Book Review

The Lights on Knockbridge Lane (Garnet Run Book 3) by Roan Parrish: New Release Review

October 10, 2021 by Denise

Can one man’s crowded, messy life fill another man’s empty heart?

Raising a family was always Adam Mills’ dream, although solo parenting and moving back to tiny Garnet Run certainly were not. After a messy breakup, Adam is doing his best to give his young daughter the life she deserves—including accepting help from their new, reclusive neighbor to fulfill her Christmas wish.

Though the little house may not have “the most lights ever,” the Mills home begins to brighten as handsome Wes Mobray spends more time there and slowly sheds his protective layers. But when the eye-catching house ends up in the news, Wes has to make a choice: hide from the darkness of his unusual past or embrace the light of a future—and a family—with Adam.

From Harlequin Special Edition: Believe in love. Overcome obstacles. Find happiness.

Amazon

Garnet Run

Book 1: Better Than People
Book 2: Best Laid Plans

I absolutely ADORED the first two books in this series. And I liked this one a lot, but it didn’t feel like it was on the same plain as the first two. That isn’t to say it wasn’t a great book, it was. Let’s dig in.

Adam, newly single dad moved home to Garnet Run because their sibling offered to help with Adam’s daughter. She was born his niece, but his sister was unwilling and unable to care for her, so Adam took her. Adam’s husband wasn’t too thrilled with the situation but somehow stuck with it for 8 years. I don’t know how he then pretty much cut off contact with her after being a dad to her since birth, but hey. Not everyone bonds with a child, not everyone loves children.

The neighbors warn him of the strange guy who lives across the street. Turns out he isn’t so much strange as he is socially awkward and wanting to be invisible. But Gus (Adam’s daughter) wiggles her way in.

I would have loved to see more trauma evident from both Adam AND Wes. But Adam seems to be adjusting to the single dad life pretty well and after just a few visits, Gus had Wes wrapped right around her little finger. But, as been noted before, I love angst and drama and trauma. It was a little too tidy for me, but I get that this is a Christmas story and most of holiday stories don’t have a lot of that. I won’t say that the past traumas of these characters are wasted, but they aren’t fully realized either.

And precocious Gus. Eight year olds can be pretty amazing and mature. But she was a bit too mature. I love how Adam parented her- no lying, looking things up, etc. But she needed to really be a kid more. Her letter to Santa was a brief glimpse into what she really feels and that also needed to be explored more.

This all might sound like I didn’t like the book- but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I have just come to except a certain depth to the characters that Roan Parrish writes. It’s one of the things I love about her writing. ONE of the things.

This was still a great story. The social media aspect, a single dad wanting to make his daughter happy, small town life, two men finding each other…it was all very swoony. And I liked that although the conflict was expected, it didn’t linger on.

I really hope this isn’t the last we see of Garnet Run. I’d especially love to see River get their happily ever after.

4 pieces of eye candy

Pick Me (The Sunday Brothers, Book 1) by May Archer: RB, Exclusive Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

October 6, 2021 by Denise

The job at Sunday Orchard was supposed to be temporary.

A chance to gain some work experience. To have some fun. To get away from my overprotective brothers. To maybe, possibly encounter some lumberjacks in their natural habitat before moving on to the dream career that awaited me in the city.

I had not expected to be welcomed into a family of gorgeous and weirdly efficient lumberjack-types myself. Or to find a purpose in the tiny Vermont town whose claim to fame seemed to be apple-based products and copious amounts of charm.

And I most definitely hadn’t expected to fall for Knox Sunday, my grumpy, burly, fifteen-years-older, reluctant roommate, with his infuriating lectures, his hot-as-fire body, his superior attitude, his snarky humor, and his stealth cuddles.

Now I find myself making excuses to delay my big dreams… just for a little while.

But Knox has unfulfilled dreams of his own. A career he walked away from. A big city life in Boston he left behind when he returned to his hometown to help his family. He claims he’s not looking for anything permanent, and I’ve never been one to put down roots.

My big life is waiting for me somewhere other than Little Pippin Hollow. So why does it feel like I’ve finally found the home of my heart?

And how can I get Knox Sunday to… pick me?

