Annery
Do you feel like skipping Halloween & Thanksgiving and diving right into a non-treacly non-Christmas Christmas tale? Look no further than this sweet tale from [a:Tanya Chris 15067939 Tanya Chris https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1477705931p2/15067939.jpg]. Reminiscent of A Christmas Carol, but without copying it beat for beat, [b:Him Improvement 45882778 Him Improvement Tanya Chris https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558245376l/45882778.SY75.jpg 70710831] follows a sort of remaking or awakening of Gregory “Mac” McPherson.Mac is a real estate developer, and his company focuses on rehabilitating underutilized neighborhoods or, as the people who live there might say, paving the way for gentrification. Mac's current project is in Ball's End, whose residents are decidedly on the lower-income spectrum, and therefore have been easy to relocate via buyouts, non-renewal of leases, or other methods. The one holdout is Hailey's Comic, which despite its name, isn't strictly a comic book store but a rambling used book store. In order to expedite the emptying of this last storefront Mac decides to employ the personal touch and brings himself to 502 Main Street where he meets Hailey Green, the bookstore's owner, and it's basically lights out. There is a strong element of, if not insta-love, at least insta-lust which quickly morphs into the former, at least on Mac's part, but I didn't mind. Refreshingly Mac isn't conflicted about his attraction to Hailey due to his gender, Mac's been out as bisexual to his friends and family since college, and the sexual attraction isn't really ever in question. Hailey likes/wants Mac (a.k.a. Greg to Hailey) and isn't coy about it. Once Mac starts a relationship with Hailey, he's not only exposed to Hailey's views on life, capitalism, and urban planning, but he also gets to meet and spend time with the people of Ball's End. Lives that were once abstractions in a report are now living, breathing, flesh & blood. This is the source of angst in this story. Mac getting to know those who are affected by his company's projects and Mac wanting to be worthy of Hailey. At heart Mac is a good guy, and he also happens to think that Hailey hangs the moon. This leads him to revise or scrap the way he does business in order to embrace the needs of those already living in these areas and not just the new residents his company is hoping to attract.The story is told from Mac's P.O.V., and very much centers on Mac continually questioning if Hailey would approve or what would Hailey do? He shouldn't worry so much. Hailey is also just a good guy trying to do, what he believes is the right thing. To that extent he's been using the bookstore as a community center that covers everything from after school babysitting to an informal AA meeting place. The only thing he hasn't been able to do is turn a profit, because he's terrible at business. Anyway these two men, who on the surface are opposites, make a pretty good whole. I enjoyed that their external appearance didn't restrict who they were in the bedroom. As usual [a:Tanya Chris 15067939 Tanya Chris https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1477705931p2/15067939.jpg] delivers realistic relationships full of heat and sensuality. I liked that in spite of their radically different upbringings and likely politics, each man respected where the other was coming from, their goals and motivations. I only have two quibbles with this story which can absolutely be ignored by everyone else. One is Hailey himself. Granted we know him from Mac's P.O.V., but he seemed almost too perfect. Also I questioned his decision to plant his flag in a mostly minority neighborhood. I'm not a particularly PC person or at all, but it struck me as a bit of White Savior or White Martyr? I'm not saying his intentions are nefarious or any such thing, far from it, but maybe making the character something other than a white guy looking for purpose amongst underprivileged minorities would've sat better. My second quibble is said minorities. Some of them seem to exist to prop up Hailey's bonafides as a do gooder or as part of Mac's education in social diversity, and the other part had a whiff of the Noble Savage. I'm sure I'm wrong but it did cross my mind. Of course you can skip my previous paragraph and just enjoy a sweet story about two adults who find a way to live in each other's different worlds, and enrich each other's lives because they've fallen in love. Isn't that what we all want in the end? Merry Early Christmas. xoxo
This book had me revisit a conundrum which I've had in the past: “is it possible to like a book when you dislike one of the MCs?” Sometimes the answer has been YES, particularly when there's another to balance it out or the story is particularly riveting. Sadly, in this case, the answer is a no. Not an ALL CAPS no, but a no nonetheless.This is a sequel to [b:Faking It 6610856 Faking It Elisa Lorello https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347357268l/6610856.SY75.jpg 6804841]. It picks up 5 years after the events in that book, and I can't really recommend it as a standalone. Andi's husband, Sam, has died and practically the entirety of this book is a journey from paralyzing grief to living again. So not really a romance. Thankfully I haven't lived through such an experience, but most of the stages Andi goes through seem pretty authentic. My problem is that, besides her mourning, Andi comes off pretty much as selfish and unempathetic to anything but her own feelings. David, her ‘tutor' from the last book, unexpectedly comes back into her life, and they sort of start up a relationship. A very unequal one in which David is willing to lay everything on the line, but Andi can't even pay him the courtesy of addressing him by his name. I know many, and clearly the author too, will pull out the “Andi is grieving” card, but it goes beyond that. Grief can be an all consuming thing, which something Andi has always resented her mother for, how she shut down after Andi's father died. If she knows this, if she's not ready to be open to anyone else, why string David along when she knows he wants so much more? To make matters worse, in this outing of Andi and her world, reiterated what I felt about her in the last book. She's one of those women, written by the author as wonderful, though she doesn't know it (super coyly), but I don't know. Andi seems more like the girl who has always been pampered and cared for by men: her father, her brothers, her husband, her male friends. Not her fault, and I'm not complaining, but it makes her define her life (and most of the women in this series are characterized the same) by the men in it. She has a PhD, she's a published author, she's a well regarded professor, and yet she's still holding a gripe over a boyfriend who broke up with her over six years ago (frankly I thought he had good cause), obsessed over her body, snippy about other women, particularly if they flirt with men she's claimed as hers, (but not really) etc. Save for two female friends, Andi's attitude towards other women can only be described as catty, even with her own mother. In her perception all women look down on her, or are trying to flirt/steal her man du jour. Wore is Andi's/the author's double or triple moral stance on sex, specifically slut shaming. David/Devin can never overcome having been an escort, it's something Andi never wastes anytime throwing in his face whenever she's feeling pressured. She's a “bring a gun to a knife fight” kind of girl. In her mind David is always “Devin The Escort”, and she's not being charitable when she says it. The women who used David's services where either taken advantage of by an escort, or shameless hussies, not grown women with agency and sexual urges or fantasies of their own, which they acted on. The fact that Andi herself used David, and has him to thank for her “sexual liberation” is irrelevant. She's downright cruel and selfish when it comes to David, to the point of telling him that she will always be Sam's wife even if they are together, but the narrative is meant for us, the readers, to be on Andi's side. She's the heroine of this story. I didn't buy that ticket. I understand sorrow, loss, and grief but it doesn't exempt you from being a decent human being. If you find you can't manage those things maybe it's best to not socialize, much less romantically tether someone to you.As always YMMV and I'll probably listen to the 3rd book in the series, because I like [a:Cynthia Barrett 6979965 Cynthia Barrett https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s narration, and I'm a completist nut.
