Tag: Erotica

Dark Romance, Erotica, Fantasy, New Adult, New Adult Romance

My Review: Kiss Of The Basilisk (Split Or Swallow #1): by Lindsay Straube

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Publish Date: February 25th, 2025
Number of pages: 528 Pages
Publisher: Bloom Books
Genre(s): Fantasy, Erotica, Romance

Total Star Rating: 4.25 Stars

What It’s About:

The official synopsis:

THIS BOOK IS NOT SAFE TO READ AT WORK. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.

Twenty year old Temperance Verus has never been kissed. But that’s what the basilisk is for.

Along with thirteen other contestants, Tem must train with a basilisk to learn the power of seduction and win the prince’s hand in marriage. When Tem is matched with Caspen, the Serpent King, she realizes she might actually stand a chance. But with tensions rising between the basilisks and the humans, Tem is suddenly torn in two directions.

As her bond with Caspen deepens, so does her connection with the prince, Leo. And when she uncovers a terrible secret about the royal family, Tem finds herself caught between two neither of which she can survive without.

Guaranteed to make you blush (and then some), Split or Swallow is like if fanfic Draco Malfoy went on the Bachelor and had to compete with a snake. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? That’s because it is!!

~~~

…I don’t know if I’d necessarily call this book “unhinged” like so many are, unless thats a play words on how snakes can unhinge their jaws to eat large prey, then go off….ANYWAYS, I can say this book that I’ve been coining as the “snake porn” book was an entertaining journey no matter what any buzzword you want to also use!

This is like an oversexualized, Slytherin-esque with lots of snake shifters, adult version of the YA romance series, The Selection or the tv show The Bachelor, where there’s all these girls in the kingdom who are literally selected and made to compete for the hand (and heart?) of the prince, who is in his height of glory over all these girls fawning over him like he’s Justin-freakin-Beiber in his prime…but the twist? All the girls are being “trained” by the basilisk shifters, who are not exactly slaves but their kind lost some war long ago and so now they serve the royal family…Hey, I didn’t write it!

But yes, the basilisk shifters are to “train” these young women and help them learn the ways of seduction and how to please a man…so yes you can guess there is HELLA sex in this book. Temperance Verus, or Tem for short, is our FMC and she’s selected to be amongst this latest harem, and she’s paired with Caspen, a smoking hot (sometimes literally) basilisk shifter. From lots of spicy lessons, they develop feelings for each other, but Tem also finds herself drawn to the royal prince whom she’s trying to marry, so how’s a girl supposed to choose????

While this twisty love triangle is forming, there is also definitely some tension rising amongst the basilisks and the humans and war could definitely be on the horizon!

So despite this book not being as unhinged as the hype made it out to be, I did find myself really enjoying this one! It was fun, it was WEIRD, it was hella spicy, and most importantly it really kept my attention all throughout. Sure there were some major clichés with the cast like the beautiful mean girl rival, the slutty gay best friend, and the arrogant prince and the evil king who’s just evil for the sake of being evil, BUT it’s still actually an enjoyable story!

It’s one of those things where I feel like you can really like this one if you go in knowing not to take it seriously and if you’re into the dark and spicy romantasy books and slight monster erotica-ness to it too!

~~~

What I Liked:

  1. The Love Triangle! I don’t care what anyone else says to this, I’m a fan of a love triangle arc when it’s done right! There are plenty of books where it isn’t, but this one was fun because at the end of it, part of me truly questions who Tem will end up with! I mean, obviously I’d ideally love it to become poly or just why choose/reverse harem
  2. The Spice Lessons! I actually enjoyed the aspect of this story of Caspen and Tem’s relationship building off the “lessons” Caspen bestows upon her throughout the first chunk of the book. It of course led to A LOT of smutty goodness in the story, and I’m now questioning if this book is going to be my gateway drug into monster romance…

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. The Cliché Cast of Characters…The one thing I was really mehhhhh about was that the cast of characters for this felt very cliché….we had the slutty gay best friend, the mean girl rival fighting for the hand of the prince, the “not like most girls” FMC makes for a pretty unoriginal cast of characters. Luckily the book is still fun to read, but most of these characters defs just felt like copy and pasted character archetypes we’ve seen so many other times.
  2. The Ending…The ending wasn’t necessarily bad, but I’m also definitely questioning where it’s going to take the story into the next book for sure. Like it’s definitely a choice to say the least.

