Quick Reads and Quick Reviews 23

  

• Fates Altered: Halven Rising Prequel, Jules Barnard
• My One and Only: Harper's Corner Book 1, Christina George
• Faking Lucky, Q. D. Purdu

It's certainly an interesting take on the Fae/Human world relationship in this story.  Both characters are quite young for their races and yet they both possess some mature qualities that make me believe in them as individuals.  This was a very slow-moving romance that felt very superficial only because the length of the story didn't lend itself to deep exploration of character motivations.  As written they are good characters that are interesting and truly set the stage for a love that influences the lives of all those that will follow in the actual series.  3.5 stars.

Well, I was hoping for more.  A lot more.  Both main characters had immense potential and with a lot of support and encouragement from most of the people around them I was hoping for more on the build of the romance.  Instead, most of the story shows just how truly frustrating Jessica is.  She was so weak.  Yes, I can see her vulnerability and her issues, but where they should have been something more like reasoning behind her actions, they became the complete focus of her character.  There was very little fighting through and growing in strength or resolve, it was her continually breaking down and reiterating the same thing over and over not just in her inner dialogue, but to her friends and Matt as well.  I don't feel she redeemed herself by the end.  I felt that Matt deserved so much more for a partner.  I do feel that the proposal came from the right person, though.  Aside from that, I was trying hard to like her enough to finish the story.  2.5 stars.

I can't say I'm a fan of the book.  It was written pretty well and had a lot of promise but I found Desdemona to be flighty, annoying, and immature.  I enjoyed reading the history flashbacks but everything in her current life was incredibly disappointing.  There's nothing wrong with sexual exploration and truly finding your own likes, dislikes, inclinations, and acceptance.  But where this story failed was in making the main character someone who didn't take true control of that.  Instead, she was continually rolled by every circumstance she found herself in.  It was more like reading about things that would be more appropriate in a New Adult book with someone who was a freshman or sophomore in college.  The scientific aspect to the story was informative but the way it was integrated into the story just made it seem like the author was trying way too hard to create an "enlightened" story with the science and reducing the stigma of faking orgasms and individual sexual exploration and expression.  Good points but extremely poor execution and a main character that had a past worth reading about but a present that was downright ridiculous.  2 stars.

Stone: Bad Boys of Willow Valley Book 2, Shannyn Leah

Dax was the first Bad Boy of Willow Valley,

Now we get Stone...

Stone Patino was once a bad boy, but not since moving to Willow Valley.  He left that bad boy life behind years ago.  Left it in the underground fighting ring he used to call his home.  Now, he lives in the country and works on cars.  He prefers the simple life without someone trying to put their fist through his face on a weekly basis.  There's just one thing about that life he misses.

Bowie Blake was once a bad girl too.  But now she's a socialite-turned-reality TV star who turned her back ten years ago on the love of her life, Stone Patino.

Full of regret and needing help, she seeks out Stone again.  She drags Stone back into the ring to fight her battles and save her wheelchair-bound brother.  Stone agrees, but must fight through his own demons and his love for Bowie.  Both soon learn it's not easy to fight the same battles they'd already fought and lost so many years ago.  But now it's a fight they both aim to win.

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Author Bio

Contemporary romance author Shannyn Leah loves olives, lip gloss and reading (and writing) romance novels. Her love of words started at an early age and soon grew until, during her teenage years, she’d started writing her own novels. When her mom pushed to finally publish some of the stories, she quickly amassed two complete romance series (By The Lake and Caliendo Resort series) and, in 2016, released her first Fantasy Romance entitled The Gatekeepers (Part One of the Winters Rising series).

When she's not writing contemporary romance books into the early hours of the morning, Shannyn can be found antiquing with her two favorite people, her momma and sister, in their picturesque London, Ontario hometown.

Shannyn would love to get to know her readers as you get to know her (just don’t send her any carrots!)

