Tag Archives: Rating: 3

Daddy's Boy by Romeo Preminger (Arizona Series Book #2)

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Title: ⟫ Daddy’s Boy: Book Two in the Arizona Series

Author: ⟫ Romeo Preminger

Blurb: ⟫ Arizona started a new life when his birth daddy, Gaston Bondurant, found him living with a foster family and facing criminal charges for assaulting his abusive stepfather. Plucked from the squalor of rural Acadiana, Arizona was thrust into New Orleans high society and an elite New England boarding school.

Home for the summer, Arizona sets out to find his younger brothers and sister, who were scattered to different places when their family was torn apart. Along the way, he reunites with his tenth grade sweetheart, Preston Montclair, who still holds a torch for him.

But Arizona is struggling to figure out the man he’s supposed to be. He’s got an obligation to his daddy, who wants to mold him as his heir, but he’s also got a responsibility to his wayward siblings. It feels like he’s swimming against the rapids, trying to do both while figuring out if he belongs with his boyhood love or an educated man who can help him with his dream of being a famous writer.

Review: ⟫ After reading the first book, I was quite eager to get to the second so I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t get into it. We start from where the first book ended and follow Arizona to college, where he struggles to fit in with boys who have lived a privileged existence from the time of their birth – nothing at all like him.

I picked this up and put it down numerous times, before finally determining that I was going to bull through. And I finally realised why I couldn’t get into the book. I don’t like Arizona – like, at all. In the first book, I sympathised with his plight and supported many of his decisions – or at least, understood them. In this book, I found Arizona to be reckless, uncaring and selfish. Even the things that were happening to his ‘siblings’ all seemed to be based on how it made him feel – little about what they were suffering through.

His behaviour at school – the lack of empathy for what his actions could cause – really annoyed me. Admittedly, he’s a young man and there were times when he tried to show maturity and responsibility like when he and his friends went out to clubs, etc, but I just couldn’t find anything about him to like. And that meant that my investment in the story dwindled until I finished it because I felt like I should rather than because I wanted to.

It is a very well written story, evokes the era extremely well, and the writing style is engaging, but my feelings towards the MC, how he treated Preston, some of how he behaved at school meant that I lost any inclination to read further. I completely understand that this is a ‘me’ problem rather than anything to do with the book, and perhaps it was written intentionally to create this feeling. Either way, for me this book was a 3/5 and I’m not sure if I care enough to read the third and final book.

I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews.

Double Play by E.M. Lindsey (Hit and Run Book #3)

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Title:
⟫ Double Play (Hit and Run Book #3)

Author:
⟫ E.M. Lindsey

Rating:
⟫ 3.5/5

Blurb:
⟫ If self-destruction is an art-form, then Hervé is a master artist.


After all, he’s perfected self-sabotage since he was young and full of promise.

He’s spent his life
running from his past and pushing away anyone who might break down
his walls, but it wasn’t until his body betrayed him that he
realized just how lonely his present had become. Now he’s in the
countryside, trying to figure out if anything is worth salvaging, and
wondering if he’s the sort of man who will ever be worth a second
chance.

Even when Orion Coulter—one of the star pitchers
on the Denver Vikings—shows up in his little village like some sort
of predestined knight on a white horse, Hervé doesn’t trust him.
How can he when Orion is close to all the men Hervé hurt?

But
Orion’s situation is more complicated than Hervé realized, full of
pain and grief, looking for some kind of escape. And while Hervé
knows that he hasn’t quite earned meeting the man of his dreams,
Orion’s quiet voice, tender hands, and impossible promises has him
wondering if maybe—just maybe—the universe is willing to give him
the chance he doesn’t deserve.

Double Play is the final book of the Hit and Run MM baseball romance series. It features countryside kisses, grief, redemption, long walks, careful handling, and a painfully tender happily ever after. 

Review:
⟫ I
haven’t read any of the previous Hit and Run series and that may
have influenced my experience with this book.

Well
written, and extremely well researched, this book was an interesting
read. I didn’t know about cataplexy although I knew a little about
narcolepsy, and I found it quite educational. It features characters
from the previous Hit and Run books (I assume so anyway), and there
is obviously a lot of history playing a role in things. 

 Unfortunately,I think that may be what I struggled with. I haven’t read the
previous books, knew none of the characters and therefore had no
frame of reference and no ‘side’ in things. There were a lot of
references to something Hervé did in previous books (and I know some
people figured it out just from this book) but I couldn’t quite
grasp what he had done that was so wrong, and I wasn’t sure I
really cared.

