Love Bites

Love Bank Romance #3

by Duckie Mack

Finding your way to love one bite at a time.

Jonah might have hit it big as a member of a rock band, but his dreams go beyond music. His heart belongs in the kitchen. A food truck seems like the perfect solution to let him do both.

Donovan "Van" has worked hard for his restaurant on wheels. He won’t let anything get in the way of his passion, not even a new guy crashing onto the food truck scene.

Jonah and Van might have gotten off to a rough start, but when Jonah needs help, Van is the one who shows up. Can these two competitors become companions?

The Love Bank Romance series features stand-alone stories that can be read individually, but I recommend reading the series to see your favorite characters again.

Genres: Romance, M M Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Music, LGBT, Contemporary, Queer

308 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 24, 2022

About the author

She loves reading and writing stories that show that love isn't defined by gender. She writes sweet romance with fun heat, adorkable characters, and is a sucker for an HEA.

She lives in Southern California with her family, 2 dogs, and 3 cats, and loves to give out free hugs at pride events.

Duckie loves to interact with readers and is most active on instagram @authorduckiemack

Keep up to date on Duckie's book news by subscribing to her newsletter-
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Reviews

[BookSafety Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.

Jonah met me with bright eyes, light shining through his whole being. He was radiant. If I were a plant I wouldn’t need any more than the sunbeams that Jonah cast to thrive.

This was a cute book about two (brief) food-truck rivals. It is nearly pure sugar on the sweetness scale, and had good demisexual representation. I haven’t read the previous books so I had no connection with the side characters, but it wasn’t a problem. The book gave me a bit of a coming-of-age/YA vibe with the sweet characters and sometimes cliché dialogue, but it fit the book. And it’s not YA.

I’ve been in the mood for a bit more angst lately so it wasn’t the best time for it.

🎧 3 stars
📖 3.5 stars rounded up.

⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
(Very mild) rivals to lovers
Musician MC
Demisexual MC
Size difference
Virgin MC
Food as a love language

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Explicit sexual content
Anxiety
Panic attack

⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 1st person, dual POV
Genre: Contemporary romance
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters’ age: 23 and 24
Series: Interconnected standalones
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 308

Sex wasn’t something I wanted without strings. I wanted strings..all of them. Would the strings even be enough? I couldn’t even comprehend being with another person unless I had a deeper connection with them […]


You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/booksafety?...

[Ren || Reading What I Want · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre/Tropes: MM, Slow Burn, Demisexual
POV: 1st, Dual
Series: Love Bank Romance, Book 3
STEAM LEVEL: 🔥🔥🔥
——————

Oh, I absolutely LOVED Jonah and Van. This book is hands down my favorite in the series. It’s sweeter, sexier, less angsty, more fun, and completely romantic. Add in a bit of food porn, some nerdy culture (League of Shadows 😍), and all the guys I’ve come to love in this series and I’m legit just swooning.

Van and Jonah own food trucks and their meet cute is less than stellar. Van thinks Jonah is a spoiled rich boy who’s trying to move in on his turf and Jonah is questioning his place in Crow’s Nest, his band with Ian while also rediscovering his love for feeding people. After the guys finally meet on middle ground and start to talk to each other, they realize how perfect they are for each other.

I really liked how Jonah was a Demisexual and that Van was the first and only guy to intrigue him. Their spicy scenes were so dang sweet but also sensual! Probably some of Duckie’s spiciest scenes! She also managed to fill the pages with emotions, making these scenes so much more meaningful and believable.

|| 𝙷𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚖𝚢 𝚍𝚛𝚞𝚐. 𝙷𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚖𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚡𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢. 𝙸𝚗 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝙸 𝚏𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚙𝚑𝚊𝚋𝚎𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚏𝚒𝚊, 𝙸 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚖𝚢 𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛. 𝚅. 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚅𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚡𝚞𝚊𝚕. ||

The romance was also SO romantic. I adored how Van accepted every piece of Jonah and how Jonah communicated with Van without hesitation. Love Bites is a beautiful story about self-discovery. It’s a beautiful story about love and patience and communication.

[Rin (indefinite hiatus) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably my latest DNF percentage to date. 95%…

I was just sitting here ready to finish this book and one of the MC’s got ragey and said some pretty awful things with other characters making excuses for it.

Yea. No thanks.

