Stalking Buffalo Bill by J. Leigh Bailey

A smitten coyote isn’t the only one stalking Buffalo Bill.

A buffalo walks into a cafe. Sounds like the start of a bad joke, but for coyote shifter Donnie Granger, it’s the beginning of an obsession. Donnie is a little hyperactive and a lot distractible, except when it comes to William. He finally works up the nerve to approach William but is interrupted by a couple of violent humans.

While William—don’t call me Bill—is currently a professor, he once worked undercover against an international weapons-trafficking ring. Before he can settle into obscurity, he must find out who leaked his location and eliminate the thugs. He tries keeping his distance to protect Donnie, but the wily coyote won’t stay away.

It’ll take both Donnie’s skills as a stalker—er, hunter—and William’s super-spy expertise to neutralize the threat so they can discover if an excitable coyote and a placid-until-pissed buffalo have a future together.

Book 1
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Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆
This is a ridiculously silly (but still kinda fun) shifter romance. It starts out quite sensibly with an excitable, twinky barista fancying one of his customers, an older college professor. But by the time the author has added a string of action sequences and fights between organised crime hitmen and shifters of every possible species, my head was spinning and I couldn’t keep track of who was doing what to whom.

I’m not sure how much of this story is supposed to be taken seriously. Some of the humour is intentional (gotta love the bison shifter named William = Buffalo Bill). Some of the humour came from ridiculous villains using exaggerated dialogue straight from a 1980s TV crime drama.

Even more of the humour came from the WTF moments where I tried to figure out what was going on. So many complicated back plots are referenced and not clarified in this story that I was sure I was jumping into the middle of an established series until I rechecked that this is book #1 on Goodreads.

There are also some serious moments as Donnie tries to figure out his future and work through his relationship with his family. I’m not sure this works terribly well in a relatively short novel with a whole lot of action and deliberate humour. William remains a mystery through much of this story and even by the end he hadn’t developed much beyond what he told Donnie about himself.

Without thinking too hard, this is a fun and exciting read. It won’t stand up to any intense scrutiny but there were some scenes that made me laugh and there really aren’t enough stories about buffalo shifters!

J. LEIGH BAILEY is an office drone by day and romance author by night. She can usually be found with her nose in a book or pressed up against her computer monitor. A book-a-day reading habit sometimes gets in the way of… well, everything… but some habits aren’t worth breaking. She’s been reading romance novels since she was ten years old. The last twenty years or so have not changed her voracious appetite for stories of romance, relationships, and achieving that vitally important Happy Ever After. She’s a firm believer that everyone, no matter their gender, age, sexual orientation, or paranormal affiliation, deserves a happy ending.

She wrote her first story at seven which was, unbeknownst to her at the time, a charming piece of fanfiction in which Superman battled (and defeated, of course) the nefarious X Luther. (She was quite put out to be told later that the character’s name was supposed to be Lex.) Her second masterpiece should have been a bestseller, but the action-packed tale of rescuing her little brother from an alligator attack in the marshes of Florida collected dust for years under the bed instead of gaining critical acclaim.

Now she writes about boys traversing the crazy world of love, relationships, and acceptance.

Connect with J. Leigh

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Stalking Buffalo Bill (Shifter U #1) by J. Leigh Bailey to read and review.

Guyliner by J. Leigh Bailey

Seventeen-year-old Connor works his butt off to maintain the golden-boy persona he’s created. He has the grades, the extracurriculars, the athletics, and a part-time job at his dad’s shop… every detail specifically chosen to ensure the college scholarships he needs to get the hell out of the Podunk town where he lives. The last thing he needs is an unexpected attraction to Graham, an eyeliner-wearing soccer phenom from St. Louis, who makes him question his goals and his sexuality. Sure, he’s noticed good-looking boys before—that doesn’t have to mean anything, right?—but he’s got a girlfriend. There’s no room on the agenda for hooking up with Graham, but the heart doesn’t always follow the rules.

As he and Graham grow close, other aspects of Connor’s life fall apart. Family pressure, bad luck, and rumors threaten to derail his carefully laid plans. Suddenly the future he’s fighting for doesn’t seem quite as alluring, especially if he has to deny who he really is to achieve it.

Buy Links

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ARe  ~  B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
5 Angsty, Young Adult Stars

J. Leigh Bailey is a new-to-me author, and I could seriously fan-girl right now. I do plan on checking out the author's past works ASAP. I love the innocence of the young adult genre, and I believe this book would be a comfort to both children who are contemplating coming out, and to their parents to get their child's perspective.

