Waiting For Wentworth: 2025

Waiting On Wednesday (709) Paternal Instincts (Valor and Doyle Mysteries #8) by Nicky James

Paternal Instincts
(Valor and Doyle Mysteries #8)
by Nicky James

Expected Publication: June 24, 2025

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:
At the heart of a missing child case, Quaid and Aslan learn the true nature of fatherhood.

With their baby due any day, Quaid ends up tangled in a case on the last day of work before his leave begins.

With the help of supportive friends and colleagues, Quaid and Aslan are determined to solve the case before it’s too late.

When their surrogate goes into labor, Quaid struggles to let go of the case and walk away.

Can they find the missing child before their parental duties call?

I only have 2 highly anticipated books this year, and this is one of them. It's only been 1.5 years since the last book, but that's way too long. How dare the author take a break from this couple and write other books... I mean. Really? Sheesh. But it's all good now that she's back writing this series again. I'm ready for it.

What are you waiting on this week?

Kill Your Darlings
by Josh Lanyon

Expected Publication: June 27, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
At this mystery conference, murder is more than just another plot twist...

Nobody likes conferences, but they’re part of the job.

Millbrook House senior editor Keiran Chandler has spent years curating the best voices in crime lit, but when an unsolicited manuscript is handed to him at the Noir at the Shore mystery conference, truth collides with fiction. I Know What You Did is more than just another slush pile submission—it’s a direct threat.

U.N. Owen seems to know what really happened in Steeple Hill all those years ago. Who is Owen? How does he know these things? Clearly the mysterious author is after more than a book deal. But what?

With a potentially career-ending publishing merger on the horizon, the end of his affair with bestselling author and former homicide detective Finn Scott, and not so subtle threats from someone in his past, Keiran has a lot bigger problems than coming up with something witty to say on discussion panels.

Officially, I've already read this book. I follow this author on Patreon, and this book was serialized over the past 2 months. However, I'm still looking forward to reading the final edited version from beginning to end without any interruptions.

What are you waiting on this week?

He's to Die For
by Erin Dunn

Expected Publication: June 3, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Brooklyn 99 meets The Charm Offensive in this sparkling romantic murder mystery: it's murder cute in the first degree when a detective finds himself falling for the lead suspect in a career-making case.

At 29, Detective Rav Trivedi is the youngest member of the NYPD’s homicide squad, and his future looks bright. He may be a bit of an outsider in the department—an ivy-league educated gay Brit with a weakness for designer suits—but his meteoric rise and solve rate prove he belongs.

So when his CO assigns him as lead on the high-profile murder of a record executive, Rav is ready for action. He won’t be distracted by TV crews, tabloids, or what’s trending on social media, nor by the ridiculously hot rock star with a clear motive and no alibi.

This is it, his big shot, and he is not going to screw it up—certainly not by falling in love with his number one suspect…

Another new to me author! (I saw this book few months ago and added it to my tbr because it sounds interesting to me. But now the ARC reviews are all "amazing 5 stars" and that just makes me leery!!) I hope I like this.

What are you waiting on this week?

Delicious: An MM Charity Anthology
by Various Authors

Expected Publication: May 27, 2025

Genre: MM, Anthology

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Love is delicious…

Join a fabulous group of authors for a brand new charity anthology that’s sure to make you hungry!

We’re serving up hot dishes, lamington kisses, cheesecake roses, and plenty of delicious indulgences. Accompanied by a buffet of your favourites like best friends to lovers, meet cutes, second chances, small towns, enemies, hot bosses, long time crushes, plenty of spice, and melt-in-the-mouth sweetness.

With taco trucks, celebrity chefs, bakers, pizza shops, and plenty of treats, Delicious has seventeen brand new contemporary short stories for you to savour!

I didn't originally have this anthology on my tbr, but I regularly read a lot of these authors, so I'll be checking this book out.

What are you waiting on this week?

Devil and the Deep Blue Fish
(Fish Out of Water #8)
by Amy Lane

Expected Publication: June 3, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
PI Jackson Rivers and Henry Worrall have gotten used to throwing themselves into danger as a team, so when Henry is hurt badly one night defending a friend and her teenage ward, it’s all hands on deck for Jackson, his fiancé Ellery Cramer, their firm, and their friends. Henry is battling for his life. The least they can do is hunt down Henry’s shooter and keep the intended victims safe.

