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 Reservation by Kindle Alexander

by Kindle Alexander 

3.5 stars

Wildly successful entrepreneur, Thane Walker is stubbornly set in his ways and adamantly resists the shackles of commitment. He’s seen enough unhappy endings to learn the best way to play is by keeping his men on the payroll.

Levi Silva’s dream of graduating from one of the country’s top medical schools is in his grasp, until news from home changes everything. Now, he’s raising his two teenage brothers and trying to keep everyone’s head above water, emotionally and financially.

When Levi’s new job puts him in Thane’s path, their chemistry explodes, but their fear of being involved in relationships keeps them apart. Unfortunately, despite the intense desire drawing them together, neither man can move forward until they get past their own…Reservations.

Kindle Alexandre books are always a special treat for us, and are truly some of our feel-good g-to reads.  And we were so excited about the release of Reservations that we dug right in.  We did *like* it, but struggled hard with one of the main characters.  How do you love a book when you can’t stand half the point of view?

The good?

-       -   Build-up:  We loved the first 40% of Reservations, the build-up in sexual tension between Levi and Thane was off the charts hot.  We were so excited by the momentum of the first few chapters; it was exciting and so hot!

-     -     Levi:  Levi is a fantastic character and truly saved this book for us.  We felt for him, Kindle Alexander created this huge empathy for Levi, leaving medical school to look after his brothers.  He is caring, solid, respectable, stands up for his beliefs and fights for what he wants. 

-    -      Secondary characters: Levi’s brother was fantastic.  We aren’t really fans of books with kids, but these 2 boys being a little older added a fun dynamic to Reservations.  Julian was snarky and lovely and a hoot – we can’t wait for his book!

-     -     Sexy Times: So good, there is some serious sexual tension between Levi and Thane that means all good things for us the reader.  However we never did think the bossy over bearing Thane could be so submissive in the bedroom.

The head scratching?

-     -     Thane:  Ugh.  He is too much, too controlling, childish, flip flops on everything, overbearing, he was just TOO much! He talks out both sides of his mouth, he doesn’t want/believe/need love, then all of a sudden he needs/wants/is in love with Levi.  He takes over Levi, pushes on what he wants and railroads Levi over and over and over.  He just itched under our skin.

-     -     Too Long: There was so much going on.  Strangers from the past, struggling with depression, family manipulations, weird family brunches, side business with friends, on and on and on.  It seemed every page we turned there was something else.  We honestly felt it could have been 50 pages shorter.

So, Reservations, phew.  Lots of good solid characters, hot-between-the-sheets and a fantastic start, but it fell apart for us.  We really wanted to love this book, but instead found ourselves rolling our eyes at Thane. 

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!

Kidnapped by Pirates by Keira Andrews

by Keira Andrews

5 stars

Will a virgin captive surrender to this pirate’s sinful touch?

Nathaniel Bainbridge is used to hiding, whether it’s concealing his struggles with reading or his forbidden desire for men. Under the thumb of his controlling father, the governor of Primrose Isle, he’s sailing to the fledging colony, where he’ll surrender to a respectable marriage for his family’s financial gain. Then pirates strike and he’s kidnapped for ransom by the Sea Hawk, a legendary villain of the New World.

Bitter and jaded, Hawk harbors futile dreams of leaving the sea for a quiet life, but men like him don’t deserve peace. He has a score to settle with Nathaniel’s father—the very man whose treachery forced him into piracy—and he’s sure Nathaniel is just as contemptible.

Yet as days pass in close quarters, Nathaniel’s feisty spirit and alluring innocence beguile and bewitch. Although Hawk knows he must keep his distance, the desire to teach Nathaniel the pleasure men can share grows uncontrollable. It’s not as though Hawk would ever feel anything for him besides lust…

Nathaniel realizes the fearsome Sea Hawk’s reputation is largely invented, and he sees the lonely man beneath the myth, willingly surrendering to his captor body and soul. As a pirate’s prisoner, he is finally free to be his true self. The crew has been promised the ransom Nathaniel will bring, yet as danger mounts and the time nears to give him up, Hawk’s biggest battle could be with his own heart.

If you have read anything we have reviewed you know out fan-girl love of Keira Andrews – in our eyes she writes complete gems.   And we thought Kidnapped by the Pirate, a bodice ripping, harlequin style romance?  We weren’t sure, but really, sexy swashbuckling men, we might have a new favourite Keira Andrews book!

Loved?

-          Tropes:  So many to choose from; virgin, May-December, captives, sexy-pirates, enemies to lovers – take your pick.  So good! Now reading the list, there is a lot going on, but it all works together.  The virgin trope usually annoys us, but being set in 1710 added to the truthfulness, times were different and people were betrothed instead of jumping from bed partner to bed partner.

-          Piracy:  We found the subject of Kidnapped by the Pirate fascinating.  We haven’t read many pirate romances, and this one had so many details of the period of time, the piracy vs. privateering, we felt pulled into 1710 and life aboard a ship.

-          Fun:  This is a fun read.  Swashbuckling, kidnapping, battle on the high seas. There wasn’t’ a point we skimmed or fast-forwarded, or rolled our eyes ant the ridiculous of the situation, because it is so enjoyable.

-          Sexy times:  Wooohooo Keira Andrews can write a sheet-burner, and Kidnapped by the Pirate is smoking hot.  When Hawk and Nathaniel finally give up to their bodice-ripping desires, there is no stopping these very dirty men, it is scorching. 

-          Epilogue:  No spoilers, but man, we love a good epilogue!

Meh?

-          Hmmmmm.  We can’t think of anything – you?

Kidnapped by the Pirate promises a fast-paced, adventurous love story, and it delivers whole heartedly.  If you enjoy adventure on the high seas, sizzling sex and a sweet romance than Kidnapped by the Pirate should be your next read!