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The Hornets Nest #3
Honeysuckle
Dean Tucker is the golden boy of the Hornets.
Newly appointed as Captain of the baseball team, Dean is in the hot seat and must quickly learn how to manage not only his own expectations but the expectations of everyone else in his life. With his parents breathing down his neck to be perfect, he clumsily balances on the pedestal that's been created for him. It already feels like the world is on his shoulders when Coach throws wildcard Joshua Logan into the mix.
All Dean needs to do is stay focused, but how can he when his new teammate is driving him to distraction?
Joshua Logan is one of the most hated people in Harbor.
Transferring from Lorette, Josh is enemy number one. Known for being the cocky, aggressive loudmouth on the pitching mound, it's a shock to learn that it’s all a mask. Josh is distant, angry, and just trying to survive. As his new Captain, Dean is determined to get Josh to leave his lone-wolf attitude in the past by casting him into the deep end of the Hornets' messy found family.
All Josh wants to do is finish school, play baseball, and keep his head down, but Dean Tucker has different plans for him, and for them.
Newly appointed as Captain of the baseball team, Dean is in the hot seat and must quickly learn how to manage not only his own expectations but the expectations of everyone else in his life. With his parents breathing down his neck to be perfect, he clumsily balances on the pedestal that's been created for him. It already feels like the world is on his shoulders when Coach throws wildcard Joshua Logan into the mix.
All Dean needs to do is stay focused, but how can he when his new teammate is driving him to distraction?
Joshua Logan is one of the most hated people in Harbor.
Transferring from Lorette, Josh is enemy number one. Known for being the cocky, aggressive loudmouth on the pitching mound, it's a shock to learn that it’s all a mask. Josh is distant, angry, and just trying to survive. As his new Captain, Dean is determined to get Josh to leave his lone-wolf attitude in the past by casting him into the deep end of the Hornets' messy found family.
All Josh wants to do is finish school, play baseball, and keep his head down, but Dean Tucker has different plans for him, and for them.
545 pages, Paperback
Published May 16, 2025
24 people are currently reading
239 people want to read
About the author
Aubrey Taylor
18 books130 followersAubrey Taylor is a 32-year-old mom living in chilly Canada with her two kids and wonderful husband. Raised by Dean Winchester, Percy Jackson, and horror movies. She's a loud, nerdy, sarcastic lover of stories. Her favourites always including chosen families and adventure. She has been writing and creating stories from her dreams ever since she could remember. With massive emotions of her own, she puts her entire heart into her characters and stories. Aubrey's favorite genres are fantasy, reverse harem romance, and contemporary romance!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
May 26, 2025
My foray into this author's work and overall I enjoyed it.
Dean was a sweetheart and so was Josh underneath all his pain and anger. The real Josh underneath the trauma and pain of his past.
I grew up loving baseball and playing softball for 4 years in childhood, and honestly baseball as a sport in romance isn't done enough, in my opinion. This was a refreshing change in that regard.
While there is almost no smut in this, as because of what Josh goes through as a child - mentions of CSA with that, and a SA that happened somewhat recently to Josh before the start of this book, so heed that warning going into this. They aren't detailed mentions, though. - it takes him a long time to open up to Dean and to even start to feel comfortable to fully touch him, so that falls a bit by the wayside in this, but I was okay with that for the most part because it made sense why.
When we did finally get it, it was a bit disappointing, in my opinion. There wasn't much steam in this and the build up to any of it was Josh just trying to work through his trauma - which is fine and good! Honestly these two were sweet together more than anything else, and I felt happy more for Josh being able to be comfortable with someone like that again, sober, than the smut of it all. But if we're talking about heat wise? This barely has any.
The romance, overall, is pretty great and solid. I was also glad I didn't read the MF books because they seemed to be cool with an open relationship and Cael literally said at the end of this that his girlfriend wouldn't mind her boyfriend having a boyfriend...uh WHAT? Then I went and read in reviews for their book that there was a threesome scene with Dean? Who is gay?! And they were doing it to kind of use him to make the other jealous (and okay how could they be possessive and open at the same time? Whatever, nothing I need to worry about!)? Glad I didn't read that or I might have been pissed for Dean alone.
Anyway, I'm glad Dean shut that down from Cael because HUH?! So weird. Cael doesn't even love him like that so whatever.
Moving on, Dean and Josh were enjoyable together. Once Josh got past his anger and started opening up to Dean, they were sweet together. The way Dean gave Josh a safe place for basically the first time in his life and Josh helped Dean feel comfortable with himself and gain the courage to face his horrible homophobic family and be out and proud in the face of their awfulness. It was beautiful.
My only real reason for giving a star off of this, I guess, was the grammar mistakes. I couldn't get past the sentence structures...like did this author have an editor? If they did, they didn't have one who knew a whole lot of what they were doing.
Like we'd be in the middle of a sentence and there would all the sudden be a period! And where a sentence needed a period, there'd be a comma, so it'd keep going. It made reading this difficult at times and having to rearrange the sentences properly in my mind every time that happened was tiring. And it happened often enough through this whole book that I had to knock off some in the rating for it. Some words were missing or misspelled here and there as well, even if that happened less than with the wrong sentence structures.
I feel like as a published author you should at least have sentence structures down. At least know when to put a period and when to put a comma, idk.
So I couldn't get past that and had to ding this for that.
But the story itself was fun and interesting and our main couple was great together. I was so glad to see - even though I didn't read the first two books to get the full picture of Dean's story - Dean get a love he deserves, where the person is all in with him and shows him immense romantic love.
I'm open to reading this author in the future if she writes more MM...although I hope the grammar mistakes can be helped in future books. I dunno how long I could stand to read something so unedited and with technical writing problems over and over again before I gave up.
But still, this was a good story and Dean and Josh were wonderful and they both broke my heart at all they were going through. I also liked how this book didn't shy away from how *awful* homophobic people can be and that they weren't redeemed or came around. Not that I WANT that for Dean, just that is unfortunately a reality for a lot of LGBT+ youth out there, and a lot of MM romances like to have the problem of a homophobic family member or members but then pretty it up by the end of the book with no real work of getting the character to a better place, just so our MC's can have a neat, tidy bow of an HEA. I like seeing that not *everything* is perfect, but that Dean still gets his HEA with Josh.
And that Josh gets his with Dean. All of Josh's problems weren't solved either, but he was getting the help he needed and the love and family and friends that he needed, so I loved their HEA together.
So I do recommend this, if you can get past the grammar mistakes.
And I do hope to tune into another book by this author in the future ❤️
Dean was a sweetheart and so was Josh underneath all his pain and anger. The real Josh underneath the trauma and pain of his past.
I grew up loving baseball and playing softball for 4 years in childhood, and honestly baseball as a sport in romance isn't done enough, in my opinion. This was a refreshing change in that regard.
While there is almost no smut in this, as because of what Josh goes through as a child - mentions of CSA with that, and a SA that happened somewhat recently to Josh before the start of this book, so heed that warning going into this. They aren't detailed mentions, though. - it takes him a long time to open up to Dean and to even start to feel comfortable to fully touch him, so that falls a bit by the wayside in this, but I was okay with that for the most part because it made sense why.
When we did finally get it, it was a bit disappointing, in my opinion. There wasn't much steam in this and the build up to any of it was Josh just trying to work through his trauma - which is fine and good! Honestly these two were sweet together more than anything else, and I felt happy more for Josh being able to be comfortable with someone like that again, sober, than the smut of it all. But if we're talking about heat wise? This barely has any.
The romance, overall, is pretty great and solid. I was also glad I didn't read the MF books because they seemed to be cool with an open relationship and Cael literally said at the end of this that his girlfriend wouldn't mind her boyfriend having a boyfriend...uh WHAT? Then I went and read in reviews for their book that there was a threesome scene with Dean? Who is gay?! And they were doing it to kind of use him to make the other jealous (and okay how could they be possessive and open at the same time? Whatever, nothing I need to worry about!)? Glad I didn't read that or I might have been pissed for Dean alone.
Anyway, I'm glad Dean shut that down from Cael because HUH?! So weird. Cael doesn't even love him like that so whatever.
Moving on, Dean and Josh were enjoyable together. Once Josh got past his anger and started opening up to Dean, they were sweet together. The way Dean gave Josh a safe place for basically the first time in his life and Josh helped Dean feel comfortable with himself and gain the courage to face his horrible homophobic family and be out and proud in the face of their awfulness. It was beautiful.
My only real reason for giving a star off of this, I guess, was the grammar mistakes. I couldn't get past the sentence structures...like did this author have an editor? If they did, they didn't have one who knew a whole lot of what they were doing.
Like we'd be in the middle of a sentence and there would all the sudden be a period! And where a sentence needed a period, there'd be a comma, so it'd keep going. It made reading this difficult at times and having to rearrange the sentences properly in my mind every time that happened was tiring. And it happened often enough through this whole book that I had to knock off some in the rating for it. Some words were missing or misspelled here and there as well, even if that happened less than with the wrong sentence structures.
I feel like as a published author you should at least have sentence structures down. At least know when to put a period and when to put a comma, idk.
So I couldn't get past that and had to ding this for that.
But the story itself was fun and interesting and our main couple was great together. I was so glad to see - even though I didn't read the first two books to get the full picture of Dean's story - Dean get a love he deserves, where the person is all in with him and shows him immense romantic love.
I'm open to reading this author in the future if she writes more MM...although I hope the grammar mistakes can be helped in future books. I dunno how long I could stand to read something so unedited and with technical writing problems over and over again before I gave up.
But still, this was a good story and Dean and Josh were wonderful and they both broke my heart at all they were going through. I also liked how this book didn't shy away from how *awful* homophobic people can be and that they weren't redeemed or came around. Not that I WANT that for Dean, just that is unfortunately a reality for a lot of LGBT+ youth out there, and a lot of MM romances like to have the problem of a homophobic family member or members but then pretty it up by the end of the book with no real work of getting the character to a better place, just so our MC's can have a neat, tidy bow of an HEA. I like seeing that not *everything* is perfect, but that Dean still gets his HEA with Josh.
