katkejt's reviews
493 reviews

Whistle by Cambria Hebert

Emmett • Bodhi

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“Everything.” 

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“I once had it all. And now I had nothing.” // “Come home with me.” // “Now I wouldn’t cover it because those two words did more to heal than any bandage ever could.” // “But I’ll call you daddy if that’s what you’re into.” // “Vulnerability and rejection stung like open cuts.” // “…and the more I feared this wasn’t just some chemical attraction but something with enough power to blow my world apart.” // “Did you just use my whistle?” // “What’s mine is yours, and what’s yours is mine.” // “Oh, how I’d love to be just one person’s exception.” // “Yeah, that smile was my end goal.” // “Cause you’re part of me now too.” // “Don’t you daddy me.” // “Kiss me.” …

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Forbidden Puckboy by Eden Finley, Saxon James

4.0

Knox • Easton 

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“…there’s only one thing worse than your dream man being nothing like you thought he would be. And that’s your dream man being everything you imagined.” 

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Let this series never end. I think at this point everyone can find a favorite pair of their own. Was Knox and Easton mine? In all honesty, no. I still have my strong untouched top three. But this edition gave me perspective that not everything is earned easily, sometimes you have to fight for it, compromise and you can’t achieve anything if you don’t speak out. These two had a long way to go, with a lot of obstacles, words to use but true love concurred it all in the end spiced with a lot of determination. 

I love how this series focuses not only on the romantic aspects but also family and friendships. To be a fly during a Collective meet-up. And I really, really, really want Lachie’s book - like a siren calling…

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“It’s the fairer-haired guys with the sexy freckles that make me weak in the knees.” // “I’m way out of your league.” // “I dunno, I’m pretty good at helping men find God. You’d know that if you weren’t somehow immune to all my offers.” // “You deserve a good one.” // “A watermelon ring sucker. Don’t start thinking you’re worth actual gold.” - “I bet twelve-year-old Easton thought I was worth gold. All the gold.” // “And you don’t see… how that makes it so much worse?” // “I’m trembling out of my skin.” // “A step back.” // “Relationships are work. They’re not flowers and true love’s kiss and the fantasy of a happily ever after.” // “I always thought of them as mine, you know?” // “That’s real love. The kind that can get through anything.” …

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*I received an advance copy directly from Foreword PR in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

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Dirty Martini by Addison Beck

5.0

Rhys • Everest 

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“This means nothing.” - “Nothing.” 

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There is something about these Addison’s boys. I swear it. Every single time. Dirty Martini is the perfect set up for a new series that I can’t wait to experience as a guilty pleasure in all its fullness. Let’s see which drink will become my favorite on the XO menu. Elton and baby boy Knox are setting the bar up high and are up next. But when I tell you, the tension with Rhys and Eve ? You feel it. The tit for tat? It’s given. The war between? All is fair. The fear? Tamed. The forgiveness? Given voice. The vulnerability? Both sided. The intimacy? Fusilladed. The love? Unconditional. 

Dirty martini proportions:

2 1/2 ounces of passion
1/2 ounce of hurt  
1/2 ounce of deep affection 
Garnish: sit tight and give me that cake, cake, cake. 

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Artemas- i love you regardless 

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“Loud yet quiet like a whisper.” // “That damn affection I used to feel for him threatens to come up when our eyes meet and his cheeks turn that pretty pink they used to.” // “…he has to know that the bad blood between us runs thick.” // “…and I swear, if he touches him one more time⁠—“ // “Straight into the trouble I know he is.” // “It tastes a little like fuck you, Rhys.” // “You have no idea what you’ve done.” // “…but he initiated a challenge. Watch me. Want me.” // “The incredible sensation of commanding someone’s attention, of breaking down their walls, of exposing them…” // “You’d let me, wouldn’t you?” // “Thank you for the reminder.” // “You’re coming home tonight.” // “He’s playing the game so beautifully, and I’m too weak to resist.” // “Call me your baby…” // “I trusted that bashful guy to know he could turn to me for anything.” // “Because he’s still holding my hand.” // “…but if he keeps on drawing me in, I’ll become his too.” // “I like your laugh.” // “…and the way my whispered name leaves his lips when I kiss his cheek.” // “You take up all the space.” // “Because Everest was mine to hate and now he’s mine to keep…” …

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*I received an advance copy directly from the Author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

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Point of Contact by Melanie Hansen

5.0

Trevor • Jesse… ♾️.

“I’m just glad I got to love you first.” 

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“…it was okay, that nobody here was afraid to die, not really. Hell, dying was easy. Being left behind, having to live with everything they were seeing—and doing— That was the really scary part.” 

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“The thing is, that picture’s changed a bit, though.” - “How?” - “Because you’re in it now.”

