New books didn’t catch my eye as much in May, so most of the books I read were comfort reads. So if you’re familiar with my taste, you know that includes my fave, miss Alexandra Warren. (Patiently waiting on her new release 🙃) I read 9 books in May and one came from a new to me author who I plan on reading more from. I’ve included my rating for each book and a few of them have my reviews attached. Enjoy!
Black Romance Reads
Sight Unseen by Kasha Thompson
5 Star Rating
Why Knot take a chance at love?
Evelyn Townsend is the friend your parents warned you about. She’s always jumping off bridges with reckless abandon. So when a reality show promises the opportunity to meet her perfect match, Evelyn is all in. There’s just one major catch … her soulmate will be picked by a panel of experts, and she doesn’t get to meet him until they are face to face at the end of the aisle.
Quincy Parrish has played it safe his entire life. When he steps way out of his comfort zone and auditions for a reality television show, he never expected to be picked. Quincy doesn’t believe in the concept of soulmates, and the chances this arranged marriage will work are slim to none. But he’s messed up his love life for the past thirty-five years. Maybe a group of experts can do a better job.
After the “I dos” comes the getting to know one another. Living together, meeting the family, and revealing secrets all while cameras follow their every move. Evelyn and Quincy can’t deny their chemistry, but can they get past the spectacle of the ever-present cameras and crew to find something real? A chance at love is better odds than nothing, even if that means falling in love while the whole world is watching.
Adjacent: A Building 402 Novella by Alexandra Warren
4 Star Rating
He’s the last guy she should be checking for.
Arrogant.
Sexy.
A Certified F*ckboy.
She’s the only girl he can’t seem to get off of his mind.
Ambitious.
Attractive.
Adjacent.
The proximity of them being neighbors certainly doesn’t help either of their causes. And when one side is ready to pursue their curiosity about the person next door, it quickly becomes clear that anything goes in Building 402…
Replacement: A Building 402 Novella by Alexandra Warren
4 Star Rating
Angelica Pearson is taking a serious break from dating.
At least, she thought she was taking a serious break from dating until she comes face-to-face with the finest man she’s ever seen who also happens to be the new maintenance man in her building.
Angie knows what she wants in a man. And outside of his good looks, his natural charm, and his ability to make all of her apartment woes go away, Lawson isn’t that. But that doesn’t mean she can’t get to know him, right?
Lawson Hill is completely focused on rebuilding his life now that he’s a free man.
That rebuild doesn’t include getting involved with anyone, especially not the bougie girl at his job who always needs something in her apartment fixed.
From her high-maintenance appeal alone, he can already tell she’d be nothing but a headache to deal with. But when Angie proves there’s a lot more to her than what meets the eye, Law quickly learns he’ll be doing a lot more than just replacing air filters and light bulbs in Building 402…
Displacement: A Building 402 Novella by Alexandra Warren
5 Star Rating
He’s her only option.
Her best friend.
The one she can count on for anything.
The one she… might have a little crush on.
She’s the last girl he should be checking for.
His best friend.
The one who desperately needs a place to stay after being displaced by a fire at her own apartment building.
The one who’s always had a piece of his heart even if she never knew it.
While Monte and Nicole have always both been incredibly respectful of the boundaries within their friendship, there’s something about Building 402 that has a way of shaking the table…
Complacent: A Building 402 Novella by Alexandra Warren
5 Star Rating
Shayne Reynolds can’t wait to see her husband.
With their wedding anniversary only a day away, and his return to town falling within those same twenty-four hours, she has all bases covered when it comes to how they’ll be celebrating. But when things don’t go exactly as planned, and accidents turn into arguments, she can’t help but wonder if the three-year itch has snuck its way into their marriage.
While thoughts of becoming too complacent may be looming for Shayne, Danny Reynolds knows his anniversary gift to his wife is bound to shake things up. But when he also finds himself on the receiving end of a huge surprise, it doesn’t take long for the couple to realize it may be time to say goodbye… to Building 402.
MM Romance Reads
Fake Out (Fake Boyfriend Book 1) by Eden Finley
4 Star Rating
Maddox
The reason I rarely go home is three simple words: I’m a liar.
When the pressure to marry my childhood sweetheart became too much, I told her I was gay and then fled to New York like my ass was on fire.
Now, five years later and after a drunken encounter, I find myself invited to her wedding. And I have to bring my boyfriend—the boyfriend who doesn’t exist because I’m straight.
At least, I think I am. Meeting the guy I’m bribing to be my boyfriend for the weekend makes me question everything about myself.
Damon
When my sister asks me to pretend to be some straight guy’s boyfriend, my automatic response is to say no. It’s because of guys like him people don’t believe me when I tell them I’m gay.
But Maddox has something I need.
After an injury that cost me my baseball career, I’m trying to leave my playing days behind and focus on being the best sports agent I can be. Forty-eight hours with my sister’s best friend in exchange for a meeting with a possible client. I can do this.
I just wish he wasn’t so hot. Or that he didn’t kiss like he means it.
Wait … why is the straight guy kissing me?
*Fake Out is a full-length MM novel with no cliffhanger.*
Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
5 Star Rating
Nothing interferes with pro hockey star Shane Hollander’s game.
Now that he’s captain of the Montreal Voyageurs, he won’t let anything jeopardize that—definitely not the sexy rival he loves to hate.
Boston Bears captain Ilya Rozanov is everything Shane’s not. The self-proclaimed king of the ice, he’s as cocky as he is talented. No one can beat him—except Shane. Publicly, they’re enemies. Privately, they can’t stop touching each other.
The smart thing to do? Walk away, once a few secret hookups turn into a struggle to keep their relationship out of the press. The truth could ruin them both. But for Shane and Ilya, secrecy is soon no longer an option…
The Long Game by Rachel Reid
5 Star Rating
To the world they are rivals, but to each other they are everything.
Ten years.
That’s how long Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov have been seeing each other. How long they’ve been keeping their relationship a secret. From friends, from family…from the league. If Shane wants to stay at the top of his game, what he and Ilya share has to remain secret. He loves Ilya, but what if going public ruins everything?
Ilya is sick of secrets. Shane has gotten so good at hiding his feelings, sometimes Ilya questions if they even exist. The closeness, the intimacy, even the risk that would come with being open about their relationship…Ilya wants it all.
It’s time for them to decide what’s most important—hockey or love.
It’s time to make a call.
All We Ever Wanted by Seth King
3 Star Rating
Their relationship is forbidden. Their union would be shocking. But their love? It’s undeniable…
Tommy Houston and James May are both nineteen when they are hired to sail a boat from Florida to Maine together.
Neither has ever been with another man before, and both come from highly traditional backgrounds. But as they sail up the coast, a sudden and overwhelming attraction explodes between them…
And over the next ten days on the open Atlantic, Tommy and James fall into a love so powerful, it comes to define both of their lives forever.
But how can they protect that love when their world wants nothing more than to pull them apart?










