Reviews by Tammy and Kim

Comforting the Grump

Nora Phoenix

Genre: MM Contemporary Romance

Series: Forestville Silver Foxes, Book 5
Goodreads
Amazon

Release Date: January 17, 2025 (Amazon)

I don’t do emotions or romantic entanglements.

My life is simple: I work hard and I play hard, with anyone willing. I’m not discriminatory. And then I go home…alone.

Until my body decides to stop cooperating. Nothing is stirring anymore, and it scares me to death.

While navigating this issue, support comes from an unlikely source. Ennio, my best friend’s little brother, is sweet and sassy but also stubborn in his decision to be there for me. He’s the vibrant glittery sunshine to my grumpy black heart.

I don’t need him, of course, but I can’t deny it’s nice to have him around to comfort me. He has his own challenges to deal with, and somehow, we become friends. With excellent benefits.

But I’m not the right man for him. I’m too old, too dark, too set in my ways, Right?

Comforting the Grump is a small town, age gap MM romance in which the grumpiest grump falls for his best friend’s sunshiny little brother. This gay romance novel is the fifth book in the Forestville Silver Foxes series, a contemporary small town MM romance series featuring hot silver foxes and the men who fall in love with them. Each book can be read as a standalone.

I have been waiting for Marnin's book from the beginning of this series and it did not disappoint. Marnin Rosser is the broody, snarky, grumpy, loner of this group of friends. He grew up with his best friend, Auden, but left Forestville behind to live in Seattle. He is guarded and hooks up often but does not do relationships. He is a realist, pessimist, and lives an ordered, gray, controlled life. Due to his past, he feels like he is not worthy or capable of real love.

Ennio Frant is Auden's younger brother who is thirteen years their junior. He is a sweet, sassy, stubborn, vibrant, impulsive, sunshiny Chef. He likes pretty things, shiny clothes, make-up, and standing out. He is passionate and longs to find true love, but the pickings in Forestville are getting pretty slim. So he casts a wider net in Seattle and Marnin lets him stay with him.

Both men have some issues going on in their lives and they find themselves supporting the other and finding a deeper, unexpected connection. They have strong physical chemistry and start a friends-with-benefits arrangement. But they also seem to fit in each other's lives better than they ever expected. But Marnin has walls up and big fears to go along with his new big feelings. And Ennio is afraid to even hope that Marnin would want all of him and is trying to figure out what to do about his own future.

This is an emotional, passionate, opposites-attract, best-friend's-little-brother, grumpy-sunshine, age-gap, hurt-comfort romance. I loved seeing into the cracks of Marnin's tough facade to his soft heart. Ennio is so colorful and optimistic and spreads light into his dark world. But Marnin also gives Ennio the support, respect, and acceptance he craves. It was beautiful to see them start to grow and change together and live fuller lives than they hoped for. I loved them together and enjoyed more with the Forestville characters as well as some other cameos.

Renovating the Model
Forestville Silver Foxes Book 1
Goodreads
Amazon

Awakening the Sheriff
Forestville Silver Foxes Book 2
Amazon
Goodreads

Healing the Twin
Forestville Silver Foxes Book 3
Goodreads
Amazon

Protecting the Nerd
Forestville Silver Foxes #4
Goodreads
Amazon

Forestville Silver Foxes Novellas
Rescuing the Writer
Goodreads
Amazon

Marrying the Guide
Goodreads
Amazon

Winning the Dad
Goodreads
Amazon

Celebrating The Season
Christmas novella
Goodreads
Amazon

Nora Phoenix
Website | Facebook | FB group | Instagram | Newsletter | BookBub | X
Would you like the long or the short version of my bio?
The short? You got it.
I write steamy gay romance books and I love it. I also love reading books. Books are everything.
How was that?
A little more detail? Gotcha.
I started writing my first stories when I was a teen…on a freaking typewriter. I still have these, and they’re adorably romantic. And bad, haha. Fear of failing kept me from following my dream to become a romance author, so you can imagine how proud and ecstatic I am that I finally overcame my fears and self doubt and did it. I adore my genre because I love writing and reading about flawed, strong men who are just a tad broken..but find their happy ever after anyway.
My favorite books to read are pretty much all MM/gay romances as long as they have a happy end. Kink is a plus… Aside from that, I also read a lot of nonfiction and not just books on writing. Popular psychology is a favorite topic of mine and so are self help and sociology.
Hobbies? Ain’t nobody got time for that. Just kidding. I love traveling, spending time near the ocean, and hiking. But I love books more.