That
sounds really callous, but neither Hervé or Orion appealed to me at
all – I felt their relationship moved at light speed when both of
them were going through something completely life-changing and
perhaps should have been more cautious. The struggles Hervé had with
his health were handled sensitively and incorporated into the story –
this wasn’t a case of saying a character is suffering from
something and then never mentioning it again. But, again, I felt like
he should be concentrating on stabilising his life and not on falling
in love with someone based in a completely different country. I also
thought recovering addicts were advised not to get into a
relationship in the first year?

Basically,
for me, this story didn’t connect and I think that is in large part
because I didn’t have the history with the characters. As such, I
personally don’t think that it can be read as a stand-alone novel.
The sports was minimal, so I probably wouldn’t class it as a sports
romance either.

The
last two chapters were absolutely romantic, blistering and everything
I could have hoped for. I just didn’t gel with the rest of the
book. I received an ARC from GRR.

Break Me Daddy by Skyler Snow

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Title: ⟫ Break Me Daddy 

Author: ⟫ Skyler Snow 
Blurb: ⟫ I did something stupid. 

Something needlessly, hopelessly, stupid and now my past is catching up with me. 

I knew when I saw that cash I should have left it alone, but I needed it. And doesn’t the world owe me a little bit of luck? A little reprieve from the constant BS? 
 
Sorry. I can’t help but to rant about my situation because the truth is that I am royally screwed. You see, I stole money from the mob. 
One stupid decision made in the heat of the moment and now I’m running for my life. A friend gave me enough money to hide… 
But he’s coming for me. 

Amadeo wants to possess everything that I am and punish me for what I’ve done. Maybe I could take that if he wasn’t so intent on making me call him ‘Daddy’. 

And maybe I wouldn’t care about that title, if it didn’t make me tingly all over. But I despise him and I always will. No matter what my stupid body…and heart…has to say. 
Break me Daddy is a full-length MM Daddy romance with morally gray characters, a possessive and demanding Daddy, a willful and bratty boy, a load of bloody violence and a well deserved HEA. 

Review: ⟫ I seem to have come across a lot of stories lately that are Mafia based, but I was very interested in the whole Mafia Daddy thing so I went with it. 

For a start, this story does include some bloody violence, unlike other ‘dark’ books that I’ve read recently. And it was interesting how Six reacted to the violence – he didn’t look at Amadeo through rose-tinted glasses, he knew that he was a gangster. 
And Amadeo did a few things throughout the book that made me wince more than once – I mean, his reaction to Angelo upsetting Six made my jaw drop! 
 The sex was pretty hot, and the storyline was relatively engaging. I think the main issue I had was that I found I didn’t really care for either of the main characters – they didn’t grab me in any way, and I kinda lost motivation for reading when I realised that I didn’t like them. 
I actually found Six to be really irritating a lot of the time, and although he admits that he often does things without thinking them through, I wanted to smack him a couple of times for his unthinking actions. 
The story was well written and had an interesting plot-line apart from the relationship between the two leads. I really enjoyed reading the interactions of Amadeo and his siblings, and thought that was very realistically conveyed. It was all in all an enjoyable read. 
I received an arc from GRR.

Bully in My Bed by Rue Whitney

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Title: ⟫ Bully in my Bed 

Author: ⟫ Rue Whitney 
Blurb: ⟫ What are you supposed to say when the guy who shattered your world asks to pick up the pieces and gently put it back together?

It’s a tale as old as time: Closeted bully picks on openly gay kid. Then the bully grows up to be a hot, confident, out-and-proud man while his punching bag grows up to be a hot mess. 

I’m Drew, the hot mess, and now my former bully, Beau, is on his knees, begging for me to let him make amends. 
Most people would be thrilled to get that kind of apology. I just want him to leave me alone so I can pretend high school never happened. But Beau is on a mission to make up for his past and I’m the last box he needs to check off. 
I decide one day of debauchery will be a good enough peace offering. But the next morning—and the next week, and the next month—he’s still there. In my life and in my bed. 
Is a guilty conscience keeping Beau around, or is there more than one reason I’ve been on this bully’s mind all these years?

This is a stand-alone MM romance, with a HEA and no cliffhangers. It is loosely connected to the Giving In series. 

