Waiting For Wentworth

Waiting on Wednesday (441) Loved You Once by Claudia Y. Burgoa

Loved You Once
(The Baker’s Creek Billionaire Brothers #1)
by Claudia Y. Burgoa

Expected publication: May 7th 2020

Genre: 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 my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

After a week off the grid, I finally get reception and the first voicemail I hear stuns me.
“You’re summoned to Baker’s Creek by the late William Tower Aldridge.”

Twelve Years.
It’s been twelve years since the last time I heard from the Aldridge family.
That one voicemail changes everything—I need the money the late William offers.
In exchange, I have to live eighteen months in Baker’s Creek.
I’ve survived cancer, the jungle, and the plague.
This should be easy compared to all that, right?
Or so I think until...I see him.
Confident, charismatic, bitter, sexy as hell, Doctor Hayes Benjamin Aldrige.
My first love, my first kiss—my late husband’s brother.
He hates me.
He still hasn’t forgiven me for walking out on him, and I can’t blame him. It’s been over ten years, and I still have feelings for him.
But I faked it once and I can fake it twice.
I can survive eighteen months and that’ll be the last time I see the Aldridge brothers.

Isn’t it?

I haven't read anything by this author before. I'm hoping this has the right amount of angst without being overly dramatic.

What are you waiting on this week?

Nailed (Four Bears Construction #2)
by K.M. Neuhold

Expected publication: May 1st 2020

Genre: MM, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:

My new neighbor is a total tool.

He hated me from the second he laid eyes on me, and I don’t have the first clue why… But, if he wants to hate me, I’m happy to give him a few reasons: mowing the lawn at dawn on the weekend, leaving garbage cans in front of his driveway, renting a petting zoo for my backyard...making a list of ways to drive him crazy is half the fun.

He deserves it with the way he’s driving me crazy right back without even trying— walking around without a shirt on, sweaty rippling muscles on full display, well-worn denim jeans perfectly molded to his...well, you get the idea.

My point is, if he wants a war, I’ll give him one.

***Nailed is an enemies to lovers, neighbors who can't stand each other, omg the anger banging, drool worthy, low angst story, which happens to be the second in my Four Bears Construction Series. It CAN be read as a stand alone. There are NO shifters in this series, only the OTHER kind of bears.

I really liked the first book in this series. I hope this one is just as sweet and angst free!

What are you waiting on this week?

Variable Onset by Layla Reyne

Expected publication: May 4th 2020 by Carina Press

Genre: M/M, Suspense, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:

To catch a killer, a special agent and his former student will need to get close—to their target, and each other. Layla Reyne returns with a stand-alone romantic mystery.

When the serial killer known as Dr. Fear seemingly reemerges after a cooling-off period, Special Agent Lincoln Monroe wants on the case. He knows his research on the calculating criminal, who targets couples and uses their worst fears to kill them, could prove invaluable. But nothing can prepare Lincoln for the agent waiting for him in Apex, Virginia: a brash and cocky former student. Carter Warren is everything Lincoln is not, and somehow everything he wants. And they’ll be going undercover. As newlyweds.

For Carter, seeing Lincoln again—and flustered to boot—pokes his raging bear of a crush something fierce. He thinks posing as lovers will provide the perfect bait for Dr. Fear. But pretending to be married forces them to confront fears of their own…like giving in to the very real chemistry between them.

With evidence pointing to the possibility of a copycat killer, Lincoln and Carter will have to race to separate truth from fiction. But when another couple goes missing, finding the killer will test every ounce of their training, skills and the strength of their bond like never before.

I've enjoyed reading this author's previous books, so this was an automatic add to my tbr. I'm looking forward to reading it. And I'm glad this is a stand alone! I have so many series that I am in the middle of, and I hate trying to remember what is going on in each series.

What are you waiting on this week?

Cuddly Behavior (Bad Behavior #6)
by L.A. Witt and Cari Z.

Expected publication: April 15th 2020

Genre: M/M, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Detective Andreas Ruffner is less than thrilled when his husband and partner, Detective Darren Corliss, announces they’ll be cat-sitting for a couple of weeks. He’s even less pleased when he realizes the cat in question is a large grumpy thing with razor-sharp claws and no regard for personal space.

When Darren deploys the puppy dog eyes, though, Andreas is powerless to say no, so they’re on kitty detail… and despite his best efforts, Andreas is a sucker for the critter shedding all over his apartment and stealing his husband’s affection.

It’s only for two weeks. Plenty of time for the cat to get on his nerves, but not nearly enough for her to trick him into falling in love with her. Right?

This 15,000 word short story is Bad Behavior book 6, and is best read after Protective Behavior.

My WoW last week was the 5th book in this series, Protective Behavior. I'm so happy to find this novella that will be released featuring the couple from books 1-4. I'm looking forward to reading this!

What are you waiting on this week?

Protective Behavior (Bad Behavior #5)
by L.A. Witt and Cari Z.

Expected publication: April 8th 2020

Genre: N/M, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Detective Mark Thibedeau is perfectly happy doing his job in Internal Affairs and going home to his cat. Still, when his assistant wants to set him up on a blind date, he can’t help but be intrigued.

Dr. Ryan Campbell loves the frenetic pace of working in an emergency department. He likes his life and doesn’t need anyone. But that guy his colleague wants him to meet does sound pretty interesting.

It’s instant chemistry when they meet—and instant chaos.

