Brittanie
I was looking forward to reading this because it sounded like some of my favourite fanfiction (the “coffee shop AU” is a favourite trope) but the characters themselves left me disappointed. I just didn't care about either of these people and they didn't seem compatible at all. When you force a fluffy romance between two characters with zero chemistry, it just reads very uncomfortable and somewhat one-sided. In this case, Robby seemed domineering and internally used his controlling ex-boyfriend as a comparison in this new relationship constantly. The reader isn't given really any background information on that relationship though besides that the ex was also a customer and was in the closet. Robby doesn't want a relationship like that again where he feels he's a dirty secret so he kind of forces David's hand. David seems like a wet towel, is very self-conscious with low self esteem with a lot of trauma and abuse in his past, so he lets Robby take the lead but because he's so uncomfortable with it, withdrawals and Robby feels he has to confront him publicly and make an ultimatum. Basically, it's not a healthy relationship and these two are not good together. If this is your idea of a good relationship, you might need to reassess things.
Overall, while I did finish the entire story, I have no interest in reading more from this series or author.
Slightly different take on vampires but still recognizable enough to not be too weird or jarring for vampire aficionados. This book relies heavily on the hurt/comfort trope with our main hero, Atlas, being a wounded US Marine now working for his sister's security agency in their hometown.
Stationed in Romania for some reason, he was attacked by what seemed like feral vampires and lost his whole squadron but no one believed him when he returned home. Now he grapples with that on top of PTSD and whole-body wounds but still is able to do casual security work to make a living.
The book starts with him on assignment for some B celebrity at a fairground and it doesn't really fit the tone for the character or the book that we see after. After he leaves a very dissatisfied customer and returns home to face his sister/boss, she puts him on a long term assignment for a very rich local mogul, Decebal, who basically owns the entire town (I think it's in upstate New York?). The catch is that it's very hush hush and only at night.
Then we meet Christian, the mogul's son, who is the typical rich kid playboy and is the ringleader of his friend group which just hangs out at his posh house constantly. Turns out Atlas' assignment is to shadow Christian. Decebal has been doing some shady business in order to secure his hold on the town and now “people” are after him and his assets - including his heir.
There's a lot of different action scenes in this book that keep the plot rolling and it's more of a slow burn romance. There's a bit of an insta-attraction but the author lets it play out more naturally than a lot of other MM romances. The one explicit scene is a bit jarring as I didn't feel it fit/was bad timing or was even necessary, but you can chalk it up to adrenaline I suppose. Atlas makes a lot of suspect decisions, especially in the name of revenge against all vampire-kind, but then eats his foot later when he sees ~the real Christian~ and falls for his charge, a la The Bodyguard.
I enjoy Grant's writing and a decent vampire MM is hard to find so I will def be continuing with the series.
This is a short story that takes place in the Garnet Run town in Wyoming. For only being 8 chapters, it didn't feel that short as it has all the elements from Parrish's other books without the explicit scenes. I almost prefer this style to the full length books because it isn't full of a lot of fluff, just the basic elements of a romanctic story. I didn't like the instant attraction in this one because neither character is really described well enough to get a full picture of what they look like, just that the older Henry dresses a bit like a hipster theatre kid (on brand) except he's in his mid-30s so it's a bit much. Overall, it's a cute story and the couple is fine. I don't think a longer narrative would have helped make them any more compatible.
Note: It has little to do with the other books so can be read alone.
Like a lot of reviewers, I didn't like this one nearly as much as the first. Charlie seemed like an interesting character in the first book but Parrish gave him this weird complex that just felt uncomfortable when paired up with Rye, who states he's pan without really showing that in the story or his background. They just didn't seem compatible at all and the relationship developed in a weird way. So I ended up not really liking either of them. The story itself was also too long, with the cat shelter business after fixing up the house dragged out a bit instead of spending that time actually developing the characters and their relationship.
The more stories I read taking place in this Podunk Wyoming town, the more it seems just wildly unrealistic. There must be something in the water if all of these characters have fluid sexualities and identities or are totally non-plussed by them in a rural town that has to be less than 2k. I'd like a little more conflict in that area, just to make something in this book have some actual stakes.
Overall, very meh but I'll probably continue with the series because I do enjoy Parrish's writing style. This book didn't really give a clue as to who the next couple is going to be but I hope they are a little more likeable and realistic than these two.