4.5Oh stealthy NA-M/F book, sigh. You almost had my full heart, but of course something had to happen. In this case the three penultimate chapters dimmed what could've been a 5 star read for me. I can't say how/when I got this book, probably part of my usual troll for good narration, and in that area it was aces. [a:Julia Whelan 2939944 Julia Whelan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1502403474p2/2939944.jpg] delivers a pitch perfect performance of a, IMO, pretty original (at least when it was published) story about new beginnings and loss.Julie Seagle, and ordinary girl from Ohio, is starting off her freshman year of college in Boston on the wrong foot. The off-campus housing she had arranged turned out to be a Craig's List fraud. Rescue comes in the form of her mother's former college roommate, Erin Watkins, offering temporary, later long term, lodgings in her home. More directly it comes in the shape of Erin's son, Matthew “Matt” Watkins, an unabashed geek, with the T-shirts to prove it, picking her up, and bringing her to Watkins' home. The Watkins family, made up of Roger & Erin, and their three children: Finn, who's away, Matt, the aforementioned geek, and Celeste, who's different. There's something going on with the Watkins clan, that a reader will probably pick up on sooner than Julie, but that's to be expected. They work really hard at deflection and she's young. I really liked this group of people and I liked how the story was told. I loved Matt & Celeste. Julie herself was a very cool chick, until the BIG REVEAL happened. I get that she's a young person, having the rug pulled out from under her, but the duration of her UPSET seemed more to do with the requisite “the H has done a bad thing, and needs to do some appropriate amount of groveling for the h's forgiveness”. It was out of character for the Julie we'd come to know, making her a selfish and un-empathetic person. It was “Matt did Julie wrong and must pay.”, when all Matt was doing was trying to hold his family together, and care for Julie, even when she didn't know or care to acknowledge the smart, geeky young man with the goofy T-shirts and unwavering love for his sister.My other gripe is how quickly and easily Julie seems to dismiss her hometown life, including her mother, who seems to be such a good person. People change when the go away to college, but this seemed too much too soon. Also a paragraph or two dealing with her father, his relationship with Julie's mother, and his relationship with Julie herself wouldn't have been amiss. If you like NA this will be an absolute win, and if, like myself, you rarely venture into this genre, you might be pleasantly surprised.
This is Bk.2 or really part 2 of the story started in [b:Joey 43840065 Joey (Joey, #1) Angelique Jurd https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549346067l/43840065.SY75.jpg 68226176], you should definitely read them in order. I won't say much about this the story, except that, IMO, [a:Angelique Jurd 4897728 Angelique Jurd https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1489646784p2/4897728.jpg] quite realistically portrays someone suffering the aftereffects of domestic abuse, if you can even call Joey's past relationship a domestic one, and not some kind of hostage situation. His inner monologue and how people react to him and his story are, sadly, on target. The story picks up 3 months after the first book and Joey is starting to feel comfortable enough to trust Rick's love and acceptance of him just as he is. Of course the inevitable happens, and though my blood thirsty self fantasized vengeance scenarios, AJ opts for something closer to reality, given who Rick and his friends are. Damn her! I joke. She gets it right, and doesn't stray into Hollywood style comeuppance. The hurt/comfort in this story hard earned, deserved, and believable. Also satisfying.For those going into this series expecting DaddyDom/little play or even regular D/s, there isn't much, except for Rick occasionally using his Dom voice, mostly to help center Joey, whenever he's spiraling. And that's an excellent choice from the author and Daddy Rick. He can see that that's not what Joey needs at this stage of his life, and he's mature enough as an individual to give no head space to labels. They're just word. I can say that I unequivocally love Rick, and that, given my usual feelings towards Doms, is huge. I understand a third book is meant to be forthcoming and I'll be looking forward to it, but this one left me quite happy as far as Rick and Joey are concerned.
Well ... there was nothing wrong with this. I think [a:Sage Whistler 1386480 Sage Whistler https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1378588304p2/1386480.jpg] pretty lives in the twincest market, but the fact that it took me five (5) days to read this is a sign that I was, if not bored, at least not interested. And being bored by twincest is not something I thought I'd ever utter.The problem is that there really is no issue between Gabriel & Tristan. Yes, they were separated for seven years when Gabriel left home at 17, because Tris was a)17 , b)not yet attuned to his sexuality, c)under his parent's thumb. Once he's reunited with Gabriel, after some harsh life experiences, which frankly seemed like a bit much for a 24 y.o., there's a brief internal struggle by each of the twins, thinking the other won't want him. That is overcome fairly quickly, and later the people who do find out are entirely accepting. All of the drama llama has to do with hateful parents and disgruntled exes, stuff I wasn't interested at all, and while the parent drama is, sadly, very real, the ex drama seemed plucked out of a daytime soap. In any case, with some liquid courage and a better mood YMMV.