Title: Pick Me
Authors: May Archer
Series: The Sunday Brothers, Book 1

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

My life had been a circus before Gage Goodman had showed up, it was true. But it had been a rational, well-organized circus. Three tidy rings, safety nets all around, and the shit had been shoveled regularly.

Then that… that… kid had come to the orchard two weeks ago, all sunshine-smiley and messy-haired and smelling like the ocean, taking over every single one of my spaces with his sly smile and his hilariously awful t-shirts and his dark eyes that showed his every emotion, and suddenly my life was a chaotic shit show run by rabid twin monkeys called lust and frustration that made me do stupid things like re-download the Grindr app in the dead of night just to check out who might be located twenty feet away from me—seriously, LumberjackLuvr? What kind of a user name was that, Goodman?—and blurt out things like, “Sure, I’ll go to lunch at your best friend Jack’s restaurant with you, Webb,” which was tantamount to me agreeing to Webb’s nosy matchmaking bullshit with his friend and Webb knew it.

I LOVED this book!

I had read a few of May Archer’s books before and I quite liked them. But there was something about this book that made me really love it. It is a spin off of a previous series that I haven’t read (too many books, too little time), but you absolutely don’t need to have read the previous. Only 1 detail wasn’t fully explained from the previous books, but it was kind of a big-ish detail, which is why I am taking away 1/2 a piece of eye candy. Ok, one other thing. I’ll get to that.

This books is snark + grumpy. You know they attract each other like moths to flames. The snark comes from Gage, newly out of college who scores a job at an apple orchard in Vermont. Being from the Keys in Florida, that is about the polar opposite of what he is used to. But he is all in. They need him to revamp their website, build an app and help them streamline everything.

Except his office and roommate at the new job is the oldest brother of the family who own and run the orchard. Knox is 15 years older than Gage, cranky and on a mental health sabbatical from his high stress job in Boston. So ya, of course, sparks.

There is a whole big cast of characters- Knox’s siblings and uncle, his uncle’s boyfriend, etc. They all welcome Gage with open arms and pretty immediately treat him like family. But that is just how they are. And Gage is a great guy. But naturally Knox has to fight it and be a jerk. At first.

We all know that Knox can’t hold out forever, they start the classic “FWB” thing, nothing serious, except it is and even though they think it is a secret it totally isn’t.

So some of the things I loved about the book. Gage is snarky. BUT he isn’t constantly snarky. I hate when it is over done. But it isn’t at all here. So when it does pop up, it is perfect. I also really felt like Gage spoke like a real 24 year old. Not a 24 year old as written by a 40 year old (I have no idea how old the author is, just throwing a number out there). It felt authentic.

Even though Knox is the oldest, the farm was left to his brother by design. He feels a bit like an outsider being back after working in Boston for so long. But he just needs to open his eyes to his family around him.

With a small town and a big family, you know there is going to be some people being super nosy into what others are doing. But these guys aren’t like that. Ok, except Webb who is scheming to get Knox together with his best friend Jack. But they all really live and coexist with each other without stepping on toes or fighting and I really enjoyed reading about a well functioning family.

Oh, the only other thing that knocked me down 1/2 a POEC is that Gage is helping with the irrigation system, which is kind of odd because he is all computers. I mean, he took a trip to Boston just to get some kinds of parts for it. Just seemed out there.

So 100% read this book. I can’t believe I have to wait until May for book 2. Sigh.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

May is an M/M author who lives in Boston. She spends her days raising three incredibly sarcastic children, finding inventive ways to drive her husband crazy, planning beach vacations, avoiding the gym, reading M/M romance, and occasionally writing it. She also writes MF romance as Maisy Archer.
Sign up for her newsletter at: https://www.subscribepage.com/MayArcher_News

Worth Trying (Without Precedent Book 2) by Chloe B. Young: New Release Review

October 5, 2021 by Denise

No strings attached is easier, until love tangles things.

Privileged playboy Innes Kent has been unmoored since his regular escort quit on him. Though he’s a talented lawyer at a successful firm, without the distractions of a gorgeous man and frequent sex, his mind often wanders in unpleasant directions. For instance, toward his estranged daughter and his many regrets therein.