Was cute but heavy on internal dialogue until that point.

ETA: I finished and wasn’t impressed. And the next book features Wyatt who’s been a dick so far so I’m not interested, especially since it’s not on KU.

[Niki.reads.rainbow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute ending to the whole series. Jonah and Van were amazing, and I enjoyed Van going from hating Jonah to loving him.

As always, there was a healthy communication about their relationship, and sex, which I always appreciate.

And we also get Ollie cameo!

[Sharing The Book Love · Rating 4 out of 5]

this series just keeps on giving. Jonah and Donovan ( Van - and a food van - sorry made me giggle) are definitely not meant to be friends at first meeting and I was like on another enemies to friends read.

Well it is this but it isnt, they are barely enemies as they resolve the initial drama pretty quickly!

The feelings and story behind Jonah and who he is, is well told and he gets his HEA with Donovan.

[Bárbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the part where I'd put my disclaimer about having received an ARC by the author, but you know what? I ACTUALLY GOT TO READ A BETA COPY, BITCHES!!!!


I don't think I can put into words how much this story meant to me. It felt like it was tailor-made for my very soul.

Jonah and Van were lovely individuals, and together, their relationship had the gentlest, most precious evolution. They both complemented and enriched each other (the former through their similarities, the latter, through their differences).

As I said millions of times in my reviews, I identify as demisexual: yes, I might be a cis woman who's exclusively attracted to men, but I will not stand for gatekeeping. I claim my queer identity, as straight-passing a potential relationship may look for me. I want to make that abundantly clear. That annoyingly necessary preface out of the way, the point is, this book wasn't only specifically my favorite flavor of queer, it was also obviously concocted out of so much dedication, love, respect and acceptance... It sang to my soul and made it dance in utter joy.

Do yourselves (and Duckie... And me!) a favor: as soon as you get the chance, run to read this. You're welcome.

[Jennivie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is for the audio

I love Jonah!
When Jonah, the new food truck on the scene, stumbles into Van’s territory, seeming to rely on his celeb status as a member of a band to get customers, Van loses his cool. Van is less than nice to the new-comer at first but the two of them come to an understanding and then Jonah has to ask for Van’s help when the food bank kitchen is out of order on Thanksgiving.

Jonah and Van are cute together and the demi rep and anxiety rep are done very well. I loved how they bonded through their love of food. I quite often was listening to this story while making my own food and wishing I was having what they were having, it sounded so delicious. Maybe we should get a cookbook next. Hint hint.

I haven’t gotten to read the other stories in the series yet so for me they weren’t cameos from other books, but interesting side characters that had me wondering what happened to get some of them together. And now that I’ve read another story linked to characters in this series (Cold Nights and Cryptids) I’m even more interested in finding out how this all began!

[Kassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so incredibly lucky to be a part of Duckie Mack's ARC team. I love all of her books and honestly every single one holds a special place in my heart.

Love Bites is a great romance between Jonah and Van. I relate to Jonah a lot, I've always said that my sexuality is my wife's name because she's the only one I've ever truly wanted to be with.

I read the whole book in an afternoon, I couldn't put it down. The relationship between the two characters was amazing to watch unfold. It was super sweet and loving and definitely steamy!!

I loved all of the food content as well, I'm a huge cooking show fanatic so I will devour anything food related!

You guys definitely need to read this next instalment in this series when it comes out!

[Jo Jo O · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute read.

I enjoyed this whole series. Duckie has a way with representation with her characters. She's respectful and it shows that she does her homework.

Jonah and Van start off as "rivals" but it's really more of a misunderstanding. It was so fun to see their relationship shift and change. Attraction is new to Jonah and the way Van respects him and never pressures him is sweet.

The food in this book is great and the banter between characters make this book what it is. I highly recommend everyone to pick it up. This was a fun read and I was grateful to get to read it early.

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked reading this book, it was fun and sweet

[Heather MMRomanceReviewed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review:
https://www.mmromancereviewed.com/202...

[Sheena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 3rd in the Love Bank series, it can be read as a total standalone though. We do meet Jonah briefly in the other books but only in passing. Van is a totally new character.

With each book in this series, the author has given us something different. This time one of the MCs is demisexual - although that's never mentioned outright, it fits with everything Jonah feels and does, really. Although Jonah and Van start out with a really rocky start, that's soon resolved and it's a sweet story of two people finding each other through a shared love of cooking.