Knowing Jackson will dedicate himself to tracking down a very dangerous assailant with no regard to his own safety, Ellery makes one stipulation: Jackson needs a temporary partner. Jackson finds a good one in someone from the firm’s past, but while Jackson’s figuring out a new rhythm on zero sleep and a lot of desperation, Ellery and their friends are putting together a puzzle with a lot more pieces than Henry’s random shooting. Somebody in their city is preying on teenagers in a most insidious way, and nobody in their circle is going to let this stand.

Jackson has spent a year and a half trying to heal from physical and emotional wounds, and this case is going to make him look at every choice he’s made to survive. Ellery―and Ellery’s mother―will do anything to help him, but does Jackson finally have emotional defenses to fight his own demons while he’s slaying dragons for the family he’s found, or will he drown in his own remorse? Sometimes, when you’re a kid on the streets, living past tomorrow means choosing between the Devil and the Deep Blue Fish.

I love this series so much. However, as the series has progressed, there has been WAY too much crossover with characters from her other series (that I haven't read). So I'm forced to read about a bunch of people that I don't give a crap about. I would seriously prefer focusing on the original couple and their personal and professional growth.

What are you waiting on this week?

The Complication
(Executive Suite Secrets #2)
by Jocelynn Drake

Expected Publication: May 30, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
It was just a fling.

A bit of fun on the weekends. Definitely not permanent.

Not that I wouldn’t love to crack the ice around rich and sexy Declan Foster’s heart.

And he was the last person I expected to ride to my rescue when I found myself suddenly homeless and a father.

Now he’s spoiling my daughter and me at every turn, offering the perfect life on a silver platter.

Should I risk my heart on a man who once said he never wanted kids?

I had never read anything by this author prior to this series, which I like enough to want to continue. It's not gritty and dark like I believe her other works are. (Evidently book covers and titles mean a LOT to me, because I haven't found her other books interesting enough to want to read. Oops.)

What are you waiting on this week?

Copper Script
by K.J. Charles

Expected Publication: May 29, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance, Historical

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Detective Sergeant Aaron Fowler of the Metropolitan Police doesn’t count himself a gullible man. When he encounters a graphologist who deduces people’s lives and personalities from their handwriting with impossible accuracy, he needs to find out how the trick is done. Even if that involves spending more time with the intriguing, flirtatious Joel Wildsmith than feels quite safe.

Joel’s not an admirer of the police, but DS Fowler has the most irresistible handwriting he’s ever seen. If the policeman’s tests let him spend time unnerving the handsome copper, why not play along?

But when Joel looks at a powerful man's handwriting and sees a murderer, the policeman and the graphologist are plunged into deadly danger. Their enemy will protect himself at any cost--unless the sparring pair can come together to prove his guilt and save each other.

I may not have explored a lot of this author's works yet, but I have adored everything I’ve read so far! I can't wait for this one!

What are you waiting on this week?

Want You Back
(Second Chance Ranch #1)
by Annabeth Albert

Expected Publication: May 15, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
In high school, Maverick and I were best friends. Inseparable. We shared everything from video games to camping adventures to a first kiss that shattered everything I knew about myself. Our first love was sweet and true and not nearly enough to keep Maverick on the ranch he hated.

Twenty years later, Maverick’s back in town to sell the ranch he’s inherited. As the sheriff, I know losing the ranch will devastate the county. The area needs Maverick to stay. As a single dad with far more than my own heart on the line, I need him gone. Rekindling our friendship would be a Grand Canyon-sized mistake. But then we kiss, and every old feeling comes rushing back.

My heart wants Maverick, but my brain knows he’ll leave again. How can I ask him to stay somewhere with so many painful memories? He might be healing day by day, but I struggle to trust in second chances. Is there a way for us to ride off into the sunset together?

I've read quite a few books by this author, and I enjoy her writing. I'm looking forward to starting this new series from her.

What are you waiting on this week?

The Misfits of Copper County
(Copper County #3)
by May Archer

Expected Publication: May 13, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
What happens when you burn down your contractor’s home… and kind of, accidentally invite him to move into yours.

First things first, that fire was a fluke. A tragic, completely unintentional byproduct of high emotions, an ill-timed backyard grilling… and one very shirtless man. I only meant to confront Brewer - my maddeningly stoic contractor - about a few small concerns with the renovation of my historic money pit.

