Line Drive by E.M. Lindsey Release Blitz

James "Scooter" Harney is good at two things and two things only:
Pitching...
...and running away from his feelings.

So, when he comes face to face with a high school baseball coach who gets under his skin like no one ever has before, James isn't quite sure what to do about it. After all, Ridley is smarmy, annoying, ridiculously good looking…

And worst of all, straight.

Then, James' world is turned upside down one evening when Ridley admits that he's been having thoughts. Thoughts about James. Thoughts that are making him question his own identity.

James knows he won't make a good boyfriend, but the way Ridley looks at him, the way Ridley trusts him, makes James realize that maybe—just maybe—there’s something worth fighting for.

Line Drive is the second book in a fictional MLB series featuring a smarmy pitcher good at annoying his teammates and stroking his own ego, a team ready to win no matter what it takes, a lost single dad who just wants to know he's doing a good job, and an agreement that wraps both of their hearts into a tangle. Each book in the Hit and Run Series stands alone, contains no cheating, and has a happily ever after.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Hit and Run series!
For book one, Switch-Hitter, click HERE and HERE.

 

 

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Audiobook (US)  ~  Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Shannan – ☆☆☆☆
Line Drive is the second book in the Hit and Run series. It can be read as a standalone without issue.

James Harney is an MLB pitcher. He had a horrible upbringing, spent some time in jail, and doesn't know what it's like to have someone love him. He loves pitching but wants more in his life. When he passes a bookstore for sale, he decides on the spot to buy it. Why? He has no idea. He befriends a trans teenager with Cerebral Palsy (CP), but he isn't expecting the friendship or the instant attraction to his father.

Ridley has a career-ending injury and ends up a high school baseball coach. His marriage crumbled after his wife had an affair. He's always had an attraction to men but never acted upon it, but now that he's free to, he isn't ready to even admit it to himself, let alone go out with a man. But when he's faced with a man he's always admired, he can't get James out of his mind.

Phoenix, Ridley's son, is a smart mouthed amazing character despite of the battles he faced being trans and having CP. While I did enjoy this read, the first quarter was so much backstory and not enough between the two characters. I enjoyed when they did finally get together, with Phoenix's help, and the battles that they faced. I just wish there was more content with them together.


Erica – ☆☆☆
Line Drive is the second installment in the Hit and Run series. While it can be read as a standalone with little to no confusion, I suggest reading Switch-Hitter first, as well as the novel, Nothing Ordinary, where the cast of characters is introduced.

I'm going to go against the current here, while everyone else is most likely basking in the warmth of James and Ridley's love...

James is an MLB star with a dark backstory, an inspiration that did the impossible by making it to the big leagues.

After a career-ending injury and a life-altering divorce, Ridley is a high school coach and father to a trans son with CP.

James and Ridley share more in common than baseball... they're desperately lonely.

Sounds deliciously angsty, with a meddlesome teen playing interference, right? Complex and deep, with all the issues addressed...

There wasn't much happening during Line Drive, other than a bunch of inane filler, telling not showing, and feet dragging. The emotions were surface level, not deeply explored. Our love interests barely had contact throughout most of the novel, outshined in every way by the son, Phoenix.

James and Ridley didn't meet until the 25% mark... a quarter into the novel. I'm a sucker for delayed gratification but this was at the expense of any connection felt between James and Ridley. Not much of anything happened in the first quarter that couldn't have been condensed so that James and Ridley had enough time to develop a connection, just inane daily activities that felt like transitional filler.

Phoenix felt like the main focus, as awesome as the kid was written, to the point it was to James and Ridley's detriment. They weren't as interesting, as gripping, and had one-note personalities, but this wasn't Phoenix's novel.

The budding friendship between James and Phoenix was sweet and heartwarming. The complex relationship between a father and teen son was realistically portrayed. Ridley's desire for intimacy and connection was peppered throughout, resonating with this reader, as well as James' loneliness and need for a life partner by his side. Their insecurities would ring true, but it felt as if those issues were merely a plot device not deeply ingrained into the characters.