4.5 Heart Eyes
This is a super sweet story of a man crawling out from abuse and possibly finding love and a safe shore. I hearted it. Big time.
Joey Harkin, 6'3”, is 27 y.o. and just managing to get his bearings after escaping 8 years with an abusive ex who disguised his sadism, cruelty, and insecurity as a D/s relationship. He works as a project manager in a prestigious Chicago advertising firm, and after things go haywire on a campaign, he comes to the attention of one of the firm owners, Rick Southwell. Rick is 45, a Dom, and a bit jaded about love and relationships. Aren't we all? LOL Rick pretty quickly recognizes Joey's submissiveness, but he also senses there's fear and hurt. After some bad stuff happens Rick gets the chance to step in and slowly tries to figure out Joey's story and how he can help him heal.
I loved this. I liked the pacing, I liked the characters, and I liked how they related to each other. I liked that though perhaps this is tagged as D/s and maybe even DaddyDom, none of it really comes in to play as pertains to Joey & Rick. They're not, and may never be, at a stage where Joey can once again feel that level of trust, and Rick is the kind of man who's strong, and secure enough in who he is and what he wants to be there for Joey in any capacity their relationship may take.
I'm jumping right into Bk.2 because I'm a vengeful harridan.
3.00 Disappointed Stars***This may be a case where this wasn't for me, as in it's target audience is probably a younger demographic, one with less romance reading under their peepers, however I don't think so. The cover, blurb, and prologue promised a far different story than what the author ultimately delivers. It's like she lost her nerve or just plain deceived us. The prologue is told from Nicholas' POV. A pretty, sweet, and precocious 14 y.o. New Zealand boy telling us about how, after the death of his mother, he's taken to dressing in her gowns and singing, and how his childhood was ultimately ruined. I was ALL in for what promised to be a different story. Sadly that wasn't to be. When the book proper starts we lose Nicholas's POV, and the narration is taken up from Freda's POV. She's one of those girls who are written as “quirky & different”, signaled by the fact that, according to her, she's curvy, bakes cupcakes, says whatever comes to mind, and prefers to be called Fred. In reality she's a character that could be plucked from the most traditional & square romance ever, dressed up flash. She meets Nicholas when he becomes her new flat neighbor, one she shares with her best friend Nora. Fred's relationships with women is one of the worst parts of this story. She slut-shames, has jealous fits, and generally trash talks every woman around her, including her so-called BFF. These girls would absolutely fail the Bechdel test. As for her saving grace, which is accepting Nicholas' drag persona, is it really so laudable? Shouldn't we implicitly every part of those we claim to love? And isn't it convenient, that besides performing in drag, Nicholas is your garden variety, super hot, super fit, cisgender, straight man. He isn't even bi!!! Even so, when it comes to Nicholas, Freda/Fred acts like every girl in every romance you ever read. I could, on a good day, live with that, but the absolutely callous handling of Nicholas' back story, dispensing with it in three la-di-da paragraphs, Freda's reaction to it, and the author's GOOD WOMAN solution to a harrowing ordeal is unconvincing, at the very least, when not downright irresponsible or even fantastical. As for the technical aspect, I did the audio, by [a:Ali Coffey 3173623 Ali Coffey https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. She seems to be perpetually laughing, and the whole book is narrated in chatty, fast paced way, which does the book no favors. In any case YMMV. This may work for someone with far less romance milage or less cranky. Cheers!
It's a sad, sad, day. Almost incredible, for me. I'm abandoning and returning this at 26%. It's on KU. Yes, a DNF from me. What's the world coming to? I won't rate it, because surely it's not for me, but maybe for someone else, there's an audience for everything. It isn't badly written, perhaps repetitive and hyperbolic, like a Tumblr blog or the lesser entries in AO3, but maybe good for a younger audience. shrug
If you're looking for romance, tenderness, or feelings other than degradation and pain, turn back. Make no mistake, this is an erotic tale, but there's nothing sexy or sweet about it. [a:Aaron Travis 311444 Aaron Travis https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] is [a:Steven Saylor 42919 Steven Saylor https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1394768071p2/42919.jpg]'s nome de plume for his erotic tales, in which sex is distinctly observed from a male POV, and there isn't even a hint of romance. Excellent.Eric Christie is 27, blond, and beautiful. He's the product of a privileged Post-War upbringing. He has just been posted to the American Embassy in Istanbul, part of the Foreign Service, posing as an Interpreter, but whose real purpose is to engage in spy craft. He's still green and being tested, so he's charged with ferrying packages and looking innocent. On one such trip he sees Rezi, a brutish Turkish stevedore, and inexplicably falls under his spell. He starts a sexual relationship with Rezi, but to call what Eric receives from the Rezi as sex is almost misleading. Granted Eric is satisfied with what Rezi does for, or rather to him, but I suspect most of my GR friends would be horrified. I was mostly concerned for his physical wellbeing. Eric becomes a receptacle for Rezi's cock, cruelty, and apparently insatiable sexual appetite. There is zero care for Eric's desires or even a hint of the empathy one might show a roach. Quite frankly I'm not too sure that anyone would be able to withstand that kind of treatment with such regularity and function at any level. On a different level this works as a riff on [a:John le Carré 1411964 John le Carré https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1234571122p2/1411964.jpg] spy stories gone haywire; a Western fetishization of the “other”, in this case a larger than life, in sexual endowment, prowess, and appetite, of the Turkish brute; and as a window into a distinctly male perspective on erotica, so divergent from a female eye. Smells, fluids, and pain play an integral role, and those fluids aren't always of the clean variety. There will be no Happy Ending, but while recoiling, I also ‘enjoyed' this tale of abject abasement and degradation. The writing is that good. I'd also like to sign Eric up for extensive therapy and have Rezi have a visit with Michael from [b:blue light 17616585 blue light Aaron Travis https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1419111367l/17616585.SY75.jpg 24579825]. I did this as an audio performed by [a:Kevin Conner 362927 Kevin Conner https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. Perfect.
