On Davis Row by N.R. Walker

 by N.R. Walker

4.5 stars 

Nearing the end of a suspended jail sentence should unlock a brighter future for CJ Davis, only the chip on his shoulder is as hard to shift as his bad reputation. Born into a family of career criminals who live down Davis Road, an address the cops have dubbed Davis Row, his name alone is like a rap sheet that makes optimism impossible.

Brand-new parole officer Noah Huxley is determined to see the good in men like CJ. After all, he knows firsthand that bad things can happen to good people. His colleagues mock his doe-eyed optimism, but Noah soon sees CJ’s bad attitude and bravado are weapons he uses to keep people at a distance.

Both men know one simple mistake can change a life forever. At first glance, they might seem to be polar opposites. Yet underneath, they're not that different at all.

Another knock-it-out-of-the-park novel from N.R. Walker.  It is a different sort of book, slower-paced than N.R. Walker other books and deals with a heart-breaking story of trying find value in yourself when no-one else see it.  Yes, this is a love story, but it is heart-breaking, we laughed, we cried, we stopped reading because our heart was breaking. It is a story of love of second chances and so much more.

What did we love?

- Dual POV: So many dual POV stories struggle with the different voices, but On Davis row is a perfect example of never confused voices.  We loved Noah’s optimism, his belief that everyone sometimes just needs a hand up.  And even through his own personal tragedies he still has so much hope and drive.  CJ’s voice is broken; he doesn’t believe much in himself and thinks that everyone is there to take from him.  The balance between Noah’s bright eyed optimism and CJ’s negativity is brilliant.  Don’t know if we would be able to survive a whole book from either of their POV, but moving back and forth gives balance.

- Slow burn:  We love slow burn romance, and On Davis Row is wonderfully unhurried.  Not to be misconstrued with the chemistry between CJ and Noah, because that is palpable.  But, the story takes it’s time, there is no rush to get them into bed, there is no rush to the happy ending.  There is significant issues that need to be worked through to get to all those things, and they make Noah and CJ’s journey to love so much sweeter.

- The Characters:  We love these men.  We love that CJ as hard and tough as he wants to appear is taking care of an elderly sick relative.  We love the Noah is determined to help, to support and to be anything CJ needs, how he could see through all the walls and labels and see the real CJ. We loved falling in love with them through each other’s eyes. 

- Epilogue:  A beautiful beautiful epilogue – thank you.

N.R. Walker is one of our favourite authors and On Davis Row is a wonderfully book full of so many emotions.  On Davis Row is a character driven story that sucked us in and kept us hoping for that happy ending.  A great read!

Eight Nights in December by Keira Andrews

 

 by Keira Andrews

4.5 Stars

 

A geek. A virgin. One sexy holiday.

Orphaned Lucas figures spending the holidays with his obnoxious roommate’s family in New York City is better than staying alone on campus upstate. He ends up sharing a room again, this time with his roommate’s brother, Nate. Geeky photographer Nate isn’t at all what Lucas expects. In fact, he’s incredibly sexy—especially when he invites Lucas into his darkroom...

They hide their attraction during Hanukkah celebrations, but behind closed doors, Lucas and Nate can’t keep their hands (or mouths) off each other. Nate’s only looking for a bit of holiday fun, and amazing sex with a hot virgin definitely fits the bill. Yet as the candles burn, Nate and Lucas begin to realize eight nights will never be enough.

A really sweet holiday romance! This revised, expanded and rereleases Novella is everything a Christmas love story should be.  Keira Andrews writes engaging stories of people falling in love and Eight Days in December is a perfect example of her craft.

What did we love?

-  Hanukah:  We really enjoyed this story being set through Hanukah, instead of Christmas.  We don’t know much about the Jewish tradition so it was nice to read about a family that honored the holiday and learn a little more. So many stories are set against Christmas, so this was a nice twist on the traditional.

- The Love:  Normally we aren’t huge schmoopy love-story fans, but this time of year we want to feel the sweet and, Eight Nights in December delivers. The sweet, charming, enjoyable story brings home the holiday spirit.  The chemistry is hot between Nate and Lucas and we loved that the story and the love-story had equal value.

- The story:  This is an easy novella to read.  The story flows, the dialogue makes sense and we get just enough back stories to understand the main characters, and has very little angst. 

What we wanted more of?

- The boys:  We really enjoyed both Lucas and Nate, and LOVED the epilogue.  We would love to see a full length book of these boys awhile down the road.  They were engaging, fun and interesting characters (like we expect anything else from Keira Andrews) and really wanted to spend more time with them.