James and Ridley's connection to Phoenix was the only highlight, and without him, there wasn't really much content. The romance was insta-love with surface level emotions, told but never shown, and it left me frustrated.

There was no connection between Ridley and James. A quarter of the novel with no contact, where they just did inane things that did not add to character development outside of interacting with Phoenix. Then it was straight to sex, implied I love yous, being ghosted, and pining for one another. They had little to no interactions during the entire novel outside of sex, phone sex, or Ridley blowing James off (and not in a good way). No meaningful conversations that a solid relationship is built, those conversations were shared with side characters.

With so few scenes shared, outside of between the sheets action, James' connection to Pietro, to Phoenix, even Orion, was more complex than a handful of texts with Ridley, since they actually spent page-time together and discussed actual important issues. James and Ridley met at 25%, had two on-page interactions up to 70%, then didn't share a single page together until 90%. Since this was a shorter novel – no harm in that – it was only a handful of pages at time, where it's hyper-speed on the romance and sex without any buildup or connection.

The classic "getting in your own way" with no outside forces being the issue, no matter how badly Ridley seemed to have wished they would. The only angst/drama was Ridley not giving James the time of day, and this lasted well up to 90% of the novel, and it wasn't due to Ridley stepping out of his own way either.

This lack of time spent together, as well as the feet dragging (which was to slow the insta down but had no real reasoning), left me disconnected from their romance. Ridley was more worried about how his ex-wife and son would think of him, when they both outright told him to knock it off multiple times... and he still made excuses, which made me feel as if he didn't feel for James as he professed inside his inner monologues. Actions speaking louder than his thoughts, especially when those actions mirrored his words to James. Ridley reminded me of someone who thought everyone was always up in his business when they all wished he'd get a life and get out of their business – self-important and controlling.

Ridley never stopped dragging his feet, leaving it up to James. This does not make a strong romantic hero. I was not Ridley's biggest fan, and I thought James deserved someone else.

While I liked James in current times, he had this huge backstory that was just a blip of info-dumpage and that's it. There were bits left dangling, as if they would be expanded on later, then just dropped off. Names mentioned, events thought around, like it was to impact the story later. A large info-dump in the beginning, then just muttered or thought snippets that popped up in relation to Phoenix and parenting. What should have had a deep impact was a shallow plot device never explored properly or developed.

Even Ridley's fear of coming out was just a few words tucked in here or there to explain away dragging his feet since Phoenix couldn't be used as an excuse any longer. It felt inauthentic and made Ridley seem not as into James as James was into him, which contradicted what the reader was "told." Between the ex and the son begging Ridley to date, it made zero sense either was a viable excuse not to date James.

I felt like the book picked up threads and then never went in that direction. The backstory. James helping Ridley's team. An actual conflict between the lovers. The phrase "pulled the hit" comes to mind. The hit was pulled, so it had no impact.

I wanted to love Line Drive, but it doesn't matter what dark and gritty backstory was given, or the plight to side characters, when the characters are just there "in" the pages and not actually living their story "on" the pages.

The previous novels featuring Gabriel and Pietro captured my interests, made me feel true emotions, and had me rooting for the characters, both on my reread list. To be honest, in the future, I'd skip this installment.

 

 

E.M. LINDSEY is a non-binary, MM Romance author who lives on the East Coast of the United States. When they're not working, E.M. is spending time on the beach, kayaking, swimming, and playing with their dogs.

Connect with E.M. Lindsey

Facebook  ~  Instagram  ~  TikTok  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Lindsey's Liaison

 

 

 

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Line Drive (Hit and Run #2) by E.M. Lindsey to read and review.

The Redo by Max Monroe Blog Tour

Put a finger down if you’ve ever been a single woman who got stuck in a New York City elevator in the middle of a summer blackout with your former high school sweetheart—whom you haven’t seen in years—while pregnant with a baby that isn’t biologically yours. And you can’t believe how handsome that blast from your past is, so you unwittingly flirt with him a little even though your life is so crazy complicated you’re barely keeping your head above water, but everything about him makes you think you could totally still be in love with him.

*puts a finger down*

What? Just me?

Needless to say, my current status is thorny. And no, I didn’t miss how close that word is to another one.