Connor is his rural mid-western town's Golden Boy, with his sights set on playing baseball in college as a way to get out of his hometown. He's dating the couch's daughter, has a 4.0, a hard-working family, and is the oldest of five siblings. His entire life implodes when, while working out in the weight room for practice, his eye catches the school's new eyeliner-wearing soccer star.

Connor's characterization was accurate and realistic, how he is so hyper-focused on his future, trying to make his father proud, he barely notices the present. The way of life makes it possible for Connor to live in denial about his sexuality, when he never realized in the first place.

Graham is a complex character to Connor's open book. Graham has a tragic past, with its bits and pieces of information doled out at a steady pace to keep a mystery surrounding it. Graham is what Connor is not – confident in knowing who he is and owning it, even if no one else accepts it. But Graham is patient when it comes to friendship, as long as he's treated with respect when it comes to more than friendship.

I don't want to give the plot away, but there are ups and downs and a ton of delicious angst in this page-turning, young adult read. After reading the book in one sitting, I was satisfied with the ending, but wanted more from other characters in the book's universe, as I wish to know more via other's narration on our couple. Sadly, however, I do believe this is a standalone. But my voracious need for more is a sure sign on how much I enjoyed the story.

Recommended to fans of MM Romance and Young Adult MM.

Young Adult age range: 14+ Kissing. Bullying/bigotry. Past violence (not shown)


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
Wow. This is such a wonderful story. Connor and Graham are both fantastic characters. The golden boy and the beautiful, leather-clad outsider are right out of one of the best Eighties high school movies but the m/m romance is a very 21st century twist on a classic teen romance.

Full of angst and seemingly insurmountable problems (both real and perceived), Connor and Graham’s story feels real and honest. The central conflict is Connor coming to terms with his sexuality and Graham rebuilding his life after a terrible experience. Most of this conflict is internal, but Connor’s fears are realistically debilitating at times and his resulting behaviour is self-destructive. Connor isn’t always easy to like, but the author makes him feel real. I enjoyed his friendships and his relationship with his family. I loved the way the adults surprised both boys at times and the way the author refrained from unnecessary conflict between the generations.

Graham is brave and fabulous. As a star athlete, he challenges stereotypes and pushes boundaries. And while it is easier to like Graham in this story, the author makes several interesting observations about Graham’s wealth and privilege allowing him more opportunities than are possible for blue collar, small town Connor.

As a young adult story, this book is light on sex and the romance is sweet rather than steamy. But I loved the connection between these two boys and I loved the classic high school romance themes in this book. If you loved Footloose or The Breakfast Club, you will enjoy this modern classic.


Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
This book was freaking fabulous! I am beside myself with how much I enjoyed it. My only complaint about Guyliner is that I believe calling it a new adult romance is limiting its potential audience. I found it to be more of a young adult, coming of age story and really hope that it receives enough word-of-mouth marketing (i.e., by stating it my review and by telling my friends), that it finds its way into the hands of teens who may be struggling with their sexuality. Yes, there are some rather harsh realities in the book when it comes to the hate that some teens (and adults) face simply because of their sexual identity, but I still feel it’s an extremely appropriate read for teens of all sexual orientations.

Connor is a hometown boy hoping to escape his small town on both his educational and athletic merits. The oldest of five and in his junior year in high school, he’s been dubbed the Golden Boy by his peers because he works hard at school and baseball, is involved in extracurricular activities, treats his girlfriend with respect, works part-time, babysits his siblings, and the list continues. Yet a rainy day brings a glimpse of bright blue eyes accentuated by guyliner, and Connor soon discovers chinks in his carefully constructed facade – a wall so well fortified that it allowed Connor to ignore that niggle in his brain that there might be more to him than he wanted to admit. So as Connor begins to question who he is, all while being pressured by his dad to focus on school and baseball, Graham is adjusting to a new school, a new soccer team, and a new town, just hoping for a fresh start as he continues to recover from a horrific hate-fueled attack. But as paths collide (literally) and the boys are thrust into a situation where they are working together and getting to know one another, they each experience a huge shift in their respective worlds. As their friendship begins to develop, Connor finds himself asking harder and harder questions and is afraid of what the answers will be and how they will affect his family.