And that Josh gets his with Dean. All of Josh's problems weren't solved either, but he was getting the help he needed and the love and family and friends that he needed, so I loved their HEA together.
So I do recommend this, if you can get past the grammar mistakes.
And I do hope to tune into another book by this author in the future ❤️
May 16, 2025
“you know how to love someone because you figured out how to love me against all odds.”
this book was both heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time, and i genuinely wouldn’t have it any other way. aubrey is one of the most talented authors i’ve ever had the pleasure of arc reading for, and honeysuckle is further proof of that.
dean and josh were such complex characters despite having labels and assumptions made about them from the beginning. the bits and pieces we got from bad honey and honey pot were nothing compared to what’s between the pages of honeysuckle when it comes to these boys.
dean “golden boy” tucker may seem like everything is perfect and put together, but you truly don’t know what happens behind closed doors. his family made me want to jump through my screen and take care of them personally, but i am so glad they were handled in the way they were. i could feel dean’s resolve cracking at camp when it came to josh, and as much as he wanted to hate him, i don’t think he was capable of truly hating him even a little bit.
joshua logan was an enigma. truthfully, as i’m sure many were, i was iffy about him in the previous books, but now he is one of my favourite characters. i didn’t fully dislike him prior to reading this book, but i wasn’t in love with him either. reading his story and getting to know him as a person rather than an assumption or preconceived notions was an absolute roller coaster. any time dean asked him a question, he kept it short, sweet, and to the point, and after a little while, you start to realize why. i caught on pretty quickly, but having my suspicions confirmed hurt so bad. my heart broke for this man so many times, i swear. the best part of his story was watching him come into himself and become more open to different things, especially the best and his new team.
keeping with the theme of found family, the unwavering support of the rest of the team and the girls was so inspiring and heartwarming, and i’m glad everyone made an appearance in this book. because why? it was necessary.
i tried (not really) to pace myself (i didn’t) while reading this book so i could savour it (yeah, great job), but i ended up binging it because i couldn’t put it down. aubrey must have some kind of magic, because i’m instantly drawn to whatever she writes, and i can’t stop reading once i’ve started.
aubrey, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so very much for allowing me to be a part of your team and arc read this ♡︎
⚾︎ slow burn
⚾︎ found family
⚾︎ rivals to lovers
⚾︎ touch him and die
⚾︎ grumpy x sunshine
this book was both heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time, and i genuinely wouldn’t have it any other way. aubrey is one of the most talented authors i’ve ever had the pleasure of arc reading for, and honeysuckle is further proof of that.
dean and josh were such complex characters despite having labels and assumptions made about them from the beginning. the bits and pieces we got from bad honey and honey pot were nothing compared to what’s between the pages of honeysuckle when it comes to these boys.
dean “golden boy” tucker may seem like everything is perfect and put together, but you truly don’t know what happens behind closed doors. his family made me want to jump through my screen and take care of them personally, but i am so glad they were handled in the way they were. i could feel dean’s resolve cracking at camp when it came to josh, and as much as he wanted to hate him, i don’t think he was capable of truly hating him even a little bit.
joshua logan was an enigma. truthfully, as i’m sure many were, i was iffy about him in the previous books, but now he is one of my favourite characters. i didn’t fully dislike him prior to reading this book, but i wasn’t in love with him either. reading his story and getting to know him as a person rather than an assumption or preconceived notions was an absolute roller coaster. any time dean asked him a question, he kept it short, sweet, and to the point, and after a little while, you start to realize why. i caught on pretty quickly, but having my suspicions confirmed hurt so bad. my heart broke for this man so many times, i swear. the best part of his story was watching him come into himself and become more open to different things, especially the best and his new team.
keeping with the theme of found family, the unwavering support of the rest of the team and the girls was so inspiring and heartwarming, and i’m glad everyone made an appearance in this book. because why? it was necessary.
i tried (not really) to pace myself (i didn’t) while reading this book so i could savour it (yeah, great job), but i ended up binging it because i couldn’t put it down. aubrey must have some kind of magic, because i’m instantly drawn to whatever she writes, and i can’t stop reading once i’ve started.
aubrey, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so very much for allowing me to be a part of your team and arc read this ♡︎
⚾︎ slow burn
⚾︎ found family
⚾︎ rivals to lovers
⚾︎ touch him and die
⚾︎ grumpy x sunshine
June 20, 2025
4.5 ⭐ i'm speechless this was so heartbreaking and beautiful and i love josh and dean so, so much oh my god. i loved and felt for the both of them, i could literally cry. the way they fell into trust with each other, the slow burn of them opening up to each other and being each other's person...the lengths they'd go to protect each other....lord i need to be sedated. i've actually spent so much time crying over these characters, IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY
i'm a massive heap of feelings after finishing all 3 books in just a few days. they were perfect and addictive and i felt so many things reading them all. so many !!! things. the whole gang is just so. *clenches fists* that's MY FAMILY. god i can't wait for silas' book
like do you...no...you don't understand...i haven't been this attached to a found family since the foxes...i'm a mess
i'm a massive heap of feelings after finishing all 3 books in just a few days. they were perfect and addictive and i felt so many things reading them all. so many !!! things. the whole gang is just so. *clenches fists* that's MY FAMILY. god i can't wait for silas' book
like do you...no...you don't understand...i haven't been this attached to a found family since the foxes...i'm a mess
April 27, 2025
Rating : ☆☆☆☆☆
—————
𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦.
—————
𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨 & 𝙄𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 :
- 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙚 𝙍𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 : 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙗𝙤𝙧 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙮
- 𝙎𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝘽𝙪𝙧𝙣
- 𝙂𝙧𝙪𝙢𝙥𝙮 𝙭 𝙎𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚
- 𝙍𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨
- 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙍𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 : 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙚 𝘽𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙡
- 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮
- 𝘿𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙊𝙑
- 𝙋𝙏𝙎𝘿 𝙍𝙚𝙥
- 𝙏𝙤𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙃𝙞𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘿𝙞𝙚
- 𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙍𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙈𝙈𝘾
- 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝘾𝙧𝙤𝙬 𝙈𝙈𝘾
✔️ Available On KU
—————
Aubrey cannot write a book that I do not love. I will absolutely devour every single book that she writes.
This book was so beautifully written. It covers such difficult topics but they are written with such care and such love.
I am part of the Josh fan club now and I GET THE HYPE. The way he starts to heal within this book is so beautiful to see.
Dean is the most wonderful soul. The man has a heart of gold and would give anyone the clothes off of his back he is utterly selfless.
Together, they have quickly become one of my favourite couples ever, and I will literally never be over them.
This is by far my favourite hornets book yet. I’m patiently (VERY UNPATIENTLY) waiting for Silas’ book. He’s my favourite Harbor man and I’m utterly down bad for him.
Especially after this book, I loved getting to read about him a bit more!
—————
𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦.
—————
𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨 & 𝙄𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 :
- 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙚 𝙍𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 : 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙗𝙤𝙧 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙮
- 𝙎𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝘽𝙪𝙧𝙣
- 𝙂𝙧𝙪𝙢𝙥𝙮 𝙭 𝙎𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚
- 𝙍𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨
- 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙍𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 : 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙚 𝘽𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙡
- 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮
- 𝘿𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙊𝙑
- 𝙋𝙏𝙎𝘿 𝙍𝙚𝙥
- 𝙏𝙤𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙃𝙞𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘿𝙞𝙚
- 𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙍𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙈𝙈𝘾
- 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝘾𝙧𝙤𝙬 𝙈𝙈𝘾
✔️ Available On KU
—————
Aubrey cannot write a book that I do not love. I will absolutely devour every single book that she writes.
This book was so beautifully written. It covers such difficult topics but they are written with such care and such love.
I am part of the Josh fan club now and I GET THE HYPE. The way he starts to heal within this book is so beautiful to see.
Dean is the most wonderful soul. The man has a heart of gold and would give anyone the clothes off of his back he is utterly selfless.
Together, they have quickly become one of my favourite couples ever, and I will literally never be over them.
This is by far my favourite hornets book yet. I’m patiently (VERY UNPATIENTLY) waiting for Silas’ book. He’s my favourite Harbor man and I’m utterly down bad for him.
Especially after this book, I loved getting to read about him a bit more!
May 27, 2025
Book Review: Honeysuckle by Aubrey Taylor
Aubrey Taylor’s Honeysuckle is a heartfelt and slow-burning queer sports romance that hits all the right emotional beats. Set against the backdrop of high school baseball, the novel is less about the game and more about the people playing it — particularly two complicated, compelling young men who are both running from and toward something more.
Dean Tucker, the newly appointed Captain of the Hornets, is the quintessential golden boy with a cracking facade. Taylor writes him with nuance: a young man crushed under the weight of expectation, trying to live up to an ideal he’s not sure he ever wanted. Enter Joshua Logan — a transfer student with a reputation for being difficult and cold. But underneath Josh’s brash exterior is a boy who’s guarded, hurt, and deeply vulnerable. The tension between Dean and Josh simmers from the moment they meet, and the chemistry is electric.
What makes Honeysuckle stand out is its refusal to rush. Taylor lets the relationship between Dean and Josh unfold organically, with moments of awkwardness, friction, and tenderness. There’s a beautiful contrast between Dean’s need for control and Josh’s need for distance, and the novel’s strength lies in how these two slowly learn to give — and receive — trust.
The supporting cast, particularly the found family of the Hornets team, adds depth and warmth, with Taylor skillfully weaving in themes of identity, pressure, and vulnerability. There’s as much internal conflict as external, making this a story that resonates far beyond the sports narrative.
Honeysuckle is a poignant, character-driven novel about falling in love while learning how to live authentically — and it’s a quiet triumph. Recommended for fans of emotionally rich YA, sports fiction, and queer romance with depth and heart.
Aubrey Taylor’s Honeysuckle is a heartfelt and slow-burning queer sports romance that hits all the right emotional beats. Set against the backdrop of high school baseball, the novel is less about the game and more about the people playing it — particularly two complicated, compelling young men who are both running from and toward something more.