It's a nice slow burn, I liked how they take their time getting to know each other and I loved how understanding Van was with Jonah, these two were just so sweet with each other. I liked how slowly they took things, and it was nice to see the slow blossoming of their relationship. There's also a fair bit of heat there too, when they found that level of trust and connection.

There's not much in the way of angst, so if you're looking for a sweet, cute slow burn story with a demi MC then this is for you.

I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

[Taylin Clavelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for Love Bytes – 4.25 hearts
Jonah is all about chakras, positive and negative energy, and food. He loves cooking, but most know him as the quiet bass player in the famous band - Crow’s Nest. When he fulfills his chef’s dream to get a food truck, a fellow trucker Donovan takes exception to Jonah encroaching on his pitch. Pre-conceived ideas, and other stuff, mean their relationship doesn’t begin well, and Jonah is emotionally cut up about Van’s cold welcome. But only time will tell if it stays that way.
Love Bites is the third book in the Love Bank series. One of the mains, Jonah, knows he is gay but has never desired to get intimate with another man. He doesn’t understand it and doubts he’d recognize the urge if it hit him. Although, there are plenty of bandmates around who frequently follow their desires to sacred places. Crystals, aromatherapy, and meditation are more Jonah’s style – he’s a sensitive Zen man.
The story is told in the first person, present tense from the viewpoints of Jonah and Van. Technically, it was pretty good. However, as reading is hugely subjective, there were a few things that belong in my room 101. E.g., Acronyms, repeated use of the words smirked and bobbed. I eventually had visions of whack-a-mole with the latter. And yes, these things affected my reading enjoyment. But, moving on – worldbuilding was appropriate for the story, the characters were interesting, and I came away from the tale, educated.
Love Bites has a wider range of different characters than the other stories, which I liked, including a lad with sass and some protective brothers. Van was tailor-made for Jonah. The two words that appear front and center in this story are patience and understanding. And, with Jonah, Van has it in spades, which given their misconception-based, heated first encounter, was a nice twist.
As with the other stories in the series, there is plenty of mutual appreciation, wholesome humans, and texting, which is an all too familiar element of modern society.
Back to Jonah, who I will freely admit was my fav. He is a superb example of – ‘you are who you are’ and should not have to apologize for it. When the right person comes along, whatever will happen, will happen - when the time is right. It wasn’t only Jonah’s outlook that was different. His other layers include reasons for the use of crystals etc., which all made for depth of character.
As already mentioned, Love Bites is the third book in the series. They all contain wonderful, wholesome, understanding, helpful human beings - if only real life were as utopian. Then again – that’s what the wonderful world of fantasy is for. I’ve now read two of these stories in quick succession. For me, it was a bit much of the ‘wholesome’ menu all at once. Nevertheless, when I need some cookies and milk, I’ll be sure to pick one up.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for
Love Bytes.

[Katriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where, oh where, do I start with this book? This book has made me feel so many things, it was like being on a emotional rollercoaster. (But in the best way!) I'm going to give you guys a little forewarning; if you plan on reading this extraordinary book be prepared to crave Duck fat fries and Bacon jam grilled cheese. Be prepared for those craving. But I assure you it's worth it. Everyone needs to read this book, it's so poignant and beautiful. The author really captured what it feels like to feel lost even when others think you aren't.

Jonah from an outsiders point of view has everything; Fortune? Somewhat check. Fame? Double check. But to Jonah he doesn't feel like he has everything. He feels lost and confused and the one thing he wants he has a hard time doing. He wants to be able to cook on his food truck and to be able to improve and to get better at his skill. But between band practice and tours his BB is in storage most of the time.

When he finally has his dream truck and is able to test drive his concept he steps on the toes of another food truck.

Van has worked hard every day to make his truck and his brand and his food a success. So, when a new hotshot pulls his truck up and uses his fame to grab customers Van's livid. Not even giving Jonah a chance to explain he hates him on sight. Until he doesn't.

