Summer's Best~ Racheal's Picks

Next up on our Summer's Best picks is Racheal! Another reviewer who read a ton this summer and was forced to choose her favorites. We have some amazing ones again for you. Again, if you missed the others so far click the links and check them out:

Truus' Picks

Erin's Picks

Morningstar's Picks

Jenn's Picks

Here are Racheal's picks for the summer...

Out, Proud, and Prejudice by Megan Reddaway

One’s proud, one’s prejudiced, and they can’t stand each other.

Quick-tempered Bennet Rourke dislikes Darius Lanniker on sight. Darius may be a hotshot city lawyer, but that doesn’t give him the right to sneer at Bennet, his friends, and their college. It doesn’t help that Bennet’s restaurant job has him waiting at Darius’s table. So when his tutor recommends him for an internship at Darius’s Pemberley estate, Bennet isn’t sure he wants it. He’s also not sure he can afford to turn it down.

Darius is a fish out of water in the small college town of Meriton, but something keeps pulling him back there. He’s helping out a friend with business advice, nothing more. If he’s interested in Bennet, it’s not serious. Sure, Bennet challenges him in a way no other man has. But they have nothing in common. Right?

Wrong. Their best friends are falling in love, and Bennet and Darius can’t seem to escape each other. Soon they’re sharing climbing ropes and birthday cake, and there’s a spark between them that won’t be denied. But betrayal is around the corner. Darius must swallow his pride and Bennet must drop his prejudices to see the rainbow shining through the storm clouds.

Purchase on Amazon 

From A Jack to a King by Scotty Cade

New York Times best-selling mystery writer Bay Whitman leads the life of a celebrity—at least on the surface. In public he’s self-assured and in control. Women hang on his every word, while men envy his confidence and swagger. But in reality, Bay is a loner. He’s shy and introverted, and his life consists of sitting in a dimly lit room writing his famous Jack Robbins mystery novels. His one vice—gambling. Winning an escort in a poker game will change Bay’s life in ways he never imagined.
Matthew “King” Slater is one of the hottest tickets in gay porn. He spends his days in front of the camera and his nights as a highly paid escort to the rich and famous. Deep down, he craves romance and a real connection, but his past makes it hard to separate the needs of his body from those of his heart. For now, it’s easier to think of sex as just a job. But while doing a shoot in Vegas, King is hired for a tryst at a famous hotel and casino, and his handsome client might blur the line between work and play.

Purchase on Dreamspinner 

Rainbow Place by Jay Northcote

Can Jason find the courage he needs to be the man Seb deserves?

When Seb Radcliffe relocates to a seaside town in Cornwall, he feels like a fish out of water. He misses queer spaces and the sense of community he enjoyed when he was living in the city, and decides to open an LGBT-friendly cafe-bar.

Jason Dunn is the builder Seb hires to help renovate the rundown space where the cafe will be housed. Jason is also gay, but unlike Seb, he's deep in the closet. He's never had a relationship with another man--only allowing himself the occasional hook up with guys who are prepared to be discreet.

The attraction between the two men is instant and impossible to ignore. But while Seb is out and proud, Jason is terrified of being exposed. With the grand opening of Rainbow Place approaching, tension is growing among some locals who object to Seb's plans. When things escalate, Jason is forced to choose whether to hide in the shadows and let Seb down, or to openly support the man he's fallen so hard for.

Although this book is part of a series, it has a satisfying happy ending and can be read as a standalone.

Purchase on Amazon 

Something About Us by Riley Hart 

Falling in love was the easy part.
 
Lucky and Saint are head-over-heels for each other. It doesn’t matter that they met only a few months ago. It also doesn’t matter that this is Saint’s first real relationship and Lucky’s first with a man. They’re infatuated, happy, and excited to start their life together in LA.
 
It isn’t as easy as they thought.
 
Away from home for the first time and feeling like he has to compete with Saint’s experienced and cultured friends, Lucky is a fish out of water. Saint is still coming to grips with his recent loss while doing everything he can to keep Lucky happy. The only time things feel right is when they lock themselves away from the world—when they’re alone, everything is perfect.
 
But reality comes crashing back in to challenge them at every turn. Lucky and Saint need to learn how to stand together, as well as apart, if they’re to have any hope of making this last. They’re learning the hard way that “I love you” is when the real work begins. 

Purchase on Amazon 

Wanted- Bad Boyfriend by TA Moore

His mother. His best friend. The barmaid at the local pub. Everyone is determined to find Nathan Moffatt a boyfriend. It’s the last thing Nathan wants. After spending every day making sure his clients experience nothing but romantic magic, the Granshire Hotel’s wedding organiser just wants to go home, binge watch crime dramas, and eat pizza in his underwear.

Unfortunately, no one believes him, and he’s stuck with lectures about dying alone. Then inspiration strikes. He needs the people in his life to want him to stay single as much as he does. He needs a bad boyfriend.