That chaos isn’t just phone calls interrupting dates. When a patient comes into the ED rapidly bleeding out from a gunshot wound, Ryan suddenly finds himself in possession of evidence that could very well put two white cops in jail for killing an innocent black man in cold blood.

Not sure what else to do, Ryan takes the evidence to the only cop he can trust—Mark.

Now Mark is investigating a delicate case, and Ryan is a material witness, and putting their fledgling relationship on hold is the least of their problems. Dirty cops stalk Ryan and his colleagues. Higher-ups question Mark’s investigative integrity at every turn. Worse, he’s tugging at threads of a citywide systemic problem of cops getting away with racially motivated murder.

And there are cops with blood on their hands who will gladly kill to keep that system running.

CW: Racially motivated violence, white-cop-on-black civilian violence

This book is #5 in the Bad Behavior series, but can be read as a standalone.

What a nice surprise to see a new book is being released in this series. I loved the first 4 books, so even though this isn't the same couple, I'm hoping I'll enjoy it just as much.

What are you waiting on this week?

Third One (Those Other Books #3) by Roe Horvat

Expected publication: March 30th 2020 by Roe Horvat

Genre: M/M/M, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:

It could have been just an innocent crush. Something guiltless and fleeting. But Luke spends every day with Marcus; they talk, touch and dance together, they create and perform together. They know each other inside out. As a consequence, Luke has been in love with his very much taken choreographer for years. Seeing Marcus and his partner Liam together has become increasingly painful, and Luke needs to leave. His dancing career is nearing an end anyway. He will start university, reinvent himself, forget Marcus and find happiness elsewhere.

Except Marcus loves him back. And Liam knows. Liam’s dark eyes and his imposing silhouette begin haunting Luke’s dreams. Drowning in both lust and sadness, Luke is swept into a passionate triangle with two men who couldn’t be more different. Suddenly, instead of fear or caution, there’s just a mind-numbing desire for more.

I've read the previous books in this series, so I'll probably read this one, too. All of the books are sex heavy smut. Which is okay, but they always leave me wanting more 'romance', or relationship development, or character development. I'll see how this one goes, but I am hoping for more than 'sex' as a plot.

What are you waiting on this week?

More Than Life by Mary Calmes

Published March 16th 2020

Genre: M/M, Romance

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

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Hart Jarrett was only supposed to be passing through Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He wasn’t supposed to get involved, no emotional entanglements to tie him down. Setting down roots was never part of the plan, not until he opened himself up to love. Too bad the man he bet on bailed and left Hart holding the ranch. There were two choices after that: run away, or stay and build something real from nothing.

Nearly six years later, Hart has created a home and a life he never expected, with the help of his best friend and foreman, Morgan Brace. The ranch is thriving thanks to its loyal men and strong ties to the community. But there’s a snake in the garden, and it takes many forms. There’s a dead man on Hart’s property, a man he knows, and the questions are piling up. As if that weren’t enough, his ex has reappeared out of the blue, with plans to reclaim what he willingly gave.
And, to make matters worse, it appears Morgan is finally taking his dating life seriously.

Everything Hart has built is unraveling.

The life Hart wants doesn’t work without Morgan in it. Imagining a future without Morgan, him turning elsewhere for love and coming in second to someone else in Morgan’s heart—as well as his bed—is almost unbearable. So maybe, just maybe, the answer lies in Hart confessing that he loves Morgan more than life itself.
If Hart gambles and loses, will he even still want the life he’s worked so hard to build?

Somehow I missed the release on this. Surprise! I've read more than a few of this author's books, and I have to admit that I haven't liked all of them. The author tends to write a little far fetched scenarios and characters for my likes. Whatever. I'll still read it and see what it's like.

What are you waiting on this week?

Murder at Pirate's Cove
(Secrets and Scrabble #1) by Josh Lanyon

Published February 29th 2020 by JustJoshin Publishing, Inc.

Genre: M/M, Mystery, Romance
Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Ellery Page, aspiring screenwriter, Scrabble champion and guy-with-worst-luck-in-the-world-when-it-comes-to-dating, is ready to make a change. So when he learns he's inherited both a failing bookstore and a falling-down mansion in the quaint seaside village of Pirate's Cove on Buck Island, Rhode Island, it's full steam ahead!

Sure enough, the village is charming, its residents amusingly eccentric, and widowed police chief Jack Carson is decidedly yummy (though probably as straight as he is stern). However, the bookstore is failing, the mansion is falling down, and there's that little drawback of finding rival bookseller--and head of the unwelcoming-committee--Trevor Maples dead during the annual Buccaneer Days celebration.

Still, it could be worse. And once Police Chief Carson learns Trevor was killed with the cutlass hanging over the door of Ellery's bookstore, it is.

**This story contains NO on-screen sex or violence.

I haven't read a lot of cozy mysteries, but it's Josh Lanyon, so of course I was going to read it! It's a different genre than I'm used to, but I enjoyed it enough to read it in one sitting because I just had to find out what happened!

I loved both of the main characters. At first, Ellery was a little timid, but he soon proved just how much of a busybody he was. He was all up in everyone's business trying to investigate the murder on the sly. And Jack seemed like a nice, manly fella with terrific policing instincts. Ellery and Jack's paths crossed frequently, and I really enjoyed their interactions.

The mystery plot went along nicely, becoming more and more complicated with each turn of the page. A whole slew of suspects were introduced, and numerous secrets were revealed. There was certainly lot of nefarious activity for such a small seaside village!

Overall, this was a very entertaining cozy mystery, and I'm looking forward to continuing the series.

arc received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.