Quick Reads and Quick Reviews, 26

  

• Love & Libations: Holidays and Heroes Book 2, Patricia D. Eddy
• Suave as Shift: The Protectors Unlimited Book 2, Keira Blackwood
• Master Wanted: Rent-a-Dom Book 2, Piper Scott and Susi Hawke

Tackling abuse of any kind in a relatively short story is a feat not many should tackle.  In this story it was covered pretty well.  I liked that both MC's were very real and despite their inner strength, there were quite a few vulnerabilities.  It made them much more relatable.  Garrett is captivated from the start and for good reason.  Lilah is written very well.  While she is in an abusive relationship and can't see the full extent of how bad things are going to get, she's a spitfire when she has her back against the wall.  It shows that she's a survivor once her eyes are truly opened to her situation.  What she sees in Garrett is safety but that safety scares her.  I liked Garrett's approach and reactions in every single moment.  He was an understanding hero that is truly worthy of love, compassion, and support.  Lilah's fear does get the best of her and I didn't appreciate Roe's interference at all.  To look out for Garrett is good, but for Roe to berate someone who is healing from trauma and reacted badly (to the words that came out of Roe's own mouth, by the way) wasn't helpful or endearing or supportive.  Aside from that, I enjoyed this read and was grateful for the tact and honesty used to describe and write about an abusive relationship.  3.5 stars.

From the very beginning Lincoln was very into himself.  Not usually a problem but his descriptions of himself along with the "sunglasses at night" coolness got to be too much.  The way he treated Juliana, the way he saw her and all she could be as a partner, however, was shockingly great.  I wasn't expecting that of him.  Juliana was quite insecure and had trouble with her own past with her father but she grew by the end of the story as she reconciled her past with who she really wanted to be.  With the foreshadowing from the witch I expected a bit more to happen at the end of the story rather than leaving it with little cliffhanger-type feelings.  Overall, the story was a nice story but was super cheesy and I felt like my eyes were going to roll so hard they'd get stuck.  2.5 stars.

I honestly adored how capable Robin was.  He was more than a pretty face and a commanding tone.  He was snarky, brilliant, intelligent, quick-thinking, passionate, caring, creative, and a helluva sexy imagination.  There were a few things I was leery of, like breaking trust as a Dom, but the way he handled the different personas was actually a relief, a surprise, and a joy.  Allowing himself to take control but then to set boundaries so he could be truly himself and to help Troy in the best way possible was incredibly admirable.  For Troy's part I was never made to feel his age or their difference in generations all that much.  Aside from the occasional joke or the informational mentions of Troy's age, I just saw two men navigating a tricky yet passionate personal relationship and a stressful yet successful working partnership.  While everything did work out in the end, the way they got to that point was a pretty steady progression with only a minor freak-out over a major issue.  Both Troy and Robin's interplay was entertaining to read and I think my favorite aspect of this was the roles they both played.  To have the younger, slighter omega be the Dom was an interesting dynamic that intrigued me right from the start.  There was very low angst and a very happy ending.  4.5 stars.