Jonah and Van are two characters that I am not going to be forgetting anytime soon. These two beautiful characters will stay with me for a long while. I love how supportive and understanding and patient Van is with Jonah. I loved the enemies trope written in here and then to go to a tentative friendship, then on to a relationship. I know I keep saying "I love" when I start almost every sentence but that's because I really loved this book. Want to know more of what I loved? I loved how their relationship progressed with them texting and sending each other food pics. I have never read a book like this before and that's a really good thing, that means that this is so unique which makes it spectacular.

I can relate to Jonah a lot, maybe not the being in a well known band part; or the being a chef but the relationship stuff?.. the intimacy part of him that he talked about, that I can relate to. I need more of these beautiful characters. I feel seen reading these books. And that is a really good feeling.

I'm fairly new to Duckie Mack, I can't say I've read every one of their books (yet) but I'm in love with their writing. It's beautiful and I've never been disappointed by anything I've read by them.

I highly, highly recommend this book!!

I voluntarily received a early copy of this book and this is my honest review.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to GRR and the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book, again, was a very sweet read.

The characters are both good truckers, one if them has been in the business for quite some time, the other is new to it and promptly manages to step on the other's toes. This makes them rivals/enemies for a very short time, but they move on from it towards a very comfortable relationship and end up falling in love.

I loved that their relationship wasn't all about sex or at all sexual in the beginning and would have liked reading more of that. Unfortunately (for me, at least, but that's a personal preference), they soon move on from that and the rest of the book is full of explicit sex scenes and the characters seem to be horny all the time. But still, sometimes one of them says "not today" or "not right now" to sex and it is accepted and not used as a sign that something is wrong with the relationship, which is so healthy and we don't see it often enough in books (or media in general). More of that, please.
I also love that consent is everything for these characters abd they ask for and assure each other of it while performing sexual acts also.
I also love how openly the characters communicate with each other so that after the first misunderstanding future ones are prevented (I hate the miscommunication trope in relationships).

We do get demisexual (and demiromantic?) rep in this book in one of the main characters, which we could also use more of in fiction.

The story itself is a feel-good romance and made me smile widely several times, because the characters are just so cute. It is predictable, but I think that's kind of a requirement for feel-good books, to not have to wait and anticipate the next twist and stuff going badly for the characters.

I liked getting to see some of the food trucking side of the character's lives, I would have preferred to see them independently from each other though. Even while Jonah is on tour with the band, we basically only get to read about him texting Van. This makes me as a reader feel like missing out on so much of the characters and their stories and also makes them feel a little bit flat, as though their relationship is the only thing about them that matters/is worth telling. But other than that they don't feel flat at all.


I accidentally skipped book 2, but as all the books in this series can work as standalones, that's alright.

All in all a nice feel-good romance.

[Sarah C · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is no secret to anyone that I'm basically obsessed with Duckie Mack's Love Bank series, making this one of the most anticipated books I've had on my reading list this year. And I am happy to announce that I was not even remotely disappointed by book three.

We meet Jonah in book two, a member of Ian's band Crow's Nest. He was working his way through culinary school while working with the band. This book is set after the tour at the end of Bo Next Door. Crow's Nest has blown up and Jonah has spent part of his money from tour to buy a food truck so he can finally chase his dream of being a chef. What he doesn't expect when he starts his new business is Van.

Van is another food trucker, someone who has been on the scene for awhile and has quite a following. When Jonah shows up with his shiny new truck and takes all of his customers - due to the fact that Ian showed up and put his location all over social media - he's a little annoyed. This gets them off on the wrong foot. There are a few clashes between them before they start to speak, but the relationship shifts on Thanksgiving when Jonah goes to help at the Love Bank for their Thanksgiving feast and the kitchen is down. He calls Van to help and they start getting to know one another.

The most interesting part of this book is not the love story between the two men. Instead, the most interesting part is the fact that Jonah is demisexual - which he doesn't discover until later in the book. Instead, he's always considered himself to be ace - and let's Van know this early into their relationship. I loved watching how Van and Jonah navigated the physical parts of their relationship. Van's reaction was perfect and the way he kept checking in with Jonah at every physical advancement was just amazing. It was really nice demi-rep.

While this is book three of the series, it can be read as a standalone. However, I feel like book two should be read to get full enjoyment and really understand some of the side character dynamics. (Of course I think everyone should read all the books of the Love Bank series because its amazing but I'm biased.) This book is low angst and has a medium level of heat and a lot of warm fuzzy feelings. Highly recommend.

