Category Archives: Books

Book Review: Taxes and TARDIS – N.R. Walker

Posted on December 28, 2014 | Leave a comment

Taxes And TARDISAnother beautiful, sexy and adorable story from N.R. Walker!

Seriously, N.R. Walker knows how to tug them hearts from readers.

Logan is an accountant. Geek. Lanky. Pale. Adorable

Brent is an electrician. Former Jock. Broad. Tanned. Sexy

Brent needs someone to fix his taxes. Upon meeting the geek accountant, like a big bad bazooka – Brent was struck speechless unable to form any coherent words in front of Logan. And who would’ve thought that they’ll hit it off big time? Will their differences cause some problems in their budding romance?

Again, I’m just totally in awe with N.R. Walker’s writing style. She make it seemed so easy to write beautiful stories with her beautiful characters with unique individualities. Here, both MCs are just disgustingly adorable!!! I just loved them! The easy-breezy chemistry between them was just electrifying! I loved that there was enough backstory for both Brent and Logan without those backstory dragging the development of their relationship. It was just smooth despite the angst. Sometimes, it’s nice to read stories that don’t require too much thinking. Like, you just have to read it as it is and enjoy it! Taxes and TARDIS is definitely a total must-read!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Book Review: The Ghost On My Couch – L.A. Gilbert

Posted on December 27, 2014 | Leave a comment

The Ghost on My CouchThis story reminds me so much of the movie Just Like Heaven starring Reese Witherspoon & Mark Ruffalo. This time though, it was the other way around. The Nurse (not a Doctor this time) is the one who is haunted by a ghost (a patient at the hospital where is he working) at his flat. I think there’s a very limited way to go with this story – it tends to go around the same way and the same plot lines but it’s always refreshing to have different personalities to different characters. I think the author even got his inspiration from said film – I could totally be wrong though.

Alex Tanner is a male nurse who’s got a pretty routine life between the hospital and his television shows. He’s got standards on choosing his partner – tall, dark and handsome. After one of his shitty days at work, he came home and was greeted by no less than a ghost. Sid Jones – the friendly ghost haunting his flat who made him feels special and is no way up to his usual standards. And why would he be thinking of his standards and said ghost?

I so get the magical realism used in this novel and I loved that it didn’t lessen my liking for the characters all throughout the story. There’s a certain charm going on about Alex and his friendly ghost. There were also some funny moments – especially when Sid gets upset and hides in the fridge. That was just funny and so endearing. The whole story may have some sort of loophole at the end – just a few nagging questions but it’s easy to ignore them because this book was written so beautifully. I can’t believe this came from the author who gave us the heart wrenching The Coil. This is definitely a must-read and I’m glad that someone recommended it to me.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Published March 23rd 2011 by Dreamspinner Press

BUY LINK
Dreamspinner Press HERE
Amazon HERE
Barnes & Noble HERE

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Book Review: American Love Songs – Ashlyn Kane

Posted on December 26, 2014 | Leave a comment

American Love SongsAmerican Love Songs has a very nice touch of realism that lets you see the life behind pop superstars and the likes before they became public’s property. The story was told through Jake Brenner’s perspective. He’s an openly gay member of the aspiring rock band Wayward Sons hoping to make it big. Young and “has too many wild oats to sow to fall in love”­ – Jake’s world suddenly turned into oblivion when the band signed their new lead guitarist Parker McAvoy. Dorky, talented and mysterious Parker knows all about Jake’s conquest and he’s not gay as everyone presumed – until Jake discovered all the layers of Parker’s past. What would it take for Parker to overlook Jake’s philandering past and give him a chance in love?

I loved the first half of this novel. I thought Jake’s character was very realistic and very charming. I loved that it’s also relevant and there’s vibrancy with each character – his band members, his family and the rest of the secondary characters. Parker on the other hand was equally adorable but I didn’t get the drift of his past. It was almost predictable at first but for some reasons, it feels like the author decided to go heavy on the religious undertone to his character. I didn’t get that at all. There was no consistency in his character.

The pacing of the latter part also became excruciatingly slow I almost find myself skimming the pages especially with their rather brow-raising sexual arrangement. Perhaps, it was in the characterization of Parker’s character that doesn’t sit well with me very much. I wished it was just the gay thing and not an elaborate story about choosing a boy over his family. The former reason would’ve been sufficient for the plot and it would still blend in beautifully with the development of the story. It’s a good story – not as grand as the Conquest series by SJ Frost but it’s alright. And the title – it’s a beautiful one but totally wasted.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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Book Review: Blame It on the Mistletoe & Unwrapping Hank by Eli Easton

Posted on December 25, 2014 | Leave a comment

Blame It On the MistletoeBlame It On The Mistletoe is the first book I’ve read from the author. Tis’ got me feeling all tingly over the Holidays. Mick and Fielding are just so cute together  I thought Fielding’s character was a bit exaggerated but I still find him overly charming! Pacing was great, story was adorbs to the highest level – the ending I didn’t quite like (view spoiler) but overall, it’s a great novella 🙂

Unwrapping HankPerfect! Just perfect! Unwrapping Hank is just perfection. I’ve read this after reading Blame It On The Mistletoe and this totally put a smile on my face this season. Sloane grew up as the son of two psychiatrists. Pledging for a fraternity in his freshman year at the Penn State Uni, he meets the big, muscled mysterious Hank Springfield who acts dumb but is majoring in Philosophy. There’s more to Hank than meets the eyes so Sloane made it his mission to uncover everything about said mystery. When he got invited to Hank’s family farm in Amish Country over the Christmas break, things became clear to Sloane which also paved the way for Hank to lower his defenses.

