Waiting For Wentworth

Waiting On Wednesday (749) Penny For Your Thoughts (Shadowy Solutions #5) by Nicky James

Penny For Your Thoughts
(Shadowy Solutions #5)
by Nicky James

Expected Publication: March 26, 2026

Genre: MM, Romance

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings
that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.
(WoW was previously hosted by Breaking The Spine.)

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Diem never thought he would have a steady boyfriend and enough cases to keep his business in the green. He never thought his Nana would live to be ninety-three. Life is, dare he say, good?

He could do to drink less, and he still needs to quit smoking, but he’s getting there. He’s happy. He's in love. If he could manage his stress, life might even turn out to be… great?

But then Tallus arranges dinner with his parents, where Diem faces questions about commitment and weddings and a weekend bonding trip with a stepfather he doesn’t know. And a resident of Nana’s nursing home ends up involved in a twisted version of a grandparent scheme, so Diem agrees to investigate since the police clearly aren’t doing their job.

It’s all downhill from there.

The case somehow leads to Diem figuratively adopting the most obnoxious teenager imaginable. A boy whose troubled life reflects Diem’s past. A boy who is deeply entwined in a con far more complex than he realizes.

One misstep tips their hand. The hunter becomes the hunted. Diem and Tallus—and their unfortunate sidekick—are in a race against the clock, desperate to nail the person responsible before he skips the country… or seeks revenge.

So much for reducing stress.

Amidst the chaos, Diem finds himself bonding with his petulant rescue-teen. Diem is nobody’s role model, but the boy’s incessant questions open Diem’s mind and heart to things he never thought possible. Things that make him think that maybe life could be… amazing.

5 books in and I'm still on the fence about whether or not I like these guys!! Just when I feel that I could really get behind them, one of them does something stupid and I think "Why'd you do that??" In reality, I know I should be mad at the author and not the characters, but come on! Give me something to work with here.

What are you waiting on this week?

This Guy
(Wood Hollow Stories #1)
by Lane Hayes

Expected Publication: March 25, 2026

Genre: MM, Romance

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Silas:

Not to sound dramatic, but I can’t decide if I’m a hot mess, a has-been…or both.

My ex’s new relationship with an A-list celebrity is putting me in the spotlight at my lowest point, and I could use a break from LA—just for a little while.

But Vermont in the middle of a blizzard? Probably not a great idea. However, the sexy lumberjack who lives next door is a sweet surprise. And so are his kids and the town.

I like this place. I could be happy here…at least till my new season begins.

Cooper:

The football star is an unexpected complication—and a breath of fresh air. Silas is funny, charismatic, and cool. My kids love having a celebrity living next door. And me? I can’t remember the last time I felt quite so alive.

My steady diet of work and carpooling is fine, and sure, I’m happy enough, but with Silas around, everything feels lighter and breezier.

Yes, I’m well aware this isn’t going anywhere. Our lives are just too different.

Too bad ’cause this guy feels like the real thing.

I've read a few books by this author and I like them because they are high on the romance, low on the angst, and quite humorous.
(Sorry I haven't been around much recently. My Dad has been in the hospital and I have to take care of my mother who has dementia, so life has been hectic and busy and stressful and overwhelming and all the things.)
What are you waiting on this week?

Hot Axe
(Axford Brothers #2)
by May Archer

Expected Publication: March 17, 2026

Genre: MM, Romance

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Everyone in Winsome knows Robbie and I are a matched set. A package deal. Ames and Robbie, Robbie and Ames.

He’s the calm to my chaos. The sun shining through my rain cloud. The guy who convinced me to be a firefighter. The man who’s known every single thing about me since we were thirteen…

Except for the teeny, tiny, inconsequential fact that I’ve been in love with him for years. I planned to take this secret to the grave. Robbie’s straight. He’s engaged. And I’m finally–finally–ready to move on.

But one uncontrollable blaze, one daring rescue, one inconvenient injury, and one heavily-medicated, wildly inappropriate love confession later, my plan’s up in flames.

Suddenly helpful, perfect Robbie is bathing me, dressing me, and nursing me back to health. And if being around my gorgeous bestie 24/7 wasn’t torture enough, it seems I’m not the only one having un-platonic thoughts.

But there’s no way I’m letting myself fall into the fantasy again. Because if I let myself believe this is real and it isn’t, it won’t just break my heart… it’ll break us.

And I refuse to risk our friendship, no matter how tempting the man might be.

This author's books are usually quick and easy to read with really likable main characters. With an extended cast (and location) there's enough going on to be wildly entertaining!

What are you waiting on this week?

Star Shipped
by Cat Sebastian

Expected Publication: March 3, 2026

Genre: MM, Romance

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Simon and Charlie, actors on a long-running sci-fi show, can’t stand one another. Charlie is impetuous, outgoing, and basically feral, and Simon thinks he should have stayed in reality television where he belongs. They’ve spent the better part of a decade quarreling over the spotlight and pretty much everything else, and everybody in the industry knows it. Now that Simon’s contract is finally done, he can move to New York, start fresh with work he actually likes, and get away from Charlie.

Simon’s only problem is that people might assume he’s been pushed off the show due to being impossible to work with. And he is kind of difficult to work with. He doesn’t get along with people—unlike Charlie, who somehow tricked everyone on the show into adoring him despite some outrageously bad on-set behavior during the show’s first season. Simon would rather never have to see Charlie again, but reluctantly agrees to stage a very public friendship during the short time before he moves. When Charlie has to leave town to deal with a family emergency, this means Simon comes along. Their road trip brings Simon to places he would never have willingly chosen to visit—and he finds he’s actually not having a terrible time.

