JJ

2.5 stars

I enjoyed the first half of this book, but it went downhill when everyone began making extremely stupid decisions. I'm no undercover cop, but it didn't seem believable to me that Mahir wouldn't ask his superiors about whether Ridley was an undercover agent, or keep them updated about what the hell was going on. His excuses for not doing so were flimsy at best. I also thought he assumed Ridley was undercover way too easily based on entirely too little evidence. Then to bring him to his real home where his innocent nephew was staying?!?! Plus he didn't notice a teenager following him back to Seattle? How did he get this job if he was that incompetent??

I lost track of how many plot holes I came across, and that's not something I typically notice so these were gaping. It had such a promising beginning, but unfortunately turned into a bit of a disappointment for me.

P.S. Why the hell was Mahir still thinking of David as Ridley in the epilogue? Did he still not know his real last name?? Evidently the reader never will.

I prefer my master/slave fantasies to be dub-con/non-con, especially if they involve humiliation/degradation, so this book didn't really work for me since all but two stories were very much consensual with extremely eager to please slaves. And one of those two non-con stories switched so fast from resistant top to ultra-submissive slave that I didn't find it believable enough.

If you love very submissive slaves, dialogue you'd hear in porn, and lots of consensual watersports, this is the book for you.

It's probably a sign I've read too much weird stuff that I wasn't at all disturbed by this book. I guess after [b:Acquainted with the Night 8986467 Acquainted with the Night Tymber Dalton https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1282432476s/8986467.jpg 13863634], I've kind of seen it all! This one popped up on my feed months ago, and after glancing at the blurb, I initially dismissed it at the mention of him being a too-submissive slave. I like slaves with spirit, but just like with AWTN, in this case the über-submissiveness did't bother me in the least! It must be that alien masters create the exception to my rule.This was a quick read that I thoroughly enjoyed, but since it didn't tug my heartstrings, it won't get the ever-elusive 5 star rating from me.

4.5 stars

The amnesia trope is not one I've read many times, but Blake really captured the resulting emotional aftermath in this book. I was hooked from the very beginning, and was incredibly upset that I had to stop reading and go to sleep! I ended up waking up early just so I could get back to it and finish it this morning.

I loved Zach, and would have liked read from his point of view as well, but the vlogs were an interesting snapshot of his perspective on the situation. I guess it helped me feel Leith's frustration at not knowing enough about Zach and what he was thinking. I just craved so much more of him!

The doctor was a little too “out there” for my taste, but he was a minor enough character that it didn't bother me too much. Overall, I loved the book! It's always refreshing to come across one that's so engrossing.

I apparently have a thing for books about medical professionals with questionable ethics. I loved witnessing Dr. Archer's inner conflict regarding his feelings toward his patient, and I enjoyed watching it all play out. At one point, my heart pounded in terror right along with the doctor's, and I love when a book can get me involved to that extent. I just wish the book were longer so that I could have been shown rather than told about some of the interactions between doctor and patient (ex: Dr. Archer's discovery of Mr. White's love of music, and more of what happened between the night at his home and the day they made their escape).

I did it. I finished. Phew! That was more difficult than it should have been, but that's what I get for choosing a historical, knowing it's a genre I typically dislike. Some books have been able to hook me despite this handicap, and I thought Widdershins had a chance with so many high ratings by my friends, but alas, it bored me terribly. The paranormal aspect was the sort that I don't usually go for either (spell-casting), so the only thing left to grab my attention was the characters and their personalities. Unfortunately, neither caught my fancy, so I was left trudging my way through until things finally got interesting right near the end. I know better than to try to read the rest of the series though. It was not poorly written, so I am giving it 2 stars.

This book is a cheesy, over the top, unbelievable GFY with lots of sap.

BUT.

I still enjoyed it because I needed a pick-me-up. I appreciated the slow burn of their relationship and for whatever reason, I liked Jeremy's neediness. If you want rainbows and unicorns in your books, you'll probably love this one. ;)

Minor niggle: Reg said “man” far too often.