** DISCLAIMER: I recieved an ARC of this book from the author for fair and honest review. **

[Amy Voce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book by Duckie Mack that I have read. I didn't really know what to expect going in to this. Having not been familiar with the authors writing style and previous books in the Love Bank series. But I just knew I would love this from the synopsis. This had quite a few tropes in it that certainly hit the spot for me, grumpy/Sunshine, demisexual/sexual awakening, slight Enemies-to-lovers and inexperienced virgin and an out of practice partner 😉

This was a super cutesy, light read that was perfect for giving me an uplifting lovey dovey feeling. This is a great spring/summer read that will put a skip in your step.

Although this is a super cute there was some added depth to it, our main characters both had complexities that aren't obvious straight away. I loved the pacing of this story and I'm a complete sucker for slow burn romances. I love witnessing the transformation of our characters and seeing their added layers. We are brought on a Journey of demisexuality through Jonah and also Van's vulnerable/self protective instincts that really pulled on my heart strings. Van and Jonah are absolutely perfect together and I couldn't help swooning over them. I also really loved Damon and Del and I'm just praying we see a romance in the future for them two.

I highly recommend this and can't wait to read the previous books in the series.

[Shawna (endemictoearth) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read and really enjoyed the first two books in this series. I requested the ARC thinking it would be another solid 4 star read, and on a writing level I’d say it is that. The thing that bumps it to 5 stars for me is how much it resonated with my experience of demisexuality, even though the term is never stated. (I will say I didn’t love the “I was Van-sexual” line as much as others did . . . I’ve read something similar a few times now and it doesn’t quite sit right, even if it’s about a character that has to have an emotional connection with a specific person to feel sexual attraction. But that is a very small thing that doesn't outweigh the great stuff about this book.)

Putting that small issue aside, as far as emotions are concerned? This book is top tier. The evolution of their feelings from genuine dislike (on one side) to grudging respect to tentative attraction to wow this really could be it . . . was paced really well, in my opinion. And while Jonah does eventually decide that he wants a full sexual relationship with Van, it never felt like a foregone conclusion and Van never pressured him even a little. The way the characters were so lovely and honest with each other . . . I cried multiple times reading this book, because the conversations Jonah and Van have about intimacy and relationships are near perfect (in my opinion) and I really felt like I was reading something so thoughtful and intentional.

I also related to many of Jonah’s worries, but it was refreshing to see a character who was so rooted in their conviction of how they are and what they feel. He was willing to entertain the idea of someone making him feel love, but wasn’t going to try and force it or aggressively seek it out.

The author also integrated the characters from the previous two books in a natural and subtle way, so that someone reading the series can appreciate their appearance, but if this is the first book you’re picking up, I don’t think anyone would be confused or annoyed. (That alone is a skill a lot of authors don’t seem to have.)

I don’t know if the author plans to continue the series, but I would be interested to see Wyatt and Keys and what their relationship is like from the inside, and I felt like we got a hint about Dayton and one of Van’s brothers, but that could just be a little flirtation. It’s just such a lovely world that I’d be happy to return to in future.

[LC · Rating 5 out of 5]

love, love, love!!!

This book is pure sweetness with a dash of heat!! Duckie Mack had me crying, laughing, and then crying again. I can not count the amount of times I gasped and my husband asked what was wrong only for me to tell him nothing, it was just my book was so _________. You’ll fill in the blank when YOU get there. Trust me when I say you’ll know.

Van and Jonah are different. Van is quick tempered and Jonah is more calm and self-aware. Both are handsome men. Their first meeting was not very cordial whatsoever and their second not much better. It’s their third meeting where things go slightly better, they actually talk to each other at the end of the night, and Van rescues Jonah from a tense situation. That was the spark folks, the spark that lit the burn for the rest of the book in my opinion. I mean there are more sparks, Duckie Mack knows how to write such an epic slow burn! 🧑‍🍳💋

I have loved the entire Love Bank series. Absolutely loved it. Love Bites is my favorite though. There is something about the emotional pull in this book. I am all about the emotions sometimes and this book had them all. I’m so sad to see the Love Bank series end, BUT I’m extremely happy to see where Ms. Mack goes from here. 😊

[Lily Heron · Rating 4 out of 5]

When musician Jonah strikes out independently as a food vendor, he makes the mistake of showing up on veteran Van's turf, earning himself daggers and resentment. Sparks soon fly between Jonah and Van, but Jonah has never considered a relationship possible, and since they got off to such a rocky start, can he trust Van with his heart?

