Annery

Nate is a happy-go-lucky kind of guy who just wants to love and be loved in return. To belong without ownership. No monogamy or jealousy in his game. At 26 he's like a great big puppy, without an ounce of guile or a mean bone in his body. I loved him. The problem is how society at large perceives people who are into open relationships: “unfaithful, disloyal, unloving, sex fiends” who at best can't make up their minds or at worst are manipulators. In Nate's case nothing can be further from the truth.

I really enjoyed this honest and somewhat hopeful portrayal of what an open & poly relationship can be like when the parties are coming from a place of honesty, respect, and love. It's like a glimpse of Utopia for those who like to share and share alike.

Apparently Nate and some of the other characters have appeared in previous books, which I'll probably check out, but I can't say it's necessary to have read them to enjoy this one. So what's the story?

Nate lives somewhere not-NYC, I want to say Connecticut or NJ?, works construction for his uncle's company, and is a cast member at CENTRAL PLAYHOUSE, a local community theater. He's also considered something of a local Lothario, except he's not. He just has room in his affections for more than one person at a time. Nate believes in and practices free love. He cares deeply for the well being and satisfaction of his partners, who until now have all been female. He has never thought of himself as other than heterosexual but things are about to change.

During the audition and rehearsals for a local production of Othello he meets and befriends Joshua, who pretty much immediately becomes a protector and a source of comfort when Nate is feeling unsure or low. There's a spark. Even though at first Nate only recognizes it as friendship we, the readers, see the undercurrents pulling him in further. The initial lure is Joshua's wife Sherry, a singer, a free spirit, and all around fun person. Nate starts coming around mostly to “sleep” with Sherry, with Joshua's approval, but he stays because he feels at home. Joshua cares for him by cooking breakfast or just listening to him. Joshua makes no secret of wanting Nate but respects his assertions of being heterosexual.

Nate's journey from being exclusively heterosexual to becoming curious to falling for Sherry AND Joshua is done in such an organic and seamless way that I believed every word. Nate is bisexual. He'd just never thought about it. He'd settled for the standard assumption of heterosexuality. This doesn't mean that he no longer likes women. He does. [If you don't like vaginas this may not be a book for you.] I liked that the author shows how each partner in this triad satisfies a different need for the others: Sherry is the bubbly fun, Nate is the endlessly curious, affectionate, and attention loving puppy dog, and Joshua is the caretaker and glue that keeps them all afloat. Did I mention that I love Joshua? I do. Big time. Nothing could be better than being sheltered by his loving care. Also he's a poet.

The rest of the book is populated by Nate's family, friends, and colleagues from the theater. At first not all of them are supportive or understand. In fact quite a few of his previous sexual partners acted like he'd cheated on them or deceived them. It's a bit disingenuous on their part given that Nate practically has a brand on himself saying no-monogamy. One of them is Deb. Nate's been having an on/off sexual relationship with her for four years! Why? Deb insist on keeping it a secret. She barely acknowledges him in public. It turns out Deb belongs to the monogamy club, which is fine. However she insists that Nate just hasn't found the “right person”, which of course is her. She refuses to be public with their relationship unless Nate promises exclusivity, which he won't. She's pretty horrid to Nate, Joshua, and her friends in general. Her behaviour is somewhat excused & pinned on bad family history and alcoholism, but in vino veritas. To me she was just part of the ubiquitous moral police who will always look with suspicion on those who opt for another road. Ugh!

Thankfully I can say that Nate, Joshua, and Sherry reach a “work-in-progress” HEA that works for them and worked for me as reader.

I'd recommend this to anyone. Even if you're not a sharer Tanya Chris beautifully shows how a relationship like this can work for those who do want to go with “more is more”. How it's not cheating if you're all in agreement about what you want. How the fact of sleeping or having sex with others doesn't negate your love, loyalty, and faithfulness to your partner(s). Maybe it's not for you but you can certainly root and be happy for those choose it.

3.75If you read [b:Catalyst 10335070 Catalyst S.L. Armstrong https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1296231626l/10335070.SY75.jpg 15110879] you should read this. It's a nice, almost lighthearted, check-in with Kasper and Logan. It's a sweet way to let us know that they're still going strong and have found a way that works for them without endangering their physical wellbeing.

4.5

What a breath of fresh air. Here's a BDSM story where the D is a lower-class, uneducated, younger man while the sub is a 37 year-old psychologist who seemingly has everything he could want.

Logan Walker has a blood kink and during a scene at a BDSM club things get out of control. To try and get a handle on his impulses he decides to seek therapy and he visits Dr. Kasper Bromley. It seems like a good idea and in the course of time Logan does learn how to manage his blood lust, but before then things take a turn for Dr. Bromley. It turns out Kasper is a latent sub and not just any sub. He's the kind who so craves to so perfectly please a Dom that he'll withstand any level of pain to prove himself even to the point of danger.

This isn't a lighthearted read but one I would nonetheless recommend. The BDSM relationship explored veers from the traditional and the authors do a credible job of analyzing the psychology of MCs, what they crave, and what they get from their D/s dynamic. I loved that everything didn't happen in a flash but rather over time giving the characters time to develop and find their way.

It wasn't a 5 star read for me due to a few things:

I always find it disconcerting to find professions misrepresented. Kasper is 37 and a psychologist and yet I can't say that I would refer any patients to him. His general behavior with Logan is questionable and that's putting it mildly; also one would expect that when he found himself in trouble his first recourse would be to go to his own therapist, but he doesn't seem to have one. See? Not good practice.

As far as the writing I think there could've been a bit of editorial help particularly in sections where there's a change of P.O.V. practically in the middle of a sentence. Jarring.

However you can ignore all of these minor quibbles and enjoy BDSM from a distinctive perspective.

2.75

The very first thing that must be said about this book is that it emphatically is NOT a romance. There are two people, in this case male, who engage in a sexual and what could be deemed a quasi romantic relationship. Claude Vanderpoel repeatedly professes his love for Nick Martin, except he calls him Christian, and Nick/Christian seems to be in a sexual thrall to Claude and more than a bit dazzled by his wealth. Sounds convoluted? It is but not in any interesting way. I'll try to elucidate in the least spoilerish way possible.

Nick is twenty-four, working as a waiter at a jazz supper-club, and trying to scrape enough money together to petition the legal custody of his sick sixteen-year-old sister. He's just getting back on his feet after a few years of somewhat rough living: some drugs, some gang affiliation, some prostitution, some homelessness.

Claude Vanderpoel is one of those dime-a-dozen romance MCs: fantastically rich, devastatingly handsome, and sexually irresistible. Also he's only 27.

One night Claude sees Nick at Jenkins' Jazz Bar, where he works as a waiter, but he keeps calling him Christian. Christian is/was Claude's lover who left him over a year ago. Is Nick Christian in a new guise, living a new life away from Claude? It would seem not. Nick keeps insisting he's not Christian, there's even an un-funny running gag of whether Claude means the name or the religious affiliation when he says Christian. Because that's a thing. SMH. In any case one silly thing leads to another and Nick ends up not only in Claude's uber luxurious Fifth Avenue apartment but also in his bed, on Pretty Woman shopping sprees, and spur of the moment caribbean vacations. Claude keeps calling Nick Christian and though Nick is pretty adamant that he is not Christian he continues to go along with Claude and whatever he doles out. None of this is particularly scintillating. I lost interest or knew where this was going pretty quickly. I really don't know what category this would go in, mystery? suspense? Maybe. It's not terribly good as any of those but not horrendous either. The reasons for my low rating may be inconsequential to others who know zero about NYC, but I couldn't/can't overlook them. Here goes. I may get ranty.