Even though he’s the epitome of tall, dark, and incredibly handsome, Remington Winslow has been a single bachelor for most of his life. It’s clichéd and basic—until you consider the fact that once upon a terrible time, he got left at the altar.

He doesn’t do relationships. He definitely doesn’t fall in love.

And I’m just trying to survive a tangled web of unexpected motherhood and running one of the top real estate firms in the city that never sleeps.

He’s the jaded guy who doesn’t want to settle down, and I’m the career-focused woman with more baggage than a 747 can hold.

We’re just two friends who used to be in love.

Now, if someone would tell my hormones I’m not a teenager anymore, I’d be set.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Winslow Brothers series!
For book one, The Bet, click HERE.
For book two, The Pact, click HERE.
For book three, The Secret, click HERE.

 

 

Book 4
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

My fingers run across the screen quickly, and I don’t even bother looking up before stepping inside the elevator—and bumping right into another human.

He grunts as he catches my momentum by the tops of my arms, and I nearly jump into another dimension.

“Oh my gosh!” I cry, embarrassed by my rudeness. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention at all.” Honestly, I’m still kind of not as I finish typing a message to my worthless assistant, but once I hit send, I tuck my phone into my purse, ready to give him my full attention.

Or, at least, as much as my mortification will allow.

I cringe and look up into crystalline-blue eyes then, just as a smile is curling onto the handsome stranger’s face. But it only takes a millisecond for me to realize he isn’t a stranger at all. Truth be told, he’s as little a stranger as a man can be—my first real love and the man I gave my virginity to when I was sixteen years old. It seems like a lifetime ago and just yesterday all at once, but the memory of his gentle hands coaxing my nervous hips up to meet his is the kind of thing you don’t forget. No matter how many years have gone by.

“Maria?” he asks, his smile deepening further, if you can believe it.

Me, though? I’m nearly speechless. Because I haven’t seen my high school sweetheart Remington Winslow in two fucking decades.

And yes, trust me, if you got an eyeful of everything that Remy is now, you’d know it absolutely deserves the use of the f-word. Same strong jaw, same intense eyes, same full lips and dark hair—somehow, he looks as good as I remember. Maybe even better.

Goodness, he’s aged well.

“Remy.” His name passes over my tongue and has the power to bring back so many memories of the past.

Is it true what they say about your first love?

That you’ll always love them?

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆☆
This is the fourth book in the series – and let me tell you that you definitely need to read from book one to really get the full impact of this lovely story! Remington Winslow's visit to a fortune teller, her prediction coming true, and the devastation that caused him, have been at the core of all the relationships that his siblings engaged in since. But he has remained aloof and apart – and as we discover... investing funds for said fortune teller, even now, years later!

I love the hook in this series of Cleo, the woman who foretold the disastrous ending to Remy's wedding day! Completely original and lots of fun – never more so than in Remy's story. This may be a second-chance romance in many ways, but it is also the reawakening of the love and passion in a man who cut himself off from all emotion due to his non-wedding. He is the complete gentleman and family man, caring deeply and completely for his siblings, their spouses and children, as well as his mom – but he will not allow himself to go there, ever.

His first lift encounter with first love Maria is funny, the second is transformative – we just have to sit back and enjoy the ride... and how sweet it is!

I always find great humour, but also truths great and small in Max Monroe's writing, and here is no different – there may be a little more seriousness to this book, and certainly I shed a tear or two at times.

And whilst I was truly sad to get to the last page, the fact that there are bonus chapters? Absolute heaven – do not miss them out as they definitely add to one's happiness quotient for the day!


Mary – ☆☆☆☆☆
I fell for Remy from the first trip the boys took to see the palm reader, Cleo. His reading was heartbreaking, and his life was what he thought was how he wanted it. That is, until the love of his life from the past showed up in an elevator and they got stuck together.

This story is the perfect second-chance romance for the man who thought his life was as it should be. But when Cleo says love will find you, it does when love's time is right. You have to love the Winslow family, and the way they have pulled Maria and Izzy into their family is the way it should be, family first.

