Venesa Hill

A new novella series!

Reviewed: 08-14-24 Listener received this title free

I love a brother's best friend trope and the author did it very well. I really appreciated the characters in this one. Jeremy being loud and proud about his sexuality was lovely to read about, and Declan being this shy man sort of new to his sexuality showed that people can figure their sexualities out later in life! Declan as a character felt a bit refreshing because he was so stunned by his shyness it made their communication nonexistent for awhile, but they definitely fell fast once they worked things out. I loved the fostering kids aspect of Declan as well. He was such a sweet man. Also, the addition of the brother actually being a cheerleader for them getting together day one was so funny to me. Everyone was shipping Jeremy and Declan me included. As always this narrator delivers a brilliant performance as well. Definitely a fun start to this novella series!

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Great cozy paranormal romance!

Reviewed: 06-19-24

This book was everything I wanted in a cozy paranormal romance. I've been looking for something low angst in a modern paranormal romance for awhile and this delivered in spades. The lore of this world with Otherkind and humans and safe haven towns was fascinating to learn about and I can't wait to continue to learn about more Otherkind in future books. These two were so sweet together. I loved that it was about an orc who was soft spoken and highly intelligent when most orcs aren't depicted in a positive light in romances in my opinion. And this is the first time I've read a romance in so long where there's a plus size MC that isn't belittled for his weight! Brilliantly done and can't wait for more in this series.

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Soft and delightful read!

Reviewed: 04-26-24 Listener received this title free

Kiki Clark always hits it out of the park and this one did not disappoint at all. I love the instant connection between these two but it still had time for growth! The hurt/comfort was strong in this one and the soft moments they had together were so touching. Really beautiful depiction of two characters who don't think they're deserving of the love in their lives going against the odds and finding it with one another. Also theres definitely a nice amount of found family in here! Of course the new overarching plot has me so excited for the next series. I hope to see from some of these side characters in the future as well (looking at you Nero.)

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Small town rivalry meets second chance romance!

Reviewed: 01-18-23

JT Wellbridge and Flynn Honeycutt grew up together in their small town of Honeybridge where their families have maintained a feud for generations. Before this book, they had a one night stand together that ended in heartbreak for everyone involved, and they hadn't seen one another since. When JT's boss sends him back home to convince Flynn to let their company partner with his successful mead business, the two are forced together and sparks fly again.
This book had a lot of character growth for both of these characters. Flynn had to learn to trust JT again and accept help from those around him with his business. He had always been that kid who had to be responsible for his siblings, and I think JT, his siblings, and the people who work for him really propelled him into realizing he didn't have to have the world on his shoulders; others were willing to be there for him. JT also had to learn that he could be his own person and he wasn't just the Wellbridge name; he could pursue work he actually wanted to do and help people.
I really loved this small town setting. It was so atmospheric and I felt like I knew all the people they would interact with in my own life. I think the setting really influenced my love of this book, along with the characters of course, but something about the way this family feud and how the people in this community would joke about how JT and Flynn have clearly been obsessed with one another from day one really hit the mark for me.
These two really were grade A with the witty banter. The way they would tease one another and how everyone around them kind of just accepted it as normal behavior for these two was so funny to me. I loved hearing all the stories from their past of how they made each others lives inconvenient as a clear form of flirting for them. I just liked when they talked to each other and it truly felt like all the history together made them getting together seem inevitable. These two men have been intertwined their entire lives, but it wasn't until now that they finally got the opportunity to be something real.
I can't wait to read more books in this series, and I am super excited to see what happens for other characters in these various families!

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Cozy second chance romance!

Reviewed: 12-14-22

Like I Promised was a second chance low angst story about Oliver, an editor, who inherits his grandmother's home, and his ex high school sweetheart, Lane, who is hired to fix up the house.
I love a second chance romance and this story really reminded me of that. I love the casual queerness of this story, and how it was both about these two and their love story, but also about this group of queer friends that Oliver joins with the help of Lane. This town was so queer and it was beautiful to read. I loved all this game nights and gatherings they had as a group.
These two reconnect pretty quickly in this book but it felt realistic to me because they were high school sweethearts and you could feel how much these two knew each other. It felt like they were picking up where they left off and that they fell into Something together again easily.
When the two start to take this as a less temporary thing and want more, Oliver is really struggling with deciding if he wants to continue his life in London or move back and try again with Lane. And Lane is trying to decide if him wanting to ask Oliver to stay is just like when they were younger and him still wanting Oliver to spread his wings. These two were so considerate of one anothers feelings and not at the expensive of their own; there wasn't a lot of self loathing with these two, they just had huge life decisions to make and wanted each other to be happy.
Over I think this story was so cozy and gave me hope for small towns and reminded me why I love queer friend groups.