This type of story is right up my alley - an equal mix of angst and sweet moments. This is totally a love/hurt story with a HEA. Parrish seems to really enjoy the virgin + mental illness trope as Simon and Corbin Wale were pretty similar characters (without the magical realism) as well as giving one of her leads a dead parent or two. These are so far the only two books I've read from them so it was interesting they were so similar but I feel that if every book follows the same formula I'll have to move on. I liked that it's established they (this book and [...] Corbin Wale) exist in the same world, as Jack is actually a fan of Corbin's work - this obviously takes place a few years after [b:The Remaking of Corbin Wale 39347033 The Remaking of Corbin Wale Roan Parrish https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1521734437l/39347033.SY75.jpg 58042835]. I'm glad I read that book first as the mention of him in this book wouldn't have had the same impact otherwise.I'm really enjoying Parrish's writing style including how they write love scenes. There were quite a few moments in this book where I felt like I should light up a cigarette after. However, as some other reviewers mentioned, in hindsight it does seem a bit much because of Simon's personality but, at the time, I didn't mind the scenes or the amount of them. My main problem is Jack is a talker and uses the term “baby” at Simon a lot - but that's just personal preference.Another issue is just how many animals live in what seems like a pretty small house with Jack, especially when he's laid up with a broken leg for iirc 8+ months. That house would be disgusting unless Charlie and later Simon are also doing cleaning on top of their other help. Jack would have to be constantly vacuuming and mopping and brushing while still enjoying a healthy diet of animal dander. THEN he gets Simon a puppy at the end of the book!? I wanted to call the ASPCA.Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will continue with Parrish's writing for now. I'm excited to read Charlie's story as he seemed like a really likable character.
This was quite a nice surprise. I randomly found this book browsing Amazon as it popped up in a “since you liked this other book” recommendation and it was on sale so I figured why not. This reminded me a lot of the manic pixi dream girl YA books I read as a teenager only with my favourite fan fiction tropes thrown in. Down on his luck business owner that can bake? Yes please. (Probably) Autistic artist virgin with a dreamy look in his eyes? Sign me up. Everything coated in magical realism? Just take my wallet. Parrish also has her characters actually talk to each other about ~feelings~ GASP while making them still seem pretty realistic for two adult men characters. Bonus that they're both pretty thirsty for each other. It basically has all the elements to make this a book I couldn't put down and one that I'll be thinking about for a while - especially about some of the bakes described. I really want that oatmeal toast with cinnamon sugar.
The only thing that bummed me out was this looks like a one-off instead of a series, as it was written in 2017 and nothing else has been mentioned from the author. I'd have loved to see Gareth and Orin's story.
This was a nice bow to tie up the series with. The two main characters are definitely some of my fave and the pulp murder mystery plots were really well executed.
While it's a bit bittersweet the series ended here, it would have probably gotten a little repetitive. This final book, while just as good as the first two, was kind of a rehash of the arc over the previous books in that Zodiac, the criminal enterprise Kim has been fighting against, was disbanded after the death of their leader but the bureau had yet to capture them all and surprise! they're back to cause more mayhem. The series could have definitely ended in two books but since I like the author and these characters so much I'm glad it didn't.
There isn't much more to say. KJ Charles is one of the best writers in the MM historical genre and I can't wait to see what's next.
This had a few interesting facts and I did like that it was presented almost like a list or Q&A, instead of having to read chapters of jumbled information. However, it's really not for true crime aficionados as a lot of this was information I already knew. If you're just getting into true crime and want a bunch of facts laid out in an easy-to-read format, this would be a decent place to start.
However, like other reviewers mentioned, there are quite a lot of mistakes in this for being an internationally published work. The editors could have done a much better job finding these egregious mistakes that takes credibility away from a non-fiction work.
When I started reading, I didn't realise this was part of an already-established series. The reader is thrown into the middle of a conversation and it was a little confusing. A lot of the previous action and character building was done in the previous books and, while you do end up getting some background information, it's not enough to really get to know these characters if you're starting here. I guess I wished that had been more clear by the title or cover of the book.
This is another urban fantasy that combines a lot of established worlds and creatures that usually don't interact in lore - vampires, fae, demons, necromancy, etc. - in a real world setting. This book mostly takes place in St Louis and Chicago but that has little to do with the plot. The author could have left out the location of the city and just made it Anytown, USA and it would have been the same.
The weird take on the Wild Hunt was interesting but seemed really bizarre, like it's this sentient demonic mass that has to be herded by specific fae to find its selected target. It's very much an urban fantasy take on the Wild Hunt lore rather than the mystical fae entity that it's more established as.
The “witty banter” was also wearing. There's a lot of random pop culture references or just the main character trying to be antagonistic in a really immature way and it didn't feel like it fit in this world. There was also a lot of random cooking, incl. making cannabis oil from scratch, that didn't belong.