There is so much that I loved about this book. Coming from a small town, I understand Connor’s fear over coming out. Even if the majority of his classmates are accepting of his new “identity,” prejudices among adults can mean that his classmates who see him as a target to be taunted and attacked are provided opportunities to do so as there is little fear of reprisal. Fortunately, Graham understood this and tried his best not to push Connor into coming out, but based on his own past, Graham’s refusal to be Connor’s dirty little secret was understandable also. I liked how, once Connor came out to his girlfriend, Allyson didn’t get angry or end their friendship, instead, she admitted that she may have been using him a bit too because having a boyfriend who wasn’t part octopus and wasn’t pressuring her to have sex, made dating and high school easier. While Connor’s best friend, Marc, reacted well to the news as well, Bailey didn’t whitewash Connor’s coming out by painting everyone with an accepting paintbrush – not at all, there were the requisite bigoted jerks whose personal self-worth seemed to be measured by their ability to put someone else down. While I disliked the setup for the scene – and I mean the events, not the writing – I was glad when Connor was finally able to express his frustrations with his father and clear the air. Of course, the truly best part of Guyliner was watching the relationship develop between Connor and Graham, especially when Connor makes his grand gesture towards the end. Guyliner was an absolutely delightful read and I cannot wait to read more of Bailey’s books.

Age Recommendation: 13 and up for kissing, bullying, and recounting of hate crime.

J. LEIGH BAILEY is an office drone by day and romance author by night. She can usually be found with her nose in a book or pressed up against her computer monitor. A book-a-day reading habit sometimes gets in the way of… well, everything… but some habits aren’t worth breaking. She’s been reading romance novels since she was ten years old. The last twenty years or so have not changed her voracious appetite for stories of romance, relationships, and achieving that vitally important Happy Ever After. She’s a firm believer that everyone, no matter their gender, age, sexual orientation, or paranormal affiliation, deserves a happy ending.

She wrote her first story at seven which was, unbeknownst to her at the time, a charming piece of fanfiction in which Superman battled (and defeated, of course) the nefarious X Luther. (She was quite put out to be told later that the character’s name was supposed to be Lex.) Her second masterpiece should have been a bestseller, but the action-packed tale of rescuing her little brother from an alligator attack in the marshes of Florida collected dust for years under the bed instead of gaining critical acclaim.

Now she writes about boys traversing the crazy world of love, relationships, and acceptance.

Connect with J. Leigh

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Guyliner by J. Leigh Bailey to read and review.

Do-Gooder by J. Leigh Bailey

Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Martin knows what they say about good intentions, and he finds out it’s all true. After all, he had the best of intentions when he stepped in to stop a friend from making a terrible mistake, but when he’s caught with his friend’s gun, no one believes him. As punishment, Isaiah is forced to pack his bags and join his missionary father in politically unstable Cameroon, Africa.

Isaiah’s father also has good intentions, and he devotes all his time to them, so he sends Henry, a mysterious and attractive do-gooder, to act as Isaiah’s chaperone—and hopefully keep him out of trouble. But once again, the best-laid plans quickly go awry and Isaiah and Henry are abducted by enemy soldiers. If they want to live through their ordeal, they’ll have to work together and learn to trust each other until they’re rescued—or come up with a plan to save themselves and hope, for once, nothing goes wrong.

Buy Links

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Harmony Ink

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela – ☆☆☆☆
Having read a couple of Bailey’s M/M new adult romances, I was excited about the prospect of discovering how well she could write a young adult story. As it turns out, the author’s writing style lends itself well to the young adult genre as this and the other books I’ve read demonstrate a clear focus on the characters as the driving force behind the story. Because I don’t know where else to mention it in my review, I want to give a nod to the author about how Isaiah’s diabetes is dealt with in the book – it is presented as a part of who he is and not as a barrier to him living his life, yet the author makes it clear that Isaiah’s diligence to his health is paramount without making his diabetes a character of its own (if that makes sense).

No good deed goes unpunished. That’s the premise of Do-Gooder, or at least that’s how Isaiah sees it as his butt is on its way to Africa for part of the summer as a form of intensive community service. Yeah, getting caught with a gun within 200 yards of a school was no laughing matter, but his mother’s legal prowess kept him out of jail, even if the alternative isn’t much better in Isaiah’s opinion. Isaiah’s outlook on the situation gets a little brighter upon meeting Henry, but that feeling is short-lived when the young men are waylaid by mercenaries on their trip back to the medical center. At first glance, this may seem a bit fantastical of a storyline, yet it’s the kind of incident that triggers tourist warnings for Americans throughout the world – no one is truly safe. While the direction the story takes revs up the action and adventure that will hold many a teen’s attention, it is Isaiah and Henry’s time as hostages that allows the author’s talent to shine because it’s when we see the characters develop. I don’t want to say much about their time as hostages because I don’t want to ruin the book for potential readers, but it’s not pretty; it’s no worse than many action movies I’ve watched, except that when they are subjected to violence, it’s not overly graphic in my opinion.