Love Bites is a wonderful member of the Love Banks Romance series. The thrust of the story revolves around Jonah's journey of navigating his sexuality, and I thought the portrayed his demisexuality wonderfully. There were so many moments and thoughts where I related to Jonah, and it's incredibly comforting to see characters like him on the page. Van was the perfect partner for Jonah, and I really liked how time was taken to express how the deepening of their connection and development of trust was the key factor in Jonah's attraction.

I am grateful to the author for providing an ARC of Love Bites. These opinions are my own.

[Heather Duff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Bites is the third book in Duckie Mack’s Love Bank series. And I think by now we know that she has mastered the sweet, romantic, low angst style. Van and Jonah’s story is no different. *swoon*

They are both really sweet (at least once you get to know Van he is). And I love a demisexual story, because, well, representation matters, but also because they are slow burn romances, which are one of my favs. This story also reminds us that first impressions matter but also they don’t tell the whole story.

I love how food connects them and forges a bond, and acts as foreplay! *wink, wink* What I also loved was that even though Van wasn’t demisexual, he needed the slow pace too, to learn to trust and appreciate what they had. Together they provide each other the grounding they need to follow their dreams.

With spring upon us, it feels like the perfect time for a sweet, romantic romance!

< ARC provided by GRR and this is my honest review >

[C.B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Food can be euphoric! Jonah, is living his life and indulging his passion, food. He establishes a food truck, Bass bEATS. Van, had a loyal following with his food truck. He got a shock when Jonah, launched his first day adjacent to Van's truck. When Jonah finally aproached Van, feelings already had their hooks in.Damon, Van's roommate is a hoot! Jonah, ran into a problem and Van stepped up to the rescue. Good communication established and a tentative relationship takes root. The author takes us through a fantastic journey of food friendships and more food. There's a delicate balance with persnal and professional discoveries. Do Jonah and Van find a professional balance? Can they open up personally? Does Jonah suceed with his truck? Sweet story. These guys feel like regular people going through regular job/couple stuff. Absolutely likeable characters, good flow. Sassy and comfortable. Well done! I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Amanda Glaeser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know I've said this multiple times before in my other reviews of Duckie Mack's books but I'm in love with this story.

It's extremely sweet and beautiful and I just want to squish Jonah's face. He's so incredibly lovable and cute, I want to shove him in my purse and take him home with me.

And Van is his perfect match. His opposite, the Yin to Jonah's Yang. They truly balance each other beautifully.

I love how they started out. Not really enemies but close. How Van sent Damon to spy on Jonah because he wanted nothing more than to dislike him but he couldn't. I don't think anyone could hate Jonah.

I'm sad that this is the last book in this series because I fell in love with these characters but I'm sure the lovely Duckie Mack has more amazing and wonderful stories in store for us.

[Claire Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Bites is book 3 in the Love Banks Romance Series.
I’ve read all 3 books and loved every single one of them and this one I loved just as much.
I would say this book is slightly different to the first two books and a slow burn. But as with all of the books in the series, it’s got an amazing story line, wonderful characters, and a lot of depth.
You can expect slight enemies to lovers/ rivalry, demi-sexual, heartfelt moments and a true love for Van & Jonah.
Van & Jonah’s story/ journey will give you heart eyes and leave you wishing for more.
I’m really hoping that some of the side characters get their own stories too. We’ve met a lot of characters from the previous two books and I’m so intrigued. I would really love to see more of characters.
Highly recommended, must read. Can be read as a standalone, although better enjoyed in order.
A massive 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[T.L. Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Argh, I have another 1-click author on my list now!

Having enjoyed Bo Next Door so much, I dived right into the next book in the series, and whizzed through it.

They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Well, that seems to be true with this one.
Jonah is a member of the band we've met in the previous books in this fab series (The Love Bank). Only, he's the quiet one, always happy for Crow to take the limelight. He's been ambivalent towards the search for a partner before. I (and he) thought he was ACE, tbh. Turns out, he was just waiting for the right man! He's demisexual; needing that deep emotional connection.

