Back of Book: 

Ellis Carter has spent his life clinging to the places that don’t ask him to be louder.

At twenty-six, the queer punk record store where he works is more than a job—it’s a refuge. The old man who owns it gave Ellis his first steady ground after his firefighter father died and his mother disappeared into alcohol. The store taught him rhythm, routine, and how to exist without apology.

So when the shop is sold to Issaky Jones—a wealthy, charming outsider known for buying up independent record stores—Ellis is certain of one thing: this is how safe places die.

Issaky is everything Ellis distrusts. Confident. Unapologetic. Impossible to ignore. He renovates, restructures, and insists Ellis stay on—with benefits Ellis has never had and patience Ellis doesn’t know how to accept. Attraction sparks where resentment should be, and soon Ellis finds himself drawn into something he never planned for: a man who listens, who waits, and who stays.

As the store is rebuilt, Ellis uncovers a hidden box of letters—love notes written decades earlier by the store’s original owner to his lover. Each letter tells a quiet story of queer love, fear, and devotion, mirroring Ellis’s own in ways he isn’t ready to face.

When loss strikes and grief threatens to close Ellis off for good, he must decide whether to retreat into silence—or risk trusting the steady hands reaching for him.

Still Here is a tender, slow-burn queer romance about legacy, grief, and learning that love doesn’t demand you change—only that you stay.

Book Number: One

Genre: Adult | Contemporary | Romance | LGBTQIA+ 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

A sweet MM romance about finding the person who sees and accepts you just as you are. 

Ellis Carter is an autistic young man who has always felt at home in a cozy record shop run by his father figure, Clyde. While there, things make sense. He’s allowed to wear his headphones, organize things just how he likes them, and always be himself. When the shop is suddenly sold to Issaky Jones, Ellis fears that everything is about to change. After learning that Issaky always puts Ellis’ needs first, Ellis can’t help but start falling for the caring man. Just as things start to feel safe with him and Issaky, tragedy strikes and Ellis fears that he may ruin everything. 

I actually ARC read book two in this series prior to reading this one and am now getting caught up before book three releases. I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed this one, because I found so many parts of “Wanna Bet?” to be rather problematic, but I thought this story was cute and packed with so many amazing quotes. 

From the very beginning, I really enjoyed Ellis as a character. He’s very methodical in his way of thinking and thrives on his routines. I found him to be rather relatable, and I thought the autism rep was done very well. I love that Knight had several sensitivity readers work with them to make sure that Ellis was as accurate and inoffensive as possible. 

Ellis’ relationship with Issaky was so sweet. I ate up the fact that their romance really showcases patience and accepting each other for who they are without ever thinking about changing one another. Ellis and Issaky go on some pretty cute dates, though at times I wish we would have got a few more details. The vibes were great regardless, and I thought their romance made this book so cozy and cute. 

This book does deal with a few darker issues including the death of a loved one and an alcoholic parent. Grief and substance abuse are both very tough, and it’s horrible that Ellis had to deal with both of them simultaneously. I’m pretty sure I’d shut down completely if I lost someone super important to me too, so I really related to Ellis’ life trajectory during that period. It’s awesome the way that Issaky supports him through this hard time by giving him space but being enough of a presence that Ellis would hopefully catch on that he wasn’t going anywhere. 

Ellis’ relationship with Clyde is another one of my favorite parts of this book. Clyde is like a father to Ellis, and I think it’s sweet when strangers accept others with open arms. Ellis really needed someone like Clyde in his life and it was amazing that the record store as a safe place came with this relationship. The letters that Ellis finds from Clyde are so wholesome, and I thought that was a rather cool tidbit that the author threw in. It also seemed perfectly in place because every chapter header included a portion of such letters. 

There were two major things about this book that made me raise my eyebrow a little bit. The first being the sex scenes. At first, I thought it was super sweet that Issaky was being so chill about taking things slow and not forcing Ellis to do anything he didn’t want to. Issaky really prioritized making sure they had a proper discussion about what they were comfortable with, but that never seemed to happen despite there being like four-ish sex scenes in this book. I can’t really speak on having sex as a gay man or an autistic individual, but some things seemed a bit off, especially during the scene in which they forgo lube and condoms. This seems a tad unsafe and a tad out of character for these two, but oh well, I’m not an expert by any means. 

The other thing I found off was the fact that there were like four sections from Issaky’s PoV like the entire book. I found this really jarring and a bit unnecessary. This one could have had dual perspectives, but I feel Ellis’ would have been so much stronger. I wish the entire thing would have been penned from Ellis’ PoV so I didn’t have to think about the narrative randomly changing at the most random moments. 

