Reviews by Tammy and Kim: 4.5-5 stars

Under Water
Storm Season #2
E.M. Lindsey
Amazon
October 26, 2026

Why you need to #ONECLICK this book…

Rivals to Lovers

Friends with Benefits

Single Dad MC

Fake Dating

Workplace Romance

Forced Proximity

Only One Bed

MM Romance

That’s it. My co-worker has to die. There’s no other way around it. If I have to spend one more day cleaning up his mess—no matter how good he makes the mess look—I’m going to lose it.

My life is complicated enough with a soon-to-be ex-husband who won’t accept the marriage is over, a medically complex son, and a job I can’t seem to get away from. I really don’t need to keep nurturing this crush on the very obnoxious, very good looking, very straight firefighter.

It’s too bad Easton’s beloved around the station.

It’s too bad my kid also loves him.

It’s too bad he’s starting to make me feel like there’s hope for something more.

Especially when my life gets turned upside down after my ex starts stalking me, and my kid has a near-death experience. I’ve only ever relied on myself to get out of these messes, but now Easton’s making it seem like I can drop my guard.

But I know better than that. The moment I do, everything will go to hell.

So why does he keep showing up every time I need him? And why does he make me feel like, for the first time in my life, I can breathe under water?

Under Water is the second book in the Storm Season series. It’s a workplace rivals to lovers romance with a grumpy IT-guy single dad, a sunshine firefighter, a bi-awakening, baby ducks, a snarky pre-teen who sees way too much, and a steamy, swoony, happily ever after.

Easton has always claimed he was the straight guy at the fire station. He’s handsome, outgoing, sunshiny, and a bit clumsy. But the fact that he’s telling himself he just has a man crush on one of the tech guys who seems to openly hate him gets him thinking, especially when he starts thinking more impure thoughts about him.

Rune is an ex-firefighter, now a tech guru for the station. He’s got his hands full with a son with medical needs, a vengeful ex, and work. He is private, grumpy, overwhelmed, and resists help. He is also trying to manage his huge crush on the station's cutest "straight" guy, Easton. Rune's way of handling it is giving off dislike and irritation vibes since Easton's always messing up his computers.

But there seems to be a lot of unresolved sexual tension and what they assume are ill-advised crushes between them. Until a certain situation makes them actually talk and listen to each other and then realize that things weren’t always what they seemed with either of them. Both of them have a protective streak, but I love seeing Easton take up for Rune, who’s always had to be the protector of everyone else. And this is Easton's first experience with a man in any way, so I enjoyed seeing them explore his firsts and how patient Rune could be with him. I really loved these two together. Even though they were an unlikely pair just due to their history, personalities, and circumstances, they really gave each other what they didn't expect but really needed. They balance, support, complement each other well, and help each other feel better about themselves and their self-worth.

I really liked Rune’s snarky son, Elio, and his relationship with his dad, and also how Easton bonded with him. He is such a special character, and he often had me smiling when there was not surrounding drama. This is an enemies, coworkers, single dad, bi-awakening, first times, forced proximity, grumpy-sunshine love story set around a small town and firehouse. There are some threats, tension, and suspenseful situations woven throughout the story that keep it moving.

It brings back all the guys from the first book, and there really are a lot of interesting characters with some different challenges, so I have a feeling there’s going to be a few more books in the series, and I am here for it. This author always does a good job helping people with challenges and differing abilities find love and acceptance while making the medical issues realistic.

Don't Fall

Storm Season #1
Amazon
Kim's 4.5 star review

Why you need to #ONECLICK this book…

🔥Enemies to Lovers

🔥Forced Proximity

🔥Only One Bed

🔥Praise Kink

🔥Grumpy/Sunshine

🔥Grumpy falls first

🔥Hate Sex

🔥Best Friend's Brother

🔥MM Romance

That’s it. My neighbor has to die. There’s no other way around it. The man must be killed—and I’ll even find a way to do it gently, but this cannot go on.

Okay, maybe I’m a bit dramatic, but living next to my brother’s best friend who decided to befriend the crows that spend all week spreading garbage across my lawn is not what I signed up for.

I wanted quiet.

I wanted peace.

I wanted to stop fantasizing about the gorgeous man I couldn’t stand.

Unfortunately for me, North is a big presence with an annoyingly sunny smile and a way of making life sound like it’s worth living. And as a widower who wants to spend the rest of my life wallowing, the last person I want around is one who makes me question my new life’s purpose.

But these feelings can’t be real, can they? I had my great love, and I lost him. So that’s supposed to be it for me.

Isn’t that the way things go?