Conclusion:

Overall, It was a fun and entertaining, but also sexually WILD story. Obviously don’t expect the next literary masterpiece with this, but spicy/smutty book lovers who enjoy some romantasy shenanigans with a sprinkle of monster romance too will find this book to be pretty fun! Just don’t go in taking it too seriously and just have fun with it is all I can suggest!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Erotica, LGBT, Romance

My Review: Salt Kiss (Lyonesse #1): by Sierra Simone

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Publish Date: September 12th, 2023
Number of Pages: 352 Pages
Publisher: Bloom Books
Genre(s): Erotica, LGBTQIA+

Total Star Rating: 4 Stars

There is something alive about the hatred at least. A breathing inside the jealousy. When I first came to Lyonesse, I felt like a puppet of myself, a collection of traits without anything deeper to animate them: alertness, discipline, longing, regret. A shell of dried sinew and bone and no heart. I feel now. Even if it’s misery, obsession, jealousy, I feel them all, and no matter how awfully things have turned out, I can’t doubt that Mark had something to do with that.”

— Sierra Simone, “Salt Kiss”

What It’s About:

The official blurb:

Tristan Thomas is lost. After leaving the Army, the young former soldier is in limbo. Until, that is, he’s hired by Mark Trevena, the owner of Lyonesse—DC’s ultra-secret club—to be Mark’s new bodyguard. He’s drawn into Mark’s dark, seductive world of power and desire, and slowly drawn to Mark himself, even though Mark is everything Tristan knows he shouldn’t want: cruel and wicked and shamelessly amoral.

But protecting Mark isn’t Tristan’s only duty: soon, Mark asks him to guard his soon-to-be bride as she travels home from Ireland on Mark’s yacht. Tristan is jealous—and hurt to learn that the object of his obsession is engaged—but the soldier in him is made to obey orders, and he goes to fetch Mark’s bride for him.

Isolde Laurence is nothing like Tristan expected, however. Young, quiet, and sharp, she’s being pushed into this marriage by her family, and as the two travel back to America, Tristan finds himself fascinated with Isolde and the glimpses he gets of the lonely but determined woman behind her reserve. And the fascination is mutual: one night, while sailing under the cold stars, they share a searing kiss.

From there, it’s a fast fall into the forbidden. But in Mark Trevena’s world, the fall is only the beginning…

The Lyonesse trilogy is a queer, kinky contemporary retelling of the legend of Tristan and Isolde, set in the same world as the New Camelot series. Readers will not have to read New Camelot to enjoy Lyonesse, although readers who enjoyed New Camelot will find all the things they loved about the trilogy here: MMF ménage, plenty of the angsty forbidden, and a sweeping retelling of a familiar story.

~~~

So if you’ve also read The New Camelot trilogy by Sierra Simone, you’ll of course understand why I say that she is my QUEEN of smut because of those books! I mean, Greer and Embry and Ash just *swoon* so when I heard that she was making ANOTHER MMF trilogy, and that it would be set in the same world as New Camelot, my attention was GRABBED!

With this book you get the same vibes and aesthetics that made New Camelot so wonderful: political intrigue, forbidden romance, high society kink, Washington DC secrets, shocking revellations and plot twists, and of course lots and lots of spicy smut!

And like how NC was a Arthurian retelling, so is this one…This story revolves around Tristan Thomas, who’s left the army after some unknown tragedy he’s still recovering from, is lost and doesn’t know where life will take him…but then accepts a strange job as the personal bodyguard of Mark Trevena, his new step-uncle and the arcane owner of an ultra secretive night club that only the world’s elite can enter and play. Tristan soon realizes he had no idea what he signed up for with this position and is exposed to a dark underbelly of the top 1% who make all the decisions of the world…

Much later in the story, Tristan is sent on a mission to watch over Mark’s betrothed on a yacht trip from Ireland, and he soon realizes that by meeting Isolde, he found himself torn between two lovers….or is he???

Honestly, if you enjoyed her previous trilogy, I see no reason why you wouldn’t love this one too! Tristan is a great main character to follow through this first installment as we’re introduced to this dark underworld of the ultra elite and as he battles his conflicting feelings for Mark and eventually also Isolde.

Mark is an absolute enigma and such a tight-lipped mystery, he’s truly an interesting character too, and Isolde too, but for different reasons. Isolde wasn’t in the book as much as I’d hoped so I was disappointed with that, but there’s other books so I have to remember that!