Unfortunately, this book was not my cup of tea. Several things about it annoyed me, including everything about the nine year old Melanie, Shawn's way of speaking without contractions, and the fact that his actions didn't make sense to me. He avoided contact with other people, but then for some unknown reason accepted the friendship of the most annoying child of all time quite quickly. There were several times that their conversations veered off in crazy directions that completely lost me. I imagined that if I were with them in reality, I'd just be staring blankly at them wondering what the fuck they were smoking. I also found much of the book (the whole drive to Kansas) to be boring.

All that said, I didn't hate the book, and found some of the sarcastic dialogue to be humorous. I also learned more than I typically learn from reading fiction (I'll never think of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz the same again), so that was a nice change. It has left me rather depressed, though, so I'm off to read some light and fluffy porn!

This was really good! It is delightfully British, and it's actually a believable ménage story. As for why it's not 5 stars for me, well, I didn't completely fall in love with any of the three men, nor did I feel strongly emotionally invested in their love story. These days, a book has to really make me feel something to earn that fifth star :)

So damn good. I have to force myself to slow down and make sure I don't skip over words in my eagerness to find out what will happen. I'll do a full review of the entire season when it ends.

My favorite line:

Bill was clearly trying to look down at this sleazy bastard having dirty gay sex with his little brother...

Oh yes, the gay sex was oh so dirty, in such a good way! This was a great story that I found to be unexpectedly sweet.

One thing I appreciated was the realistic portrayal of the conflict with Roe's family. I think this book comes the closest to showing how the conservative families of gay people I know have reacted to them coming out. Even so, there's one aspect I have yet to see in any book, and it's an almost universal feeling with every conservative Christian I know here in the South. That being that we (I'm including myself because this was how I was raised) are taught that homosexuality is a sin, that living this way is wrong, that being unrepentant means you aren't truly saved and will go to hell. So when families who have been taught this crap their whole lives find out someone they love is gay, the biggest reason they're upset is because they're terrified that their son/daughter/brother/sister/etc is going to go to hell and suffer for eternity, and they don't want that to happen to someone they care so much about. The problem is that when they try to “save” their loved one by telling them they essentially have to change who they are or go to hell, that drives the person away. Since it's obviously impossible for them to force themselves to be straight, in order for the relationship to be healed, the change has to be in the beliefs of their families, that it isn't sinful and it's the way God made them. Unfortunately, many people are completely inflexible and refuse to acknowledge that their church could have gotten it wrong. It's sad :/ Anyway, I've gone off on a tangent, and I only meant to say I haven't yet found a book with characters being upset for the reason most people I know would be, but this book comes the closest.

Ahem, back to the dirty gay sex, I'm not really into puppy and pony play, but that part was at least entertaining, and the rest was very hot! I loved the characters, loved Roe's name, and enjoyed watching their relationship develop.

That was utterly ridiculous. I don't think I've ever come across a more clueless MC. His partner was calling him babe, kissing him, and kissing his cock when it was just the two of them, yet he was sure the guy was straight. I wanted to smack him upside the head and say “Dude, I think it's safe to say he's into you too!”



The bad guy was such a caricature and had the most cliche lines. That said, there were some hot scenes so overall, the book was okay.

This book had the same issue as Collide, which is that some of the dialogue was too sappy to be believable, but I again loved the story and characters in spite of that. Though this one still had several editing errors, it at least did not have the ridiculously excessive number of commas that the previous book had. I've really enjoyed all 3 books by this author, so I'll definitely be reading Mason's book when it comes out.

4.5 stars

Who knew dub-con/non-con could be so fluffy? There were so many things in AWTN that usually make me dislike a book: characters being unrealistically accepting of their situation, instalove, captives being overly eager to please, mushy gushy declarations of love, etc. However, even while noticing them, I still really enjoyed reading it and I can't really explain why those things didn't bother me this time. I must have been too distracted by the milking machines, butt plugs, and alien egg-implantation. I still thought I'd only be dropping one star for a rating of 4. That is, until I got to the latter parts of the book that tugged my heartstrings and nearly brought me to tears. I have to say, I loved the ending, and I totally get the parallel the author made that she explained in her author's note at the end. So given how it left me feeling in the end, I'm giving the book 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

This book was mostly porn with a little bit of plot, and it was just ok. It didn't draw me in, and neither of the characters were anything special. The shifting POVs were confusing when they occurred without a section break, which is a pet peeve of mine. I'd have liked to see more character development and a more compelling plot.

