Book Review

Redemption: Second Chance Gay Romance by Garrett Leigh: RB, New Release Review and Giveaway

July 6, 2020 by Denise

Reformed gangster Luis falls hard for his boss. When friendship turns to love, it’s up to Paolo to convince him second chances are worth the pain.

Luis Pope is back on the street after a six year stretch in prison, but life on the outside seems just out of reach, especially when the whole neighbourhood knows his face for all the wrong reasons.

Paolo’s temper makes it hard to keep staff, and he knows Luis’s rep all too well. But his nonno believes in redemption, and Luis isn’t the tough guy Paolo remembers. Prison has left its mark, inside and out, and all the kindness in the world can’t fix the three inch scar on Luis’s skull.

And it can’t keep ghosts locked up. Luis’s the best worker Paolo’s ever had, and Luis’s happier than he’s ever been. But his old life doesn’t want to stay in the past. Trouble comes to call, and when it makes him an offer he can’t refuse, keeping Paolo safe hurts the most.

Redemption is an angsty, standalone MM romance novel, with second chances, found family, friends-to-lovers, and buckets of hurt/comfort themed loveliness.

Cover Design: Garrett Leigh @ Black Jazz Design

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

What do I like? Broken main characters! What is better than one? TWO!

So yes, this book sucked me RIGHT in. And let me tell ya, I needed it after reading 3 bombs in a row. I actually started it 10 minutes after I finished a book because I needed good writing in my brain.

Luis walks out of prison after 6 years with nothing. He was a member of his brother’s gang and when he got caught stealing, he admitted it and did his time. It also cost him most of the hearing in one ear. (more on that later)

He is restless without the schedule he had to follow in prison and wanders into a local cafe to inquire about a job. Paolo, owner of the cafe, recognizes him immediately from when they were in school together and later from the rumors about the gang. Paolo is a mess as well. Running his grandfather’s cafe, literally by himself, 7 days a week is killing him slowly. But he needs the money to take care of his grandparents who raised him. He doesn’t trust Luis, but he will give him a chance.

Ugh, Luis. He is like that puppy in a shelter who was beaten daily by his previous owner. He broke my heart. He just wants to live his life. He expects nothing. He doesn’t want what little family he has and all of his “friends” are tied up with that family.

Paolo just plods on. Day by day, doing what he needs to do, never really thinking about the future. These two broken men belong together.

They very quickly fall into a routine, and become hesitant friends. Until the booze comes out. Then perhaps more than friends?

Watching them slowly open up and trust each other and begin to fall in love is swoony. There are no great declarations. So huge romantic gestures. Because they are just 2 guys, working 7 days a week because they have to. Spending time with Paolo’s grandparents when they aren’t working.

Back to Luis’ hearing loss. I am deaf in one ear and everything she described is so spot on. From not being able to hear at all if someone is on the “wrong” side to being overwhelmed with too much sound. Including anxiety attacks because of it. Kudos for that. I think this might be the first character I’ve read that was hard of hearing in the same (or similar) way that I am and I really appreciate the representation.

4 pieces of eye candy

Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British writer and book designer.

Garrett’s debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and her polyamorous novel, Misfits was a finalist in the 2016 LAMBDA awards.

When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible, all the while shouting at her menagerie of children and animals and attempting to tame her unruly and wonderful FOX.

Garrett is also an award winning cover artist, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com, and co-owns the specialist stock site moonstockphotography.com with renowned LGBTQA+ photographer Dan Burgess.

Website: http://www.garrettleigh.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettleighauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Garrett_Leigh

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Freedom (F-Word Book 5) by E. Davies: New Release Review

July 6, 2020 by Denise

Life doesn’t come with an instruction manual. But Henry’s junk does.

Agoraphobe Jaden shouldn’t have let his big brother put a ticket in a blind date raffle for him. He wasn’t expecting to win. And certainly not an overnight trip to the Grand Canyon with a gorgeous stranger—and his total opposite, a hunky wilderness guide.

