Short Order: Foothills PRIDE, Pat Henshaw

While not just a Christmas story, it revolves around the holiday and has a heavy Christmas feel to it despite trying to be more about the couple than the holiday itself.  It does a good job of bringing together two men who might ordinarily have nothing to do with one another but falls short with the voice of the story and the overall plot.

There were some deep issues as well as disturbing things that took place and they came off as merely events in the story's overall flow rather than pivotal moments or catalysts for change.  I felt disconnected from the characters and the story as if the narrator were an observer who knew Fen's mind rather than Fen himself.  I liked him in the beginning and had high hopes for his character to be quirky yet very down-to-earth.  I didn't know John at all and we get the events of his life but even after the intense reveal I still don't feel drawn into his life and him as a person.  The two men are good for one another and I can see a lasting romance.  I say that but I still feel detached from them in general.

Also, all the sexual situations are intimated and referred to rather than described so there's pretty much no steam in the story at all.  With Fen's honesty and attraction I was expecting something different in this regard but this is also my first book by this author so maybe that's just their style and I'm not aware of that.

So the story was good overall but I wasn't captivated as I was hoping to be.  This is more of a 2.5 stars rounded up situation but I can't fault the story for my expectations, only what I think might be missing or not quite enough based on what's actually there.  With that in mind, I'm rating this book a mostly solid 3 stars here and on all my usual review sites.

*$3.94 on Amazon!

Only with You, JD Chambers

Awkward cuteness, emo hotness, intense and fast describes them once they finally make their connection and I loved every minute of that.  They were both unsure in equal measure, just in different ways.  Drama was not far behind, though, between insecurities and vulnerability and secrets and neither one was immune to any of it.

Zach is a nerd.  In the best ways, obviously, but a nerd nonetheless.  He's misunderstood by just about everyone except for his best friend Ben.  With an unfortunate experience in college where he let his nerd and kink flag fly with someone he thought he could trust and was summarily dumped, shamed, and crushed, he vowed to keep as much of his true self under wraps as he possibly could.  Until he bumbled his way into Craig's life.

Craig is immediately charmed by everything the nerdy and blushing guy who came in with his coworker's lunch.  Unable to get him out of his mind he has Ben arrange a way for them to meet and spend a little time together as a group on the off chance that Zach would be more comfortable with Ben along.  With a chance to get to know him he's not merely charmed, he's enchanted and seeks out more time with the shy man.  He finds that he's falling fast for Zach and can't help but be worried that it'll end sooner rather than later because he doesn't feel captivating enough for how smart and motivated Zach is.

As they get more and more involved with one another they reveal more about one another, but it seems that it's only Zach sharing his past.  Zach is aware of that and is willing to give Craig time to open up whenever he's ready.  In the bedroom, however, things are moving along quickly and he thinks he's found someone he can be truly honest with.  So he shares a little...and grows to regret his passionate admissions.  Craig isn't sure what to do about Zach's confession so he does what he shouldn't do and that's to pull back.  It becomes pretty clear that his go-to solution is to edge away from uncomfortable situations until he's far enough away to bolt.

But he misses Zach and everything they could have so he sucks it up and decides to talk it out.  With things on their way back to trust it seems like things are looking up for the clumsy couple.  An incredibly awkward and embarrassing family moment, however, prove that assessment very wrong.

Being on the outs devastates both of them but it's Zach's open honesty that's left in tatters.  Craig is going to have to pull off something big to get back in his good graces.

I really enjoyed this story.  There were moments that frustrated me because of the characters' reactions as well as a lack of openness on Craig's part until almost too late.  I get Zach's love and needing someone like Craig but I wasn't a fan of how quickly he forgave Craig.  I'm not saying I wanted him to withhold forgiveness, but I was hoping for a bit more discussion both ways and a lot more groveling.  Aside from that I enjoyed this story quite a lot.  And while I'm not a fan of the brand of kink here, I respect that other people enjoy and sometimes need those things and appreciate the honesty and the safety measures discussed surrounding said kink.  Well done.  Hot and awkward is always a winning combination for me.

*$3.96 or FREE on KU!

Mr. Dirty, Nana Malone

Hot, frustrating, dirty, sexy, sweet, unexpected.  Both characters had hidden parts of themselves that only came out with one another.  They were what the other was missing in their lives.  Each one had desires carnal and otherwise that needed something neither believed they'd ever find and yet with not one, but two unexpected encounters they set themselves on their own path to find everything they were always meant to have.

