Rating: 4.25 stars Buy Links:  Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK Length: Novel Expanded Universe is a short-story anthology that caps off Gregory Ashe's wonderful Last Picks cozy mystery series. It features 15 stories, all but one of which were previously released in various places (though I hadn't read any of them). The fifteenth and final story is brand new and exclusive to the collection.

Rating: 4.25 stars Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK Length: Novel Wes Dalton is a third-generation Georgia Christmas tree farmer and, with just a few weeks until Christmas, Wes is on the verge of losing it all. Debt, brutal storms, and his father’s failing health have left Holiday Pines on the precipice of collapse. No one works harder than Wes, but he’s stubborn and prideful and he has rejected help in the past, even when it was kindly offered.

Story Rating: 4 stars Audio Rating: 4 stars Narrator: Kirt Graves Length: 9 hours, 57 minutes Audiobook Buy Links: Amazon/Audible | iBooks Book Buy Links: Amazon | iBooks Evian and Enzo meet when Enzo visits his cousin, Burke, in Coral Pointe Inlet, Florida. Enzo is a closeted gay man whose secret is discovered by his homophobic mother, who plans to cut him off from his family.

Story Rating: 4.25 stars Audio Rating: 4.5 stars Narrator: Joel Leslie Length: 9 hours 48 minutes Audiobook Buy Links: Amazon/Audible | iBooks Book Buy Links: Amazon | iBooks This collection of short stories follows the characters from several of Lily Morton's previously published novels. If you haven’t read the Mixed Messages series or the Finding Home series, then there are a lot of spoilers in this collection.

Rating: 4 stars Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK Length: Novel Prince Theodore Rinaldi and Shepard O’Neill Winchester III have known each other for years as friends, colleagues, and Kings. There was never a spark, until one night sets fire to their relationship. Now, the men are obsessed with each other. With both of them high-profile figures, keeping their relationship quiet for a bit seems to be insurmountable.

Rating: 3.5 stars Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK Length: Novel Tobias Rogan has been serving as the Anax, the highest werewolf authority, in the the United States for several months. From the very beginning, he has struggled with wielding the Anax powers. Now, they seem to increasingly subjugate Tobias’ values and leadership choices in favor of the strictly hierarchical preferences of his predecessor.

Rating: 4.25 stars Buy Links:  Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK Length: Novel Swallow is the second book in Risa Cruise's excellent Sugar Pill duet and the books must be read in order. The first book, Sucker Love, ends on a significant cliffhanger and this book/review will have spoilers for those events. To get started, check out my spoiler-free review of…

Rating: 5 stars Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK Length: Novel Note: Next Man Up has a big trigger warning and an important preface. A few years ago, hockey star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew Gaudreau, a hockey coach, were killed by a drunk driver while out bicycling. L.A. Witt had already written Next Man Up, which imagined the effect of losing a beloved star player on his teammates.

Rating: 3.25 stars Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK Length: Novel Armand and Lucas have landed in London! Newly together, there’s still a great deal of adjusting to be gone through. For one, Armand’s flat is … well, it would be kind to call it a mess. There are stains on the wall, stains on the floor; it’s a long place and not terribly wide, and Armand can’t help but feel like his flat doesn’t live up to Lucas’ expectations, as Lucas grew up with money and opportunities.

Rating: 3.75 stars Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK Length: Novel Gravity is the second book in A.G. Meiers' Saltwater trilogy. The books are intended to be read in order and this review may naturally reveal plot points of the series. Sean reluctantly made his way to Maine after his life and his career blew up in Chicago.

Rating: 3.5 stars Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK Length: Novel Rory has talent and working at Alchemy Ink has offered him the kind of stability he’d been looking for to build up his piercing business. That said, as someone who has mastered the art of using humor and sarcasm to deflect all kinds of attention, Rory knows people don’t take him seriously.

Today I am so pleased to welcome Oliver Takely to Joyfully Jay. Oliver has come to talk to us about his latest release, Hidden Greed. Please join me in giving a big welcome! Exclusive Excerpt “Will you be seeing your boyfriend over Christmas?” “My what?” Milo spluttered, unable to stop his face igniting, giving him away. “You’ve just seemed happier recently.