Going by the use of technology the story seems to be set in present times and Jenkins' Jazz Bar is located in Harlem. I don't know what 70's Charles Bronson movie the author used to base The City on, but that stretch of real-estate is currently one of the most expensive in New York and not riddled with marauding gangs, the smell of piss, and random gunshots. Here's a little nugget that just about made me crazy. Claude is in his car following Christian/Nick, like the stalker he is:
”He got to his car and drove to East 116th Street in time for Christian to board the M102. ... He followed it for five stops until Christian got off at the Malcolm X Boulevard stop. Christian kept his hood up, ignoring everyone else around him while he disappeared into the subway station. Claude stayed behind him a good distance as he took the Number 2 subway line to wherever. Claude was familiar with the route. He knew the stops and the time frame adequately. The farther he drove, the worse the area became. Poverty, high crime, and drug addiction were leading social problems in that corner of the world. Public housing units filled almost every block. Claude pitied the sad souls who called this place home. He spotted Christian exiting the station on 96th and Broadway. ... How could Christian possibly have made a living down there? Watching his back every second to make sure to make sure it wouldn't be stabbed? He passed all manner of homeless people and shady characters. Trash littered the streets and graffiti covered multiple surfaces.
That's some straight out of Escape from New York fantasy. I'm sure that denizens of Manhattan's Upper West Side, among them Columbia University and the Museum of Natural History. Here's a peek from Zillow at the current real estate: W. 96th Street.

Next we have this gem, Nick/Christian and his friend Eric go to visit Nick's sister Amy who's in the hospital, and they depart from East Harlem:
”The train ride took ninety minutes to get upstate, to the New York Med, the hospital where Amy was being treated. Nick exhaled a cold breath as he peered up at the large white-and-brown building.” “I hate the Bronx,” he mumbled. If not for Amy, he'd never step foot in that borough again.”
So how do I explain two wildly incorrect things in that passage? 1) The Bronx is NOT and will never be Upstate New York, it is one of the 5 boroughs that comprise New York City. 2) Save for some horrible train nightmare, the ride from East Harlem to even the furthest end of The Bronx could not take 90 minutes. It should be 30 or 45 minutes on the outside.

Claude takes Nick/Christian out to dinner and the whole date turns into one of those film fantasies where they have dinner at a five-star restaurant, (the author makes sure to tell what dishes & wine they have), and later head to the Empire State, from which vantage point Claude proceeds to enlighten Nick on local architecture. Sure. That's what New Yorkers do on dates.

Later Claude takes Nick/Christian on a day trip in his yacht which is on a pier on the Hudson river. Somehow that's a two-hour drive going north on I-87! Unless he's anchored up in the Catskills, which would make no sense given all the piers on the Hudson river right in Manhattan. I'm bewildered by the geography of this book.

Sprinkled throughout is nonsense like gangsters referring to the police as “pigs”. The 70's are calling and want their slang back, or this little insight into Claude's genius:
”I studied Economics and Marketing at Yale. I pored over the stock market for several years, so I think I would have enjoyed working on Wall Street. Either that, or becoming a university professor in Paris.”
Sure. Why not.

Claude is 27 and Nick/Christian is 24 and somehow Nick/Christian is always “the younger man”. Claude whisk's Nick/Christian away on a plane and:
”Christian gazed out the window, puzzled by the hot unfamiliar surroundings. “Are we out of the country? Because I don't have a passport. Claude chuckled. “Already taken care of.” He patted his coat pocket.”
How, you ask was a passport procured for Nick/Christian without him knowing about it? I haven't a clue.

I could go on as the idiocies are sprinkled all over but I'll move on to other things that may interest some readers. The story includes kidnapping, rape, and murder on page and references to child abuse, drug use and drug dealing, all of which go pretty much unpunished. I'm all up for dark romances but I'm not sure this would qualify. On the plus side it's not badly written, if at times overly expository, and it certainly fits the slot of different, which turns out to not always be good.

WTF?!?! What just happened? I just got off the crazy train and I'd get back on in a heartbeat.I hadn't read the blurb, because really? it's [a:Cordelia Kingsbridge 5781497 Cordelia Kingsbridge https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1381577348p2/5781497.jpg], so who cares. Somehow I thought it was some kind of political thriller, mostly because my brain tricked me into believing it was the White House on the cover, but it was so much better. It's a thriller/romance about a poor little rich boy and his bodyguard. Deliciously bad wrong and at times utterly ludicrous. I loved it. A couple of pointers to enjoy this at full steam:*Accept that Luca's milkshake will bring all the boys to the playground. And I mean ALL THE BOYS: Old, young, straight, gay, ugly, handsome ... maybe even the dead. It's just how it is and I think it's a glorious thing. *Be ready for a long ass read and I mean Russian novel long. Some of it is repetitive, some may not advance the narrative, but you won't get hurt in the process.*Suspension of disbelief is also required. I mean the level of maturity displayed by Luca, in all aspects of his life, after a bit of internet research he's pretty much a Dom? is possible but not probable. The whole threat to Luca, its origin, and execution? There were bad guys coming out of the woodwork like orcs during The Battle of Helms Deep Whatevs. None of the above ruined my enjoyment of this book.Luca is, much to his chagrin, an 18 year-old enfant terrible. After having been expelled from three boarding schools in Europe, where he's been living in a sort of protected exile after his father was murdered, he's being brought home by his formidable mother. It turns out that Luca is more than a handful and his weapon of choice is sex. Sex gives him power but it's also a crutch. Obviously the solution is making Jacob Ryder the head of his close protection. Ryder is a 28 year-old, decorated army vet who also happens to be a perfect blend of Hulk and Adonis. Those concerned with morality & consent CK has got you covered. This is a super slow burn between Luca & Ryder. They don't get together, not really, until 60% plus. The sexual tension is thick and palpable and there are a couple of beyond flirtatious encounters, but those are tempered by heavy guilt and “never again” on Ryder's part. Luca not so much. In the meantime we get to know the characters, they get to know each other, and particularly in the case of Luca, know themselves. The bulk of the story concerns an ongoing threat to kidnap Luca, but I just took it as fodder or background to the growing and evolving relationship between Ryder & Luca. Flimflam which is logical within itself but ultimately doesn't matter. What I really loved about this story was the undeniable chemistry between the MCs, the sex positivity, the accurate representation of mental health, and it's proper care. That the women in this story were all kick-ass and don't suffer fools. I include in this list of women Evelyn, Luca's mom, who is portrayed as cold or perhaps unsympathetic. In my estimation she's perhaps not the warmest parent, but she has done and will do anything and everything to keep her son safe. As for the rest, she is no more or less ruthless than any other business man. I loved the vast cast of characters, most of whom are competently sketched out: sweet Ashton, Shioban, Morgan, even Jo Spitzer. They populate Luca's world in a credible way. The cherry on top is the sexual dynamic in the bedroom between Luca & Ryder: SIZZLING and perhaps surprising but so, so, so GOOD. My favorite thing: The three little words are never uttered. Not at as such. Brilliant..You can read this at a telenovela pace if you wish but why would you? Take the ride. You won't be sorry.

