When Lacey Billings gives her boyfriend, Ran, an erotic wake-up call in the middle of the night, she's shocked to discover that the gorgeous man she's kissing isn't Ran...it's his cousin, Rick.
Although Ran laughs off the mix-up, Lacey and Rick can't stop thinking about the unexpected encounter, and they can't escape the scorching flashbacks it's aroused.
Ran doesn't want an innocent mistake to ruin his relationship with his girlfriend or his cousin, so he proposes a solution. He wants the three of them to solve this problem the old-fashioned way, by sleeping on it...together.
This little ebook was one HOT number. Lacey, Rick and Ran were smoking together and separately. I definitely wished for a bit more time to develop the characters though.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Cop Out by KC Burn
Detective Kurt O’Donnell is used to digging up other people’s secrets, but when he discovers his slain partner was married to another man, it shakes him. Determined to do the right thing, Kurt offers the mourning Davy his assistance. Helping Davy through his grief helps Kurt deal with the guilt that his partner didn’t trust him enough to tell him the truth, and somewhere along the way Davy stops being an obligation and becomes a friend, the closest friend Kurt has ever had.
His growing attraction to Davy complicates matters, leaving Kurt struggling to reevaluate his sexuality. Then a sensual encounter neither man is ready for confuses them further. To be with Davy, Kurt must face the prospect of coming out, but his job and his relationship with his Catholic family are on the line. Can he risk destroying his life for the uncertain possibility of a relationship with a newly widowed man?
Did you ever just get totally blindsided by a book. I went into this expecting a syrupy sweet romance with some angst, some navel gazing and then a great denoument. NOT what I got here. I got a tenderly wrought emotional book about love, loss, compassion and family.
Run to your ebook outlet of choice and pick this one up. It was well worth every moment.
Pulled Long by Christine D'Abo
For months, coffee shop owner Ian Long has fantasized about a customer he knows only as "Blue Eyes." Until he learns Blue Eyes is in the midst of a divorce—the last thing Ian wants is to be the rebound experiment of a straight guy. Giving in to lust, he invites the man into the café after hours and they indulge in a little exhibitionist play, but Ian is unwilling to get involved.
When he's forced to see Jeff again to return his briefcase, Ian finally agrees to go out on a date. Dinner quickly becomes an erotic encounter in a special room at the sex club Mavericks, and Ian realizes Jeff satisfies desires he didn't know he had. The more he gets to know Jeff as a person, the harder it is to resist falling for him.
Jeff makes it clear he's interested in more than just sex. He wants to go public with their relationship in more ways than one. But can Ian open his heart, when he fears it will be broken?
I had no idea this was the third book in a series, it totally stood on its own. Loved Jeff and Ian, loved the smexiness of it all. LOVED!
When he's forced to see Jeff again to return his briefcase, Ian finally agrees to go out on a date. Dinner quickly becomes an erotic encounter in a special room at the sex club Mavericks, and Ian realizes Jeff satisfies desires he didn't know he had. The more he gets to know Jeff as a person, the harder it is to resist falling for him.
Jeff makes it clear he's interested in more than just sex. He wants to go public with their relationship in more ways than one. But can Ian open his heart, when he fears it will be broken?
I had no idea this was the third book in a series, it totally stood on its own. Loved Jeff and Ian, loved the smexiness of it all. LOVED!
Striker by KyAnn Waters
Sports writer Max Myers just discovered he lives next door to the hottest soccer player to hit the field. If he scores a coveted interview with the reclusive striker for the Denver Blaze, he could take himself from sports blogger to mainstream sports authority.
Riley Grayson has no interest in interviews or in outing his private life to the public. He wants to be known for the scoring he does on the field and not in the sack. But Max is a temptation he can't resist. Taking a chance, Riley and Max discover they have more in common than passion for soccer and hot sex between the sheets.
Just as they begin to trust each other outside the bedroom, Max is put in a no-win situation: write an article about Riley exposing accusations of drug use, or risk destroying his own credibility. If he does, he'll lose Riley. If he doesn't, he'll lose everything he's worked hard to achieve.
You could totally relate to Max and Riley, their motivations, desires and plans. Smexy scenes were nicely wrought and the conflict was believable. I would definitely pick up another KyAnn Waters book soon!
Riley Grayson has no interest in interviews or in outing his private life to the public. He wants to be known for the scoring he does on the field and not in the sack. But Max is a temptation he can't resist. Taking a chance, Riley and Max discover they have more in common than passion for soccer and hot sex between the sheets.
Just as they begin to trust each other outside the bedroom, Max is put in a no-win situation: write an article about Riley exposing accusations of drug use, or risk destroying his own credibility. If he does, he'll lose Riley. If he doesn't, he'll lose everything he's worked hard to achieve.
You could totally relate to Max and Riley, their motivations, desires and plans. Smexy scenes were nicely wrought and the conflict was believable. I would definitely pick up another KyAnn Waters book soon!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Just What the Truth Is by Cardeno C.
