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!

Review of Depth of Field (Last chance #1) by Riley Hart

by Riley Hart

4 stars

Shane Wallace has made a decent life for himself in Last Chance. He built his own home on his mom’s property to take care of her, owns an automotive repair shop, and when he wants to get laid, Portland isn’t too far away. Not too shabby for the boy who spent his childhood getting bullied and feeling alone. Shane’s content to leave his past behind him...until one of his childhood tormentors comes back to town.

Maxwell Sullivan never planned to step foot in Last Chance again. Here, he was Maxwell, a teen who suffered in silence while everyone thought he had the perfect life. Now, he’s “Van,” the erotic artist and photographer. He’s only here to help his mom tie up some loose ends after his father’s death and to apologize to Shane. After that, he’s heading back to LA for good.

Shane never thought he’d have anything in common with Maxwell, but there’s a depth to Van that surprises him. Van knows what it feels like to be alone. He sees Shane in ways no one else does. There’s a shared connection neither can deny. Somehow, despite their rocky history, they get each other.

It’s not long before the two are so drawn to each other that they tumble into bed—sometimes with Van’s camera involved. Their chemistry in and out of the bedroom is undeniable. Except nothing is ever black and white. Shane can’t leave his mom and Van’s life is in LA. With two different lives pulling them in opposite directions, their picture-perfect ending might not be in the cards.

Riley Hart again nails a sexy enemies-to-lover romance in Depth of Field. She creates to main characters both hiding in their own ways who find that they fit so good together.

Maxwell Sullivan was the typical jock growing up, living what everyone assumed was the perfect life, but outside appearances can be deceiving.  Leaving his childhood town at 18 he shed that person and became Van, true to what he wants and who is really is.  Now 10 years later he is making his first trip home to support his mother in the wake of his father’s death, but he knows that he has so many amends to make – especially to Shane who he bullied most of his life.  Shane Wallace had always done the right this, instead of pursuing his dreams he has stayed in his small childhood home caring for his sick mother.  Shane is content in his life, he wants more, but as he thinks who doesn’t.  But when Van shows back up in his life trying to apologize, Shane thinks that he wants more than to just be content.

We really liked Depth o Field, it is an easy read, and although there is angst – cause really the bully coming back to apologize years later – it isn’t overwhelming, and adds to the push pull, enemies-to-lovers theme that Riley Hart masters so well. Shane and Van have this really amazing emotional connection, the history they share from grouping up in the same small town, that jumps off the page and won’t be denied.  There is like this string between the men that even if they try to fight it, it keeps pulling them together. Shane is a generous person, we don’t know if we would have been as forgiving as he was, and we wished that he’d have made Van work a little harder for forgiveness.

So can we say this book is smoking!!!  Burning, smoldering, scorching, intense, passionate we could go on and on.  Van is an artist and takes erotic photos – this ends up in the bedroom and adds this level of voyeurism to the sex between these men.  It is distractingly hot.

Depth of Field is a great read, exciting and moving and SO realistic! We really enjoy Riley Hart’s writing, and the way she creates her characters. She has an authenticity to her writing, these feel like real people in real life, just finding someone to love.  

Review of A Forbidden Rumspringa by Keira Andrews

 by Keira Andrews

4.5 Stars

When two young Amish men find love, will they risk losing everything?

In a world where every detail of life—down to the width of a hat brim—is dictated by God and the all-powerful rules of the community, two men dare to imagine a different way. At 18, Isaac Byler knows little outside the strict Amish settlement of Zebulon, Minnesota, where there is no rumspringa for exploration beyond the boundaries of their insular world. Isaac knows he’ll have to officially join the church and find a wife before too long, but he yearns for something else—something he can’t name.

Dark tragedy has left carpenter David Lantz alone to support his mother and sisters, and he can’t put off joining the church any longer. But when he takes on Isaac as an apprentice, their attraction grows amid the sweat and sawdust. David shares his sinful secrets, and he and Isaac struggle to reconcile their shocking desires with their commitment to faith, family and community.

Now that they’ve found each other, are they willing to lose it all?

We are completely fascinated by this interesting forbidden love-story and couldn’t get enough!   Keira Andrews has a remarkable way of creating a story that grabs us, captivates us and keeps us wanting more, and A Forbidden Rumspringa is a heart achingly lovely story that enchanted us form the first words.  But forbidden love is always so steamy….