Henry’s excited to meet a guy he clicks with, having finally finished bottom surgery. He’s been living stealth as the man he is for years, but he’s growing tired of hiding his past. Jaden not only accepts him, he captivates Henry, who resolves to be courageous and vulnerable in the rest of his life.

Back home in Denver, Henry starts to take pride in reconnecting with the trans community, while Jaden pushes himself out of his comfort zone. But freedom always comes at a price. Can they take the plunge into their wide open future together?

This novel is loosely based on “Denver” from the Heart2Heart 2 anthology. It has been significantly revised and expanded into a novel with a happily ever after ending and no cliffhanger. It takes place after Forever in the F-Word series, but almost completely stands alone.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. Blind date raffle winner could have seemed sort of forced, but I like the way that their relationship quickly progressed. Both of them were open and ready to find someone and none of those pesky “walls” were up that needed to be broken down.

My biggest point of contention with the book was the portrayal of agoraphobia. Jaden is agorabphobic and has difficulty leaving his house. He makes it to this bar where the raffle is but not without panicking a bit. But he does. But then he wins and the date is flying to the Grand Canyon. A biking in the Grand Canyon. And staying at a cabin, In the GRAND CANYON. Sorry, but there is no way an agoraphobe who can’t even do his own grocery shopping is doing that.

And then when the date is over and they are back in Denver- Jaden is back to not being able to go out really. Freaks out at a local hiking trail and doesn’t leave the parking lot. So you see what I’m talking about.

Anyway, Henry is not without his issues. He is a trans man, but being in Denver, everyone only knows him as a man. They have no idea that he is trans. And Henry is starting to feel like his life pre-transition is in the closet.

Henry and Jaden together are adorable. They are open and honest with each other without silly arguments about misunderstandings. They are each lucky to have someone else on their sides. For Jaden it is his brother and for Henry it is his coworker and best friend Trip.

If you don’t know a lot about trans men, you will definitely learn a thing or two. Henry explains things to Jaden (and us) in a way that isn’t preachy and just informative.

I’m going to call this a good beach read.

3.5 Pieces of Eye Candy

The Making of Jonty Bloom (Unfinished Business Book 1) by Barbara Elsborg: Release Day Review and Exclusive Giveaway

July 2, 2020 by Denise

Finding his fiancé in bed with his brother was bad enough, finding out they’re getting married is the final blow.

Devan Smith needs to cool his anger. He needs to forget the lies and betrayals and work on resetting his life. When his boss orders him to scope out a remote hotel for a possible buyout, Devan’s only interested in getting the job done and getting out. What he’s not interested in is the guy with the piercings, bleached hair, and the smart, kissable mouth behind the reception desk.

Working the hotel reception is the only thing that’s stable in Jonty Bloom’s unstable life. His best friend has had a terrible accident, his ex refuses to move on, and his eight-year-old self is still waiting for his mother to collect him from school. Jonty needs his job. What he doesn’t need is the rude, arrogant, and hot as they come guy who’s rocked up demanding he be let into his room right now.

Thrown together by a freak accident, Devan and Jonty’s lives entwine, and neither wants to loosen the knot. Can the irrepressible Jonty be the reset Devan needs? Can Devan be the making of Jonty Bloom, or will secrets drive them apart?

First in the Unfinished Business series. All books are standalones.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

This is a new to me author, although I see people talking about her books on Facebook quite often. So I figured I would give it a shot. The one main character, Jonty, sounded super quirky and I usually really like quirky characters.

He started out a little too quirky for me. But definitely got better. He has back and forth dialogue in his head between him and his best friend. Remember- in his head. This isn’t out loud on the phone or in person. And at the beginning it was really kind of turning me off because it was so much of it. But it didn’t last, at least not that heavily, as the book went on and I was able to enjoy it much more.