Charlie is a budding fashion designer, but the need to support his unwell mother has left him scraping to get by. When his cleaning job sends him to a lavish office one desperate night, he’s overwhelmed by the excessive luxury he sees, and when Innes catches him thieving, he’s at the lawyer’s mercy.

But Charlie is just the distraction that Innes needs: a proud and determined scrap of a man who challenges him, annoys him, and attracts him all at once. The perfect choice for a personal assistant who won’t bore him to tears or run screaming from his bad temper. Working together leads to sleeping together, but they’re both too clever to mess up a perfectly good arrangement by getting feelings involved. Aren’t they?

Amazon

It’s been a good long while since book 1, Worth It, came out-and with all that’s going on in the world, completely understandable, so I was a bit concerned that I might have forgotten important information prior to reading this one, but no worries. This book is very much a stand-alone in this series.

These two have quite the inauspicious meeting, while Charlie is working as a commercial office cleaner, and Innes stops into his office at 1 in the morning, catching Charlie trying to steal some items. What helped to redeem Charlies’s thievery in the reader’s eyes was knowing that Charlie was working his tail off to support himself and his mother. However, his snark, not normally what you want to do in this situation, earns the respect of Innes. Quickly, Charlie becomes Innes’ assistant, and a better assistant than the exacting man has ever had. They offset each other very well, creating a balance between them that works.

This is a slow to get going romance, in my estimation. And at times, the story dragged, and I found myself skimming, but then was pulled back in by the snappy dialogue. However, once they found their groove, I was all in to see how these two ended up finding their HEA. There were a few unanswered questions here for me, but nothing that changed how I rated the story.

Would recommend, even if you missed book 1.

4 pieces of eye candy

Finley Embraces Heart And Home (Love, Austen Book 4) by Anyta Sunday: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

October 4, 2021 by Denise

MUM is the love of his life.
Until he meets his STEP-BROTHER.

For years it’s been just Finley and Mum. Now she’s getting married, and they’re moving into a flash mansion and his step-dad is lording it over him. He’s clearly a homophobe, and doesn’t want him rubbing off (so to speak) on his son.

Like that would ever happen.

Even if Ethan and his dad don’t look anything alike.

Even if Ethan and his dad don’t act anything alike.

Even if . . .

This can’t happen. They’re whānau now, family, there are boundaries.

Secret. Forbidden. Irresistible.
A reimagining of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park.

***
TAGS:
Heart-throbbing slow burn, a bit of pretty prose, Ethan is his step-brother, Finley wasn’t supposed to see him naked, step-dad is a homophobe, Finley has naughty thoughts, Austen might roll over in her grave, secrets and confessions under sparkly stars, mutual pining, the world is unfair, pining-pining-and-more-pining, Finley turns naughty thoughts to actions, so what there are rules?, maybe they shouldn’t have done that, jealousy is an ugly green beast, Austen might like this now, forgetting is impossible, more impossible is choosing between heart and home.

Finley Embraces Heart And Home

Love, Austen (Book 4)

By Anyta Sunday

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

Emerett Has Never Been In Love (Love, Austen Book 1)

Cameron Wants To Be A Hero (Love, Austen Book 2)

Bennet, Pride Before The Fall (Love, Austen Book 3)

Ethan slips to my side, perfectly pressed in his spotless uniform, face free from the shadows of a cap. His hand moves to my bag and I feel the shudder of the zip. “It was open,”’ he says, and I know immediately he’s seen my test, pinned behind my smaller math textbook, the red-circled Achieved at the top right-hand corner.

I can’t look at him. My insides heave up my throat and the pressure stings my eyes.

“Um. See you at home, then.” I pound down the last of the path and emerge onto the parking lot. I’m halfway across when Ethan catches up and snags my hand.

His fingers wrap insistently around mine and our eyes catch. He tugs me toward his car and urges me inside.

“You’ll get in trouble,” I say as he slides into the driver’s seat.

Ethan stares out the window, then grabs his seatbelt, drawing it slowly across his chest. “I’ll be careful.”