There are 1001 Christmas Love Story Novella’s out there but Keira Andrew’s Eight Days in December is a standout, it is a cute read, with delightful main characters falling in love.

Review of Vespertine by Leta Blake and Indra Vaughn

by Leta Blake and Indra Vaughn

4.5 Stars

Can a priest and a rock star obey love's call?

Seventeen years ago, Jasper Hendricks and Nicholas Blumfeld's childhood friendship turned into a secret, blissful love affair. They spent several idyllic months together until Jasper's calling to the Catholic priesthood became impossible to ignore. Left floundering, Nicky followed his own trajectory into rock stardom, but he never stopped looking back.

Today, Jasper pushes boundaries as an out, gay priest, working hard to help vulnerable LGBTQ youth. He's determined to bring change to the church and the world. Respected, admired, and settled in his skin, Jasper has long ignored his loneliness.

As Nico Blue, guitarist and songwriter for the band Vespertine, Nicky owns the hearts of millions. He and his bandmates have toured the world, lighting their fans on fire with their music. Numbed by drugs and fueled by simmering anger, Nicky feels completely alone. When Vespertine is forced to get sober, Nicky returns home to where it all started.

Jasper and Nicky's careers have ruled their lives since they parted as teens. When they come face to face again, they must choose between the past's lingering ghosts or the promise of a new future.

Vespertine was one of those books that kept slipping on our TBR list, something would always come up before we started reading it.  But, we persevered and we are so glad, this is a gem of a book and shining love story and we loved this fresh idea of a romance between a Catholic Priest and a fallen Rock Star.

What we loved?

- Well written:  Vespertine is beautifully written.  It is full of angst, it is emotional, gripping heartbreaking, sweet, schmoopy, redeeming, moving, gratifying, and so emotional. 

- Tropes:  There is a lot going on here; Childhood sweethearts, opposites attract, slow burn, addiction, coming-out, and a few more thrown in for good measure.  But they all work so well together without competing or falling apart.

- Characters: We loved Nicky and Jasper so much as men.  Nicky is struggling so much, pushing against the past, pushing against his talent and pushing against everyone interfering in his life. And Jasper is fine to put his head in the sand and live his life on the path that he believes God has chosen for him.  They are both such strong characters and amazing in their own ways.

What we wished was different?

- Slow Burn:  So love or hate this trope, Vespertine is a study in slow burn.  But, really with a Catholic Priest struggling with his feelings and his vows what do you expect.  But, sometimes we wished it would have moved a teeny tiny bit faster.  We were desperate for these men to acknowledge that they both aren’t as unaffected as they want to believe. 

Vespertine is one of those rare stories that we’ve come across; it is a gorgeous book full of longing and love.  It is hard to imagine a place for a happy-ever-after between a Rock Star and a Catholic Priest but Vespertine delivers that and SO much more.

Review of Shattered Pieces (Heathens Ink Novel #4) by K.M. Neuhold

by K.M. Neuhold

4.5 stars

“I was sure my heart had withered away years ago, but then you smiled at me, and I felt it beat again.” ~Gage
Years ago, I fell in love with my best friend’s little brother. Then, he took his own life, leaving me shattered and unable to piece my heart back together. I’ve been a zombie for nine long years. Until a crazy, gorgeous man walked into Heathens Ink and injected color back into my world of gray. No matter how hard I try to resist Beck, he just won’t give up on me. I would need steel willpower to withstand his gorgeous long legs in those high heels and his drawer full of lacy lingerie. But is this just a kinky hook up or does it have the possibility for more?

“We’re both broken, but our jagged edges fit together well” ~ Beck
When you’re half of a whole you never contemplate what life would be like without your matching piece. Since my twin sister, Brianna, died last year, nothing I do seems to quiet my soul. I know there has to be some way for me to feel happy and whole again. And, when I look into the pained eyes of the tattoo artist at Heathens Ink, I feel like I have a purpose. I can’t explain it, but I feel like I have to find a way to put him back together.

We have been anxious waiting for book #4 in the Heathens Ink Series, and Shattered Pieces does not rest of the fantastic-ness of the previous books.  It delivers another stunning story of mending broken souls.  Shattered Pieces is not a light fluffy story, if you know anything of Gage’s story he is a shattered shell of a man, grieving 10 years after the loss of a loved one, there are times that we grieved, raged and hurt with Gage.  It is not easy, but so rewarding.

What did we love? (so so so many things!)