Hi all! Today we are here to share our favorite books from those we reviewed in December. This focuses just on books we loved last month. If you want to see our favorites from all of 2025, be sure to check out our Best of 2025 posts! Jay's Favorite Books The Lookout's Ghost by A. Knightly Alice Rue Evades the Truth…

Hi all! Today I am sharing my favorite covers from December. These are the covers I loved the most of all the books we reviewed last month. And in case you missed it, be sure to check out our recent Best Covers of 2025 post!

Rating: 3.5 stars Buy Links:  Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK Length: Novel Five years ago, Zayd was on a mission with his partner, Kas, when the men were ambushed by one of their own and Kas was killed. Zayd retreated to Earth to bide his time and prepare for getting vengeance on those who betrayed them. Now, Zayd is back in Amagi and ready to take down all those who signed their name to Kas' death warrant.

Today I am so pleased to welcome Aimee Nicole Walker to Joyfully Jay. Aimee has come to talk to us about her latest release, Brokered Betrayals. Please join me in giving her a big welcome! Exclusive Excerpt Sawyer’s heart had never pounded so hard, and he feared he would pass out if he didn’t calm down. He took a steadying breath because he would not miss this moment.

Hi all! I hope you had a great holiday season and are settling into a great 2026! I kind of feel like this year can only improve over last (please let this be true!), so I am looking forward to the new year. I always feel like things get a little blah in these winter months after the holidays but before the weather warms, but I am determined to work toward my goal of more hiking this year, even in the cold months.

Rating: 4.25 stars Buy Links:  Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK Length: Novel Percy is heading for a bakery when he accidentally walks into Sweat, the local gym, instead. Percy is a skinny academic and sees himself far more suited to the classroom than to the gym. and he is ready to turn right around. But when hot personal trainer, Butch, starts chatting him up, somehow Percy finds himself agreeing to some training sessions.

Rating: 4.5 stars Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK Length: Novella Rafferty spent years investigating Jesse Travis in order to put the man behind bars. In the end, he succeeds, but that doesn’t negate the fact that Rafferty knows that, if circumstances had been different, Jesse wouldn’t be a criminal. Or the fact that Rafferty finds Jesse insanely attractive.

Hi all! Today I wanted to thank our December advertisers for all their support and sponsorship, helping to keep things running here at Joyfully Jay. Please be sure to check out their books once again and show them lots of love! We have ad spots remaining throughout 2026 in Tiers 2, 3, and regular level ads. You can find all the details on our Advertise page.

Rating: 4.5 stars Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK Length: Novel Exiled Duskblade elf, Moranthus, and his human lover, Gerrick — body double and guard for Prince Orthenn — have come home to Dawn’s Gate in the company of Prince Orthenn himself. They instantly run into Guard Captain Randall, who is none to pleased to see his prince in the company of en exiled elf.

Today I am so pleased to welcome CF White to Joyfully Jay. CF has come to talk to us about her latest release, Worth the Risk. Please join me in giving her a big welcome! Exclusive Excerpt “Thanks for sorting Lily.” Jude reached for his glasses on the desk. Mistake. Because now he could see Warren’s face properly. Not that Warren was looking at him with disgust.

Rating: 4.5 stars Buy Links:  Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK Length: Novel Robin is the crown prince of the fae Winter Court, but he always hated that life and escaped to the mortal world as soon as possible. He and his best friend, Harper, left the fae realm and started the world-famous rock band, The Rade. Robin loves his life, and while he can admit that part of him wishes for a partner like his friends and bandmates, he will never regret his decision to leave his old life behind him.

Rating: 4 stars Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK Length: Novel Jude has worked hard to rebuild his life and blend in. He is a respected history teacher and is involved with everything at school. Jude thought he had escaped his abusive ex, Callum, but that’s all changed as his ex is out of jail on early release. And now, Jude is trapped all over again.

Rating: 4.5 stars Buy Links:  Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK Length: Novel Things have been bad for a long time between Atlas and his narcissist of a boyfriend. The two grew up together and started a garage band that has now propelled them to stardom. Atlas has put up with a lot from Raleigh over the years and he has finally decided it's enough.