Book Review

Like You Hate Me by Bethany Winters: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

September 19, 2023 by Denise

I’ve never hated anyone as much as I hate him.

The day my sister died, I told her best friend I never wanted to see him again, and I meant it.

I lost her because of him. Everything I used to care about means nothing now because of him.

It’s all because of him.

So when he shows up on my driveway two years later and tells me he’s moving in with me for his freshman year of college, I kick his ass and tell him to disappear. For good this time.

But I already know the defiant little brat’s not gonna listen. He never does.

Being near him again makes me crazy. I’m supposed to be the college basketball star my father raised me to be, but now I’m focused on a new game. I’m obsessed with watching him, touching him, breaking him. His body, his head, his heart, anything I can get my hands on…

I’m gonna take it all until he’s got nothing left.

And even though he knows exactly what I’m doing to him, he’s gonna let me do it anyway.

Title: Like You Hate Me
Authors: Bethany Winters
Length: 90k
Genre: Contemporary

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Goodreads

“Since when do you venture all the way over here?” Frankie asks, grinning at me over her shoulder as I follow her into the coffee shop.

“Shut up.”

She chuckles and moves up to the counter to place her order. Looking around, I find Xavi sitting at his usual table by the window, wearing a dark gray hoodie with the hood pulled up over his head. I force my face to remain cold and impassive as I watch him be, enjoying the way he shifts in his seat and pulls his sleeves down over his knuckles. His eyes crinkle at the corners when they find me, like he’s trying not to wince.

My face is a punishment for him. And if he insists on sticking around, I’ve got no problem going out of my way to make him look at it every chance I get.

“Nate,” Frankie says, probably not for the first time.

“Yeah?”

“What do you want?”

“Whatever you’re having is fine.”

She raises a brow at that. “A pumpkin spice latte?” she asks, and I scrunch my nose in disgust. “That’s what I thought.” She laughs, turning back to the barista. “He’ll have a cappuccino.”

Once we’ve got our drinks, we sit side by side at one of the empty tables in the corner, both of us people watching for a while as we warm our hands with our cups. We don’t say anything, but it’s not awkward. It’s easy with Frankie. Comfortable.

A group of people rush inside the shop, relieved to be out of the cold, and I don’t miss the way the guy at the back of the group turns his head to look at Xavi, chewing his lip as he takes in his form.

“Does that happen everywhere he goes?” Frankie asks, subtly tipping her chin at Xavi. “Girls and guys?”

I nod, my hands clenching into fists on the table.

“He has no idea, does he?”

“Not a fucking clue.”

He’s always been this way. Even back in high school, the kid was oblivious to all the attention he got. He’s oblivious now too, his head lowered as he tries to pretend he’s not peeking up at me every five seconds to check what I’m doing. I like that I’m his sole focus, that he’s clearly jealous of me and Frankie, but at the same time, that sad, broken look in his eyes makes me want to throttle him. All I can think about is forcing him to his knees, digging my thumbs into his jugular, and shoving my cock down his throat so hard he chokes on it. Taking him as hard and as roughly as I can and giving him something to really be sad about.

“Jesus, the way you look at him…” Frankie mutters. “I wish someone would look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like they wanna fight me and fuck me at the same time.” She smirks, and I smirk right back, leaning into her space and taking her chin between my thumb and forefinger. “You hate it, don’t you?” she whispers against my lips, playing along like the good friend she is. “The way you want him. It pisses you off.”

“Right now, the only thing pissing me off is you,” I tell her, digging my fingertips into her skin, but not hard enough to hurt. Never as hard as I’d do it to Xavi.

“That’s not very nice.”

“I’m not a very nice person, Frank.”

“I know,” she says. “That’s why you’re my favorite.”

Fighting a grin, I tilt my head to the side, kissing the corner of her mouth. “Is he gone?”

“Mhm.”

My grin slips free, and I kiss her cheek this time. She playfully pushes my face away, and I drop back in my seat, resting my arm on the back of her chair. Lifting my coffee to take a sip, I laugh under my breath as I watch Xavi storm off through the courtyard.

