Annery

I was feeling generous

This is the story of how Nate batters down Adrian's walls and makes him take a chance on a normal life after losing the use of his legs in a highway accident. It's a sweet story and not badly told but if I may nit-pick I'll say a) that much of what happens particularly the later 30% feels more told than shown, b) that the very light BDSM that takes place or is alluded to seems unnecessary to the story and perhaps the author just liked the play on the name of the book and that c) although I can imagine that'd be a colossal endeavor to put oneself out again in life after losing the use of one's legs that Adrian is sometimes kind of a dick and at least at first I don't know what Nate saw in him as he was more prickly than a sea urchin.

In any case I'm sure I will have forgotten about this by Friday but it killed the hour on the train and didn't offend so mission accomplished.

Again if you are hoping for some BDSM look elsewhere as it is barely glimpsed and Nate is the most vanilla Dom ever. In a nice way. ;-)

No. Just no.

This reads like some rushed fan fic. The whole story is fairly preposterous but that wasn't what bothered me but rather the fact of barely on the page characters: Abel is a perfect 50's housewife and Heath is caveman a**hole who resorts to belittling name calling and violence when jealous, but of course it's all in the name of love.

The deceased' twin brother and her grieving husband are in love and a couple and I don't think she's been gone even a year and to add insult to injury the sex sucks as in it's covered in about one page but then again if olive oil is all they could come up with I barely care.

Also this is much shorter than advertised (THANKFULLY) as the last 50% is previews for other books and assorted nonsense. Ugh!!!

Re-read/listen 4/9/19 – 4/14/19

Everything I said in original review and more. Perfect tone, pacing, and storytelling. And then there's Victor Bayne. Here's his reaction to a prison cell:

The stainless steel toilet was right there in the open, which made me clench all over at the thought of take a dump where a cellmate could see and smell it. Worse, the sink was built into the side of the toilet, and a drinking fountain was fixed in the sink.I'm no germophobe. In fact, rimming my boyfriend is my idea of a good time. Still, I suspected I'd expire from dehydration before I drank water that shot up from the back of a toilet.”

Being in Vic's head is definitely a good time.

***************OG REVIEW 7/12/16 — 7/15/16


I would say I have no words but this is a review, so I'll try.

If I could give more stars I would, not so much for the book itself, which totally deserves them, but because it is a promise kept. This is the natural and right progression of all the previous books. And that's no mean feat. I feel that sometimes in series authors forget about the story lines they set out to tell at the beginning and just go off on tangents, perhaps influenced by reviews or I don't know what, but [a:Jordan Castillo Price|268722|Jordan Castillo Price|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1325364144p2/268722.jpg] has stuck to telling the tale of Victor Bayne's adult coming of age and it's attendant characters and I've loved every word of it.

This is the “adulting” book and picks up about 3 or 4 months after [b:GhosTV|9688919|GhosTV (PsyCop, #6)|Jordan Castillo Price|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1411584007s/9688919.jpg|14577000] left off and Lisa is still living with Vic & Jacob who act like the doting parents of a teenage girl. She's got some mysterious outings going on and though I cottoned on to what it was pretty quickly I liked it. I love that though Lisa is Vic's friend thru and thru (a sister really) she won't let him bully her into anything she doesn't want to do. True love.

Jacob has landed in nirvana working at the FPMP and Vic who has been feeling angry and despondent about how his work is going at the 5th, with a little nudge from Lisa, decides to give Con Dreyfuss the promised exorcism. Victor Bayne goes on a external and more importantly an internal growing-up trip: Bob Zigler, Laura Kim, Agent Bly, Richie and Constantine Dreyfuss himself show him that maybe he doesn't need to keep hiding in plain sight, that his past is that THE PAST and the it may not be a bad thing to embrace his talents for all they are worth. He also realizes he isn't alone, he has Jacob in every sense:

“I focused on Jacob's nearness, the immensity of his presence. It was big, like everything about him is big. Yet somehow, that huge presence didn't drown out my essential me-ness, but rather amplified it.”

This book brings Vic fully into himself and who he can be and now I want to cry because I think that I read that JCP plans on only one more and though that makes sense I will mourn not being in Vic's head. *sigh

There seems to be a separate Crash story that's going on parallel to the action in this book which I'm eager to read ‘cause much like Vic I've grown to love Crash and know there's way more to him than what's on the surface.

About the narration by [a:Gomez Pugh|8435087|Gomez Pugh|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] all I'll say is that the man is a genius. GENIUS!!!