Instead, I got distracted by his muscles (who grills shirtless in February, I ask you?), I tripped over my words—and my feet—and… well, my carefully-ordered life went up in flames. Suddenly, Brewer’s living in my attic, his dainty teacups are in my cabinet, his slobbery dog is all up in my business, and I find myself renovating my whole future just as surely as Brewer’s renovating my home.

Copper County was never my endgame. Once I finish writing my article, I’m off on my next assignment. But between late night conversations, sledgehammer therapy sessions, and solving the Jam Cupboard Mystery (it’s a real thing, I promise), I’m starting to think we’re building something neither of us expected.

Because the more I learn about Brewer, the more I realize I’m not the only misfit in Copper County. And that maybe it’s time I stop chasing other people’s truths… and start writing my own.

This series seems a bit toned down from what I usually expect from this author. I'm used to the small town hijinks and nosy busybodies, but it's all missing here. I shouldn't complain, I suppose, because I also complained about the crazy over the top writing in her previous series. I need a happy balance!

What are you waiting on this week?

The Meaning of You
(Fisher & Church #1)
by Jay Hogan

Expected Publication: April 24, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
We’d shared a forever love. The kind they write stories about. A once in a lifetime chance at something special. For fourteen years Davis was my world. We were growing old together, fifties and counting. Then it was all ripped away in the blink of an eye.

We’d told each other everything, or so I thought. But secrets have a way of bubbling to the surface and it turned out Davis kept a few of his own. Hidden laptops, clandestine meetings, cryptic emails. The husband I’d believed in was a lie.

Or was he?

I have to find out. And Madigan Church is right there to help me. A complicated man. A man I wasn’t expecting. An attraction I can’t deny. Confusing. Challenging. Madigan makes me feel things I’m not ready for. Want things I don’t deserve. Not now. Maybe not ever again.

But with every step into the twisted mystery, the danger escalates. Neither of us is safe. Not from the truth, and not from what’s growing between us.

Because we aren’t the only ones on the hunt. Somewhere amongst my late husband’s secrets is something worth stealing, maybe even worth killing for.

And time is running out.

I'm glad this author is back writing again after surviving breast cancer last year. I love her books!

What are you waiting on this week?

The Last Grift
(Subtle Deceptions #1)
by Elle Keaton

Expected Publication: April 24, 2025

Genre: MM, Mystery, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Jaded confidence man Gabriel Karne is on the run. A literal snarling, slobbering guard dog nips at his heels. If he makes it over the chain-link fence, he vows to skip town for friendlier climes. Somewhere no one knows his name.

It will be fine. Everything will be fine. Less than twenty-four hours on the island and Gabriel's already had a nasty confrontation with two local good ol’ boys, earned a trespassing citation from an infuriating but compelling forest ranger, and offered to search for a missing person. So much for lying low.

Being off his game only partially explains why Gabe would rather focus on a stranger’s bad luck than his own. Fact is, he's always had a soft spot for losers and maybe, just maybe, he's tired of the game.

(The Last Grift is the first installment in the Subtle Deceptions series, a small town mystery with romantic elements. The series, part of the Piedras Island and Veiled Intentions universe, follows the unplanned adventures in the life and love of the disreputable Gabriel Karne.)

I've read this author's Piedras Island and Veiled Intentions series, so I'm very familiar with the location and the people. I'm excited to read an entire series with the same main character. (Her previous series feature a different MC in each book.)

What are you waiting on this week?

A Wallflower’s Guide to Viscounts and Vice
(A Wallflower’s Guide #1)
by Manda Collins

Expected Publication: April 22, 2025

Genre: Historical Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
A wallflower by choice, wealthy Lucy Penhallow would rather sit out the dancing all season than listen to false flattery from the fortune hunters who pursue her. But when she and her best friend’s brother witness a crime in progress, they’ll need to put every skill Lucy’s learned from reading detective stories to the test in their hunt for a missing woman. And if Viscount Gilford happens to be handsome as sin and clever to boot? Well, that's no hardship for her.

Viscount Gilford needs a wife to save him from financial ruin, and there’s only one heiress who’s off limits. So when he and Lucy find themselves inextricably linked in the tabloids, it’s a disaster. As their investigation progresses, their once unwelcome alliance becomes something more—a love match neither will give up. But there’s a killer watching their romance from the wings who’s only too happy to keep these meddlesome sleuths together . . . in the afterlife.

Yet another new to me author. Not my typical 'go to' for a mystery read, but I'm up to trying new things, so I'll see how this goes!

