Review of Rock my Heart by Garett Groves

by Garett Groves

2.5 stars

A jaded singer. A guitar prodigy. A rock 'n' roll romance.

Jamie “Blaze” Cameron has seen and done it all. As the frontman for the hard rock band HEX, he’s toured the world for the last 20 years — and as a result has managed to avoid coming to terms with his troubled past and the one thing he’s spent his career singing about: love.

At 25, Darren Greene’s ambition and skills at guitar playing have led him to do more in the world of music than many musicians twice his age, but it hasn’t been enough to put his name in bright lights. Without a big break, he’s terrified he’ll wind up stuck in his hometown with nothing but his broken dreams.

When HEX’s guitarist is removed from the band unexpectedly right before the first leg of their 20-year anniversary tour for their first record, Blaze and his bandmates find themselves in dire need of a replacement. The band holds open auditions and Darren rocks their socks off — and his life hits a high note when HEX hires him.

As the group adjusts to performing with their newest addition, Blaze and Darren realize it’s not just their chemistry on stage that’s making their hearts sing. Can the two navigate fame, unresolved grief, and their growing feelings for each other to bring the band into a new, golden era? Or will their budding romance and the controversy it stirs up in the media push them off the charts?

Hmmm, we actually don’t know where to start with the one.  We love Garett Groves, and Rockstars, so think this should have been a big win for us, but it really left us scratching our head.  They were together, they were apart, and so much angst…….

What did we enjoy?

- The Band:  We liked how the book shied away from the crazy rock star lifestyle and instead focused on the band.

- May/December Romance:  This is a great example of a May-December romance that works.

- The beginning:  The beginning of this book was so good.  It is fast-paced and engaging.  But somehow it just looses it’s magic.  The second half drags and we lose the momentum of the first half.  And although it is only 285 pages long it feels so much longer.  

What was the not-so-good?

- Blaze: We are not Blaze fans.  He runs hot and cold.  He worries and internalizes so much, that we actually started skipping his internal monologues.  He loves Darren, hold on, does he just love the idea of Darren and loves love? Ugh.  So much back and forth, round and round.  We were no fans.

- Angst:  Kind of mentioned in the above, but the angst.  OMG so so so so SO much angst.

- The sub-plot:  So there is a serious subplot of Blazes sexuality and a magazine article that’ll be released outing him, but with all the build-up in the end it is anti-climactic.  And don’t get me started on the sub-plot of Darren and his dad?

- Falling in Love:  I get insta-love, and I guess that is what this was, but we missed the journey into love.  All of a sudden Darren and Blaze were life partners in love.  Maybe we missed the chemistry between them?

We so wanted to love this book, but Blaze was a major problem for us, his attitude, his internalizing and really just him.  There were lots of ideas that started but never really came to a conclusion, and it really left us scratching our head.  Sorry to say this but all in all, we felt that Rock my Heart was a big miss.

Review of The Half of Us (Family #4) by Cardeno C.

by Cardeno C. 

4 Stars

If short-tempered Jason can open his heart and life to optimistic Abe, he might finally find the family he craves.

Short-tempered, arrogant heart surgeon Jason Garcia grew up wanting a close-knit family, but believes he ruined those dreams when he broke up his marriage. The benefit of divorce is having as much random sex as he wants, and it's a benefit Jason is exploiting when he meets a sweet, shy man at a bar and convinces him to go home for a no-strings-attached night of fun.

Eight years living in Las Vegas hasn't dimmed Abe Green's optimism, earnestness, or desire to find the one. When a sexy man with lonely eyes propositions him, Abe decides to give himself a birthday present—one night of spontaneous fun with no thoughts of the future. But one night turns into two and then three, and Abe realizes his heart is involved.

For the first time, Abe feels safe enough with someone he respects and adores to let go of his inhibitions in the bedroom. If Jason can get past his own inhibitions and open his heart and his life to Abe, he might finally find the family he craves.

This is classic Cardeno C.  love, sweetness and a scorching read.  Seriously scorching.  Cardeno C. seems to have a formula to create memorable characters, sexy times and a romance that draws’ us in as readers.

What did we enjoy?

- The dirty talk:  Melt our brain, dirty talk.  So good.  These men are professional, they are loving, but in the bedroom, the dirty talk is out of this world great.  The difference between Abe in public, stuffy math teacher and Abe in the bedroom is addicting. 

- The family:  Jason has a family, and it is really a great twist how they all actually know each other.  And Abe just fits in.  Sometimes when one the men has kids it is this weird arm’s length thing, but Cardeno C. somehow finds a way for them all to fill into each other’s lives seamlessly.

What was the not-so-good?

- Declarations of Love:  So many times they were so close to saying it, and we missed that there wasn’t a verbal “I love you” to be found.  And we missed it.

- The kids subplot:  Loved the family angle, but it went a little too much incident involved with the kids.  Sorry to be vague, but it is a bit of a spoiler s don’t want to give too much away.

The Half of Us is classic Cardeno C., love, sex and fluff.  But adding the family angle into the story adds a complete next level to the story that we really really enjoyed!