This is so my kind of book - full of kink and sexual tension without any sap. I loved the creativity of the scenarios these boys played out, and they were quite a turn-on! I will definitely be reading more by this author.

Reading this anthology was like taking a tiny hit of a drug I'd once been addicted to and had been without for too long. This little taste reminded me of why ICoS is one of my all-time favorite series. It renewed my addiction to the story of all these characters, and I'm dying to know more. That little hit wasn't nearly enough, and I'm left even more desperate for the next than I was after reading Fade. Many series lose steam as they progress, but this one only gets more captivating.

Let's say 2.5 rounded up to 3 stars, because a big part of the reason I didn't love it was because m/f books just can't compare with m/m for me anymore, and I don't want to rate low based on that. Aside from that, though, this series no longer has deliciously evil characters. Trent and Al both used to be bad guys that I liked for that reason. Now they're both pretty tame, especially Trent.

I do like that Ms. Harrison still clearly puts a lot of thought into the plots, even though we're 12 books into the series. I still enjoy reading about the characters, but I want to see more conflict between them like there was earlier in the series, and it looks like we might have that in the next book between Rachel and Al.

Side note: It was a mean trick to play that got my hopes up for a return of my favorite character, Kisten. I cried when he died in book 5, and have never really gotten over that :(

I've often wondered what would happen if the filter between my thoughts and my mouth was removed. I'm pretty sure I'd get myself into trouble. If the filter on my actions was gone as well, things would get really ugly! That's basically what happens to Daniel while he sleepwalks. Unsurprisingly, he's been in some shitty situations as a result, and he has become the most hated man in his hometown.

Daniel's condition (believable or not) fascinated me, and I really enjoyed reading about how he and Bel dealt with the challenge it presented. Bel's gradual transition from complete skepticism and derision to understanding and acceptance was well done, and I loved how their personalities meshed.

This is not a sweet and fluffy book, as there are endless hurdles for these two to overcome, but since I'm not one who typically goes for light and sappy, I thought this was a great read!

Side note: Check out the Parks case in the Wikipedia article on homicidal sleepwalking - that's some crazy shit!

First half was great with some very hot and kinky scenes between Stiles and Rafe. However, once Derek came into the picture, the story went downhill, which is surprising because I typically love Sterek! I lost interest with the introduction of canon material, as I do not watch the show. It got a little better toward the end but felt like a chore to finish. With the uninteresting second half, I'm left feeling I can't give it more than 2.5 stars. I would only recommend the first few chapters if you're considering reading it, unless you watch the show.

LOL @ 3: Why It Feels Like You're Being Impaled By A Fence Post.

This should be wonderfully educational.

Review to come.

3.5 stars

This book got off to a great start, with one twin becoming a slave to the other after a 15 year separation. I saw so much potential for a compelling story since Malik initially seemed to hold quite a grudge against Ciaran for abandoning him all those years ago. It even felt vaguely reminiscent of Captive Prince. Unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations.

I was hoping for something dark, considering the scenario, but Malik didn't hang onto his anger for very long at all. He lashed out against one of his household slaves in defense of Ciaran the very first day he brought him home. I thought surely there'd be some noncon in this book, but no. I'm not certain I could even say there's any dubcon. I also wasn't crazy about Ciaran after his slave training (he squeaked!).

However, I really liked the connection between the brothers, and I thought the transition to a physical relationship was believable and rather sweet. Ultimately though, their story could have been much better than it was.

This review is a bit disjointed, but I'm tired and I've been distracted by porn tonight, so it is what it is.

1.5 stars

This book could have been good, but it was ruined for me because the characters kept doing things that didn't make any sense (I'll come back to this point later). The writing was mediocre, and included poorly constructed sentences like this:

He'd been thrilled about the loud way Oliver got thrilled over everything when he received a high five from one of the fishmongers for dropping the tip money Davy had sent with them into the jar.

