Review of Devour by Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott

by Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott

4 Stars

Ian Pierce is the chef and part owner of the hottest restaurant in Cincinnati, his chosen family is full of happy relationships, and the scruffy, snarky cop who has been haunting his dreams is one step closer to being in his bed. But everything comes crashing down when the past he narrowly escaped nine years ago comes to a deadly head.

Hollis Banner was enamored of Ian at first sight. He’s kept his distance, knowing the gorgeous, self-confident man is out of his league. Yet there’s no standing aside when Boris Jagger escapes a raid. Jagger's world has been nearly destroyed and this time, the crime boss is coming after Ian and his friends personally.

Hollis will do whatever it takes to keep Ian safe as they escape to a safe house with a couple of Ian's overprotective friends. And Ian finds himself in a race to unlock painful memories—memories containing information that could take down the very last of Jagger's illegal operations forever.

This is the book 4 in the Unbreakable Bonds series, and much anticipated!  The Unbreakable Bonds Series follow a group, a family of sorts, of 4 men through their journeys to love, all tied up in an action mystery. Being a series, you really do need to read the 3 previous books to actually understand what is happening.

This last installment is about Ian, a young chef, with a tragic past that has come back to hurt him.  Ian was sold by his parents at a young age into sex-slavery, and although years later, and a free man, Boris Jagger his captor still have an axe to grind him and his friends. Hollis Banner is a cop who is seriously attracted to Ian, and has put himself in an undercover position is Jaffer’s employment.  

This was a great read, and a great tie up for the series.  We loved re-visiting the other characters, wish there was more Snow-Jude loving, and seeing where they are after a year of relationships.  The bond between Lucas, Ian, Snow and Rowe really make this book special.  They are such individual characters that you feel like you know them all and their reactions. 

But Devour focuses around Ian and Hollis and man, it is sweet like you know it should be.  Hollis is a blue-collar cop, who likes casseroles and beer and Ian optimizes a pretty-boy.  And they work together.  Ian need that strong man, and Hollis finds himself playing nurturer and really needing that.  But the sweetness doesn’t overwhelm the steam.  Whoo boy, the steam is fantastic, and the building relationship, after a year of flirting, is just what we need as a reader.  We love Ian and really hoped he would get that happy ending and thank goodness Devour delivers.

Review of Misfits by Garrett Leigh

by Garrett Leigh

 4 stars

Sweet, sexy, ménage-a-trois love story that is more than just sex.

Jake Thompson is a down-on-his-luck waiter, self-imposed loner who finds himself in Tom Fearnes bed.  Tom is successful, gorgeous and the kind of man Jake wants.  But an explanation of Tom’s open relationship with his longtime lover and business partner, Cass Pearson, leave Jake feeling like he is the other man. 

Cass and Tom have been tighter for 10 years, and although full committed to each other, life has gotten in the way.  Tom wants to help Jake and Cass sees Jake a way to sooth Tom and his need to have him closer to home.  Simple on the outside, but once they are all falling in love, how does a threesome really work?

Let’s start by saying how much we didn’t except to love Misfits by Garrett Leigh, but fall in love we did.  Jake has Tourette’s, and honestly at the beginning we thought it was a little distracting to the story, but  his TS added so much to his character, and his strength.  Cass has led a hard knock life and struggles with the idea that he deserves everything good in his life.  And Tom tries to keep everything together, and everyone happy,   Each of the men are flawed but together they make a whole.   Misfits is a ménage-a-trois love-story, but it is SO much more than that, it is a story about connections, healing and learning to really depend on each other, through thick and thin.

And it is HOT.  From the first hook-up of Tom and Jake, Garrett Leigh creates some serious chemistry.  The sex story balance is good, and the sex isn’t there just to be sex between 2-men, rather adds another layer to the story, how physically they can be who each other need.  The angst level is thankfully low, and a bit of jealousy rears its head, but again makes this story so much more believable. 

So, although ménage-a-trois love-stories may not be your thing, this is one that will get you hooked from the first chapter!