What are you waiting on this week?

The Prince and the Player
(Prince Pact #1)
by Nora Phoenix

Expected Publication: March 25, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Being a prince may seem like a fairytale, but to me, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. That’s why I’m excited when I get permission from my uncle—the king of Norway—to go undercover as a student at an American college for a year. And I’m even more ecstatic to be selected for their football team. Soccer, I mean. The only problem? Farron, the team captain, dislikes me on sight. Determined to win him over, I start a charm offensive, but nothing works. He only hates me more.

Until the animosity comes to an explosive release…and we end up kissing each other. How did that happen when neither of us has ever been attracted to a guy before? Farron wants to let it run its course and get it out of our system, but I doubt that’ll work. I’m falling for him hard, but he has no idea who I really am. I fear that if he finds out, he’ll never speak to me again…

Somehow I've never read anything by this author before. I don't know why not. She's just not on my radar I guess. So I'll give this book a read and see if I like it.

What are you waiting on this week?

Fan Service
by Rosie Danan

Expected Publication: March 11, 2025

Genre: Paranormal Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
The only place small-town outcast Alex Lawson fits in is the online fan forum she built for The Arcane Files, a long-running werewolf detective show. Her dedication to archiving fictional supernatural lore made her Internet-famous, even if she harbors a secret disdain for the show's star, Devin Ashwood. (Never meet your heroes - sometimes they turn out to be The Worst.)

Ever since his show went off the air, Devin and his career have spiralled, but waking up naked in the woods outside his LA home with no memory of the night before is a new low. It must have been a coincidence that the once-in-a-century Wolf Blood Moon crested last night. The claws, fangs, and howling are a little more difficult to explain away. Desperate for answers, Devin finds Alex - the closest thing to an expert that exists. If only he could convince her to stop hating his guts long enough to help . . .

Once he makes her an offer she can't refuse, these reluctant allies lower their guards trying to wrangle his inner beast. Unfortunately, getting up close and personal quickly comes back to bite them.

Werewolves! I was never big into fandoms or fanfic, but this book sounds like it could be funny and entertaining.

What are you waiting on this week?

Finding Lord Landry
(The Billionaire Brotherhood #5)
by Lucy Lennox

Expected Publication: March 25, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
When a secret enemies-with-benefits situation turns into the world’s most public fake marriage…

The world knows me as Landry Davis, supermodel. A beautiful face and killer abs that have spawned a hundred fantasies.

To my friends, I’m simply Landry, the snarkiest (read: most fun) member of our billionaire brotherhood.

But to Kenji Toma, the gorgeous and oh-so-capable personal assistant I’ve been in love with for years, I’m “effing Landry,” the charming slacker who disappears for weeks only to resurface in trouble. His favorite enemy-with benefits. A man he refuses to fall in love with (though I’ve tried) and also can’t resist managing (a fact I’m not too proud to take advantage of).

What none of them know is that I have another title–in fact, a whole other life. One I was born into. One that comes with sprawling estates, a coronet, and a metric ton of familial and political expectations. A life I’ve kept secret for way too long… and hope to keep secret for just a little while longer.

At least until I learn Kenji is in danger.

When all my money and fame can’t save the man I love, I don’t hesitate to use long-hidden political power to whisk him to safety, even though it means outing myself as Viscount Hawling, the elusive heir to the Davencourt earldom… and pretending the man who loves to hate me is actually my doting husband.

Somehow I am 1 book behind on this series. Hopefully I can catch up and read this one soon!

What are you waiting on this week?

A Forgotten Mistake
(Deadly Mistakes #2)
by Alice Winters

Expected Publication: March 18, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
LIAM:

Despite winning Gabriel’s heart, my trials are not yet over when I’m stuck competing with Gabriel’s cat for his affection (why is she only evil when Gabriel’s not looking?), dealing with coworkers trying to befriend me (I should have blackmailed more of them), and worst of all... meeting Gabriel’s parents (whose affection I will win with lavish presents).

Oh, and hunting down another killer. Though that’s the easy part.

But when a crime scene brings me face-to-face with someone from my past, I realize I might have to fight to keep my secrets hidden from those who would tear me away from Gabriel forever.

GABRIEL:

Tackling Liam’s foster sister to the ground outside of a crime scene is the last thing I expected to do. It’s clear she needs help, and Liam might be the only person who can assist her. People are turning up dead, but if we fail to find the connection between them before it’s too late, innocent people might end up taking the fall or piquing the serial killer’s interest.