So we have Nathan, dirty-talking, filthy rich, and sex on a stick.  He's a manwhore who avoids emotional entanglements with the same determination that he goes about business dealings and hasn't failed yet.  When he's faced with his father's indiscretions this time he realizes that he just can't stomach turning the other way anymore.  He's decided to cut ties with him and the business he helped build.  On the eve of this momentous decision he finds himself at one last business meeting.  What he didn't know at the time was that he'd also be meeting the one woman who could turn his whole life upside down.  Their introduction was far from a fairy tale moment, in fact it was pretty sordid.  A failed pick up and a voyeur moment that would live in their memories until their next convergence.

That moment was a tawdry vision that haunted Sophie until she saw the man in the flesh in her own hallway.  But since then it wasn't just that vision that haunted her, it was the endless parade of women, his shirtlessness, his sexy smile, and the many and myriad noises coming from his apartment across the hall, on the rooftop patio, and just about every other place.  It's obvious that he doesn't remember her so she has no problem telling him off for disturbing her, her sleep, and her sanity (she keeps that last part to herself, though).  He's painting a pretty clear picture of who he is for her so when he witnesses her at her lowest and does nothing but try to defend her and then comfort her she's so very confused.  Is there more to the panty-dropping smirk and party boy she sees?

Watching them come together physically is way hot, but it's seeing them create a life together without really knowing it that draws you in and keeps you in their orbit.  Things go really well until there's the big misunderstanding and the way things are resolved leaves me with mixed feelings.  I love Nathan's determination to explain and win her back.  Before that happens, though, I didn't enjoy watching him admit his feelings and then deny them as if he never realized it before when he clearly did.  His relationship with his step-mother is tender and allows us to see a different side to him that is essential to believe the veracity of his feelings for Sophie.

Sophie is inordinately stubborn in her refusal to hear him out.  I can understand being hurt by what she saw but if she loved him as she says she does she should at least hear him out first to determine the best course of action.  Her actions are colored by her past, which is understandable, but she ignores evidence in favor of incorrect perceptions.  Then the thing with Adam was a bit much because she talks herself into doing something she knows isn't right and I'm not a fan of that.

Speaking of her past, I think that if there was a discussion with Nathan about it it could have worked better than the confrontation with her father in the street.  I could see this from a couple sides though.  On the one hand we have the need for Sophie to accept, move beyond, and heal from her past with her absentee father.  Having the confrontation in the street with its outcome takes care of that, yes, but it added an element to the story that wasn't given its due.  It takes care of opening a door for her healing, but on the other hand this could have been done differently or even eliminated completely because while it helps her as a person it actually detracts from the point of the story.  I don't think it adds anything vital to her acceptance of Nathan's pleas and gestures.  If it were taken out we could have just had her focus on Nathan's words, actions, explanations, and how vastly different they are from her father's action and inaction and it would have solved her issue with comparing the two men unjustly.  Random encounters that quickly become slightly combative and then end with the combatants making a date to bury the hatchet don't have to happen for someone to heal from and move beyond their past experiences.  My opinion is that that whole scene was unnecessary.

Overall the story was good, there was good progression in the relationship both physically and emotionally.  We got to know these people deeply.  The only support character I liked was Nathan's mom, the rest were a bit disappointing because I wasn't a fan of their advice and lack of support.  The plot moved along at a good pace and I wasn't bored at any point.  It's definitely worth a read if you like steamy contemporary romances with a feisty woman and a sexy man with a penchant for dirty talk.

*$3.10 or FREE on KU!

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The Perfect Role, Clare Solomon

The role of a moment.  The role of a lifetime.  The role that matters.  It's not often when you get one or more of these and even more rare when you get all three at once.  Two men are given the meet during the first, which sets them up for the second, which grows into the third.  Through ups and downs they find success, determination, separation, frustration, devastation, healing, love, and forever.

Peter is a divorced man with three children that he adores.  He's an actor who is willing to take just about every job that comes his way to provide for those children and a life that allows him to be close enough to them to take advantage of his visitation rights.  He's also struggling with loneliness and frustration because of why he's divorced in the first place.  Being betrayed by someone you loved is never easy, but to see that betrayal every time you pick up and drop off the kids you used to see every day?  At what point is it all too much?

While on the set for a small role as a homophobic, controlling father in a TV series he comes across something he didn't think he'd need to ever face.  His sexuality was always clear to him but with a marriage and family he never acted on the other half of his desires because there was no need.  Now with no ties, a lonely life, and a ridiculously attractive co-star he finds himself in new and unfamiliar territory.  Alex is a beacon of life and light and he doesn't think he's worthy of the young man's attention.