I should point out that an adult reader, and an astute young adult reader, will easily see the set-up for the action and adventure portion of Do-Gooder. However, Bailey writes it in such a way that the reader is meant to see what Isaiah and Henry do not, and understand why they don’t see it. Yet even knowing that something was coming, I was still taken aback by events as they unfolded. So while there is a certain level of predictability for the adult reader, it didn’t keep me from getting sucked into the story because of how Bailey writes Isaiah and Henry – they are what matters, they are why I’m reading the story, and it is their responses to the situation and their behaviors that moved the story forward. The bond that forms between the young men as they are faced with a situation right out of a movie or novel (*wink, wink*) is palpable, not only because of the danger they face together, but because they anchor one another to reality. As this is a young adult novel, there is no sexual content, with only a kiss being exchanged – and considering that the storyline is heavy on the action and adventure, it made sense that there was no more than that. While I do not pretend to know what, if anything, teens are reading these days, I suspect that Do-Gooder will appeal more to males than females because of the action and adventure aspects, particularly gay teens who may find themselves identifying with Isaiah and/or Henry. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and hope that Bailey continues to contribute to the LGBT young adult genre.

Young Adult Recommendation: I’m going to say 14 and up as there is only a kiss shared between Isaiah and Henry, and the violence isn’t too graphic. Initially, I was going to say 12 and up, but there are a couple of discussions regarding Henry’s time as a rentboy and, while it happens off-page, it is clear that Henry trades his “services” for Isaiah’s insulin, hence the change in age recommendation.

J. LEIGH BAILEY is an office drone by day and romance author by night. She can usually be found with her nose in a book or pressed up against her computer monitor. A book-a-day reading habit sometimes gets in the way of… well, everything… but some habits aren’t worth breaking. She’s been reading romance novels since she was ten years old. The last twenty years or so have not changed her voracious appetite for stories of romance, relationships, and achieving that vitally important Happy Ever After. She’s a firm believer that everyone, no matter their gender, age, sexual orientation, or paranormal affiliation, deserves a happy ending.

She wrote her first story at seven which was, unbeknownst to her at the time, a charming piece of fanfiction in which Superman battled (and defeated, of course) the nefarious X Luther. (She was quite put out to be told later that the character’s name was supposed to be Lex.) Her second masterpiece should have been a bestseller, but the action-packed tale of rescuing her little brother from an alligator attack in the marshes of Florida collected dust for years under the bed instead of gaining critical acclaim.

Now she writes about boys traversing the crazy world of love, relationships, and acceptance.

Connect with J. Leigh

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Do-Gooder by J. Leigh Bailey to read and review.

Fight to Forgive by J. Leigh Bailey

Recent college grad Aaron Elliott is a pro when it comes to avoiding conflict. So when he hears his mother and stepfather plan to sell the family’s rambling summer retreat, it takes everything in him to object. The lake house is where he feels closest to his late father. It’s where he fell in love with his best friend…and it’s where he let family pressure decide his future rather than following his heart.

A combat injury has naval officer James “Freddie” Fredrick dry-docked, possibly for good. But the pain in his shoulder is nothing like the hurt he feels when he sees Aaron back in town. It’s been four years since the love of his life left without a word—and though Freddie would give anything to deny it, the heat between them hasn’t faded.

Once upon a time, Aaron let Freddie go without a fight. He won’t screw up their second chance to have a happy ending. But unless he makes peace with the past, Freddie won’t be able to face their future.

Book 3
Buy Links

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Carina  Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Shannan – ☆☆☆
This was my first read by this author. While I enjoyed her eye for detail, I felt this was an extremely slow beginning. It finally picked up towards the end, but I had a hard time staying focused up to that point.

Freddie and Aaron are friends to lovers, but Aaron walked away without a word to Freddie. Freddie never fought to find out why, he just joined the Navy. After an injury, he's back in town. A town that does nothing but bring back memories of Aaron.

Aaron's mother decides to sell the house his father left to him. Aaron is destroyed by this information when he planned to stay the summer there.