Review: ⟫ I must admit, I think the blurb for Bully in my Bed is misleading. 
I expected a hot, semi-revenge falling in hate/love story but that wasn’t what this was. I learned quite a bit about what goes on behind the scenes for influencers, and there were some intriguing ideas in the story. 
I didn’t like Beau or Drew. 
To be honest, I thought Drew was insipid, with a tendency to be swayed by whoever he was with. I also didn’t find it even slightly believable. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that I didn’t like any of the characters – they were all kinda one-dimensional and irritating. 
The idea of a secret club where gay influencers and business people could get together and mingle without fear of being outed sounded really interesting – instead, it came across as very sleazy and I found it uncomfortable. 
The relationship between Drew and Beau was also a bit blah and by the end of it, I still found myself unsure if Drew was with Beau because he actually loved him or because he couldn’t figure out what else to do. 
More than likely, the issue is mine – I went into the story expecting one thing and didn’t like what I got instead. YMMV. 
I received an ARC from GRR.

Debunked by Pandora Pine (Haunted #2)

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Title: ⟫ Debunked – Haunted? #2 

Author: ⟫ Pandora Pine 
Blurb: ⟫ Ghost hunter Marlowe Bond is shocked when Peyton West, the man who spent the last two years doggedly debunking his paranormal investigations, calls for help after allegedly being attacked in his home by a spirit. 
After a night in the house, Marlowe’s not sure anything more than a well-staged hoax is the culprit.

Along for the ride is Marlowe’s boyfriend, artist Trip Cahill. Trip is expecting your standard low-grade paranormal activity, but gets more than he bargained for when Peyton explains that he’s being haunted by the ghost of Jordan Finch, a businessman who was killed fifteen years ago by his wife’s teenaged hitman. 

Is the spirit of Jordan Finch plotting the ultimate revenge for his murder, or is this “haunting” another in a long line of fantasies for Marlowe to debunk? 
Debunked is book two in the new Haunted? series and features a quirky ghost hunter, his witchy boyfriend, and a disinterested cat named after a Stevie Nicks song. Fact or fiction, haunting or hoax, join Trip and Marlowe as they work together to uncover the truth, no matter what it might be. 
Book one in the series, Haunted, is available through the Your Book Boyfriend’s Boyfriend promotion 
Review: ⟫ It’s my bad that I didn’t read all the way to the bottom of the blurb to find out that book #1 was in YBBB promotion, as when I began reading I realised that I really needed to read that one – I was thrown into the story straight away and felt lost until I realised that book 1 was a must. 
After reading book 1, I felt like I stood a better chance of having a grasp on the characters and would be able to fall into the story better. I have enjoyed reading about ghost catchers, etc. in other book series, so was really hopeful – I’ve also read previous Pandora Pine and enjoyed it. 
This book didn’t do it for me. 
I didn’t gel with either Trip or Marlowe and thought Peyton was irritating. The storyline was interesting and well-written, but I found that I couldn’t get past my feelings about the main characters enough to enjoy it. There were crossovers with previous books, but I found myself getting a bit confused with who was who, and who did what. 
I did finish the book but I didn’t really get any satisfaction from it. This is one of those series that I can’t see myself going back to, unfortunately, but obviously YMMV. 
I received an ARC from GRR.

We Choose You by Katy Manz

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Title: ⟫ We Choose You 

Author: ⟫ Katy Manz 
Blurb: ⟫ We Choose You: Choice Verus Fate Book One 
James and Aidan didn’t need fate. They had each other.

Alpha James and Beta Aiden love each other and don’t care what fate has to say about that. Mating doesn’t need to be based on pheromones and scents. And kids? There were many ways to build a family. 

When fate comes knocking years later, James does what any wolf in his situation would—he runs away. He has a mate he loves more than anything, and they’re just about to get everything they want: a family. He can’t risk losing everything because Fate decided to be a butt. 
Omega Riley scented his fated mate once months earlier, and the wolf ran away. He is coming to terms with his singledom. Everything is going as well as it can, that is, until his fated mate’s children walk into his classroom. 
We ChooseYou is book one in the sweet with knotty heat MM shifter mpreg romance series: Choice Vs. Fate. It features an alpha wolf shifter who mated his beta best friend, the omega sent by fate, true love, twins who will steal your heart, adorable babies, and a guaranteed happy ever after. 
Review: ⟫ I really liked the premise of this story and was looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, for me, it was never truly fleshed out enough to live up to its potential. There seemed to be very little in the way of character development and what felt like big time jumps with no rhyme or reason. Just as an example, they met with the twins and the next thing you know they’re parents; the relationship between James and Aiden was barely explored, and when Riley joined them it became even more sparse. 
I think if there had been more depth to each ‘section’ – Aiden and James, the kids, meeting and getting to know Riley – this would have read so much better.

I would imagine if you’re looking for something sweet and surface to read, this would satisfy, but for me it never quite got off the ground. 