There’s only one man for the job.

Flynn Delaney is used to people on Ceremony thinking the worst of him. But he isn’t sure he wants the dubious honor of worst boyfriend on the entire island. On the other hand, if he plays along, he gets to hang out with the gorgeous Nathan and piss off the Granshire’s owners. It’s a win-win.

There’s only one problem. Flynn’s actually quite a good boyfriend, and now Nathan’s wondering if getting off the sofa occasionally is really the worst thing in the world

Purchase on Dreamspinner  




That ends another day of Summer's Best! Come back tomorrow for our next reviewer!!!

Summer's Best~ Jenn's Picks

I hope you're loving these Summer's Best picks form the reviewers here on Diverse Reader and I'm sure your TBR has increased. Today is Jenn's turn. She read a lot this summer and it was difficult for her to choose, but she did it. If you missed the first three reviewer's picks check them out:

Truus' Picks

Erin's Picks

Morningstar's Pick

Here are Jenn's picks!

A Tender Curiosity by Charlie Cochet

Take a journey into the past and meet the men who laughed, lived, and loved in a bygone era. This collection includes three short but sweet tales of infatuation, adventure, humor, and even a dash of the paranormal.

When Love Walked In
Private investigator Bruce Shannon’s cases of missing persons and infidelity don’t inspire warm feelings around Valentine’s Day. Luckily Bruce is quite happy with only his cat for companionship—until handsome Jace Scarret wanders off the street and into Bruce’s life.

In His Corner
Former world heavyweight boxing champion Jessie “the Demon” Dalton needs a cornerman, and Eli jumps at the chance, hoping for answers about why Jessie broke his heart years ago. It soon becomes clear that Jessie needs Eli in his corner—and in his life. Now all Eli has to do is convince Jessie.

Believe Me, Beloved
Robert Bradley dreams of singing on the radio, and when he attends the masked ball of handsome station owner Gabriel Chase, Robert has no idea his dream is about to take an unexpected paranormal turn.

Purchase on Dreamspinner 

Bad Influence by K.A. Mitchell

Can a future be built from pieces of a broken past?

Jordan Barnett is dead, killed as much by the rejection of his first love at his moment of greatest need as by his ultraconservative parents’ effort to deprogram the gay away.

In his place is Silver, a streetwise survivor who’s spent the last three years becoming untouchable… except to those willing to pay for the privilege. He’s determined not to let betrayal find him again, and that means never forging bonds that can be broken.

No matter how hard he tried, Zebadiah Harris couldn’t outrun his guilt over abandoning his young lover—not even by leaving the country. Now, almost the moment he sets foot back in Baltimore, he discovers Silver on a street corner in a bad part of town. His effort to make amends lands them both in jail, where Silver plans a seductive form of vengeance. But using a heart as a stepping-stone is no way to move past the one man he can’t forgive, let alone forget….

 Purchase on Dreamspinner

Something About You by Riley Hart

Lucky Tyler Holloway has never felt particularly lucky. Frankly, he's as regular as can be. He works construction with his brothers, loves his small-town life, and shares a close bond with his family, especially his grandmother. Okay, so maybe he has a few secrets in his closet, like his bisexuality…and that other thing he doesn’t talk about…
 
Grayson ‘Saint’ St. Claire has it all: a dream job in LA, money, freedom. Saint doesn’t do attachments, which is just the way he likes it. Still, he’d be lying if he didn’t admit he missed his deceased parents, the only family he had... Until he gets an email from some guy named Tyler, revealing the existence of a grandmother he’s never met, prompting Saint to drop everything and drive across the country.
 
Saint and Tyler couldn't be more different. Tyler dislikes Saint on sight, but there's something about Tyler that gets under Saint's skin. It’s not until they get to know one another that everything begins to change for the better. But the Holloways and St. Claires have secrets, their pasts tied together in tragic ways. With the odds stacked against them, Saint and Tyler have to face the fact that love alone might not be enough… 

Purchase on Amazon 

Dead To Me by Pandora Pine

Psychic, Tennyson Grimm, was kicked out of his house and disowned by his religious parents when he came out to them as gay and psychic. The last thing Tennyson’s father said before the teenager boarded a Greyhound bus to Boston was that his son was dead to him. Flash forward thirteen years later, Tennyson couldn’t have been more surprised when he woke to find the newly dead spirit of his father sitting on the end of his bed. David Grimm had one request of his estranged son. Go to Kansas and reunite with his mother.

Cold Case Detective, Ronan O’Mara, was all for this family reunion. Still recovering from injuries suffered during his last criminal investigation, he figures they’ll fly to Kansas, bury Tennyson’s father, and the hatchet with Kaye Grimm, then come back to Boston in time to plan their upcoming wedding.