Freddie and Aaron finally come face to face after years apart. The sparks are there, but so is the past hanging over their heads. Something that could have been cleared up with an honest conversation drags on and isn't cleared up till the end. An end that was rushed. I'm not a super fan of epilogues, but this book could have definitely used one.

I wanted to like this read, but I feel I got bored before it really picked up and it was hard to be invested in the characters at that point. This one just wasn't for me.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the first book in the series that I have read, and I have added the others to my list – as this is an impressive read.

There are a number of subplots in this story which are all interesting in their own right, and tie in really well as the book progresses. Jamie (Freddie) is dealing with a possibly career ending injury, and facing the only man that ever injured his heart at the same time is a challenge. Aaron is facing a career starting/dream destroying decision at the end of his studies and then discovers the truth about his inheritance, just in time. As spectators, we can only hope that they will see what is clearly visible to the rest of the characters and ignoring all other factors, recognise their importance to each other. I loved the library, the dragon tattoo, and definitely some of the hot and steamy memories. In current time, even just the slightest touch is made to be so effective – it is a really clever build up...

Very enjoyable read.


Angela – ☆☆☆☆
Fight to Forgive was an enjoyable male/male new adult romance. While I read book one in the series, I did not read book two, but that didn’t matter as Bailey has written the series as standalones – in fact, I don’t think there’s any character crossover among the books. Because Aaron avoids confrontation at all costs, there is not as much angst as there could have been. This made for a sweeter romance, even if there was still plenty of tension to go around because it is by no means drama free.

Aaron’s reaction to confrontation may seem extreme to some people, but my sister was the same way until her late 20s, and because of this, I saw Aaron in a very sympathetic light. The lengths to which Aaron would go to in order to avoid confrontation are completely realistic if you know someone like him. The “Is it really worth it?” inner monologue often occurs as the non-confrontationalist picks and chooses their battles very carefully. Unfortunately, Aaron failed to pick the right battle four years earlier, choosing to run and hide, breaking Freddie’s heart at the same time. Even though we are well into the book before the author reveals what caused Aaron to feel betrayed and subsequently leave town, it wasn’t that difficult to figure out the issue. I wasn’t surprised to learn that Aaron was mistaken about events because nothing in Freddie’s behavior would suggest he would behave in such a way. However, I was absolutely flabbergasted as to why Aaron saw what he did and I wanted to reach in and throttle the everlovingheck out of his stepsister, Brianna. Fortunately for Aaron, Freddie’s protector personality meant that their paths kept crossing, even though they both vowed to avoid one another, and their repeated contact forced the confrontation that led to Freddie finally finding out why Aaron ran four years earlier without a word.

What I liked about Freddie and Aaron’s reconciliation was that they had to work at it. I appreciated that there wasn’t an immediate forgiving of past misjudgments because Aaron believing what he saw was a major show of mistrust and not something that Freddie could or should forgive easily. Besides, both of them had other things in their lives they were dealing with, so their entire focus was not and could not be on their relationship. I thought the decision that Aaron came to in regards to his father’s house made sense, even if I don’t believe Brianna should have benefited from it – but luckily for her, Aaron is a much better person than I am. Because Freddie and Aaron had so much to overcome and make up for, it made their eventual reconciliation that much better – and hotter. I thoroughly enjoyed Fight to Forgive and look forward to reading more of Bailey’s work.

j. leigh bailey is an office drone by day and the author of young-adult and new-adult LGBT romance by night. She can usually be found with her nose in a book or pressed up against her computer monitor. A book-a-day reading habit sometimes gets in the way of...well, everything...but some habits aren't worth breaking. She's been reading romance novels since she was ten years old. The last twenty years or so have not changed her voracious appetite for stories of romance, relationships and achieving that vitally important Happy Ever After. She's a firm believer that everyone, no matter their gender, age, sexual orientation or paranormal affiliation deserves a happy ending.

She wrote her first story at seven, which was, unbeknownst to her at the time, a charming piece of fan fiction in which Superman battled (and defeated, of course) the nefarious X Luther. She was quite put out to be told, years later, that the character's name was actually Lex. Her second masterpiece should have been a bestseller, but the action-packed tale of rescuing her little brother from an alligator attack in the marshes of Florida collected dust for years under the bed instead of gaining critical acclaim.

Now she writes romance novels about boys traversing the crazy world of love, relationships and acceptance.

Connect with J. Leigh

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Fight to Forgive (Letting Go #3) by J. Leigh Bailey to read and review.