Devan, after hearing that his ex fiance and his brother (whom he cheated on Devan with) were getting married AND his brother wanted him to be best man, Devan’s boss offers to have him scout 2 different hotels that his company may buy. And kind of orders him to stay away for a while, since the brothers work in the same office.

Devan is moody and grouchy and the quirky Jonty is annoying him. While also making him notice. I love that Jonty just refuses to be brought down by grumpy people.

An accident happens that risks both of their lives at the same time. And from then on, Devan seems to have a switch flipped. Acknowledging that he is attracted to Jonty. That he isn’t annoying, he is pretty fun.

Poor Jonty- that kid has had a life. I won’t get into it, I’ll let you all discover it on your own. It’s worth it.

Jonty and Devan together are cute, hilarious, romantic and healing. I really think they helped heal each other from their pain.

Jonty will have you absolutely laughing out loud. I’ve read books with funny characters that I really enjoyed. But Jonty seemed unique to me with his brand of sarcasm and self deprecating humor that almost never stops. But he can also be serious and introspective. And he offers great advice to Devan on dealing with his family and his ex.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the multiple layers of both characters. There were great supporting characters that really helped the story and getting to know these guys as they got to know each other.

I’m looking forward to book two. If it is what I hope it is.

4 Pieces of Eye Candy

Barbara Elsborg has generously offered an ebook of any of her backlist books to one commentor on this post. 🙂

Everybody Burns (Enhanced World Book 6) by Victoria Sue: New Release Review and Exclusive Giveaway

July 2, 2020 by Denise

Eli was only seven years old when he had been given to monsters.

Sixteen years later he finally gets the chance for revenge, and with his enhanced abilities changing, nothing and no one is gonna stop him, especially a new partner that seems to see right through the black holes in his soul.

Agent Daniel Connelly left Washington trying to keep his sanity, but the images of the innocent victims are still haunting him and knows the horror in Eli’s eyes is exactly what he is trying to forget.

Everybody Burns is a story about two men falling in love. Except, one doesn’t think he is capable of it…

And the other doesn’t think he deserves it.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

This series is really damn good, if you like paranormal type stuff…although the paranormal isn’t crazy if that isn’t your usual cup of tea. It truly is abilities that are enhanced.

That being said, this book was a hard one, because when you see Eli’s story unfold, there are a couple things that could be hard for an author to make happen in 200 or so pages and still feel like it was realistic. One of them was that Eli just had not gotten over, or really even started to heal at all, his deep wounds from childhood abuse. He truly didn’t believe he deserved to be happy, and to fall in love during that, well it just isn’t going to work in most cases. There were also physical “wounds” that many survivors of abuse cannot get past…no matter how much therapy, how many drugs, or how many times they “try”. That also really makes it hard to find the person that is going to accept you, and be willing to stand with you as you heal.

I’ll be really honest…as I saw this unfolding, I just didn’t see how that was going to happen without it being wrapped up in a tidy little bow of joy and rainbows. That is a lot of hurt, and pain that one person cannot safely and realistically get through in a very short period of time. Color me surprised when it did work! 🙂 The author didn’t rush it. She didn’t have Daniel make it all better with his magical personality and p***s. It was clear that it was work, and understanding, and a lot of love.

Eli needed all of that to heal and be able to find love. Without it, he couldn’t love himself, and certainly couldn’t love Daniel. The story around the love story, in this case, was more about redemption. The meat of this book was simply that Daniel didn’t force his love on Eli, he simply let Eli find it. Meanwhile Daniel let Eli know that whatever worked for them, worked for THEM. Their love, and their relationship was about what they needed, and what they would find in each other.

And isn’t that what we all want in a relationship?

Also, it was fantastic catching up with all the guys–LOVED the scene with Finn, Sam, and poor wide-eyed Eli. Totally fantastic!

