Stronger (Breaking Free #3.5) by A.M. Arthur

Here's the blurb!

Learning to trust can bring a lifetime of joy. 

As happily-married beta couple Serge and Dex Freel await the birth of their first child, Serge can’t help but think back to the rocky start of his and Dex’s relationship. After a party introduction from a mutual friend, a tentative friendship blooms into something much stronger. Marred by misunderstandings, personal prejudices, and Serge’s own inability to trust, they nearly go their separate ways more than once—and almost lose their chance at the beautiful life they’ll build together. 

But Dex’s alpha-like stubbornness and Serge’s desperate need to care for others brings them back together over and over, until both men realize they’re truly stronger together than apart. But their happily-ever-after is hard-won and other friendships are tested, before Serge finally takes a chance on giving his heart to Dex and trusting the other man not to break it into unfixable pieces—and trust is not something Serge gives easily. 

Serge and Dex are characters we see through the Breaking Free series often enough, and it makes me happy to have a bit more backstory to them, and to finally know Serge's backstory and how he fell for Dex.

This short novella is a roller coaster of feels that ends leaving such a warm, cozy feeling that I can assure will make you glad you got it

Heard (Breaking Free #3) by A.M. Arthur

Here's the blurb!

An omega who can’t speak meets an alpha who won’t listen….

Karter Jenks is a first-year constable who’s still trying to prove himself to his superiors, so he isn’t looking for a mate right now. Soon, sure, but he also knows he has work to do to change his alphahole tendencies around omega rights. The Kell Iverson trial opened his eyes to how cruelly some omegas are treated, and Karter doesn’t want to follow in his authoritarian father’s footsteps when he finds his mate. And he absolutely does not expect a homeless omega vagrant and burglary suspect to be his bondmate.

Jax Orris escaped a life of captivity and pain to save himself and his infant son. Living as vagrants isn’t ideal, but it’s better than trusting the authorities who landed Jax in hell to begin with. When their hiding place is discovered, Jax is shocked to feel the mating bond with the young alpha who’s been tracking him—and even more shocked when the constable doesn’t immediately arrest him for his crimes. It helps him trust Karter enough to accept his help in keeping himself and his son safe from the men Jax escaped.

Jax’s story horrifies Karter, and he vows to protect his omega from further harm—but first he has to get his stubborn, angry omega to trust him. Trust is no longer in Jax’s nature, but he can’t deny his connection to the young alpha eager to please him. Jax never thought he’d want another alpha to touch him, much less mate with him, but Karter’s gentle patience breaks down the walls Jax erected around his heart after the death of his first mate. As Jax’s next heat approaches, the investigation into his captivity uncovers surprising connections to several previous cases, and the danger to everyone involved increases. Can he trust Karter to protect him, or will Jax’s past destroy their chance for a happily ever after?

When we first met Karter, I felt like he was such an "alphahole" he wouldn't be seen much of, so I was quite surprised to find him as one of the main characters of book three of the series! His co-protagonist is Jax, a very muscle-y cinnamon roll with lots of baggage, a months old baby and with the added extra of being mute. I loved how things worked out for them.

This is the sweetest book in the series by far, but please don't make me pick a favorite.

Seen (Breaking Free #2) by A.M. Arthur

Here's the blurb!

Hell is a six-by-six jail cell and no hope for the future. 

Kell Iverson has never raised his hand against another person in his entire life—and yet somehow he’s been arrested and charged with the murder of his alpha mate Krause. Sure, Krause brutalized him on a daily basis, and Kell hated his mate, but he never wanted the man dead. Not fighting the charge and accepting his fate is the easiest path—except Kell doesn’t think he’ll survive a week in prison, and he doesn’t want to disappoint his younger brother Braun by giving up. He also doesn’t expect to recognize the lawyer who shows up to defend him. 

Ronin Cross was barely eighteen when he felt the mating bond with then-fourteen-year-old Kell, but his family moved away before Ronin could decide what to do. For the last ten years, he hasn’t forgotten teenage Kell, hasn’t mated, and now he’s in Sansbury Province to defend adult Kell from a capital murder charge. The mating bond is still there, but now isn’t the time to pursue anything with his fragile, battered, emotionally-damaged client. 