~~~

What I Liked:

  1. It’s Familiar But Still Feels New! It very much feels like a New Camelot spinoff with familiar tropes, character arcs, dynamics, but it doesn’t feel like a carbon copy all the same. It definitely feels unique enough to stand on its own
  2. This Book is Mostly MM! This book that will be the first in a trilogy focuses mainly on Tristan and his developing relationship with Mark, so there’s mostly a lot of spicy MM scenes, so no complaints whatsoever from me!

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. Isolde Doesn’t Appear Until Much Later…Isolde doesn’t make an appearance until like 2/3rds into the book, and I actually wish she had shown up way earlier. Granted, she steals the show when she does finally appear, but again why does it take until like the 75% point for this to happen??

~~~

Conclusion:

Overall, another incredible and ultra smutty book by my QUEEN of spice herself! This was a wonderful book written by her whether you’ve read the before-mentioned trilogy or not. There’s maybe like one reference to the previous trilogy in the book? Other than that it’s very able to be read on its own!

But I digress WHY wouldn’t you read that series too?? I really enjoyed both and hope you do too if you give Sierra Simone a chance!

Thanks for reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Erotica, Mystery/Thriller, New Adult, New Adult Romance

My review: Kingston (Brothers of Hawthorne Hall #1): by Leila James

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Publish Date: October 3rd, 2022
Number of Pages: 468 Pages
Publisher: Kindle
Genre(s): Erotica, Reverse Harem, New Adult Romance, Mystery & Thriller

Total Star Rating: 3.75 Stars

What It’s About:

The Official Blurb:

Three men, two choices, and one secret …

A year ago, my best friend received an exclusive invitation to join an elite brotherhood at Kingston University. He went into Hawthorne Hall for his initiation … but never came out.

I intend to find out why.

The brotherhood would never knowingly invite a female into their ranks. So what if I forged my father’s signature on the recommendation? With a name like Elliot Ashford, they’ll never see me coming.

I’ll endure whatever hell these brutal brothers put me through because I have no intention of backing down or bowing out gracefully. It won’t be pretty. I’ve heard the rumors, especially about the three men in control of the brotherhood.

Kingston.
Cannon.
Archer.

I’m going in with one mission—find out what happened to Will. But the moment I set foot in this house, I have a feeling all my plans will go up in flames.

Welcome to Hawthorne Hall! Let the games begin …

***********************************************************************************

Kingston is a 94,000+ word novel, the first in a trilogy, centering around three men and one woman. It’s kind of like a sandwich—a quadruple decker with extra spice. There is a possibility that sandwich toppings will touch, if that makes sense.

WARNING: This trilogy contains dark elements, graphic content, and situations that some readers may be particularly sensitive to. If you have triggers or are even remotely unsure, please check my website, which you can access through my author page, for a full list.

~~~

This was a book that was highly recommended to me by one of my #bookstagram besties named Em because she knows I’m always game for any book that has some decent spice in it! When she started telling me the premise of these books, I will say I was immediately interested: a reverse harem, college, mystery thriller?? Ummmm LOVE that journey for me! Sign me up, and I couldn’t put these books on my kindle fast enough!