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You know when you feel that something shifted, something changed your course. This book was that. I am leaving my heart beside it. 

100/10. No notes. 

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Sleeping At Last - Heart 

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“Just let him come home.” // “’Cause we goin’ to war, boys. We goin’ to war.” // “It’s just us.” // “Not only are you my best friend, but the two of us together, we’ll own that shit.” // “All the guys are good, Riles.” // “Easy peasy.” // “…that this was the only memory he wanted imprinted on his mind and heart.” // “You wanna go hiking with me, just get out of the house for a while?” // “Because his existence didn’t matter if I’m not suffering! Don’t you get that?” // “Trevor brushed his fingers over the spot on his leg Jesse had touched, closing his eyes…” // “My favorite memory?” // “You’ve cheated me out of nothing, and you’ve given me everything. Don’t you see that?” // “So when you are ready, I promise you I won’t be far away.” // “Mostly about how I wish we could stay here forever.” // “…something that’s just our own.” // “Two can play at that game, Mr. Byrne.” // “Yeah? Well, the stars are gonna see me kiss you, Mr. Estes.” // “That’s right. I’m here now.” // “So this is what it felt like to have everything he’d ever wanted.” // “I don’t want ‘better… I want you.” …

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Fair Catch by CE Ricci

5.0

…rtc. ♾️. “My heart crawls into my throat as I stare at him. At this amazing, talented, and hardworking man who continues to teach and inspire me just as much as I do him. Who has only ever wanted from me is my time. My attention. My love. And if I have it my way, he’ll never have to want those things again, because they’ll already be his. I will be his. Always.” 

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In the meantime, before I find my words:

I will never admit how many times this book made me tear up;
Blue Gatorade;
Hayes is me;
Connection; Communication; Care;
“Felt myself slipping past the point of no return every time you smiled at me.”;
Kason and Hayes superiority;
Growth;
We all can’t wait for Theo and Madden now, the snippets;
Interactions old vs new, this one had it all (🖤.);
All the love Chelsea.

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Burning the Midnight Oil by Ashley James

Grady • Boone

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“Maybe on nights like this, when we’re both burning the midnight oil, we can simply take comfort in the solace we find in each other without trying to make sense of it all.”

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“Every once in a while, he’ll flit his gaze over to me, and the smile on his face as he looks at me makes my heart thump a little harder, and I wish I knew why.” // “Boone Stanton is a sexy man fully dressed, but he’s a fucking god lying there in all his naked glory.” // “Something came over me—something strong and wanton—and it’s like my hands weren’t my own.” // “Because if I’m being honest with myself right now, I’m not. Not even a little bit.” // “No matter how hard I try, he’s always there. Always front and center in my mind.” // “Because the truth is, that kiss meant everything to me.” // “It wasn’t nothing.” // “He’s changed me, and I’m not ready to give that up.” // “And let me show you how I see you.” … 📷.

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Romeo Falling by Jesse H Reign

5.0

Romeo • Jude…♾️.

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“Is your window open?” - “Always.” 

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“I only had one card. The king of hearts. And he was it.”

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“From that day, I was a match and he was a flame. We set each other alight and burned the world around us to ash.”

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This one is for the ages. This one is for keeps. This one was made for me, for my emotionality, it spread so slowly and faultlessly under my skin, rooted to my bones. The written words are remarkable. I have it down bad. All praise Jesse. All hail. Did I highlight basically the whole book? I won’t be answering questions at this time. This book was made for me. I’m astonished. I’m “Whelmed.” 

♾️ x. 

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Aquilo - So Close To Magic 

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Seafret - Oceans 

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Seafret - Breathe 

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Jessie Murph - Always Been You 

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“It’s strange how a place can be the same yet feel completely different.” // “My mom was right. Romeo was a dreamer.” // “…one thousand six hundred and eighteen” // “It was a rare, full constellation. A smile I knew well. A smile he kept just for me.” // “It felt like a story Romeo had told me. One of those stories where his eyes would glaze over and go dreamy, and I’d feel like I’d been catapulted through the air and ravaged by the time it was over.” // “…because I hadn’t done it with you first.” // “…he leaned down and dropped a kiss right between my shoulder blades and another on the small of my back. Off-center. To the right of my spine.” // “Even now, I could swear it was real. I could swear as I lay there beneath him, I saw Romeo falling.” // “I felt the outline of his handprint on my chest for hours. Days. Months.” // “Hold my drink.” // “You have a funny way of remembering things, Jude.” // “Give me my sin again.” // “He kisses my knuckles as I watch, enchanted.” // “You were mine, Tiger.” // “In every picture, the window is open.” // “We get one in a lifetime. Only one.” // “A tear in time. A before and an after. A place where then and now meet…” …

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The Retreat by Andi Jaxon, J.R. Gray

4.0

Owen • Colin 

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“Only if you earn it.”