I'd read this before but hadn't marked it here. I find myself re-reading the original book and it's ensuing shorts because a)I love them, and b)the Engagement and the Wedding stories are up.

Like in the previous stories we see Matt & Aaron growing further as a couple, their relationship deepening. Matt goes through a pretty traumatic experience and despite being with his family it's Aaron's presence that holds him together. They are becoming a family. glee

3.75This is a series that quite frankly I got because of the audio by [a:David Thorpe 444643 David Thorpe https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. It's amazeballs! The book itself is a satisfying continuation of the first. I'd be tempted to say that the series, in general, is Hallmark version of [a:Joanna Chambers 3080608 Joanna Chambers https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1448012889p2/3080608.jpg]'s Enlightenment Series, which is definitely HBO. That's not meant as snark. I love me a good Hallmark movie.There are a couple of sizzling encounters between the guys and we get a little deeper into who they are and what makes them tick. I loved that Oliver is no pushover outside the bedroom and that Vincent is pretty quick to change his tune. You could say everything is on a bit of a fast track, but that's a necessity of the novella length. Overall I enjoyed it.

Oh what a cute surprise! I was in the mood for some dress-up porn and this certainly delivers but [a:Ava March 1978003 Ava March https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1382809684p2/1978003.jpg]actually goes a bit deeper. Nice. The cherry on top is a fantabulous AB performed by [a:David Thorpe 444643 David Thorpe https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. Very nice.Oliver Marsden and Vincent Prescot are both second sons, who for different reasons are overlooked or ignored by their respective parents. They forged a bond of friendship during their school years and now as adults Vincent is successful and outwardly put together, while Oliver is barely holding on to respectability, hanging on the edges of polite society. He's also hanging on to an unrequited crush on Vincent. Through “circumstances” Oliver discovers that Vincent visits a brothel once a month and requests a man. That's music to Oliver's ears, his Birthday & Christmas rolled into one and he gets ingenious. Our boy scrapes together every half penny he owns for the privilege of being the man Vincent uses during his monthly brothel visit. Oliver gets his wish and then some. I don't think it's spoiling anything to say that Vincent's tastes run to the BDSM variety. If you're very invested in modern SSC or other terminology look elsewhere because this takes place in 1822. Even so Vincent takes good care of Oliver and Oliver in return is no shrinking violet. He stands up to Vincent when it counts and shows tremendous courage under pressure. This is a novella so there's a bit of insta-everything, but Oliver's crush/love for Vincent isn't jarring as we have lifelong friendship to justify or back it up. What is a bit rushed is Vincent's about-face as far as his “relationships” with men. He does stop short of any love declarations, just some proprietary “mine”, and Oliver is okay with that. I'll be going on to the next one. I enjoyed this one like my favorite chocolate bar: not too sweet & with some nuts for crunch.

4.5 swoony starsHello M/F romance with grown-up, smart, and relatable heroine!!! I've missed you. Hardly ever see you. Happy Dance I did this mostly via AB, exquisitely done by [a:Richard Armitage 1808790 Richard Armitage https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1294008680p2/1808790.jpg] & [a:Grace Grant 498152 Grace Grant https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. I had eargasms the whole time.I was going to try for a fawning and kick-ass review but that already happened. Here This book was all that and a bag of chips. A romance between adults, full of joy wink, smarts, and sensuality. There are no big misunderstandings, former relationships creeping out of the woodwork, or the couple hung up on what they mean to each other. They now. They say it. Imagine that. People talking: saying what they mean & meaning what they say. I loved everything about this, but particularly the beautiful character that is Joy and the ending was très belle.So why 4.5 and not full 5 stars and more? Because Griffin is forever referred to as a translator and it pains me to say he is not. He's an interpreter. It is my job too. While a person can be both the terms are not interchangeable. I tried to keep it out of my enjoyment of the book but my skin would crawl every time the term came up. Sorry. Everyone else can enjoy this full blast and just ignore my quibble.

How have I read, and re-read this series more times than I've let GR know or than I'd like to acknowledge to myself and not done a review? Am I nuts? Well lets see if I can remedy that.First of all this series of novellas should definitely be read in order as they are in fact they are progression of a relationship. And what a scorching, brotastic, & sweet read it is. The occasion for this umpteenth re-read is the release of the audio edition, done by [a:Michael Pauley 1302332 Michael Pauley https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png]. IMO with each installment the narrator has gotten better and better at who the characters are and the emotions that drive them.Can I say once again how much I love Tad? He's such an adorable dork, as per Scott, and I love being in his head. Going on this journey of self-discovery with him, how, even though it may freak him out he's willing to confront what he always thought true of himself and recalibrate. But mostly I love how he's utterly a goner for Scott even if he can't say out loud yet:“But as bad as he wanted to blow his top, he didn't want this experience to end. This coveted connection. Never had he felt so close to the guy. So inwardly, utterly tethered. And while not long ago, that would've freaked him out, had him scrambling for the door, now he found himself fighting tooth and nail just to make it last.”Tad is coming to terms with what his continual encounters with Scott meanSPOILER He's gay! or at the very least bi. And guess what? He's okay with it, or more like loving it. I won't say too much, but rest assured that [a:Kora Knight 8529860 Kora Knight https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1514682199p2/8529860.jpg]'s brand of scorching HOT & SWEET is in full force. Extra points for the glimpse of a new frenemies couple. Eyeing Kai & Breck

Hallelujah ... I'm free! It's over. At 10 hours plus this was no joke, and ABs are hard to skim through, though I did try. I only persisted because of [a:Andi Arndt 6746963 Andi Arndt https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1381410479p2/6746963.jpg]. She quelled my instinct to slap Saylor, the heroine. I usually like [a:Sebastian York 7266223 Sebastian York https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] too, but his heart wasn't in this and I can't say I blame him.Though I've never read a Nicholas Sparks book, I have seen movie adaptations of his books, and this has that feel, with the enormous difference that a movie is under 2 hours and I can do a number of things while it's playing in the background and this was 10+hours requiring my attention. Ugh.The story kicks off on a bad note. Saylor, the heroine, is aggrieved when she receives an invitation to her former fiancee's wedding. She's mad that he is getting married. Upset that the new couple seems to be using all of her wedding plans. Annoying perhaps, but reason to be mad? Uh ... no. She broke-up with him! Basically she's pissed that when she called off the wedding and told him she didn't love him anymore Mitch, her ex, didn't grovel and beg her to stay. Rich coming from someone who never got over her teenage boyfriend.On paper our Saylor is everything. She's made out of caramel & sprinkles. She's the tall leggy blonde who's still somehow insecure about her looks. She's crazy about baking cupcakes and loves volunteering at pet shelters. Blah blah blah .... The girl who disdains money but manages to hook up with two rich guys. Yeah. In comes Hayes Whitley, international movie star and heartthrob to save the day. Hayes was Saylor's teenage sweetheart. He had the temerity to leave town at 19 to pursue a Hollywood dream. He didn't get back in touch, and that was bad, but doesn't make him a villain. It makes him 19, ambitious, and driven. Meanwhile our girl mourned his absence for four years, to the point of ruining her health. To her rescue came Mitch and she was with him for six years, but apparently halfheartedly so. Clingy much? Her world, (despite the author trying to convince us otherwise) revolves around the men in her life. They protect and coddle her which is nice, but besides the passion for cupcakes, she doesn't seem to have much going on or actual friends. It always rubs me the wrong way when women in fiction not only don't seem to have any friends, female particularly, but compound that by having nothing nice to say for the women in the story. Here we have uptight-Ursula and rebound-Sara and all the catty women at coffee shop or the wedding or the club etc. You get the idea. The whole story revolves around Hayes making up to Saylor for having left and lived a life and Saylor having interminable inner monologues about what she's feeling or thinking, what she thinks Hayes is thinking, what happened in the previous chapter etc. etc. etc. I was bored sensless.