Now after reading the first book, what I can say is it’s definitely an entertaining, fast read with some really decent spice and just a dash of mystery. It definitely kept my attention, but it also could’ve been better in some regards. BUT I also didn’t care enough for certain things in the story to be better either because honestly, I just in it mainly for the spice, which definitely meets if not exceeds expectations, so that’s where most of the praise will go!

This story is about Elliot, who manages to sneak her way into Hawthorne house in order to solve the mystery of the disappearance of her best friend/cousin named Will. There’s absolutely no word as to what happened =, and everyone acts like it didn’t even happen, so she’s going on the inside in order to get her own answers. While she’s infiltrating the brotherhood as a newly incoming freshman, its there she meets the three enigmatic boys that throw everything off kilter for her: Kingston, Archer, and Cannon. Can she trust them? What do they know? And will she survive the initiation process before she’s considered a “brother?”

For the most part, I really did enjoy this book thanks to the characters! Elliot is your very typical spunky, sassy heroine who has a sharp tongue and isn’t afraid to mouth off to the alphaholes that practically infest that house that she must now call home. The boys in the Hawthorne house definitely don’t start off as very likeable, especially Kingston, who’s the frat president and a majorly bipolar a-hole through most of the book, but he’s also a HOT a-hole so it’s complicated….at leas the hate sex is hot? I like Archer the most right off the bat, but he also has camera’s set up throughout the whole house that includes people’s bedrooms, so I find that a bit creepy…and then there’s Cannon. Mr. Tall, stoic, and hot as hell, but hardly says a word. Like, his main way of communicating is text message even when he’s sitting right next to the person…it’s a little strange, but I’m sure there’s a story to it somewhere down the road…

What I Liked:

  1. The Spice! There are some HOT moments in this book, and it’s only the first one in a whole trilogy! It makes me wonder what else is in store for later down the road! I will of course be keeping reading on to find out.
  2. The Main Characters! Elliot and her boys definitely grew on me and made me keep interested to see what happened next, plus their group dynamic did add for some of the spicy scenes that I enjoyed too! Will things like that majorly change? Will she form alliances with one over the others? Turn them against each other with her vagina? Will the guys’ friendship shift with sharing? Who knows! I stand by what I said earlier, Archer is my favorite so far! BUT Kingston grew a lot on me as we got to know more about him too.

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. Too Many Names to Remember…I had a hard time right at the beginning with the literal train of men who answered the door when Elliot first showed up at Hawthorne House. Too many names all at once and throughout the book I still had trouble differentiating between some of the other frat boys, but that could also be because the author doesn’t really do much to make them stand apart from each other too much either…
  2. Not Enough Mystery… Not gonna lie, I was disappointed how it felt like the mystery took a back seat through quite a bit of the story. Sure, there was plenty of spicy scenes which I’m not complaining about, but more the several initiation scenes. I just wish the mystery and sneaking around to get answers was played up more, or a trail of clues or something!
  3. The Insta-Love…This seems to always be a thing with RH’s, but at least one of the guys is always a lovesick puppy when he first lands his eyes on the girl, and its no different here.

Conclusion:

Overall, it’s a pretty good but not great RH read. I like that it’s a college, mystery thriller one too because I honestly haven’t read too many of those! I also haven’t read the Inheritance Games Trilogy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, but I’d imagine I’d like them more if they had a similar vibe to these books with the spice and less YA story features. Actually side note, but there are a LOT of YA books I look at nowadays and am like, “This story would be so much better if it had spice!”

I’ll definitely continue to read theses books; the author gives you a satisfying amount but also leaves you wanting more, and there’s a pretty decent cliffhanger of an ending that really adds to the mystery surrounding the main plot, so it definitely keeps my interest! Plus helloooo, more spice!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Erotica, Romance

My Review: Sea of Ruin: by Pam Godwin

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Publish Date: July 1st, 2021
Number of Pages: 465 Pages
Publisher: Independently Published
Genre(s): Dark Romance, Erotica, Historical

Total Star Rating: 4.25 Stars

Love isn’t a decision. It arrives unannounced, breeds madness, and leaves a sea of ruin in its wake. Hate him or love him. Either way, he’s in certain hell.”