Join @abbienicoleasp and @nora.phoenix in celebrating Comforting the Grump this week!
Enter the #giveaway for your chance to win an eBook copy of Comforting the Grump. Follow @nora.phoenix and comment on any host photo with #ComfortingtheGrumpIGTour for your chance to win!
Participating in this #BookstagramTour and giveaway are the following amazing reviewers:
@Caffeinated.crystal
@canadiangirlreads
@firmlyontheshelf
@Jenn_Reads_Books
@just.a.ray.of.sunshine.reviews
@mnhockeymomreads
@monicasam.world
@notguiltyofbooks
@Rainbowbookreviews
@reviewsbytammykimracheljay
@secret_librarian
@stephsbookland
@xanthe_gr.ace_reviews
@wintermorning72
@barb_t_k
@mmromancereviewed
@ofbooksandromance
@queer_book_reviews
@buttonsmom2003
@notime4nonfiction
@sharingthebooklove

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Indiscretion
Vi Keeland
Goodreads
Amazon | Paperback
January 13, 2025

He's her boss. She's his greatest temptation.

The first time I met Dawson Reed, we wound up in bed.

The problem was, neither of us knew the other were there.

When I woke up in the middle of the night and found a stranger next to me, instinct kicked in and I attacked the intruder.

Only it turned out, the man wasn’t an intruder at all.

Dawson had rented this cabin, too. Apparently, a system glitch allowed a duplicate booking.

We’d soon find out we were in town for the same wedding, and Dawson was the groomsman I’d been warned about. He was as tall, dark and jaw-droppingly gorgeous as my best friend had described. Though she was also right when she’d said you two will hate each other.

When daylight rolled around, Dawson and I attempted to straighten out the mess we found ourselves in. But it proved to be more difficult than we initially thought. Since it was a holiday weekend, there wasn’t a single room available for more than fifty miles.

I suppose things could be worse than sharing a cabin for a weekend with a handsome man you despise.

Like maybe him winding up being your new boss?

A not-so-meet-cute on a wedding weekend sets off sparks. But reconnecting back in New York makes everything even more complicated. Emily needs a job and Dawson might be the only one that can be convinced to give her one. It’s hard to get past their flirty banter and eventually they don’t want to. But they both have trust issues and fears of being hurt. There’s some history and present complications that really feed all those fears. He especially has some work and healing to do before he can move on and she’s dealing with a lot in her own life.

The back and side stories add layers of past pain, fear, hurt and comfort. Especially for Dawson, because moving on from his pain and guilt have been hard for him to do. And the present circumstances are bringing it all back to him.

There are some secrets that are gradually revealed through the book. I honestly really liked Dawson. He is charming and charismatic, but has this soft inner core of him he kept guarded and it was hard for him to talk about it and deal with it. And Emily is this force of nature. She’s smart, sassy, and challenges him and makes him want to be a better man. He just has to be willing to make himself vulnerable enough for her to understand.

In the beginning, there’s more comedy and awkward situations, sexual tension, and snark. But it morphs into a more emotional and heartfelt story. I really liked them together and I enjoyed the story.

Dawson and Naomi are in the same small town for a destination wedding. But when they find they have rented the same cabin for the weekend (super fun goldilocks meeting!), they decide they can put up with each other for a few days and then go their separate ways. It doesn’t matter that their friends think they would get along if they sat down and got to know each other, they are both set on keeping their distance. When they go back to real life, they soon find themselves working together with Naomi acting as Dawson’s paralegal. Things heat up as they spend more time in close quarters and as they sort through the events that led them both to look for the work support the other could provide.