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Loved this book for the sass alone!

Reviewed: 12-14-22

This series will always have me entranced and Oskar and Lane didn't disappoint.
Oskar is truly one of the sassiest characters I have ever read. I loved how geniunely funny he was and how hard he made it for Lane not to crack, and yet he still took his job as a hockey player very seriously when he needed to. Also I loved how Lane was so commanding and brilliant at his job, and the underlining sass of this man really meshed well with Oskar.
You would think Oskar would have been the one in control of every situation in this book, but Lane played him like a fiddle, and I loved how well they got along from the moment they met. I thought they'd be like mean antagonistic, but they were definitely more playful. And I think Oskar really showed Lane that he could enjoy the fun aspects of life and not have to take everything so seriously all the time. They just really worked together in this book, especially when they both were ready to give up their jobs for one another. That just solidified their endgame status for me.
A shock for me was Oscar secretly being insecure about his looks being the only reason people care about him and that made me so sad for him. Lane really was there for him to show that his merit isn't based on what he looks like.
The amount cameos from Eden and Saxon's other books in this one really was the icing on the cake of a phenomenal novel. I can't wait for book four and to see the shenans this Collective get up to.

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Final book of this trilogy ended on a great note!

Reviewed: 01-27-22

This book has some of my favorite tropes in it: texting, friends to lovers, and a celebrity MC.
Both the MCs in this book balance each other out in a lot of ways. Lewis needed someone to need him and be accepting of his ADHD and certain personality traits that come with being neurodivergent. Jason needed someone to want him enough to stay around and push him to stand up for what he believes in.
One of the best aspects of this book is that they had a texting relationship months before they met in person and decided to date. They really bonded together over liking similar shows like Pokémon, and they helped one another with their personal trials they were going through. 
Lewis' huge family felt so comforting and wholesome and the same could be said for Jason and his brother. The family elements were great to read about because often times family is left out of queer novels and I loved that their families were both accepting of them and just wanted them both to succeed.
The narrator knocked this one out of the park as well. I didn't anticipate what I wanted Lewis and Jason to sound like but they definitely sounded like I imagined. I really appreciated the sort of fast-paced stream of consciousness that sometimes happens with Lewis and how that was portrayed with the audiobook.
Overall a great final book to this series. I'm really looking forward to upcoming books that follow Lewis' siblings!

(Thank you to the author for the ARC of this audiobook!)

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Great second book in this series!

Reviewed: 01-17-22 Listener received this title free

This book was truly the definition of an enemies to lovers story and I loved it. That isn't usually my favorite trope to read, but the way it was done here was great.
Edward and Izzy have an ongoing feud they learn later on is just two people having horrible things happen in their personal lives and that coloring the way they view each other when they first meet.
The way these two sort of lean on each other when they have these huge opportunities together as a result of cosplaying a popular couple in a hit fantasy film really helped build their romance from being purely sexual into something more. Also it has the there's only one bed trope. What's not to love.
Forcing the two of them to go to these movie premieres helped them both see the softer and human parts of each other. When Izzy opened up about his brother it felt like a turning point for the two of them coming to realize that maybe they weren't the type of people each assumed. And this eventually lead to Edward opening up about his family life as well. These true truly were made for each other and help balance each other out in a lot of ways particularly how they help cut through these facades the two keep up.
The narrator was amazing at depicting these two. I loved the vocal tones he choice for Edward and Izzy and it really helped the story come alive.
Overall it was a great continuation to this very nerdy romance series and I can't wait to finish book three! 

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Accidental marriage while planning a wedding.

Reviewed: 02-18-21

The MCs in this book were really fun to read from especially with the backdrop of them planning a wedding AND falling for each other along the way. The marriage between the two happened way later in the book then I expected and took me by surprise a bit which I enjoyed. The romance between these two felt very realistic and showed that sometimes people want love but they just don't know if they can get over the obstacles they put in the way. Indy and Tate worked for their relationship and had to go through some self growth, particularly Tate, to get their happy ending which made this story all the more worth it.
I love this narrator and I've listened to every Chester Falls book he has narrated so far. He really brings the characters to life.
Definitely will be picking up whatever books these two creative put out together next!

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Captivating romance between a prince and bodyguard

Reviewed: 02-14-21 Listener received this title free

This book was a perfect mix of fairytale and modern day. I loved the romance between the two MCs, and I was rooting for them each step of their adventure. Raphie being nonbinary was beautifully done and I wish there were more books with non cis MCs in this genre. Definitely can't wait to read what this author comes up with next!
This narrator is always a fave and he brought the characters to life beautifully. Can't wait for this author and narrator to collaborate again!

(ARC provided by the author.)

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