Thankfully, Liam’s no stranger to challenges as he draws me further into his secretive world where the vilest of humanity reside around every corner. He’s opening my eyes and making me fall even deeper in love with every breath as I realize that his darkness isn’t driving me away, but pulling me even closer.

This man who is willing to burn the world down for me doesn’t realize just how far I’d go for him.

Serial killer romance? Is that a thing? I like it!! Funny how quickly Gabriel got over Liam being a serial killer after Liam killed someone to save Gabriel's life.

What are you waiting on this week?

Scot and Bothered
by Alexandra Kiley

Expected Publication: March 4, 2025

Genre: Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Brooke Sinclair’s dream of being a published author derailed when she was expelled from the University of Edinburgh seven years ago. Now a ghostwriter, she sticks to other people’s stories. But when her college mentor Mhairi McCallister needs a co-writer for her memoir about Scotland’s most challenging trek, Brooke would do anything for the opportunity—including agreeing to hike the rugged Skye Trail for authenticity’s sake... not knowing the nature photographer who’ll join her is Jack Sutherland, the man who shattered Brooke’s writing career—and her heart.

Between getting sacked from the University and walking away from his family’s tour-guiding business to follow his photography dreams, Jack is desperate to prove he didn’t disappoint his family for nothing. And he can’t ignore his Aunt Mhairi’s final wishes for her memoir. Even if it means acting as guide and storyteller for the one who got away. Even if it means keeping secrets about Mhairi’s health.

As Jack and Brooke head into the solitude of the sweeping Scottish landscape, they’re forced to confront old feelings that haven’t disappeared with time. But can two weeks and eighty miles heal years of unspoken hurt and offer a second chance at the end of the trail?

Something different for me this week. I'm determined to expand my reading horizons this year - just a little tweak, but I'm going to really try reading some m/f romance. I know, big deal right? I've been down the m/m romance road for years and years, and I enjoy it most when a little murder or maybe some ghosts are thrown in. So going back to m/f feels like a big deal to me.

I started sneaking my mom's romance books when I was like 11-12, so I've been around the block a time or two. The genre goes through phases and I got tired of reading the same thing over and over again. But I still have my favorite paperbacks from back in the day because I can't give those up!

What are you waiting on this week?

Reading Between the Lines
(Shadowy Solutions #3)
by Nicky James

Expected Publication: March 6, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Officially boyfriends and business partners, Tallus and Diem take on a new case in a small town outside of Toronto, where the police have deemed the death of a teen an accident, but the mother isn't so sure.

Love that synopsis! Short and to the point. lol
I'm loving this series, so of course I'm excited about this book. I can't wait to read it.

What are you waiting on this week?

Peacocks
(Licking Thicket #5)
by Lucy Lennox and May Archer

Expected Publication: February 11, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Lane’s Tips for Licking Thicket Newcomers:

If at all possible, find yourself a hot and helpful landlord like Jaybird Proud who mows the lawn shirtless… and hope your grass grows quickly.

Expect the unexpected at work. If you’re a veterinarian, this might mean letter-cows, pet pigs that aren’t pets, and Butterscotch the Pomeranian, who has Strong Feelings about his glands.

Offer your help around town when needed… especially when that gorgeous landlord knocks on your door because his (pea)cock won’t stop displaying.

Learn about local customs, including: matchmaking, leaving Italian Gentlemen on the doormat, ordering tater tots, and entwining dead vines into wreaths as a sign of true love.

Get your car washed on the regular… especially when your landlord is the one doing the scrubbing.

Above all, keep things casual, even when Jay ends up at your place every night. And every morning. And the occasional afternoon.

But when you find yourself falling for someone like Jaybird Proud (and life in his weird and wonderful town), let go of everything you thought you wanted… and Entwine that Thicketeer forever.

I actually prefer these authors when they aren't writing together. They tend to go a little over the top with the silliness, which can get tiresome real quick.

What are you waiting on this week?

Paper Roses
(Confetti Hitched #3)
by Lily Morton

Expected Publication: February 9, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Jed Walker thinks he’s having a midlife crisis. The only trouble is that it feels too good to stop.

Widowed at a young age, he’s spent his life since then avoiding any relationships that might end up hurting him again. He has his successful wedding planning business, Confetti Hitched, and a series of uncomplicated hookups, and that’s all he needs in life.