I loved Dawson and my heart broke as we learned about the past that has left him with guilt and grief, causing him to remain distant from many who would try to get close. Naomi’s own journey and reason for being in the city was also heartbreaking. She didn’t start her career with aspirations of being a paralegal, but she also didn’t feel bad for the reasons she lost her ability to practice law. Watching her navigate being there for her sister and family while also trying to regain her professional footing was a lot to carry. I loved the way these two worked around each other and then began to open up and lean on each other.

I liked this more than I expected to - continually finding myself wanting to keep reading when I needed to put it down. It was full of quick, witty banter and fun interactions, but also a good deal of secrets and challenges that need to be dealt with. By the end, I was emotionally invested in Dawson and Naomi’s lives and interactions both at work and in their relationship.

Vi Keeland

Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles are currently translated in twenty-seven languages and have appeared on bestseller lists in the US, Germany, Brazil, Bulgaria, Israel, and Hungary. Three of her short stories have been turned into films by Passionflix, and two of her books are currently optioned for movies. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.

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Cold as Ice

Portland Evergreens #2

Beth Bolden

Release Date: January 9, 2025

Read it on Amazon & Kindle Unlimited

Read the Evergreens series
Available on: Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, both model & discreet paperback and audio narrated by Darcy Stark (est February)

Tropes: frenemies to lovers, opposites attract, player x player, virgin MC, tutoring, and sexy tutoring.

Malcolm’s all about checking off items in his Life Plan.

He’s made it to the first line on his hockey team, the Portland Evergreens. He’s made the Dean’s List the last four semesters. He’s right in line to graduate on time, and head to the pros. All steps on the ultimate goal of becoming the best front office guy in the NHL.

Elliott is the only fly in his ointment.

The younger, wilder forward parties every night, sleeping with everything with a pulse, and barely attending classes or practices.

It’s annoying, but Mal’s dealing with it, until their new coach insists Mal tutor Elliott to help him pass a class.

And until Elliott discovers Mal’s biggest secret: he’s been too busy checking off points on his life plan to get laid.

They’re fire and ice. Bad boy and virgin. They shouldn’t work at all. But the more time they spend together, on and off the ice, the more irresistible their chemistry becomes.

The more desperate Mal becomes for some of Elliott’s one-on-one tutoring—this time in bed.

But Elliott wants more than just sex. He wants to melt Mal’s icy cold shoulder and convince him there’s more to life—and love—than a plan.

Elliott Jones is the rookie right-wing on the Portland Evergreens. He is easy-going, charming, cocky, and bends the rules. He is seen as a playboy who does not take things seriously. Malcolm McCoy is a few years older and is serious, loner, and left-wing. He is focused on studies and hockey and avoids relationships. Elliott is captivated by Malcolm from the minute he sees him. But his big attempt at a pickup was rebuffed and it set off a year of taunting, sniping, irritating, and appearing to hate each other.

But when Malcolm is asked to tutor Elliott in stats, they start to see behind the facades that everyone sees and develop an unexpected friendship, which also has some extra tutoring benefits for Malcolm. And this pushes them closer than they ever expected and opens up a whole new set of complications.

This is an opposites-attracts, enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, hockey romance with steam and sweetness. Elliott likes to shake things up and is fun. I loved seeing the stoic Malcolm start to crack and lose his control. Together they rile each other up, explore intimacy, and push and challenge each other to be better on the ice and in life. And they are loyal friends and teammates.

It brings back the other characters from the first book and I am excited for more in this series with Finn, Zach, and the Coach.

Portland Evergreens Series on Amazon

Melting the Ice

Portland Evergreens #1

Amazon and KU Goodreads

MM Contemporary Sports RomanceAvailable in: ebook, Kindle Unlimited, two paperbacks (cover model & discreet), and audio, soon after release, narrated by Darcy Stark Tropes: double bi-awakening, friends/roommates-to-lovers, hockey player & football player

Brody’s got enough on his plate.