1.5Sorrowful stars
In Greek mythology Sirens were beautiful creatures who lured sailors with their song only to shipwreck their vessels. The blurb and cover of this book were that call for me. Sadly the results were the same for me. I crashed hard. cue sad face
I seem to be on a collision course with bad stuff lately, however there's no way forward but trying new writers. The dreaded First Person Present Tense, along with the writer/editor's weird fixation on breaking each sentence into a new paragraph were my first clues that things weren't going to go well.
Here's an example:
I turn to my former partner Officer Cory Ryan, twenty-nine, bisexual, dark-skinned and a Patriot's fan, writing furiously in his notebook ten feet from me in the fare corner. A falling out between us last year led us to working with different partners on separate cases. I blame Ryan's mood swings and lack of patience and professionalism, and the way he handles cases, walking away from interviews and not speaking to me for days later. Six years separate us, and I miss the time we spent together, drinking beer and watching college and professional football games at a bar after work. I stop thinking about our past, as a booming crash of thunder shifts my position, and I jump, startled, and let out a soft yelp.
As you can surmise, a whole book like this can be a chore, and as you saw there's boatloads of infodump which ultimately bring nothing to the story. This could be overcome if it weren't for the MC, Jack Ballinger, weren't pretty much incompetent as a Police Officer, scared of his own shadow (see yelping above), and not particularly likable, if you go by how he treats his bedmate, or how he describes and refers to others.
The coup de grâs of course is police procedural plot written by someone who perhaps has gotten their ideas from bad tv cop shows. To say there's zero verisimilitude to actual police work or cases would be kind. I won't belabor the whole plot, preposterous in the sequence of events, resolution, and Jack's role in it. Also for those still reading, this isn't really a romance. I can't recommend this.
Sorry.
Well ... this was underwhelming>If you've seen the Hitchcock movie Rear Window or read [b:It Had to Be Murder 17826159 It Had to Be Murder Cornell Woolrich https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1419544667l/17826159.SX50.jpg 72578467], the short story it's based on, stop right there. This, I'm sorry to say adds nothing to the narrative. The writing is amateurish, in that ‘first person present tense' which only makes me wonder: “who's the narrator talking to?” Quite frankly I was praying for the narrator and his non-boyfriend to be murdered. The author and his author character are far too enamored with being authors, except they're both bad at it. Sorry, but it's true. I feel awful but I can't recommend this to anyone. Also there really is no romance in this. Just saying.
3.75Oops! Forgot to add my 2cents. I did this because I found it in my Audio Library. How did that happen? Dunno. I'm happy I listened to it though. [a:Cynthia Barrett 6979965 Cynthia Barrett https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] does an excellent job of rendering a credible Long Island accent. The story itself is less of a romance and more of a ‘women's lit'. Andi Cutrone is a writing professor who has come back home to Long Island, after a failed relationship drives her out of Boston. She's teaching in Brooklyn and hoping to become a publisher author in the world of academia. While hobnobbing at a work party she meets beautiful Devin and she's smitten. The only problem is that Devin is a male escort. Over the course of the book Andi & Devin enter into a barter relationship. Andi will teach Devin to write and he will teach her about sex, and how to be at ease in her body. The premise is good and the characters are interesting, however, like always, the female lead sort of disappoints. After being so bold as to hire an escort to sort through long standing sexual hangups, she ends up being quite judgmental and tradition bound as per how she views Devin, and his career choice, but I guess we're all provincial in our own way. I noted there are some sequels and I'll surely follow up mostly because Devin is an interesting character, and I hope the author explores his story further. I'd recommend this if you were a fan of [b:Curio and the Curio Vignettes 30916905 Curio and the Curio Vignettes (Curio #1-6) Cara McKenna https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1467838014l/30916905.SY75.jpg 51752572], similar premise but without the HEA.
Sadist meet Masochist=It Hurts So GoodLeave it to [a:T.M. Chris 17061754 T.M. Chris https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1501426458p2/17061754.jpg] a.k.a. [a:Tanya Chris 15067939 Tanya Chris https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1477705931p2/15067939.jpg] to make a spanking story into something more. I picked this up because it was on KU, and I love TC, but I confess frat boys are a high hurdle for me. When Blake shows up to pledge for Delta Iota Kappa, he has no idea his kinks include exhibitionism, a taste for humiliation, and being something of a pain slut. Luckily Vadim, a senior frat brother and enthusiastic sadist becomes his Big Brother during a 4 week hazing period. Blake's ass gets paddled and spanked but good, he likes it, and wants more. Theses boys find a groove that suits them, and in their own way find a HFN. They're in college after all, Blake is a freshman and Vadim a senior. But what I liked most was that Vadim was a sadist but not cruel, he cared and took care of Blake, in his own casual way, age appropriate, and Blake, though he likes being hurt, he's clear in what kind of hurt is the good kind. He's got agency. Protect your bums.