The one person disrupting this controlled stoicism is his younger assistant, Artie. He’s sweet and kind and has a funny way of calming Jed’s mind. So, when Artie comes to him with a problem, Jed moves heaven and earth to help, which is how he finds himself entering a fake marriage with the younger man and catching feelings. Too bad it’s all pretend. Or is it?

I just finished reading a romance where one half of the couple is a serial killer, and the other half is okay with that. Lily Morton is well known for her snark, so I'm here for the fun times! No more darkness for me! At least for a while.

What are you waiting on this week?

Handy
(Four Bears Construction #8)
by K.M. Neuhold

Expected Publication: February 3, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
I definitely overestimated my own handyman skills when I bought this fixer-upper. But I have to say, the view from my new place is worth it. Especially around seven o'clock every morning when my big, bear of a neighbor drinks his coffee shirtless on his back porch.

Getting Griff into my house is the easy part. Convincing him I'm actually interested in him is so much harder.

I didn't mean to turn myself into his secret admirer, but if sending him anonymous presents and notes is the only way to wear down his gruff exterior, then that's what I'm going to do.

Sooner or later he’ll realize he’s more than just my grumpy handyman, right?

I can't say that I am looking forward to reading this. I thought the series ended a few years ago, so this book is a surprise to me. But I sort of have to read it since I read the first 7 books in the series. Right? I can't just leave it unfinished.

What are you waiting on this week?

Always You
(Guardian Hall #1)
by R.J. Scott

Expected Publication: January 29, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
In the frostbitten heart of Chicago, a scarred and solitary soldier finds a second chance at love with the man who broke his heart.

Twenty years at war have left Sergeant Jasper "Jazz" Brookes battered, scarred, and haunted. His marriage is wrecked, his daughter barely speaks to him, and the world he fought for has moved on without him. Homeless by choice, Jazz manages until the brutal Chicago winter forces him to seek help from a shelter he doesn’t want to need.

The weathered building in Humboldt Park offers veterans a place to rebuild, but Jazz doesn’t expect to find Alex Richardson there—his first love, the boy who chose money over him, the one he left behind. Seeing Alex again cracks open old wounds and stirs feelings Jazz buried long ago.

For Alex, the sight of Jazz reminds him of everything he’s tried to forget. But neither man has moved on. As they grapple with their past and confront the scars they’ve carried for years, they’re forced to decide if the connection between them is strong enough to survive the pain.

This time, it’s all or nothing.

This is not a subject that I typically read, and it sounds a bit angsty, so I hope I like it!

What are you waiting on this week?

A Spark of Something
(A Librarian's Guide to Witchery #1)
by Shelby Rhodes

Expected Publication: January 29, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance, Paranormal

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Hello there, I don’t think I’ve seen you here before. Well, if you are new, welcome. I’m Oliver ‘Ollie’ Cross, owner of the Cross Heritage Private Library, and I have a problem. Several actually. To explain the full weight of my conundrum, I feel I have to put out there that I am skeptical of all paranormal ‘things’, and always have been. Mostly, I just find the supernatural a bunch of nonsense. At least…I did…until ghosts started appearing…and my cat started talking to me… And if that weren't enough, there is a book that constantly insults me, while claiming that I'm a witch!

So, as you can see, I have quite a conundrum on my hands, in that I…may be losing my ever-loving mind.

But on a positive note, for the first time in my life, a man may actually like my tendency to babble, so…winning there? But then, Noble Vincent is perfect… Mysterious, but perfect. Though my cat doesn’t like him, and my best friend thinks he is hiding something. But if anything that's happening is reality…my cat also lied to me my whole life…and my best friend usually thinks everyone is hiding something, so…opinions rejected!

Anyhoo, things are fine! I’m fine! What’s a few life altering events, some breakdowns, and…multiple people trying to kill me—hah… Things will be okay! I hope…

This is another new to me author, so I have no idea what to expect!

What are you waiting on this week?

A Simple Mistake
(Deadly Mistakes #1)
by Alice Winters

Expected Publication: January 14, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Liam:

Weirdly, people don’t react overly well when you’re caught standing over the dead body of a murderer who’d walked free.

It’s not that I thought my fellow homicide detective would rejoice when he saw what I’d done, but is a pat on the back too much to ask for? Maybe a gold star at the very least?