Do I love angsty books? You know I do! And this one delivered. Drug addiction, death of a sister and best friend, self loathing, hate, blame, meddling best friends, you name it.

Xavi and Nate haven’t seen each other in two years. The why is shown in various flash backs that just break your heart. Xavi the misfit who becomes best friends with the blind girl. They are both from wealthy families where appearances are everything and they do not fit the mold. Katy’s older brother Nate did fit the mold. Everything changed with Katy accidentally overdosed.

Xavi retreated deeper in drugs and alcohol. Nate fueled himself with hate for Xavi who he blamed for Katy’s death. Xavi got clean after rehab (his reason for getting clean gutted me) and is finally going to go to college. And stay in the house Nate rents. It was the original plan before Katy died. And Nate’s best friend convinces Xavi that it’s fine.

It’s far from fine.

Xavi takes a lot of emotional abuse from Nate. But at the same time, Nate has to sometimes remind himself that he hates Xavi. That Xavi is the reason his sister is dead.

Nate moves to using Xavi for sex. And then ignoring him after. And Xavi thinks he deserves it. Self flagellation much? It’s brutal. Xavi hates himself as much as Nate hates him.

I’ll say that I didn’t love that Xavi’s depression seems to lift when Nate is nice to him. And I really wish Nate had more of a wake up call with how he treated Xavi. AND his friends. He really treats Carter and Easton like crap. Carter I can almost see because they had been friends for so long. But Easton? There’s also Frankie, the lone girl in the group (and house) who seems to have a bit of a tragic back story that we don’t get.

So there were a few things I didn’t like that much but there was a lot that I loved. This was my first book by this author and I hope there are more dark and angsty stories in her backlist.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

. .

Bethany Winters is a Romance author based in the UK.

Connect with Bethany:

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Website: https://bethanywinters.co.uk/
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Tango Down (The Renegades Book 4) by Cara Dee: Release Day Review and Book Excerpt

September 18, 2023 by Denise

The Renegades #4 • Romantic Suspense • Enemies to Lovers • Action • MM
“I’m here, baby. Daddy’s here. Oh God, I’m so sorry.”

The murder in Joel Hayward’s eyes wasn’t merely a reflection of the rage within. It was a promise to the men who had kidnapped his daughter. The one person—this amazing slip of a girl—who showed Joel every single day that there was good left in the world.

He was running on fumes. He was desperate. His closest companion was…Elliott. His ex-wife’s older brother. Okay, once upon a time, the man had been a lot more than that, but somehow they’d become mortal enemies instead. Frankly, Joel didn’t give a flying f— He didn’t care if Elliott made it back alive. Or so he kept telling himself, as the pain intensified with each day he couldn’t hold his little girl in his arms.

As they got closer and closer to their target, one lead at a time, the men prepared themselves to go to war.

Amazon – All Regions

Here we go, book 4. The story(ies) get wrapped up.

Sort of spoilery, but come on you know that there has to be a happily ever after or a happily for now. But you’ve been warned.

We start right where we left off. At the cartel’s compound somewhere in the jungles of Columbia. They are in a race to rescue Shay so that they can in turn rescue Blake and Marissa.

I am not going to recap it all. But I will offer some thoughts.

The series brought together 2 couples. But these books were as far from romance novels as you can get. They were action adventure and they were written really well. But action adventure is definitely not my genre of choice. I struggled through some because there are SO many characters, so many bad guys, some bad guys who are good guys, some bad guys who are really bad guys, good guys who were pretending to be bad guys, good guys with boots on the ground, good guys working behind the scenes, etc. It was a lot.

And the mission to rescue Shay was HUGE. So huge that the rescue of Blake and Marissa was a bit anticlimatic. I said what I said.

And then there are multiple epilogues to check in with everyone after. It just felt very disconnected. Joel and Elliott realize a huge betrayal but the consequences of that betrayal don’t seem like much. There’s also a lot we don’t get to see which just left me wanting. I was invested in these guys and the 2 new couples. I wanted more.

I’d much rather read the kinky stories or even the vanilla stories. Maybe new characters that aren’t so intertwined with older characters. Honestly, I am really sick of guns.

