Matched Intensity: Open Wounds Book 3, Michelle Frost

Family and secrets tore them apart years ago, the same thing brings them back together.  Rory and Magnus have always known there was only one man who could own their soul, but with all the hurt they might not be able to trust one another with their hearts again.  Finally willing to let down their walls and aim for a new normal, they're at the cusp of beginning something different, better than they had when they were young.  Except a dangerous past comes calling and might keep them from the future they both hoped to forge anew.

Rory had my heart from day one with his fierceness, loyalty, brooding, and quiet strength and love for the Rourkes.  It was clear that he wanted something from Magnus but didn't believe he could have it and was therefore punishing himself.  The impression I had up to this point was that it was Magnus keeping them apart despite Rory's disappearance for a decade.  What we learned here was much more complicated, frustrating, and heartbreaking.

Magnus was the aloof, brooding, and proud brother that was almost more of a mystery to me than Vidar.  The Magnus I met here was nothing like what I imagined up to this point.  I don't know if I like this version better, to be honest.  I will say that I did like how he stuck up for himself, got help, and was trying for honesty with Rory in a way that he was holding back before.

There were so many unanswered questions in this book that I'm feeling quite conflicted about Magnus as well as the relationship's struggles.  My feelings are unresolved by the end and while I do like the men together and have so much hope and love for them going forward, I feel that there's a whole foundation and background that is lacking.  What is this huge, hurtful outburst that happened a year and a half ago?  We didn't get that in Carry & Drag so I'm left mystified about their initial reunion.  What made Magnus go from modeling to porn and why did he make that decision?  I don't remember reading that anywhere before.  Magnus' pride in his porn career is fine, I don't really have a problem with that choice, but it doesn't feel like pride so much as bravado and familial acceptance of his choice.

Overall, this was a good story and I'm so very glad Rory got the man he always wanted, that his heart could truly heal.  I appreciated Rory's honesty regarding Magnus' career consequences and felt that was the most believable outlook he could have had.  The drama was suitably built up but the resolution was a little too clean and quick using something like a deus ex machina, or maybe more like a Rory and Tom ex machina, and it felt a bit cheap and rushed.  I just feel such a disconnect from  Magnus as an individual and from their relationship that I had a hard time coming to terms with their history in order to feel fully invested in their future.  Doesn't mean the story was bad, not at all, it just left me conflicted rather than satisfied.

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An M/M Christmas, episode 7

  

• Christmas Homecoming: The Christmas Angel Book 4, L.A. Witt
• Under the Felt Mistletoe, Nell Iris
• An Alpha for Christmas, Charity Parkerson

Best friends share one stolen kiss only to be separated until Christmas.  And then a war separates them for much longer.  They each come back changed men with more fears and hesitations than before, but also more longing.  Maybe with the help of a Christmas angel found half a world away they can find the courage to share what's in their hearts and get a second chance at a forever happiness.

Roger and Jack are both so hesitant but their slow-burn is believable.  I liked how they came together and the end was wonderful with the epilogue.  It really brought them all the way around from their cautious, youthful beginning.  There was a great inclusion of reality and sensitivities of the time, how they worked around it while not letting that angst come between them in the end, and that keeping their love was far more important than keeping up the pretense of societal expectations.  Neither man, however, had a voice that was distinct from one another and I didn't connect to them individually.  On the whole, though, this was a sweet story despite finding it to be less captivating than I was hoping for.  3 stars.

With hearts a mile wide and fathoms deep, Finn and his grandpa invite a stranger into their home.  It was a kind gesture in the face of horrible weather in a season that would mean nothing without the warmth of kindness.  What they don't expect is to find another addition to their family in Nelson.                                                                                                                                        Finn was absolutely adorable with his excitement, passion for crafts, and his immense love for his grandparents.  Nelson was much more reserved but no less adorable for all his simple yearning.  Together they were so dang cute and bubbly!  I really loved this story.  It was so very short but we really got to know Finn's irrepressibility and Nelson's quiet steadfastness.  Their family situations were both complicated but explained simply so we weren't lost in drama or feeling like something was left open and unsatisfied by the end.  And Finn's grandpa was the best in every way.  No steam at all, just a ton of sweetness.  All the warmth and love of the season, of families, of couples was here in this very short story.  4.5 stars.