I received an ARC from GRR.

A Foot in the Door by Vinni George (An Open Doors Novel)

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Title: ⟫ A Foot in the Door – an Open Doors Novel 

Author: ⟫ Vinni George 
Blurb: ⟫ The student… 
If he wants a job when he finishes grad school, Tanner Brown needs to get a foot in the door. But when he arrives at the country’s largest statistics conference to find he has nowhere to stay, he’s not sure it’s worth it. Especially when he realizes his hot faculty crush just witnessed his embarrassment from a front row seat. 
The professor… 
Dr. Beckett James is happily focused on his career until one of his former students slides into his line of sight. Tanner is brilliant and engaging, and when he ends up without a room, Beckett has no choice but to offer him a place to stay for the weekend. Even if it means testing his restraint. 
The problem… 
When their conference fling turns into an on-campus complication, Tanner and Beckett will have to control the variables that threaten to keep them apart or risk losing their chance at a happy ending before it’s even begun. 
 
A Foot in the Door is the third full-length novel in the Open Doors series featuring a statistics professor who makes a mean curry, a ginger-haired student with a bright future, and an offer neither can refuse. 
Review: ⟫ I should admit that numbers and I don’t get along very well. Maths was one of my worst subjects and I hate it to this day. Maybe that’s why this book never really got going for me? There seemed to be a lot of talk about statistics and data that either went over my head or just made me switch off. 
The relationship between Tanner and Beckett was going full tilt from quite early on in the book but I wasn’t sure I was feeling the chemistry. Then the fly in the ointment hit and I just – for some reason, it annoyed me. They could get past the idea of dating as ex-student and professor but the whole Mentor thing caused such a melt-down? All Beckett would have had to do was talk to his friend and explain. I don’t know, it just annoyed me so much that the rest of the book kinda passed in a blur of annoyance. 
I’ve enjoyed other books by this author so can only assume that this couple just happen to be a miss for me. The story is well written and engaging, with a relatively low-angst rating, and I’m sure a lot of people will enjoy reading it. It just wasn’t for me – we didn’t add up! 
I received an ARC from GRR.

Goblin Twins by Kit Barrie

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Title:
⟫ The Goblin Twins

Author:=
⟫ Kit Barrie

Rating:
⟫ 3/5

Blurb:
⟫ What
do you do when you have nothing to give and everything to lose?

Twin
goblin princes Shi’chen and A’bbni Er-Ha’sen did not ever plan
to take the Emperor’s throne. Older twin Shi’chen is a military
prodigy, and younger twin A’bbni is studying to be a physician. But
when their father attempts and fails to overthrow their cousin, the
murderous crown prince, the brothers are accused of taking part in a
rebellion they know nothing about.

Forced
to flee for their lives, the twins find that not everything is what
it seems in the goblin empire of Hanenea’a. With the help of only a
half-elf sailor and a handful of nobles, the brothers must confront
the Emperor and his supporters, risking everyone they love for one
chance to save it all.

The
Goblin Twins is a debut m/m non-magic fantasy novel with romance from
Kit Barrie.

This
is the first book of The Goblin Twins duology, and the first of a
collection of stories set in the lands of Hanenea’a and Kendarin.
It has all the angst but does have a Happy For Now ending with no
cliff-hanger. It does not contain twincest.

Please
mind the author’s note on the first page, as this book contains
sensitive material and is also not intended for children. Additional
information can be found on kitbarrie.com. Reader discretion is
advised.

Review:
⟫ I’m not sure how to review this book. The world-building was
brilliant – it was easy to picture things in your mind due to the
detailed descriptions of the history and surroundings. The characters
were fully fleshed out, with the villains being suitably villainous,
and in the case of the cousin, slightly insane.

The
aftermath of the assault was handled sensitively and with
thoughtfulness, with it not being brushed aside but an obviously
painful issue for those involved. The fight to regain control of the
kingdom was well described and very understandable, with lines
clearly drawn between what was happening and what was desired.

The
friendships were solid and well-written; all of the behind-the-scenes
machinations were clearly set out so that it was possible for the
reader to understand what was being fought for. The actual fighting
scenes were well written, with the divided loyalties made
understandable and clear.

Unfortunately,
for me, the romance seemed a bit
superficial and I couldn’t understand just why or how A’bbni
and Lai fell in love. The friendship between Lai and Shi’chen made
more sense to me, with the romance feeling a little tacked on. I
didn’t actually enjoy reading the book because everything felt very
much like it was the build-up to the next story – most of the
action felt like it happened towards the end of the book and was
perhaps a little rushed, but at the same time I felt like things were
very drawn out.