3 pieces of eye candy

Three hours—I could work with that. If we were catching a ride through Coach and Hillcroft, chances were we could bring our weapons, and I needed to clean my rifle, both handguns, and—

“Joel, I need a word.” Elliott nodded toward the hallway.

Goddammit.

I reluctantly followed him out into the hallway, where we stuck our feet in our boots and stepped out on the stoop.

The sky was a little lighter, though it would be a while before the sun rose.

I let out a breath and sat down on the first step.

The air really was thinner up here.

Elliott sat down next to me and lit up a smoke for me too.

“Thanks.” I took a drag and exhaled skyward.

What were the odds of him admitting what he’d told me when I’d been fucking deaf?

“You gonna lay into me?” I had to ask.

He blew out some smoke and shook his head, then rested his arms on his knees. “No. To be honest, I don’t have a plan here. You’re a grown man, and maybe you don’t care what I think.”

I didn’t.

I mean, I did. I absolutely did, but fuck him. Fuck me. Fuck him for getting us to this point. Fuck everything. Fuck, I was tired. Just fuck.

There’s an idea.

I suppressed a sigh.

“But considering how I’ve behaved…” He swallowed and kept his gaze fixed on something on the ground. “You’re not some sidekick in this fight, Joel. You’re hands down the best marksman I’ve ever laid eyes on, and when you silence the worried dad in you—like you did tonight—you’re an incredible soldier.”

Well, shit. Was that really Elliott talking? Was he sick? Dying?

“Are you dying?” I asked.

He exhaled a silent chuckle through his nose and took another drag from his smoke.

I guessed he wasn’t going to answer.

“Thank you.” I cleared my throat and scratched my jaw.

I wasn’t sure I felt anything at his praise, but I knew myself well enough. It’d come later. I’d never been good at hiding my feelings or reactions, so maybe I’d get sucked back in and grieve losing him—even though I’d never really had him—when this was over. When we went back to seeing each other once a year for Blake’s birthday. Maybe not even then, depending on what I could handle. Because suppressing hurt didn’t mean erasing it. Masking it with anger didn’t mean shit either. I still felt the hold he had on me every goddamn day.

I’m often awkwardly silent or, if the topic interests me, a chronic rambler. In other words, I can discuss writing forever and ever. Fiction, in particular. The love story—while a huge draw and constantly present—is secondary for me, because there’s so much more to writing romance fiction than just making two (or more) people fall in love and have hot sex.

There’s a world to build, characters to develop, interests to create, and a topic or two to research thoroughly.

Every book is a challenge for me, an opportunity to learn something new, and a puzzle to piece together. I want my characters to come to life, and the only way I know to do that is to give them substance—passions, history, goals, quirks, and strong opinions—and to let them evolve.

I want my men and women to be relatable. That means allowing room for everyday problems and, for lack of a better word, flaws. My characters will never be perfect.

Wait…this was supposed to be about me, not my writing.

I’m a writey person who loves to write. Always wanderlusting, twitterpating, kinking, cooking, baking, and geeking. There’s time for hockey and family, too. But mostly, I just love to write.

Find Cara on social media here: https://www.caradeewrites.com/cdwlandingpage

The Charmer (The Vers Podcast book 4) by Riley Hart: New Release Review

September 11, 2023 by Denise

Corbin

If you listen to The Vers, a queer podcast I host with my three best friends, you know me as The Charmer. I’m always happy, flirting, and trying to win everyone over. I think most people would be surprised to learn I have a lot more going on beneath the surface.

But ever since all my friends have fallen in love, it’s getting more difficult not to feel left out…

Cue my fascination with Spencer, my neighbor who hates me. There’s something addicting about getting under his skin, and I blame the combination of my confusing emotions and too many drinks for spilling my guts to him about all my insecurities…and about how much I love cuddling.

Turns out, Spencer doesn’t hate me, and my word vomit is the catalyst that makes us decide to be cuddle buddies. When I need affection, I go to him, and he just…holds me. Along the way we become friends, and when I fall for him, it’s surprising that he feels the same. Spencer’s easy to talk to, fun to be around, and did I mention he’s hot? I love how confident he is in his full figure, and there’s nothing like being in his beefy arms.