Overall, “Still Here” is a sweet MM love story about finding acceptance, adapting to change, and loving unconditionally. I thought Ellis and Issaky had a very sweet and healthy relationship, though the spicy scenes seemed a bit questionable to me. There were so many amazing quotes in this one that made me feel seen, and this book gives me faith that Knight is possibly of penning amazing stories that really move people. I’m looking forward to reading more books in this series and seeing what Knight does next with this fun group of characters! 

Back of Book: 

Jace likes his life quiet with predictable mornings, vinyl records and familiar routines. He has the same coffee order every day from the drive-up stand down the street and he keeps his world small, steady, and comfortably out of the spotlight.

Then there’s Samyah. She’s bright, bold, and impossible to ignore, and she thrives on connection. So when a coworker dares her to get the quiet regular to agree to a date, she accepts without hesitation. It’s harmless fun, a little flirting, an easy win. At least, that’s what she tells herself, because Samyah doesn’t do anything halfway. Living with Borderline Personality Disorder means every feeling arrives at full volume. Connections form fast, emotions run deep, and the fear of losing something meaningful can be just as powerful as finding it.

What begins as a joke becomes something neither of them expects. Jace notices the little things and he remembers what matters, but most importantly, he stays. As their relationship grows from playful banter into something real, Samyah finds herself facing a terrifying possibility: what if someone finally sees all of her and doesn't walk away?

But when the truth about the bet comes to light, they'll have to decide whether trust can survive a shaky beginning and whether a relationship built on a bet can become the safest thing either of them has ever known.

Wanna Bet? is a sexy, funny, and deeply heartfelt romance about vulnerability, emotional intensity, and choosing love even when there's no guarantee your heart will come back unbroken.

Book Number: Two

Genre: Adult | Contemporary | Romance | LGBTQIA+ 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟

A dating bet goes wrong in this romantic novel set in Seattle. 

Jace is a predictable guy. Every morning he goes to the same coffee shop, orders the same drink, and heads off to his shift at his best friend's record store. His world becomes a little less predictable when one of the shop's baristas asks him out on a date. Samyah "Myah" is rambuctious, unpredictable, and has Borderline Personality Disorder. When he coworker challenges her confidence by saying that Myah can't ask out the cute regular she's crushing on, Myah decides it's time for a little bet. But as Myah begins to go out with Jace, she feels guilty that their relationship started as a game to win. Can Jace and Myrah's love survive with this secret dangling between them? 

Alex Knight is another author that will be attending Midwest Bookish Fest 2027, so I figured I'd get in on their latest ARC opportunity. Thank you so much to Alex Knight for the eARC. 

I first want to put a disclaimer on this review that some of the issues I discuss may be adjusted before release as I read an advanced copy of this one. 

I really enjoyed my time with the first half of this book. Getting to meet Myah and Jace was a joy, as they are both such fun and realistic characters. However, I struggled a bit with come continuity issues as well as some things getting seemingly blown out of proportion. I thought the bet was a fun idea, but it sort of fell off the rails for no apparent reason. 

Jace is a quiet guy who doesn't like surprises. Each day is much like the one before it, and he is perfectly content with that. I found him to be a super chill guy and I appreciate his quiet strength. 

Myah, on the other hand, is a bit of a firecracker. She's loud, unapologetically herself, and very opiniated. I thought it was really inspiring that she is so unabashedly herself, even though she does struggle a ton with her mental health. She is often overcome with crippling feelings of unworthiness and has extreme anxiety that people will leave her. 

The bet starts out really innocent, which I thought was fun. Myah’s coworker, Kaylee insinuates that Myah doesn't have the guts to ask Jace, the guy she's crushing on, out on a date. Myah bets that she can and they exchange some harmless incentives, such as covering the other's shift and having to wear an embarrassing article of clothing for an entire week. I don't see why this caused Myah to spiral so intensely, as Kaylee was only pushing her to act on her crush. Nothing was said about sleeping with Jace, leading him on, or taking advantage of him in any way. I found it frustrating to read the events that go down towards the ending of this book; I even went back to reread the initial conversation to make sure I didn't misread it. And honestly, the second time around it seemed just as innocent as the first. In no way did Kaylee seem to imply that Myah was supposed to lead this guy on; she only wanted her friend to act on the crush she'd been harboring for a while. 

As this is book two in a series of interconnected stand alones, I met the couple from book one for the first time in this book. Ellis and Issaky seem like a very solid couple by the time this book rolls around, so I'd definitely be interested to see how they got together in "Still Here." 

Overall, I very much liked the premise of "Wanna Bet?" but I found myself a tad confused by the execution. Despite this, I thought Jace and Myah were a very cool couple. Jace's quiet disposition pairs well with Myah’s fiery nature. I unfortunately found much of my time reading this one filled with confusion over the wording of the bet versus what Myah interpreted it as. I'm not sure if it was just a me problem, but I still enjoyed the few hours I spent with this one. I definitely want to give another one of Knight's books a try, because I enjoyed most aspects of this book.