**4 ½ not full 5 because I wanted a little more, I'm greedy that way, sorry **

Another little gem from Jacob's POV and it's a double gift. This takes place about a year and a half before Maurice, Vic's former partner, retires. Jacob's relationship with Keith has just gone bust but the prospect of his first PsyCop meeting has him almost giddy.

Turns out to be a fateful date in which he gets his first look at Crash and his first look at Vic. Once again time and memory and the different courses our lives take come to the fore in this short but poignant piece. As usual seeing things from Jacob's point of view is refreshing, especially how he sees Vic even when he doesn't know him yet.

I would say that this is a piece that would not hold up as well as a solo story without knowing all that's gone before. Alternatively it could make someone curious as to who these people are. But really it works best as what it is: a look back at before it all began but knowing what we all now know.

I love these Jacob shorts. keeping fingers crossed for more

This is everything!Vic and Jacob doing normal couple, home owner things except this time, like in [b:The Stroke of Midnight 7421869 The Stroke of Midnight (PsyCop, #3.1) Jordan Castillo Price https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1273849168s/7421869.jpg 9376692] we are in Jacob's head and we see Vic from his point of view and what an eye opener it is. In the books from Vic's POV we get an unsure, floundering and awkward Vic because that is how he sees himself. However Jacob, and I suspect many others of his acquaintance, see Vic as a somewhat still mysterious man, an intriguing and attractive man with such an expansive mind that he's always multitasking and, yes, very unaware of his deliciousness. And we also get sex thru Jacob's POV. Yes. More pleaseAgain for me the running theme for this series is the passage of time and who we were and who we've become. In this instance a concert T-shirt is the catalyst for some rumination on time and our former selves by Jacob:“In all likelihood, our former selves could have hooked up, but the fling would've gone its course by now. Eventually Young Vic would have ditched me for someone with a bunch of piercings and an edgy record collection, if I didn't take off with a pseudo-intellectual political activist first.” He is probably right and what a good thing it is that they've come together now.Once again we are gifted with a masterful narration by [a:Gomez Pugh 8435087 Gomez Pugh https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]

**4 ½ **A sweet gift from [a:Jordan Castillo Price 268722 Jordan Castillo Price https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1325364144p2/268722.jpg] where we get to see a little of the Keith half from Manny & Keith that we met in [b:The Stroke of Midnight 7421869 The Stroke of Midnight (PsyCop #3.1) Jordan Castillo Price https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1273849168s/7421869.jpg 9376692] and Vic & Jacob socializing, though that is stretching the meaning of the word when it comes to Vic. I think I always love him so hard when he's put in situations where he's trying to figure out how to “act normal” mostly because that was or is me most of the time. Gauging what the appropriate responses are during so called small talk. LOLAnd we have Jacob: “... he did manage to exude reassurance in a subtle but very concrete way. His posture. His direct gaze. His utter certainty, which usually made me want to scream. At times, though, that certainty washed over me as persistent and soothing as a Seconal on a Friday night.” Who doesn't want to be loved by a guy like that.Of course the spirits never rest and Vic can't not do his thing. Because it isn't an avocation but rather a calling: “The salt was just the physical thing that carried my intention. And my intention had something to do with the white light. Empathy. Compassion. And while it's an insanely loaded word, in the purest sense of the meaning, love.”I love these shorts.

Can this series get better? Deeper? [b:GhosTV 9688919 GhosTV (PsyCop #6) Jordan Castillo Price https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1411584007s/9688919.jpg 14577000] picks up where [b:Camp Hell 6003542 Camp Hell (PsyCop #5) Jordan Castillo Price https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1396489979s/6003542.jpg 6178469] left off which means that though there is ostensibly a case for Vic to work and this time with Jacob, because it's off the books, these stories are not about the cases that Vic works or how many ghosts he encounters and ushers along into the light or obliterates. These books are about human relationships and growth, shedding our past and coming to terms with it all through the psyche of our resident lovable malcontent Victor Bayne. Vic & Jacob head out to California to locate a missing Lisa and this provides Vic another opportunity to come face to face with his past in the form of Faun Windsong and much like the previous book this one is about memory and who we were and who we've become. What we've left behind and what it has cost us. Who or what we could've been if only this or that had been different.Like in every book we also have Vic coming further into his power and I think that this is happening incrementally as Vic comes to feel more confident in himself partly due to being loved by Jacob and being able to see that love as a manifest thing and to slowly feel a certain level of comfort in this new family he forms part of, Jacob's family, but also Lisa, Jacob, Zig and Crash that annoying gnat who keeps him on his toes. We also get to see different sides of Jacob. The insecure parts that his conscious self hides behind a sheen of smooth and the one excited by becoming aware of his heretofore unknown abilities. He is already officially enshrined as one of the best book boyfriends ever. Who else would watch and protect your physical body while you do astral projection with unbreakable red energy that emanates from his soul?Here is where I'm sure to land in the minority but I absolutely dug Constantine Dreyfus and the voice of Moe from The Simpson's that [a:Gomez Pugh 8435087 Gomez Pugh https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] gives him. Sure he is a government spook, keeping his cards close to the vest but I've always been a fan of the Devil you know and most of the stuff he is laying out for Vic are true and practical. The thing is is that our boy Vic, under the blank stare, aversion to touching, and sarcasm is a deeply romantic and moral creature. Here's hoping his ever expanding powers, among them his and Jacob's deepening love, keeps him safe in the wider world he's wading into.Love, love, love this series and the narration by [a:Gomez Pugh 8435087 Gomez Pugh https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] is worth any price.

Well this was quite a delightful surprise. I'll confess that I got out during a one-click cover porn extravaganza and for no other reason. And I quite loved it. The author surprised me as I thought it'd just be porny/kinky fun but she wen't deeper. She takes us into Adam's head and the discoveries he starts to make about himself after stumbling on his roommate Josh's porn stash. The actions and reactions ring authentic because college is that time when people start to shape and define the adults they will be. Maybe things go a little quickly but it is a short story/novella. I liked that there wasn't any major angst or hang-ups from either of the MCs or any lasting misunderstandings. I loved Josh who kept surprising Adam at every turn and turning the idea of the dumb jock on it's head. Will they have a HEA post college? Who knows? They seem compatible enough and the journey they've set on is one of mutually satisfactory adventures so I'm voting for yes.*The audio is by [a:Shannon Gunn 6996772 Shannon Gunn https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and it veers from okay to good to WTF. Especially the voice he chooses for Josh. However the sex scenes and Adam's voice in particular are great. Go figure.

**Dawes seems to be a theme for me with this series though I seriously doubt Vic would even like them. He strikes me more as a Ramones, Depeche Mode or Smiths kind of guy but maybe Jacob would like them. ;-) and this lyric was going thru my head as I read this book:Cause some people were just meant to be a memoryTo be called upon to remind us how we've changedThe way the scattered ever-busy bright lights of a cityMight look off to a distant mountain rangeOh this floored me. I felt like running to my photo albums and looking up me & the people I knew in high school and college and see the physical evidence of who I was and “see how far I've come” (another gratuitous Dawes quote).This novel falls sits proudly in one of my favorite genres which is the memory novel. The passage of time, what and how we remember and what time has wrought of our lives.Vic comes to realize that he quite literally can't remember much of his time in Camp Hell and that curiously the internet is no help as he doesn't exist on line. With some help from Zig he locates a former lover/classmate from Heliotrope Station, Stefan, and begins a trip down memory lane. Those scenes almost had me in tears. To see a still very young Vic already beaten down by society and the system but still capable of feeling hope and having dreams and watching them be crushed. On a personal note remembering when I too affected a slightly punk look, wearing clothes from Screaming Mimi's and wearing safety pin earrings. *sigh

Stefan is that person that we all idealize from our past and their present reality doesn't exactly disappoint but doesn't match up to who we and they have become and that's the day when you realize that you have left your past behind and that perhaps it's not a bad thing. This realization also leads Vic to clear up in his head his feelings about Crash and that gave me a huge smile, to see him puzzle that out and come out okay about it.

The background story of the FPMP is almost window dressing for what else do we expect from the government? Vic is just sometimes naive perhaps because he has spent some much time trying not to be noticed. However in this book he takes giant leaps to become a fully realized version of himself not only in relation to his psychic powers but also being fully engaged with Jacob and those in the world who may not be his enemies or pose a danger.

What to say about Jacob but that we all want to be loved like that by someone like that and I was so happy that he got no spoilers something he's always longed for.

Again Gomez Pugh a master of his craft. Every voice distinctive and dead on point. Bravo.

A little sweet nothing from the start of the relationship between Vic & Jacob.Adorable. ;-) [a:Gomez Pugh 8435087 Gomez Pugh https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] Priceless.

In which Victor and Crash take a trip to the museum. The end.

Just kidding. Yes it is quite short but we get another glimpse of love-hate, attraction-repelulsion etc. relationship between Vic and Crash. Mostly how Vic reacts to him. Crash is his own pain in the ass self and behaves only to please himself. He is a walking id and doesn't care who or what he bowls over.
Jordan has said that Vic isn't attracted to Crash so much as that he sees him as all the things he himself is not and feels lacking by comparison. And I can see that. There are those by whom we define ourselves whether it is against that type or trying to emulate them. I think Victor, a guy who has had a crap life and mostly just tries to coast and be invisible can't help but be fascinated by someone who lives in neon colors, not necessarily to copy him but to wonder what could Jacob see in him after having been with someone like Crash. It's kind of like being mesmerized by a snake. It will strike but you can't look away.

This was a very nice surprise for those of us who are all in with Vic & Jacob. A bittersweet holiday tale told from Jacob's point of view.

Jacob as a non perfect deity as Victor mostly sees him. Jacob with doubts and perhaps feeling lonely without Victor and a hint of some backstory about a former partner. more please

This series gets better with every new book I read (yep, I'm doing them all) that I want to kick myself for having given the previous such a high review but the fact is that each one is perfect unto itself. JCP is so brilliant that if you look at the first half of this book nothing really happens and yet everything is in motion. What we have is Vic settling into his new place and life with Jacob, navigating his ever curious relationship with Crash and starting to get comfortable in his own skin. Sure he still prefers to hide in plain sight and who can blame him but he is also brave and assertive even when it costs him everything to put himself out there.I think that the grander themes in this series are how to fit into or be in a world where you are singled out as different, not part of the whole, a square peg to a round hole particularly when like Vic you've not had a family or friends to anchor you and support you. Granted Vic has been on the outside mostly by choice but who can blame him for hiding after what his early life has been.In this installment we get to see Lisa again and I just love seeing her navigate some of the same things that Vic did but under wholly different circumstances and we get another facet of Jacob. He is a righteous avenger if need be and though he sometimes wants to swaddle Vic from the world I for one am glad that they have each other.I'm almost thinking that Crash deserves a series for himself. He is that guy you want to punch in the face but will defend at the drop of a hat because being around him makes life more interesting.And lastly [a:Gomez Pugh 8435087 Gomez Pugh https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] is absolutely perfect. If you can get the audio to this don't hesitate. Worth every single second.

I love these sweet little interludes that Jordan has gifted us with of Vic & Jacob as they make their way as a couple.

Nothing much happens here save that the pair go to Jacob's uncle's house and help him set up a book case from our favorite store, Saver Plus, and sexy times ensue. However this serves as a window into the developing couple dynamics and we see these two be silly and lust filled all at the same time.

Good times. ;-)

This is a short novella in which a character introduced in [b:Heart's Duo 25513506 Heart's Duo (Ugly Eternity Book 4) Charity Parkerson https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436757301s/25513506.jpg 44917062] gets his HEA.You could read it as a standalone but some of the characters from the previous books do make appearances and if you don't know their story it'll just seem like filler. In any case this a sweet, angsty story about two men who each think of themselves as woefully lacking and that the other guy is the cat's pajamas. The only conflict is that though they flirt and maybe do some heavy petting they don't talk to each other about their feelings, fears or wishes for about 4 or 5 months. However it is sweet to see how dumbstruck Finn is about Austen that the fact he is in a chair (veteran injured in war) doesn't even rate as something to acknowledge except in how careful he always is to not hover or look down or crowd Austen. For his part Austen finds in Finn a good, generous and hardworking soul who comes in a hot package. Their chemistry is intense even when sexually they may be more in their heads due to Austen's limitations. That is something I wish [a:Charity Parkerson 4506281 Charity Parkerson https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1439847397p2/4506281.jpg] would've fleshed out more clearly because it is a reality for many. Not only veterans but many other differently abled people who wish and deserve healthy sex lives in whatever shape or form that may take.Once again [a:Hollie Jackson 7830771 Hollie Jackson https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s narration was aces.

First things first: This cannot be read as a standalone. In fact volumes 2,3 & 4 should just be read as one whole novel in which couples sometimes flail around a bit before finding their true happy and that is not a farfetched thing. Life isn't usually a straight line. There will be detours along the way that may seem like the right path but alas are not.

Second: the blurb is crap. No one sets out to teach anyone lessons in this book. The couples just pair up as was ordained in the Parkerson universe and whatever you read or thought in the previous installments can be scrapped. And who says it's a bad thing.

In this episode of *insert name of your favorite soap Joss comes clean about the role he played in the break up of Maddox & Hawke and it turns out Maddox is more of a naughty boy rather than a bad dude and we feel for him. Joss's comeuppance is that he loves & has always loved Maddox. Will he be forgiven or has he gone too far.

Parallel to Maddox & Joss we have Sophie & Benton. Benton who in a very short space of time became one of my favorites perhaps because though he may feel as deeply as the rest he keeps his cool. He is British after all. He and Sophie make a perfect couple. I especially loved how she handled the unexpected visitors they had at Benton's cottage.

The way the relationships between all of the guys were repaired was a beautiful thing because the foundation of love and friendship has underpinned the whole series. As a bonus we have Mrs. Moore (Kathy) Hawke & Sophie's mom. She's a blast. I love her.

There is one more installment having to do with a character introduced here, Finn, but really with this book the gang is all on their way to HEA with their respective significant other. Cade & Dylan get married, Jamie & Hawke continue married bliss as Jamie's career skyrockets, Sophie & Benton find they are a perfect match and finally the heretofore always in the background Joss reveal his heart to Maddox who recognizes him as the beat that was always there.

Yes everyone here is gorgeous and loves so deeply that their soul aches at the sight of the beloved but for the space of these books I was sucked in and I won't lie.

* I mostly listened to this series and I have to commend [a:Hollie Jackson|7830771|Hollie Jackson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] for an awesome job. Some people complain of a woman narrating a series with mostly male voices but I think she did a great job. Plus are we really going to complain of a woman narrator in the MM genre that is mostly written by women and read by women?*

***Update after reading Bk. 3 [b:Heart's Strum 24912719 Heart's Strum (Ugly Eternity Book 3) Charity Parkerson https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1433370679s/24912719.jpg 44310504]Now having a clear picture that this was a set up for the stories between Joss & Jamie (the twins), Hawke and his sister Sophie, and the snake in the garden who is Maddox I can say I enjoyed it. Yes. I'm pretty expansive in what I consider a love story. It could be a weekend of love or a few years. It doesn't diminish the actuality of it. Sometimes, many times, we piss away a good thing we've had but the memory lingers & while we were living it the love was real. I'm not quite sure how old Hawke & Maddox are or Jamie & Joss, though I surmise they're over 25, they act and speak in the hyperbolic language of adolescence. Every breath is the last one. The air is displaced by the beloved entering a room etc. But that's how passionate love feels and these guys are musicians/artists and Hawke just plainly feels too much.So what do I mean by all this? That if you are in the mood for a short intense romance between two people who have a whole back story that has happened off page for some years and that in spite of their avowals of eternal and undying love you won't be too upset if they don't have HEA you could do worse than this book. Also whatever happens later shouldn't be too surprising given the amount of time allotted to other characters in such a short book. Just saying. But while this book lasts they will be happy.I like this group and am invested in their couplings and un-couplings. Maddox is a grade A ahole but you can see the appeal. Addictions are like that. Unreasonable.Sophie is someone I'm super curious aboutJoss has me very intriguedJamie will be center stage in the next book and you know he's going to be great.Hawke's parents are oddly likable despite what they've doneFor those who need reassurance in HEA Cade & Dylan are an ongoing force.I'm super curious about this band EXILE who are always referenced but have apparently died in a plane crash. That's a story I would want to read.****I'm going reserve rating and reviewing this as it is very clear that this an installment in an ongoing whole. I am however quite interested ;-)Moving right on to the next one.

If you haven't read the previous books STOP NOW **

Maddox lived up to his reputation as an ahole and Hawke has come to lick his wounds, mostly at losing Addison, in California where Jamie is now a big time rock star. So he didn't quite love Maddox as irrevocably as he thought. Life happens and we move on. Doesn't make that old love false. It just is no more and that is how we go on living. This is fantastic news for Jamie who has been waiting without hope for three years. Turns out that despite appearances to the contrary our Jamie is a giant romantic puppy and I love him for it. My only quibble is that in the previous book and a bit in this one there are hints as to Jamie's domineering bedroom proclivities but we don't see any of it here. Maybe later? I don't need it but why just put it out there? No biggie. I loved him anyway with his tattoos and open heart making Hawke feel truly loved and getting himself a family in return.

Hawke is the girl/boy who's milkshake brings all the boys to the yard and he isn't even aware. Yes. Sometimes he is a little too perfect. But I'm going chalk it up to the fact that the descriptions of Hawke come from those who love him. And he does seem to be a generous soul, though he's also apparently lacking in any particular ambition. It could be because he's been merely coasting through life for some time. With Jamie by his side it seems that he may come into his own even if that just means being by his man. That can be enough. Why not? Being by their man by choice has been enough for some women and no shame in it, so why not for a guy?

* A special mention to Kathy and Brent, Hawke's parents. Kathy is hysterical and her relationship with Jamie had me in stitches. And Brent just goes to show how people change given the chance and that sometimes their intentions weren't bad but just poorly executed.I'm on to the next book because quite frankly if [a:Charity Parkerson|4506281|Charity Parkerson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1439847397p2/4506281.jpg] means to redeem Maddox she has set herself and arduous task and I'd love to see her live up to the challenge. *Keeping my fingers crossed Also [a:Hollie Jackson|7830771|Hollie Jackson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s narration is perfect.

* 2.75*

I started reading this about a month ago and then forgot it until I was going through my phone today and realized I'd left it in suspense. I guess that says pretty much what I thought about it. MEH???

I won't malign it as it might be exactly the cup of tea someone needs and honestly it is a sweet first time romance between nice people and no real villains, and that is not something to be scoffed at. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for nice. I'm evil like that.

So if you want a short summer lovin' with no hassle or passion for that matter jump right in!

Re-read 10/8/17-10/9/17 Standing by my original review and I enjoyed it just as much. Perversely, even though this is unapologetically an erotic novel, the parts I felt most deeply about where those scenes of deep emotional anguish or upheaval: Logan while Tate was in the hospital or the guys visiting Tate's dad. Beautifully done scenes that elevate these characters from IG sex gods to humans. Brava Ella!**************Well sign me up as chastened. After my first luke warm review of [b:Try 17798649 Try (Temptation, #1) Ella Frank https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1375230186s/17798649.jpg 24898058] I reread/listened to it and have gone full steam ahead loving the series. And that includes [a:Shannon Gunn 6996772 Shannon Gunn https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s narration which has grown on me. ;) To get the full picture and enjoyment of these you should just treat them as one novel broken up into three parts and as such it works beautifully. A unique love story like all the good ones are.[b:Trust 25476020 Trust (Temptation, #3) Ella Frank https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1430824733s/25476020.jpg 25264821] is the third installment of the series and it really is the book where Logan comes in to his own as a fully committed party to this relationship. His love for Tate shines loud and clear and we get to see up close the love that has basically taken him unawares and see him finally surrender his heart to Tate and what a beautiful thing it is. Yes, these two are still all over each other any chance they get, but if we are honest that is one of the main reasons we're reading the series. I happen to think that like any couple they have their quirks and sex just happens to be one of the ways in which they communicate, quite effectively. Tate also overcomes doubts that he's had as to his value to Logan, but it's really Logan who comes to realize the luck he has stumbled upon and fights to keep it.I don't want to include any spoilers but I'll just say that Chekhov's Gun plays out here as I expected but it still brought me to tears and I was a nervous wreck along with Logan.SPOILERISHOther reviews have complained about the fact that there is no marriage at the end and I'll just paraphrase the theme of the book and say that each couple has their own way and the way we leave the guys is perfect for them. Secondly the fact of Tate's mother not embracing his choice of love: as much as it pains us I think [a:Ella Frank 6451816 Ella Frank https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1458548729p2/6451816.jpg] was right to show what the reality is for many who veer off the path of what they grew up as. It's painful but real. Ridiculous that one needs permission or acceptance to love who one will, but life is ridiculous that way. On the upside Ms. Frank shows how all hope is not lost: Tate has the unswerving and unconditional love from his chosen partner & with him comes a new family to love and love him back and Tate's dad is all kinds of great. Also some complained (yes complained) that there wasn't more to do with the Chris drama. I for one was relieved. For starters Logan and Tate are grown ups, not high school or even college age and such drama doesn't apply. Secondly: the past is that, The Past. To quote one of my favorite bands, Dawes “Cause some people were just meant to be a memoryTo be called upon to remind us how we've changed” End of story. Chris was Logan's painful past and now he forms no part of his life. Amen.I can't fail to mention how relieved I was that Diana got her moment in this book. I see that many times in these so called GFY stories women, exes, get vilified as harpies but maybe all they need is time. Being rejected or set aside for another can never be a good feeling, for anyone. So go ahead. Take the deep dive and enjoy this series as a whole. You'll laugh, cry, think and get hot and bothered with these two unique men who are in the end perfect for each other.I loved it.

Second Read 10/4/17-10/7/17 gearing up for the sequels and I'm 100% ok with my original review———————————-Here's a case of I'm glad I didn't listen to myself, because even though I thoroughly enjoyed [b:Try 17798649 Try (Temptation, #1) Ella Frank https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1375230186s/17798649.jpg 24898058] the second time around as what it is, a series hot sex scenes between two guys who can apparently not only give runway models a run for their money but also porn stars, I didn't feel that I needed to go on with the series but I did (new policy: go full on with a series if the parts are out & available) and am I glad!I think this series should come with the caveat that you should immediately proceed to [b:Take 25124773 Take (Temptation, #2) Ella Frank https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1426121465s/25124773.jpg 24898064] because it picks up directly where [b:Try 17798649 Try (Temptation, #1) Ella Frank https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1375230186s/17798649.jpg 24898058] ends and in this book Logan & Tate cease being caricatures and are fleshed out as real recognizable people, with fears, hopes and feelings. Sure they are still gorgeous and perpetually hard for one another (thank God) but we also get the real men behind the gloss: a Logan who masks a fear of rejection behind a cocky and arrogant attitude and a Tate who has been questioning what this relationship means. After a harsh reality check via his family he makes the hard choices bravely and honestly.One of the things I feared was having to deal with Diana, Tate's ex, as a perpetual harpy in the background but [a:Ella Frank 6451816 Ella Frank https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1458548729p2/6451816.jpg] handled this part of the story perfectly. Diana got her say as did Tate's parents and when all was said and done and poor Tate had to assimilate to his new reality he did and moved on. Not without pain. It can never be easy to be in the situation Tate finds himself with his family but it is the sad and painful reality that many face for simply loving whom they love. Luckily Tate has Logan there to catch him and isn't Logan a dark horse? Revealing that all that chill is to hide and protect not someone who doesn't care but rather one who feels and cares too much and is afraid to open himself up to love and be let down. But for Tate he does it. And in a big way. All the way. Bravo.[a:Ella Frank 6451816 Ella Frank https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1458548729p2/6451816.jpg] has won me over to these two and I think they may be up there with my favorite couples and to top it off she has oh so subtly tweaked my interest in other books by her, mainly the Exquisite series by dropping in characters around Logan & Tate's lives. Rachel & Cole are adorable.**Audio Update **I had the Kindle/Audio bundle so I gave [a:Shannon Gunn 6996772 Shannon Gunn https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] another try and he's kind of grown on me. I still think he makes Tate sound a little like a dumb jock and also sounds a bit older than 29 and Tate's mother is like Miss Adelaide from “Guys and Dolls” but Logan is just right and the rest of the narration part is very nice, but lower your volume when he gets to the climax scenes. I don't want to imagine what was happening in the booth while he was recording but I'm thinking he had fun. NOTE 2 About the GFY: I do have a shelf for that category and I put books there for any who may be searching shelves and likes that trope. Personally I don't believe in that. I believe in people who come late to realize that they are bisexuals and the in world of romance they discover this person and this person also turns out to be the ONE & ONLY because we read this genre mostly for a HEA, in that one person who is our beginning and end. So yeah ... I'll keep my GFY-ONLY-FOR-YOU shelf but I don't know that that is actually a thing. Bisexualism is not a bad thing. Bisexuals have true loves too. Okay. End of semi-rant.

Okay. I can't believe I procrastinated so much in writing this review. I guess the writing and posting of it would make the end of the series real. Finite. And I sooo did not want this to end. Because Cole McGinnis is just The. Best. Boyfriend. Ever.Fair is fair and we can't be selfish and expect Cole to continue to struggle with his past and be shot at on every case he takes. The man has only so much non-lethal places to be hit.In any case this was a perfect way to bring all of Cole's past and present and future relationship with Jae Min full circle. I love how [a:Rhys Ford 4968409 Rhys Ford https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1308678470p2/4968409.jpg] brought in everyone from their lives: Mike & Maddie and their wonderful relationship, Claudia and her loving self, Scarlett the most beautiful woman ever and most of all the tangible, vibrating love between Cole & Jae Min. It's a beautiful thing. But most of all there is Cole McGinnis. I know he's a guy from fiction and he's gay but jeeze louise!!! I love him. He is the perfect blend of attributes, quirks and flaws to make a perfect book boyfriend and of course he's easy on the eyes and as an extra super bonus we've gotten him in the voice of [a:Greg Tremblay 8108759 Greg Tremblay https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1484561919p2/8108759.jpg] Genius.BTW: Greg Tremblay gets a badass character named after him in this book and that is way cool.

Nick Sebring: You've come a long way and earned your HEA with blood, sweat and tears.Yes I really enjoyed this series and [b:Sebring 25879951 Sebring (Unfinished Hero, #5) Kristen Ashley https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1447696416s/25879951.jpg 45757078] serves as a nice coda.Nick had been on a long and at times tortuous trip to manhood and redemption from when we first met him in [b:Knight 18806659 Knight (Unfinished Hero, #1) Kristen Ashley https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1384508571s/18806659.jpg 19143978] and we've been getting tantalizing glimpses of him during the course of the other books which confirms that [a:Kristen Ashley 2958084 Kristen Ashley https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1442937365p2/2958084.jpg] had a clear idea of where she was going with all these characters right from the beginning. And that is a good thing.After some serious f**k-ups Nick has shed his callous young man persona and become Knight-light, and I don't mean that pejoratively. He has his own level of intensity and serious drive but as he acknowledges himself he doesn't come from the same place as Knight, he was a pampered son and brother all his life who just had to find his footing and purpose in the world and in this book he has. Revenge and justice.But of course life has other plans and the spanner in his schemes is Olivia Shade. A person who barely exists due to what her life has been and so Nick's new purpose is to bring her to life, to copy KA, “in a variety of ways” and so he does. Memorably. I must say I felt for Olivia and the life she's led. A person truly unloved and alone who nonetheless holds on to that little slab of hope in goodness that keeps her human in the midst of monsters. I particularly liked how the relationship between Knight and Nick was fully dealt with and the nice check-in with all the couples from the previous books as well as name drops of characters from other series which piqued my curiosity. We are solidly in KA land where no one says or asks for anything but rather advises or orders. You get me? Also there's a lot of whispering. So there's that and at this point I'm either immune to it or have grown to like it. I can't tell which. LOL

She's back! 4 ½ StarsYes. I'm that OCD person who likes to inhale a series in a short time, though oddly not much of a binge watcher. I'd not drank the [a:Kristen Ashley 2958084 Kristen Ashley https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1442937365p2/2958084.jpg] Kool-Aid but I jumped in with both feet into the Unfinished Heroes Series starting with [b:Knight 18806659 Knight (Unfinished Hero, #1) Kristen Ashley https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1384508571s/18806659.jpg 19143978] and haven't looked back. I hear that this series was a departure for her from her usual fare so I can't compare, but I've enjoyed them thoroughly. However I didn't love the previous book in the series [b:Raid 17257993 Raid (Unfinished Hero, #3) Kristen Ashley https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1361025483s/17257993.jpg 23852415]. It was okay, with a recognizable Ashley hero but the heroine, Hannah, was just a little too perfect and Mary Sue for me so that's why I'm very glad to see that [b:Deacon 18464441 Deacon (Unfinished Hero, #4) Kristen Ashley https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1406818567s/18464441.jpg 26121628] brings us back to [b:Knight 18806659 Knight (Unfinished Hero, #1) Kristen Ashley https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1384508571s/18806659.jpg 19143978] territory.[b:Deacon 18464441 Deacon (Unfinished Hero, #4) Kristen Ashley https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1406818567s/18464441.jpg 26121628] has everything I love about this series. A strong, gorgeous and mysterious hero of few words who worships the heroine even when that means saying things like “Here” as a sweet nothing. You never doubt his loyalty or devotion.In this installment we get a slow burn romance in the sense that the story develops over six years and our heroine, Cassidy, is just great. Sure she's beautiful, über competent and is a fantastic cook and baker but you can't hate her because she's also funny, persevering, loving, ornery and loves to argue about anything. So it balances out the perfect with a little tart. As for Deacon himself this was a very good, if extreme, story of a guy we've been hearing about in the other books. He has a tragic back story which caused him to become an outcast from his own life and those around him but of course, this is romance, the good love of a good woman brings him back from the cold.I loved everything about this story: both MCs, Cassidy's family, how characters from previous books are integrated into the story and the set-up for the next and last installment. Mostly what I love about this series, aside from the serious sexy times, is how the women in these stories have and strive for every day aspirations: Anya want's to do nails and hair, Hannah makes her Afghans and jams and here we have Cassidy running Glacier Lily, a cabin rental hotel for snowboarders & nature lovers. Yep. Everyday people have love stories too. And they are valid and worth telling. I won't give this 5 stars because I reserved that for [b:Knight 18806659 Knight (Unfinished Hero, #1) Kristen Ashley https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1384508571s/18806659.jpg 19143978] but [b:Deacon 18464441 Deacon (Unfinished Hero, #4) Kristen Ashley https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1406818567s/18464441.jpg 26121628] is a close second. Also very nice narration by [a:Stella Bloom 7205549 Stella Bloom https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]

I'm feeling generous so I'm going to go with 3 stars and say that my feeling of meh? is me and not the book. But if I really think about it I feel like this was advertised as some decadent dessert and is rather an organic-good-for-you-soy-pudding. Just saying.

I was all in for a nice and dirty Daddy/boy, older/younger beginning of the week romp and aside from the window dressing of Justin being a salt & pepper, fit firefighter and Asher being his younger, tattooed, computer-gamer, geek roommate/fuck buddy the characters don't actually live up to their descriptions aside from the sex, which is insatiable & copious. There's some dirty talk and my boy talk but it was too love & roses for me.

I feel that a story like this should be succinct & to the point, but here the author added way too many extras: the friends in common, Asher's upbringing, Justin's friend and his story. Yada, yada, yada.

And don't get me started on that rainbow and unicorns epilogue. I won't even go there. No. I refuse.
So clearly it is me.