So this happened ... maybe 2.5 ‘cause I'm practicing kindness As we've been made painfully aware a house built on a faulty foundation cannot stand. Maybe I'm asking too much of this book and that's on me. Once again I let a pretty cover and, in this case a good narrator, [a:Maxine Mitchell 7259691 Maxine Mitchell https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], seduce me. I'd dare to say that one star of my review is for her performance. The other narrator, [a:Joe Arden 8285266 Joe Arden https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], is good but ... meh. However this is not about the performers. They did the best they could with what they had.The problem with this book starts with the title and the cover. You see a title like Stuck-Up Suit, coupled with the cover model and you figure, or I did, “we're in for one of those a%#hole, Master of the Universe, hot as all get out MCs”. Well one of those things is true. Graham is tall, dark, and handsome. Oh and he's also a sex god. But as for the other things? No. Yes he is demanding, brusque, and forgets the names of his secretaries (there's a revolving door of them) but he's also sincere, generous, and open. He's the guy who respects his partner's wish to wait to have sex, who after knowing a woman for few weeks is giving her full and unrestricted access to his life and history. He goes on and beyond the call of duty to please and reassure Soraya and towards the end engages in a romantic gesture which is sure to please high school girls from the 80's everywhere. I wasn't mad at that. I was just scratching my head as to who the stuck-up suit is meant to be. Oh yeah. Soraya.Soraya is, or female characters like her, one of the reasons lately I delve sparingly into M/F. Maybe if I were 15 she would appeal to me. Soraya is supposed to be a free spirit: she dyes the tips of her hair according to mood, has tattoos, and piercings. So yeah ... a modern woman. Except it's only cosmetic or on paper. In reality she's a whinny, annoying, stereotype of the soap opera female lead with daddy issues who doubts everything Graham does. She violates his privacy even before she knows him and later feels free to snoop around his apartment. If a male MC did this it would be such a red flag, but sweet Soraya is just being quirky. ugh Towards the end she drops a giant turd which would've made me toss my phone (I was listening on my Audible App) but I saw it coming a mile away. Still the stupid was HUGE. Also I'm sick and tired of female leads described as having big boobs, big butt, great hair and generally curvaceous IG models, going on the faux body shame thing and thinking her man is lusting after a petit blonde he broke up with 4 years ago. Rant over. Having said all that the horrible foundation, which could be unnoticeable to non New Yorkers, is that the whole set-up of the romance is Soraya and Graham meeting on the morning train while they're each headed to work. What's the problem you ask? Soraya lives in Brooklyn. Graham lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. I'll take a pause for the folks at home who are playing along to get out their maps. Got it? There is no possible or logical way that these two would be on the same train if they're coming from their respective homes. Just no. I'm not being dense. I'm cool with Graham, who at 29 manages a billion dollar hedge fund, taking the train. It happens. But Upper West Side and Brooklyn DO NOT intersect. Add to that the train described, a couple of times, seems to be something like Metro North, LIRR or NJPATH, which are commuter lines to Westechester and its environs, Long Island, and New Jersey respectively. It sounds petty but I just tripped on it and then the story didn't deliver. Bummer. Note to self: maybe these authors are not for me. I just realized that they also wrote [b:Cocky Bastard 25772000 Cocky Bastard Penelope Ward https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436524506s/25772000.jpg 45620597], which once again: spectacular cover and good female narrator (male not so much) but I pretty much hated the book. Live and learn.

4.5Happy Dance. A Pretty Cover that didn't fail me!I loved this. It was like one of the better episodes of Star Trek with the fun parts of the original Star Wars thrown in for spice. The world building was great with details revealed in economical language and at a perfect pace. All show and no tell. Sweet. As an extra bonus I also did the audio by [a:Richard Magnus 7031086 Richard Magnus https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and he was excellent.The story of a brothel owner and what passes for a prince in this world is refreshing in that it skips the usual character tropes. Kaz is slight and though he has zero experience likes a dominant lover but he isn't a pushover. In fact, coming from what is basically a mob family, you'd be wise to back him when it comes to a fight. He stands on his own amongst the denizens of the demimonde of Elora Ki, which is kind of like a Wild West frontier town or in this case planet. He courageously takes care of those in his charge: the sex workers in his all male brother Spice ‘n' Solace. On the other end of the spectrum is Jathan One-Moon. He's practically royalty and it comes to him not through physical prowess or military exploits but rather by being a diplomat. Yep you heard it here first: brains over brawn for the win! What a relief. Don't get me wrong. Jathan is what you hope and expect from an MC, he's tall, dark, & handsome and can scorch the sheets with a lover. In fact the one of the reasons he's in Elora Ki, besides handling the annual peace negotiations between the Galactic Alliance and the Ankylos Empire, is to get his rocks off with the entertainment provided by Katz's brothel. I liked how the meeting of the MCs came about, expected but not contrived. I liked how, besides Katz's identity, the men are honest and open about their desires. How, though I like it, this didn't become a BDSM dynamic. I liked, while also hating, that this future world still has people deal with the same bull shit we have to deal with now: politics, coming out, and money. I liked that once things got cleared up, with minimum drama, the guys talk about what they want and expect and find feasible solutions to get their HEA. Yes there is a bit of insta-love but I wasn't hating it. I was convinced of the rightness of this couple and was intrigued by all of the other characters that populate the story. Recommended.