This story is filled with love that lasted many years. a fun-loving family, banter, and an all-around great story. If you haven't read this series, you need to start it now and I highly recommend starting from the beginning. It is worth it.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars
M/F Second-Chance Romance

This is Remington (Remy)'s book. I have been waiting for his story since the beginning. I love that he has continued the relationship with Cleo. She is a large part of his life, and while he isn't forthcoming with that relationship, it is one that he treasures.

Maria is a strong woman who knows what she wants in life. She is working hard and trying her best to keep her head above water. After an intense, devastating loss, Maria knows more than most how precious life can be. When she finds herself trapped in an elevator, it turns out that it might have been the best thing to happen to her.

As Remy and Maria find their friendship renewed, these two have to figure out if their single lives are better or worse than a life being shared with someone. Maria, with her daughter Izzy, capture the hearts of everyone who meets them.

I loved watching Remy's life start to evolve and include more into his life. Izzy and Maria are welcomed back with open arms. As Remy sees his life changing and Maria sees that she could have what she used to dream about, all of the Winslows will pull together, with some help from Cleo.

You won't be disappointed in this book. It's sweet, loving, and so much fun to watch everyone around these two rally together.

 

 

Many moons ago, a dynamic duo of romance authors teamed up under the pseudonym MAX MONROE, and, well, the rest is history...

Max Monroe is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty contemporary romance titles. Favorite writing partners and longtime friends, Max and Monroe strive to live and write all the fun, sexy swoon so often missing from their Facebook newsfeed. Sarcastic by nature, their two writing souls feel like they’ve found their other half. This is their most favorite adventure thus far.

Connect with Max Monroe

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  TikTok  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Max Monroe's Camp Love Yourself

 

 

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of The Redo (Winslow Brothers #4) by Max Monroe to read and review.

Love You Again by Julia Kent Release Blitz

An unexpected rescue rekindles an old romance between a single dad widower and a woman caught in a small town scandal that made her flee the one place where she belongs. Can a second chance at first love end in a happily ever after?

Luke Luview has given up on love. Finally ready to let go of his late wife’s clothes, the grieving small-town police officer and single dad thinks he’s hearing things when he opens the charity box door. Who knocks from the inside of a donation bin?

The raccoon he assumes is in there turns out to be way prettier – and very familiar. Rescuing the first girl he ever kissed means life has dealt him a wild card with Kylie Hood, his late wife’s best friend who left town suddenly fifteen years ago under a cloud of scandal.

Kylie Hood will never depend on a man again. Dumped by her boyfriend and fired by his parents from her children’s programming job at their ski resort in rural Maine, she hits rock bottom while throwing out her ex’s clothes — along with her phone and car keys.

Being rescued by Luke Luview, of all people, is a gift and a curse. The boy she once loved is now all grown up, everything her ex wasn’t – and absolutely off limits.

Accepting his offer to be his temporary nanny while she job searches in New York City, Kylie falls hard for his sweet daughter, and even harder for Luke. A clause in her employment contract means they can’t fraternize, but fate has other plans, and forbidden fruit is twice as sweet.

As the town she reluctantly left years ago accepts her more and more, and Luke makes it clear he wants ta second chance with her in their close-knit community, Kylie has to decide: an exciting new career in Manhattan on her own, or an instant family and a sense of belonging in her small hometown?

And as Luke wrestles with the pain of being left behind by his wife’s accidental death, he has to balance his responsibilities to his daughter with his own needs. Needs he’s ignored for far too long.

Needs only Kylie can meet.

But not if she leaves.

Can Luke and Kylie rekindle their first love and find a new future together in a place where love conquers all?

If you’re looking for a fun read about first kisses and second chances, featuring a hot single-dad police officer and his accidental nanny, set in a small town in New England, with a golden retriever named Jester, a heroine whose dream in life is to run a fairy camp, and a hero who wants to build a place where everyone belongs–then this is your book.

Grab a cup of coffee or tea, and maybe some edible glitter, and get your happy meter ready as you read the second book in the Love You, Maine, series–where love isn’t just a feeling… it’s a way of life.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Love You, Maine series!
For book one, Love You Right, click HERE.