Recovering from a knee injury he hopes won’t keep him off the ice. His team, the Portland University Evergreens, have a brand new coach, and he’s hoping to impress the legendary leader. Plus, he's got to make a decision once and for all about playing professional hockey or using his love of science to go a totally different direction.

The last thing he needs is a sexual awakening at the large, calloused hands of his football player roommate.

Dean is big and brawny and taciturn, but he doesn’t need words to woo Brody. He wants Dean, and his brilliant "experiment" to test his attraction gives Brody all the scientific results he needs to know he's not straight.

Now, they're proving his theory with new pleasures every night, while pretending during the day that they’re just roommates.

Except the heat burns so hot between them, it doesn’t just melt all the ice on Brody’s rink, it melts all his beliefs about who he is and what he wants.

But even more, it destroys the lie that he can’t fall hard for a guy. Because Brody is falling hard. The only question is will Dean catch him?

On Thin Ice

Portland Evergreens #3

Finn has lived with the pressure of hockey’s expectations since he was old enough to understand his father was one of the greatest the sport had ever known.

He’s changed positions. Changed plans. Changed colleges. But he’s never managed to outrun the pressure.

When it starts ruining his performance on the ice, he knows he needs to find a way to conquer it once and for all.

Desperation sends him running to the one man he thinks can help him. Jacob Braun, a goalie who played against his father.

It doesn’t matter that they hated each other, Finn will use him—use everything—to figure out how to beat this mental block. Even seduce his father’s greatest enemy.

What Finn wasn’t expecting was that they don’t just burn hot in bed, but on the ice, too. And that, ultimately, it isn’t Jacob’s brain he wants to pick apart, it’s his heart he wants to own.

Breaking The Ice
Portland Evergreens #4
Coach Gavin Blackburn has been through hell.

Three years ago, he was on top of the world, courted by the best teams in the NHL to coach their players.

His wife’s unexpected death destroyed him, and sent him running from hockey. He thought he’d left the sport behind forever, but when his ex-player shows up at his remote cabin, begging him to return to Portland University to coach the Evergreens again, he agrees.

The last thing Gavin expected was their mentor-student relationship to turn into something entirely different now that Zach is grown up. He certainly never expected to feel attraction again, or to feel it for a man. For Zach.

Or for Zach to want him back, with a passion Gavin couldn’t deny even if he wanted to.

He’s old, washed up, destroyed by old grief, and doesn’t believe he could be good for anyone, but maybe it’s own assumptions that need to be broken and re-made.

Maybe it’s Zach who needs to be the one who break him down and make him into something new. Give him something a wild, unexpected and unprecedented love affair.

Beth Bolden Website | Facebook | Instagram |

A lifelong Oregonian, Beth Bolden has just recently moved to North Carolina with her supportive husband and their sweet kitten, Earl Grey. Beth still believes in Keeping Portland Weird, and intends to be just as weird in Raleigh.

Beth has been writing practically since she learned the alphabet. Unfortunately, her first foray into novel writing, titled Big Bear with Sparkly Earrings, wasn’t a bestseller, but hope springs eternal. She’s published twenty novels and six short stories.

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Reckless Hearts

Jax Calder

Series: Rainbow Redemption, book 2

Genre: MM Contemporary Romance
Amazon

Goodreads
January 9, 2025

Seb

Marcus is my sister’s best friend. He’s also the most gorgeous and charming man in the universe. And he knows it.

He’s always seen me as a nerdy geek who can’t string together a coherent sentence around him. So when he unexpectedly propositions me at a party, I decide to take the opportunity for all it’s worth.

Turns out it’s a night that will change everything.

Marcus

There’s one person who’s always been off-limits: my best friend’s younger brother. But when I’m annoyed at Saskia one night, I don’t just cross the line. I obliterate it.

That one night determines the trajectory of my life.

Because it turns out one encounter with Seb will never be enough. And as the years go by, Seb and I collide over and over again, drawn together by an unexplainable force neither of us can escape.