– Pam Godwin, “Sea of Ruin”

What It’s About:

The official synopsis:

Bennett Sharp is on the run.
Wanted for piracy, she fears neither God nor death nor man.
Except Priest Farrell.

The unfaithful, stormy-eyed libertine hunts her with terrifying possessiveness. Nothing will stop him from coming for her. Not his unforgivable betrayal. Not when she’s captured by the ice-cold pirate hunter, Lord Ashley Cutler.
She must escape Ashley’s prison and Priest’s deceit. But can she walk away from their twisted desires?

Two gorgeous captains stand on opposite sides of the law. When they collide in a battle to protect her, the lines blur between enemies and lovers.
Passion heats, secrets unravel, and hearts entangle until they break.
Can love prevail in the sea of ruin?

~~~

First posted book review of 2023!! And it’s also one of the top books of 2022 for me too!

This book actually really surprised me with how much I really enjoyed it, Pam Godwin really sucked me in with her writing and the story that she put together here. This was my first book by her, but it’s also the first book of hers that really intrigued me enough to really want to dive in–pun slightly intended–and read what this book was all about. It gave me Pirates of the Caribbean-meets-Outlander kind of vibes a little bit, just without the fantasy aspects that go with the epic, swashbuckling Disney adventure series. Don’t let that draw you away from this book though, the story is still quite an adventure.

The story is about Bennett Sharp, a high society darling turned woman pirate captain–think very much Elizabeth Swan vibes–who’s currently on the run not only from the King’s Navy, but also her Pirate Husband! Well, soon to be ex-husband? He was caught cheating in an affair, she’s devastated, and was like “Peace out, Bitch,” and sailed off into the sunset, but not necessarily with a happily ever after… Priest Farrell, the accused cheater, isn’t just letting her go without a fight though.

At about 25% into the story, she’s captured by a feared Commodore, Ashley Cutler, and is taken aboard his ship as prisoner. And that is where I’ll cut off my recap of this experience of a book, so definitely give it a read if you want to see what possibly happens next!

This is a book that’s better going in as blind as possible, which is of course ironic with the many trigger warnings that go with this story too, but I say do your research and if this is still a story that sounds like one you’d enjoy, hopefully you don’t see spoilers because how you discover how things come to be is truly part of what makes this such a fun read! I mean, you can kind of guess some based off the synopsis, BUT there’s still plenty more to find out!

~~~

Love prevailed, not in the windless calm of life, but in the ruin.“

– Pam Godwin, “Sea of Ruin”

What I Liked:

  1. The Dialogue Sounded Historically Accurate! One feature I noticed and really enjoyed was the dialogue and how it sounded so historically accurate! Well I mean, I’m no historian so don’t take my word for how accurate it actually is, but what I mean is it didn’t sound like everyone was just speaking modern day English like a lot of novels do these days. Not that that’s a bad thing for me or makes or breaks a book, but I do like when a book actually does sound like it comes from the time period it takes place in. It also still sounded natural too in this book, which I also appreciate!
  2. Lots of Spice! Need I say more?…If you’re looking for a spicy, piratey adventure story, you’ll get that here!

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. The FMC Is In Danger….A LOT….As a female Pirate Captain, Bennett gets into pretty hot water, like, A LOT of the time. Like, seriously….a lot. Half the book is her threatened to be assaulted, or worse she actually gets assaulted…like damn! Lets give her some time to breathe maybe? Or not have to worry about almost every male character and where his penis goes…I bet this is maybe pretty historically accurate what with how much rape is in Outlander….but even I’m like “Okay…this is getting a tad excessive” by a certain point. I think we’re supposed to marvel over the strength of the FMC and all that she overcomes, but YOWZA does this author really put her through the wringer…I guess at least she has her two hotties to make up for it?
  2. LOTS of Trigger Warnings…I’m not an easily triggered reader, so the only reason I really have this listed on here is really for it to be my warning to other readers to look into the triggers that go with this book, and that because of the many warnings, I know I can’t recommend this book to others and be able to talk about it with others…..I know, woe is me, right?