Dean Tucker, the newly appointed Captain of the Hornets, is the quintessential golden boy with a cracking facade. Taylor writes him with nuance: a young man crushed under the weight of expectation, trying to live up to an ideal he’s not sure he ever wanted. Enter Joshua Logan — a transfer student with a reputation for being difficult and cold. But underneath Josh’s brash exterior is a boy who’s guarded, hurt, and deeply vulnerable. The tension between Dean and Josh simmers from the moment they meet, and the chemistry is electric.
What makes Honeysuckle stand out is its refusal to rush. Taylor lets the relationship between Dean and Josh unfold organically, with moments of awkwardness, friction, and tenderness. There’s a beautiful contrast between Dean’s need for control and Josh’s need for distance, and the novel’s strength lies in how these two slowly learn to give — and receive — trust.
The supporting cast, particularly the found family of the Hornets team, adds depth and warmth, with Taylor skillfully weaving in themes of identity, pressure, and vulnerability. There’s as much internal conflict as external, making this a story that resonates far beyond the sports narrative.
Honeysuckle is a poignant, character-driven novel about falling in love while learning how to live authentically — and it’s a quiet triumph. Recommended for fans of emotionally rich YA, sports fiction, and queer romance with depth and heart.
May 12, 2025
Had the absolute pleasure of reading this book as an ARC 💖
I don't wanna spoil anything but this one will definitely make you cry, both happy and sad tears.
Aubrey will write the most heartbreaking story about a couple and still you won't be able to stop reading and feeling what her characters are feeling.
Hope everyone learns something from this story and loves Josh and Dean as much as I did 💖💖💖
I don't wanna spoil anything but this one will definitely make you cry, both happy and sad tears.
Aubrey will write the most heartbreaking story about a couple and still you won't be able to stop reading and feeling what her characters are feeling.
Hope everyone learns something from this story and loves Josh and Dean as much as I did 💖💖💖
May 17, 2025
Hi Aubrey, look at you creating another piece of art too big for this world. Honeysuckle deserves a world of its own. You always blow my mind how you so easily can strangle my emotions and let it pour all over. You handle each story with such care, love and respect and each character holds such a big importance in my life. You have a gift, be proud of yourself and OWN IT. I love you 3001.
Honeysuckle is about finding and unfold the strength within you to own it, it’s about letting you bloom to your fullest potential to make you walk the ground with glorious steps. About the people who makes you find your footing and loves you as you are. They’ll bleed for you and no matter the amount of broken pieces, they’ll take one by one and stitch you up so beautifully it will make even the coldest heart melt.
And this is why the Nest will always be my home and found family. The gratitude and love I have for Aubrey for giving me this comfort.
Sweet, sweet Dean. I’ve loved you since the very first time. He’s the most selfless person and loves with his whole heart it’s crazy how it all fits in just one. You hold his hand through it all. He shows us the struggles of not being able to be yourself, and lifts us all up as he stands tall on the podium. His growth in this book is filled to the brim. Me crying for him has honestly become my life purpose. No lies. Seeing him hold such confidence and at his happiest was the biggest gift of all time. Keep moving mountains Dean, it’s only the beginning.
This angry, beautiful and powerful man that is Josh. You don’t just hold his hand through his trauma, you want to frickin carry him. Watching his walls come down brick by brick with Dean felt like the loudest victory scream. These two come crashing together and ended it all with fireworks. What did we do to deserve someone like Josh I really don’t know, but I’m so thankful for being able to love this man. Josh is strength, Josh is light in the darkest room, Josh will always scream that everybody deserves to find love.
Dean and Josh are the definition of LOVE🤍
Honeysuckle is about finding and unfold the strength within you to own it, it’s about letting you bloom to your fullest potential to make you walk the ground with glorious steps. About the people who makes you find your footing and loves you as you are. They’ll bleed for you and no matter the amount of broken pieces, they’ll take one by one and stitch you up so beautifully it will make even the coldest heart melt.
And this is why the Nest will always be my home and found family. The gratitude and love I have for Aubrey for giving me this comfort.
Sweet, sweet Dean. I’ve loved you since the very first time. He’s the most selfless person and loves with his whole heart it’s crazy how it all fits in just one. You hold his hand through it all. He shows us the struggles of not being able to be yourself, and lifts us all up as he stands tall on the podium. His growth in this book is filled to the brim. Me crying for him has honestly become my life purpose. No lies. Seeing him hold such confidence and at his happiest was the biggest gift of all time. Keep moving mountains Dean, it’s only the beginning.
This angry, beautiful and powerful man that is Josh. You don’t just hold his hand through his trauma, you want to frickin carry him. Watching his walls come down brick by brick with Dean felt like the loudest victory scream. These two come crashing together and ended it all with fireworks. What did we do to deserve someone like Josh I really don’t know, but I’m so thankful for being able to love this man. Josh is strength, Josh is light in the darkest room, Josh will always scream that everybody deserves to find love.
Dean and Josh are the definition of LOVE🤍
April 16, 2025
I devoured this book in one sitting, just like I knew I would. I absolutely loved books 1 and 2, and Honeysuckle continues everything I adore about this series. Aubrey Taylor writes with emotional depth and unflinching honesty—this isn’t just another college sports romance. She tackles the real stuff—grief, trauma, identity—with so much care.
Dean Tucker is the golden boy: team captain, under pressure, trying to live up to impossible expectations. Then comes Josh Logan—angry, guarded, and Harbor’s least-welcome transfer. Their slow-burn connection is magnetic from the start, full of tension and heart.
As a queer person, what hit me the hardest was Dean’s experience being shunned by his family simply for being gay. His pain is raw. And beyond that, he feels like he can’t be a gay man in sports—the stigma, the fear of rejection, the isolation. I’m lucky to have had a supportive family and come out on my own terms. Dean didn’t. His story reflects the reality so many face, and it gutted me.
Josh’s journey is just as powerful. He’s more than the tough guy with an attitude—he’s someone carrying deep trauma, someone who’s had to survive in silence. Watching Dean slowly break through Josh’s walls, offering him a place in the Hornets’ chaotic, loyal, found family? It was beautiful and healing in the best way.
If you love:
⚾️ Sports romance with substance
🌈 Queer rep that’s raw and real
🖤 Grumpy/sunshine + slow burn
📚 Found family + emotional healing
Dean Tucker is the golden boy: team captain, under pressure, trying to live up to impossible expectations. Then comes Josh Logan—angry, guarded, and Harbor’s least-welcome transfer. Their slow-burn connection is magnetic from the start, full of tension and heart.
As a queer person, what hit me the hardest was Dean’s experience being shunned by his family simply for being gay. His pain is raw. And beyond that, he feels like he can’t be a gay man in sports—the stigma, the fear of rejection, the isolation. I’m lucky to have had a supportive family and come out on my own terms. Dean didn’t. His story reflects the reality so many face, and it gutted me.
Josh’s journey is just as powerful. He’s more than the tough guy with an attitude—he’s someone carrying deep trauma, someone who’s had to survive in silence. Watching Dean slowly break through Josh’s walls, offering him a place in the Hornets’ chaotic, loyal, found family? It was beautiful and healing in the best way.
If you love:
⚾️ Sports romance with substance
🌈 Queer rep that’s raw and real
🖤 Grumpy/sunshine + slow burn
📚 Found family + emotional healing
April 29, 2025
✿ arc review ✿
rating: 4.5 ⭐️
genre: contemporary/sports romance
spice level: 🌶️🌶️
‘he was no longer the wall i beat my fists against, but now the wall i used to lean on when i was too tired to fight.’
dean and josh don’t like each other. josh, a pitcher from a rival baseball team, and dean, the newly appointed captain of the hornets, don’t get along in the slightest but with josh transferring to the hornets they’re forced to work together.
each has their own secrets that they want to keep close to their chests; josh just wants to get through the season and school without any more interruptions and dean is focused on being a good captain to his team and getting his parents off his back with how they think he should live his life. what happens when they start to lean on each other and share their secrets?
i thought this was just going to be a sports romance, a book about two rivals forced to play together on the same college baseball team, but it was so much more! i never have read anything by aubrey before but she handled the heavier topics with such care.
the transition from ‘i hate you’ to ‘i have a crush on you’ was so seamless; it was so perfect. the slow burn is slowwwwww but it’s so realistic for this story and i really appreciated that. there’s such a softness to josh and dean & it was so wholesome to read how they supported each other.
the first two books in the series are out now but make sure you check out ‘honeysuckle’ when it comes out on may 16 🍯
rating: 4.5 ⭐️
genre: contemporary/sports romance
spice level: 🌶️🌶️
‘he was no longer the wall i beat my fists against, but now the wall i used to lean on when i was too tired to fight.’
dean and josh don’t like each other. josh, a pitcher from a rival baseball team, and dean, the newly appointed captain of the hornets, don’t get along in the slightest but with josh transferring to the hornets they’re forced to work together.
each has their own secrets that they want to keep close to their chests; josh just wants to get through the season and school without any more interruptions and dean is focused on being a good captain to his team and getting his parents off his back with how they think he should live his life. what happens when they start to lean on each other and share their secrets?
i thought this was just going to be a sports romance, a book about two rivals forced to play together on the same college baseball team, but it was so much more! i never have read anything by aubrey before but she handled the heavier topics with such care.
the transition from ‘i hate you’ to ‘i have a crush on you’ was so seamless; it was so perfect. the slow burn is slowwwwww but it’s so realistic for this story and i really appreciated that. there’s such a softness to josh and dean & it was so wholesome to read how they supported each other.
the first two books in the series are out now but make sure you check out ‘honeysuckle’ when it comes out on may 16 🍯
May 10, 2025
Wow, wow, wow. I am in awe of this book and Aubrey’s writing. The tenderness and love and care and attention she has poured into Dean and Josh’s story was evident from chapter one, it punched me in the face and I said thank you 🙏🏼
This book was so impactful and how topics of grief, identity, family, trauma and love were handled. I was in tears at multiple points following along Dean and Josh’s journey and how much pain they have both experienced on different levels and how they are overcoming this.
𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦.
Dean and Josh are survivors and fighters and they truly were what the other needed. To live, to find peace and a home in one another.
To put it simply I loved this book. I love the Hornets and the family that Aubrey has created. Honeysuckle will stick with me because it was an absolute knock out 🩵🐝
- 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻
- 𝗚𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘆 𝘅 𝘀𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲
- 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆
- 𝗣𝗧𝗦𝗗 𝗿𝗲𝗽
- 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 ☠️
- 𝗥𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀
“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘴.”
“𝘐𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥,”
𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴, 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨.
𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨.
This book was so impactful and how topics of grief, identity, family, trauma and love were handled. I was in tears at multiple points following along Dean and Josh’s journey and how much pain they have both experienced on different levels and how they are overcoming this.
𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦.
Dean and Josh are survivors and fighters and they truly were what the other needed. To live, to find peace and a home in one another.
To put it simply I loved this book. I love the Hornets and the family that Aubrey has created. Honeysuckle will stick with me because it was an absolute knock out 🩵🐝
- 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻
- 𝗚𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘆 𝘅 𝘀𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲
- 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆
- 𝗣𝗧𝗦𝗗 𝗿𝗲𝗽
- 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 ☠️
- 𝗥𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀
“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘴.”
“𝘐𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥,”
𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴, 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨.
𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨.
May 17, 2025
aubrey taylor did it again, i finished the book AND the book finished me. i was genuinely surprised to find parts of me in dean, which makes me even more like josh because our first impression of dean versus who he is are very different. josh is the first character i've kinned and didn't absolutely hate, which is without a doubt credited to her writing. every character is entirely fleshed out and contains multitudes. i've said it before but i'll say it again, sometimes i forget these aren't real people. that's how well they're written. the way aubrey tackles hard topics with so much depth and grace is beautiful. honeysuckle is a heart shattering and heartwarming story about two men who have gone down and through different paths but find their safe place in each other. and with the rest of the hornets, it's always an entertaining read. cael is his typical out of pocket self. arlo 🤝 me, being the worst people to watch movies with. jensen and louis had shining moments i absolutely loved. this book has a BANGER playlist so don't miss out on that! i can't believe there's only one book left, but i'm also really excited for aubrey's next series.
May 13, 2025
4.75✨
thank you so much for this arc.
if aubrey writes it, ima read it!
i’m obsessed with aubrey writing and i’ll always come back for more. 💗
but seriously this book WAS SO PAINFULL but yet so BEAUTIFUL.
i dont know how to put this review into words but ima try.
dean and josh relationship growth is literally one of my favs, from hating each other to loving and taking care of each other, their story is like a slap to the face it’s going to make you so angry and sad at the same time i just wanted to hug both of them and tell them it’s going to be alright bc their safe. their love is patient, soft and sweet i love how they interacted with each other and knew what they both needed.💗🥺
JOSH AND DEAN ILYSMMMM !!
the found family in this series is literally the BEST, i love them all so muchhhhhh and i can’t wait for the next book.
IM ALWAYS GOING TO BE ELLA AND ARLO’S NUMBER ONE FAN 😩 and also bc it’s where it’s all started.
if you decide to read this series AND YOU SHOULD . plsssss check trigger WARNINGS!
thank you so much for this arc.
if aubrey writes it, ima read it!
i’m obsessed with aubrey writing and i’ll always come back for more. 💗
but seriously this book WAS SO PAINFULL but yet so BEAUTIFUL.
i dont know how to put this review into words but ima try.
dean and josh relationship growth is literally one of my favs, from hating each other to loving and taking care of each other, their story is like a slap to the face it’s going to make you so angry and sad at the same time i just wanted to hug both of them and tell them it’s going to be alright bc their safe. their love is patient, soft and sweet i love how they interacted with each other and knew what they both needed.💗🥺
JOSH AND DEAN ILYSMMMM !!
the found family in this series is literally the BEST, i love them all so muchhhhhh and i can’t wait for the next book.
IM ALWAYS GOING TO BE ELLA AND ARLO’S NUMBER ONE FAN 😩 and also bc it’s where it’s all started.
if you decide to read this series AND YOU SHOULD . plsssss check trigger WARNINGS!
August 22, 2025
I loved the whole spring camp/sports camp/baseball camp/boot camp setting. It was really fun! I loved the conversations, the banter. I loved the relationship - the LGBTQ+ rep. Tucker & Logan 😮💨 the quotes in this. HOLY.
My highlights are public on GR.
4.5 🌟
My highlights are public on GR.
4.5 🌟
March 10, 2025
Beta reading.
Full review will come closer to release date but one thing? This book will break you in the best way possible. Just before putting you back together. Aubrey? Ily.
Full review will come closer to release date but one thing? This book will break you in the best way possible. Just before putting you back together. Aubrey? Ily.
May 23, 2025
Josh and Dean 4ever!!!!
May 17, 2025
What an incredible masterpiece by Aubrey.
Josh & Dean are just so incredibly soft and I just love their love with all my heart.
Every time I think I have a new favourite Hornets book she just blows me out of the water with a new one.
Cannot recommend this series enough. It has god tier level representation for grief, loss, mental health, addiction, and LGBTQIA2s+.
Josh & Dean are just so incredibly soft and I just love their love with all my heart.
Every time I think I have a new favourite Hornets book she just blows me out of the water with a new one.
Cannot recommend this series enough. It has god tier level representation for grief, loss, mental health, addiction, and LGBTQIA2s+.
November 13, 2025
Star Rating: 4/5
Spice Rating: 3/5
“You know how to love someone because you figured out how to love me against all odds”
ARC Review
Thoughts: Some books feel like a warm breeze and a soft place to land; this was one of those. Heavy topics? Yes. Character growth? Beautifully done. A touch of humour amid the mess? Check. Aubrey took on the challenging material and presented it with grace and a profound understanding of human emotions. I felt every bit of their journey, not just reading another story. Aubrey took such care with these characters and the story; it was delicate, honest and totally absorbing.
Favourite Moment: the scene in Logan's family home, where he just hugged him, no questions, just pure support – ugh, my heart.
Notes: I need more Aubrey Taylor in my life—a sequel for Tucker and Logan. Yes, please, I'm begging.
#honeysuckle #aubreyTaylor #arcreview #hornetsnest #sportsromance #MM #support #goldenretriever #blackcat
Spice Rating: 3/5
“You know how to love someone because you figured out how to love me against all odds”
ARC Review
Thoughts: Some books feel like a warm breeze and a soft place to land; this was one of those. Heavy topics? Yes. Character growth? Beautifully done. A touch of humour amid the mess? Check. Aubrey took on the challenging material and presented it with grace and a profound understanding of human emotions. I felt every bit of their journey, not just reading another story. Aubrey took such care with these characters and the story; it was delicate, honest and totally absorbing.
Favourite Moment: the scene in Logan's family home, where he just hugged him, no questions, just pure support – ugh, my heart.
Notes: I need more Aubrey Taylor in my life—a sequel for Tucker and Logan. Yes, please, I'm begging.
#honeysuckle #aubreyTaylor #arcreview #hornetsnest #sportsromance #MM #support #goldenretriever #blackcat
April 24, 2025
ARC Review:
Out May 16th!
♾️ ⭐️
I could not put this book down. Once again, Aubrey just the world with the most amazing book and I can’t wait for the rest of the world to get their hands on it.
This one handles some pretty heavy topics but as always they are handled with such care. Dean and Josh are just meant to take care of each other and even though it starts off rocky and he wants to fight it, Josh is a hornet through and through.
Out May 16th!
♾️ ⭐️
I could not put this book down. Once again, Aubrey just the world with the most amazing book and I can’t wait for the rest of the world to get their hands on it.
This one handles some pretty heavy topics but as always they are handled with such care. Dean and Josh are just meant to take care of each other and even though it starts off rocky and he wants to fight it, Josh is a hornet through and through.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2025
I really wanted to love Honeysuckle. It had so many tropes I usually enjoy, and I gave it a full, honest shot — I read the entire book — but I still walked away completely confused, frustrated, and honestly furious.
First of all: do not read this if you haven’t read books 1 and 2. I cannot stress this enough. There are endless references to past characters, relationships, and events that you’re just expected to know. The book gives you nothing to catch up. I was lost from page one, and by the final chapter? Still lost. The “entry bar” for this book is so absurdly high that if you’re not already immersed in this series, you’re screwed.
Plot-wise, I genuinely have no idea what it was trying to accomplish. Dean—Franklin? Tucker? (honestly not sure, because the name situation is a mess) spends the whole book lusting after Cael, his sex buddy, acting like he’s in love with him… until someone else suggests he's actually into Josh, and then he has this magical “epiphany.” At that point, he and Josh had kissed once and had zero actual connection. But sure — now we need a label! The emotional whiplash is real. And then at the same party? Cael kisses Dean in front of his girlfriend?? For what reason?
Then—only at 97% into the book—do Dean/Tucker/Franklin and Josh finally sleep together, and it's not like they’ve built up any meaningful emotional connection at that point. But the book tries so hard to convince you they have. And during that scene? He’s literally comparing Josh to Cael. What, and I cannot emphasize this enough, the actual fuck. If you're sleeping with someone for the first time and your brain goes, "hmm, not as wild as Cael but he's sweet"? No. Just no.
The dialogue? Unrealistic and often just bizarre. Josh opens up to Dean way too early with deeply traumatic experiences — like being raped by his teammate and being sold by his mother to her boyfriends for drug money as a child. These scenes are presented with no build-up, no earned trust, and very little emotional depth — just sudden trauma-dumping that felt more like exploitation than storytelling.