Book 4 of the Love, Austen series where each book is a reimagining of a literary classic. This is the first one that I hadn’t read the original or seen any of the no fewer than 3 adaptations. No matter really. You don’t need to know the original at all. Nor do you need to have read the first three books.

The synopsis makes it sound like you get to know Finley and his mother before she gets married. But really you don’t. It starts almost immediately from his mother and her new fiance Tom announcing that they were engaged and would be moving to Tom’s mansion “Manfield”. Tom also has a son just a year older than Finley so he gets a brother, STEP brother, in the deal as well.

The entire book spans almost 10 years I think. From them as 15-16 year olds to nearly graduating college. So to say it is a slow burn is putting it mildly. The sexual tension is there from just about the beginning. But it doesn’t really read as sexual tension- more like 2 teen boys crushing hard on each other but trying to ignore it. But over time they become closer and closer, but never crossing the imaginary line.

What isn’t a help is Ethan’s father might be homophobic. Or at least have very clearly defined roles that people should fit in to. And his son shouldn’t play dress up when babysitting the neighbors, nor should he want to be an early education teacher as it won’t make him enough money.

We watch the boys grow close, support each other, help each other, become big brothers, finish school and have a gap year each- separately. Have other relationships, go to college and move out. But they are steadfast in their devotion to each other.

There’s a bit at the end with Tom (Ethan’s father, Finley’s step father) that had me in tears.

And I LOVE that not only is one of the characters Maori, but Finley’s mother strives to keep that culture alive in her children.

This one is will absolutely tug at your heart strings.

4 pieces of eye candy

I’m a big, BIG fan of slow-burn romances. I love to read and write stories with characters who slowly fall in love.

Some of my favorite tropes to read and write are: Enemies to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Clueless Guys, Bisexual, Pansexual, Demisexual, Oblivious MCs, Everyone (Else) Can See It, Slow Burn, Love Has No Boundaries.

I write a variety of stories, Contemporary MM Romances with a good dollop of emotion, Contemporary lighthearted MM Romances, and even a splash of fantasy.

My books have been translated into German, Italian, French, Spanish, and Thai.

Contact: http://www.anytasunday.com/about-anyta/
Sign up for Anyta’s newsletter and receive a free e-book:
http://www.anytasunday.com/newsletter-free-e-book/

Contact Anyta:
Join my Facebook group to chat all things Slow Burn Romance:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SlowBurnSundays/

You can also find me here:  www.anytasunday.com

For information about new releases and freebies, follow me on BookBub:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/anyta-sunday a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tangled Warriors by Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott: RB, Excerpt and New Release Review

September 30, 2021 by Denise

Lucien Cummings

The pestilents are trying to kill him.

He’s pretty sure the Water Weaver wants to kill him as well.

But after two months of fighting an attraction for a man who couldn’t possibly be his mate, Lucien cracks when he’s pulled into an impulsive threesome with Calder and a sexy man they picked up in a bar.

That night was earth shattering.

And now he needs to figure out how to keep both men safe and his.

Calder Saito

Calder doesn’t want to fight his attraction for the Fire Weaver any longer, but they can’t really be soul mates, right?

And what about Gio? The sexy man gives him such a feeling of completeness and peace.

Could one man really have two soul mates?

Gio Russo

Can’t he just have them both?

Tangled Warriors is the fourth book in the Weavers Circle series. This MMM paranormal romance includes fast-paced action, running through Savannah, secrets, shapeshifting, kidnapping, deadly Girl Scouts, sexy times, insecurity, three crazy old ladies, soul mates, and magic!

Title: Tangled Warriors

Series: Weavers Circle #4

Author: Jocelynn Drake & Rinda Elliott

Publisher: Drake & Elliott Publishing LLC

Release Date: September 24, 2021

Heat Level: 4 – Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 85k

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Thriller/Suspense

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

“Shots!” Gio suddenly proclaimed. “I think we could all use a round of shots. What do you say?” He looked up at Lucien and smiled. “Join me in a round of shots. Break the ice.”

“Nothing feels icy to me,” Lucien murmured, while the fingers on Calder’s waist tightened.

He suddenly felt bad. He was intruding like an annoying little brother. Yes, his intention had been to stop Lucien from hitting on this guy, but now that he was standing there, he felt how wrong it was. What Lucien did and who he slept with was none of his business. He was supposed to be working on getting rid of the bad blood between him and Lucien, not making matters worse.

“None for me,” Calder said softly. “I’ll grab the drinks and get out of your way.”

Gio surprised him by cupping the side of his face with a warm calloused hand. “Oh no, sweetness. We don’t want you going anywhere. You’ve got to stay.” Gio looked over Calder’s shoulder at Lucien. “We want him to stay, right?”

Calder tensed, waiting for the rejection, but Lucien shocked him even more by pulling him in tighter so that he could feel Lucien’s groin against the small of his back. Those long fingers slipped down from his waist to caress his hip bone, sending the most delicious tingles all over his body. “Stay. Have a shot with us,” Lucian pressed. His voice was warm and so very tempting. Calder couldn’t remember ever hearing Lucien talk to him like that. He wanted to live in that voice. Just curl up in it like a warm, handmade quilt.

Releasing him, Gio turned to the bartender as she delivered Lucien’s and Calder’s mix of drinks and ordered a round of shots. Calder didn’t hear what he’d ordered exactly because Gio had also slotted himself better against Calder, causing his brain to short out. He was now in the one place he’d never thought he’d be—a Gio-Lucien sammich. Even with all their clothes on, it was now his favorite kind of sandwich. He would happily eat it every day for the rest of his life.

Calder was too tongue-tied to manage words. He nodded. At least he thought he nodded. He must have done something, because Gio’s smile grew wider. A second hand landed on his hip right where Lucien’s

The shots arrived, and Gio slid one over to Lucien before physically placing one in Calder’s hand as if he knew that his brain wasn’t in control of his body any longer. He watched as Gio clicked his shot glass on Lucien’s and then Calder’s. Tipping his head back, he sent the amber liquid down his long, sexy throat. Calder did the same without a thought. The burn was enough to wake him out of his stupor.

Sucking in a harsh breath, he coughed several times while slamming his shot glass on the bar. Gio grabbed his hand again and shoved a drink into it. Without thinking, Calder sipped it, relieved that it was his gin and tonic. The addition of more alcohol to his system probably wasn’t the smartest, but at least it had gotten rid of his coughing.

When he could breathe, he took a deep drink and set the glass on the bar to find Gio smiling at him while Lucien’s hand continued to dig possessively into his hip.

You okay?” Lucien inquired. For once, the question didn’t sound spiteful or mean. There was genuine concern in his tone.

Calder managed a small nod and Gio laughed.

Of course he’s okay. What are you drinking, sweetness?” Before Calder could answer, Gio leaned in and licked his bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth for a second, then releasing it with a wet pop. “Mmm…gin and tonic. Not bad.”

Calder barely heard the words. It was just a rush of blood past his ears as it raced to his steadily hardening dick.

As Gio moved away, he reached past Calder and pulled Lucien close. “And what are you drinking?” Calder watched as Gio licked his way into Lucien’s slack, welcoming mouth. He didn’t know what turned him on more—actually kissing Gio or watching Gio kiss Lucien. It defied all logic, but it was clear that his libido had zero interest in logic. He only wanted to know all the wonderful things Gio could do with his mouth.

Gio released Lucien and licked his own lips slowly. His dark eyes had turned black as his pupils dilated with desire. “I can tell this is going to be a fun night already. I suggest we head to my place so we can get more comfortable and less likely to be arrested.”

We? Calder croaked out.

If you’ve been reading these books, I am sure you suspected Lucian and Calder having a connection. I mean the water weaver and the fire weaver had to be connected. What we didn’t know was that they weren’t complete as a couple. Then they met Gio.

So two guys who sniped at each other constantly were suddenly in bed together. With Gio literally and figuratively in between them. Cozy.

They figured one and done, right? Gotta love the whole “just have sex and get it out of your systems”. Does that ever work? Nope. Then Gio shows up at their house because he is the antique furniture restoration specialist that was hired. Oh boy sexual tension is a cracklin!