 

 

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Apple Books  ~  B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  Kobo
Audiobook (US)  ~  Paperback (US)

 

 

A loud, grumbly groan was unmistakable, the sound setting off all the anger inside that she had suppressed for the last three months.

And then the hinged door creaked open, cold air blowing in. A head appeared, eyes dark in the shadows.

“What did you say your name is?” he asked sharply, as if he expected compliance.

“Kylie.”

“How long have you been living in there?”

Living?

“I just got stuck! Maybe a half hour ago?”

“You know these aren’t good places to sleep.”

“Why would I want to sleep in here?”

Silence.

Bang bang bang

The hard knock to her left made her jump.

“Anyone else in there with you?”

“What?”

“Are you in there with a man?”

“Why would I be in here with a man?”

“Or a woman?”

“WHAT?”

“Ma’am, I am not one to judge, but plenty of people use these donation bins for less than legal reasons, so I have to ask: Are you in there with a john?”

“Who is John?” she squeaked.

He cleared his throat with meaning. “A john. You know. A paying customer.”

Horror washed over Kylie as she realized what he was implying.

No. Not implying.

Outright saying.

“YOU THINK I AM A PROSTITUTE?” she bellowed, mustering every ounce of diaphragmatic energy to unleash whatever demons resided inside her vocal cords.

“I’m not judging, ma’am.”

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
M/F Second-Chance Romance

Love You Again is the second book in the series, set in small-town Luview "Love You", Maine. The town that loves everything red or heart. Even the police cars are pink to show their love.

The opening of this story is both hilarious and sweet, all wrapped in a warm poncho. You meet Kylie. She's back in the town where she feels like she grew up. After a disastrous breakup and consequential firing from her job, Kylie is back to figure out what she truly wants now. Kylie knows that she wants to find someone to love but feels like that's a million miles away for her.

When Luke, the local police officer, finally decides that it's time to start moving forward instead of just existing, he finds himself at a clothing donation box. His wife had a tragic accident and he's been slightly lost without her. But his daughter, Harriet, needs him. She's hilarious, fun, energetic, and he loves her dearly. His family has done all they can to help out in his time of grief, but with a little push from them, he knows that it's time to move forward in his life. What he doesn't expect is to find Kylie.

Now that Kylie and Luke have seen each other, it's sparks all over again. But with a past that hurts still and unanswered questions looming, can Luke and Kylie make their professional relationship work?

Harriet and Kylie form a bond that is so sweet. And while the past is still out there, Kylie hopes that she can forge a new path forward. With her eye on the prize, will she get side-tracked back in her hometown?

You'll be cheering for this couple to find a way. Secrets are discovered, love is in the air, but can Luview work its magic with these two? You won't be disappointed and I can't wait for more Luview couples.


Mary – ☆☆☆☆☆
I have been waiting for Luke's story since I read the first book in this series. Losing his wife in the way he did was painful to read, so he needed to get his happily ever after.

After several months of waiting for her ex-boyfriend to come get his stuff, Kylie takes his belongings to the closest donation drop-off bin. While dropping a bag through the door, her phone and keys fall in too. Now she is stuck in the cold with no phone to call for help and no keys to crank her car and stay warm. She falls into the dark and nasty bin when she tries to reach through the drop-off door. Now she has her phone and keys but no cell signal. After waiting a while, someone finally comes along.

Luke didn't expect someone to answer when he drops the clothes from the day his wife died in the donation bin. He is surprised to find Kylie stuck in the bin.

Kylie is now back in the town where she grew up and she can't believe Luke is still here. Luke offers her a job as his nanny, and she accepts, telling him she is only in town for a few months. He plans on changing her mind and she stays in town and with him. And what better place for a second chance than in Luview (Love You), Maine.

I loved everything about this story, it was filled with funny scenes, heartbreaking past pain, love, and a happily ever after. Luke, Kylie, and Harriet were the main characters, but you have to love his family and friends and her sister. Everyone was all for them getting together, including the whole town. I cannot wait for Luke's sister, Colleen's, story in Love You More.

