Review of The Hideaway (Lavender Shores #5) by Rosalind Abel

 by Rosalind Abel

3.5 stars

Lavender Shores’s resident tattoo artist, Connor Clark, looks the part—six foot six, musclebound, and covered in ink—and most definitely doesn’t blend in. Grafted into the Bryant family as a teenager to escape his abusive father, the Bryants saved his life, but Connor has never truly felt a part of the founding family royalty. And if his heart’s desire were revealed, it would betray everything the Bryants have done for him.

Micah Bryant was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He’s always had everything he ever wanted—save the one he desires most. Even moving to New York City for a few years didn’t dampen his passion. Not that Micah had expected it to. He’s known his destiny since he was nine years old, the moment it had walked through his door.

After years of longing, years of secrets and stolen moments of passion and love, Connor weakens enough to allow the town to see how he feels, and let the Bryants know his love for Micah is anything but brotherly. But no sooner had the decision been made than Connor’s biological family returns and shatters it all. Still, Micah holds on to the belief that their romance was written in the stars, but maybe he’d been wrong all those years…

This is book 5 of the Lavender Shores series by Rosalind Abel, and although we really enjoyed it, it left us wanting more?  As a stand-alone it is okay, but with the other 4 books of the series being amazing, the Hideaway just didn’t measure up.  We think we may have enjoyed the story if we hadn’t ready The Shipwreck first…..

What did we love?

- The characters:  We really likes Connor and Micah, independently they were great characters with really great stories. 

- Visiting our Friends:  This is a series, and while you don’t have to read the previous books, it does help.  And it is really nice visiting all the couples we fell in love with on the Lavender Shore journey.

- The Romance:  We aren’t huge in to super sweet romance, but it really worked in The Hideaway.  Well let’s amend that, when Connor and Micah formally got their schmoop on, it was fantastic.  They waited a long time for their Happy Ever After so we liked that they really gave it all their love.

The meh?

- Brother to Husbands:  We think this is a really great story idea, but somehow didn’t work for us with Connor and Micah.  Maybe the fact that it took years and year and years for them finally to admit their feelings to their family, when we have only seen their family be SUPER accepting in the other books, was a bit hard to swallow.

- Angst:  This is an Angst read, and yes, the other Lavender Shore don have angst, but this one was so much, we felt it took away from the love-story.

The Hideaway by Rosalind Abel is a great little story, full of so much love.  We are really enjoying the Lavender shore series and can’t wait for the next book!

Review of No Fear (No Shame #3) by Nora Phoenix

by Nora Phoenix

3.5 Stars

 Aaron is drowning. After coming out as gay, he lost his parents’ approval, his job, and his sense of identity. He feels like a freak who doesn’t fit in anywhere. His last hope was his brother Josh, but Josh can’t seem to forgive him for how Aaron treated him when they were teens. Not that Aaron can blame him, because he did treat Josh like crap. 

All Aaron wants is for someone to accept him, guide him, because he doesn’t have a clue. When sexy jiujitsu teacher Blake takes him in and starts mentoring him, Aaron has hope for the first time, even though he can’t understand what Blake sees in him. 

Blake doesn’t do relationships. At all. He’s more than willing to help Aaron find solid ground under his feet, but that’s it. Until insecure, vulnerable, and surprisingly sexy Aaron gets under his skin, triggering all kinds of protective instincts that make Blake long for more. He wants to take care of Aaron, give him what he needs, but how can he convince Aaron of that? 

When Josh’s friend-with-benefits Indy’s past finally catches up with him, it endangers them all—and leads to heartbreaking decisions for everyone involved. 

So glad we are sticking through this No Shame Series because book 3, No Fear is the best one yet!  We finally get a closer look at Aaron and visit with some of our favourite boys.

What did we like?

- Plot:  There seems to be more of a plot development in No Fear.  He story had tighten up quite a bit and instead of some meandering around we get a clear story.  Super enjoyable!

- Relationship:  We really love Aaron and Blake’s relationship.  We love how authentic they are with each other, and don’t apologize for what they both need.  The development of their relationship is super hot, and we loved the puppy play aspect. 

- Sex:  This book tomes down the sex, and yes, that is a good thing.  The pervious books were super sexy, but became a bit much after a while. No Fear has some serious steam, but it plays well with the rest of the story.  Yes, it is still an erotic story, but that’s not all it is.

What didn’t we like?

- Series:  While we love this series, we want some resolutions.  We are really looking forward to Book 4, but another cliff-hanger ending.  Ugh.

No Fear so far is the best of the No Shame Series.  With the focus on the relationships, and plot it doesn’t struggle with the balance of sex vs. story like the previous books.  Nora Phoenix has created some memorable characters, so authentic relationships and really fantastic suspense. 