But Gio is immediately brought in on what is going on when the house is attacked and magic is revealed. Lucian and Calder don’t want Gio’s memory erased. Gio doesn’t want his memory erased. Grey knows that they are soul mates so he is against it as well.

Even though Gio has been burned by a triad before, he does come around kind of quickly to the idea of a soulmate trio. Especially when they need help locating the final weaver.

There is a GREAT scene with the three of them, Gio’s entire family and pestilents that was awesome. The big Italian family is so familiar to me and what I grew up around that they way they reacted to everything was pretty believable.

This book wasn’t nearly as nail biting as the others, but it was really fun and enjoyable. I’m not really looking forward to the next book because I assume it will be the last. Better be epic is all I’m saying.

4 pieces of eye candy

Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott have teamed up to combine their evil genius to create intense gay romantic suspense stories that have car chases, shoot outs, explosions, scorching hot love scenes, and tender, tear-jerking moments. Their first joint books are in the Unbreakable Bonds series.

Author Links

Website: http://drakeandelliott.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drakeandelliott/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrakeandElliott

Email: drakeandelliott@gmail.com

On Board (Painted Bay #2) by Jay Hogan: RB, Excerpt, and New Release Review

September 29, 2021 by Denise

Love on the deep blue…

Leroy Madden is in trouble. Big, handsome, Fox Carmody trouble.

Leroy has buried his attraction to the enigmatic fisherman in irritation and pointless bickering, keeping Fox at a safe distance. But with the troublesome man now living in Leroy’s house, it’s becoming impossible for Leroy to keep his true feelings hidden, or the fact that Leroy isn’t so straight, after all.

Leroy hungers for something different between them. He wants more. But Leroy’s business is struggling, his newly mended relationship with his brother is at risk, Fox doesn’t plan to stay, and their mothers are lovers.

Regardless of what Leroy’s heart so desperately wants, his entire world is at stake, and nothing about a relationship with Fox Carmody was ever going to be easy.

Title: On Board

Series: Painted Bay #2

Author: Jay Hogan

Genre: MM Romance

Tropes: Bisexual Awakening | Forced Proximity | Enemies to lovers | Hurt/comfort |Humour

Release date: September 23, 2021

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

I stole a sideways glance to where Fox lounged in the passenger seat of my Hilux, his interested gaze soaking up the countryside. The worst of the Monday morning traffic was behind us and the driving was easy, not that you’d know it by my white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel.

Sister Sledge streamed through the speakers, Fox’s fingers tapping away on one thickly muscled thigh wrapped in tight stonewashed denim. A fashionable rip mocked me from just above the knee, revealing the faintest glimpse of tanned skin and short dark hair, not that I was looking.

Yeah, right. I was soaking that shit up like sugar in hot coffee.

The universe was definitely fucking with me. Well, that and my mother who’d arrived for Sunday lunch with a surprisingly edible peach cobbler and what she called the ‘best idea ever’ for me to give Fox a lift into Whangarei the next day since I was already going. He wanted to check out some boats, but his car was still waiting on parts.

Fucking wonderful. Why he couldn’t wait for his own vehicle to be fixed wasn’t a question I was prepared to ask based on my mother’s I-dare-you look. I’d caved and agreed.

I could’ve killed her. And by the constipated look on Fox’s face at her suggestion, I was pretty sure he felt the same. It had been a long, long weekend and entirely my own damn fault. Other than forced interaction at work, rugby training, and Sunday lunch, I’d avoided Fox at all costs, and he’d been good enough to play along and pretend he hadn’t noticed, other than a notable drop in temperature whenever he looked my way. I could hardly blame him for that. If only he knew that my epic arseholery stemmed from lust and not disgust.

And the Academy Award for epically fucking yourself goes to . . . yeah. Enough said.

Note to self: don’t get tipsy around the guy. Without the benefit of way too many beers, we wouldn’t have talked and got all chummy on the deck, and I wouldn’t have realised that I maybe, actually liked the bastard, not just wanted to kiss him, or touch him, or have him touch me, or . . . goddammit, wait for the drum roll—fuck me.