I can’t seem to stay away from North, even when I know I should. And when he starts to make me feel like maybe there’s another happily ever after out there, I find that as cautious as I’ve taken each step, I’m on the verge of falling once more.

Don’t Fall is the first book in the small town, enemies to lovers, heavy yearning, MM romance series, Storm Season. It features a virgin EMT whose smile is hiding a lot of things, a disgruntled, grieving writer who just wants solid sleep and a good meal, neighborhood crows

Meet E.M. Lindsey:

E.M. Lindsey is a Romance author, an ancient historian, and avid lover of nerdy things. EM lives on the East Coast of the United States.

Connect with E.M. Lindsey:

https://linktr.ee/emlindseyauthor

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Babygirl
Lucy Lennox

eBook| Audio | Paperback | Website

October 20, 2026

From USA Today bestselling author Lucy Lennox comes an enemies-to-lovers MM college football romance.

They say I’m Demere University’s Golden Boy.

The Senator’s perfect son and heir.

The kicker who never misses.

The man who doesn’t make mistakes…

Until I do, and my fall from grace lands me in a dorm room with Elliot Vaughn.

Vaughn is reckless and rough.

Solid muscle wrapped in ink.

He runs an illegal fight ring.

He breaks rules like it’s his job.

And since he hates my guts, Vaughn’s decided to break me.

He brings people home—men, women.

Locks eyes with me across the room while he ruins them.

Whispers teasing words that burrow into my brain.

Calls me names no straight man should respond to.

He steals my focus. Annihilates my control.

Makes me want things I can’t afford to want.

Like those rough hands on my skin.

Like giving up everything they say I am for a future that’s all my own.

Like choosing to be his babygirl, even if it destroys us both.

Babygirl is a steamy MM college standalone romance about a golden boy who can't look away, and the dangerous man who's been watching him right back.

This is not a typical laugh-out-loud rom-com or sweet love story full of shenanigans from Lucy Lennox. This starts out raw, ragey, intense, and confrontational. These two hate and challenge each other but also hate that they want each other.

Corbett McNeely is Demere University's football golden boy and son of a Senator. He is supposed to be perfect, and when he makes mistakes, his father makes sure there are repercussions that are hard to live with. And now he has lost his allowance, his apartment, and is being forced to room with who appears to be a bad choice.

Elliot Vaughn is reckless, rough, arrogant, muscled, inked, and a rulebreaker. Besides school, he is a motorcycle mechanic and an illegal fight ring organizer and fighter. He hates Bett because he sees him as an entitled rich kid who cost his sister a much-needed fellowship. Elliot is ready for psychological warfare and to make Bett's life hell.

But taunting and tempting Bett it brings out this raw attraction and response to each other that is unexpected and unwanted, especially for seemingly straight Bett. Bett's response to some feminine nicknames and the idea of relinquishing control is even more surprising. It's so bad and so good at the same time, making it so confusing. The unexpected passion and how well they complement each other are undeniable. And as they start to let down their walls and see under each other's armor, a connection forms that neither expected.

They both have things that have marked them, and their situationship is complicated and secret. Elliot is a catalyst that can blow up Bett's life, but it may be just what he needs. Bett is stuck in a situation where he has to keep following the party line or finally make his own choices, but it has always been hard for him.

I will admit that the first part was a bit hard to take, and I was not sure if I liked either of these guys at first due to their attitudes and actions, but they hooked me and I came to love them together. They definitely have some challenges to face. It starts out as enemies and true forced proximity where you can only wonder who is going to break who, but they have such raw chemistry and develop such a deep bond and obsession with each other. The possessiveness, protectiveness, need to be close, and hurt-comfort aspects were really intense and beautiful. They both have such opportunities for growth. I also enjoyed the found family and friendship component.

Lucy Lennox

Lucy Lennox is the USA Today bestselling author of over fifty gay romance titles including the GoodReads Hall of Fame winner Wilde Love. Born and raised in the southeast USA, she is finally putting good use to that English Lit degree she earned before the turn of the century. Lucy enjoys naps, pizza, and procrastinating. She stays up way too late each night reading romance because it’s simply the best.

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Mistletoe All The Way

Lauren Blakely
Amazon
Goodreads
September 6, 2026

She wants to make him Mr. Holiday. He wants to stay a certified Grinch. From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blakely comes a small-town spicy holiday romance about a guarded cowboy veterinarian and a Christmas-loving optimist who team up for a town holiday competition.

Dr. Noah Lennox lives by three holiday rules—avoid his hometown, cheerful people, and Christmas itself.