We start by being introduced to a closed Amish settlement in Zebulon, introducing us to this secret group of people who shun almost everything for the outside world.  Isaac Byler has know he is different and struggles that he will soon have to join the church and get married, but he knows that his feelings for other men keep him from making the leap.  He finds himself drawn to David Lantz, but through the church’s teachings knows that that kind of love is forbidden.  Through tragedy David has been left for support his mother and sisters, and now is resigned to accept the life that he doesn’t want.  But when Isaac starts as David’s apprentice, they find that their connection is mutual and sparks fly.

Keira Andrews brings us into this secret Amish world, where the leaders make the rules and people just follow because that is the way.  It is completely fascinating.  Although this is a love story it is set in this closed-off settlement and religion plays a big part in this story.  The story isn’t preachy, instead it is just a layer to add to the forbidden love between Isaac and David. 

Sign, Isaac and David are swoon worthy.  They are sweet, sexy and oh so lovely together.  And hot, hot hot - the chemistry between the 2 is off the charts sizzling.  But there is so much more than just their physical reaction to each other.  They have both been raised to find a wife as a helpmate, and they are desperate to create that life together for themselves.   There is some serious angst in this story, but really essentially a forbidden love, how could there not be?  They so want to be together but the rules they are taught to follow tell them it is wrong.  And if they do choose to leave the settlement to the ‘english’ world and be together they are essentially cut off from their families.  What a choice to make.

We so enjoyed A Forbidden Rumspringa, but shouldn’t be surprised as we adore everything by Keira Andrews, there are 2 other books in the series and SPOILER – we gobbled them up already!  So So SO SO Good!

Review of The Necromancer's Dance by SJ Himes

by S.J. Himes

4.5 Stars

In a world where magic is real and evil walks amongst humanity, a young sorcerer is beset upon by enemies, both old and new. Angelus Salvatore is the only necromancer in all of Boston, and his name is whispered warily by the undead and fellow sorcerers alike. He and his brother Isaac are the lone survivors of an attack by an army of the undead, in which Angel used a spell so powerful it forever marked his place in history. Now, years later, Angel struggles to balance his career as a teacher of the higher magical arts, his role as big brother, and a tenuous relationship with an Elder vampire from the local clan. When his brother’s boyfriend is used as a pawn in a mysterious plot to draw Angel out, Angel is once again pulled back into the old hostilities that fueled the Blood Wars and led to his family’s death.

Leaning on others for help is something Angel cannot do, and while he searches for clues into who may be targeting him and his brother, Angel finds his heart steadily growing occupied with Simeon, Elder and vampire. Dealing with death magic and vampires on a daily basis may leave Angel jaded when it comes to life and staying that way, but the more time he spends fending off the ancient vampire’s attention and affections, the more he realizes he wants to give in.

Can Angel find out who wants him dead, and keep his heart safe in the process? How can he fall for a vampire, when his whole family was torn apart by an army of the undead? Death stalks the streets of Boston’s historic Beacon Hill….and there is no one more suited to battle against death than a necromancer.

We couldn’t put this down, such and interesting story and a great read!  S.J. Himes creates this fantastic, paranormal romance between a Sorcerer and a Vampire that is riveting. 

Angel Salvatore is a bit of a reclusive celebrity in the Sorcerer world, he managed to defeat 100 vampires during the blood wars with 1 spell, but it is not how he wasn’t to be remembered.  A number of years later he starts a wary friendship with Simeon, an Elder in the Boston Vampire clan.  But what he doesn’t know is that Simeon is actually falling in love with him, and Angel is used to being on his own.  As these 2 try to find their connection, Angels past comes back, to haunt him.

There is so much in The Necromancer’s Dance, we don’t know where to start.  We aren’t really a fantasy, paranormal fans, but this world is so fascinating.  How Vampires, Sorcerers and other fantastical creatures live out in the real world, under their own laws and governing.  It kept us really interested in the story itself, kept us reading, and really enjoyed meeting new characters.

Angel and Simeon are both strong independent men, but together they work so well.  Angel has had to be strong, but realizes that he has been craving the intimacy he has been pushing away since his family died.  Simeon is fascinated by Angel, he loves his strength, his mind, his magically gift, and he wants to treasure him.  And, sigh, it works so so so so well.  As the relationship grows between Angel and Simeon, The Necromancer’s Dance gets seriously hot; there are some serious sparks between the two men.  There is a lot of between the sheets action, but we felt that it added to the story, make you really feel that these men are falling in love and not just lust. 

S.J. Himes has created a magical story here.  Fast-paces, action-filled, sheets-burning enjoyment form start to finish.  It is the first in the Beacon Hill Sorcerers series, and we can’t wait to dive into the rest of this fantastic world!