Overall, because I was thrown into the middle of the world without context and the weird almost sci-fi take on fae lore, I was mostly just confused and didn't enjoy this book that much. It's definitely for readers already familiar with the author and their previous work.
The world set up here feels pretty unique to a lot of other urban fantasy I've read, combining witches, fae, vampires, shifters, and different types of magic into the same world. I thought it was really action packed and paced well, but some of the leaps the author takes are even a bit much for this fantasy setting.
I wouldn't label it as an enemies to lovers because the main character, Michael, doesn't know who is an enemy and is thrown into a world he seemingly knows nothing about. It has a lot of tropes seen in omegaverse fiction (which I hate) like pheromones (in this case it's more to do with types of magic) and instant-attraction. And the characters are a bit underdeveloped, like I really wanted to know more about Alexei and how a vampire and fae could have possible spawned. And while “Gabriel” could have been a very interesting character (300 year old Finnish Viking that's also a werewolf blessed by a goddess???) he was dull as dishwater. If you're going to make a character from a specific real-world nation, you should probably do some name research. “Gabriel” is not a Finnish name, much less one from 300+ years ago.
This is definitely a book I had to suspend some bias to really enjoy but I thought it was a fun read and will probably continue with the series.
This was a real bummer of a book but is a good take on grief as well as gender issues with high school age kids. While I didn't have to deal with any of these issues personally, Deaver portrays these things in a really believable way that it was easy to relate to the characters. As with a lot of high school-aged characters I read, as I get older, these characters aren't always easy to like. Liam/Lee, the main protagonist, is very self-absorbed and confused about who they are and want to be, while having the idea that they already know everything they need to. Their friends are also the same. I liked Marcus the best and really felt for him, and Deaver did a good job making him believable as a few years older than Liam. He's going through a lot of the same things as Liam but on an entirely different level, and Liam isn't the most empathetic character.
Overall, a definite recommend to younger readers going through a loss while coming to terms with who they are but I'm definitely not the intended audience.
Sebastian hasn't been a hit with me but I'm a sucker for M/M historical romance so I was still excited to read this one, especially with its cute cover (rather than the usual horrible photoshop Fabio-esque covers on most M/M romance). However, I was again disappointed.
I didn't really get any chemistry between the two leads - it plays on the enemies to lovers trope but their eventual fondness for each other doesn't read organic and the eventual sex scene seemed forced, like the author threw it in as an afterthought to appease her audience. Especially the fact that it ends on a bit of a sour note (not a euphemism) and is then never really mentioned again.
There was also a lot of buildup in the highway robbery/revenge plot that went out on a super anticlimactic ending then a cliffhanger. There should have been a lot more focus on the development of that instead of all the coffeeshop scenes. It didn't feel believable or historically accurate at all.
This was a fast, sometimes cute read but overall unmemorable. The second book in the series is also going to focus on the M/F relationship that was barely a background blip in this story, so it seems pointless to continue with the series. If this is your first foray into M/M and/or historical romance, there are better places to start.
I definitely liked this one more than the first. The author seems to have a better grasp on the characters and the world they created which means we can skip most of the exposition and get down to some action. The only thing is that there's hardly any actual magic in this story, which is kind of a major plot point in this series, especially compared to the first book. You could get rid of the fact that half the characters have some ability and it would still be the same story. I think the author maybe handicapped themselves when they made most people's abilities elemental rather than just generic mage/witch abilities because we only see people use their magic in very specific situations. In this book's case, we really only see magic when Sage is trying to defend himself or the end when his grandmother uses her “earth” power to level some buildings - unless you count seeing the ghost of his father every once in a while, that's all the magic in the entire story. Besides that, I think it's an interesting world and look forward to the next book.
Bauer has been pretty hit or miss with me but all her books are wildly different from one another so that's to be expected. Mostly this reads a lot like a CW show in that the two mains are unrealistically attractive opposites who went from friends to lovers just because the nerdy one hit puberty, and all the other characters are kind of tropes or vaguely written. However I was charmed by both Emory and Connor and their relationship seems more realistic than most MM. They first bonded over horror movies and filmmaking but they only really spend a few weeks every year together in their families' adjacent beach vacation houses so they don't see each other grow up in between. Apparently, this year, Emory hit puberty hard and changed from social outcast to the hot mystery guy and Connor wants to dive in dick first.
While a lot of sex is alluded to or mentioned, nothing really happens “on screen”. Bauer also didn't make it the focus which made the actual horror plot more prominent which was good. There are a lot of plot points that need to be cleared up and I found the climax a little anticlimactic and ridiculous but you can't expect much more than that from someone that's not really a horror writer. Overall, this was a fun read but I'm not sure I'd read a sequel.
I really enjoyed this slightly different historical romance than what I've been reading. While it is set in England, the two main characters are Americans which gives them different ideals and values to their British counterparts. Definitely read the prequel [b:Rebel 57004021 Rebel (Outlawed #0.5) Sally Malcolm https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1612827669l/57004021.SY75.jpg 89190996] first as it establishes these characters and the stakes that makes King's Man so compelling. This is a so-called “second chance” romance story so you hit the ground rooting for them especially after their sweet friendship in the prequel story. While there are plenty of politics and historical events mentioned in this book, Malcolm doesn't dwell on them which is good. I'm not here for a history lesson on the American Revolution. However, it does set the tone nicely and, like I mentioned, gives it a unique feel to most other M/M romances set in the 1700s.
This is a MM set right before then after the American Revolutionary War with the politics associated with Royalists/Torys and then those fighting to see America a self-governing nation. The main characters here are just meeting and beginning their friendship and it's a very sweet one. However, it ends with tragedy. No deaths here, just the couple ripped apart by politics and fear as the Revolutionary War kicks off. The main series sees them reunited with all the angst that comes with that. I like that Malcolm released this so that you're not just thrown into the series with them hating each other over a shared past we otherwise wouldn't know about.Malcolm is going to become one of my favourite writers in MM, I think. Her book [b:The Last Kiss 51107671 The Last Kiss Sally Malcolm https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581279273l/51107671.SY75.jpg 75902984] was great and when I finished it, I was disappointed to see it was her only foray into the genre. I'm very excited to get into this series.
I started to like this book the farther I got into it but initially it was a lot of eye rolling. The constant mentions of IPA and brand name beers plus just both the characters being initially deeply annoying - but I pushed through and ended up being charmed by their relationship build-up. However, as a whole, I don't find this realistic at all. They're just not two people that would last very long and the author relied on tropes to the point where it's just really not a realistic story. I usually don't have a problem with that (I mean, it's fiction) but when it's set in a very real world situation including actual brand names and locations it becomes a problem for me to get past. The author should have made up a beer brand and maybe didn't rely so much on a Cincinnati location when it could have been in Anywhere, USA.
I hate when plot summaries list other works to compare it to because it's almost always nothing like that - just because it has some pirates and ships in it doesn't mean it's anything like Pirates of the Caribbean (it's not even close) and this also didn't have the humour or snark that I found in [b:The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue 29283884 The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (Montague Siblings, #1) Mackenzi Lee https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1492601464l/29283884.SY75.jpg 49527118]. This also read as a little more juvenile than I was expecting from the summary. It has pirates, mermaids and shapeshifters, royals, magic and magicians, and high seas adventures but it also spends a lot of time on land for no reason. The pirates are also barely key players so the cover is misleading - the main character is a royal prince out on his coming-of-age tour that just happens to start on a ship. The pacing ebbs a bit here and there and I got bored in those parts. I also thought it was a about 100 pages longer than it needed to be. This could definitely be edited down and would be the same story. It's also very much PG so if you're a reader put off by sex scenes beyond some kissing, this will be fine.Overall, it was just fine but I just was a little perturbed at the misleading done by both the cover and the summary.
This is becoming a favourite series. I really enjoyed Benjamin and August's story and it didn't suffer from sequel syndrome. They're both such likeable characters in a world of likeable characters. Captain Benjamin Frakes has a huge gap in his personality - all gruff and scowles but just wants to be cherished - while August is another loveable rake with a heart of gold. Greene has a great writing style that kept me engaged throughout the entire story. I think I might have liked this one even more than the first book because the angst/trauma wasn't so extreme (Edward's childhood) so it was more relatable and more of a slow burn instead of just sad.
My first niggle is the cover image isn't anywhere close to the character descriptions and August wasn't actually a spy and Benjamin is retired so... just don't let the cover and title influence you.
My second is that while the sex scenes are otherwise well written and well timed, it is dramatically inaccurate. If you're going to put emphasis on August's virginity, maybe make his first penetrative sex a little more realistic. A few saliva-covered finger pokes does not an enjoyable time make for even the experienced, much less someone who seemingly hasn't ever touched themselves there. It took me a bit out of the story with my giant cringe and wince.