Get 3 FREE books and never miss special promotions, brand new release or the inside scoop by signing up for her newsletter. https://goo.gl/JiHvXD

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Badlands, Morgan Brice

A cop and a psychic...

Skepticism, a serial killer, and a chance at love all vying to come out on top.

June 30, 2018

Simon Kincaide owns a boardwalk shop in Myrtle Beach where he runs ghosts tours and does seances and private psychic readings, a fresh start after his abilities cost him his lover and his job as a folklore professor.

Jaded cop Vic D'amato saw something supernatural he couldn't explain during a shootout several years ago in Pittsburgh and relocated to Myrtle Beach to leave the past behind, still skeptical about the paranormal.

But when the search for a serial killer hits a dead end, Vic battles his skepticism to ask Simon for help.  As the body count rises, Simon's involvement makes him a target, and a suspect.  But Simon can't say no, even if it costs him his life and his heart.

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Author Bio

Morgan Brice is the romance pen name of bestselling author Gail Z. Martin.  Morgan writes urban fantasy male/male paranormal romance, with plenty of action, adventure, and supernatural thrills to go with the happily-ever-after.  Gail writes epic fantasy and urban fantasy, and together with co-author hubby Larry N. Martin, steampunk and comedic horror, all of which have less romance, more explosions.

Morgan Brice will be a Supporting Author at Gay Romance Lit convention and a Hosting Author at RomCon in October.

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Quick Reads and Quick Reviews 22

  

Work Rules: Breaking the Rules Book 2, Jacki James

Must Have Been Love: Camp Firefly Falls Book 20, Tragen Moss
Knocked Up: Crazy Love Book 2, Stacey Lynn

So.  Dang.  Good.  The characters were engaging, likable, a bit flawed, and incredibly sweet.  The relationship was full of tenderness, banked passion until they let it boil over, and freedom.  The drama was low and even the confrontations with the exes weren't overly dramatic and drawn out to create angst.  The reconciliation was almost unnecessary because they both acted quickly and thought through things with both logic and heart.  Honestly, this book was just so freaking sweet that I couldn't help but love it.  Yes, there was a lack of negativity in the book to create tension and something for the MC's to overcome, but I just don't care.

Ultimately what you get is two people finding the love of their lives.  You get to watch Alex seeing through Nathan's Trashy Club Kid facade enough to grant true freedom to Nathan's heart and soul as well as Nathan's whole person giving Alex the love he didn't expect to find in a man and making that okay.  They were a perfect match and the point was love and freedom for being accepted for all that you are and can be rather than a story about two men finding love amid coming-out drama and awful exes.  Those things are there, but they are muted in the face of love and acceptance.  4.5 stars.

*$2.99 or FREE on KU

Two men who don't seem to be a good match and yet are perfect for one another.  What they didn't realize when they agreed to a breakup was that they were in love.  Their time at camp for Brandon's brother's wedding is fraught with tension, regret, and a barely simmering passion that neither can deny.  The descriptions of feelings, experiences, the characters, the setting...all of it came together quickly and clearly so you could dive right in seeing as the story itself was so short.  There's very little angst except that which comes from the regret over the breakup and the subsequent tension it causes by keeping up appearances.  This story is filled with feels, reflecting on the relationship's ups and downs, and tons of chemistry.  I believed it.  4.5 stars.

*99¢!

No one expects to become pregnant from a one-night-stand, especially when protection is used.  But Cara finds herself in that exact situation.  What she knows of the guy she slept with is positive.  Whether that translates into an interested baby daddy?  She's afraid that her unexpected news will not be well-received.  After a rough beginning Cara and Braxton get reacquainted and grow something between them that meant they wouldn't just have a good co-parenting situation, but a relationship that was meant for deeper, more connected togetherness.  Their passion was not just intense, but there was tenderness and the shedding of emotional walls that really grabbed my attention.