Conclusion:

Overall, this was quite an adventure filled with dark perils and forbidden seduction that absolutely rivets you to keep on steering forward at a purposeful pace. I really enjoyed it, I loved the danger and how I actually worried about the well-being of the main characters, and Pam Godwin’s writing felt so smooth and natural and flowed so extremely well, she’s definitely a pro at the craft.

If you like the following: Pirates of the Caribbean, Outlander, the New Camelot Trilogy by Sierra Simone, or something that’s kind of a mix between all three of them: definitely give this book a whirl and see what you think!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Erotica, LGBT, New Adult, New Adult Romance

My Review: Show Me (Extracurricular Activities #3): by Neve Wilder

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Publish Date: March 21st, 2021
Number of Pages: 318 pages
Publisher: Independently Published
Genre(s): LGBT, Erotica, New Adult Romance

***Warning! This book contains spoilers for the previous books in the series, so continue reading this review at your own risk! You’ve officially been warned!***

To see my review for book #1 – Want Me – Click HERE

To see my review for book #2 – Try Me – Click HERE

Total Star Rating: 4.25 Stars

You’re ridiculously simple at times and incredibly complex at others. I can’t pin you at all.”

– Neve Wilder, “Show Me”

What It’s About:

The official blurb:

Two Roommates. One Camera. A whole lot of action.

I get crushes the way some people get seasonal allergies.
And sharing a house with four hot roommates is like being stuck in permanent spring.
Too bad I keep getting friend-zoned.

But it’s senior year now, and I’m done pining for the impossible.
Time to live it up and go out with a bang.
Or a lot of bangs.

And I’m definitely, definitely not getting attached to anyone.
Especially not my straight, gym-loving, football-player roommate Sam whose impressively large… smile I caught a glimpse of once.
Or several times.

That’s why, when Sam asks me for help with a very special, very NSFW project so he can make a little cash, of course I agree. In the name of friendship.

And if it turns out that Sam’s more than just muscles—that he’s sweet, and smart, and a little bit filthy, and a whole lot less straight than I thought—well, that’s neither here nor there, because this time I’m gonna be smart. This time, I’m friend-zoning myself.

We’ve got a list of deliciously hot scenarios, a camera, and Sam’s huge… smile. What could possibly go wrong?

From the author of Want Me comes the third new adult college romance in the Extracurricular Activities series. Expect low angst, high heat, plenty of laughs, a flustered redhead, a gentle giant of a football player, and enough BDE to power a mid-size city.

~~~

Sometimes you just need a book NOT because it’s some literary masterpiece or because it’s the latest trending title on social media or because it’s some epic, grand adventure with an exciting plot…readers like me sometimes just seek out books for the hot sex scenes! I have no shame in admitting I’m a spicy smut reader, and this trilogy has been just a total delight in this sense! Neve Wilder is now one of my go-to’s when it comes to me looking for sexier books that I know will have some absolutely scorching scenes to enjoy.

If you liked the first two books of these, you most likely will appreciate this one too, and I personally thought the author didn’t disappoint with this final installment into this college romance story.

This final book revolves around Jesse and Sam. There’s a prequel scene at the beginning of the guys back in freshman year, and Jesse discovers his boyfriend in a compromising position with someone else…thus making him to believe he has the absolute worst luck in love…It makes him twice as snarky, and The Great British Bakeoff fan vows to have a smutty good time when it’s back to present day, senior year, and all the other guys in the house have surprisingly all gotten in serious relationships but him. Then there’s Sam: large, boy next door, football player, seemingly straight, and literal human golden retriever who has a secret of his own that Jesse finds out about…

I especially enjoyed both Sam and Jesse equally, I think they both felt fleshed out and had great personalities that fit each other well. There was definitely some chemistry there from the get go that only becomes more obvious as they keep hanging out and become closer as friends and more.

Was this book as strong as the other books? Yes and No.

The sex was hot as all the other scenes, but if I’m being a little critical, the actual relationship didn’t feel as strong as Nate/Eric’s and Chet/Mark’s. There wasn’t as much actual ROMANCE involved or tender hearted moments to make you swoon. I’m not saying this is a bad thing at all, and like I said Sam and Jesse defs have some chemistry between them, I guess it’s more that the author just doesn’t really show it as well this time around. Heck, even some moments only fade to black in the back half of the book which didn’t make the most sense.

I would say as far as content goes: this book is right up there with the others in terms of spice rating (which it gets a 4 peppers from me), but if you’re someone who likes to see deeper connections and have your heart feel like its fluttering out of your chest and want to read relationships that make you think true love is real…this might not be the one.

Personally, I didn’t have a problem with that in this story because by this point I knew what to expect in the overall tone of these books, but I can see other readers maybe turning away because out of them all this feels like the weakest of the connections.

I guess you’ll have to read it yourself to see what you think! Besides the fade to blacks, I immensely enjoyed this book!