 

 

 

Bestselling New York Times and USA Today author JULIA KENT writes romantic comedy with an edge. Since 2013, she has sold more than 1.5 million books, with 4 New York Times bestsellers and more than 16 appearances on the USA Today bestseller list. Her books have been translated into French and German, with more titles releasing in 2017.

From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men’s room toilet (and he isn’t a billionaire).

She lives in New England with her husband and three sons in a household where the toilet seat is never, ever, down.

Connect with Julia Kent

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Laugh Your Way to Love with Julia Kent

 

 

 

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Love You Again (Love You, Maine #2) by Julia Kent to read and review.

Rogue by Eden Finley Blog Tour

Mike Bravo. Knights in shining… camo.

Trav

I remember the first time I met Dylan Rodriguez. It was one sweaty encounter I’ll never forget.

The second time we met, he arrested me. I can still see the hot scowl on his beautiful face as he slapped handcuffs on me and realized I was… me.

Dylan’s main goal in life is to forget he ever met me. My goal is to make him mine.

Turns out, I'm better at this game than he is.

Dylan

When my law enforcement career falls to pieces in front of my own eyes, I don’t know who I can trust.

I have nowhere to go. No one to turn to.

Asking Trav for help is a last resort, but I’m desperate.

If he can’t get me out of this mess, I may as well turn myself over to the guys hunting me down.

I’m not sure which will be more difficult: protecting my life or my heart.

Because when it comes to love, my heart wants what my brain doesn’t. It wants Travis West.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Mike Bravo Ops series!
For book one, Iris, click HERE.

 

 

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Shannan – ☆☆☆☆☆
Rogue is the second installment in the Mike Bravo Ops series. It can be read as a standalone, but I don't recommend it. If you read it in the order the author intended, you get to see so much more of Travis's personality that makes this story that much better!

Travis and Dylan have been fighting what's between them for more than seven years. It all started with a random hookup (super erotic scene, by the way) in a bar bathroom, but leads to Dylan going to Travis for help. After being set up by his own team, Dylan needs to prove he's innocent. Travis knows the only way to keep him safe is to make sure he is the one protecting Dylan while he has his Mike Bravo teammates fighting to prove Dylan's innocence and save his life and career.

I loved the banter between Travis and Dylan, the banter between all of them really is so entertaining. And then seeing Travis open himself up and become so vulnerable for Dylan definitely pulled at the heart strings. I absolutely love these characters and cannot wait for more.

 

 

 

EDEN FINLEY is an Amazon bestselling author who writes steamy contemporary romances that are full of snark and light-hearted fluff.

She doesn't take anything too seriously and lives to create an escape from real life for her readers. The ideas always begin with a wackadoodle premise, and she does her best to turn them into romances with heart.

With a short attention span that rivals her son's, she writes multiple different pairings: MM, MMF, and MF.

She's also an Australian girl and apologises for her Australianisms that sometimes don't make sense to anyone else.

Connect with Eden Finley

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Absolutely Eden

 

 

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Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Rogue (Mike Bravo Ops #2) by Eden Finley to read and review.

Level Up by Kindle Alexander Blog Tour

Duncan “Ducky” Reigns, metalhead and hardcore gamer, has spent his life railing against the establishment. But now when he looks at himself in the mirror that’s not the person he sees. Though he and his brother have worked hard to create a successful multi-million-dollar company, he’s lost himself and his identity in the process.

Chad Reeves, successful in his own right, has achieved every goal he’s set for himself. But living up to the legacy of his uber-successful father feels like an impossible task. When the heavy burden of a lifelong secret begins to unravel, he’s forced to face the truth. He’s lacking in what matters the most and only one thing can make it right.

Sometimes a simple reboot is all it takes to realize the answers are right in front of you. A soul-searching trip to paradise changes everything for two best friends… if they are brave enough to follow their hearts and reach for the Level Up.

Level Up is a contemporary, new adult, MM Romance. A standalone story with characters moving forward from both Secret and Breakaway.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Reigns Brothers series!
For book one, Breakaway, click HERE.