Summary courtesy of Goodreads:
Ben Forman has been in the closet so long he’s convinced himself he’s actually straight. But his denial train gets derailed when hotshot lawyer Micah Trains walks into his life. Micah is brilliant, funny, and determined... and he just assumes Ben’s gay and starts dating him. Finding himself truly happy for the first time he can remember, Ben doesn’t have the willpower to resist.
Still, life isn’t all rainbows and happily-ever-afters. Ben loves his family, but his parents have been estranged from his brother, Noah, since he came out of the closet. Ben doesn’t want to lose them, but Micah won’t be his dirty little secret forever. Suddenly Ben’s hold on his happiness and his sense of self seems to be slipping. If he’s going to survive with his heart intact, he’ll have to own up to the truth of what he wants and who he is. The trouble is figuring out just what that truth is.
Ben could easily have fallen into the type of characterization that is so caught up in navel gazing that they don't actually DO anything or even worse takes himself too seriously. Ben is funny, crazy, stupid, and so in denial that he could have been a parody of himself. The fact that he doesn't even in a book written in first person POV is almost a miracle. Watching Ben fight through all his conflicted feelings could have been an exercise in extreme frustration, but somehow isn't. That's the mark of a great story. When it could have been and maybe should have been crazy making but totally wasn't.
Definitely an author that I will be looking for in the future.
ARC provided by Dreamspinner Press via NetGalley
Ben Forman has been in the closet so long he’s convinced himself he’s actually straight. But his denial train gets derailed when hotshot lawyer Micah Trains walks into his life. Micah is brilliant, funny, and determined... and he just assumes Ben’s gay and starts dating him. Finding himself truly happy for the first time he can remember, Ben doesn’t have the willpower to resist.
Still, life isn’t all rainbows and happily-ever-afters. Ben loves his family, but his parents have been estranged from his brother, Noah, since he came out of the closet. Ben doesn’t want to lose them, but Micah won’t be his dirty little secret forever. Suddenly Ben’s hold on his happiness and his sense of self seems to be slipping. If he’s going to survive with his heart intact, he’ll have to own up to the truth of what he wants and who he is. The trouble is figuring out just what that truth is.
Ben could easily have fallen into the type of characterization that is so caught up in navel gazing that they don't actually DO anything or even worse takes himself too seriously. Ben is funny, crazy, stupid, and so in denial that he could have been a parody of himself. The fact that he doesn't even in a book written in first person POV is almost a miracle. Watching Ben fight through all his conflicted feelings could have been an exercise in extreme frustration, but somehow isn't. That's the mark of a great story. When it could have been and maybe should have been crazy making but totally wasn't.
Definitely an author that I will be looking for in the future.
ARC provided by Dreamspinner Press via NetGalley
Men Under the Mistletoe a Carina Press Anthology
Summary courtesy of Goodreads:
Baby it's Cold Outside
A man receives the gift of pleasure at the hands of two expert lovers. Boyhood sweethearts get a second chance at romance. Two very proper gentlemen indulge their forbidden desires. And a Christmas tree farmer has an epiphany. It may be cold outside but these four holiday novellas will warm you up.
Anthology includes:
My True Love Gave to Me by Ava March
Winter Knights by Harper Fox
Lone Star by Josh Lanyon
The Christmas Proposition by K.A. Mitchell
Stories also available for purchase separately.
This anthology of M/M romances started out with a bang with My True Love Gave to Me by Ava March. I will admit to being a bit of an Ava March fangirl. In My True Love Gave to Me set in London in 1817, Alexander is still dealing with the fallout of the breakup of his friendship and affair with Thomas Bennett five years later. When Alexander wanted to take their physicial relationship further, Thomas freaked out and moved to New York with no word to Alexander. Now, Thomas is back and wants to make up his precipitous flight to Alexander. This novella has a nice build up of the story between Thomas' betrayal and his return and subsequent attempts to make up to Alexander.
The second entry is Winter Knights by Harper Fox. This is my first story by Harper Fox and even though I found this retelling of the Arthurian legend a bit muddy and unclear in places, I will definitely be picking up other books by this author. The main character Gavin leapt off the page for me. Unfortuntely Gavin was the only character that I had any real attachment to. I could have taken or left Piers, Lance and Artie.
Next up is Lone Star by Josh Lanyon another new author to me. I felt the sensitive portrayal of the motivations of both Web and Mitchell could easily have been too gentle, but the romance and tension were so compelling that this story worked in every way imaginable. The back story of Web and Mitchell's friendship and romance is concisely parsed out through the story and heightens the anticipation througout and the ending is perfect. The characters really resonated with me. I will definitely be seeking out some of Josh's backlist.
The final entry is The Christmas Proposition by K.A. Mitchell. I have already read several of this author's works and enjoyed all of them to some degree. This novella is the weakest of the four in my opinion. The characters weren't clearly portrayed. The backstory was really muddy which killed any understanding of the motivations of the main characters. The main character Mel just came off as a whiny little boy.