Spencer has me wanting more for the first time in my life, and he’s determined to help with my disordered eating, but if I want a healthy future with him, I need to work toward being healthy for myself too.

The Charmer is an opposites-attract romance with a body-positive MC and a cuddle fiend learning to love himself.

The Charmer deals with disordered eating, low self-esteem, and negative talk about weight. While the story is uplifting and none of these are heavy-handed, please see the content warning at the beginning of the book for a full list.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Not gonna lie, I did not like Corbin at the beginning of this book. More than the beginning. Maybe because I know similar personalities, maybe because of his disordered eating-also knowing people like this. But his over the top ME! ME! ME! schtick bugged me. But the more I read, the more I realized what an act it was. How truly insecure he was. And even with 3 best friends who adore him, he was really starved for love, acceptance and affection because he basically grew up without it.

Spencer is pretty much the opposite. He’s squishy, he knows it, he won’t apologize for it. It’s almost a nonissue for him. He is comfortable in his skin. He doesn’t have a group of friends. He is only on social media for his job. He has a family who loves him exactly as he is.

They are neighbors who run into each other at a function and Corbin kind of latches on to him. Besides the friends difference, Spencer has what Corbin wants. Spencer is also an excellent cuddler, which Corbin CRAVES.

Watching Corbin go from almost obnoxious, pay attention to me, like my nearly naked pics and tell me how pretty I am, to realizing that his friends love him for him. And Spencer seems to really like him for him. And he needs to like himself for who he is.

It isn’t a sudden awakening either, which made it so much more realistic. And the disordered eating is in the forefront ahead of working out. But working out to combat previous calories is definitely there.

Besides this being a great story with realistic characters, I really appreciated that men can feel the pressure to look perfect as well. Definitely not to the extent of women, but it is there. Add in the gay community which can be super toxic about looks and bodies as well, it was a great representation.

Of course the other three Vers guys and their significant others play a role in this story as well. And the Poddies just fold Spencer into the group like he was always there.

This was a great final book in the series.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

French Fancy by Lily Morton: RB, Exclusive Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

August 24, 2023 by Denise

. .

Pip Simmonds is the twinkiest twink in London. He’s loud, proud,
and packed to the brim with sass. But when he’s laid low by illness, even his hotpants lose their sparkle and his worried boss sends him to the South of France to recuperate in his holiday home.

Cap Ferrat is beautiful, and the periwinkle-blue villa is luxurious, but the real draw for Pip is the villa’s other resident—his boss’s younger brother, Olivier Durand.

Olivier owns a perfume empire and has spent his whole life running from any other form of commitment. He’s worldly, carefree, wild, and the perfect choice for a holiday fling.

Drawn together by proximity, the two men become lovers and friends and then something more. Something special. But will their special bond hold true after summer’s end, when they both must return to their real lives?

This is the second book in the bestselling Model Agency series, but it can be read as a standalone.

Title: French Fancy
Authors: Lily Morton
Length: 396 pages
Series: The Model Agency, Book 2
Genre: Contemporary, Romantic Comedy

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Goodreads

“Good morning,” he says, one dark eyebrow rising. “You slept well, Pip?”

“I did.” I sit down at the table genteelly. “It’s amazing what a nighttime swim does for you.”

His eyes twinkle with amusement. “I will take your word for it.” He cocks his head, and a strand of hair falls across the olive skin of his cheek like a comma. “Pip? Is that your real name?”

“No, it’s Phillip.”

“Philippe. I like that.”

“Well, it sounds a lot nicer in French.”

“What doesn’t?”

“You do not,” Elise scolds me. “Speak in French. How will you ever correct your terrible accent if you do not speak it here?”

I roll my eyes. “It’s not my fault my French teacher comes from Newcastle.”

“Parle-moi en français,” she chides again.

“You are learning French?” Olivier’s face is lively and interested.

