Picks from the Bottomless List: December
Aaand we’re late. Like super late with this, but life happened and somehow it’s already the 10th. But better late than never, right?
Below are the books we loved the most in November as well as December releases we can’t wait to get our hands on.
Leave us a comment and tell us what books you can’t wait to read!
In the past month I read a lot of awesome books. Outside the Lines by Anna Zabo and Tactical Submission by Ada Maria Soto were the ones that I know I’ll reread again and again. Both books feature a poly relationship, but thats about the only thing they have in common – apart from being awesome, of course. 😉 Another book I really loved was New Hand by L.A. Witt and Midlife Crisis by Audra North was a beautiful, low-angst, story that left me with a huge smile on my face.
SWAT commander Jack Burnside is haunted by his craving to kneel before another man. Of all the things he hates about himself – his overtly masculine size and strength, his blue eyes, his insecurities – it is the need to submit that he fears will destroy him.
Doctor Isaac Bard is close to achieving his perfect life. He has a great job with the Coroner’s Office and an open marriage to a loving wife who understands his needs better than he does. The only thing he is missing is a handsome young man to dominate, spoil rotten, and love.
Jack and Isaac might be a perfect match in the back rooms of the exclusive Windsor Club, but will the outside pressures of perception and duty tear them apart?
Amazon | Goodreads
Annie’s review
Miniature artist Ian Meyers has one week to rebuild his damaged set. Needing help, he goes to End o’ Earth, the local comic and gaming shop. Owner Simon Derry pushes all of Ian’s buttons, and he also has steady hands and the skills Ian needs.
Before they can even grab a beer, Ian meets Lydia Derry, Simon’s wife. If Ian had any interest in women, he’d suggest a threesome, but then Simon explains that he and Lydia are polyamorous, and if Ian wants Simon, neither of them will complain. If anything, Lydia encourages the relationship.
Ian’s all in, and it’s fantastic working with Simon to piece together his set and then take each other apart at night. His friendship with Lydia grows too. The only problem is, the more time he spends with Simon, the more he wants everything Simon already has with Lydia: A house. A cat. A commitment. So Ian runs, and shatters the trust he has with them both—right when they need him the most. Piecing their relationships back together might prove harder than a smashed set.
Riptide Publishing | Goodreads
Release Date: December 18th
Annie’s review
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For december I’m really looking forward to Garrett Leigh’s latest Junkyard Heart and Only You by Kay Doherty. Garrett Leigh is one of my favorite authors and I’m always looking forward to her releases. Kay Doherty is a new to me author, but I fell in love with the cover (and then the blurb too).
Tired of the London rat race and the heartbreak that comes with it, photographer Jas Manning returns to Porthkennack, the Cornish seaside town where he spent every childhood summer on his father’s farm. Resigned to year-round rain, wind, and homemade jam, he’s sorely unprepared for the impact that artsy carpenter Kim Penrose has on his heart.
Kim’s free-loving reputation precedes him, and he’s as generous with his inked-up body as he is with his time. The sex is hot, the easy friendship even better, and Jas’s time with him building his family’s new farmhouse canteen is everything Jas was missing in his empty city life.
But Kim’s carefree existence isn’t as simple as it appears. He’s worked hard to vanquish his demons and build his dreams, but the devil on his shoulder is ruthless, and when it comes to call, their happy bubble bursts like it was never there at all. The canteen opening looms, but Kim is gone in more ways than one, and it’s down to Jas to shore up Kim’s soul and convince him that he deserves his place in Jas’s heart.
Riptide Publishing | Goodreads
Release Date: December 4th
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Case Holden hates his life. Made rich at a young age, he slipped into a lifestyle of partying with multiple boyfriends who only wanted to be with him for what he could give them. After confiding to his aunt that he’s miserable, she extends an invitation for a visit. Case plans to spend the time in small town Clover City to reprioritize and plant his feet on the road to happiness. He does not expect the Clover City sheriff to step into his world and wreak havoc on his emotions.
Two years ago, after the death of his partner, Rawley Kane moved to Clover City, trading the painful memories and big city madness for a less stressful existence. Even as sheriff, his life is uncomplicated and quiet. That is until Case Holden rolls into town and reminds Rawley just how lonely he is, and of everything he’s been missing.