Re-Read/Listen 2/29/20 - 3/4/20To be honest this probably like a 4th go around with Matty & Rob and I did stretch it out for maximum enjoyment. I think I also got to pick up on small things, in no particular order:Martha & George: I'd read a story about how they got together.Bill & Angus: I'd pay $$$ to get their story from the moment they first laid eyes on each other.What's in store for crazy Kevin?How Matty's whole trip to Montana is life-changing experience for him in every aspect: his relationship with Rob, how he begins the long journey of reassessing his life as an athlete, and how he has to constantly check his preconceived ideas. Shouldn't we all do this from time to time?How life on a ranch wasn't sugarcoated as a fairyland of cotton candy & rainbows but rather the realities of hard work, grueling hours, and uncertain outcome. Life.Finally the fact that Matty, and Rob to some extent, use BDSM to address Matty's issues didn't bother me as much as this same thing does in other books. I think it's people trying to do the best they can with what they have at hand, and Rob in particular knows that at best his providing a stop gap for Matty's, sometimes, self harming behavior. I can honestly say that this is a story that I love more with each re-read, probably because LB doesn't sugar coat anything, particularly not Matty, who can at times be a pill. But we love him anyway. All smiles through the tears.********Dork AlertI've had this book for a while, bought it for the cover, and then jumped on the audio as soon as it became available. However I held off on reading until the Olympics because as I said: DORK. All things considered I think it was a good choice. I loved it.Besides the yummy cover and knowing this was a skating themed book I knew little else about the story, and damn was I happy and happily surprised. [a:Leta Blake 6425833 Leta Blake https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1497015011p2/6425833.jpg] gifts us with the adorable and maddening Matty Marcus, Olympic figure skater, who has yet to medal. When the book starts Matty is recuperating from an injury, plotting & planning a return to the ice, and living in his childhood bedroom because he doesn't have a pot to piss in. Rescue comes in the form of a six-month house & horse sitting gig courtesy of a fan. The catch? It's in Montana. Our Matty is a New York City princess through and through or at least wants to be. Alas Matty NEEDS the money and off to Whitefish, Montana he goes. Luckily the romance gods have a reward for him and for us: Rob Lovely. So lovely.I'm guessing by now everyone knows that Matty is based pretty closely on Johnny Weir, or what we know of his public image of course. Leta Blake even thanks Johnny in the acknowledgements at the end of the book. I took it a step further and blended Johnny & Adam Rippon in my romance blender. Delicious. Matty is never without his lip gloss, favorite bag or shoes, and can't be accused of trying to fit in, nor should he. He's his own glorious creation even when it hurts him. It's a good thing that Rob more than likes him exactly the way he is. Speaking of Rob, was ever a character more aptly named? Rob is that dream guy who's effortlessly HOT, can take any and all of your crazy, tie you up & spank you while loving you senseless, and later he'll cook for you. Yep. Surprise! This was BDSM and my favorite kind, meaning non-dungeon, sort of organic in it's inception, and overall sweet. All about the loving in spite of the pain. Despite his city polish Matty is a bit of a hot mess in his head and Rob stepping in and taking charge in the bedroom, and trying to do a bit outside too, is exactly what he needs. I loved Rob's brand of Dom. He hurts Matty because he loves him enough to do so. But only in the bedroom. Outside of the bedroom he understands and respects that Matty is a grown man with an autonomous life. I loved how Rob took care of Matty as much as he was allowed or dared. I love his son, Ben, such a fantastic kid who is sure to grow into a wonderful man. Rob's relationship with his ex, Anja, is heartening in the sometimes misogynistic world of M/M. I liked that Rob had no doubt or confusion as to his sexual identity or preference. And he likes Matty, the glitter bomb, just the way he is. I also loved that Rob had an actual life, with issues of his own that were there pre-Matty and that he functioned and existed in a recognizable world. What to say about Matty? He's annoying, sometimes self-centered, and too much in his head, yet also capable of great kindness, open-heartedness, and sometimes scary vulnerability. The way he gives himself into Rob's care? Beautiful. Everyone mentions their first encounter in the kitchen and yes, yowza! but for me the turning point, where I was convinced that this was love: the bathroom scene. It could have been weird, creepy, gross etc. and yet it was loving, intimate, and profound. I enjoyed or loved every side character in this book. They were all fully rounded individuals and brought depth to the story. I was delighted that the author didn't take the easy route of making everyone in Small Town, USA an a**hole, that would be disingenuous at best or flat out false. In fact the town was a great vibrant character in the book. Matty's family, all wonderful in their own way, Bill and Angus, Elliot, and everyone else. Brilliant. It's clear that Leta Blake immersed herself in skating culture and it shows in every aspect of the book: the politics of the Federation, Matty's eating disorder, the sacrifices families make for elusive skating dreams. Very illuminating, and it never felt like “telling”. I enjoyed how the story progressed and was paced, even the necessary separation in the last third, but perhaps my favorite thing is encapsulated in this quote, where Rob is pushing Matty to eat:“Matty put his arm around him. ‘Yes, well, if that's my punishment ...' Rob rolled his eyes. ‘Yes, whatever. That's your punishment. Jesus, sometimes I'm sure that a shit-load of counseling is in your future. ‘Or you could just keep fucking me sane.'‘Is that what you think I'm doing? I thought I was making love to you.'”Though Rob and Matty are engaged in a BDSM brand of love, Rob at least, never loses sight of the fact that it's not a cure for Matty's issues. They do it for pleasure, because it's their kink, because it makes them happy. Matty has problems that won't and don't go away with magic cock or a good flogger. Amen. I can't fail to mention the amazeballs job done by [a:Michael Ferraiuolo 13467952 Michael Ferraiuolo https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1498214961p2/13467952.jpg] in the audio. He was fantastic.

So apparently I had nothing better to do today and somehow stumbled on this. Not gonna lie. I'd marked it as Want to Read a while ago, mostly for the cover and it turned out to be a nice surprise.

Leon and Thomas meet cute or really Thomas is a bounty hunter and Leon is on the run. Leon gets caught. On the way to Sacramento and as a way to shut Leon's smart mouth Thomas does the only logical thing, which is f*#k Leon's mouth while he has him tied up. It works. It works on a couple of levels. Blow job given or really mouth used, Thomas gets off and Leon starts to get an inkling that he likes being at Thomas' mercy, which is not always kind. Turns out that this roughness is also new to Thomas, tying-up Leon, using him, biting him, choking him and our boy Leon loves all of it. Sexual compatibility or admitting they like dick is not a problem for Thomas & Leon and damn was I grateful for that. Their big hurdle is trusting one another and I really liked how they worked it out. Historically accurate? Probably not 100% but I enjoyed it.

3.5 // 1 1/2 of the stars are for the audio

A few days ago a friend sent me a pic of his late night “snack”: a frosted Twinkie with sprinkles on two scoops of vanilla ice cream. I almost threw up in my mouth because I'm generally the person who skips dessert after diner. Not a sweets lover. At all. And yet ... oh Joel Leslie the things you make me do.

If you're in a generous mood, need to have your hands free, and don't want to engage your brain too much this might work for you. This is basically a Cinderella story of pure, good, and unknowingly talented Sean meeting his true mate Armand, the most powerful (and rich) Alpha in North America and falling head over heels for each other.

I'm willing to accept all the blah blah blah that goes with the creation of this world, where Sean is cavity-inducing sweet and good and so is Armand. That kind of INSTA love is acceptable within PNR romance so I won't gripe about that, however this could probably be about 50 pages long. I don't know exactly how long it is or how well it's written because it was an audio and duh Joel Leslie, who can turn dross into gold. Still there were hours dedicated to explaining to Sean EVERYTHING about werewolves, pack life, mates, etc. The excuse is that Sean has been raised in the human world and thus needs elucidation but it could've been a bit more show and less tell. It felt more like intro information to set up the series. No shame in that but it could've been handled in a different way.

This is as good a place as any to lay out another general gripe, but one which comes to play in this book. Whenever I read a romance where one of the MCs is rich, like beyond millionaire rich, the working class/less financially fortunate MC must strenuously refuse gifts or be uncomfortable living in luxury to prove ... what? Moral integrity? Goodness? Dunno. At one point in this story Sean takes Armand to Costco to buy Halloween candy because buying in bulk will be cheaper. Really? Is it meant to be funny? Because Armand is the CEO of a Holding Company worth billions. Later they go shopping and Sean wants to buy children's clothing at J.C. Penny because they outgrow it quickly and Armand's suggestion of Macy's is shot down as too expensive. Really? Warren Buffet is the anomaly among our current crop of billionaires.

Audio Heaven ... or When a Genius Narrator Makes an Already Perfect Book Better.