And then… the Ian storyline (the rapist teammate)? It goes absolutely nowhere. They tell the board what happened, and then it's never mentioned again. But beyond that — the logistics of it make zero sense. Ian is portrayed as deeply homophobic, yet we’re told he raped Josh — and not with an object, but physically, himself. How does that track? A person with such overt disgust for homosexuality voluntarily engaging in an act that, by his own standards, would make him “gay”? And no, it’s not framed as a power play or domination thing — Josh was unconscious, meaning there was no control to assert, no humiliation to witness. If it had been written as a violent assault using a foreign object — like the infamous broomstick scene in 13 Reasons Why — that would have at least aligned with a narrative of dehumanization and dominance. Still horrific, but psychologically plausible. But this? It’s presented with zero nuance, zero internal logic, and zero consequences. It felt completely unbelievable, poorly researched, and honestly offensive in how lazily it was handled.
Plus, the entire conflict is triggered because Ian saw hookup messages on Josh’s phone — which also makes no sense, because Josh is repeatedly shown to be severely touch-averse and traumatized by physical contact. So why would he be looking for hookups at all? To top it off, the storyline just vanishes. They tell the board. Nothing happens. No resolution, no justice, no reflection — just a dropped thread.
The only part that almost worked was Josh’s background — but even that was handled poorly. The fact that he defends his mother, who literally sold his body as a child to feed her addiction, is deeply upsetting. The book tries to frame her as “sick,” but no. She was vile. There’s no excuse, and trying to soften it made it worse.
For a moment in the middle, I thought maybe it was getting better — maybe I was wrong. But no. It was just lulling me into false hope before it completely crashed and burned.
By the end, I had no idea what Honeysuckle was even trying to say — about trauma, healing, relationships, or anything at all. It threw so much darkness at the reader with zero payoff, zero growth, and zero clarity. I finished the entire book feeling confused, uncomfortable, and honestly angry that I wasted my time. Whatever the point of this book was supposed to be, it failed miserably.
First of all: do not read this if you haven’t read books 1 and 2. I cannot stress this enough. There are endless references to past characters, relationships, and events that you’re just expected to know. The book gives you nothing to catch up. I was lost from page one, and by the final chapter? Still lost. The “entry bar” for this book is so absurdly high that if you’re not already immersed in this series, you’re screwed.
Plot-wise, I genuinely have no idea what it was trying to accomplish. Dean—Franklin? Tucker? (honestly not sure, because the name situation is a mess) spends the whole book lusting after Cael, his sex buddy, acting like he’s in love with him… until someone else suggests he's actually into Josh, and then he has this magical “epiphany.” At that point, he and Josh had kissed once and had zero actual connection. But sure — now we need a label! The emotional whiplash is real. And then at the same party? Cael kisses Dean in front of his girlfriend?? For what reason?
Then—only at 97% into the book—do Dean/Tucker/Franklin and Josh finally sleep together, and it's not like they’ve built up any meaningful emotional connection at that point. But the book tries so hard to convince you they have. And during that scene? He’s literally comparing Josh to Cael. What, and I cannot emphasize this enough, the actual fuck. If you're sleeping with someone for the first time and your brain goes, "hmm, not as wild as Cael but he's sweet"? No. Just no.
The dialogue? Unrealistic and often just bizarre. Josh opens up to Dean way too early with deeply traumatic experiences — like being raped by his teammate and being sold by his mother to her boyfriends for drug money as a child. These scenes are presented with no build-up, no earned trust, and very little emotional depth — just sudden trauma-dumping that felt more like exploitation than storytelling.
And then… the Ian storyline (the rapist teammate)? It goes absolutely nowhere. They tell the board what happened, and then it's never mentioned again. But beyond that — the logistics of it make zero sense. Ian is portrayed as deeply homophobic, yet we’re told he raped Josh — and not with an object, but physically, himself. How does that track? A person with such overt disgust for homosexuality voluntarily engaging in an act that, by his own standards, would make him “gay”? And no, it’s not framed as a power play or domination thing — Josh was unconscious, meaning there was no control to assert, no humiliation to witness. If it had been written as a violent assault using a foreign object — like the infamous broomstick scene in 13 Reasons Why — that would have at least aligned with a narrative of dehumanization and dominance. Still horrific, but psychologically plausible. But this? It’s presented with zero nuance, zero internal logic, and zero consequences. It felt completely unbelievable, poorly researched, and honestly offensive in how lazily it was handled.
Plus, the entire conflict is triggered because Ian saw hookup messages on Josh’s phone — which also makes no sense, because Josh is repeatedly shown to be severely touch-averse and traumatized by physical contact. So why would he be looking for hookups at all? To top it off, the storyline just vanishes. They tell the board. Nothing happens. No resolution, no justice, no reflection — just a dropped thread.
The only part that almost worked was Josh’s background — but even that was handled poorly. The fact that he defends his mother, who literally sold his body as a child to feed her addiction, is deeply upsetting. The book tries to frame her as “sick,” but no. She was vile. There’s no excuse, and trying to soften it made it worse.
For a moment in the middle, I thought maybe it was getting better — maybe I was wrong. But no. It was just lulling me into false hope before it completely crashed and burned.
By the end, I had no idea what Honeysuckle was even trying to say — about trauma, healing, relationships, or anything at all. It threw so much darkness at the reader with zero payoff, zero growth, and zero clarity. I finished the entire book feeling confused, uncomfortable, and honestly angry that I wasted my time. Whatever the point of this book was supposed to be, it failed miserably.
May 16, 2025
I can’t believe that of one of the most influential books I have ever had the honor to cross my path is finally here. HONEYSUCKLE. Dean and Josh. Josh and Dean. The Hornets. As Joshua Logan calls them “the psychotic Brady bunch.” My life; my loves; my soul; my EVERYTHING.
Dean Tucker: the mountain of a man who plays first base for the Harbor Hornets. From the first instance that he came across my path, I knew. There are times in your life where you just find a character that just GETS you, down to the darkest, most hidden parts of your soul. That character for me has always been Dean.
I’m not a sunshine person. I’m definitely more the grumpy in the grumpy X sunshine trope, but at the end of the day, I relate to Dean on a cellular level. Most days, I feel like I’m barely a human, but I feel like shouting from the rooftops “I just want to be loved, without conditions or secrets.”
To Dean: thank you for showing me that there is someone that understands me out there; someone that relates to me, and relates to me on a cellular level. “I just want to be loved, without conditions or secrets.” I thank you for finding yourself and allowing yourself to be loud, be proud, and be free.
To Josh: thank you for proving, without a doubt, that we are more than our trauma. We are more than what happened to us, and we are more than being defined by the experiences we have gone through. Recovery from trauma is an incredibly hard and slow process. There is not a time frame that is a “one-size fits all” in terms of recovery. Thank you for opening yourself up and allowing love to come into your life, because as Dean says, “Your love isn’t conventional, Josh. It’s barely recognizable. But I see it, I feel it.” You and I are capable of being loved and capable of being loved.
It’s like Aubrey went into my heart and pulled out every piece of me that made me feel unloveable, unworthy, and all together, not right, and turned it into something beautiful. I cannot count the times that I have thanked her for this story, because it’s my story. 🩵🩵🩵
If there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you are allowed to be loud, be proud, and be free. THEY DON’T DESERVE PEACE.
Thank you for this book. Seriously, I never knew I needed something like this so much, and I have felt heard and seen for the first time in my life. You healed something in me that I knew was broken and I just refused to do anything about. You made me realize that I wasn't alone in my trauma, and that I could get better. But more importantly, you helped me reassure myself that I am more than my trauma and the things that happened to me.
This story is so incredibly beautiful and it needed to be told. It could have only been told by you, and I cannot imagine the world without it now.
Dean Tucker: the mountain of a man who plays first base for the Harbor Hornets. From the first instance that he came across my path, I knew. There are times in your life where you just find a character that just GETS you, down to the darkest, most hidden parts of your soul. That character for me has always been Dean.
I’m not a sunshine person. I’m definitely more the grumpy in the grumpy X sunshine trope, but at the end of the day, I relate to Dean on a cellular level. Most days, I feel like I’m barely a human, but I feel like shouting from the rooftops “I just want to be loved, without conditions or secrets.”
To Dean: thank you for showing me that there is someone that understands me out there; someone that relates to me, and relates to me on a cellular level. “I just want to be loved, without conditions or secrets.” I thank you for finding yourself and allowing yourself to be loud, be proud, and be free.
To Josh: thank you for proving, without a doubt, that we are more than our trauma. We are more than what happened to us, and we are more than being defined by the experiences we have gone through. Recovery from trauma is an incredibly hard and slow process. There is not a time frame that is a “one-size fits all” in terms of recovery. Thank you for opening yourself up and allowing love to come into your life, because as Dean says, “Your love isn’t conventional, Josh. It’s barely recognizable. But I see it, I feel it.” You and I are capable of being loved and capable of being loved.
It’s like Aubrey went into my heart and pulled out every piece of me that made me feel unloveable, unworthy, and all together, not right, and turned it into something beautiful. I cannot count the times that I have thanked her for this story, because it’s my story. 🩵🩵🩵
If there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you are allowed to be loud, be proud, and be free. THEY DON’T DESERVE PEACE.
Thank you for this book. Seriously, I never knew I needed something like this so much, and I have felt heard and seen for the first time in my life. You healed something in me that I knew was broken and I just refused to do anything about. You made me realize that I wasn't alone in my trauma, and that I could get better. But more importantly, you helped me reassure myself that I am more than my trauma and the things that happened to me.
This story is so incredibly beautiful and it needed to be told. It could have only been told by you, and I cannot imagine the world without it now.
May 25, 2025
♾️⭐️
ARC REVIEW
Honeysuckle is the third book in the Hornets Nest series. While this series is a sports romance, first and foremost, its most central theme is found family. Which is what we continue to see in this 3rd installment of the series. Honeysuckle centers around Joshua Logan and Dean Tucker, who by all accounts are rivals and we see that from the start of this story. Their love story is not an easy road but I think that makes it all the more beautiful and worthwhile. Throughout Honeysuckle, the story focuses on some heavier themes (please check your TW's before reading), such as s3xual abu$e, PTSD rep, domestic, emotional abu$e, homophobia, just to name a few. These topics are written with such care and as the reader, I truly appreciated the way that these topics were handled and cared for. I think that what Aubrey continues to get better and better with each book is the way that the story evokes such real and raw emotions within the reader and demands them to be felt. Josh burrowed his way into my soul and he’s never leaving. I read this book in sessions bc every time I finished reading a portion of it, I felt like I needed to process the experience.