Case is everything Rawley shouldn’t want. The man has six boyfriends and a life back in Denver, not to mention he’s quite a bit younger than Rawley. No matter what he tells himself, he can’t get enough of the young man. And Case has made it clear Rawley is the only one he wants. Now if they could just get past Rawley’s guilt and Case’s insistent boyfriends, they just might stand a chance.
NineStar Press | Goodreads
Release Date: December 18th
November ended up being a bit of a re-read of well loved books sort of month. This means I lost myself in one of my favorite books of all ever and ever, amen: Courtney Lux’s Small Wonders. I fell in love with this book way back in 2015: if you haven’t read it, I so highly recommend it.
“I am Trip Morgan, the would-be miracle who’s got something the matter with his eyes, and I am meant for greater things.”
A pickpocket who finds value in things others do not want, Trip Morgan keeps among his collection of treasured, stolen trinkets a photograph of a child who looks eerily like Nate Mackey, a down-and-out former Wall Street analyst Trip recently met and became involved with.
The photograph is part of a collection of stolen trinkets he’s amassed since he arrived in New York. He keeps it all close and works out a life he could have if he could ever let someone keep him long enough for him to build up a treasure trove of small wonders all his own.
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November also marked the bittersweet end of the Daniel and Ryan Series I have been loving for so long. I didn’t realize it was the last installment until it was done; I’m still processing how I feel about the last installment. Still, I must mention this wonderful little series to any readers who have been on the fence — it’s all said and done and it was really a great ride.
This month I also read The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal by KJ Charles. It’s not new, but it was new to me; it is connected to but not directly a part of the Green Men Series (I’ve been raving over Spectred Isle so much people might be starting to hate me). Because I loved it so much (yes, I also re-read it this month), I went looking for this one. It was an interesting, sexy, creepy ghost story kind of ride. Definitely recommend!
A story too secret, too terrifying—and too shockingly intimate—for Victorian eyes.
A note to the Editor
Dear Henry,
I have been Simon Feximal’s companion, assistant and chronicler for twenty years now, and during that time my Casebooks of Feximal the Ghost-Hunter have spread the reputation of this most accomplished of ghost-hunters far and wide.
You have asked me often for the tale of our first meeting, and how my association with Feximal came about. I have always declined, because it is a story too private to be truthfully recounted, and a memory too precious to be falsified. But none knows better than I that stories must be told.
So here is it, Henry, a full and accurate account of how I met Simon Feximal, which I shall leave with my solicitor to pass to you after my death.
I dare say it may not be quite what you expect.
Robert Caldwell
September 1914
December reads I can’t wait for:
Although I’ve just finished the ARC, I cannot wait for you all to read Just Like Honey by Ajax Bell when it comes out on December 15th. It’s a part of a series of interrelated books (they can be read as stand alone) and they are all fantastic.
I’m also excited to read Junkyard Heart, by Garrett Leigh. As always, I’m a fan of their work, and I enjoyed the last book in the Porthkennack series (which are written by different authors but that take place in the same town).
Can He Paint His Muse into 36 Views of Seattle?
Artist Ryan Ikeda’s domestic bliss shatters after an invitation to join a career-launching gallery show in 1990s Seattle. His artistic uncertainty and secret desires, dangerous as turpentine and flame, threaten to torch his bond with Ben, his handsome boyfriend and muse.
Suddenly, instability rocks every aspect of Ryan’s life: his grandmother’s sinking health, his friends moving on to new jobs, even his apartment is endangered. Worst of all, Ben’s work demands more time away from home, the overload of changes jeopardizing the stability of their open relationship.
Ryan’s long-time friends advise him to jump headlong in to the colorful Seattle art scene. However, Ryan’s deep examination of his creative needs outline new demands for his life with Ben. Striving for both balance and success, Ryan faces the greatest risks of his personal and professional life.
Just Like Honey peeks inside working artists’ studios, cruises the 1990s Seattle bar scene, and eavesdrops on artists gossiping about their competitors at hot gallery shows, while Ryan and Ben explore the communication and tenderness required for a deep, open relationship.
Queer Books Unbound 