Elise puts a plate of food in front of me. “Eat all of that,” she scolds. “Still too thin, Pip.”

“That is not for me?” Olivier says. “If this were a queue in a shop, I should be complaining loudly.”

She rolls her eyes. “To have made food for you at this time of the morning would have required psychic talents to know you were getting up. And if I had that gift, I would be on the stage, no?”

“I can get up early,” he says.

I warm to him even more. His face is mischievous and naughty, and it doesn’t take Elise’s indulgent smile to know this is familiar banter for them.

She waves her hand, dismissing his statement. “Sometimes, if there is enough temptation.”

“There can never be enough temptation,” he tells her solemnly.

She grimaces at him and heads back towards the range. “And coffee and a cigarette are not part of a nutritious diet,” she throws over her shoulder.

“According to you.” He winks at me.

I’ve been staring at him and heat washes over my face at being caught. But then I rally and grin at him. “Nice to see you with all my clothes on,” I say in French.

He’s taking a sip of coffee and accidentally inhales, spluttering over the table.

I am pretty sure that everyone who read The Sunny Side has been eagerly awaiting Pip’s book. He was a scene stealer that everyone noticed. And now almost a year later, here he is.

Seems our Pip was quite ill and insisted on returning to work too soon. But Jonah, his boss, put him on a plane to recuperate further at his family’s villa in the South of France. Poor Pip. However will he manage? Spoiler alert: he’ll manage just fine.

Jonas’ brother, Olivier, shows up at the villa seemingly without a care in the world. It was quite unexpected as he tends to be a workaholic spending most of his time in Paris. Curious.

First thing I noticed was that Pip wasn’t nearly as snarky and attention seeking as he was in The Sunny Side. Part of that was definitely him still being sick. But I think part of it was that he didn’t have to be over the top to get attention from Olivier. I mean, at work in London he is surrounded by models. And while he is a good looking guy, he is short and probably would be easy to look past. But at the villa, Olivier only has eyes for him. As a friend. Mmmmhmm.

Olivier is so oblivious. EVERYONE sees what is going on. Except for him and Pip. Even the grouchy next door neighbor- a famous photographer. And the house keeper. And Olivier’s best friend.

He takes the time to show Pip all of his favorite places and things. Pip has never had a man shower him with so much attention. And Olivier is a GENTLEMAN.

Even after being kind of tricked? but not really? into sexy times by Armand, Olivier’s best friend, they still each insist on that whole friendship label.

But then Pip is recovered and headed back to London. Olivier has huge work fires to put out in Paris. An emergency brings them back together and STILL these dummies can’t figure out what is going on between them. It’s almost comical.

But of course they do and there is a great happily ever after. Well deserved too.

I have to say that the visuals painted by the author were truly amazing. I ended up googling the town and the pictures were just as she described. The town, the sea, the villas, the flowers…just all so stunning. It isn’t often that an author can make me picture so clearly in my mind a place I have never been.

Also, don’t you worry. Pip is still a sassy, snarky guy. But it’s all done with love.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Lily is a bestselling gay romance author. She writes love stories filled with heat and humour.

She lives in sunny England with her husband and two children, all of whom claim that they haven’t had a proper conversation with her since she got her Kindle.

Lily has spent her life with her head full of daydreams, and decided one day to just sit down and start writing about them. In the process she discovered that she actually loved writing, because how else would she get to spend her time with hot and funny men?

She loves chocolate and Baileys and the best of all creations – Chocolate Baileys.

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On the Double (The Renegades Book 3) by Cara Dee: New Release Review

August 23, 2023 by Denise

The Renegades #3 • Romantic Suspense • Action • MMM
“It’s a fine line between not revealing your arsenal and creating disorder by showing your strength.”

Funny how calm you could feel when someone had ripped the heart out of your chest.

River and Reese Tenley had grown up on the fringes of society, spending most of their adult years as private military contractors in places nobody else wanted to go. It’d been the two of them against the world, and they’d never believed their missing puzzle piece had existed—until they’d met Shay. The young man who’d quickly become their everything.

So the moment he was kidnapped… The moment those sick bastards took Shay, the twin brothers had nothing left to lose.

