Tag Archives: Book Review

Book Review: Fit For The Job – Darien Cox

Posted on February 4, 2015 | Leave a comment

Fit For The JobBlurb: When fitness professional Jay Capello is unexpectedly offered the job of training a movie star’s teenage daughter for the summer, he thinks he’s scored a fairly cushy gig.

But once let inside the locked gates of the actor’s residence, he begins to realize he’s been dropped into a web of family secrets, and the unconventional challenges of this assignment may be more than he can handle.

When he starts to fall for Bodie, the girl’s personal security guard, he tries to stick with it, and his simple summer commitment becomes a struggle to perform his job duties without losing his heart in the process.

***

I thought the whole story was awfully long with its thinly veiled plot. The beginning was a bit interesting although the pacing was uber-slow that I’m almost skimming through it. Midway, it became almost unbearable because of its predictability. I kept on turning the pages because I just want to get over Sassy’s histrionics and I when I got to her dealio – I was like, that’s it???! It’s a snooze-fest of a story. The book does not offer anything new. There were unnecessary scenes [mostly prolonged sex scenes] which made the story even more flat.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Published July 14th 2014 by Dusk Notes

About The Author
Darien Cox lives in New England, bouncing back and forth between the mountain and the ocean states, anywhere there’s a wave or a ski slope. A nature lover and thrill seeker, he enjoys exploring the intensity, insanity, humor and chaos that accompanies cupid’s arrow, whether it’s love at first sight or just the overwhelming power of lust.

website: http://dariencox.com

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Book Review: Coming Home (Rock Bay #1) – M.J. O’Shea

Posted on February 3, 2015 | Leave a comment

[Book 1 of Rock Bay Series]

coming homeBLURB: Tallis Carrington ruled Rock Bay with his gang of jocks and an iron fist-until a scandal destroyed his family’s name. Ten years later Tallis is dead broke, newly homeless, and on the walk of shame to end all walks of shame. He needs money and needs it fast, and Rock Bay is the only home he knows. But the people of Rock Bay haven’t forgotten him-or the spoiled brat he used to be. The only person in town willing to overlook his past is Lex, the new coffee shop owner, who offers Tally a job even though he appears to despise Tally based on his reputation alone. When Tally discovers his gorgeous boss is the kid he tortured back in high school, Lex’s hot and cold routine finally makes sense. Now Tally has to pull out all the stops to prove he was never really the jerk he seemed to be. After all, if he can win Lex’s heart, the rest of the town should be a piece of coffee cake.

***

I always loved me some M.J. O’Shea’s goody and she’s one of my favorite authors when it comes to light-feels, low-angst stories. This would’ve been perfect if not for the last half. I both loved Lex and Tally and how their relationship developed overtime but midway – the plot went a bit downhill with how childish the conflict was. I am also extremely annoyed with Drew’s character – really brew? balls-less much? I was even thinking that Brock retaliated because he’s actually in the closet himself but that doesn’t matter. The ending was a bit anti-climactic and I thought with the length of the novel, there should’ve been more about the bigots in the story getting served and not just getting a punch in return. There’s definitely more about Tally and Lex here that I would like to read in the future books in the series – I want Tally’s character to get a full-redemption story arc and Broc’s crew get what they deserved. This is what I didn’t get, the coffee shop was thriving and people were very accepting with Lex’s sexuality and liked him so much but a crew of capital A-hole get to harass him almost in their entire encounter? It feels like no one’s siding with Lex at all which is very ironic given how he was very much liked.