When the Union Chapel Sheriff comes to Tennyson and Ronan with a years-old cold case he’d like them to look into, the Boston-based duo can’t turn down taking a peek at the case file. Tennyson is easily able to figure out whodunit, but the sheriff is leery to believe in his gift, bringing old prejudices back to life, and leaving Ronan to hunt for physical evidence the killer left behind.

Will Ronan be able to solve the cold case and help Tennyson resolve the decade-old feud with his mother? Or will the tornado, with its sights set on the tiny town of Union Chapel, Kansas, make the other questions moot?

Purchase on Amazon 

Cort Unbreakable by Felice Stevens

Cort
I spent years waiting for someone who never put me first.
He took my love, took me for granted.
Took my heart.
Now I’m on my own.
Living life my way.
The crowd only sees my smile.
Never my loneliness and pain.
I need someone to need me.
When I meet another lost soul my friends try to warn me.
He’s a liar.
A user.
Homeless.
Heartbroken.
He’s all that and more.
He’s everything I’ve ever wanted.

Harlan
I’m king of my world.
Untouchable.
Then it all comes crashing down.
My secrets are exposed.
I’m cut off from my family.
Unrecognizable from the man I used to be.
Barely surviving, living day-to-day and out of control.
Nothing to hold on to.
I let go and fall so far there’s no way up.
Until a cowboy reaches into my darkness and brings me back to the light.
With him I can breathe.
I can be who I am.
Who he needs.
He gives me hope
To find myself.
To find love.

Purchase on Amazon



Be sure to read these great books and come back tomorrow for the next reviewer's picks!

Summer's Best~ Morningstar's Picks

It's day three of the Summer's Best and reviewer Morningstar is up telling everyone her top favorites of the summer. If you missed Truus and Erin's top choices click these to see: Truus' Picks
Erin's Picks

Here are Morningstar's Summer Picks.....

Bitten By Her by Annabelle Jacobs

Brought together by fate, torn apart by family.

Rachel Tregarrak, Penwith pack beta and daughter of the alpha, has always called the rugged Cornish coast her home. With its beautiful landscapes, bracing sea air, and vast spaces to run, she can’t imagine living anywhere else.

After years of living with her mother in her grandfather’s pack, Sara Gallen returns to Penzance to be with her alpha father and her brothers. She wants to build their relationships, get to know the rest of her family better than occasional visits allow.

When their paths cross on the full moon, the attraction is immediate and instinctive. But Sara’s father refuses to allow such a union and forbids any further contact. Sara finds solace with her grandmother in her alpha council residence, and Rachel is sent to a London pack to keep her out of trouble. Both women feel the desperate ache of an uncompleted bond, but unless they find a way to be together, it’ll fade to nothing and their connection will be lost.

Purchase on Amazon

Auctioned by Cara Dee

Gray Nolan’s biggest problem in life was the torch he carried for his closeted coach. He was just another happy-go-lucky dude, a college student and hockey player, when his ordinary existence was interrupted, and he became a human trafficking statistic.

He and seven other young men were taken aboard a luxurious yacht where they were to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Gray was beaten, shattered, and almost defeated by the time his buyer stepped out of the shadows in a swirl of his own cigarette smoke.

He was Gray’s new owner.

Darius Quinn had vowed never again to find himself in a situation like this. His days as a private military contractor were over. No more missions, no more risks, no more personal attachments. Yet, here he was, after weeks of searching, face-to-face with his broken prize.

It was time to get the knucklehead back to his family.

Quick and easy was Darius’s plan.

Then everything went sideways.

Purchase on Amazon 

My Fair Captain by JL Langley

Talk about a compromising situation!
A storm of political intrigue, murderous mayhem and sexual hungers is brewing on planet Regelence.

Swarthy Intergalactic Navy Captain Nathaniel Hawkins ran from a past he had no intention of ever reliving. But when his Admiral asks him to use his peerage, as an earl and the heir to a dukedom, to investigate a missing weapons stash, he’s forced to do just that. As if being undercover on a Regency planet where the young men are supposed to remain pure until marriage isn’t bad enough, Nate finds himself attracted to the king’s unmarried son.

All Prince Aiden Townsend has ever wanted was to be an artist. He has no interest in a marriage of political fortune or becoming a societal paragon. Until he lands in the arms of the mysterious Earl of Deverell. One look at Nate’s handsome face has Aiden reconsidering his future. Not only does Nate make a virile subject for Aiden’s art, but the great war hero awakens feelings in Aiden he has never felt, feelings he can’t ignore.

After a momentous dance at a season ball, Aiden and Nate find themselves exchanging important information and working closely together. They have to fight their growing attraction long enough to find out who stole the weapons and keep themselves from a compromising situation and certain scandal.

Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, graphic language, violence, hot nekkid man-love.

Purchase on Dreamspinner




That's all for today, folks. Come back tomorrow for more!