When I read Hemovore I was once again floored by Jordan Castillo Price's ability to take a familiar trope, in this case Vampirism, and give it a fresh twist. I loved it and thought it was perfect, especially with the added novella, Sweet. Little did I know that along would come Joel Leslie and his myriad of voices, accents, and characterizations. I fell in love with Jonathan all over again ... and what can I say about Mark? He is our everyman: a clothes snob, with insecurities over his weight and age, yet always hungry. Joel makes us feel where these characters are coming from in a very visceral way.

I stretched out the listening as much as I could because I very much wanted to continue living in that world and have Joel be in my head. I'll definitely be listening to this again. And again. And again.

2.75

In which Nathan, Mike's receptionist from Where Nerves End takes us on an extended tour of Tucker Springs visiting with other characters from the series. It's not painful per se but ... it also doesn't make a romance.

Nathan and Ryan meet after an accident on the trails. Nathan is on horseback and Ryan on a bike. Needless to say Nathan doesn't come out on top. One broken leg and hand later and Ryan is exercising Nathan's horse as a bit of atonement. It turns out that Nathan needs help with more than his horse and Ryan is willing and able to lend a hand. The two get along like gang busters and L. A. Witt goes to great lengths showing them banter, hang out, and generally have a good time. But did I believe this was the beginning of a grand romance? Not really. Two nice, young, and good looking guys feeling a little lust that can surely develop in to love? Sure. That works.

This could've worked much better as a novella, but I guess contractual obligations demand a certain book length and that just watered down a simple story. A simple story can be good. Right. Powerful. This was not.

The obstacle that put in doubt a future for MCs was kind of contrived and silly. Previous bitter break-ups. Boo hoo. Nathan was fun and funny but his out-of-nowhere control issues just didn't ring true. On the other hand I liked Ryan very much: quiet but assertive, shy but bold, inexperienced but no one's fool.

I didn't hate it and I guess it works as a recap of the rest of the series and the set-up for the next/last book. If you're doing the series you can read this in a couple of hours and it won't hurt you.

The Tucker Springs tour continues ... and I'm happy to say we're back on track.This is sweet romance between two damaged people, one outwardly and the other less visibly so, but certainly more profound. Owen is 28 and virtually a shut-in. He has a foreshortened left arm due to a birth defect, the effects of which have been compounded into stuttering, shyness, and low self-esteem due to a truly AWFUL mother. Luckily, since college, he's been living on his own in Tucker Springs, and when the book begins his luck reaches lottery levels. The downstairs apartment in his split-level is being rented by Nick Reynolds, the veterinarian that Paul, from [b:Second Hand 15765658 Second Hand (Tucker Springs, #2) Heidi Cullinan https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1343014602s/15765658.jpg 21469702], works for. This is great news for Owen because Nick doesn't see him as defective and is keen on teasing him out of his self-imposed social isolation. Nick makes him see that there are other people in the world, the majority, who are unlike his AWFUL mother, but Nick's secret weapon in breaching Owen's shell is his sister June. June is a firecracker and is just like Owen, but in her other arm. Unlike Owen June grew up knowing she was loved by her family and she's out to prove she can do anything two handed people can do. This is how she talks Owen into piano lessons and conveniently the piano is downstairs at Nick's place. Nick starts cooking for Owen and otherwise taking care of his emotional needs yet when things start to heat up Nick pulls back. Why? It's sad and complicated. In all the ways that matter Nick is the truly damaged person and needs rescuing from his own demons. I felt gutted on his behalf. I think the subject matters here, both Owen's arm and Nick's situation, are sensitively handled without either trivializing or making them into insurmountable hurdles. Life is life and it goes on. We must live in it. As far as the romance goes I can absolutely see why Owen is drawn to Nick but I'm not too sold on what Nick sees in Owen, an innocence perhaps? Someone to take care of, in a good way? A way to feel useful, needed? Maybe. That can be very attractive, particularly for someone like Nick. I'll go with that. The on page sex was satisfying and when I found myself compiling a list of things they could try I figured this was a sweet romance indeed. I cared about their future. Win. A have a couple of complaints mainly having to do with how Owen took this long to break out, but when you've been undermined all your life I guess that's not hard to believe. However this leads me to Owen's father: his story is sad but sadly true for many people and I can't in good conscience begrudge him the choices he made but I do think he was far too passive in accepting the ill treatment of his son. A son he loves. His regrets seem too little too late. Owen forgives him but I think I'll need some time.As usual I enjoyed seeing some of the guys from other books (hi Adam & Denver) and particularly Paul who continues to be as clueless as ever. Sweet. I'd be remiss not to mention [a:Iggy Toma 13543759 Iggy Toma https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and his wonderful narration. Perfect.

I have to gather my thoughts

This is book 4 in the Tucker Springs series, which I'm reading in order, and though you don't have to, I feel that it's a good idea as previous characters are visited, even if briefly, and others are set up for future books. Having said that mouthful it kind of pains me to say that this one didn't work for me.

This might get spoilerish

The whole premise of this book is an “opposites attract”, dynamic to which end we have Seth, Micheal & Jason's tattooist friend from Where Nerves End and he also appears in the other books. He co-owns a tattoo parlor and lives in an apartment above the shop. He grew up in a family of Christian extremists who disowned him once he came out as both gay and a non-beleiver, so of course his polar opposite is Darren, a Christian youth pastor, who has just moved in next door.

On paper this has the makings of a ‘red meat' romance. One where we're going to roll up our sleeves and get into some maybe unpleasant corners. I live for these things and having come off the high of Dirty Laundry I rubbed my hands and hunkered down. Pretty soon it was clear that I would be disappointed. Every good Space Opera, one-handed smut fest, or fantastical shifter romp has one important thing going for it: a foundation of truth. This doesn't have that.

Seth is supposed to be an atheist and also someone who has been deeply hurt by his family's rejection due to his sexual orientation. I believe the latter but not the former. Atheism is in itself a form of belief, not just saying “I don't believe because my parents rejected me”. Presumably Seth started doubting in childhood and later in college, but this is never fleshed out other than in a throwaway sentence. Seth's atheism seems at worst a conceit for the plot or at best a bratty boy's reaction to having been hurt.

Darren is a Youth Pastor who rents the apartment next door to Seth's. I'm all about sex positivity but damn is Darren quick to jump Seth's bones! I get insta-attraction and insta-lust but for better or worse people in the Pastoring business tend to be a tad more circumspect when it comes to romantic attachments, or at least they should be. Whatever. The insta-boning didn't throw me off, though it also didn't do much for me. In general the attraction between Darren & Seth felt like ... meh? What had me shaking my head NO, NO, NO, was turning this pretty HUGE difference of opinion/belief into a Lifetime movie where love overcomes everything in 90 pat minutes.

My problem: I don't believe these two can last if they are who they say they are or believe what they believe, which for Darren amounts to the same thing. Let's face it, Seth really just has to overcome seeing Darren in the same light as his horrible family and to be honest Darren is far from that stripe of zealot. He seems, at least in his own beliefs, to fall within modern Christian churches that zero in on social work and outreach as opposed to the fire and brimstone preaching. Amen brother! Cool! But ... yep, Darren still is a Christian pastor. Though he eschews most of the Old Testament as parable (yeah!) and the New Testament is all about LOVE and that's AWESOME but ... there's a niggle. Among all of this love there're also those bits about living in God's Grace & resurrection and let's not forget that another part of being a pastor is to EVANGELIZE and bring people to live the righteous path. Nothing wrong with that but also something I don't think can be brushed under the rug and the final resolution to the detente between Seth & Darren is “do your thing, I'll do mine, and I won't ever try to bring you to my side of the aisle”. ... See what I mean? Either Darren won't be long for the pastoring life or he won't be a very good one or he doesn't truly love Seth. We don't know, and here's another problem, it was never very clear, at least not to me, why or what he believes. The only thing that was obvious to me was that he had the hots for Seth and is a bossy bottom. No judgement. On the other hand Seth seems like he can be brought back to the Church with two beers and one good blow job. So there's that. Maybe this will be HEA after all.

I'll stop now. I've said enough or maybe I haven't explained well enough. I dunno. sigh

The writing is fine and Seth's inner monologue is pretty funny. We get to visit with some of the guys and there's a pretty subtle set-up for one of the MCs in the next book. And if you're not riled up, like I evidently was, by what seems a contrived antagonism for the MCs, you may enjoy this as a harmless trifle or a bridge within the series. Also it's pretty short.

Review to come as soon as I chill. Too much floaty goodness right now.

Okay ... I've settled down cracks fingers ... who am I kidding? This is going to be all over the place.

For starters it's clear that I've been doing my laundry in the wrong place or at least at the wrong time. Adam Ellery is an entomology grad student with more than your average problems. He has a cocktail of anxieties, neurosis, phobias, and OCD that do their best to rule his life and yet this wonderful nerd, pushes himself everyday just to get out the door. And he does. I Love Him.

On his latest foray into independence, douchebag frat boys decide to make him their “fun” for the night, however they didn't count on Denver Rogers. Denver who is a real cowboy and doesn't suffer fools or bullies of any stripe: ”Not handsome. Not in the let-me-jack-off-you cowboy porn mag way, at any rate. He wasn't ugly, but he didn't have a marble jaw or anything, and he wasn't magazine slick, not even close. But muscles? Oh yeah.”
Imagine that. A non-Adonis as a Romance MC. At this point I was already swoony over Denver, but the real star of this story, as he should be, is Adam. Adam who is brave in spite of his fears and gives himself to Denver when every cell in his brain is screaming danger. He's in good hands.

It turns out that our Adam has more than a liking for kink, in his case a bit of rough, some humiliation, some exhibitionism, a little bondage, some spanking, and a lot of submission. Luckily Denver is able and willing to give him what he needs. I use the word need on purpose. I'm leery of books that propose the use of BDSM as a cure all, a variant on magic peen. Here that's not the case at all. Adam enjoys his play with Denver, and the submission allows him to turn off his mind and be free, even if just momentarily, of his fears and anxieties, but he is no way cured and Adam knows this. Perhaps one of my favorite things is how he's always questioning what he's doing and how it affects him and Denver too. But he's still seeing a therapist and taking his medications. He's not cured nor will he ever be. OCD is something to be lived with. Forever. Luckily he won't be alone.

Denver is a bouncer at Lights Out, the bar owned by Jason Davis, from Where Nerves End, but despite his outward appearance of invulnerability, he has his own Achilles heel which prevents him from moving on. Luckily he met “a debauched nerd” willing to help him. And Denver is gone for Adam pretty much from the get go. Here he is when Adam shows up at the bar wearing contacts and looking sexy:

“He loved the way Adam felt in his hands, so slight and frail he could break him in two, but at the same time strong, his muscles resisting and fighting before relenting to Denver's touch. He missed the glasses, though.He loved everything about Adam, to be honest.

“Adam went pliant, moving as Denver directed, going soft for him, giving everything to him not just because it was a relief but because it was right. Not a distraction. Not therapy. Giving himself to Denver, obeying Denver –being with Denver wasn't codependency, and it wasn't a crutch. It was coming home.”OR“It was the way Denver undressed Adam, like he was a present Denver couldn't believe he was getting. It was the way Denver held onto Adam's naked hips and stroked his skin like he was velvet, a precious commodity he'd never thought to hold in his hands.”

This Heidi Cullinan story was a total HIT for me in the vein of Sleigh Ride and Iggy Toma hit it out of the park. It will be a re-read for sure.

Icing on this cake of goodness was visiting with El & Paul, who are living their imperfect HEA as adorable as ever. I also loved Louisa, Adam's friend and a woman after my own heart. I'll be saying nothing about Brad, Adam's ex, because I'd have to fight Denver and Louisa to smack him silly. Ugh.

Go and enjoy time in Adam's head. He's good company and you'll definitely at least get some contact high from his encounters with Denver. joy

It's official: I'm moving to Tucker Springs

This is book 2 in the series, I'm guessing the reading order doesn't really matter, but I'm reading in order because ... no good reason.

Here we have El and Paul's story. El, short for Emanuel, is the pawnshop owner and Jason's friend from Where Nerves End, and Paul is a clueless guy who has moved to Tucker Springs for a girlfriend who has now ditched him for another man.

Paul goes to El's shop, at first to buy a gift in an effort to win back his girlfriend, later to get rid of her stuff, and later, though perhaps unconsciously, to see El. Paul is not the brightest bulb, in fact he can be quite dim, oblivious, and down right obtuse. Alas, the heart wants what it wants and El's heart wants Paul. I can see that. I've loved things and people that maybe I shouldn't or whose appeal wasn't apparent to others but, but I had a ball while it lasted. End of TMI.

I liked that, like in the previous book, the story wasn't insta-anything. El is intrigued and perhaps reluctantly attracted as soon as he meets Paul, but he does have a life and so does Paul. They each have ordinary jobs and money woes like everyone else. No one owns a dungeon or has some crippling childhood trauma, the closest thing is El's smoking and Paul's failure to get through veterinary school. I liked that though El's family is clearly Latino, perhaps Mexican, there was no stereotyping. They have many of the same ordinary problems we face in modern America: hoarding, loss, and looking for love when it's in front of us. Yes El's abuela makes tamales but no one has a problem with him being gay. They love him as he is and want him to find a nice boy! Meanwhile Paul is that character we like to complain about when we read fiction: he vacillates, is maybe weak, and wants to ride the safe train. But being honest: who among us isn't like that?

In his secret heart Paul has always had an attraction for boys but after some teenage experimentation let himself be led, uncomplainingly, down conformity lane because he thought it would be easier to be “normal”. I'm not sure where Paul got this idea from as his mom turns out to be an adorable kick-ass lady, who has been reading up on “the literature” for whenever Paul decides to come out and even suggests gay porn viewing for Paul. Maybe Paul is just a shy boy (he totally is) who needs someone to show him love. Luckily El is the right man for the job and he does it with panache. He's patient, he's willing to put Paul first, and isn't afraid to be a little cunning, to play a little dirty to get his man. I loved it. Paul is no rocket scientist but he's sweet, loves animals, and once he gets a taste of El jumps feet first into the pool. No morning after regrets ... not really. He does have those few minutes of maybe mourning? the life plan he'll no longer be on and that's fine. Ultimately this story is about dreaming new dreams when your first ones no longer fit.

Like in the previous book, there were no grand declarations, but there surely were deeds that said I Love You loud and clear. Sweet.

The audio is once again by Iggy Toma and he doesn't disappoint.