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“You feel like my best friend.”

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Fake marriage that leads to forced proximity. Forced proximity that leads to an understanding. An understanding that leads to finding your own person. A person, that becomes a best friend who leads you through it all, becomes a part of you, a part of your heart. A part of your heart that sees you. Let me tell you - there is no quite characters out there like Owen and Colin. I felt this story complemented On Guard perfectly, like seeing a brand new found family come to life. The banter between Colin and Oliver was definitely my highlight. While reading I felt satisfied, yet had a lingering feeling, that a lot more juice could have been squeezed from it. Who’s next? We don’t know yet. Maybe Ryan? Let us be surprised. 

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Scott Quinn - Matches

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“It seems so out of place with its bright colors and uneven shapes.  Like me in the world I was born into.” // “If you think you’re in charge here, you’re gravely mistaken.” // “Sweet innocent man, you have no idea what you’ve just done.” // “It’s easier if I push them away than if they leave me.” // “I will not tolerate anyone speaking to my husband that way.” // “He laces our fingers together, probably to keep mine still, but maybe he needs the physical contact too.” // “You are exquisite.” // “Because I want your marks on me.” // “I love when you look at me like that.” // “You are everything I never knew I needed and wanted. Just as you are.” // “I see you found the new art I had installed today.” …

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*I reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts are my own. 

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All Roads Lead to You by Courtney W. Dixon

5.0

Logan • Nicolas (Nick)…♡. 

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“I want no one else to have this moment with you. It belongs to you and me alone.”

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“And all those roads will always lead back to you.”

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This is officially my ultimate summer read. Perfection. Loved it with a passion. I was in such a wonderful headspace while reading this book. And I love that the author used a more idyllic approach. 

While traveling, we get to met Logan and Nick, we discover a little about ourselves and a lot about them, see how a lot has changed since the ‘80s and how much still has to happen, learn how communication is the only key (thank you Nick, what a wonderful character -  that determination to break these walls.), see Logan blossom so beautifully, fall in love alongside with tingles in our tummies while taking “Route 66 until we reach Staunton, Virginia, where we’ll take Route 81. By the time we pass Knoxville, Tennessee, we’ll connect to Route 40 until we reach Nevada. There, we will then head north to Lake Tahoe, but we’ll also take some side trips, one being the Ozarks in northern Arkansas and down to Austin, Texas.” 

I will be definitely coming back to this tale, to this comfort and I hope this isn’t the end of this world, fingers crossed 🤞🏼. Thank you Courtney 🖤. for the playlist of a lifetime 📼. Has it been playing around my house lately on repeat? Oh why yes, a calm to my storm. 

Pack your bags and join us in the cross country journey with a palette of all emotions (and hopefully fall in love.)

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Depeche Mode - World In My Eyes 

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The Cars - Drive

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Journey - Don’t Stop Believin’ 

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“Do you know that tingly feeling you get when someone’s thinking about you or watching you, making your ears burn? That’s how I always felt when Logan was nearby.” // “Nick never backed down when I pushed.” // “But Lake Tahoe will be our last stop before heading to Stanford…” // “I was also slightly terrified that nothing would be the same after this.” // “…his hazel-green eyes lighter and vibrant with the falling sun.” // “Who knew this broody asshole was a snuggler?” // “It was like having a wish fulfilled but not knowing what to do with it.” // “You know that sensation you get when even your soul is comfortable? That was me.” // “…yet here we were, falling into each other with an odd and unexpected ease.” // “…as I played with the soft strands of hair on Logan’s neck.” // “I felt as sexy as he claimed I was.” // “I’d like to think this is only one of many trips.” // “That’s all we ask.” // “I’ll take dusty roads, graveled roads, roads filled with potholes, or congested highways as long as we take them together.” …

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*I received an advance copy directly from the Author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

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On Guard by Andi Jaxon, J.R. Gray

Isaac • Oliver 

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“A siren of my self-destruction.”

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“He was put on this earth to test me. I swear to fucking god.”

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This was a major guilty pleasure. Sue me. 
(I am staying here for Colin and Owen.) 

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Artemas - wet dreams

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“I want to be free. To be me. But I don’t know who that is. Not really.” // “You don’t see yourself as I see you.” // “Good. I want you guessing.” // “My notebooks are full of him. Every inch of blank space is covered in his eyes, fingers, lips.” // “His reassurance hits deep. I crave those parts of him, too. In a room full of anyone who would have him, he picks me. I’m high off the power of being his choice.” // “Don’t worry, I’m going to fuck you like my whore, and then I’m taking you to dinner like my prince.” // “Good. I want you to be obsessed with me. That puts us on even ground.” // “You’re not allowed to run away. You said we’re together, and that means making it work together. You don’t get to hide from me.” // “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.” …

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