People need space; families need air; love needs light. Like Mrs. Anastagio always said, “You need enough rooms to love someone properly.”You know that thing, when you have a million thoughts swirling in you brain, pithy things you want to say, but you know you're going to fail? Miserably? That's going to be this review. In my brain I've tried to compose something cogent but I'm not sure I'll succeed. In the meantime, I won't bury the lead: I Loved It!When I started reading MM, this was one of the books I kept seeing recommended and much loved everywhere. I promptly scooped it up, but inexplicably stalled on reading it. Kind of like that present, so prettily wrapped (look at that cover), that you don't want to open for fear of being disappointed or, in this case, my heart, who somehow knew the contents, tried to protect itself. My conscious mind of course knew nothing, because apparently blurbs are written for other people. I bought this on the strength of high ratings, and had an overall notion that it was about firefighters. It is. But it's more too. More, different, and better than the blurb or cover would have you believe.[a:Damon Suede 4656955 Damon Suede https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1356103744p2/4656955.jpg] has written an unapologetically romantic book, but not a cheesy one, he wields language like a painter, and he's not afraid of color.The particulars are that Griffin Muir, 31, 6'5”, 245 lbs., firefighter, and part-time bouncer, has been feeling some kind of way about his fellow firefighter Dante Inigo Anastagio, 30 y.o., 5'11” (but he likes to say 6'), 190 lbs. Dante is also a best friend, almost brother, ever since the Anastagio clan virtually adopted Griff in his teens. Since the death of his mother, Griff's father basically became an automaton, leading a barren life, living only for work. Meanwhile the Anastagios are the classic Italian-American family: boisterous and always happy to have one more at the table. Welcome Griff. On the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 Griff is working his bouncer gig and keeping an eye out for Dante, who always seems to teeter between one scrape or another. Dante's latest plan to get out of debt and not lose a ramshackle house he's been restoring, bit by bit, and nail by nail, for years, is to do a little “work” for a porn site called Hot Head. At this point I had to take a breath and pause. The story is told from Griff's POV, and when he starts reminiscing about his, and the whole FDNY's experiences during that fateful day I had to choke down tears. I'm doing it now. Some memories live right on the surface of your skin, you can't unsee some things, and you can't forget. Damon Suede managed to evoke the feeling of that time and place, without cheapening the emotion or coming off as manipulative ploy. That same quality is what elevates, IMO, what could've been a GFY, hot, brawny, firefighters in love/lust to something else. The characters and the story are anchored in authenticity. You can't fake that. The Brooklyn neighborhoods, the FDNY culture, the New Yorkness of it all. Anyway, one thing leads to another and Griff finds himself “helping” Dante with his Hot Head job, because there's nothing he won't do for his man. Of course we find out that Griff isn't the only one harboring more than fraternal feelings. I loved that though Griff and Dante have been strictly heterosexual (Griff was even married at one point) their coming together isn't super loaded with “what am I now?” angst, only “does he feel the same?” questions. Griff is worried, rightfully so, about losing his friend and adopted (real) family if his feelings are revealed and, as he expects, unrequited, but though he can't not love Dante, he's also willing to wade the waters as a newly out gay man. Later. He has, as Mrs. A says, an open heart, a big open heart, that just shines through in everything he does. Dante, the ultimate hedonist, doesn't really care about a label, he just wants Griff, sometimes to the point of being annoying, but he's not my boyfriend, and Griff seems to like it. I really appreciate that, once they're together, Griff is very clear on their new status as gay men and will keep Dante in line. There will be no wishful identity erasure here. Though we leave Dante & Griff in a Happy Bubble of New Love, the rose colored lenses are worn on purpose. They live firmly in this world with the good, bad, and ugly. They've seen it poor Tommy. This is Brooklyn, not quite so gentrified, this is the FDNY, officially accepting, but who knows? but they're willing to take the risk. True love is worth it. And maybe they can have Griff's dream:“Suddenly, with perfect clarity, Griff could imagine what their son would be like. His and Dante's. He'd have Dante's humor and looks, Griff's height and heart, and no fear of anything inf the fucking world. He'd be strong and thoughtful and silly and kind-the kind of kid that other parents were jealous of, a boy to win things and climb mountains.”I really liked all of the side characters that gave life to this world and particularly The City as this living thing. I loved how Dante's house (and to some degree The Towers too) was a metaphor for this life they're beginning to hatch. Together. Okay. I'll stop. I'll just add that if you happen to stumble upon your own personal Griffin Muir be smart like Dante and don't let him go. They don't come around too often. About the Audio I did the audio too because it's part of the Romance Package. [a:Charlie David 2895612 Charlie David https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1461856493p2/2895612.jpg] does the AB and he's not bad, but not quite the voices of Griff and Dante I have in my head. He does a valiant effort at Brooklynese but I'm not sure he succeeds, and his voice is perhaps to “refined” for these FDNY guys. But it'll do in a pinch.
3.5I went in to this because I liked Bk.1 [b:Lick 18873617 Lick (Stage Dive, #1) Kylie Scott https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1429351487l/18873617.SX50.jpg 25216800], and I'm trying to finish series I've started. I didn't hate it, but it could've been trimmed by about a third. This is Mal's story. He's drummer in the band, and he had a lightening effect in the first book. Don't know that his story required a full length book. A nice novella would've sufficed. Also the blurb is a bit off. Mal doesn't NEED a fake girlfriend. He makes up the ploy to spend time with Ann. Ann is one of Ev's former neighbors, and though not quite a friend, she gets invited to a party at David & Evelyn's apartment. Like Ev, Ann is a nice girl, who had to be a parent to her younger sister when their mother emotionally checked out. She now works at a book store, and holds a low-lit torch for her boss & friend. Mal is, in his own way, a fixer a situations and people. He meets Ann and takes a shine to her, which he disguises as a “rock-star-needs-a-fake-girlfriend” scenario. He is, going through a difficult time in his life, which I felt ultimately got short shrifted, or almost used as a prop, but other than that he's a regular guy. A drummer with lots of manic energy. He and Ann click well together and there isn't any major conflict, which is fine, I like that. They share a sense of humor, and neither of them is too precious or sensitive. The sex was good and positive. Win. [a:Andi Arndt 6746963 Andi Arndt https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1381410479p2/6746963.jpg] got me through this but by hour 6 I think even she was tired. Again, I liked the general story, I just felt like it would've been way better if it were shorter. Sometimes less is more. It truly is.