The more he gets to know Charlie, the more Simon suspects he’s underestimated his former coworker. Simon also realizes that after seven years, Charlie might know him better than anyone ever has. Even stranger, Charlie seems to be starting to actually like him, despite knowing him so well. Still, Simon is about to move three thousand miles away, so whatever’s starting between him and Charlie can’t really amount to anything... right?

This author usually writes historical romances, which I have enjoyed reading. This is her first foray into contemporary, so I hope I like it!

What are you waiting on this week?

Under The Surface
(Tenebrae Cove #1)
by N.R. Walker

Expected Publication: February 28, 2026

Genre: MM, Paranormal

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
When Hobart Detective Douglas Sawyer chases someone along Constitution Dock, the last thing he expects to see is the guy change shape and disappear into the freezing cold water. He also doesn’t expect a government suit to intervene on the case and offer him a job in a remote town in the wilds of the Southwest Coast to report on things that may or may not be weird.

As the leader of his consortium, Ciaran Brenner takes protecting his town of Tenebrae Cove, and his family, very seriously. He’s never been bothered by any cop who takes up post in town because none of them stay long enough to find out the truth.

Until Sawyer, that is.

Sawyer has never felt at home anywhere until he arrives in Tenebrae Cove, the creepy little town in Southwest Tasmania. He can’t explain the unnatural pull he feels toward the water, or to the man who seems to despise him. He knows things aren’t as they appear, not when it comes to the water and not when it comes to Ciaran Brenner either.

For reasons he can’t yet explain, he’s dying to get under the surface of both.

I've read a lot of this Australian author's books, and they've always been romance. This is labeled as paranormal - something different from this author - so I hope I like it!

What are you waiting on this week?

The Promise of Together
(Fisher & Church #3)
by Jay Hogan

Expected Publication: February 19, 2026

Genre: MM, Romance

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
I never dreamed I’d get a second chance at love. I scarcely believed in it the first time. Then Mads appeared from nowhere during one of the hardest times of my life, and everything I thought I knew about myself, about what I deserved, about who I wanted to become, was turned upside down.

Falling for Mads was the easy part. Learning to trust him took longer. Having faith in myself is a battle I’m still fighting, but finding the courage to confront and make peace with my past is the only way forward.

Mads sees me. The real me. Even the parts I’ve spent a lifetime pretending didn’t matter. The broken pieces of my childhood are coming back to haunt me. Another mystery. More personal this time, but no less deadly.

They say it’s never too late to change and I’m determined to try. I want a future with Mads at my side, and not getting myself killed beforehand would be an excellent start.

I just finished reading the second book in this series and loved it! I can't wait to hop into this one immediately!!

What are you waiting on this week?

Owning Jett
(Made Marian Legacy #3)
by Lucy Lennox

Expected Publication: February 17, 2026

Genre: MM, Romance

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Two weeks. One villa. A dangerous game of seduction and lies.
My job is simple: get close, get the intel, get out.
Then Locke Maris walks into my op.
He’s cold. Controlled. Heir to a billion-dollar shipping fortune. And so aggressively straight he doesn’t even look at me twice…
Until he does.
Locke makes me an offer: play his assistant by day, be his secret lover by night, at a house party where the world’s elite will gather to sip champagne, enjoy the Italian sun… and play a dangerous game called Paxis.
In this ancient variation of chess, humans are pawns and each coded move could start or stop wars. I should report this to my agency immediately. Walk away clean.
But I can’t walk away.
Because in the privacy of his suite, the moves Locke makes are just as dangerous, the words he murmurs in my ear as devastating, and the growing devotion I feel as destructive as any global war.
At the end of this, I’ll have to disappear like I always do. I don’t get to want things that could ruin my cover—or my career.
But Locke Maris is ruthless about protecting what’s his, and as far as he’s concerned he owns me.
When everything falls apart, I’ll find out exactly how far he’ll go to keep me.

I didn't read the original Made Marian series, but I did read the 2nd series devoted to this family. This series is the next generation, which is still jarring to read about. (I'm have a hard time wrapping my head around reading about 3 generations of this family in less than a decade! Maybe it's just me...) I'd also enjoy the series more if those prior generations kept their noses out of everyone else's business, but that's how this author works - meddling family as part of the plot.

What are you waiting on this week?

Chase Hooper Likes It Hot
(Goose Run #3)
by Lisa Henry and Sarah Honey

Expected Publication: February 10, 2026

Genre: MM, Romance

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Chase Hooper doesn’t like people, apart from his housemates and his twin brother Cash. He especially doesn’t like the hot guy who stops by Goose Run Gas in the middle of every night to interrupt his nap and tell him how terrible his coffee is.

Lee Torres is a baker, and the best and worst part of his morning is when he stops at the gas station for coffee. The coffee is awful, but the guy serving it is kind of cute, even if he’s blatantly hostile. Still, something keeps Lee coming back for more, and it’s certainly not the stale pastries.

When Chase and Lee are thrown together working at Goose Run’s newest entrepreneurial venture, it’s a chance for both of them to get what they need. For Chase, it means no more night shifts. For Lee, it means running his own bakery. They can both keep it professional, right?

Wrong.

Sparks fly, and things are getting heated in the kitchen, but if Lee thinks he's going to be allowed past the protective walls that Chase has spent a lifetime building, he can think again. Because Chase Hooper doesn’t do feelings.

If they’re not careful, this could be a recipe for disaster.

These books are cute and very light, almost fluffy. Nothing too serious, so reading is just a gentle escape and not enthralling. I guess I'm saying they're just alright...

What are you waiting on this week?