~~~

“You’re the first person I look for in any room. I hear you louder than anyone else. Even when you’re quiet. Sometimes especially when you’re quiet. I’ve never wanted to be with someone else as much as I want to be with you. Making you happy makes me happy. I’ve never felt that way with someone else either. Everything about you makes me feel impulsive and excitable, and it’s both scary and exhilarating as hell.“

– Neve Wilder, “Show Me”

~~~

What I Liked:

  1. Neve Wilder Writes Really Good Smut! This author skyrocketed up my list of authors whom I know will add the fire and steam to their stories! And the fact that it’s MM makes it even better! If you’re looking for hot, graphic scenes between younger and eager college age guys, these are an excellent option!
  2. Sam is Total Book Book Boyfriend Material! I totally adored Sam in this book! I’m a sucker for the big muscles, bigger smile, slight himbo jock vibes that he gives off and how he’s probably one of the most easy-going characters I’ve ever come across…I didn’t think much of him when he was a background character in the previous books, but once the spotlight shined upon him, oh did it ever shine so brightly!
  3. Surprisingly No Angst About Queer Self Discovery! With Sam being so go-with-the-flow and super chill about literally everything, he was even this way during his journey of self discovery. Before him and Jesse start going at it, he’d never done anything with another guy or really even thought of it, but then he realized he had feelings and just kind of shrugged and went “Well… I guess I’m bi or whatever.”

What I Didn’t Like:

  1. Either Needed to Be Shorter or It Needed More Conflict… If I’m going to be critical–I’m a Gemini and we ALWAYS have something to say–I would say maybe this book could be a little shorter, or if not shorter, maybe it could’ve actually added more angst or conflict to the story. I’m good if it’s not about gay discovery since Sam seemed actually pretty chill about all that, but maybe Neve could’ve added more drama with Jesse’s ex or something to maybe push the story a little faster?
  2. Later Sex Scenes Were Fade to Black…the first chunk of the book is phenomenal, but then the last bit feels a little rushed in this sense and the spicy scenes start to fade into the background, literally…for some of the scenes, it felt like a real missed opportunity.
  3. There’s Not Much Actual Romance…While there is a LOT of sex–no complaints there–there’s not actually a whole lot of softer moments that make you really believe that its a deeper, more serious relationship…Personally I didn’t mind this too much, but I can see other readers being disappointed by this.

Conclusion:

Overall, this was another great addition to a smokin’ hot MM college romance series that Neve Wilder has come out with! Sam was an absolute favorite of mine, and Jesse was a great fit with him too with his sassy snark. It couldve ended on a stronger note, but I think this book is still perfectly fine for what it is: a spicy new adult college romance.

Neve Wilder has totally gained a fan in me for these books now, and you can definitely bet I’m going to be exploring other titles too!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell