From Hiatus to Hues of Love: My MM Romance Obsession

Hello everyone! I’m so excited to be back in the book blogging world! I took a bit of a break, but my love for MM romance novels has pulled me back in.

It’s been quite some time since I last blogged, and I think it’s about time I dive back into it—especially to share my passion for MM romance books. This genre holds a special place in my heart, and I’m beyond excited to start reviewing and recommending some of my all-time favorites.

Trust me, my list is extensive!

If you’re wondering just how much I adore MM romance, let me put it into perspective: last year alone, I devoured over 300 books, both reading and listening to them.

And here we are, barely through February, and I’ve already finished 27! It makes me wonder just how many I can get through by the end of the year. Any guesses? 🤔

Currently, I’m especially thrilled because I’ve been diving into several ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) from some truly amazing authors.

These upcoming releases are nothing short of phenomenal, and I can’t wait for the chance to share my reviews and get these books into your hands.

Stay tuned for in-depth reviews, recommendations, and perhaps some sneak peeks into these upcoming gems. Whether you’re a seasoned fan of MM romance or new to the genre, I hope my blog will become your go-to source for discovering new and exciting reads!

Who Said Witness Protection Was Boring? by J. F. Miev Aria Clark Out Now

MATTHEW

It was supposed to be a quiet night of gaming. But then the power went out. No biggie—it happens here in Queens. So, I went to grab food. That’s when everything went to hell. My house was attacked.

My aunt handed me a mysterious box, told me a code phrase and sent me running into the night to a secret meeting spot. There, I was supposed to wait for the call. It came. 

Oh, did it. And with it a giant masked man who claimed he’s here to save me. I tried to fight him—I’m suspicious by nature. But the only big thing about me is my mouth. And besides, once he explained everything and took off that mask? Yeah, you bet I’m seducing that hottie.

KIERAN

Code Molniya. I never expected to hear that name again. But on the night it happens, I’m ready for it. It’s my only chance to get to the bottom of my parents’ accident and I’m not letting it slip.

They were CIA agents like me, and there is more to their death than the Agency is willing to share. So, I must take things into my own hands. And that includes the sassy, conspiracy-loving disaster of a witness that I get tasked with protecting.

He’s shameless, a handful, and a bit crazy. He’s the first man I find cute. And he believes me. So, when he offers a trade that benefits us both, I don’t think twice. The only caveat?

The CIA can’t know what we are up to or we’ll both end up in jail.

This low angst, action-mystery romance features secret services idiots to lovers, bi-awakening, size-difference, sass, hurt/comfort, slow-ish burn to spice and two men who are perfect for each other.

It is part of the Mobster Mayhem series and can be read as a stand alone.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The most fun I had reading a book in a while!

Matt is a smart mouth, sassy and flirty college student who finds himself in danger when his aunt is killed.

Kieran is a CIA agent who is sent to save Matt from the people that killed his aunt. Kieran wasn’t supposed to be there, but who says things always go as planned?

Matt’s witty and can outsmart even the smartest of them. His short stature and sweet face make him look like an angel but behind that sweet fasçade,
you’ll find claws as sharp as a lion’s.

Matt storms into Kieran’s life turning it upside down in the best of ways. His light, energy and strength are exactly what Kieran didn’t know he needed.

This book was so much fun to read. It’s one of those books that instantly become a favorite reread. Kieran and Matt’s chemistry was amazing. They both were each other’s comfort zone and rely on each other to be safe.

The way they work together as a team to unravel the conspiracy around them, makes the story super entertaining and exciting. Matt’s quick thinking and charm makes it more enjoyable because Matt’s no damsel in distress.

Low angst, thrilling, steamy and a happy ending. You’ll laugh and smile from ear to ear.

Who said that running for your life wasn’t romantic and fun?🤭

The Prince’s Mate by Stella Rainbow (Out Now)

I left so I wouldn’t turn into my worst nightmare. Now my mate hates me.

Walker

When I first arrived in Otherworld as a five-year-old, I trusted only two people: Damien, the king of Otherworld, and his best friend, Caelan.

Caelan became my best friend too, until the day he left Otherworld with no explanation.

Over the years, all my feelings for him turned bitter, until all I could do was hate him, even when he returned for good.

When my dads sent Caelan and me to the human realm, I struggled between my hate for the man I once adored, and the feelings I kept hidden deep in my heart.

Caelan

When I found out that my best friend’s newly adopted five-year-old was my mate, I did what I knew was best: I left.

I returned seventeen years later, and Walker wasn’t a kid anymore. He was a handsome young man, and he hated me.

When Damien and his mates conspired together by sending Walker and me to the human realm, I expected more of the same hatred and dislike.

Instead, I discovered Walker might not hate me as much as I’d thought, and a blast from the past that could ruin everything.

The Prince’s Mate is an MM romance featuring two men who met too early in life but got a second chance at love because of nosy dads and a conspiring magical snake who loves to talk.

This story is connected to Stella Rainbow’s Fate’s Gambit (the story of Walker’s dads) and the Lords of Otherworld series. While it can be read as a standalone, you can find out more about the characters mentioned in this book by reading these series. You can find a full list of Stella’s books and how they connect with each other on her website.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Can I just start by saying the Ro stole the show?! The sassy snake made me laugh out loud so many times with his shenanigans. He made the story so much better and entertaining.

I loved Caelen and Walker so much. Two broken souls that needed each other to be mended. I know Walker behaved like a brat but he didn’t know how to deal with his feelings of abandonment.

It was hard for him to understand why Caelen left him. My heart broke for Caelen. He did what he thought was the right thing in order to protect himself, even if that meant hurting those he loved the most.

Sometimes you have to make sacrifices even if that means breaking your own heart. I hope we do get more of Ro, Caelen and Walker. They’re the perfect three musketeers! They were so fun to read about.

Candy Hearts 2 Various Authors (Out Now)

What’s sweeter than a low angst queer romance at Valentine’s Day? How about twenty-three of them in one anthology to help support a good cause?Each novella in the Candy Hearts Anthology, volume 2, is overflowing with red-hot romance and all the good feels.

The participating authors in this volume are: Anna Sparrows BA Tortuga Becca Seymour Beck Grey Bix Barrow BL Maxwell CD Rachels Chantal Mer D.K. Sutton David Gray E.M. Denning Hinsel Meyer Jem Wendel Lee Blair London Price Marie Sinclair Merry Farmer Minerva Howe Riley Long Rye Cox Stella Rainbow Susan Scott Shelley Victoria Gillilan Zoe Lee

Candy hearts review (so far)

Silver Fox Lining by Anna Sparrows 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Age gaps and dad’s best friend is one of my favorite tropes and this one did not disappoint. Cody has had a crush on Kenneth since he was a teen. As his dad’s best friend, Cody feels he has no chance with Kenneth and thinks he’s way out of his league.

Kenneth is the typical playboy CEO who’s tired of hookups and meaningless sex but Cody is off limits. The thing about being forbidden from doing something, it’s the fact that you want it even more. The text to a wrong number ends up being the chance they didn’t know they wanted.

I was chuckling the whole time during Cody’s fumbles. I died of second hand embarrassment during THAT elevator scene! My poor Cody can’t catch a break, haha.

I love no angsts and happy endings. I loved that there was no drama with Cody’s dad or that Kenneth didn’t dwell on whether to accept his feelings for Cody because of friendship. Short, sweet and to the point. Just how I like it! 

Drunk dialing by B A Tortuga 4 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Cute and to the point. Not familiar with all the rodeo terms or cowboy lingos but I enjoyed it. 

Falling for 42 by Becca Seymour 4 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Story was cute. Loved how the brother was the one to help them see their attraction to each other. Which there was more to the story though. There’s so much that can be said about Malik and Kobe.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Beck Grey 4 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Four stars only because I wanted more of Danny and Mike! This was a story that I wish was a full book! I hated what their parents and coworkers did to them both. It’s sad that despite it been almost 40 years, a lot hasn’t changed.

Ignorance, bigotry and homophobia are still a huge problem in our society today. It’s a lot better but not as it should be. People should be able to be who they are and love who they want without being judged.

I’m just glad Mike and Danny were able to leave the toxic place that only made them miserable.

Last Mango in Palm Springs by Bix Barrow 4 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Talk about meeting your soulmate by taking the wrong luggage! This was a sweet and heartwarming story. I loved how Zachary’s patience helped Ford through his newfound sexual awakening.

He helped him understand that it was ok to feel the way he felt and that there was nothing wrong with him. I loved how tender and gentle he was with Ford without making him feel overwhelmed. My favorite part was the epilogue. Ford is so adorable.

Sixteen or Ninety-One by BL Maxwell 4 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Super cute story. Love it when love finds you in the most unexpected way. Jake is a restaurant owner who’s looking for Mr. Forever. Spencer is a sexy guy who’s looking for someone that can deal with him being a workaholic.

They meet a party but Jake goes to the wrong group because he saw the wrong number. Both Jake and Spencer hit it off from the get go and sparks fly. They both needed something more meaningful than a hookup and boy did they find it. 

My Eel-ectric Valentine by CD Rachels 4 🌟🌟🌟🌟

What can be hotter than a maritime monster and a human? A handsome black man with braids! It made me so happy to read this story. Tyson was so adorable. His forgetfulness led him to find the love of his life. Ardsley was absolutely adorable. I could imagine a beautiful and colorful eel with the most beautiful eyes. Really enjoyed this story.

Demon Keeper by Stella Rainbow 4 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Demons and humans? Yes, please! I fell in love with Stella’s Otherworld and Afterworld after reading Maximus and The Prince’s Mate. It was so good to read Demon Keeper because it showed a different side of the realms.

This was a really cute story  too bad it was so short, haha. Hated the ex and the landlord so much! I’m glad Mathew found someone who really cherished him and that Ten found someone who loved his true self. Definitely recommend it.

Current ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) Reading

The Chance (As Above Book 4) by Rae Stone

Jordan

Keep him safe.That’s my only assigned job as the bodyguard for the drummer of As Above. I know that doesn’t include sharing space and secrets, but it works for us.

For the band. For the security company I work for.For my client.Until it doesn’t.Until I want … more?But I can’t want more without losing everything I have.And I can’t go through that again.

Mac

My name’s Mac Thompson, and I’m in love with my best friend—wait, no. My best friend is my bodyguard—no, wait. That’s not supposed to happen, either.

Let me try again.I’m Mac, and I play drums in the band that my brothers and I created out of my Ma’s garage when we were teens. We’ve made it big enough that people know my name.

That our music is played in clubs and stages alike.I’ve seen the world.Played to thousands.Yet, the only thing I’ve ever pined for … is him.

The Chance is an MM rock star romance where best friends become strangers who become lovers, and includes topics not meant for audiences under the age of eighteen.

This is the fourth book in the As Above series but can be read as a complete standalone.

Chasing Howe: An MM Enemies To Lovers Sci-Fi Romance Mystery (Forging the Stars Book 1) by J. F. Miev

Aiden had everything—his dream career, a comfortable life and a fiancée he loved. But when she is murdered during a business trip to Mars, his perfect world shatters.

An investigation and a trial soon follow, and the space smuggler, Darren Howe, is quickly convicted. However, when no motive is supplied and Howe is given a life sentence instead of the death penalty, things don’t add up.

No matter how hard Aiden tries, the authorities refuse to explain their decision, leaving him with no choice but to seek the answers elsewhere.

Two years later, Aiden secures a job as the warden at Jupiter’s Horizons Space Prison. The plan is simple—find out the truth and kill Howe.

But things get complicated when he approaches the charismatic man who awakens in him urges he hasn’t felt in years.

The truths Aiden uncovers as he fights the attraction between them will reveal secrets he might not be ready for and make him question everything he knows about the life he’s lived so far.

Chasing Howe is an enemies-to-lovers MM sci-fi romance mystery about an ex-architect who will stop at nothing until he avenges the death of his fiancée and the prisoner who will turn his world upside-down.

It serves as an easy introduction to the low sci-fi genre and features hidden identities, a generous dose of mystery, high stakes, slow burn, pining, obsession and an intriguing plot. It is Book 1 in the Forging the Stars duet.

The Valrais Legacy (Forging the Stars Book 2) by J. F. Miev

After discovering the truth about the Valrais Family, Aiden’s fate is sealed. The only person he can trust is the man he once swore to kill – Darren Howe.

A month after Aiden’s life takes an unexpected turn, he and Darren return to the hideout on the abandoned asteroid. There, Sara’s AI reveals the contents of the Valrais Legacy, half of which are shrouded in a mystery that takes the two men to Earth.

As Aiden and Darren set out to uncover a truth that could change the world, they inevitably grow closer. The more Aiden learns about Darren, the more he sees a man who is haunted by a past he’d kept buried for too long.Just like Aiden.

Valentwin by Astra Shadow

Two men bonded by blood realize they mean a lot more to each other this Valentine’s Day…

Trevor
The day my twin moved away, my life turned…colorless. I didn’t know if all twins were as close as Tommy and I, but I missed him like someone had ripped away half of me.

When I got into a car accident, Tommy rushed home because he always took care of me, and this time, I was going to do whatever it took to keep him from leaving.

Making him stay turned out to be the easiest thing I’d ever had to do.

Thomas
I moved away from my twin after our eighteenth birthday, even though it broke both our hearts. But it was the only way I could protect him.

Returning to his side after five years felt strange, but I loved him just as much. When I discovered he thought I’d left because of something he did, I had to come clean, even if that meant he’d hate me forever.

I never expected I’d get everything I’d ever wanted instead.

Valentwin is a 17k words MM taboo novella featuring twins who desperately love each other, an unfortunate—or maybe fortunate–accident that brings them back together, and a well-deserved HEA.
Valentwin is a part of the Sinfully Mine collaboration.

Hot Set by Caleb Marks

While the cameras roll, can Alex and Brandon take a chance on love, or will their story end up on the cutting room floor?

Brandon
I’ve seen plenty of talented make-up artists, but Alex Addams is different. His artistry is impressive, sure, but he’s also stubborn, witty, and way hotter than I’d like to admit.

Besides, he’s straight—or so he claims.
But getting involved could mean pushing Alex further from his FBI dreams. Is it selfish to want him here with me? Or are we both ready to risk it all for a love worth fighting for?

Alex
I had my future mapped out—join the FBI’s art forgery team, track down priceless artifacts, live a life filled with purpose and adventure. Instead, I’m back in my hometown, broke, and clinging to the hope that one day my career will take off.

So, when my new friend Brandon offers me a job on his indie horror set, I jump at the chance.
Now, I’m torn between the career I’ve always wanted and the man who’s changing everything I thought I knew about myself.

Hot Set explores straight-to-gay and coming out between a hunky billionaire producer and his hired hot make-up artist. This MM romance features the challenges of making an indie film in a small town and chasing loftier dreams.

174 pages, Kindle Edition

I’m so lucky I get to read these books before anyone else. I

I hope you get the chance to read them and enjoy them as much as I did.

I’ll be doing more ARCs from other authors. Can’t wait to share them with you!

Don’t know where to start? Start here.