Cue a lot of patience and a bit of enemies to lovers.

The build-up to this relationship is tantalising in all the right ways. The pair grow together beautifully. And we're privileged to follow as they do. And yay for some crystals!

I just love this series. The characters intermingle, and the bonds of friendship are wonderfully strong. so much love and support in each story. They provide a wonderful cast of side characters. I really like Damon in this one.

Can be read as a stand-alone, but you don't want to miss out on the rest, starting with All The Stars.
Another gripping read with adorkable characters!

4.5*

[Walter Roper · Rating 4 out of 5]

REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Love Bites by Duckie Mack is the charming LGBTQ love story that finds Jonah, a rather well known member of a rock band, and Van, a passionate young chef, going head to head as they struggle to launch their food truck businesses. Van feels that Jonah is encroaching on his territory, thus making their first meeting a heated one. The two have gotten off to a rocky start but neither can deny the powerful attraction between them. They soon learn that the food truck world is big enough for the both of them and through pursuing their dreams they may just find true love. ⠀
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Love Bites is the third book in the Love Bank Romance series. As always, Duckie Mack delivers an entertaining love story revolving around two amazing and heartwarming characters. This is by far my favorite book of the series. The premise is fresh and unique, and the author blends passion and tenderness into a romance with an emphasis communication, patience and kindness. You can never go wrong with anything from the pen of Duckie Mack. ⠀

[Joelle Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Duckie knocks it out of the park once again in this sweet conclusion to the Love Bank series!

Jonah and Van were so freaking cute I just about couldn't handle it.

When Duckie first told me she was starting this story I was so ready for it and I am blessed that she shared and an advanced copy with me. The discovery that Jonah goes through in his sexuality is sweet and so freaking relatable. Duckie did her homework and represented these characters so flipping well! But she always does!

Be prepared for snackage. I went to lay down every night and read before bed, and much to my husbands dismay had to get up every single night to get a snack while reading. So thanks, Duckie. You contributed to late night snackage.

I highly recommend this entire series as it is worth the read.

[Tammy Manning · Rating 4 out of 5]

While we’ve seen Jonah as part of Crow’s Nest in the previous books, we really get to see him in his element in Love Bites. While he has always loved making music, his true passion is food, and that definitely comes through in this book. And better yet, it’s also what causes him to meet Van, bringing something to Jonah’s life that he didn’t even know was missing. Jonah’s ability to see past Van’s grumpiness to his heart and find out who he really is as a person, is just what Van needs as well.

This was another sweet read from Duckie Mack with adorable characters that you can’t help but love. If you’re looking for a quick, light read, with absolutely lovable characters then check out Love Bites.

[Allyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Bites is absolutely charming! Jonah is the bass player for Crow’s Nest, a rock band that’s on the cusp of making it big, but his true passion is food. He’s excited to finally realize his dream of having his own food truck, but things get off to a rocky start when he makes an enemy of Van, another food truck owner. Van is a grumpy little bear of a man, and Jonah can’t figure out what he’s done to get on his bad side. After Jonah asks for Van’s help to feed the hungry at Thanksgiving, the two form a tentative friendship. Jonah has never felt attraction for anyone and doesn’t understand his feelings towards Van. Van is so patient with Jonah as he discovers more about his sexuality, and Jonah brings out Van’s softer side. Van hasn���t had a lot of luck in love and has a hard time believing that anyone would want to be with him, so it’s really sweet to see how he blossoms under Jonah’s tenderness. I love the supporting characters, especially Van’s loud Italian family and his sassy roommate Damon. It’s a really lovely story of passion and discovery, and it’s fluffy in the best possible way.

[Mónica López · Rating 5 out of 5]

I AM OBSESSED! SO OBSESSED!!! Duckie Mack nailed this story. The hype and the buildup definitely lived up to my expectations.

Oh wow this book is good, the characters well rounded and easy to love. I spent the entire day with my nose buried in my Kindle, eagerly tapping the pages and ignoring life, from page one until the end.

This book has put a constant smile on my face! From cover... *phewwww yay* to cover i've just been smiling big! Painfully so! My cheeks hurt! I just love them!

As per all my positives in this review I think it is clear this is a win for me. I loved it and I definitely need more. Duckie Mack just write characters that you fall in love with. Go read this book right now!