[a:Sean Azinsalt 18934005 Sean Azinsalt https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png], is a ‘new to me' author, who also writes as [a:Shane K. Morton 15148576 Shane K. Morton https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1459972048p2/15148576.jpg], and this is Bk.11 in the CRIMINAL DELIGHTS series. I don't think (I hope) the reading order matters. I haven't read the others, but I think it's more of a thematic link, rather than continuing or interconnected stories. The theme being love or rather lust in the dark alleys of the soul. I liked this one.Mark Edwards is a stereotypical, but no less authentic, NYC gay man. He works as the lifestyle and fashion editor for an online magazine, and though fit and good looking, he's on the verge of a nervous breakdown because he's turning 40, which is like 60 in gay years. He's not wrong, and he's also endearingly self aware. You can't hate him. To portray him otherwise, particularly in his line of work, would be false. Rescue, destiny, or a curse, depending on how you look at it, comes via a work assignment. Mark is the research guinea pig for a series of articles, he himself will write, about a company called Youthology which promises to reverse the effects of aging by the transfusion of blood from a young, vital, and healthy person directly into the veins of their clients. As you can imagine things take an unexpected turn. I liked the author's grasp on the geography and culture of the city, while also not getting super specific. I liked the interactions between Mark, his friends, and his work colleagues. It helped ground a story that, for some reason, had me both in mind of a vampiric folk tale, cannibalism, and [b:The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 51496 The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Robert Louis Stevenson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1318116526l/51496.SY75.jpg 3164921].Even though he has some doubt as to the science of the treatment, Mark proceeds, and at first things are even better than he would've hoped for. His energy and vitality are skyrocketing, he's become a gym rat with the body to prove it, and even his sexual proclivities have changed. Bottom to top. However there are additional, unexpected, and unwelcome changes too. It would seem that Mark is taking on, not only the physical attributes of his ‘donor', Nick, but also his dark dreams and desires. Nick is not a nice guy. Will Mark remain a nice guy? Define nice. We all do what we deem is right or necessary. Are Mark's decisions prompted by the alien DNA living in his bloodstream, or where these latent qualities given a nudge by Nick's blood. Given that Mark was given a choice of picking his ‘donor', after reading bios and seeing pictures, was his choice of Nick a reasoned one or the call of something deeper? The author doesn't answer, or even directly ask many this questions, but reading this did prompt them in me along with a light meditation on free will, narcissism, and the different shades of right and wrong. Not a bad way to spend a few hours.If you came for the smex, it's here! Brutal, raw, and most of it skirting the edge of bad/wrong, but who am I to say, when it's what the participants want? There isn't much romance, this series isn't about that, though you could argue that the dark roads Mark takes are prompted by love or obsession. To each their own. This could use a once over by an editor to fix weird switches in tense and assorted distractions.
2.5 for Iggy & Teddy's narrationIf you have any kind of attachment to truth or reality this might not work for you. I don't know how I ended up with this book, probably lured by [a:Iggy Toma 13543759 Iggy Toma https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and [a:Teddy Hamilton 15007880 Teddy Hamilton https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] as narrators. It's a sad, sad, sad, day when neither of them could make me like this, but it's entirely my fault. This is just not a type of story that I enjoy, perhaps because some of themes explored are familiar to me in RL, and I feel like they're trivialized or sugar coated to fit in the romance box. That's not necessary. Romance is expansive, and can honestly deal with all sorts of subjects.This story is part of a m/f series, which I haven't, nor will, read. Many names from those books are mentioned, but you can read this as a stand-alone, with zero problem. I did. My problem wasn't following the story, it was everything else.Jason Vega is somewhere over 21, but under 30. He is and has been (apparently forever) a prostitute, currently under the control of an omniscient & evil pimp, who, because he's obsessed with him, regularly has him beat-up, (ruing the merchandise makes zero sense), and plied with drugs. Jason is perpetually cold, hungry, and bruised. Added to Jason's orbit of obsessed fans is Raine Storm (YES. THAT'S HIS NAME).At the beginning of the book Raine is just turning 21, but everything about him speaks of a different age and probably gender. And I don't think it's because he's one of those “wise beyond his years” characters, but rather because, IMO, the author doesn't know or care how a 21 y.o., son of grifters, raised rough, brother of a tattooist, gay man would/should behave, think, or speak. According the story Raine, and his older brother, Ocean, (YES. THAT'S HIS NAME) were raised scrounging for cat food in a trailer park. That kind of rough. I believed ZERO of this. Raine has been fixated in a love/hate thing with Jason for a few years. Circumstances finally bring them together, and Raine gets to be a White Knight etc. etc. etc. I read all sorts of claptrap and have little difficulty enjoying most of it. However, and perhaps I'm in error, I felt like the use of prostitution merely served as window dressing, or grit, being as the larger world of the series involves an MC, and tattoo artists, who live outside the picket fence grid. The lives of prostitutes, male or female, those who've had to resort to this line of work early in life, because they have no ‘family', addiction, and homelessness, or a combination thereof, is no walk in the park, and the glossing over of the real devastation to mind and body just makes me a bit crazy. The only real note Jason doesn't get hard with clients soon gets cured by that old standard, Magic-D. Raine & Jason fall into a relationship of sorts, that's always fraught by misunderstandings, because they never talk, and Raine lusting after Jason even when what he clearly needs is a warm bed & food, or acting like 30 y.o. ready to set up house and live a HEA, when he's a 21 y.o. wading into his first relationship. To top it off the villains were ludicrous, the climax was from a bad B-movie, with a version of the Russian mafia lifted from some tween's Tumblr account, and cameo appearances by characters from other books in the series, with names like Riot, which will pretty much guarantee I won't be reading any further into the series. Thanks to Iggy & Teddy for seeing me through. As always YMMV.