Not sure what I'm missing that other readers loved because I was bored stiff with this. I almost DNF'd it a few times and read two other books and multiple manga in between to try to keep my reading streak going.Cazo isn't a very distinct/developed character and has trouble carrying the story mostly on his own, while his relationship with Zee seems merely one of convenience so the “romance” also didn't grab me. Over half way through the book and, while the drama that Rose was creating was keeping the story going, it felt like nothing had really happened and we still knew next to nothing about each of the characters - at least not enough to keep this reader invested and engaged. A little over half-way through we find out that bomb that the “relationship” between Zee and Cazo is even less stable than it felt at the beginning and I about threw my book across the room. Overall, would have been a great AU world with a Wild West tinge but just fell really flat. Read [b:Wake of Vultures 24819482 Wake of Vultures (The Shadow, #1) Lila Bowen https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1432332113l/24819482.SX50.jpg 44460269] for a good queer AU Western with cryptids.
Not quite as sweet or romantic as the other books, probably because it was stuffed with couples instead of just focused on the main couple. This series definitely has to be read in order as the additional couples are from the past two books and they're all interlinked plot-wise.
I really enjoyed Lord Cavendish but found his attraction to Jonny very shallow and physical. They didn't seem to get along much at all though I supposed that might change as they actually get to know each other. The past books gave the couples a lot more time to establish themselves and felt more natural and real where this is mostly just two people coming together for a quick rub and tug and they started the physical a little quickly for Perry being very inexperienced and both having pretty low self-esteem.
Overall, I enjoy Chambers' writing immensely but wish she had taken a little more time with this one.
I didn't quite enjoy this one as much as the first. Without the world and relationship building, I just didn't care quite so much about these characters.
The incorporation of a MF relationship and sex, as well as a lot of talk between Nino and Haru about having children, uninterested me. The villain and his island could have also been explored a lot more in the text instead of spending so much time building Cellina and Giovanni's relationship. That should have been done in their own book, targeted towards people who are more interested in MF. Granted this book is marked as “queer” rather than MM but the first book was only MM so I think the carryover of those readers to here is going to be your target audience.
I enjoy the world that Nikole has written but I do have some issues with her writing - the pacing is very off but also there are a lot of issues in the dialogue. You have these 100+ year old vampires that speak multiple languages but it seems their grasp on English is tenuous; they speak very formally like a textbook (like saying “the male” to refer to someone when they're just talking amongst themselves) so a lot of the dialogue is a bit odd and didn't flow in a realistic way. No friends speak to each other like that in any language. It's just all very stiff and uncomfortable - it takes you out of the book.
Overall, I do really enjoy Haru and Nino's story and world but I don't have high hopes for the next installment.
Another slightly disappointing sequel. I immensely enjoyed the first novel because it had a very classic ghost story mixed in with a very cute and fun new relationship between Blue and Levi. I think this story was just a bit too ambitious. It's very obviously based off of stories like “The Haunting” where a bunch of strangers are put into a very haunted house and the eccentric millionaire owner sets them through some tasks, that are then thwarted by the ghosts, to see who will be around (and alive) at the end. Morton also threw in some lore about very real The Hellfire Club. It got just a little too crowded with both too many characters and ghosts. I was glad for more Tom as he seems like a really fun old man but didn't understand the point of the addition of Declan, especially as Blue doesn't really get anything out of him and in the end he seemed like he was just cannon fodder anyway. A lot of these scenes could have been cut, like the Lady in the Lake, and replaced with more about the history of the Viscount's family and the house instead of just referring to different deaths. As many other reviewers have said, Blue and Levi also have a slightly different personality. I don't think Morton spent enough time developing them and maybe got them confused with different characters she's written or just didn't know what to do with them. Levi especially seemed like a completely different person from the first book and they didn't gel as well together.
Overall, I did like the story and found it entertaining but not as a sequel to a book I thoroughly enjoyed. If this was its own book with totally new characters, I would frankly have less of an issue.
Not as compelling as the first book, probably down to Damien being an arrogant asshole and this book is really only about him. While the other characters have quite a bit diversity, that's not what I care about so did little for me when the characters themselves are rather two-dimensional or just unlikeable. It's written in a different style from the first book as well, like we're reading flashbacks going back and forth between character perspectives and it was a bit annoying. Overall, really disappointing after I enjoyed the first book so much.
I'd definitely recommend listening to the podcast before going into this book so you know more about who Damien is in the “present” and then go into this as it's his origin story. In the podcast (as far as I got) he's very much a villain character and this was interesting in that we see before, he was just a kid from a corn field in Nebraska. However, you also see that he displays zero maturity or growth in the years between this and the Bright Sessions which makes me think of him as a really boring villain and I'm usually one to root for the bad guy or underdog.