Review of The Sweetest Star by Raleigh Ruebins

by Raleigh Ruebins

3.5 stars

Eric Ronson used to be a superstar… now he’s only cooking up trouble. He needs a fake boyfriend, and fast.

As a former member of the boy band 5*Star, Eric never imagined he’d be starting a new gig as a host on a live cooking show—much less that he’d need a co-host to really help his star shine.

Dash Thompson loved his quiet life as a food writer… until a horrible breakup really stirred things up.

The offer to be on a TV show with Eric might give his life the spice it so desperately needs to get him out of his funk, but there’s only one problem (ok, maybe two)…. He has to pretend to be Eric’s boyfriend and he kind of hates Eric.

The idea of being Eric’s fake boyfriend really puts a hair in Dash’s biscuit, because Eric is everything that Dash isn’t: loud and unpredictable, wild and fun loving… so why does he want sleep with him so bad?

As the cameras roll, the line between what’s fake and what’s real quickly blurs when Eric and Dash realize they have better chemistry than sugar and spice. Can Eric give up his playboy ways and rise to the occasion? Will Dash’s heart crumble like a cookie?

Book 2 in the Under the Star series by Raleigh Ruebins, and we were so excited to the follow up for a good first book, but although we really enjoyed the story it didn’t have that spark that we loved in the first of the series.

The good:

-          - Dual POV: This dual POV really works for The Sweetest Star.  Both characters have very clear voices and we didn’t have to flip backward to remind ourselves who was speaking.  Such a plus!

-         -  Story flow: This is an easy story to read, it flows and it really well written.  It is wonderfully edited with none of those niggly continuity issues that distract us for books.

-       -   The chemistry:  There is real chemistry between Dash and Eric and really that is what pulled this story through for us.  You can feel the pull between these guys, but then they get too far in their heads and it falls apart for us.

The bad:

-       -   Unlikable main characters:  It is hard when you don’t really *like* the main characters.  Eric is self-centered and frustrating and Dash is a meek character that never really stands up for himself.  They go in this circle of “I care for him but don’t want to tell him” and “I’m not good enough” and round and round and round.  Frustrating.

-      -    Boy Band: ??  Other than a small mention that Eric was in the Boy Band that is it.  I thought there would be more mention of this, but rather we move quickly to the food/blog/tv  show recording and miss this important piece all together.

Don’t get us wrong, we enjoyed this book, and maybe if it was the first in the Under the Stars series we would have been more in love with Eric and Dash’s story.  But after reading the first in this series The Sweetest Star fell kinda flat for us.  We aren’t ready to give up on the series and looking forward to the 3^rd book in the Series.

Review of Gray for You (8 Million Hearts #2) by Spencer Spears.

 by Spencer Spears

3.5 stars

I might be your fantasy. But I’m nobody’s forever…

Gray: I’m not the kind of guy you take home to meet your mother. I’m an ex-adult film star with a GED and a giant co...llection of movie credits I can’t talk about in polite company. I might be good at helping other guys get their happy endings, but I’ve more or less given up on finding one of my own.

Until Tyler Lang walks into my life.

That’s right, my co-star for my final film is Tyler Lang--America's heartthrob, until he disappeared from the radar last year. Tyler's got a reputation for being a bad boy, a partier, and apparently straight, but the sweet, vulnerable-looking kid who shows up at auditions is completely different. And now that I'm getting to know him, I can’t help wondering what it is that’s made his eyes so sad--and wishing there were some way I could make it better.

I’m not supposed to get a happy ending. So why the hell won’t my heart listen?

“I’m yours. In whatever way, for however long you want me. Just say the words and you’ll have me forever.”

Tyler: I know what you’ve heard about me. Another spoiled child-actor, all grown up and out of control. I wish I could tell you you’re wrong, but the truth is, I’m a little bit of a mess. Okay, so maybe I'm a giant mess. And now, after getting arrested with an ez-bake oven’s worth of drugs I don’t even remember buying, I'm washed-up at the grand old age of 21.

After a year of rehab and community service, all I want is to work again. So when my agent sends me a new script, maybe I don’t read the fine print as carefully as I should. Which is how I end up auditioning for an adult film. A high-brow, literary adult film. But still. There’s no way I can go through with this. After all, I'm so deep in the closet I'm not sure I'll ever find my way out. And I wouldn’t do this movie--except for one thing: Gray Evans.

Strong, kind, and honest, Gray makes me feel seen in a way I’ve never been before--and makes me want to be better. And somehow, around Gray, everything seems possible. Like maybe there’s a world where I’m not a total screw-up. Maybe there’s a world where I can come out, and not tank my career. And maybe, just maybe, there’s a world where Gray, who’s smart and brave and so together, could want someone like me.