4.5This is Bk.2 in the Mr. & Mr. Detective series, and while not absolutely necessary, I'd say you'll get more bang for your money if you read them in order. It wouldn't be a hardship.The story picks up three years after the events of the last book, and I'm both happy and chagrined to say that John & Jason continue to be the same knuckleheads from Bk.1. They're settled into their own brand of happy: Jason not only accommodating, but also maybe getting off on John's peeping perv kink, and John obsessively worrying & watching over Jason. While they've managed to mesh and meld their home life and their different, but complementary vocations, they also manage to not talk about anything. How or why, you may ask? I did too! It makes no sense, and yet, I can't say that it's unrealistic. Frustrating and annoying, but it fit the characters that Alex Jane introduced in Bk.1. They weren't changed by the magic of love, which I appreciated. Also, to be fair, Jason doesn't talk, but John doesn't ask, both afraid to shatter their corner of heaven. Can't say I blame them. In the midst of mundane detective and computer work, John & Jason get involved in the case of an amnesiac kidnap victim. Involved as in bringing him home and things get interesting. In the meantime Jason's past, which has been hinted at, resurfaces, and it ain't pretty. Like in any good detective yarn, everything's connected, but happily not with a connect-the-dots simplicity, more in a plausible and satisfying way. I won't say much more about the plot, because I'm not a douche and it's a fun ride. [a:Alex Jane 14981369 Alex Jane https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1455534586p2/14981369.jpg] doesn't write cookie-cutter plots or characters, and I love that. The story isn't perfect, the characters could use tweaking, and the Britishisms (see my review of Bk.1) could be easily fixed, and yet I'm glad to have found this series. On the home front I was happy to see John & Jason living their lives, as gay men, and not becoming Ozzie & Harriet. I was/am pretty impressed by how well a British author captures NYC, in this case Brooklyn. I liked that Jason is still just a tech geek, (while John is almost a Luddite) he hasn't become some Jason Bourne character. He isn't even a good detective. It's not his job. He's afraid of the bigger bad guys, and will probably always be in the grip of some sort of PTSD after his ordeal. John still struggles with what level of perv is an acceptable level of kink and what is crossing the line. I love that he's still mentally wrestling with true intimacy, on a personal level; that it's something he and Jason are still working on. Like real life. As a bonus, if you read the first book, you'll be happy to check in on Chris, and may or may not be surprised by a plot twist to his story. I wasn't surprised, but I was tickled pink nonetheless. And I am super stoked about the ending. I'm keeping all limbs crossed that the good things promised don't disappoint.
3.5The short and sweet is that if you're looking for a well polished, modern Daddy story, you'll be well served by [b:Intoxicating 46393099 Intoxicating Onley James https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1561220625l/46393099.SY75.jpg 71422284]. I liked it, I just didn't love it, but ... maybe I was just being pissy. This is the story of a ‘poor little rich boy', unloved, and uncared for by his father & mother. His father is a Senator from Florida, a member of the religious right, who's up for re-election. His 22 y.o. son Wyatt is nothing but a source of embarrassment, being gay and all, which prompts the Senator to hire a ‘minder' for Wyatt. Lincoln Hudson, a Marine recently returned from tours of duty in the Middle East, is the third try. It turns out that he and Wyatt are a perfect fit. Wyatt has needs and Lincoln wants to care of ALL of them. I think my problem was that I felt like this was more the result of good market research rather than a story that lived in the author's heart. We have:virgincuttingmake-up wearing boy who wants to do YouTube tutorialsreturning soldier with PTSD, and flashback nightmaresreligious conversion camps, the hypocrisy & horror of themsexual kink, in this case Daddy/baby boy etc.Surely I'm wrong, and I do understand that ultimately this is a business, but it just left me a bit blah. On the other hand I would be interested in Linc's boss Jackson, and the adventures of Wyatt's girlfriend Charlie, she's a hoot. Maybe I'll revisit this and like it more. :D
4.5 Happy DanceDetective stories, whether P.I.s or Police, are probably my favorite and I'm super happy to have found this one. In many aspects this a pretty standard “former cop becomes a P.I.” story, but with a nice twist. One person's perversions can be someone else's kink. John Right is a former NYPD who was forced to retire after being injured in the line of duty. To keep busy, and get out of his house & head he's been doing night time security at the offices of a pharmaceutical company, that it also affords him the opportunity to indulge his voyeur tendencies is a bonus. If he has more than watched (as in recorded & jacked off to the images of a young guy who chains his bicycle outside the office everyday) it's no one's business. Until the guy disappears, and John's perversion or obsession is the thing that will save him (Jesse/Jason/Jay)'s life. The way they get to know each other is slow, sweet, and believable. There's also a palpable, smoldering, attraction between the MC's and when they finally ‘get together' it's nice to see that some of the prescribed expectations are averted. I won't say much more, as the story is worth the ride. I was a happy camper. The story has many of my favorite elements, like age-gap, some size difference, forced proximity, and a far from perfect hero. The mystery is satisfying in its simplicity, and save for the final confrontation with the villain, I enjoyed this off-the-beaten-path origin story. I also liked that the other MC, Jason, despite being the one in peril, and in need of protection, was no wilting flower or hysteric. In fact I can see how his special skill set will come into play in future installments, when John & Jason become the Mr. & Mr. detectives of the title. As a plus the world [a:Alex Jane 14981369 Alex Jane https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1455534586p2/14981369.jpg] has created and the characters that populate the story are all interesting in their own right. The author has left room to explore different angles that can lead to satisfying new installments to the series. I'm looking forward to them. Negligible quibbles that can be ignoredThe writer clearly isn't American (which I confirmed after I finished) and it shows in certain phrase choices, like: “Jason was sat in bed”, which kind of pull you out of the story, as the characters are all meant to be American, the story takes place in New York, whereas that is a particularly British turn of phrase. A run through by an American reader would easily solve this and a couple of other slips.