A car that won't start and an unexpected offer of a ride from the hot Santa makes Austin think that maybe his streak of bad luck will give him a break for a couple hours.  Will's not above creating favorable circumstances and getting what he wants, especially when what he wants comes in the tall, obliviously gorgeous package that is Austin.  An amazing weekend opens up the possibility of something that could mean forever, but only if Will can save Austin from the consequences of their indulgence.                                                                                                                  First of all, I don't remember ever seeing a cover that both looked good and fit both characters.  This cover is practically perfect and I'm totally loving it.  As for the men themselves, their chemistry is off the charts hot and the tenderness they share completely balances it.  I'm not one for secrets or omitting important details to create the conflict, but I think the challenges are overcome quickly enough to be okay in the end.  The reunion is slightly confusing because the surprise reveal reveals something we weren't aware was hidden, meaning we didn't know this part of Will even existed.  It caused more confusion than clarity for Will's penchant for omitting details of himself.  Then, introducing characters important to Will's past is also unnecessary in that while the circumstances of the past were important to show how much he has changed, the people are inconsequential because they're just causing complications to a moment that should be more focused than it is.  Despite the confusing things that were thrown in as a mistaken attempt to add depth and interest, the story was totally sweet and I really liked it.  4 stars.

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Take Down: Open Wounds Book 2, Michelle Frost

Both Harbor and Theo have lived for the fight.  Sweat, blood, fear...none of that is going to hold them back from taking the title; but maybe love will.  More than possibly facing one another in the cage, they'll have to fight through their own personal setbacks and reservations to win the future they want most.

There was so much maturity and heart from the Bad A viking that has been all caged predator, lethal intent, and fire up to this point.  His loyalty to family is stellar but when we get to see the sweeter, lighter, tender side of him as his feelings for Theo grow, it's truly stunning.  The soft feels were honestly perfection.  They contrasted perfectly with the hard-edged fighter we've come to know thus far.  Theo was wonderful, but it was Harbor that stole the show and my heart in this story.

Theo was a good match for Harbor but I felt that there was something different about him in terms of character depth.  While Harbor dug deep, Theo was a little on the just-beneath-the-surface side.  He had no less of a complicated past that held him back in some things but I wasn't as drawn in.  His fun and playful side was ideal to bring out those same things in Harbor though.

I actually expected more drama but it was the reactions to the drama that had me pleasantly surprised.  Between Harbor's reaction to the drama created by Theo's past coming out to threaten his future to the outcome of their title match, everything was resolved nicely.  And I mean nicely, like the fight organizers were nice about the situation, Theo and Harbor were nice to one another, other fighters were nice and said nice things...just so much nice that I felt conflicted.  I truly appreciated the nice reactions, those were great.  But I also felt that it packed less punch...literally and figuratively.

Speaking of literal punches, I really wish that the "most electrifying fight" was given page time.  So much build-up and then it was overlooked in favor of getting to the happy ending.  What bothers me the most was how Harbor's "take down" had gone.  It was a predictable outcome that felt like a cop out and not really true to the characters' abilities.  Add that to not getting to "witness" the fight at all and I'm very unsatisfied.  Also, I wished that Harbor's end of the bet was given freely instead of as fulfilling the terms.  Oh, and that that scene should have been added...it would have been really hot I bet, but we didn't get to see it at all.

The drama with the other couples is ramping up like crazy and while I don't know who will get their story next, it doesn't actually matter because I'll be reading each and every story in this series.  When you combine hot, tattooed, fierce, loyal, brooding fighters and the men that challenge, support, and love them with cage fights, drama, and seriously hot intimate couplings in the way Michelle Frost does, you've got a fan for life in me.

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