-                      Dealing with Loss:  We really appreciate that K.M. Neuhold tacked Gage dealing with Jay, his first love.  Sometimes other books with this trope just rush over grief when a new love interest appears, but Shattered Pieces really deal with the grief, even years later of loving someone who is gone.  It is heartbreaking to see Gage struggle, but adds so much to his story.

-                      Dual POV:  We love a dual POV!  And this one is done so well, there wasn’t a time that we had to flip back to figure out who was speaking.  The character both have such unique voices, it was a please to be inside their heads.

-                      Beck:  Yes, we loved a character.  Beck is bright sunshine, full of life and was a ray of hope in this book.  And his mannies, so hot!

-                      Between the Sheets:  K.M. Neuhold can create some serious steam between the sheets, and Shattered Pieces is amazing.  There is a chemistry between Beck and Gage that started in the last book, and you feel the connection between these men. 

What didn’t we love?

-          Friends:  this didn’t take away from the book, but we needed more of the other Heathens Ink boys.  We love all the other characters and we miss them – give us more!

Shattered Pieces is a wonderful book, but not an easy read.  Being #4 in the series, you do need to read the whole series to get the most enjoyment form Beck and Gage.  Many books skirt with the true feelings of grief and loss, but Shattered Pieces is true to Gage and honors his feelings.  And like finishing the last book, we need more of the Heathens Ink boys!

Review of The Shipwreck (Lavender Shores #4) by Rosalind Abel

 by Rosalind Abel

4.5 stars

Lamont Price’s romance novels have been a hit for the past few years. With his gorgeous looks, kind heart, and tender disposition, Lamont is the darling of Lavender Shores. He’s the guy everyone wants to be their best friend, the guy everyone wants to protect. But even with his success and the love of his family, Lamont feels hidden from those around him. Maybe the first step is attending a writing conference and revealing the man behind his pen name....

Tyler Dixon survives off his beauty and charm. From cover model to runway fashion to weekend arm candy, Tyler’s prices aren’t cheap. While his appearance is taking him places, his life as an artist has little more than flatlined. When an author hires him to appear as the face of her brand, Tyler thinks it’s just one more job. Little does he know another writer is going to steal all of his attention.

Escaping the conference to find some breathing room, Lamont runs into Tyler at a bar. Casual conversation leads to Lamont revealing his family’s obsession with helping him find love. It’s not a big deal to Tyler, who has played the role of boyfriend for other people in the past. Before either of them can rethink the situation, Tyler is in Lavender Shores meeting Lamont’s family. Though they’re only pretending to be in a relationship, the chemistry that ignites between them is anything but imaginary…

This is book 4 of the Lavender Shores series by Rosalind Abel, and again it is a complete success – we love these men and are so happy to finally see Lamont’s story come to life! This is your typical boyfriend-for-hire book, but this whimsical read goes so much further than that.

What did we love?

-          Boyfriend-for-hire: Seriously we think this might be one of our favorite tropes.  Yes, it is cliché, but somehow Rosalind Abel makes it seem new to us.  Maybe because it isn’t Lamont that actually proposes the idea to Tyler – rather the would-be-boyfriend convinces Lamont to hire him, a nice little spin on the traditional story.

-          Chemistry, chemistry, chemistry:  The shipwreck is sssoooooo sweet, so sexy, gawd, our teeth ache!  It is one of those feel-good, lovely-dovey , schmoopy love, we couldn’t  get enough.  The attraction between Tyler and Lamont sizzles from the start and only builds from there.

-          Angst: We hate the angst, but let us clarify – yes there is angst and there is a big ‘secret’ (isn’t there always) but what there is doesn’t define the book, and adds to the believability of the relationship.

-          Secondary Charaters: WE love when we get to visit with characters from other books.  And Lamont’s father is a total hoot!

The meh?

-          Secondary Characters: This isn’t really a negative, but thought we should mention. The Shipwreck is book #4, and yes, you can read it as a stand-alone, but there is quite a few secondary characters that might get you a bit confused.  Add in the family and town dynamic and there might be a bit of head scratching.

-          The ‘Secret:  Every book has this idea, the wrench, the misunderstanding, the miscommunication.  Now we aren’t going to spoil, but felt that if Tyler had shared his secret earlier in the book, it might have gone a different way.  Yes, totally vague-booking!  Let us just leave it at we didn’t think it was that big and might have changes the story if it was dealt with at the beginning.

The Shipwreck by Rosalind Abel is a great little story, and doesn’t rest on the success of the previous books in the series.  It is playful, quaint, and a truly enjoyable, read!