ARC provided by Carina Press for review through NetGalley
Baby it's Cold Outside
A man receives the gift of pleasure at the hands of two expert lovers. Boyhood sweethearts get a second chance at romance. Two very proper gentlemen indulge their forbidden desires. And a Christmas tree farmer has an epiphany. It may be cold outside but these four holiday novellas will warm you up.
Anthology includes:
My True Love Gave to Me by Ava March
Winter Knights by Harper Fox
Lone Star by Josh Lanyon
The Christmas Proposition by K.A. Mitchell
Stories also available for purchase separately.
This anthology of M/M romances started out with a bang with My True Love Gave to Me by Ava March. I will admit to being a bit of an Ava March fangirl. In My True Love Gave to Me set in London in 1817, Alexander is still dealing with the fallout of the breakup of his friendship and affair with Thomas Bennett five years later. When Alexander wanted to take their physicial relationship further, Thomas freaked out and moved to New York with no word to Alexander. Now, Thomas is back and wants to make up his precipitous flight to Alexander. This novella has a nice build up of the story between Thomas' betrayal and his return and subsequent attempts to make up to Alexander.
The second entry is Winter Knights by Harper Fox. This is my first story by Harper Fox and even though I found this retelling of the Arthurian legend a bit muddy and unclear in places, I will definitely be picking up other books by this author. The main character Gavin leapt off the page for me. Unfortuntely Gavin was the only character that I had any real attachment to. I could have taken or left Piers, Lance and Artie.
Next up is Lone Star by Josh Lanyon another new author to me. I felt the sensitive portrayal of the motivations of both Web and Mitchell could easily have been too gentle, but the romance and tension were so compelling that this story worked in every way imaginable. The back story of Web and Mitchell's friendship and romance is concisely parsed out through the story and heightens the anticipation througout and the ending is perfect. The characters really resonated with me. I will definitely be seeking out some of Josh's backlist.
The final entry is The Christmas Proposition by K.A. Mitchell. I have already read several of this author's works and enjoyed all of them to some degree. This novella is the weakest of the four in my opinion. The characters weren't clearly portrayed. The backstory was really muddy which killed any understanding of the motivations of the main characters. The main character Mel just came off as a whiny little boy.
ARC provided by Carina Press for review through NetGalley
Forever and a Day by Delilah Marvelle
Summary courtesy of Goodreads:
1830 London and New York City
Roderick Gideon Tremayne, the recently appointed Duke of Wentworth, never expected to find himself in New York City, tracking down a mysterious map important to his late mother. And he certainly never expected to be injured, only to wake up with no memory of who he is. But when he sees the fiery-haired beauty who's taken it upon herself to rescue him, suddenly his memory is the last thing on his mind.
Georgia Milton, the young head of New York's notorious Forty Thieves, feels responsible for the man who was trying to save her reticule from a thief. But she's not prepared for the fierce passion he ignites within her. When his memory begins to return, her whole world is threatened, and Roderick must choose between the life he forgot and the life he never knew existed....
This regency romance by Delilah Marvelle begins a new series of "crossing class" barriers type of romances. This is a solid entry into the series. The world is clearly regency London and New York. The main characters are exactly what you expect. It is easy to identify with their thoughts and feelings. The author did a good job of "showing" not just telling. Smexy scenes were nice and steamy but not plentiful. Good buildup of sensual tension before the commencement of the physical relationship.
Altogether a solidly good romance with likeable characters who have clear reasons for the way they are. I will be looking for the follow up to this book in August 2012, called "Forever Lady."
ARC provided by HQN for an honest review via Netgalley.
1830 London and New York City
Roderick Gideon Tremayne, the recently appointed Duke of Wentworth, never expected to find himself in New York City, tracking down a mysterious map important to his late mother. And he certainly never expected to be injured, only to wake up with no memory of who he is. But when he sees the fiery-haired beauty who's taken it upon herself to rescue him, suddenly his memory is the last thing on his mind.
Georgia Milton, the young head of New York's notorious Forty Thieves, feels responsible for the man who was trying to save her reticule from a thief. But she's not prepared for the fierce passion he ignites within her. When his memory begins to return, her whole world is threatened, and Roderick must choose between the life he forgot and the life he never knew existed....
This regency romance by Delilah Marvelle begins a new series of "crossing class" barriers type of romances. This is a solid entry into the series. The world is clearly regency London and New York. The main characters are exactly what you expect. It is easy to identify with their thoughts and feelings. The author did a good job of "showing" not just telling. Smexy scenes were nice and steamy but not plentiful. Good buildup of sensual tension before the commencement of the physical relationship.
Altogether a solidly good romance with likeable characters who have clear reasons for the way they are. I will be looking for the follow up to this book in August 2012, called "Forever Lady."
ARC provided by HQN for an honest review via Netgalley.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)