Review of St. Nacho's by Z.A. Maxfield

by Z.A. Maxfield

 3.5 Stars   

Cooper has spent the last three years running from a painful past. He's currently moving from town to town, working in restaurant kitchens, and playing his violin for tips. As soon as he starts to feel comfortable anywhere—with anyone—he moves on. He's aware that music may be the only human language he still knows. Ironically, the one man he's wanted to communicate with in all that time is deaf.

Shawn is part of a deaf theater group at the nearby college. Shawn wants Cooper as soon as they meet and he begins a determined flirtation. Cooper is comfortable with down and dirty sex, just not people. As far as Shawn is concerned, dirty sex is win-win, but he wants Cooper to let him into the rest of his life as well.

Cooper needs time to heal and put his past away for good. Shawn needs to help Cooper forgive himself and accept that he can be loved. Both men find out that when it comes to the kind of healing love can bring, the sleepy beachside town of Santo Ignacio, “St. Nacho's” as the locals call it, may just be the very best place to start.

Z.A. Maxfield has woven a heart-sweet love story between 2 unlikely men.  Cooper is a man on the run from his life, content to drift through town after town just existing, but finds a home-away-from home at St. Nacho’s.  Shawn is a deaf college student that sees the true beauty of Cooper and although they are from two completely different worlds they fit together.

We really liked this booked to about 50%.  The first half was a building romance of 2 people finding each other and some sweet heat between the sheets, and then, bam, Cooper’s past comes back to claim him.  Jordan, Cooper’s ex, has some unresolved business and Cooper is drawn back to his hometown to help him find his way. 

We understand the 2^nd book of the series focuses on Jordan, but his story in St. Nacho’s didn’t endear him to us.  Jordan’s story takes up too much time from Cooper and Shawn.  It felt like Z.A. Maxfield forgot about the love-story of Cooper and Shawn and started on the sequel in the middle of the first book.  We wished we could have has more of Shawn’s backstory and understand where he is coming from. 

What did we love about St. Nacho’s.  We loved Cooper, he is a fantastic character with a sad story that he is trying to outrun.  He is loving, loyal and does not seem his own value.  But Shawn does and we adored the love between the 2 of these men. 

St. Nacho’s is a fantastic love story not to be missed, and even though Jordan ate up a lot of time we will totally be picking up the next story!

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!