Amazon – All Regions

Oh man do I love the Tenleys. They are my favorite relationship in the various worlds of Cara Dee. I could almost feel their guttural pain when Shay was kidnapped in book 1. Hearing about what they were doing in southern California to find those responsible should have been shocking, but I honestly expected no less of them.

But now they have met up with everyone else- and a couple new additions-in Columbia. The cartel baddies are there. And so is Shay.

All together in the jungle the guys formulate a plan. With help from Crew and Adrien working undercover on the inside, they want Shay out.

It’s fast paced and nail biting. But there are still small moments of humor which are so necessary with such a tense situation. Everyone played their roles perfectly. It was brutal and bloody and the smoke hasn’t even cleared yet. But there is still one more book to go to wrap everything up. I can’t wait.

4 pieces of eye candy

The Fortunate Son (Redemption Ridge Book Two) By Aimee Nicole Walker: New Release Review

August 23, 2023 by Denise

Ivan Gallagher’s first and only attempt at love nearly cost him everything—his reputation, family, and even his freedom. Needing an outlet for his pent-up passion, the gruff foreman turns his beekeeping hobby into a successful business. Just when he’s on the verge of taking his liquid gold to the next level, a granted favor transforms his orderly life into a sticky mess.

Rory Snyder was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but wealth couldn’t spare him from loss and heartache. Finding himself at the center of a dangerous media storm, the social media influencer seeks refuge at Redemption Ridge. Too bad the Viking-sized Ivan seems impervious to Rory’s charms because he could use a sexy distraction from the chaos threatening to ruin his life.

Predawn collisions in the hallway lead to revelations, explorations, and something far sweeter than honey. Soon, living in the moment becomes living for the moment. But for how long? A future seems impossible for the humble foreman and the fortunate son until a common nemesis makes Ivan and Rory realize what they truly stand to lose.

The Fortunate Son is book two in the Redemption Ridge series. Though each story features a different couple, reading the series in order is essential. The Fortunate Son contains mature themes and is intended for adults.

Content Warning: homophobia, underage alcohol addiction, and intentional overdosing are briefly discussed in this book, though no graphic descriptions are used.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

If you read book 1 you know you were intrigued by Ivan, the foreman at Redemption Ridge. BIG, gruff, growly…did I mention big? Ya, him.

We got a hint at what was to come at the end of book 1 when he encounters Rory in the kitchen on his way to a meeting with the boss and his bosses…best friend? friend with benefits? boyfriend? No one is totally sure. But the guy is also a fed. And he needs his brother Rory to chill on the ranch for a while. Rory’s father (they are half brothers) is in politics and running for office and the opposition is trying to smear his name by digging into his son’s personal life.

So growly Ivan thinks he is now a babysitter to sassy Rory. But Rory isn’t afraid of work. Or of Ivan.

Both characters play off of each other really well, I think. Rory comes off as sassy and headstrong- which he is-but he is also kind of a mess. After the death of his mother, his father sort of checked out of the parenting thing. Which works GREAT with teenagers. So of course he did everything to get attention. And even though he is a grown man now who has cleaned up his act and has a very successful travel/environmental blog, his father’s opposition wants dirt.

Ivan is also pretty complicated. He messed up and did his time in prison. But he can’t seem to forgive himself. It’s pretty sad. But like I said both guys are really good for each other. Ivan doesn’t have a lot of self confidence but Rory has it in spades. And Rory is still learning how not to let the past drag him down and to not beg for love from his father. All while the 2 of them steam up the pages.

The author knows how to make us care about characters even before they are the main characters with their own story. We started to care about Ivan in the previous book. Now we wondering about other characters and when they will get their happily ever afters. All without pulling focus from the main couple.

Most of the previous characters make an appearance- including the evil religious cult and Finley’s mom. She cracks me up. I love how she just takes everyone under her wing.

And I really loved how they melded their lives without anyone making a sacrifice. Ivan couldn’t imagine leaving the ranch, but Rory traveled for his blog. But they figured it out and it was wonderful.

4 pieces of eye candy