Whilst the Hornets Nest series could be read as standalones there’s simply no other way to read than in order. The way that Aubrey writes each book, continuing to build on the personalities and stories of her MC’s from her previous books in this series, and still making them integral parts of the storyline in each subsequent book, is something I have yet to experience in another series.
Josh and Dean's story is about standing true in who you are, accepting yourself, trauma, flaws and all, even when all the odds are stacked against you. Fighting your way through the mess, judgement, anger and conquering it. Not just surviving, but living. They both lost their ways on their own unique jouneys, but came together and found salvation, safety and a home in each other. This book was so heartbreakingly beautiful and endearingly powerful. The me I was before I started reading Honeysuckle and the me I am after I finishing Honeysuckle are two different ppl now. To love it, is to experience it. This book has seared itself permanently on my heart as probably my favorite book of all time. Thank you Aubrey for the honor of reading this ARC, you seriously knocked it out of the universe on this one. *two fingers to the chest
Tropes:
SLOW BURN
RIVALS TO LOVERS
GRUMPY X SUNSHINE
FOUND FAMILY
BLACK CROW MMC
PTSD REP
TOUCH HIM AND DIE
GOLDEN RETRIEVER MMC
Content Warnings:
Sexual abuse (retold)
Domestic Abuse (by mother)
Trafficking / sexual exploitation
Homophobia
conversations of eating disorder
violence
emotional abuse
conversations of conversion therapy
addiction
ARC REVIEW
Honeysuckle is the third book in the Hornets Nest series. While this series is a sports romance, first and foremost, its most central theme is found family. Which is what we continue to see in this 3rd installment of the series. Honeysuckle centers around Joshua Logan and Dean Tucker, who by all accounts are rivals and we see that from the start of this story. Their love story is not an easy road but I think that makes it all the more beautiful and worthwhile. Throughout Honeysuckle, the story focuses on some heavier themes (please check your TW's before reading), such as s3xual abu$e, PTSD rep, domestic, emotional abu$e, homophobia, just to name a few. These topics are written with such care and as the reader, I truly appreciated the way that these topics were handled and cared for. I think that what Aubrey continues to get better and better with each book is the way that the story evokes such real and raw emotions within the reader and demands them to be felt. Josh burrowed his way into my soul and he’s never leaving. I read this book in sessions bc every time I finished reading a portion of it, I felt like I needed to process the experience.
Whilst the Hornets Nest series could be read as standalones there’s simply no other way to read than in order. The way that Aubrey writes each book, continuing to build on the personalities and stories of her MC’s from her previous books in this series, and still making them integral parts of the storyline in each subsequent book, is something I have yet to experience in another series.
Josh and Dean's story is about standing true in who you are, accepting yourself, trauma, flaws and all, even when all the odds are stacked against you. Fighting your way through the mess, judgement, anger and conquering it. Not just surviving, but living. They both lost their ways on their own unique jouneys, but came together and found salvation, safety and a home in each other. This book was so heartbreakingly beautiful and endearingly powerful. The me I was before I started reading Honeysuckle and the me I am after I finishing Honeysuckle are two different ppl now. To love it, is to experience it. This book has seared itself permanently on my heart as probably my favorite book of all time. Thank you Aubrey for the honor of reading this ARC, you seriously knocked it out of the universe on this one. *two fingers to the chest
Tropes:
SLOW BURN
RIVALS TO LOVERS
GRUMPY X SUNSHINE
FOUND FAMILY
BLACK CROW MMC
PTSD REP
TOUCH HIM AND DIE
GOLDEN RETRIEVER MMC
Content Warnings:
Sexual abuse (retold)
Domestic Abuse (by mother)
Trafficking / sexual exploitation
Homophobia
conversations of eating disorder
violence
emotional abuse
conversations of conversion therapy
addiction
June 11, 2025
“I'm Dean Tucker, Captain of the Harbor Hornets, and they do not deserve peace.”
I devoured this book—this whole series—so fast. Holy shit. I have no idea what to do with myself now; I loved every second of it. This entire team and the world they're in have completely taken over my heart. Every single moment was a joy to read.
“I want to be your boyfriend, you insufferable asshole!” I blurted out in the most unromantic way I could think of. (I fucking love Dean)
Every character was amazing, but Honeysuckle was on a whole different level. I already cried during the previous books, and when I saw who this one was about, I was incredibly curious. But Dean and Joshua? They were so good together. Especially in combination with the team. Both of them grew so much throughout the story, and they brought out the absolute best in each other—just like the other couples in the books before.
“You know how to love someone because you figured out how to love me against all odds.” (i cried reading that quote)
But what really stuck with me is the idea that some people don’t deserve peace. I will live by that. It spoke to my soul. You should never have to hide a part of yourself just to make others more comfortable.
That speech at the end (spoiler alert!) absolutely wrecked me. It was perfect—the way Dean stood there, so brave. I was genuinely proud of him, like I knew him in real life. And the support from the whole team at the event? Beautiful. I honestly can’t wait to read even more about the Hornets!
Favorite quote:
“It sucks, keeping the peace,” Dean shook the award in his other hand. "But I didn’t get this for keeping the peace. I got this for being brave and unshakeable in my morals.” He held it up higher. "But it was only because of a teammate, a friend…” he stared at me, those blue eyes burning through the darkness. “Someone I love and respect looked at me when I was at my lowest this season and told me that those people didn’t deserve peace. That I had to step up because there are kids like me all over the country that need role models, the kind that I needed growing up. They don’t need peace—they need a voice when the noise gets too loud. They need gay baseball players. Gay captains. Gay men. In the original statement, it was written that I will not apologize for my personal life. And that stands true. This award proves that the articles and gossip will not change who I am, or how good I am at baseball.” [...] “So thank you to the athletics committee—but this award doesn’t just belong to me. It belongs to the Hornets.”
I devoured this book—this whole series—so fast. Holy shit. I have no idea what to do with myself now; I loved every second of it. This entire team and the world they're in have completely taken over my heart. Every single moment was a joy to read.
“I want to be your boyfriend, you insufferable asshole!” I blurted out in the most unromantic way I could think of. (I fucking love Dean)
Every character was amazing, but Honeysuckle was on a whole different level. I already cried during the previous books, and when I saw who this one was about, I was incredibly curious. But Dean and Joshua? They were so good together. Especially in combination with the team. Both of them grew so much throughout the story, and they brought out the absolute best in each other—just like the other couples in the books before.
“You know how to love someone because you figured out how to love me against all odds.” (i cried reading that quote)
But what really stuck with me is the idea that some people don’t deserve peace. I will live by that. It spoke to my soul. You should never have to hide a part of yourself just to make others more comfortable.
That speech at the end (spoiler alert!) absolutely wrecked me. It was perfect—the way Dean stood there, so brave. I was genuinely proud of him, like I knew him in real life. And the support from the whole team at the event? Beautiful. I honestly can’t wait to read even more about the Hornets!
Favorite quote:
“It sucks, keeping the peace,” Dean shook the award in his other hand. "But I didn’t get this for keeping the peace. I got this for being brave and unshakeable in my morals.” He held it up higher. "But it was only because of a teammate, a friend…” he stared at me, those blue eyes burning through the darkness. “Someone I love and respect looked at me when I was at my lowest this season and told me that those people didn’t deserve peace. That I had to step up because there are kids like me all over the country that need role models, the kind that I needed growing up. They don’t need peace—they need a voice when the noise gets too loud. They need gay baseball players. Gay captains. Gay men. In the original statement, it was written that I will not apologize for my personal life. And that stands true. This award proves that the articles and gossip will not change who I am, or how good I am at baseball.” [...] “So thank you to the athletics committee—but this award doesn’t just belong to me. It belongs to the Hornets.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2025
Wow. Aubrey totally gave this one a home run and knocked it out of the park. This story has so much emotional baggage in it, that it needs its own luggage! This rivals to lovers book is bk3 of the Hornet's Nest series and no doubt my favorite. This is a heavy one folks! It not only tore at my heart and soul, it ripped it to shreds, left the little pieces bloody, battered and scattered around and I didn't even care.
You've got Dean who is the golden boy and captain of the Hornets. Inside he is struggling between being what everyone (besides the Hornets) sees him as vs who he truly is and is slowly losing himself in the process. Then you've got Josh, the new pitcher from a rival team that transferred in and he has an dark & abusive past and is so closed off from everyone that he resists any help that is given to him. He prefers to suffer in silence. He also has dark secrets, including one that ties him to the Hornets even more than they could imagine.
Aubrey gives these characters such emotion and such depth not to mention raw honesty in their words and actions that you can't help but feel a connection to them. Their pain is raw and open and it oozes.
It is utterly heart wrenching to watch these two break down each others walls and lean on one another to learn to heal. Their growth in this journey is insane! I devoured each and every word along the way.
The found family aspect is stronger in this one than in any of the other books. This family is fiercely protective and loyal, even to someone like Josh who feels like an outsider. They take him in and they refuse to let go no matter how much he fights it, until he realizes that he deserves the love that they are offering. That is a hard lesson for him to learn with no baseline of what love is supposed to look like.
I loved this book so much. It's full of pain, grief, love, loss, healing and so, so much more. I never read MM books, this is my first one and I adored these two characters. I want to keep them in my heart forever.
Thank you Aubrey for the book hangover and for sharing all these amazing characters yet again.
You've got Dean who is the golden boy and captain of the Hornets. Inside he is struggling between being what everyone (besides the Hornets) sees him as vs who he truly is and is slowly losing himself in the process. Then you've got Josh, the new pitcher from a rival team that transferred in and he has an dark & abusive past and is so closed off from everyone that he resists any help that is given to him. He prefers to suffer in silence. He also has dark secrets, including one that ties him to the Hornets even more than they could imagine.