 ‘gotta admit that I loved this more than Fielding and Mick’s story. Both Sloane and Hank and even Hank’s big bro Micah are just too much for one book! It’s a very special story and the reason why Hank’s all that was such a tearjerker. I wanna give him the biggest bear hug ever! So, so worth it and will totally have this on my reread list!

 Ratings for both books: 5 out of 5 stars

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Book Review: Thomas Elkin – Sense Of Place – N.R. Walker

Posted on December 23, 2014 | Leave a comment

Sense of Place[Book 3 of the Thomas Elkin series]

Getting the support of their families, Tom and Cooper are at their happiest. They now lived together and nothing will get in their way. But outside influences are trying to tear them apart. Cooper is currently working for a man his age and thinks that he should be dating someone like him and Tom’s facing discrimination at work from a fellow senior partner. These forces won’t easily win though, because Tom and Cooper know that they have something much stronger and they are the real deal.

It’s really nice to see more of Tom and Cooper’s interaction at their respective offices. I loved that Cooper does not get easily swayed. He’s really a stubborn one, isn’t he? It’s funny how he still gets whatever he wants from Tom and how the latter loves spoiling him! I can’t help but grin from ear to ear when Cooper was putting words in Tom’s mouth about marriage. He’s hilarious and I loved how Tom easily relents with this super funny and vibrant young man! It’s also very sweet how Tom lets him fly – I mean, the way he seems to mentor Cooper because he really believed in him. What a really sweet guy.

I really loved this series and although this seemed to be the conclusion of the it, I really still want more of Tom and Cooper. Why is N.R. Walker so freaking amazing? Like seriously? Sixty Five Hours, Heatstroke, Red Dirt Heart, Three’s Company… Gosh, I simply cannot wait to read the next series from her!

A VERY WORTH YOUR WHILE SERIES, this one is.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Published February 14th 2014 by Totally Bound

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Book Review: Thomas Elkin – Clarity Of Lines – N.R. Walker

Posted on December 22, 2014 | Leave a comment

Clarity of Lines[Book 2 of the Thomas Elkin series]

Forty-four year old Tom and twenty-two year old Cooper are very much together now. They decided to give their relationship a shot and would now like to share the news with their respective families. They thought their age gap won’t be that big of an issue but their loved ones seemed to think otherwise.

Now, this second installment is where everything hit the fan. Meeting the parents (technically, Tom have already met Cooper’s parents when the latter was still in high school) and telling them about their budding relationship. It was actually rather sweet how Tom and Cooper’s relationship developed in this installment. I loved how they each maintained their individuality without trying to change each other. I thought it was really sweet of Cooper whenever he’s defending his relationship with Tom. It’s true that it’s always the older one who seems to be getting all the blame yeah? Because he’s older and all – but sometimes, that is not always right. Of course, they cannot help the reaction of their respective families but I was sure glad that the story continues to keep its pacing without rushing anything about their relationship. It was really funny how Cooper always gets his way and Tom never wins an argument – funny, cute and very sweet if you think about it. I am totally in love with this series that just got better with this second installment. It’s truly a MUST-READ. Another great series from N.R. Walker.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Published December 13th 2013 by Totally Bound

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Book Review: Thomas Elkin – Elements Of Retrofit – N.R. Walker

Posted on December 21, 2014 | Leave a comment

Elements of Retrofit[Book 1 of the Thomas Elkin series]

I am actually a sucker for May-December love stories and this one is probably one of the best series out there involving such affair and I just adored the couple here. Thomas Elkin is a successful New York architect who came out as a gay man before his fortieth birthday thus ending his almost twenty-year marriage. At forty-four, he’s as free to live his life the way he wanted especially now that his relationship with his son is back on track. Then came Cooper Jones, one of his new intern and an aspiring superstar in the world of architecture – also a friend of his son and is half his age. Their mutual attraction was palpable and Tom’s world is about to go upside down as Cooper shows him the life he’s been missing.

I do not have many issues about the MCs’ age gap here – I mean, I probably go awry if it’s more than 30 years gap because that’d just be weird – (that’s just for me though) but this one I find slightly awkward at first because Cooper actually went to school with Tom’s son, like they went to school together in High School and Tom’s actually older than Cooper’s Dad (like a month-older) but setting those aside, everything’s good with me.

