The Prolific Works YBBB Giveaway Review #1
The YBBB (Your Book Boyfriend's Boyfriend) Prolific Works Giveaway was a massive gift to readers at the beginning of 2022. 114 authors got together to giveaway novellas. Some of these were linked to new or established series, some were standalones, but all of them were a wonderful gift to their readers - new and old. I believe the Giveaway will run for all of 2022 so be sure to check it out. It can be found here: YBBB Giveaway
I claimed 86 of the 114 of the books on offer, some authors I've known and loved for a while; others I've heard good things about, but never read; and a few that I've never read or really heard that much about, but the stories sounded so good! My plan is to read and review these books in batches over the next few months.
My original plan was to group according to theme or genre, or something to give them a common link. However, I suffer with paralysis of choice, so to make it easier on myself, I've completely taken choosing what to read out of my hands. The books have their own collection folder on my Kindle and using a random number generator, I read whatever number comes up. This may (will) lead to odd collections of books, but perhaps that's half the fun!
I hope you enjoy taking this crazy journey with me!
Out In the Surf (Out in College #9) ~ Lane Hayes
I have read a few of the titles in Lane Hayes’ Out in College series, and I have enjoyed every one. These books are an excellent escape. Always well written with great characters, lots of romance, sometimes a bit of drama, and overall an utterly engaging read.
Out in the Surf was one of the lower angst level stories; it was pretty much angst-free. It's a well written bi-awakening, although Cal was already bi-curious, just not actively looking to explore. Luca and Cal were lovely characters; even with the novella length it was way too easy to become invested in their HEA. Luca provided a nice dose of secondhand embarrassment, and the overall relationship was light with funny moments.
Although only a novella, I was 100% invested in the story and sorry to see the story end. The ending, though, made up for it, with a beautiful HEA.
The Out In College series is available as ebooks and some are also in audio.
Demon For The Win (Much Ado About Demons)
~ Meaghan Maslow
I’m definitely on a Meghan Maslow kick right now. Although she's still a relatively new to me author, she's already a favourite. I was perhaps lucky that I had not read any of the books in this series/world, so I came into it completely fresh.
Demon for the Win acts as a prequel to the Much Ado About Demons series. While it's listed as book 1.5, start with Demon for the Win if you haven't started this series yet. Demon for the Win is about two characters who are pretty much non-existent in the first main book – Must Love Demons, but this prequel sets up Nico perfectly (who is a main character in the first book). It gives you all the background on him such as how his magic works, his expulsion from the legion, and why he's living in less than ideal circumstances with barely any money.
Apart from setting up Nico, Demon for the Win is an absolutely gorgeous story about an incubus, Kem, who after a push from Nico's magic, falls hard for the dryad, Tuli. Tuli was severely burnt in a previous relationship and can't believe that Kem, an incubus of all creatures, could possibly want more from him than a hookup.
What follows is a beautiful and often hilarious story of personal growth for both of them, and of Tuli daring to believe that he is worth it. Combine this with a mystery, and you have an engaging tale that won't let you go. I was enthralled from the first page and didn't want to put it down. I really hope that Kem and Tuli appear in future books, or even better, they get another book, as they are the cutest couple.
I loved every moment of Demon for the Win and highly recommend you check it out. If you haven't started the series yet, this is the perfect place to start! If you have, this is a chance to find out more about Nico's background and meet two beautiful characters at the same time.
Prequel (non romance) ~ My Fair Verona in ebook and/or audio
Book 1 - Must Love Demons is available in ebook and/or audio
Paired With The Jock (#Love Wins) ~ Ana Byrde
Paired with the Jock is a short story set in Ana Byrde’s #Love Wins universe. It was great to see Bounce & Pounce make a cameo appearance! This story is adorable with very little angst. As per the norm for this author, the humour was high, with plenty of secondhand embarrassment. It was also romantic and a bit steamy. As is usual in the #Love Wins series, there is a featured pet, and in this one, it was a couple of cute mice.
Julian and Max were great characters; it was easy to want them to get their HEA. The only critique I have is Max's rather promiscuous tendencies before he and Julian got together. It didn't quite fit with the story, and Max's reasoning for it just didn't quite work. It just felt a bit off.
Regardless, I was fully immersed in this story, it was very funny, and once things started to fall into place (no spoilers) it was very sweet and romantic, with a good dose of heat.
Paired with the Jock is a short but delightful read. It is a standalone within the #Love Wins series; there is no need to have read any of the other books (although I HIGHLY recommend them!) to enjoy Paired with the Jock.
The #Love Wins Series:
Book 1 - Fake the Date in ebook and/or audio
Book 2 - Hook, Line, and Sinker in ebook and/or audio
Book 3 - Straight as a Cucumber in ebook and/or audio
Book 4 - Game, S*x, Match in ebook and/or audio
Book 5 - 12 Days of Gay in ebook and/or audio