Gray for You is 2^nd in the 8 Million Heart series, and confession time, we didn’t read the first installment and didn’t feel like we missed much.  Picking up this book we thought Gray, maybe it was a May-December, and it is a bit, but it is a slow-burn, lovely romance of 2 people trying to find themselves, and finding each other.

The good?

-     -     Slow-burn:  This is a fantastic example of a slow-burn romance, with not a lot of serious angst.  It is friends feeling something more and slowly realizing the person beside them are the person they want to be beside them forever.  There is a warm feeling between Gray and Tyler and it just cocooned us and made us fall in love right along with them.  But it is slow-burn, there is lots of stolen glances, long looks and sighs, all things that make this a great romance.

-     -     Banter:  We love a book with some serious banter and these boys have it.  There is a funny scene about Tyler bottoming for the first time and it is laugh out loud fun.

-      -    The similarities:  We really enjoyed how both Tyler and Gray were finding their way back.  Tyler spectacularly crashed and burned publically, and has paid for his mistakes for the last year.  And Gray is getting out of a 8 year relationship and has retired as a porn star.  They both are looking for new experiences, and to move past what everyone thinks about them and truly find themselves.

-     -     Sex:  Well, what could we say about a ex-porn star and a virgin – MAGIC!  The chemistry between these men does not disappoint between the sheets. 

The not so good?

-      -    The premise:  Okay, so it could be believable that a fallen actor would take on a role in an erotic-porn-indie film?  And not really realize it?  I think there might have been a different situation that forced Gray and Tyler together.  Sorry, we didn’t really buy it.

-     -     Internal dialogue:  here is a lot of internal dialogue and it does get a bit much after a while, just talk to each other for goodness sake!

-    -      Lots going on:  There is a lot going in the Gray for you.  A lot.  They are filming a movie, falling in love, Gray owns a bar, just got out of a relationship and the guy wants him back, Tyler is dealing with an abusive father and re0-connecting with his brother…..and on and on and on.

We really like Gray for You, it is a solid read, and a fantastic example of a slow-burn romance.  We haven’t read the first book in the 8 Million Hearts series, but honestly we didn’t miss any of the backstory. 

Review of Reservation by Kindle Alexander

by Kindle Alexander 

3.5 stars

Wildly successful entrepreneur, Thane Walker is stubbornly set in his ways and adamantly resists the shackles of commitment. He’s seen enough unhappy endings to learn the best way to play is by keeping his men on the payroll.

Levi Silva’s dream of graduating from one of the country’s top medical schools is in his grasp, until news from home changes everything. Now, he’s raising his two teenage brothers and trying to keep everyone’s head above water, emotionally and financially.

When Levi’s new job puts him in Thane’s path, their chemistry explodes, but their fear of being involved in relationships keeps them apart. Unfortunately, despite the intense desire drawing them together, neither man can move forward until they get past their own…Reservations.

Kindle Alexandre books are always a special treat for us, and are truly some of our feel-good g-to reads.  And we were so excited about the release of Reservations that we dug right in.  We did *like* it, but struggled hard with one of the main characters.  How do you love a book when you can’t stand half the point of view?

The good?

-       -   Build-up:  We loved the first 40% of Reservations, the build-up in sexual tension between Levi and Thane was off the charts hot.  We were so excited by the momentum of the first few chapters; it was exciting and so hot!

-     -     Levi:  Levi is a fantastic character and truly saved this book for us.  We felt for him, Kindle Alexander created this huge empathy for Levi, leaving medical school to look after his brothers.  He is caring, solid, respectable, stands up for his beliefs and fights for what he wants. 

-    -      Secondary characters: Levi’s brother was fantastic.  We aren’t really fans of books with kids, but these 2 boys being a little older added a fun dynamic to Reservations.  Julian was snarky and lovely and a hoot – we can’t wait for his book!

-     -     Sexy Times: So good, there is some serious sexual tension between Levi and Thane that means all good things for us the reader.  However we never did think the bossy over bearing Thane could be so submissive in the bedroom.

The head scratching?

-     -     Thane:  Ugh.  He is too much, too controlling, childish, flip flops on everything, overbearing, he was just TOO much! He talks out both sides of his mouth, he doesn’t want/believe/need love, then all of a sudden he needs/wants/is in love with Levi.  He takes over Levi, pushes on what he wants and railroads Levi over and over and over.  He just itched under our skin.

-     -     Too Long: There was so much going on.  Strangers from the past, struggling with depression, family manipulations, weird family brunches, side business with friends, on and on and on.  It seemed every page we turned there was something else.  We honestly felt it could have been 50 pages shorter.

So, Reservations, phew.  Lots of good solid characters, hot-between-the-sheets and a fantastic start, but it fell apart for us.  We really wanted to love this book, but instead found ourselves rolling our eyes at Thane.