I loved Cooper’s sassy attitude. He’s clearly very mature for his age and I think he balanced out Tom very well. I loved how Tom was trying to really gauge Cooper first before diving into the affair. After all, Cooper’s still very young and may very well have a change of heart. The good thing though is that Cooper attitude towards Tom and the way Tom reciprocates with Cooper was almost like a perfect semblance of how such affair should be handled. Even if clearly, Tom have made a lot (financially and built his reputation in the industry) – there was no barrier or distance that conflicted their budding relationship. This first book of the series was clearly very much focused on the merging of two generations and how both of them very well complimented each other. The issue about age was there and will always be there but I’m glad how their relationship seemed to be a lot stronger than this one factor. It’s a beautiful start of a series and I am so excited to read its second book.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Published October 4th 2013 by Total-E-Bound Publishing 

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Book Review: A Working Man (Men Of Manhattan Book 4) – Sandrine Gasq-Dion

Posted on December 20, 2014 | Leave a comment

A Working Man[Book 4 of Men Of Manhattan series]

I do love the characters in this series. We see a lot of them in this installment but this story is focused on Hawke’s Advertising owner Matthew Hawke who at thirty-eight decided that he’s actually more into men. Then he meets Drakon (weird name yeah?) at the gym and hit it off right away. With a very low self-esteem, Drakon didn’t think that he’s capable of doing something bigger despite having a degree and knowing a lot of stuff. Matt however sees his worth but also didn’t want to push Drakon too hard fearing that by doing so, he’d lose the man but first, he’s got to let him know the truth about him.

The story was very contrived from the beginning what will all the coincidence of all their meetings but it was smooth flowing all throughout. I loved that there was no big brouhaha on their relationship. It was like all of their concerns are merely small things that they could work on right away and then can live happily ever after. I mentioned how contrived the story was and maybe it was – with all of the gay couple in the series, the acceptance of their respective families and I don’t know – their circle was like a gay mecca of some sort. I’m not complaining about it but I can’t help but smirked in my head about the incredulity of it at some point. But hey, I loved this series so far and I can’t wait to see more of the characters have their own story. I’m particularly looking forward on reading Ryan and Ramos’s story (the homophobic Callahan brothers would be a dream for them, tbh)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Published September 24th 2014 by Wilde City Press

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Book Review: A Fighting Man (Men Of Manhattan Book 3) – Sandrine Gasq-Dion

Posted on December 19, 2014 | Leave a comment

A Fighting Man[Book 3 of Men Of Manhattan Series]

This third book in the series is definitely my favorite so far. The story centers on Army Ranger Slater Cassidy (Yup, Spencer’s younger brother) and his mission to win the heart of the gorgeous Casper Kennedy. They first met when Slater took a leave from the service and since then, it became apparent that he won’t stop until Casper gives him the time of day. Casper’s refusal to go out with him truly puzzled the army ranger and he’s willing to do everything to break Casper’s barriers. What he found out though was something closer to him than he expected and there may just be a way to change Casper’s mind and heart.

I just totally loved this story. I thought Slater’s a total walking wet dream and he’s a character rom-com chic flicks are made of! Casper on the other hand was a total darling! Although I feel that his character was a bit underdeveloped, I loved the fact that he just seems like a regular guy. I enjoyed their easy chemistry and could totally feel for Casper. The story was way more realistic than the rest of the series so far and I loved that the author tackled this very subject.

The secondary characters here are also fun to read and the introduction of new characters was just very exciting! I cannot wait to read more about them.  This was a very good bump for the series – a beautifully told story about second chances in love.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Book Review: A Marrying Man (Men Of Manhattan Book 2) – Sandrine Gasq-Dion

Posted on December 17, 2014 | Leave a comment

A Marrying Man[Book 2 Of Men Of Manhattan Series]

Now it’s Blaine McKlintock’s turn to get his own love story out there. Still trying to make up from the disastrous bet he had with his best friend Kent Samson who almost lost Terry Barron in the process, he now found himself in the midst of planning their wedding. That is with the help of Terry’s boss and friend – Spencer Cassidy whom he’d a crush on since the latter’s Wall Street days. Blaine changed a lot since the bet and so as Spencer through the years. Will there be a chance for them in this game?

I totally loved Blaine’s character. I thought he’s very charming here and obviously a changed man this time. A change which I didn’t quite get at first because it was a total 180 degrees, like’s he’s somehow lost that bravado, that fun attitude. He did change but it was too much in my opinion. I feel like Spencer was almost dominating him. I do not share the opinion of him and Spencer having that great chemistry if I’m being honest. I just don’t see it. As much as I adored Blaine’s character, I didn’t like this couple that much. I actually enjoyed more of Slater Cassidy (Spencer’s brother) and Casper Kennedy (Blaine’s secretary). I am very much looking forward to reading the third book in the series because right off this book, I could already tell how much fun Slater is. Going back to the main couple, I’m not really a fan but hey – maybe, I’ll learn to appreciate them in the coming books.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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