But how can I accept Seb’s heart when I’m not sure if mine is worthy to give?

Seb has had a crush on his older sister‘s best friend for years, but always thought he was seen as just a bumbling, nerdy geek. But one night at a party and a little bit of alcohol and the scene is set just right for a hook-up. And it just sort of keeps happening despite the fact, they know it’s not a good idea. Marcus doesn’t do relationships. He is scarred from his past and he doesn’t get close to many people but for some reason, even though Seb is supposed to be off limits, he just keeps pulling him in. Their chemistry is combustible and they have this hyper-awareness about each other whenever they’re in the same room. And it seems like they keep ending up in the same rooms more often than they should. They keep it a secret, but it allows Marcus to actually connect with somebody and be more vulnerable. And Seb is living his fantasy with his dream man who is actually paying attention to him.

Years of collisions and separations and doing the best they could will eventually start to take its toll. Marcus is dealing with serious demons and he just doesn’t know that he could ever give and receive love the way that Seb deserves. Their lives and careers are going in different directions and it's hard to deal with for both of them. And Marcus‘s past issues that seem to be temporarily calmed by being in Seb‘s presence still begin to creep in and take even more of a toll.

This is a journey for both of them as we see them grow and mature throughout the whole story. We follow them from university students with big dreams to going after them and achieving them, but also realizing maybe that’s not enough. But they learn to be vulnerable, trust, and be confident in their careers. But eventually, they have to figure out if there’s a way to fight for what they want and compromise or if they’re just going to waste more time and destroy each other.

I feel like Marcus really had such a difficult journey and my heart broke for him and how his pain affected him and essentially locked him down. And Seb hurt my heart too because he hated being powerless to fix it all. But I loved the way that they both saw down to the core of each other and had such a deep understanding of what made the other tick...both the good qualities and the issues. And their chemistry together was combustible, raw, and intense throughout.

They were "the one" for each other through the years, but there was just this big cloud of uncertainty over them about whether they’d ever have a chance to actually get to keep each other. I love seeing the glimpses of the true Marcus and not just the fake veneer he wore for the world. And I loved that Marcus enjoyed Seb's nerdiness and scientific facts and supported him in his own endeavors. They were opposites, but they balanced each other really well. And Seb was just strong enough to push Marcus in the ways that Marcus needed to be pushed. It was an emotional journey fraught with guilt, pain, self-blame, self-worth issues, and fear of failure, loss, and rejection,. But it was also spicy and sweet and witty and romantic. It brings the angst and the feels but I really fell for these guys.

There are bits about the couple from the first book. I hope we see more from some of the soccer guys too. It seemed there was maybe a little tease of a story worked in there.

Jax Calder

Website | Facebook | Instagram

My stories are all about light-hearted conversations and deeply-felt connections. I love exploring exactly why two characters are the only ones who’ll make the other truly happy, and the journey they take to reach their happily-ever-after

I live in New Zealand with my family and a wide assortment of animals. I’m a rabid sports fan, a hiking enthusiast and have a slightly unhealthy addiction to nature documentaries. I have also been known to read the odd book on occasion.

Enter the #giveaway for your chance to win an eBook copy of Reckless Hearts. Follow @jaxcalderauthor and comment on any host photo with #RecklessHeartsIGTour for your chance to win!

Join @abbienicoleinc and @jaxcalderauthor in celebrating Reckless Hearts this week!

Participating in this #BookstagramTour and giveaway are the following amazing reviewers:

@boo_boos_books
@Anintrovertrambles
@loveislovereview
@alovelybookshelf
@stephsbookland
@Jenn_Reads_Books
@tatt3d_disabl3d_smtjnk3
@reviewsbytammykimracheljay
@xanthe_gr.ace_reviews
@notguiltyofbooks
@bookwyrm896
@malreadsromance
@monicasam.world
@canadiangirlreads
@book_reader_addict
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@firmlyontheshelf
@secret_librarian
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@buttonsmom2003
@queer_book_reviews
@wintermorning72
@bibliomania.express
@mmromancereviewed

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