I
think that this is something that a lot of people will enjoy – the
depth of the story, the characters and the world building were very
well done. It just wasn’t for me. I was surprised to discover that
this was a first novel – it was very well written in that case, and
I would think that the author will be very well received.

I
received an ARC from GRR. 

The Animosity Equation by J.R. Gray (Love Equations #2)

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Title: ⟫ The Animosity Equation (Love Equations #2)
Author: ⟫ J.R Gray
Blurb: ⟫ Have you ever loathed a person so intensely the sight of them made you contemplate homicide?

First day of college, everyone is settling into their rooms, and in walks Jeff Woods—the blond bastard. He’s arrogant and smart and an elite swimmer and worst of all everyone loves him. Only he’s insufferable and flirty, and a sex god. He pushes every button I never knew I had, all with an air of indifference, like he doesn’t know the affect it has on me.

Did I mention he’s the hottest guy I’ve ever laid eyes on?

I’m just some closeted red-neck from the south who’s more comfortable on a horse and in a pair of boots than trying to figure out this Ivy League stuff.

There’s no way a guy like him would ever look at me twice.

Hate is the only equation.

The Animosity Equation is a stand-alone enemies to lovers, room-mates, forced proximity, wild ride of teasing, lust, and so much more.

Review: ⟫ I’m starting to realise that with this author, I either really love what they write, or it leaves me cold.

This one left me cold. I didn’t feel a connection between Jeff and Mason at all – not even a hate connection. I didn’t like their dynamic and apart from their first meeting, the chemistry (for me) just wasn’t there. I was looking forward to reading this, but I feel like the blurb is very misleading and I was disappointed.

The writing is solid (as it always is) so I think this was just a case of it not gelling for me. I would recommend the first Love Equations story, and I am still looking forward to further instalments.

I received an ARC from GRR. 

Christmas Cookies by April Kelley (Wingspan #4.5)

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Title: ⟫ Christmas Cookies (Wingspan #4.5)

Author: ⟫ April Kelley

Blurb: ⟫ Morgan never thought being a vampire was a bad thing until he finds out the dragon shifters, who are the most prejudiced, are his fated mate’s family.

Morgan’s life changed the day he was kidnapped and held captive. Even weeks after the rescue, he’s still mentally processing all that has happened. Wingspan might seem like a safe place, but he’s nursed a few of the local bigots, so he knows looks can be deceiving. And then he meets his Fated mate. Seamus seems too good to be true. A sexy, protective dragon shifter who can bake and smiles all the time. What’s not to love. Despite the chemistry between them, Morgan finds it difficult to let others in, even his mate. Can he let Seamus be his safe haven?

Review: ⟫ To be fair to this novella, it started at a disadvantage as I haven’t read any of the previous stories. I was hoping that that wouldn’t be an issue, but it quickly became clear that not knowing a lot of the backstory meant that I felt like I dropped into the middle of a story – or perhaps a short tangent.

None of the characters felt particularly fleshed out. I found it difficult to connect with any of them, especially as a lot of names seemed to be thrown out that I didn’t recognise and didn’t realise the importance of.

Morgan himself was hard to get a grasp on. He had obviously been through a traumatic event, but there were no real details given so it was just – words. There was no real impact to them. And the fact that he was a vampire seemed incidental – we didn’t see him feeding (apart from on his mate), there seemed to be no perks to it, and I just felt very distant from the whole thing.

Even meeting Sean didn’t change things. The insta-attraction/love was just that – instant, with no background, no building up to, nothing. He literally walked into the place, smelled Sean and that was it. The battle with Sean’s family was a complete non-event – I expected there to be some kind of confrontation but it just fizzled out, with no contact with the prejudiced members of the dragon family apart from an initial meeting. And the title and allusion to Christmas cookies was such a minor detail that I wish they hadn’t used it as the title – it made little to no sense to me.

The background characters were obviously meant to be a call-back to previous books, which I imagine would be nice for people who have read the previous books. I also think it was meant to titillate interest in their stories so that perhaps you would dive into the rest of the series. Unfortunately, they didn’t grab me enough to make me do that.

The writing was solid but I didn’t feel engaged and after reading, I didn’t get any sense of satisfaction from the ending, their HEA or anything like that. I think that perhaps a lot of this is my fault for not reading the previous books and that maybe my experience would have been better for it.

3/5 from me – if you’ve read the previous books, you might find the book more engaging.

I received an ARC from GRR.