The problem is that the person who caught me is Gabriel, the only person I care for and adore… and he’s prepared to look the other way if I leave homicide and promise to never kill again. Yet when Gabriel gets taken by a serial killer, there’s absolutely no way I can sit back while this parasite takes what is mine.

But what the killer doesn’t know is that I’m coming for him and that I would destroy the world to keep Gabriel safe. After all, who could hunt a serial killer better than another one?

Gabriel:

Drawing Liam back into homicide is the last thing I thought I’d ever do, but the killer is picking off my fellow detectives, and the only way we’re going to make it out of this is with Liam heading the case (even if there’s one—or five—coworkers he’d rather not save).

Liam is smart, sarcastic, and the most dangerous man I’ve ever met, and yet I can’t look away—even if he calls my adorable cat Lucy Fur. No one has any idea just how far Liam will go for me, especially not the killer, who won’t realize until too late that the prey he hunts is actually a predator.

I'm looking forward to reading this new series. I hope I like it!

What are you waiting on this week?

Benji
(The Wylde Street Boys #1)
by N.R. Walker

Expected Publication: January 21, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Nolan O’Brien is a public prosecutor, and if he ever sees the name Bruno Barbieri again, it will be too soon. After a long week preparing for the trial of the decade, it takes no convincing to hit the men’s club for a few drinks.

Except the club wasn’t the only thing he hit that night.

Benji Smith works on Wylde Street as a rent boy. When he’s chased by two men, he runs into the path of a moving car. With a no-cops, no-hospital policy and needing to escape the men following him, he agrees to go back to the driver’s place.

The last thing Nolan expects is to offer Benji a place to stay, to recuperate, and to lie low. And the last thing Benji expects is to be attracted to the man who saved him.

But their worlds are about to collide in a way neither of them was prepared for, and both men need to decide what’s at stake, what they’re prepared to lose, and what they’ll fight for.

I like this author! So excited for a new series. I hope I like it!

Happy New Year!

What are you waiting on this week?

Pages

Waiting On Wednesday (709) Paternal Instincts (Valor and Doyle Mysteries #8) by Nicky James

Waiting On Wednesday (708) Kill Your Darlings by Josh Lanyon

Waiting On Wednesday (707) He's to Die For by Erin Dunn

Waiting On Wednesday (706) Delicious: An MM Charity Anthology by Various Authors

Waiting On Wednesday (705) Devil and the Deep Blue Fish (Fish Out of Water #8) by Amy Lane

Waiting On Wednesday (704) The Complication (Executive Suite Secrets #2) by Jocelynn Drake

Waiting On Wednesday (703) Copper Script by K.J. Charles

Waiting On Wednesday (702) Want You Back (Second Chance Ranch #1) by Annabeth Albert

Waiting On Wednesday (701) The Misfits of Copper County (Copper County #3) by May Archer

Waiting On Wednesday (700) The Meaning of You (Fisher & Church #1) by Jay Hogan

Waiting On Wednesday (699) The Last Grift (Subtle Deceptions #1) by Elle Keaton

Waiting On Wednesday (698) A Wallflower’s Guide to Viscounts and Vice (A Wallflower’s Guide #1) by Manda Collins

Waiting On Wednesday (697) The Prince and the Player (Prince Pact #1) by Nora Phoenix

Waiting On Wednesday (696) Fan Service by Rosie Danan

Waiting On Wednesday (695) Finding Lord Landry (The Billionaire Brotherhood #5) by Lucy Lennox

Waiting On Wednesday (694) A Forgotten Mistake (Deadly Mistakes #2) by Alice Winters

Waiting On Wednesday (693) Scot and Bothered by Alexandra Kiley

Waiting On Wednesday (692) Reading Between the Lines (Shadowy Solutions #3) by Nicky James

Waiting On Wednesday (691) Peacocks (Licking Thicket #5) by Lucy Lennox and May Archer

Waiting On Wednesday (690) Paper Roses (Confetti Hitched #3) by Lily Morton

Waiting On Wednesday (689) Handy (Four Bears Construction #8) by K.M. Neuhold

Waiting On Wednesday (688) Always You (Guardian Hall #1) by R.J. Scott

Waiting On Wednesday (687) A Spark of Something (A Librarian's Guide to Witchery #1) by Shelby Rhodes

Waiting On Wednesday (686) A Simple Mistake (Deadly Mistakes #1) by Alice Winters

Waiting On Wednesday (685) Benji (The Wylde Street Boys #1) by N.R. Walker