Alex, however, has a different opinion of that.  He may be young but he has experienced more in life than most other men have in their entire lives.  He's attracted to Peter, his stability, his unassuming and gentlemanly nature, his hesitance, his honesty, his passion, and even his role as a father.  There's something special about him that draws Alex despite the age gap, or maybe even because of it.  During the time he's unsure of Peter's attraction and sexuality he finds himself in the arms of a crew member from the set.  Thinking he's made a solid connection he begins to build something with Eddie.  It doesn't take long to see what a huge mistake that was, though, and it complicates things quite a bit.

That's not the only complication, though.  Peter has enough drama off-set that could threaten everything he hopes for with Alex, his career, and even the life he's trying to build with his children.  He was nearly buried under the weight of all the responsibility and negativity from his failed marriage.  At first he had his relationship with Alex to bolster him and lift him up, but when it was clear that them being together was interfering Peter was willing to sacrifice his own happiness on the altar of being a good father.  With difficulties coming at them from every side their budding relationship seems doomed from the start no matter how much chemistry and potential they have.  When all is said and done, however, they find that the roles they choose and the roles they are given don't really matter.  It's how committed they are to succeed in either that determines their happiness.

It did feel like there was one too many elements standing in their way and it made the story feel clunky.  The stuff with Peter, his ex, and the kids was essential.  The stuff with Alex, though, I think one issue could have been removed and it would have been way better.  There was a mention of bruising with panic in the very beginning, a passing mention by his brother during a phone call, and then an explanation and stressful time with its recurrence at the end and that could have been developed and integrated for it to feel complete and valid, but as it stands now, it was vague and rushed.  Either that and get rid of the stuff with Eddie or just develop the situation with Eddie.  With the health concerns it felt more vital than the vicious ex because it gave validity to Alex's life experience, his inner strength, and his emotional turmoil.  It also could have been the vehicle to trigger Peter's need to care for, protect, and nurture his partner.  Either way, it needed a bit of streamlining to feel less disjointed.

I found this story uplifting at the end and pretty well done overall.  Alex was young but nothing close to naive.  He found that his desire for Peter had a foundation in the love he has for his own family and his passion for acting.  It came naturally.    Peter was a good man, a solid man, and even though he had trouble seeing the big picture and beyond what is thrown on his doorstep, he presses on and is a force for protecting those he loves.  They were a good pairing and the concept of what a perfect role really is was a good way to wrap up all the elements of the story.

*$2.99 or FREE on KU

Till There Was You, Iris Morland

I'd been eagerly awaiting Heath and Jubilee's story and after reading it I was happy with where they ended up but I think I built it up so much in my head that it was bound to fall a little short. It didn't fall too short, it was just a lot of the hesitation and hurt caused by denying the other person that which would make them the happiest. The angst of that situation lasted a bit longer than I was anticipating and hoping for. The ending was so wonderful that I wished it had been given a lot more page time, like Heath's prep for the surprise or even Jubilee's evolution over her next chapter in life. There was so much there that fulfilled my every wish for them and seeing it get such a short part of the book was a bit disappointing.

The drama with Heath's past and Jubilee's need for freedom was as expected. I am glad that Heath didn't go throughout the entire book trying to shoulder everything on his own. He was a bit of a martyr and it was frustrating but he didn't neglect his resources for too long so that was a positive note. Jubilee and Heath had a lot of drama between them because of the bet and trying to convince themselves that they were each a stop-gap in one another's lives. Once things were sorted on that front it still didn't come together until the very end. There was a point when they were both honest with one another and themselves but even honesty can't create the ideal situation for happiness and togetherness, apparently, and Heath and Jubilee both suffered from honesty without determination. Heath being a martyr and Jubilee from being impulsive in regards to lumping him in with her overbearing family both got in the way of their HEA.

Overall, though, the book was good and a fitting end for the Thornton siblings.  There was passion, serious hotness with the steamy scenes, endearing awkwardness, angst, frustration, drama, acceptance, and love.

*$3.99 or FREE on KU!

*Round out the holiday and the Thornton's series with a Christmas epilogue for the whole clan

Pre-order for only $2.99

It’s Christmas time, and the entire Thornton clan is spending the holidays in a cabin deep in the Washington woods. 

What could go wrong with twelve adults, four kids, and a dog all staying together in one big cabin?

Only the most chaotic—and memorable—Christmas ever!

Expect kisses under the mistletoe, lots of (spiked) eggnog, and even a surprise wedding as the Thornton clan celebrates the most romantic holiday of all.