For Kell, the term “kind alpha” is a contradiction, because he’s never known one. He went from abusive father to abusive mate, and for twenty-four years, he’s simply done what he’s told. But Ronin asks Kell what he wants. What he likes. Ronin sees him, and it’s both confusing and delightful. But Kell is facing prison time at best, execution at worst, and as his trial date looms, he can’t indulge in a fantasy that will never come true…or can he?

The flow between Saved and this book was so flawless, I'm glad I read them back on back, because if I had had to wait fot the release I would have gone mad. This book was so exciting, I couldn't bear to put it down!
Kell had lived such a hellish life, it felt wonderful to see how things would en up for him with Ronin, what had happened to Branson, and a glimpse of what happened to Tarek and Braun after Saved finished.

I would gush further, but I'm not sure if I could keep on going wihout spoiling anything. I will say, though, that the trial was really exciting.

Saved (Breaking Free #1) by A.M. Arthur

Here's the blurb!

He didn’t want an alpha to save him, but fate had other ideas… 

Braun Etting was raised to know his place as an omega by his alpha father’s cruel words and fast fists, and he expects nothing but violence from the alpha who may one day mate him. His older brother Kell mated a cruel alpha who abuses him daily, and Braun is terrified of that seemingly inevitable future. When Braun’s father dies in a car crash, leaving Braun an orphan, he’s sent to a halfway house for omegas. But on his fourth night there, he witnesses a horrifying crime that sends him fleeing to the streets alone—and edging into his first heat. 

Tarek Bloom is settled in his workaholic, single lifestyle, even if it is somewhat embarrassing to be a twenty-eight year-old unmated alpha. He enjoys his job as a constable, helping people and solving problems, so he isn’t prepared for his life to flip upside-down when he walks into his beta friend Dex’s apartment to help with “a problem.” 

The problem turns out to be an unmated, nearly in-heat omega orphan who Dex and his husband rescued off the street last night. The even bigger problem is that Tarek feels the mating bond for this terrified omega immediately—and he’s pretty sure the omega feels it, too. But Braun hates alphas as a general rule, and no way is he giving in to the bond. All mating leads to is violence and suffering, so no thank you. But Tarek’s gentle kindness slips under Braun’s emotional shields, and Braun begins to want. To dream. All Braun has ever known is violent alphas, but Tarek is determined to make Braun trust him—and to trust in the idea of their happily ever after. 

I had never read an omegaverse book before this, but for some reason the blurb got me and I decided to take the plunge. I'm so glad I did. It takes a bit to get used to the idea of the alpha/omega/beta dynamics, but the plot was really engaging and I couldn't put it down. Plus, I'm a sucker for hurt/comfort, and this series has it to spare. 
And the characters are so well thought of! I immediately felt a connection with Braun, and all his actions in regard to the situations he is in make so much sense! 

I need the second book for yesterday, and will not be at peace until I finish it!

Love on a Battlefield by Posy Roberts

Here's the blurb!

Not every compass points north.

Andrew Summers is forced to spend his vacations reliving Civil War battles with his father. He hates every minute, until a blue-eyed, red-haired boy behind enemy lines catches his eye.

Shep Wells would much rather travel the world than play at boring war reenactments. He never dreamed a Texan boy would capture his heart.

Real life and years separate them; Andrew is forced onto real battlefields, but for Shep the world is a playground. They’re opposites, but writing letters closes the distance, uncovering their hopes and dreams. When Shep visits Andrew, they get to see if the tug they’ve felt for years is the compass pointing the way home.

This is the first book by Posy Roberts I've read, and it left me wanting a bit more by her, to be honest.
This book is so sweet it most likely gave me cavities. Shep and Andrew go through a lot before being able to be together, and the hardships are so realistic that they hurt, but that makes their joy more sweeter. The story flows smoothly, no bumps or slow patches. It had such lovely flow I was a bit surprised when I noticed it was over. I finished it so fast!

A very addictive read, and a wonderful introduction to Posy as an author.
Disclaimer: I recieved this book as an ARC, but all opinions are my own. 