Things got sappy somewhere around the middle of the book, and those who know me are well aware of my low tolerance for overly sweet dialogue. Then there was a nice hot sex scene that had me all hot and bothered, and Gavin said “Come for me, Davy. Let go.” to which Davy quietly replied, “It's scary to let go.” Screeeeech!!Wait, what?!? It's scary to come? Seriously? He was not a virgin and it wasn't even their first time together! I know this was probably supposed to have some deep emotional meaning, but all it did was yank me right out of my sexy mood.

Now, on to the behavior that made no fucking sense. Davy is a shy guy who is uncomfortable in social situations, yet for some reason, he decides to go to a club by himself. I am an introvert, and I would never ever ever go to a club by myself. All introverts know that going somewhere crowded and sitting alone is just asking for strangers to come up and talk to you, and we really try to avoid those situations. I would assume Davy is somehow a special type of shy that is okay with this, except that he later changes his mind about attending a concert after seeing the crowd. People don't even really talk to you at concerts, yet that is somehow worse than a club.



Let me preface this next one by saying that I am not a gay man. Maybe that's the reason I am confused by this situation, and if so, I hope my male GR friends will chime in and enlighten me. So, when Gavin and Davy first hook up, they have a slight problem: they are both bottoms. Now, I assume this is either because they love being fucked, or they have some sort of aversion to being the one doing the fucking. If it's because they enjoy having a cock up their ass, and if they really want to give this relationship a go, then why don't they just take turns fucking each other so that they can give the other what they want every other time?? Caring about someone means wanting to make them happy, right? Instead, they mostly avoid any sort of penetration and just frot or fuck each other's mouths for months. And if aversion to fucking an ass is the reason they're bottoms, I'd think that fucking a mouth is not hugely different, but again, I'm not a guy, so maybe there's something I'm not getting. When Gavin finally does fuck Davy at the end of the book, he seems to rather enjoy it, so surely taking turns would not be a terrible inconvenience. But hey, what do I know?



There were a couple of little things that made me stop and think But, what about... First, at one point Gavin is thinking about whether Davy is The One, and he believes in that ideal because he was raised old-school. But he wasn't. He was raised by a drunken slutty mom who went through tons of guys, so yeah, that made no sense. At the end of the book, Davy tells Gavin that he can't promise forever, and I never figured out why. People make that promise whenever they get married, so it's not like it's unheard of. Is there some reason he can't make a commitment? Another thing that I never figured out was how Oliver is so well-adjusted if their mom never was sober and the whole new version of her was a lie.

I've saved the most annoying and baffling behavior for last. There was absolutely no logical reason for Gavin suddenly "wanting space" from Davy when left to raise Oliver while Ray was dying. Why would anyone send their sole source of support away when they need it most? It just seemed like an obviously contrived bump in the road in their relationship.



That seemed to be the reason for all the illogical behavior - a way to force the characters into situations that they wouldn't naturally be in to make the story go where the author wanted it to go. This stuff disrupts the flow of the story and makes it feel false. And that last one annoyed me so much, it left a bad taste in my mouth about the whole book.

Well, I popped my twincest cherry with this short PWP, but because it lacked a plot, I don't feel like I got the full effect. I think I'd need to read the next book where their secret gets out to really experience the whole taboo feeling about their relationship.

I thought the way these two started their sexual relationship was very interesting and creatively done! I haven't come across that scenario in a book before.

The sex was hot, but (for me) not because they were twins. I can't say I've ever fantasized about twins getting it on, especially identical twins, and I'm still not sure I understand the appeal. I'd like to find a book that really explores how the twin bond could turn into something sexual, and all the angst that would go along with it. I'd probably want them to be fraternal twins, though, because where's the fun in them both looking alike?

Finally, a book with some relationship development! I really enjoyed the gradual pace of this romance, though there were two things I found hard to believe: that Kurt would pull Davy into his lap to comfort him that first day he went to the house, and that Kurt wouldn't think to tell Davy right away that he had finally come out of the closet. Otherwise, this was a great book that I didn't want to put down!