Quick Reads and Quick Reviews 30

  

• Keeping Cole for Christmas, Tuesday Embers
• His Crazy Summer: Portville Summer Book 2, Xander Collins
• The Kinsey Scale: Campus Connections Book 1, CJane Elliott

To protect against a volatile relationship she grew up seeing her parents share Abigail is convinced that a steady relationship based on a schedule rather than love and passion is the right kind for her.  It isn't until her fiancé proves unfaithful that she evaluates who she is and what she truly wants.  Having Cole, her older brother's best friend, around to revive her zest for life isn't a hardship either.  But when her feelings for him begin to deepen and change, she might let her fear ruin her chance to keep Cole for more than just Christmas, maybe even forever.

This was actually a really sweet story with a lot of depth, evolution, and changing perspectives.  Abigail was a complicated person who loved with all her heart, but never let that heart get tangled romantically.  I was glad that Cole engaged her slowly, allowed her to realize that there's no one she'd rather live life with than him and when it came to fight for them it was Abigail.  It made up for her willful blindness and stubborn attitude that got almost annoying.  The ending was sweet and full of hope for a happy life.  A very cute story.  4 stars.

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Jeremy and Alex would likely never be together if Fate didn't have a mind of her own.  When Jeremy's status as a beta changes to that of an omega in the middle of a group of alphas at a drive-in movie theater it's Alex that rescues him...and then breeds him.  The consequences of that night weren't desired or expected but it could mean an even better future than either could have ever hoped for.  There's more than just the pregnancy to come to terms with, though, and both men will have to learn to accept who they are, where they come from, and what kind of life they want together before they can reach for that happily ever after they each are dreaming of.

Aside from hitting the racial tension and stereotypes a bit too hard for me, the complexities of the relationship were enough to give sufficient conflict and chances to bond as well.  What I liked best was that Jeremy wasn't all that he seemed right from the start.  Feeling trapped in a role assigned by society has him acting in ways he's not proud of and his internal metamorphosis gives him a chance to evaluate who he is, who he wants to be, and how to come to terms with it all.  Alex was a good support but I felt like it was the chip on his shoulder that caused most of the problems between them.  Once they got it all together it was a sweet story and I loved the redneck traditions that ultimately brought peace to both men as well as to both families.  All's well that ends well, right?  3.5 stars.

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Two unlikely young men are thrown together yet quickly become close friends.  The dramatic and very openly gay Eric and Will, the straight jock, find that they make excellent RA partners as well as friends but when the attraction deepens for one of them it begins to put a strain on their relationship.  Not everything is as it seems, though, and there are secrets that will be revealed that just may change their relationship forever.  But if neither can find the courage, that change might spell an end rather than a new beginning.

This was a cute story that moved very quickly.  I'm not sure I enjoyed the time jumps used to speed up their whole evolution because it felt like we missed some vital moments that cemented their friendship.  Those pieces would also have been good to give them a little more foundation and depth when the reveals started happening.  I also think that with all the emotional turmoil Will had going on inside him the very big confrontations regarding his confession were skimmed over and skipped altogether.  Aside from those rather large oversights, this was a nice story that had some cute moments to match an interesting premise.  3 stars.

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