4 pieces of eye candy

Victoria Sue fell in love with love stories as a child when she would hide away with her mom’s library books and dream of the dashing hero coming to rescue her from math homework. She never mastered math but never stopped loving her heroes and decided to give them the happy ever afters they fight so hard for.
She loves reading and writing about gorgeous boys loving each other the best—and creating a family for them to adore. Thrilled to hear from her readers, she can be found most days lurking on Facebook where she doesn’t need factor 1000 sun-cream to hide her freckles.

www.victoriasue.com

@vickysuewrites

https://www.facebook.com/victoriasueauthor

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1182647028418709/

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/VictoriaSueNewsletter

Victoria Sue has generously offered up an ebook from her backlist to one commentor to this blog post. 🙂

A Boy Made Of Sunshine by Colette Davison: Blog Tour, Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

July 1, 2020 by Denise

A strict Daddy. A sassy neighbour. Can opposites attract?

After taking early retirement, Liam is happy avoiding people and tending to his roses. Or he was, until young film star Felix moves in next door.

With his cheeky, persistent, and very naughty behaviour, Felix gets under Liam’s skin instantly.

Felix needs Liam to teach him how to behave, but will calling the older man Daddy be enough to bring sunshine into Liam’s life?

A Boy Made of Sunshine is a standalone gay romance, with mild D/s play, Daddy kink, a cute Dalmatian puppy, a ridiculous glow in the dark toy, and lots of brattish behaviour.

Book Title: A Boy Made of Sunshine

Author: Colette Davison

Publisher: Independently Published

Cover Artist: Colette Davison

Release Date: June 29, 2020

Genre/s: Contemporary M/M Romance

Trope/s: Grumpy and sunshine, opposites attract, age-gap, Daddy kink

Themes: Patience

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: approximately 62,000 words

It is a standalone story.

Goodreads

Amazon US – Kindle Unlimited

Amazon UK- Kindle Unlimited

When a removal van finally arrived in the first week of summer, Liam’s hopes that his quiet existence would continue undisturbed were dashed.

He’d never regarded himself as a curtain twitcher before, but he found himself peering out of his bedroom window as three burly men unloaded the large van. The furniture didn’t scream ‘quiet retired couple’ to him. It was too modern, too loud. Who on earth owned a bright purple sofa, for crying out loud? The bed was even worse. It was a huge monstrosity, easily king-sized, and Liam couldn’t help but feel sorry for the men carrying it into the house. The bed frame was black, probably made of leather, judging by the way the sunlight made the fabric shine, with a massive surround, part of which looked like some kind of lounge chair. Did it even have a built-in speaker? Who needed a built-in speaker in their bed?

His jaw dropped a little more at every item of furniture that was brought into the house. The coffee table looked like it doubled as an aquarium, although thankfully there were no fish in it. There was a bookcase in the shape of a dog, a dining table with what looked like a solid marble top, overstuffed dining chairs, a pool table, and even a bar!

The painting was the last straw.

The canvas and frame combined must have been six feet tall, making the man that had been painted upon it almost life size. Not only was he nude, but he was grasping his cock, his head tilted back slightly, eyes closed, making it obvious that he was in the midst of pleasuring himself. Liam had never been so glad to have no other neighbours. The painting was glorious—he had to adjust himself to make his aching cock more comfortable in his pants—but why in God’s name hadn’t it been covered up? Clearly, his new neighbour had no decorum whatsoever.

If you are looking for a light hearted take on BDSM and a Daddy/boy relationship- this is it. In fact, maybe this would be a good starter book for someone interested in these tropes. Because this was just about as vanilla as this could get while still being called kink.

And listen, that is fine. As long as you know what you are getting into. It definitely started out with promise of serious kink.

Ex cop living on one side of a semi detached house. Super meticulous. Loner. Lives by rules, schedules and order.

B or C list actor buys the other side as he is taking a break from Hollywood. He is young, was a child actor previously and has basically done whatever he has wanted most of his life. He is a SUPER happy guy and loves to push the buttons of his grouchy neighbor.