But when his beloved grandfather announces he’s retiring and handing the cherished sleigh-ride farm to either Noah or his slick cousin Stephen, the first rule goes out the window. Back home in Evergreen Falls, the veterinarian vows to fight for the farm that means everything to him. The problem is, the town doesn’t exactly welcome its resident Scrooge with open arms.

Except for one very charming holiday enthusiast. Eloise Langston, a sunny tourism bureau hopeful, needs a win to land her dream job—and to pay the rent. Her holly jolly plan? Turn the broody, broad-shouldered grump into a festive front-runner to help the town’s Mr. Holiday Competition draw record crowds.

Transforming a camera-shy cowboy vet into a small-town sweetheart isn’t exactly in her job description—but neither is falling for him.

Soon, Noah and Eloise find themselves tangled in twinkle lights, fake kisses, and one very real attraction. But with the farm’s future at stake, Stephen’s scheming, and Eloise’s career on the line, there’s a blizzard of reasons to put their feelings on ice.

Or will they fight to turn their holiday fling into forever under the mistletoe?

A Grinch comes home to his small Christmas town and meets a Jolly. Eloise is a sassy, happy, Christmas-loving woman. His twin brother Chris is also the charming, popular, ho ho-ho-loving one of their duo. But Noah is bah humbug all the way, stuck in a Christmas-crazed town for the holidays. And he finds himself in a competition for his family's Sleigh Ride and horse farm with a sketchy and also Christmas-obsessed cousin. He needs a marketing guru, and somehow, his Jolly might be his ace in the hole.

These two are fun as they irritate each other. They give good banter. They are both a little sneaky and trick the other. She is pushing him out of his comfort zone and he is trying to follow along begrudgingly to help them both.

I loved these two trying to get one over on each other and their saucy and snarky banter, but I loved even more when they started working toward common goals. And they started to really see the other one's true heart, their motivations, and began to understand them. They are opposites in a lot of ways, but along the way, they find some common goals. Eloise just always wanted to be seen and supported, but she never had that. But he begins to want her to succeed to the point that it’s more important to him than himself winning. And she can dig under his grouchy façade and see how much he cares about animals and his family, and that some things socially are just harder for him. I loved them being partners in crime, and their chemistry is amazing. There’s a little bit of a mystery in the background as well that keeps it interesting, and of course, plenty of competition and Christmas shenanigans.

But my heart hurt because their situation had some definite challenges, and they both had fears and issues that made them realize it's complicated. But they can’t seem to stop the what-feels-good-now moments that they find, even though they know that eventually it’s all supposed to come to an end.

This is a Grinch vs jolly, grumpy-sunshine, twin brothers, opposites-attract love story centered around a small town Christmas competition with all kinds of mistletoe distractions and holiday shenanigans. I loved being back in Evergreen Falls with all the Christmas kitsch, competitions, and all the quirky side characters. I enjoyed the little cameos from other LB stories. This book just made me feel so good. It made me laugh with the snarkiness, but it also filled my heart with Christmas joy. But in between it was also steamy and at times heartbreaking. It brings so many feels.

I am dying for Noah’s hot vet brother, Chris, to finally get a book since he has been around for a while. And he was the perfect foil and sidekick for Noah in this one. So I’m really hoping that we come back to Evergreen Falls with him again, or maybe Chris just gets a different type of book on his own.

Noah only returns home when he needs to, and for a short time around Christmas to help run his family’s sleigh ride company. He is a busy vet in Evergreen Falls, and his workaholic ways fit with his preference for animals over people. Christmas is not his favorite season, even if it is a busy one for his family. It reminds him of the loss of his mom, and the commercialism of Christmas leaves him feeling less cheer than ever. But when his grandfather announces he is retiring and wants to hand the ranch to someone new, Noah steps up to give competition to his slimy cousin, who he doesn’t trust to care for the ranch the way it deserves.

Eloise loves all things Christmas: the traditions, the events, the community and the family. She is building her own marketing firm and has her sights set on filling in when the current marketing guru for the city retires in the new year. Building up a contestant and the crowds at a multiday holiday competition should give her the visibility to the mayor she is hoping to attract.

Noah and Eloise team up so both of their goals can happen: she needs him to cooperate and compete in the pageant, and he needs her to make him look like he actually enjoys the holiday. As they prep and plan for the various events in the competition, they find it difficult to fight the chemistry that began building from their first meeting, where she tricked him into thinking she needed help changing a flat tire.

I loved the little pranks and switcheroos they tried on each other, especially in the beginning. Noah’s tendency to pretend to be his twin brother created some hilarious confusion. Eloise is quick on her feet, and can plan a photoshoot with little time and fewer resources. I loved watching the scenarios she set up for Noah, and his reluctance (and interest) in playing along.