I’m not sure if I’ll get the second book in the series because Drew’s awfully annoying, tbh so I’m going to chill it a bit with this series. I’d still recommend this book though because it’s still a good read despite some things I didn’t like about it.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

BUY LINKS
Dreamspinner Press
Amazon
Barnes&Noble

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Book Review: A Healing Man (Men Of Manhattan Book 5) – Sandrine Gasq-Dion

Posted on January 23, 2015 | Leave a comment

A Healing Man[Book 5 of Men Of Manhattan Series]

Wow. Who would’ve thought that a “hated*” character from this series would be able to redeem himself 360 degrees and be one of the most adorable and charming characters ever to come out from said series!?! I didn’t think it’s possible to like the bigoted Tiernan Callahan after what he and his family did to his brother’s fiancé  but Sandrine was able to transform all those negatives into positives and made this stubborn Irishman fell for the equally stubborn “wounded warrior” Dario Ramos [Slater Cassidy’s best friend]  no less! Yikes! It should have been a disaster from the start right? But nope people, it was actually a match made in heaven!

Dario Ramos is still recovering from his injury which sent him home from the war-zone he’s been trying to get over with. But there was another battle he’s got to face when he keeps on crossing path with the bigoted New York cop Tiernan Callahan.

Raised from a religious-family, Tiernan Callahan is still mourning the death of his younger brother who died without spilling his secret of being gay and being engaged with another man for fear of rejection from his family thus the guilt and anger he carries around. When he keeps on running into Dario Ramos, something inside him awaken.

AHM

Something’s gotta give between these two stubborn men and they also both need to heal in order to feel and understand each other…

When I first found out that there’ll be a fifth book and it’ll feature Ramos, I got all giddy because I loved this series and I loved Ramos! I loved that he’s feisty and doesn’t take shit from anyone! I was a bit apprehensive though when the author mentioned that he’ll be coupled with one of the Callahan brothers (huh! the bigots who mistreated Casper, their brother’s fiancé!) – I effin’ hated them in the third book –but yeah, I guess they atleast have to grovel so hard in order to be at least likable.

Funny though because everything seemed to settle down with the Callahan brothers and they became these adorable twins in this book, like seriously, Miss Gasq-Dion – you’re killing me with all the feels here!

Out of all the books in the series, I think this one along with A Fighting Man (yay! What a coincidence!) are the most solid story-wise. I loved the chemistry between Dario and Tiernan, the low angst and the secondary characters that were introduced here! Oh Gawd! Now, I cannot wait to have Danny and Bobby’s story [please write one for them] and of course, Michael and Ryan as well!

What else can I say about this book? It’s a signature Sandrine-Gasq Dion novel and it’s effin’ fabulous so go ahead and download it now!!!!!!!! Cmon’ whatchawaitinfor????!!!!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

BUY LINKS
WILDE CITY PRESS

photos of tiernan and dario via michael stokes and mirror.co.uk

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Book Review: The Hot Floor – Josephine Myles

Posted on January 21, 2015 | Leave a comment

The Hot FloorWhen Josh Carpenter was unceremoniously dumped by his boyfriend, he found himself just holding on to his job as a glassblower and living alone in his ghastly apartment. It was all spiraling down on him saved for the sexy times he gets to hear from his two sexy neighbors, Rai Nakamura and Evan Truman. When Josh fell into Evan and Rai bath tub – all naked that is, he found himself getting in the middle of a hot-scorching summer sexy times between the two. These however didn’t last without his emotion getting involved with the mutual attraction between him and the couple of growing by the day. When it feels like something was going on behind him, Josh feared that he may very be dumped – yet again.

Damnit to hell if this isn’t the hottest book from Miss Myles!

Josephine Myles have always been a favorite of mine when it comes to quirky reading. Her vibrant characters albeit the weirdness are all so charming! This one is no exception! Josh was just a total sweetheart and I feel like giving him the biggest bear hug ever! Rai on the other hand was a total sexy riot! What a real, real naughty sad! Evan was ugh – sex on legs – literally.

And the sex. HOT! HOT! HOT!

I guess this is one of the most important factors when reading a triad [which I’d like to call] – a polyamorous relationship in a story could only work if the author was able to make the three characters all likeable one way or another. In this case, the author was able to do that – over and beyond!