 

 

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the second book in the series, and although you could read it as a standalone, you would get more out of reading them in order. In book one, we got Ducky's older brother Dallas's story, and learned about their successful business venture.

Ducky is having a hard time with the success their invention – his programming – is having, but is happy that his brother has found love, and his colleagues are benefitting from their success. He still prefers to play online games and keeps his friends online too. That said, his new fitness regime and healthy eating has certainly improved his physique – to the point he is being suggested as a part of their company’s new marketing, much to his dismay.

Chad is a long-time bestie with Ducky – but only as an online friend – and what with all the chaos in his life, he decides it is time to meet him for real. As soon as they do, sparks fly and we just know that there is chemistry burning up these two, which we are about to get to enjoy!

I loved that the issues these two very likeable characters have are solvable when together and will provide each with an opportunity to support and heal the other. It is such a naturally symbiotic relationship built out of two people very uncertain in their skins. I really did just love it all. Thank you, Kindle Alexander, for a very worthy book for the second Reigns brother.


Shannan – ☆☆☆☆
Level Up is the second installment in the Reigns Brothers series. It can be read as a standalone, but I don't recommend it. You meet Ducky in the first book, Breakaway, which features Ducky's brother Dallas and Greer.

Ducky hates where StreamTrainer has put him. He's successful and rich, but it is all too much for Ducky. He asked his brother Dallas and Dallas’s husband Greer for help in a makeover. He's gained twenty pounds of muscle and a new haircut but he's happier in his t-shirts than in fitted clothing. He prefers playing his online games and talking to his best friend Chad. Chad just seems to get Ducky even though their friendship is online.

Chad Reeves is Dylan Reeves’s son and Dylan’s husband, Tristan Wilder’s step-son from the book, Secret. (I also highly recommend reading if you haven't.) Chad has always wanted to be in the PGA until he gets there, now he doesn't know what he wants to do with his life. When Ducky does an award show, Chad can't believe the changes in him. Things are said and Chad needs to apologize, so when Ducky asks him to go to Hawaii with him, Chad can't pass up the trip and alone time with Ducky.

I loved watching Ducky and Chad's friendship develop, as well as the attraction to each other. Ducky doesn't understand how someone like Chad could be attracted to him, but Chad does everything in his power to prove to him he's the one for him. The chemistry was off the charts and the sweetness of each of these men pulls at the heartstrings!

I cannot wait for the next book in this series!


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
At the beginning of Level Up, we meet Ducky and learn he has gone through a transformation. Health eating, times spent in a gym, a new wardrobe, and a haircut, and Ducky is looking like a stud and not like the geeky gamer we met in the first Reigns Brothers book. But Ducky is still the same guy he always was, even if the outside is looking more spiffy.

Chad, Ducky’s best friend, is sporty and outgoing and has been crushing on Ducky since they were teens playing League of Legends together online. Chad’s reaction to seeing Ducky’s transformation was amusing and has some unexpected consequences.

I enjoyed hanging out with Chad and Ducky and seeing them dance around each other. It was cute to see how oblivious they each were of the other’s feelings. The men have great chemistry, but they are also great friends and being with them always felt comfortable and like we were seeing something a bit special.

I found Level Up to be an easy to read, straight forward, friends-to-lovers romance. I enjoyed the low-angst romance, and I had a good time watching the changing relationship between Chad and Ducky. A solid four stars from me.


Angie – ☆☆☆☆
Ducky and Chad started as online friends. When they finally meet, sparks fly. Chad fell for Ducky before he transformed his body and even though he has physically changed, he's still the same old Ducky. His new look didn't turn him into a douche. These two together are so sweet and so swoon worthy. We also get to see characters from the first book, which was great. I really enjoyed this book. It's the second in the series and you could read it as a standalone but would enjoy more with reading the first one as well.

 

 

 

Bestselling author KINDLE ALEXANDER is an innovative writer, and a genre-crosser who writes classic fantasy, romance, suspense, and erotica in both the male/male and male/female genres. It's always a surprise to see what's coming next!

For the full bio, visit Kindle’s website.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Level Up (Reigns Brothers #2) by Kindle Alexander to read and review.