A bratty boy, a grouchy Daddy, and a puppy. For real a puppy, not a kink puppy. 😉

It was a bit too insta love and a bit too vanilla, but it was a cute book. Definitely readable, but it wasn’t very meaty.

3 pieces of eye candy

Colette’s personal love story began at university, where she met her future husband. An evening of flirting, in the shadow of Lancaster castle, eventually led to a fairytale wedding. She’s enjoying her own ‘happy ever after’ in the north of England with her husband, two beautiful children and her writing.

Social Media Links

Blog/Website | Facebook Page | Facebook Group: Colette’s Cosy Corner

BookBub | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram: @colettedavison

Mailing List | Newsletter Sign-Up

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Follow the tour and check out the other blog posts and reviews here

Love Me, Daddy by Elouise East: New Release Review with Exclusive Giveaway

July 1, 2020 by Denise

Will their pasts stop them from striving for a future?

Being homeless makes finding a safe Daddy experience difficult, which is confirmed when Nathan is almost knocked out after calling out the word during a liaison. When Loren steps in to aid him, Nathan is ready to let the strong man take charge. But he won’t ask for what he really needs, not when the reaction could be so extreme.

With many failed relationships in his past, Loren yearns for the perfect boy to cherish, but it’s a fantasy in more ways than one as far as he can tell. Nathan’s vulnerability calls to his protective instincts, but he refuses to cross the line. And then he finds Nathan’s need of him is very real.
When Loren assumes control, it centres them both but as they explore their way through this new dynamic, Nathan needs to learn if he’s going to be Daddy’s good boy or Daddy’s little brat.

This is a 30,000 words sweet Daddy/boy romance

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Nathan is homeless. As a result of that, he makes what little money he can by prostituting. You see a little of that on page in the beginning, so if you don’t like that, you might skip this one. It was kind of a turn off to me, I’ll admit. However, he also likes Daddy kink, which gets him in trouble when he’s particularly into one of his hookups and it leaves him with a concussion and unconscious in an alley and that’s where Loren finds him.

Loren is an accountant and thinks that he’ll never find his boy. I’m not sure how far into the kink he was looking to go, but he seemed like a Daddy, type Daddy.. I was looking forward to that. Hot, right?
So, when he picks up a prostitute off the dirty alleyway and brings him home with him, I was hopeful that he and Nathan could help each other out.

However, everything tended to go at warp speed, which I understand that people in the kink community tend to do when they find someone that shares their same kink, but Loren picked up a prostitute and not only brought him into his home but gave him a key to his house the next morning. A complete stranger. I don’t care what kind of Barney Rubble town you live in, you do not give a stranger your house key and be like, hey, I know you’re a homeless prostitute with two friends you look after, but here, welcome to my home. I’m not at all worried about you stealing my things or trashing my house. Go nuts!

Then he walks in on him watching Daddy stuff and that starts their relationship, right then and there. And again, it’s my experience that when you have a specified kink, it’s better to just jump right in and see if you’re compatible. I understand that, but they went from hi, how are ya, to living together and in a committed relationship, complete with the kink and there was zero trust issues and all the dirty times and I’m over here like…. Are we gonna get tested? Should we exchange last names? Maybe go on a date or something first? No, it didn’t seem like we were.

It just didn’t feel genuine to me. Nathan called him Daddy every three seconds and let Loren do everything for him and once he colored him a picture, but that’s as far as the Daddy/boy thing went as far as I could tell. I dunno…. Maybe because it’s a short story I just didn’t feel the connection between the two, or maybe because it all happened at warp speed, I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll revisit it later and feel differently, but there was just too many things that made it unrealistic to me. Illogical, maybe. I’m still tripped up on finding an unconscious sex worker on the street and then giving him a key to your house all willy nilly, like it’s not such a dangerous thing to do.

Anyway, I did enjoy the hot cover and I always appreciate a sweet happily ever after.

3 pieces of eye candy

Elouise East