Ugh. This has got to be my favorite Josephine Myles novel!!!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Published September 25th 2012 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

Also read a free Christmas follow-up short: Double Trouble HERE

BUY LINKS
Kindle US
Kindle UK
Samhain
Nook
Kobo
All Romance eBooks

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Book Review: The Family We’re Born With – Kaje Harper

Posted on January 19, 2015 | Leave a comment

The Family We Are Born WithI really enjoyed the flow of this holiday story. It’s about family – being together, its minor and major conflicts, understanding each other and accepting each other regardless of who they love.

Jesse and Devin are at the center stage of the story – They have been spending the holidays at Jesse’s family since introducing Devin to his family and effectively coming out almost five years ago. This time though, Jesse’s mom didn’t want to have Devin for Christmas Eve for fear that this would make the meeting between his long lost half-brothers and his family uncomfortable about Jesse’s sexuality [/ relationship] which made Jesse rethinks his family’s stand about their relationship. Have they truly accepted him and his relationship with Devin after all these years?

I guess what I really loved about this story was the smoothness of Jesse and Devin’s relationship. There’s a beautiful romance in there. There was no heavy, angsty stuff going around. It was clearly a reasonable misunderstanding and natural reactions from a mother who haven’t seen her child since birth and for a son who feels the needs to hide in order to maintain peace.

I also loved the conclusion on how Jesse patched it up with his mother and it made me excited to read more about the secondary characters in the coming books.

Do read this you guys, it’s a good one and FREE!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Download for free
Goodreads HERE

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Book Review: Gangster Country – Kade Boehme

Posted on January 18, 2015 | Leave a comment

Gangster CountryTwo very different men from two very different backgrounds…

LoganLogan Marshall is a social worker whose job has taken him to New York where he feels he’s needed the most. This country boy who grew up in a Texas ranch has got it easy with his hippie parents who have no qualms about him being gay.

Then he meets Gianni Rodriguez.

Gianni

Gianni grew up in Brooklyn and is part of the Los Cuervos gang as his brother’s right hand and the doer of its dirty deeds. When he met Logan at a party, what started out as a simple arrangement to fool around became something Gianni didn’t expect to blossom. They are after all just friends with benefits. Right? Right?

When Logan’s work got tangled up with Gianni’s secret life, the latter has to decide whether to risk everything he’s ever known including his family or risk losing the only man he ever loved. Could Logan be Gianni’s salvation in the harsh and cruel gangster country?

What I really enjoyed most about the book is the pacing of the story. At the beginning, (like literally after the prologue) I was at a loss because it was just a wee bit fast then the whole story developed and the next thing I know I was at the last page already. I thought about it and I figured that it’s for the best that I didn’t have to read a lot of killings, drug dealings and all to get the gist on Gianni’s background. I thought there should’ve been more about Logan but obviously, his entanglement with Gianni is what made his character interesting.

I was a bit saddened by the way Gianni’s family reacted at the end especially his Mami. I guess it’s a part of the story that we’ll get to read about in its sequel [yup, there’s a sequel coming up this year according to the author]

I also loved the characters of Gabriel and Hennessey. I’m hoping that Kade would do something about these two secondary characters. Much more for Gabriel’s sake because that beautiful, broken boy needed something to lift him up.

Overall, I thought the whole thing was solid. There’s more healing to be done for both Logan and Gianni and although Gianni has made a lot of wrong choices in life, everyone deserved their second chances and I can’t wait to read its sequel for that and of course, Gianni needs to avenge Wendy!!! Oops. Yup, I guess I’m big on sweet revenge when my character gets beaten up! He needs to stand up more for what he lost and almost missed out on not having Logan in his life.

This book deserves five star rating from me because I’m a sucker for such characters and with true love beating all the odds… *wink*

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

BUY HERE: AMAZON

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Book Review: Caught! – J.L. Merrow

Posted on January 16, 2015 | Leave a comment

[Book 1 of The Shamwell Tales]

[Book 1 of The Shamwell Tales]

I’m a bit sad because I hate giving the author of one of my favorite MM books [Muscling Through] a one star rating for her latest effort. This one just didn’t work for me. The storyline was mediocre at best, characters totally charmless except for Rose and young Charlie and the rest about it was blah-blah.

Crying GIF

I thought of actually not finishing this book but I was still hoping that it’ll pick up eventually. I was about 67% in the story and decided to just toss my reader and take some aspirin *wink* because it totally gave me a good amount of headache.

Frustrated GIF

But as I’m still holding a lil’ amount of faith for it to get better, I soldiered on and it resulted to a catastrophic disappointment. The flow of the story was consistent yet awfully slow – boring and too indulgent. I won’t even remember the main characters from this book after today.

Behind Robert’s cheerfully eccentric exterior lies a young heart battered and bruised by his past. He’s taken a job teaching in a village primary school to make a fresh start, and love isn’t part of his plans. But he’s knocked for six—literally—by a chance encounter with the uncle of two of his pupils.
Sean works in pest control, rides a motorbike, and lives on a council estate. On the face of it, he shouldn’t have anything in common with Robert’s bow-tie, classic-car style and posh family background. Yet Robert is helpless to resist Sean’s roguish grin, and a rocky, excruciatingly embarrassing start doesn’t keep the sparks between them from flaring.
Despite Robert’s increasingly ludicrous attempts to keep his past where it belongs, his past hasn’t read the memo. And soon his secrets could be the very things that drive Sean away for good…
Warning: Contains the alarming misadventures of a pest control technician, a stepsister with a truly unfortunate name, and a young man who may have more bow ties than sense. – BLURB via Goodreads.

 

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars 😦

BUY LINKS
Amazon HERE
Samhain Publishing HERE

 

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Book Review: Semper Fi – Keira Andrews

Posted on January 15, 2015 | Leave a comment

Semper FiSemper fidelis is a Latin phrase that means “always faithful” or “always loyal”. Well known in the United States as the motto of the United States Marine Corps (and often shortened to semper fi in Marine contexts).

This is a story of two marines who fought the war together. Jim and Cal have been inseparable since they first met at the train on their way to training camp and up to the coast of the pacific to defend the country. Both survived the ugly war but both men will never be the same again. This is also a story of love.

This book begins each chapter with a flashback from their time together in the war and ends each at present time (three years since they got back). I normally don’t like tons of flashbacks in a story because it tends to dispel the buildup of the story for me despite the back-story it would provide. Here though, these flashbacks throughout the story are welcome distractions as they let us see how these two men formed their bond.

Jim’s wife just died and was left with two kids to take care of. In need of a hand to tend his apple orchard, Cal immediately lends himself to his best friend and the love of his life.

In an era where blatant homosexuality was considered a criminal offense, Cal was always careful especially around Jim who had no idea at all about his secret. Not until their friendship developed into something deeper that neither Jim nor Cal ever hoped to flourish. It was difficult for them especially for Jim who has been raised to deem what they’re doing as a sin.

I loved that Keira Andrews stayed with the era and didn’t deviate from its hostile acceptance / non-acceptance towards homosexuality [which sadly is still prevalent at some parts of the world]. The vividness of each flashback was also drawn to make you feel like you’re actually watching it happen in front of you. It feels like watching The Pacific while reading their war memories. Jim and Cal’s character are both so realistic that you’d really feel for them and root for them real bad.

This story is a story that is made for the movies. I think it’s high time for people to embrace another tandem [aside from Jack And Ennis] in the mainstream cinema. [Just a thought though, it’s a good one yeah?]

I wouldn’t change anything in the story because there’s perfect balance of the main characters, the secondary ones and even the era where the story evolves. This was my first read by Keira Andrews and I’m sure glad to have chosen this one. Miss Andrews, you are truly magnificent!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Buy now:
Amazon | All Romance | Barnes and Noble
iTunes | Kobo | Smashwords

About The Author
After writing for years yet never really finding the right inspiration, Keira discovered her voice in gay romance, which has become a passion. She writes contemporary, historical, paranormal and fantasy fiction, and–although she loves delicious angst along the way–Keira firmly believes in happy endings. For as Oscar Wilde once said, “The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means.” Find out more about Keira and her books at http://www.keiraandrews.com

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Book Review: Family Man – Heidi Cullinan & Marie Sexton

Posted on January 14, 2015 | Leave a comment

Family ManThis was the second book collaboration by Heidi Cullinan & Marie Sexton that I’ve read, the first one being the second book in the Tucker Springs series entitled “Second Hand” which I loved to bits!