I swallowed hard. Me fucking him would, of course, be marginally more acceptable to my brain, but who was I kidding? I’d spent the entire weekend thinking, fantasising, googling, watching, and yep, definitely him fucking me. Good God, the sooner he was out of my house the better. Still, it sounded like it wouldn’t take much to get him to shift back down south, so I could only hope.

“You okay, Leroy?”

My gaze jerked his way. “Fine. I’m absolutely fine,” I lied, because no, I didn’t want to go there, or talk about it, or think about it, or do anything other than bury it as unsuccessfully as I’d done for the last five days, make that a year—my, doesn’t time fly—because I’m chickenshit as all hell and my life is a fucking shitshow of irony.

Why now?

Why him?

Why . . . this?

Bisexual. I’d even practised saying it in front of the mirror, barely able to spit the word out as it sat huge and sour on my tongue. It wasn’t that I hated the man-on-man part, because I was clearly on board with that in so very many, many Fox-shaped, lickable ways. It was more that the admission held an extremely unflattering mirror up to the jerk hypocrite that I’d been, and very likely still was, my entire life.

Whoever said sexuality was a choice, I needed that fucker’s address and a suitably sized cactus to shove where the sun don’t shine.

My head had been buried so far in the sand for so long that I had grit coming out my arse, and that shit had to stop. After my appalling behaviour in the kitchen, I’d sulked and pondered long and hard over the weekend and gotten more than my money’s worth from my broadband provider. It all came with an uncomfortable realisation. The infatuation I had with Fox wasn’t going anywhere, and that meant either making myself and everyone around me miserable or pulling it into the light and stop running. How had I completely missed this rather critical aspect of my nature?

And then it occurred to me, maybe I hadn’t. I had the pieces, but nothing or no one had caused them to fall into place, until Fox.

After reading book 1, Off Balance (On Board can be read as a stand alone if you choose), I couldn’t wait for book 2. I had a feeling it would be Leroy but I wondered how the author was going to redeem this anti social, completely grumpy, formerly a homophobe. It was a journey and I loved it.

Leroy was definitely redeemed. Learning more about him, about his childhood of living in his younger brother’s shadow, of suddenly giving up his dreams to take over the family business, of being utterly lonely made me teary at times and want to hug him. But it wasn’t instant at all. There were plenty of times I wanted to smack him.

Fox is also kind of a mess. Deciding how to start his live over while nursing a broken heart. Sharing a house with prickly Leroy. Missing his home, but not sure if he wants to go back. At least he has his dog.

Leroy and Fox danced around each other for a year of random meetings at their mothers’ house. Even though Leroy was straight, right? So now, under the same roof and ultimately working together, the sexual tension was through the roof.

Leroy is probably the most stubborn character I ever met. But being a stubborn person, I recognized so much. Knowing you are being a jerk, but sticking with it. Refusing to back down even though you want to. Getting caught being nice so then being extra grumpy to make up for it. It was just so real to have him slowly peel back the layers of who he is meant to be. He even takes the time to self reflect on his life to see if he missed signs.

Fox is pretty much an open book. Well, an open wound. But he is drawn to Leroy and even though he “doesn’t want a relationship yet”, he is that guy that needs to be in a relationship.

There was a lot of story in this book. Not just Fox and Leroy, but the farm Leroy works but his mother owns, Leroy and his brother Judah still working on their relationship, a bully from the past needing help, Fox’s ex causing trouble. It wasn’t just filled with sex to make it a longer book. There was a really engaging story that was well rounded and I was never bored.

As I said, this can be read as a stand alone, but I recommend the first, Off Balance, as well.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Heart, humour and keeping it real.

Jay is a 2020 Lambda Literary Award Finalist in Gay Romance and her book Off Balance was the 2021 New Zealand Romance Book of the Year.

She is a New Zealand author writing mm romance and romantic suspense, primarily set in New Zealand. She writes character driven romances with lots of humour, a good dose of reality and a splash of angst. She’s travelled extensively, lived in many countries, and in a past life she was a critical care nurse, nurse educator and counsellor. Jay is owned by a huge Maine Coon cat and a gorgeous Cocker Spaniel

Find Jay in all the places: https://jayhoganauthor.contactin.bio/