elle keaton – A. L. Lester

This week I have a mmf poly romance and two gay romances for you.

This is Not the End by Sidney Bell

A mmf poly romance (not a reverse harem). I’m not usually that into stories about very rich people these days; but the rich-people-ness was a bit of a side-issue in this. There’s a settled m/f couple and a third male ‘best friend’ who has wanted more for years and is trying to do the right thing. It’s a sensitive and engaging exploration of each of them. The main couple are in an open relationship in that they have fun with other people on the side, but they aren’t looking for a third. The friend isn’t into casual sex. It’s beautifully done.

I love Sidney Bell’s writing and her previous books made this a must-buy for me. I’m glad I did.

A Friend in the Dark by Gregory Ashe and C. S. Poe

I am a fan of both Gregory Ashe and C. S. Poe’s work, so this was an auto-buy. Together the two of them have made a gripping world where a police informant and an ex-army drifter combine forces to solve the murder of their NYC-detective friend. I loved the wounded characters and the gritty New Yorkiness of it. Obviously it’s filled with snarky goodness. You get bits of each man’s personality, their motivations, what makes them tick and it left me wanting more. It has a deep murder-mystery plot that’s clearly a set-up for the series. It ends on a cliff hanger and the next in series is out soon. Recommend.

Black Moon by Elle Keaton

Elle Keaton is another auto-buy for me since I discovered Accidental Roots. She has a way of setting her law enforcement stories very firmly in the landscape of the Pacific North-West that resonates with me. This is the third and final book in the Hamarasson and Dempsey trilogy. The series is set in the islands off the US Pacific North-West. I really like both the setting and the characters. In this book, Niall Hamarsson and Matt Dempsey are set to get married…but first, there’s a murder to solve. And Niall is a suspect. Reliably entertaining, I love these!

That’s it for this week!

This week’s reading. I’ve got a bit behind, but today I have Conspiracy Theory by Elle Keaton, Echoes of the Storm by Char Newcomb and Work for It by Talia Hibbert!

Conspiracy Theory by Elle Keaton

This is the first in a complete trilogy following the same couple in all the books and I like this first one best, because I am a sucker for UST and there is soooo much of it. I am also a sucker for police stories, so it hit all my hot buttons.

It’s a contemporary, set on the islands off the west coast of the USA, which seems a bit wild-westy to my English self, and which I loved. Matt and Niall are both sympathetic characters and I found the mystery really engaging. So a big yay from me all round.

Echoes of the Storm by Charlene Newcomb

This has complicated relationships and spaceships. I put it forward for your consideration on that basis!

Jack’s lover has betrayed the resistance and he’s now on the run across space and has become an unlikely rallying point for survivors to begin the fight to win their planet back. The slow-burn romance with the space-pirate captain is perfect and there are battles and spies and ace rep. It’s perfect and you should read it!

Work For It by Talia Hibbert

I really, really liked this. There’s so much angst. Soooo much. And it’s all from a really deep painful place inside each man that hits where it hurts. Olu suffers from depression and that is painted very realistically, with no magic-lovespell curing it. Griff is stuck in his small village and doesn’t think he’s worth anyone’s time. It’s slow-burn, well paced and heart-wrenching and the happy ever after is perfect. Also it’s set on a farm, which is my catnip.

And that’s it for this time!