Tucker Springs and it's citizens ... just what the doctor ordered.

What a breath of fresh air to read about ordinary people, dealing with the everyday issues we all cope with in some form or other: economic woes, faithless lovers, chronic pain, and maybe a little sexual awakening. LIFE.

Jason Davis is drowning. His boyfriend has left him and saddled him with a mortgage too rich for his pockets. His business partner has left him committed suicide to run what was ‘their' bar, Lights Out, on his own. To add salt to the wound he suffers from chronic and excruciating pain in one shoulder, due to a biking accident. After one too many sleepless nights, due to pain, he takes his friend Seth's advice and goes to see an acupuncturist, Michael Whitman.

What proceeds is a slow-burn, but never boring, or magic cock story of two men coming together and possibly falling love.

Jason is attracted to Michael from day one, but he believes him to be straight so he tries to go about his life living one day at a time like we all do: running his business, trying to manage his pain, going out to get laid, and ogling shirtless Michael. Like you do.

Meanwhile Michael has been going through some soul searching or rather honesty searching of his own about his sexuality and when he ends up not only being Jason's doctor, but also living in Jason's house along with his young son, whose custody he has on a biweekly basis, things get interesting.

SLIGHTLY SPOILERISH

I liked the honesty that L.A. Witt brought to this story. There are no super villains present. Jason's ex is long gone, Michael is old enough that his conservative parents no longer hold sway over his decisions, and though he's nervous about ‘coming out' to Daina, his ex-wife, she turns out to be the best ex one can hope for. No misogyny here. JOY! (As an aside it still gnaws at me that people should have to fear ‘coming out' or that they even have to do that. Sadly that is reality and in this case it made sense being Daina only knew Michael as her straight ex.)

Because I'm a contrarian, perhaps my favorite thing about this story was that it ended with no grand declaration of love. In fact I don't think the MCs ever trot out the three magic words and yet I'm confident of their right-over-the-horizon HEA. Their decision to come together doesn't isn't whim. They're fully functioning adults.

I did the audio by Iggy Toma and he is perfect. As usual

3.75I think this might be my first [a:K.C. Wells 6576876 K.C. Wells https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1433451688p2/6576876.jpg]. I was pleasantly surprised and [a:Conner Goff 16756345 Conner Goff https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] does a pretty good job of the narration; oddly the sex scenes are the best when it comes the the AB. I'll confess that I purchased this solely for the cover and made up a story in my head of what it would be. It wasn't that at all, but I still enjoyed it. I love that pic. It fascinates me. The first few chapters were a little choppy for me, in terms of believing how the MCs come to live together, but then I'm a girl and neither would I have offered a stranger to live in my house nor would I have gone to live in a strangers house. It'd different for girls and no getting around that. Also this whole notion of a guy, Guy, who must be a millionaire, cleaning his own house etc. ... maybe not. Once the story got going I did enjoy it. Lately I'm in love with the size difference and I felt the age gap was beautifully and realistically done. If you're expecting growly dominance this is not it. Guy is the paragon of doing the right thing and I'm a biatch for saying that like it's wrong. It's not. Guy takes every step to make sure that Jamie is getting into the relationship or for that matter being gay with eyes wide open and for the right reasons. Said like this it sounds very PBS and “good-for-you-eat-your-vegetables”, but the sexy times when they come are surprising and vavoom hot. Very satisfying and true. Perhaps my favorite part was that this turned out not to be a GFY story. When the story starts Jamie is 20 and the fact that he considers himself straight has more to do with the norm and nothing else. Once he starts “seeing” Guy with sexual interest he never lies to Guy, himself, or anyone and enters wholeheartedly into the relationship. I really liked Jamie because he was brave and honest and those are qualities not to be undervalued. The other characters, Ryan and Carla in particular, enhanced the story and weren't just so much window dressing. I think I might follow up with the stories of other characters that are hinted at here. I would've preferred for the epilogue to be a little less “wrap-up the whole rest of Guy & Jamie's lives” but I am a curmudgeon like that or more like I prefer to let my imagination wander. Likewise I could've done without the detailed and exhaustive description of every space and meal, mostly because it gave me design envy and made me hungry. If you're in the mood for a sweet read this could fit the bill.

OMG! OMG! OMG! deep calming breathsThe existence of this book and the lack of it's widespread availability is patent proof of our screwed-up world. I'm not being hyperbolic. Quite frankly I should't be surprised. I've loved everything I've read by [a:Anah Crow, Dianne Fox 5455783 Anah Crow, Dianne Fox https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. These authors decoded my DNA a while ago, before I knew about them. Now I spend my days hunting down as many of their books as I can, digital or paperback, and basking in the goodness of their stories. The best way to describe this is as purely and simply a love story. A perfect and exquisite love story. The details are that Jack Corson, a well known, irascible, and gruff writer, think a modern-day gay Hemingway, has been semi rusticating in suburbia after abandoning his past life. And here's one of the countless little details that make this book great: we find out all we need to know about Jack's past not as an info dump but rather in the normal course of conversations & remembrance. Here's a snippet of who Jack is and why I love him with the intensity of a thousand burning suns:”Because I'm too old to appreciate the romance of stumbling into having sex at random and not knowing what the other person is thinking or doing, I'm going to take all the fun out of this.” Jack tapped the ash off his cigar and took a pull on it, then exhaled, looking thoughtful. “Also, I like you too much to make it a game.” He reaches out and ran his thumb over Ricky's lips. “I'll tell you if I'm not interested, temporarily or indefinitely. And trust me, I'll probably tell you at some point, but it'll likely be temporary. I work hard. People piss me off. Even unbelievably pretty people like you. Got that?”What a novel idea. Adults behaving like adults. Into Jack's life comes Ricky Talbot, the boy from across the street all grown up. Ricky is 18 and home after his first year away at college. He gets a job mowing Jack's lawn. The rest is a beautiful love story: perfectly paced, organic, and natural.Jack is 30 years older than Ricky and yet you never doubt the rightness of the relationship. There is no insta-love. Lust sure. Delicious and reciprocated. Ricky has had a crush on Jack since he was 14 y.o. and not even a thought in Jack's mind. After a lawn mower mishap and a rough outing at a bar, Jack and Ricky embark on a fling for the summer which naturally evolves during the course of a year, at first reluctantly for Jack, into so much more. It's beautiful.I love how Jack is with Ricky: patient but not weak, kind, giving, and unselfish, while keeping to his outward though guy vibe. He wants Ricky to succeed and thrive even if it's without him. He's not jealous. Not in the obvious ways. He's present for Ricky in all the ways that matter. And Ricky ... sigh a sweeter, more generous, an open lover would be hard to find. He embraces all of Jack unabashedly and wholeheartedly. He's brave and adorable and yet still his age. Jack & Ricky both are kind to each other and try to please each other without ever being syrupy. I believe in their HEA and am rooting for long healthy lifespans for both. As for the other particulars there are some pretty dresses, lace panties, a lithe swimmer's body, a silver haired bear, a spanking or two, and lots and lots and lots of kissing, petting, and licking in all the right places. The summer is idyllic and the rest of the year is all that our romantic hearts can ask for. My heart is still a pitter patterMy only complaint is that the alluded to sequel hasn't materialized, but this works perfectly well as a whole, contained story. The rest of Jack and Ricky's love story we can dream up without too much difficulty. I'm already re-reading.