2.75 for the story /// 4.5 for the narration
I'm confuddled as to how to rate this. Basically it's a YA, which is not my jam, but despite certain issues I was liking it until the last chapter when ... nothing happens and a bunch of running plot points are left unresolved! This has led me to complain about things that, with a better resolution, I would've shrugged off. Ugh. Below is my list of grievances:
Why is the story set in some alternate universe/time, when everything is essentially the same as current earth? I'm guessing the author thought it'd be best to address issues without naming recognizable people, places, or things but ... I felt like it added nothing to the story.
Why must the author perpetually refer to main characters, Kaleb and Taylor, as “the darker man” and “the blonde” or “the blonde boy”? According to my Kindle search it was 71 times and 329 times respectively. Wow!
Why did the whole soul crest thing figure so prominently and then ended up meaning not much at all?
If Taylor's mom is meant to elicit pity, for this reader it was the contrary. I hated her. Who leaves their child with a mentally deranged person, even if it is his father? Also, are there no social services in this alternate world?
While I appreciated the slow evolution of Taylor & Kaleb's relationship, from enemies to something more, I could've done with like 50% less. Maybe if this was originally serialized, I could see that working, but as a novel, it could've used judicious editing.
Though a big part of this story was Kaleb & Taylor getting close, and eventually feeling an attraction, which apparently had no precedent in this world, it really didn't come to the fore until the last 30%? maybe? and then we get zero about what it meant to anyone else or even themselves. The boys have no instance of self reflection, which I would expect, being that same sex attractions or bondings are unheard in this society. When they finally get together it's not even romantic. There's barely some kissing. The book simply ends, and you'd think maybe there's a sequel, but there isn't, and a postscript from the author doesn't even insinuate that there will be one, nor that it was even an intention. Bizarre.
Anyway ... I won't go on as I can see this working for a teen and maybe that's the target audience. It has good intentions.
Despite the ultimate fizzling out of the story, my rating reflects the kick-ass narration by Jonah Scott. Despite some pacing issues, which are really in the domain of the producer, I. LOVED. IT. Sadly this seems to be his only foray into the narration field. Might he work under a different name? If anyone knows let me know. Please.
3.5Dillon & Lang are now in an established relationship, Dillon's is on the road to achieving his dreams of teaching art, and everything seems to be going smoothly. Except Dillon is experiencing certain ‘health' effects, perhaps related to events in [b:Uncommon Ground 45167472 Uncommon Ground (Aliens in New York #1) Kelly Jensen https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1555755240l/45167472.SY75.jpg 56894492]? This was a nice follow up to the first book, but it does delve deeper into the sci-fi aspect, which is not my bread & butter. But it's well done.I can't say too much without spoilers, even if you've read the first book, so I'll keep it vague and brief. Lang has become more and more aware of the futility of his original mission, and he's trying to figure out what his life will look like when he's not living for the clan. Dillon is just happy that he's finally found a sense of belonging. However it's not all smooth sailing, quite the contrary. Members of other Jord clans have taken an interest in Dillon and the guys will have to do battle for their HEA against forces greater than themselves. To my mind this read less as a romance, the guys are clearly already in love, they're IT for each other, even if the words haven't been exchanged, and they know it. It was more like an action adventure tale with aliens. I did like that the motivations of the aliens wasn't due to some malevolent plan, but rather beings functioning within their societal norms, and the ones we do get to know are full fledged characters, flawed and perfect. I'm sure lovers of sci-fi will get better mileage out of this.
2.75I really don't know how this book came to my library, some Audible sale? Sleep deprived shopping spree? Confusion? Not sure. In any case ... my 15 y.o. self would've liked this, but even she would agree that this needed to be pared down by half. At least. It's 12:40hrs. and about 600+ pages. I got through maybe half in audio, listening to it piecemeal, and only because [a:Andi Arndt 6746963 Andi Arndt https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1381410479p2/6746963.jpg] is a rock star narrator. [a:Joe Arden 8285266 Joe Arden https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] does the male POV, and though I didn't hate I didn't love it. Andi could've narrated the whole thing. However my interest waned and I just wanted to finish, which required “reading” or in this case lots of skimming. The story isn't bad, but it isn't riveting either: Ordinary (read gorgeous but doesn't know it) college girl meets, mysterious, brooding, super hot rock star at a wedding. She treats him like a regular person, they spent an inordinate amount of time together, he's smitten, he flies her to Europe to tour with him, and they fall madly in love. The End. It's fine. The characters are likable, there aren't any major miscoumunication problems etc. but ... I really don't need what amounts to an almost word for word transcription of every conversation between Jake and Casey or Casey and everyone else. Less would've definitely been more. Or maybe it just me. YMMVThe one thing I flat out didn't like or buy was the details about the kidnapping story and Jake's subsequent treatment in the press seemed a bit farfetched and the story didn't seem to add anything to Jake's character/story. IMO the story would've been fine without it or treated in a different manner.