Family Man centers on Vince Fierro and Trey Giles. Vince made it to middle age when he suddenly realized that he’s actually gay. As per the book’s blurb – How does a man get to be forty without knowing whether he’s gay? And HE IS gay but went through three divorces. He’s also got this big Italian family which totally means the world to him – or atleast their approval. Upon realizing this “mystery” about himself – he found himself tangled with someone from their old neighborhood.

Trey Giles has two jobs, takes care of his grandma and his alcoholic mother and attend school at the same time. The poor doesn’t have the time for fun until he stumbled upon his old neighbor Vince Fierro whom he decided to help figure things out.

Together both men forge a connection that led to romance and validates some of their suspicion but they also have to face their own family issues which could easily damage their budding relationship – for good.

I’m actually not big on stories with gay-for-you theme. I mean, I find myself rolling my eyes unconsciously with these characters but when a story is well written and well thought of, I tend to disregard that fact. Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton made some solid grounds here in developing both Vince and Trey’s characters. Both are charming and realistic. The angst was ample but it didn’t overshadow the easy chemistry between the MCs. I’m nicking one star from this story because the conclusion made my right brow raise a little. It was a bit ideal for my taste and it doesn’t feel that finished. I wished an epilogue was written showing that they’re still together after some years – so it’s a Happy-for-Now story but hey, I don’t want to be overly critical about this since I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Published March 12th 2013 by Samhain Publishing

BUY LINKS
Amazon HERE
Kobo HERE
Samhain Publishing HERE

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Book Review: Scrap Metal – Harper Fox

Posted on January 13, 2015 | Leave a comment

Scrap MetalAfter reading Tyack & Frayne Series and thoroughly enjoying it, reading another book from the author is just a must – like seriously, Harper Fox is a beast.

First thing you have to know about Scrap Metal is that it’s long. It’s only 258 pages but the tone will make you slowdown in absorbing every single detail.

Nichol Seacliff’s life went upside down when a family tragedy brought him back to Seacliff Farm and help his Granda tend the farm leaving Edinburg and his doctorate aspirations in Linguistics behind. In a cold night during their lambing season, Nichol caught Cameron, an intruder in the barn who inexplicably touches something from within him thus giving him a place to stay instead of turning him away.

As they work together, Cameron found his way into Nichol’s heart. Even the farm’s matriarch was charmed by Cam especially with his abilities that set the farm back on its feet. Secrets from Cam’s past however were revealed and since Nichol was already in deep, he’s got to make the ultimate choice.

As per the author’s usual penchant for lyrical narratives, Scrap Metal lulls its reader into a song that will introduce you to its central character – Nichol who’s always been the second or even third best in the family. He’s the guy who gave up his life in the city to help their gloomy family estate. He’s the guy who loves with all his heart. Harper Fox definitely perfected the way to bring a character to life. Nichol’s description of the Seacliff Farm was vivid that you’d want to visit the place itself.

Cameron on the other hand was a gentle soul – odd like the artist he is and more sensitive due to his unpleasant past.

Nichol’s Granda Harry with his Gaelic lingo was also a character you would hate but felt for as well. He’s old school but open-minded at the same time.

These characters perpetuate a beautiful story development that made Scrap Metal a good novel – lyrical, easy and sometimes even nostalgic. I would’ve given this a perfect five stars if not for that one tiny bit detail at the end that felt a wee bit forced. That’s just for me though, otherwise this book’s another masterpiece from the author.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Published March 27th 2012 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

BUY LINKS
Amazon HERE
Samhain Publishing HERE

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