Aubrey gives these characters such emotion and such depth not to mention raw honesty in their words and actions that you can't help but feel a connection to them. Their pain is raw and open and it oozes.
It is utterly heart wrenching to watch these two break down each others walls and lean on one another to learn to heal. Their growth in this journey is insane! I devoured each and every word along the way.
The found family aspect is stronger in this one than in any of the other books. This family is fiercely protective and loyal, even to someone like Josh who feels like an outsider. They take him in and they refuse to let go no matter how much he fights it, until he realizes that he deserves the love that they are offering. That is a hard lesson for him to learn with no baseline of what love is supposed to look like.
I loved this book so much. It's full of pain, grief, love, loss, healing and so, so much more. I never read MM books, this is my first one and I adored these two characters. I want to keep them in my heart forever.
Thank you Aubrey for the book hangover and for sharing all these amazing characters yet again.
April 14, 2025
Infinity ⭐
First off i would like to thank Aubrey for the opportunity to read & review this gifted E-Arc.
Dean & Josh.
Oh gosh. These two totally broke my heart and then put it back together again, The banter. The tension. The slow burn 😘. I absolutely adore them so freaking much and will protective them with my life, these two are my favorites (Sorry Cael). I loved watching them become friends while trying to figure out life. Watching these two just grow and heal was so beautiful and heart-wrenching. I adore how Josh always stood his ground and never let anything go easily. I loved watching him become comfortable with Dean to finally open up and be vulnerably with someone and not hide from it anymore and could feel safe with Dean. I loved watching him accept and love Dean for who he is and giving him the love he needed. I loved watching Dean grow into who he was supposed to be and watching him become confident in his self and being vulnerably and honest with Josh. I love that he was patient with Josh and took his time with him and just give him that soft love that he needed. Im OBSESSED with them both and just being able to see them heal each other and their selfs was beautiful. (Yes i totally cried at parts and felt my heart being ripped out before Aubrey fixed it)
5/5 Recommend this book. This book was absolutely Heartbreakingly amazing. Its about two people coming together and learning how to Heal,Grow & love themselves & Each other for who they are and accepting that life isn't always rainbows and sunshine but you can make the best of it. The topics in this book are very hard but Aubrey handle them with such care and raw emotions and sensitive and im in awe of her ability to do so. Do yourself a favor and go read this. Its a TRUE MASTERPIECE.
First off i would like to thank Aubrey for the opportunity to read & review this gifted E-Arc.
Dean & Josh.
Oh gosh. These two totally broke my heart and then put it back together again, The banter. The tension. The slow burn 😘. I absolutely adore them so freaking much and will protective them with my life, these two are my favorites (Sorry Cael). I loved watching them become friends while trying to figure out life. Watching these two just grow and heal was so beautiful and heart-wrenching. I adore how Josh always stood his ground and never let anything go easily. I loved watching him become comfortable with Dean to finally open up and be vulnerably with someone and not hide from it anymore and could feel safe with Dean. I loved watching him accept and love Dean for who he is and giving him the love he needed. I loved watching Dean grow into who he was supposed to be and watching him become confident in his self and being vulnerably and honest with Josh. I love that he was patient with Josh and took his time with him and just give him that soft love that he needed. Im OBSESSED with them both and just being able to see them heal each other and their selfs was beautiful. (Yes i totally cried at parts and felt my heart being ripped out before Aubrey fixed it)
5/5 Recommend this book. This book was absolutely Heartbreakingly amazing. Its about two people coming together and learning how to Heal,Grow & love themselves & Each other for who they are and accepting that life isn't always rainbows and sunshine but you can make the best of it. The topics in this book are very hard but Aubrey handle them with such care and raw emotions and sensitive and im in awe of her ability to do so. Do yourself a favor and go read this. Its a TRUE MASTERPIECE.
April 21, 2025
Spiralling once again at the hands of my girl Aubrey. I have been chasing the high of finishing honey pot for the past few months and let me tell you she does not disappoint. I don’t know what this says about me but my favourite books and characters typically revolve around deeply tragic and traumatic pasts and this one delivered exactly what I’d been searching for.
I’ve been waiting for Dean’s story for so long now, waiting for his happy ending and this was EVERYTHING!! The tension. The banter. The love they have for each other.
Both Josh and Dean really tugged at my heartstrings and I just wanted to wrap them up in a big hug.
Found family will forever be my comfort trope in any book and I have fallen headfirst in love with the family created within this series. The way they all rally around each other and support one another is truly heartwarming I can’t get enough of them.
Together, Dean and Josh’s relationship was just beautiful to watch, seeing them both slowly open up and share the most vulnerable parts of their lives with each other. They both built such a strong foundation for their relationship and despite their horrifying circumstances they are both dealing with, they both have each other’s support no matter what.
I am in awe of these characters and the strength they have. I already know I’m going to be thinking about this one for a while.
Ps. Thank you Aubrey for keeping my man Cael Cody in the spotlight for so much of this book. I may have absolutely lost my mind during his book, but I would have gone even more insane if I couldn’t visit him again. He still holds such a special place in my heart 💜 Thank you for trusting me with your work and for allowing me to be an ARC reader for this release!! One of your biggest fangirls right here 🫶
I’ve been waiting for Dean’s story for so long now, waiting for his happy ending and this was EVERYTHING!! The tension. The banter. The love they have for each other.
Both Josh and Dean really tugged at my heartstrings and I just wanted to wrap them up in a big hug.
Found family will forever be my comfort trope in any book and I have fallen headfirst in love with the family created within this series. The way they all rally around each other and support one another is truly heartwarming I can’t get enough of them.
Together, Dean and Josh’s relationship was just beautiful to watch, seeing them both slowly open up and share the most vulnerable parts of their lives with each other. They both built such a strong foundation for their relationship and despite their horrifying circumstances they are both dealing with, they both have each other’s support no matter what.
I am in awe of these characters and the strength they have. I already know I’m going to be thinking about this one for a while.
Ps. Thank you Aubrey for keeping my man Cael Cody in the spotlight for so much of this book. I may have absolutely lost my mind during his book, but I would have gone even more insane if I couldn’t visit him again. He still holds such a special place in my heart 💜 Thank you for trusting me with your work and for allowing me to be an ARC reader for this release!! One of your biggest fangirls right here 🫶
May 16, 2025
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This was my first MM romance, and I was shit scared about whether I’d like it or not. Spoiler: I did. This book was emotional. 99% plot, 1% spice. And take it from me, a smut reader who actually didn’t mind the lack of explicit scenes.
Dean is the sunshine boy hiding his fear of coming out, while Josh acts like a hurt cat with a dark past. Cael is 100% a menace a brat who seriously reminds me of my brat, Fish Boy. I swear, Cael and Rafayel would be chaotic besties if they ever met 🤣.
As someone who used to be a closeted queer (still am, when it comes to my fam), I felt this book. Coming from a family full of homophobes, I wanted to hug both Dean and Josh and just let them cry on my shoulders. Every time Cael’s mom was mentioned, I broke into tears and got physically sick just like during Honey Pot. Thanks, Aubrey, for emotionally wrecking me again.🤧
And don’t get me started on Dean’s god-awful relatives. I wanted to fling them straight to hell, Team Rocket-style. This was such a beautiful, emotional read. Please make sure to check CWs/TWs before diving in. I can't wait for Silas’s book. I'm a sucker for a biker MMC🫠
✨️Tropes✨️
🐝 MM romance
💙 Rivals to lovers
🐝 Baseball romance
💙 Grumpy X sunshine
🐝 Slow burn
💙 Found family
🐝 Black crow MMC X golden retriever MMC
💙 Touch him and d!e
🐝 PTSD rep
This is my honest review of the ARC I received. Thanks so much, Aubrey, for the opportunity and for destroying me emotionally in the best way!
This was my first MM romance, and I was shit scared about whether I’d like it or not. Spoiler: I did. This book was emotional. 99% plot, 1% spice. And take it from me, a smut reader who actually didn’t mind the lack of explicit scenes.
Dean is the sunshine boy hiding his fear of coming out, while Josh acts like a hurt cat with a dark past. Cael is 100% a menace a brat who seriously reminds me of my brat, Fish Boy. I swear, Cael and Rafayel would be chaotic besties if they ever met 🤣.
As someone who used to be a closeted queer (still am, when it comes to my fam), I felt this book. Coming from a family full of homophobes, I wanted to hug both Dean and Josh and just let them cry on my shoulders. Every time Cael’s mom was mentioned, I broke into tears and got physically sick just like during Honey Pot. Thanks, Aubrey, for emotionally wrecking me again.🤧
And don’t get me started on Dean’s god-awful relatives. I wanted to fling them straight to hell, Team Rocket-style. This was such a beautiful, emotional read. Please make sure to check CWs/TWs before diving in. I can't wait for Silas’s book. I'm a sucker for a biker MMC🫠
✨️Tropes✨️
🐝 MM romance
💙 Rivals to lovers
🐝 Baseball romance
💙 Grumpy X sunshine
🐝 Slow burn
💙 Found family
🐝 Black crow MMC X golden retriever MMC
💙 Touch him and d!e
🐝 PTSD rep
This is my honest review of the ARC I received. Thanks so much, Aubrey, for the opportunity and for destroying me emotionally in the best way!
May 3, 2025
“We are not our fathers - J.F”
“Why don’t you let me make the space? all you have to do is stay close.”
“He loved me in the light.”
Normally my highlights are as plenty as the book is long but Aubrey Taylor writes books like poets write ballads.
Her writing is not just one or two quotes that can be pulled to really emphasis how incredible the characters are or how a moment unfolds. Every sentence is pure poetry.
There were lines in the book I wanted to highlight but the context and everything that follows before and after make that one line hit home.