As their relationship built, the distance between their permanent homes became the biggest thing standing in their way. I wasn’t sure how they were going to be able to figure it out, especially with as adamant as each was about sticking to their prior goals. But I also love the final resolution, as the perfect situation for everyone involved.

This is a must read Christmas romance, with perfect humor and heat throughout. I look forward to the possibility of more from this town and their Christmas festivities next year!

I catch a glimpse of green and red above us.

I arch a brow. “What is that?”

“It’s called mistletoe. You hang it for the holidays.”

I lower my gaze to meet her eyes. “I know that. I meant when—” I circle back to earlier in the evening. “When you disappeared down the hallway. You were hanging mistletoe?”

“And this surprises you?” She smiles without an ounce of guilt.

“You’re right. I should have assumed.”

“I hung it in all the doorways,” she stage-whispers.

“Just what I always wanted,” I say dryly.

“Once I leave in the morning, it’ll keep you in the holiday spirit. Just like the tree. Since I can’t be here to keep you festive.”

Shame, that.

“So the mistletoe is your proxy?” I ask.

“Maybe. Mistletoe is festive, and Mr. Holiday should be festive.”

I set my hand on the doorjamb, leaning against it. “So you thought a sneak attack with mistletoe would help me get in the Christmas spirit?”

She drags her teeth across her lower lip, and holy f*&k. That’s too sexy. Too inviting. I stare too long.

“It wouldn’t hurt you to practice being festive,” she says with a bob of her shoulder. “It’s important.”

I swallow roughly. Glance at the lounge pants in my other hand. Check out the mistletoe again. Then I look back at her, standing here, chin raised, looking like . . . Ah, f*&k it.

I toss the pants to the bed. They land on the edge of the mattress. “Is kissing under the mistletoe festive?”

Her blue and green eyes flicker with anticipation. “I don’t know. Is it?” It’s a volley of a question.

I keep playing. “Should I find out?”

When she licks her lips, everything in me stirs. “For the sake of the season,” she says, and a jolt of excitement shoots down my spine.

F*&k it, indeed.

Other Holiday books from Lauren Blakely

My Favorite Holidate
Add to Goodreads
✦ Amazon ✦ Audible
Samantha Brentmoor & Jason Clarke narrate in duet with a full cast! Our 4.5 to 5 star reviews

Wanted: one hot billionaire to pose as my Christmas boyfriend. Must be willing to make my cheating ex jealous when you kiss me under the mistletoe at all the holiday parties. Bonus points if you make him cry.

To my surprise my billionaire boss is more than up for the challenge of coming down the chimney as my holiday boyfriend. The sexy single dad desperately needs a plus one at a Christmas Eve wedding, where he’s the best man and I’m the maid of honor.

And since my ex is in the wedding party too, my boss and I team up as a pair of insta-lovebirds for the holiday season, including during the annual week-long Christmas competition leading up to the snowy destination wedding.

But soon staying up late to string the best popcorn balls ever turns into a scorching night in his arms where the chestnuts aren’t the only thing roasting on the open fire.

Can all these winter wonderland nights seeking revenge turn into the real thing when we return to the office? Or are we destined to go the way of a Christmas tree on New Year’s?

Merry Little Kissmas

Add to Goodreads

Amazon | Audible

Performed in duet by Vanessa Edwin & Connor Crais with a FULL CAST Signed & Personalized
Our 4.5 to 5 star reviews

I should’ve known better than to make a Christmas bet with my brother’s best friend. Six-foot-three, grumpy, and allergic to mistletoe and feelings.

My job sounded simple: find a holidate for the sexy single-dad hockey star before the team’s Christmas Eve gala. But Rowan’s sworn off romance forever. So when he bets I can’t find him a plus one, I up the stakes and volunteer as tribute.

I’ll fake date the holiday hater just to prove him wrong. Cue the mistletoe sabotage and Secret Santa subterfuge.

But soon our practice dates at Christmas tree farms and hot cocoa competitions feel a little too real—especially when he starts planning secret trysts in our snowy small town. Where I discover exactly how fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh.

And when I get to know his book-loving daughter and they invite me into their life, what began as a holiday bet is turning into a Christmas I’ll never forget.

What if the only gift I want the grump to unwrap this season… is me?

This is Rowan and Isla’s holiday romance. Tropes include: Holiday romance, Christmas romance, brother's best friend, fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, small town, Christmas competition, workplace romance, hockey romance

Lauren Blakely

A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s cute but spicy. Lauren likes dogs, cake, and show tunes and is the vegetarian at your dinner party.

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