Review of These Violent Delights by Jess Whitcroft

 by Jess Whitecroft

5 Stars

Flunking English, short on cash and trying to keep up with the demands of dancing a principal role in Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet; Milos has a lot going on right now. The last thing he needs is his English teacher riding him about his poor class performance. 

For teacher Tom, still raw from an ugly breakup, the last thing he needs is a new romance, especially one that drags him into the thorny ethical issues of dating a student. 

When a chance encounter opens the door on unexpected lust, Tom and Milos plunge headlong into an erotic, all-consuming affair, but can the violent delights of new love survive secrets?

This is only our second book by Jess Whitcoft, but WOW…. that’s all we can say.  We are bowled over by These Violent Delights and are eager to snatch up everything Jess Whitcroft has written.

The love?

- Writing Style:  There is something about the writing style, it is short to the point, like every word Jess Whitcroft uses fit perfectly there and need to be there.  The voice of the characters is strong and concise and easy to follow.  We loved the voice of this book.

- The relationship: We loved the relationship between Milos and Tom, they are funny, have fantastic banter and really seem to connect.  And we liked that even thought they are both a bit flawed they fit with each other.

- The Chemistry: WOWOWOWOWOW.  This book is hot.  The chemistry between Tom and Milos is palpable, it jumps off the page.  There is this magnetic pull between them, that you can’t help feeling the sexual tension, and it is so realistic, so authentic.

- Ballet:  We loved the references to Ballet, and Milos’s profession.  There aren’t a lot of MM books with ballet and this one was so interesting.  We also really loved how Jess Whitecroft put Milos’s feelings into his performance, and how that made him a better dancer.

The meh?

- GFY plot:  I have no issues about a GFY plot, and this one is easy to accept, as it is Milos discovering he is sexually fluid.  But, yes, there is a but, I wish there had been some thoughts from Milos about being actually Bi. 

- The editing:  There are a few little issues of editing and consistency in the 2^nd half of the book.  Nothing to really distract us, but they were there. 

- The Simon plot:  Hmmm, would have like to have that wrapped up a bit, it just kinda ended and wished there was some closure.

These Violent Delights is a fantastic read.  It is an engaging read, we were totally engrossed in Milos and Tom, we laughed with them, cried with them and fell in love with them.  Jess Whitecroft is a magical storyteller and we can’t wait to read all her other books. 

Review of Off the Ice (Hat Trick #1) by Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn

by Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn 

3 stars

Tristan Holt is nothing if not pragmatic. Despite a flourishing career as a defenseman for the Atlanta Venom, Tristan knows he can’t play hockey forever. One day he’ll retire—if an injury doesn’t force him to hang up his skates first. His backup plan? Finishing his business degree. But he doesn’t count on a very inappropriate attraction to his standoffish sociology professor, Sebastian Cruz.

Sebastian is on the bottom rung of the Sociology Department at Georgia State. He has his sights set on tenure, and he can’t afford to be distracted, especially not by a sexy student with a body straight out of Sebastian’s dreams. No matter how much Tristan tempts him, that’s one line Sebastian won’t cross. At least not until summer classes end. After that, everything is fair game.

But Sebastian lives loud and proud, and Tristan is terrified of being the first out player in the NHL. Neither of them can afford to risk their hearts when they can’t imagine a happily ever after. The problem is, unlike hockey, when it comes to love, there are no rules.

We don’t know where to start with this one.  Avon Gale and Piper Vaugh, match made in heaven, and add a hockey romance, a sure fire winner.  But, we HATE to say this but it didn’t work for us, there was so much going on, but never really felt that nothing really worked for us

The good:

-           - Teacher/Student:  We really liked how Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn dealt with the teacher/student relationship.  We appreciated how Tristan waited until he was no longer Sebastian’s student before jumping into bed.

-           Tristan:  We loved Tristan.  We felt connected to him, a super-star hockey player struggling with his sexuality, struggling with coming out, and wondering how to be his authentic self.  Sebastian would not be who we choose for him, but alas it is who we got.

-         -  The kink:  This is a good and bad.  We liked the hot-between-the –sheets, hot, sexy, and plentiful, how we like our sex!

The bad:

-          -So much going on:  There is so much going on.  Teacher-student, sports romance, coming-out, age difference and on and on and on.  It was a little much and we didn’t really feel that they all worked.  Example – the age difference, other than a mention we didn’t really feel that Sebastian was significantly older; it just didn’t work for us. 

-          -The jock coming out: Off the Ice is actually like may sport romances.  Does the jock come out?  Sebastian acts like a petulant child and essentially gives Tristan an ultimatum, come out or we are done.  Yeah, we really didn’t like where that went.

-          -The kink:  We love kink. But this kink didn’t really fit.  There was a spanking scene that came out of left field, and about halfway through Tristan turns submissive to Sebastian’s dominant cranky personality.  As we said we love kink, however humiliation play isn’t one we are particularly fond of ,but there was no build towards the change in their relationship and we felt it just didn’t fit.

We don’t know why but Off the Ice fell flat for us.  We didn’t particularly like Sebastian and the humiliation play was unexpected, but it was a combination of so many things that just didn’t help Off the Ice come together for us. Off the ice is the first in a series so fingers crossed for a winner in the next book!

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.