This story had its emotional ups and downs.  I can't say I was charmed by Braxton's version of honesty, but it was definitely honest.  From the point that he committed himself to Cara, though, I could see just what kind of man he was and I loved him.  Like I said, his confessions about the time between the wedding and when she showed back up in his life didn't endear me to him but his earnestness and tenderness toward her from their second-meeting all the way to the end drew me in and kept me rooting for him.  I was predicting that the big dramatic moment between the couple would come from Cara and while she did have a small part in it, she was unaware of it at the time.  Instead, it was from Braxton.  The groveling gets huge, huge points from me here.  I love a good grovel.  I supported Cara and her decision to distance herself but I also felt that she was reacting on an emotional level instead of one that was clear-headed while hurt, if that makes sense.  Overall, the story was so great.  I enjoyed the characters, the steam, the tenderness, and the ending was absolutely perfect.  4.5 stars.

*$4.99

Home Skillet: Culinary Kings Book 1, Cate Ashwood

When the one you're still hopelessly in love with is the one that got away and they turns to you when their life is falling apart, what should you do?  The logical answer is to set appropriate emotional boundaries and be there for them but to keep your distance.  But I know of no one who would be logical in this instance.  There's always that part of you that hopes that this time you'll be appreciated, this time they'll truly see, this time...  And yet all the hoping in the world is just bound to get you more heartache and confusion.

Ben and Jimmy are in this terribly dysfunctional relationship that masquerades as friendship.  Jimmy gave up more than just a best friend when he chose to live his life in Manhattan the way he had and almost to the very end of the story I found him utterly selfish.  There's no nice way to call him a user and I'm sure so many people will read this story and see him as a scared man, an emotionally fragile man who just had his dreams of a future crushed and so he turns to the one person he could count on.  What they're not seeing is that Jimmy has only ever been protective of was himself.

Yes, he had the horrible misfortune of having homophobic parents.  My issue, though, isn't with his sexuality, coming out, or even his choice to marry a woman.  My issue is that Jimmy uses Ben under the guise of teenage hormones and familiarity, uses Jenna for her connections and wealth, and uses Ben again when his life goes to shit.  His patterns of behavior are disappointing and reprehensible.  I also wished that he did more to convince Ben of his feelings, did a lot of groveling, and voiced his sudden realization.  Ben may not have needed that, but I certainly did.

There is good to him.  I do like that when he finally wises up and opens his eyes to everything he gave up when he dumped Ben he sees just how amazing Ben is and focuses on encouraging him, supporting him, and becomes unwilling to deny what they're building.  His words to Ben at the end with his surprise were heartfelt and honest.  I enjoy that he finally understands how essential Ben is to a happy, fulfilling life.  He was lucky that the woman he married was Jenna because, while we have our doubts about her in the beginning, her strength and compassion later on showed us that he does actually have good taste in friends.

Ben was probably awesome.  And I did like him quite a bit more than Jimmy.  But most of the story shows him being a self-deprecating man in love with his former best friend and just can't get over it.  I'm not shaming a decade-long unrequited love situation.  I'm just expressing disappointment in Ben's choice to be a pushover.  His choice to help his family instead of continue with school got him stuck in a rut that he couldn't see a way out of.  He slowly sucked the life out of his own soul and the only good part of him is tied to the one man he should move on from.  It's an unfortunate situation that ultimately ends well but is still sad to read before he gets his happiness.

So it's clear that I have some frustrations and disappointments with the characters.  Truth.  I also didn't really enjoy that the setting felt more like a place-holder and not really used to their advantage.  The story was slow to move to anything really great between them and yet the entire thing felt rushed.  Lots of surface stops and a whole heaping amount of angsty inner dialogue.  The steam, however, once they got it on, was quite nice.  I adored the proposal situation and thought it fit the men and the story.  And even though my review seems terribly negative, which it kind of is, I didn't hate the book.  I think this suffered from a slightly inattentive group of or individual proofreader that got caught up in what they hoped for the book rather than what was on the page.

*$2.99 on Amazon!