Thanks again to Eliot Grayson for letting me get my hands on this book early!
"The Royal Curse" by Eliot Grayson is a steamy tale of magic, devotion, and finding your own self-worth. Prince Nikola is something of a pariah in his kingdom of Surbino due to his status as a cursed twilight mage. Years of being an outcast have led to him being a rather cold brat in the beginning of the book. As we learn more about his life, however, his hard exterior starts to make more sense. Niko is desperate to be independent and feel like a man. This isn't helped at all when his mother the queen assigns him a looming personal guard named Andreas to shadow his every movement. But it does allow Niko to travel to a far-off meeting of experts who could possibly help him learn how to control his magic. A treacherous journey ensues which sees Andreas and Nikola in a particularly harrowing situation. Can the prince give away some of his power to save himself? And could Andreas ever be swayed to do what it takes to protect the prince with something other than his sword?
At first, I was a little worried that I wouldn't like Nikola. He definitely starts off cold and wildly insecure. And that insecurity and constant second guessing honestly lasted a bit too long for my liking. I did like his overall character arc and growth around the 80% mark. And Andreas... Andreas was perfect. Devoted, loyal, filthy in bed, and willing to die for Niko. He had my heart from the beginning.
The spice in this book is delicious. You all know I'm a Smut Connoisseur and this was pretty high up on the list. Expect open-door, habeñero hot, dirty scenes that will make you clutch your pearls. 10/10, would recommend.
Overall, I'm happy that I received an ARC of this wonderful story. I would recommend it to anyone who likes loyal knights, bratty mages, and a little bit of fantasy with their MM romance. Thanks again to Eliot Grayson for letting me get my hands on this book early!
Fighting the Fear by Courtney W. Dixon
5.0
"He leaned in and pressed his soft lips against mine. His peck said so much in those few seconds. It said, ‘I want you. I choose you.’"
"Fighting The Fear" by Courtney W. Dixon is a part of the brand new "Fighting For Love" series. This short story follows Jace and Nolan, two men from opposite sides of the tracks as they fall for each other while overcoming their respective fears. Jace is afraid of being lonely for the rest of his life and poor Nolan is afraid of his own family and their bigotry. Throughout the story, we get to see these characters grow together and really bloom into brave, confident men.
While this was a short story (an evening read for most people) it didn't feel overly rushed or like it was missing anything. I was left at the end happy with their HEA, but curious to know more. This is a good thing in my opinion. It means the author created characters that I cared about in a short amount of time. Great work as always Courtney!
"Fighting The Fear" by Courtney W. Dixon is a part of the brand new "Fighting For Love" series. This short story follows Jace and Nolan, two men from opposite sides of the tracks as they fall for each other while overcoming their respective fears. Jace is afraid of being lonely for the rest of his life and poor Nolan is afraid of his own family and their bigotry. Throughout the story, we get to see these characters grow together and really bloom into brave, confident men.
While this was a short story (an evening read for most people) it didn't feel overly rushed or like it was missing anything. I was left at the end happy with their HEA, but curious to know more. This is a good thing in my opinion. It means the author created characters that I cared about in a short amount of time. Great work as always Courtney!
The Lines We Draw by CD Rachels
4.0
Cute!
"The Lines We Draw" was my first read from author CD Rachels. It's a quick, cute story about soccer co-captain Ravi Metta and Fine Arts major Steven O'Rourke. At Korham University, everyone has to take a fine arts class, even the athletes. This is how Ravi ends up meeting Steven. He's immediately blown away by his beauty and the feeling is mutual. These two should just go for it, right? Except...Ravi is still in the closet. He fears that his position as captain and the respect of his teammates would be on the chopping block if he came out. Sparks start to fly between the two, but Steven is left wondering if they'll ever be more than secret boyfriends. Ravi has to decide between his reputation or a real chance at love.
This book was so cute. A little spicy spice. A dash of angst. And I was able to finish it in two days. I think most readers would find it to be a good quiet evening read. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick, low-angst college romance.
"The Lines We Draw" was my first read from author CD Rachels. It's a quick, cute story about soccer co-captain Ravi Metta and Fine Arts major Steven O'Rourke. At Korham University, everyone has to take a fine arts class, even the athletes. This is how Ravi ends up meeting Steven. He's immediately blown away by his beauty and the feeling is mutual. These two should just go for it, right? Except...Ravi is still in the closet. He fears that his position as captain and the respect of his teammates would be on the chopping block if he came out. Sparks start to fly between the two, but Steven is left wondering if they'll ever be more than secret boyfriends. Ravi has to decide between his reputation or a real chance at love.
This book was so cute. A little spicy spice. A dash of angst. And I was able to finish it in two days. I think most readers would find it to be a good quiet evening read. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick, low-angst college romance.
Rescued by the Alpha by M.M. Wilde
5.0
So good. Mpreg is one of my guilty pleasures and this was really well done.
Jonah and the Narwhal by Vinni George
5.0
Look, this review is going to be short and sweet. If you like shifter romances, read this book. If you like mpreg, read this book. If you like omegaverse (ABO), read this book. If you have a secret breeder kink (I won't tell), read this book.
Vinni George gave us gay omegaverse-loving readers such a beautiful book with "Jonah and The Narwhal". There's mutual pining, possessiveness, claiming and so much tenderness. It was a great little no-angst palate cleanser and now I'm hooked on the series. Go read it!
Vinni George gave us gay omegaverse-loving readers such a beautiful book with "Jonah and The Narwhal". There's mutual pining, possessiveness, claiming and so much tenderness. It was a great little no-angst palate cleanser and now I'm hooked on the series. Go read it!