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler

Here's the blurb from Goodreads

The youngest of six talented sisters, Elyse d'Abreau was destined for stardom - until a boating accident took everything from her. Now, the most beautiful singer in Tobago can't sing. She can't even speak.

Seeking quiet solitude, Elyse accepts a friend's invitation to Atargatis Cove. Named for the mythical first mermaid, the Oregon seaside town is everything Elyse's home in the Caribbean isn't: an ocean too cold for swimming, parties too tame for singing, and people too polite to pry - except for one.

Christian Kane is a notorious playboy - insolent, arrogant, and completely charming. He's also the only person in Atargatis Cove who doesn't treat Elyse like a glass statue. He challenges her to express herself, and he admires the way she treats his younger brother, Sebastian, who believes Elyse is the legendary mermaid come to life.

When Christian needs a first mate for the Cove's high-stakes Pirate Regatta, Elyse reluctantly stows her fear of the sea and climbs aboard. The ocean isn't the only thing making waves, though - swept up in Christian's seductive tide and entranced by the Cove's charms, Elyse begins to wonder if a life of solitude isn't what she needs. But changing course again means facing her past. It means finding her inner voice. And scariest of all, it means opening her heart to a boy who's best known for breaking them...


Having a character who is newly disabled is an interesting twist, and one I came to like reading this book. Elyse comes to Atargatis Cove after losing her voice in an accident, and has to get used to a new life without singing: which means her dreams of being a singer are dead, and it naturally breaks her heart. Even worse, is being treated like you're made of crystal, with no one daring to say anything to you in fear the wrong thing. Having to overcome those things is kind of what makes me label Elyse as a strong woman, which is a nice change from only hearing that about kickass females who can battle. 

I love the way Christian gets to fall in love with Elyse without her voice, and how their romance isn't "I love you in spite of your muteness" and more like "I love you for who you are as a person, I don't care that you can speak". That is a great point to romance in my books. 

I also love Sebastian and his love for everything mermaids, and how that is, in a way, forcing people out of the manly vs girly binary people are fast to fall against. Sebastian is a cinnamon roll who must be protected at all costs, and both Christian and Elyse are fast to jump in his protection when heteronormativity threatens to bring him down.

With a brown, disabled main character who learns to love both others and herself, a love interest that is in no way ableist and the cutest little brother ever, my only complaint is that it can be a bit slow at times. Still an amazing book. 

Kidnapped by the Pirate by Keira Andrews

Here's the summary from Goodreads

Nathaniel Bainbridge is used to hiding, whether it’s concealing his struggles with reading or his forbidden desire for men. Under the thumb of his controlling father, the governor of Primrose Isle, he’s sailing to the fledging colony, where he’ll surrender to a respectable marriage for his family’s financial gain. Then pirates strike and he’s kidnapped for ransom by the Sea Hawk, a legendary villain of the New World.

Bitter and jaded, Hawk harbors futile dreams of leaving the sea for a quiet life, but men like him don’t deserve peace. He has a score to settle with Nathaniel’s father—the very man whose treachery forced him into piracy—and he’s sure Nathaniel is just as contemptible.

Yet as days pass in close quarters, Nathaniel’s feisty spirit and alluring innocence beguile and bewitch. Although Hawk knows he must keep his distance, the desire to teach Nathaniel the pleasure men can share grows uncontrollable. It’s not as though Hawk would ever feel anything for him besides lust…

Nathaniel realizes the fearsome Sea Hawk’s reputation is largely invented, and he sees the lonely man beneath the myth, willingly surrendering to his captor body and soul. As a pirate’s prisoner, he is finally free to be his true self. The crew has been promised the ransom Nathaniel will bring, yet as danger mounts and the time nears to give him up, Hawk’s biggest battle could be with his own heart.

I won this book in a contest, and I'm so happy about that. A fighter for the title of  "favorite queer pirate romance", this book has two very complex characters who meet for revenge and whose love is doomed because of fate and family... or is it? The fight for love between Nathaniel and Hawk is fierce, both against themselves and against the world. It was a bit too steamy for my liking at times, but the plot was too exciting to put it down for long. 

Definitely a worthy read. I thank my luck for working in my favor for once, as contests haven't worked out well for me during my life.