I was promised after Honey Pot and So Long, Honey that I wouldn’t be an emotional wreck reading this and yet there I was sat ugly crying at the kitchen at 18% into this book 😂😂
It’s a superpower, what Aubrey does. Being able to create raw and vulnerable people and telling their stories with such grace. I have witnessed it time and time again in her other works and Dean and Josh were no different.
This is not a sports romance. It’s so much more than that. It’s learning to love and live inside your own skin, well enough to let others love you too. It’s friendship goals and the real life ups and downs in a family that doesn’t fit a stereotypical “family”. There is some ball play but it’s consensual and I think there’s a baseball in there somewhere.
Anyone reading this thinking they MIGHT want to read this, go back to the start and read from the beginning.
Bad Honey
Honey Pot
So Long, Honey
Honeysuckle
Bring your tissues and your emotional support dog/blanket/burrito. You’re going to need all 3.
“Why don’t you let me make the space? all you have to do is stay close.”
“He loved me in the light.”
Normally my highlights are as plenty as the book is long but Aubrey Taylor writes books like poets write ballads.
Her writing is not just one or two quotes that can be pulled to really emphasis how incredible the characters are or how a moment unfolds. Every sentence is pure poetry.
There were lines in the book I wanted to highlight but the context and everything that follows before and after make that one line hit home.
I was promised after Honey Pot and So Long, Honey that I wouldn’t be an emotional wreck reading this and yet there I was sat ugly crying at the kitchen at 18% into this book 😂😂
It’s a superpower, what Aubrey does. Being able to create raw and vulnerable people and telling their stories with such grace. I have witnessed it time and time again in her other works and Dean and Josh were no different.
This is not a sports romance. It’s so much more than that. It’s learning to love and live inside your own skin, well enough to let others love you too. It’s friendship goals and the real life ups and downs in a family that doesn’t fit a stereotypical “family”. There is some ball play but it’s consensual and I think there’s a baseball in there somewhere.
Anyone reading this thinking they MIGHT want to read this, go back to the start and read from the beginning.
Bad Honey
Honey Pot
So Long, Honey
Honeysuckle
Bring your tissues and your emotional support dog/blanket/burrito. You’re going to need all 3.
May 17, 2025
Honeysuckle by Aubrey Taylor
Tropes:
🩵Slow burn
🩵Rivals to lovers
🩵Grumpy X sunshine
🩵Found family
🩵PTSD rep
🩵Touch him and die
🩵Baseball romance
🩵2SLGBTQ rep
🩵College romance
Firstly I want to thank the wonderful Aubrey for the opportunity to read her book Honeysuckle which is the fourth book in The Hornets Nest Series. This series has a special place in my heart, I have loved and enjoyed the first two books and novella. Let me tell you book three did not disappoint. These boys bought the heat.
Honeysuckle follows Dean and Joshua. These two have been rivals on different teams for a while. But suddenly they are on the same team. Staying in the same room. We are all in for one hell of a ride so buckle up and let’s begin.
Dean is the golden boy and team captain. The one who on the outside everything’s perfect and well put together. The inside tho he struggles daily under pressure to perform perfectly all the time, to maintain a certain look for his family and there crazy expectations.
Joshua is Harbors newest resident. He has so much bottled up, his angry, his ways are so high up no one is getting in.
When these two are first thrust together it defiently doesn't go smoothly, but in time they start to warm upto each other and watching these two go from rivals to starting to have feelings to yeah I have feelings for you was such a wonderful transition. The growth these two have during this whole book was fabulous.
Guys, I could write pages more but insta will not allow me to. Let’s sum this up with Go And Buy Honeysuckle Today.
Ratings:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (♾️)
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Tropes:
🩵Slow burn
🩵Rivals to lovers
🩵Grumpy X sunshine
🩵Found family
🩵PTSD rep
🩵Touch him and die
🩵Baseball romance
🩵2SLGBTQ rep
🩵College romance
Firstly I want to thank the wonderful Aubrey for the opportunity to read her book Honeysuckle which is the fourth book in The Hornets Nest Series. This series has a special place in my heart, I have loved and enjoyed the first two books and novella. Let me tell you book three did not disappoint. These boys bought the heat.
Honeysuckle follows Dean and Joshua. These two have been rivals on different teams for a while. But suddenly they are on the same team. Staying in the same room. We are all in for one hell of a ride so buckle up and let’s begin.
Dean is the golden boy and team captain. The one who on the outside everything’s perfect and well put together. The inside tho he struggles daily under pressure to perform perfectly all the time, to maintain a certain look for his family and there crazy expectations.
Joshua is Harbors newest resident. He has so much bottled up, his angry, his ways are so high up no one is getting in.
When these two are first thrust together it defiently doesn't go smoothly, but in time they start to warm upto each other and watching these two go from rivals to starting to have feelings to yeah I have feelings for you was such a wonderful transition. The growth these two have during this whole book was fabulous.
Guys, I could write pages more but insta will not allow me to. Let’s sum this up with Go And Buy Honeysuckle Today.
Ratings:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (♾️)
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
April 27, 2025
ive never wished i wouldve stuck with college more than when im reading a hornets nest book
the emotion that aubrey wraps into each of her books never fails to ruin me in the absolute best way, and honeysuckle absolutely delivered
honeysuckle was one of my most anticipated books for 2025 and i barely have the words to describe how amazing and beautiful this story is.
ive fallin so deeply in love with aubrey taylor's writing i never want to remember how it felt before finding the hornets nest. (in a very non parasocial way)
i knew from the moment i met dean in bad honey that he was going to be a favorite.
i cant even tell you the sounds that came from my body when i found out he was getting his book.
i fell even harder for dean and his story in honey pot but nothing will ever compare to getting to know him and deep diving into his thoughts and back story in honeysuckle.
seeing dean grow into himself and his captain role was so fulfilling as a reader.
maybe i just like emotionally complicated fictional men.
speaking of emotionally complicated fictional men. joshua logan.
i cant say with confidence that i always liked josh, but that also makes getting to know him even more satisfying
the depth and growth of this man shook me to the core in the best fucking way.
i love that i was also so frustrated with him while longing to see him open up and live the best life
WHICH HE DESERVES NOTHING BUT HAPPINESS AND IF YOU DISAGREE DONT TELL ME
i will fight tooth and nail for these boys, dont test me
aubrey taylor thank you for writing this story and putting it out into this world for people, especially me, to enjoy.
im so blessed for the opportunity to receive this book early and ive never been so happy to write a review.
15/5 stars. yes 15.
the nest has its own permanent spot in my brain. hornets, forever and always.
if you happen to be reading this, even this far down, and you havent read any of this series, do yourself a favor and give it a shot.
the emotion that aubrey wraps into each of her books never fails to ruin me in the absolute best way, and honeysuckle absolutely delivered
honeysuckle was one of my most anticipated books for 2025 and i barely have the words to describe how amazing and beautiful this story is.
ive fallin so deeply in love with aubrey taylor's writing i never want to remember how it felt before finding the hornets nest. (in a very non parasocial way)
i knew from the moment i met dean in bad honey that he was going to be a favorite.
i cant even tell you the sounds that came from my body when i found out he was getting his book.
i fell even harder for dean and his story in honey pot but nothing will ever compare to getting to know him and deep diving into his thoughts and back story in honeysuckle.
seeing dean grow into himself and his captain role was so fulfilling as a reader.
maybe i just like emotionally complicated fictional men.
speaking of emotionally complicated fictional men. joshua logan.
i cant say with confidence that i always liked josh, but that also makes getting to know him even more satisfying
the depth and growth of this man shook me to the core in the best fucking way.
i love that i was also so frustrated with him while longing to see him open up and live the best life
WHICH HE DESERVES NOTHING BUT HAPPINESS AND IF YOU DISAGREE DONT TELL ME
i will fight tooth and nail for these boys, dont test me
aubrey taylor thank you for writing this story and putting it out into this world for people, especially me, to enjoy.
im so blessed for the opportunity to receive this book early and ive never been so happy to write a review.
15/5 stars. yes 15.
the nest has its own permanent spot in my brain. hornets, forever and always.
if you happen to be reading this, even this far down, and you havent read any of this series, do yourself a favor and give it a shot.
May 23, 2025
4.75/5 ⭐️
This book was something especial. Aubrey writes with so much heart and her stories are both heartbreaking and beautiful. Josh and Dean were incredibly layered, and their journeys hit me hard.
Josh background shattered my heart. He’s been through so much, and yet he still has this quiet strength and loyalty that just made me love him more with every chapter. I’m so glad he found someone who he could trust and someone he felt safe to open up with.
And dean “golden boy” he’s pure heart. He loves with everything he has, and after what he went through with his family it was amazing reading him finally choose himself and grow into the person he was always meant to be and not what they expected of him.
This story isn’t not just romance, it’s about self acceptance, resilience, and finding light in the darkest places.
“You prove yourself wrong with every look, every laugh, every insult. Your love isn’t conventional, Josh. It’s barely recognizable. But I see it, I feel it.” I pounded my hand against my chest. “You know how to love someone because you figured out how to love me against all odds.”
A huge thank you to Aubrey for letting me be once again an arc reader for one of your books! 🩵
This book was something especial. Aubrey writes with so much heart and her stories are both heartbreaking and beautiful. Josh and Dean were incredibly layered, and their journeys hit me hard.
Josh background shattered my heart. He’s been through so much, and yet he still has this quiet strength and loyalty that just made me love him more with every chapter. I’m so glad he found someone who he could trust and someone he felt safe to open up with.
And dean “golden boy” he’s pure heart. He loves with everything he has, and after what he went through with his family it was amazing reading him finally choose himself and grow into the person he was always meant to be and not what they expected of him.
This story isn’t not just romance, it’s about self acceptance, resilience, and finding light in the darkest places.
“You prove yourself wrong with every look, every laugh, every insult. Your love isn’t conventional, Josh. It’s barely recognizable. But I see it, I feel it.” I pounded my hand against my chest. “You know how to love someone because you figured out how to love me against all odds.”
A huge thank you to Aubrey for letting me be once again an arc reader for one of your books! 🩵
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