Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

Quick Reviews

Appeal to You (Beyond the Cove Series, Book 3) by Jaclyn Quinn: Blog Tour, Excerpt and New Release Review

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Will the demons of the past ruin any hope for the future?

If there’s anyone who knows how to have a good time—be it with a man or a woman—it’s Ryder Pearce. Master of the nail-it-and-bail-it theory, he lives his life for one person and one person only: himself. When a man enters Ryder’s life who challenges him on every flirtation, every sexual innuendo he can come up with, Ryder’s thrown off his game in a big way. Because there’s one thing the man has made perfectly clear—they’ve played this game before, and Ryder doesn’t remember the outcome.

Avery Hamilton has seen all of Ryder’s moves and has witnessed his sex appeal. He knows all too well about his cocky sense of humor and his penchant for one-night stands. There was a time in his life when he’d taken the bait, but this time around, he wants more. He’s seen Ryder’s act; what he hasn’t seen is Ryder—the real Ryder he hides from the world.

When both men come together to help a young boy, Ryder’s forced to face things from his past he’s blocked out. Things he never wanted anyone to know. Now, Ryder has one fear… Will revealing that side of himself be real enough for Avery? Or will it be the reason Avery walks away?

***Warning: This book contains off-page references to sexual/physical abuse of a minor.

***This book is the third book in a series. Reading the books out of order may result in spoilers.

Appeal To You

Beyond the Cove Series, Book 3

Jaclyn Quinn

M/M Romance

Release Date:  07.31.19

Cover design by Cate Ashwood

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

“Listen, about earlier…” Avery began, hoping to get some kind of conversation going. “I really am sorry. I have this knee-jerk reaction to jump to conclusions with you.” Avery nudged Ryder playfully with his arm until he looked over at him. “You’re too damn quiet, and it’s making me nervous.”

Ryder laughed. “Never thought you’d say that, huh?” He shrugged his shoulders, looking forward again. “Forget about it, man. Trust me”—he glanced back over at Avery—“I’m nowhere near perfect. I fuck up every damn day.” His gaze shifted forward again as they separated, letting an older couple walk between them. When they met up again, Ryder added, “Most of the time, though, even if it doesn’t seem like it, it’s with good intentions.” His eyes flicked again to Avery’s, but it was as if he didn’t want to hold eye contact and nervously looked ahead once more.

“It hasn’t gone unnoticed. Not by me.” Avery owed him at least that much. Ryder’s surprised smile from Avery’s admission made him laugh. “Don’t look so shocked. I’m a very perceptive man. Not much gets past me.”

All at once, the smile faded, and Ryder looked straight ahead again. “Is that so?”

 Avery stopped short in the middle of the boardwalk, crossing his arms over his chest. Ryder looked back at him as he also came to a stop and turned around. “Yeah, it is. Like the fact that you’re acting weird. What the hell is up with you today?”

“Why does something have to be up?”

“Are you only going to answer me with questions?”

“Do you want me to only answer you with questions?”

Avery hung his head back and groaned. “Jesus Christ, sometimes I just want to strangle you.”

Ryder closed the distance between them with two slow steps. “I’ll try anything once. Didn’t take you for a breath play kind of guy, though. Do you make that groaning sound you just made while you do it? Because yes, please.”

Avery straightened his back then leaned his face only a few inches away from Ryder. “You really don’t take anything seriously, do you?” His tone came out huskier than he’d meant it to, but this man kept him in a perpetual state of frustration—including sexual.

“Sex. I take sex very seriously,” Ryder retorted, but his face didn’t show the conviction of his words. Damn, Avery was so tired of staring at the same fucking wall Ryder had built around himself. Ryder was, surprisingly, the first to break eye contact, moving his gaze to the ocean.

This wasn’t accomplishing anything, and they sure as hell weren’t going to find Chris by standing here. 

Yet, Avery refused to let the man get the last word. He lifted a finger to Ryder’s cheek, turning his head so he was looking at him again. “You’re acting weird, and it has nothing to do with sex.” Avery stepped around Ryder to continue walking, pissed that Ryder always had a way of pushing his buttons. So, push back. He turned abruptly, making Ryder bump into him. He stared down into gray eyes and couldn’t help himself when he said, “Although, if we were talking sex… Breath play? No. But I can make you come so hard, you’ll be gasping for air when I’m done with you.” 

“Hot damn,” Ryder whispered right before Avery forced himself to turn around again, holding back a smug smile as he began to walk and scan the area.

Yes!!!

I feel like I’ve been waiting on Ryder and Avery forever… I mean, I know I’m just impatient, but… come on!
I love this series so much and I couldn’t wait for Ryder’s story, because as much as I can’t stand the whole “player” trope, or as Ryder liked to call it “nail it and bail it” … I just knew there was a reason he was the way he was.
I was not prepared for how heartbreaking it was… growing up both in the system and with parents they kept giving him back to that in no way should’ve been in charge of a child. Abuse was what he was used to, from one home to another until he aged out of the system and did things he wasn’t proud of to survive… both because he needed it to literally survive, but also to do things on his terms….

There is mentions of sexual abuse, but it didn’t delve too deep, just enough to give you the idea of the torment he went through at such a young age. And it didn’t stop there… How could you not fall in love with him and understand a little bit what made him hide behind his crazy sense of humor and his need for distance and easy hookups. He didn’t think he was loveable… or worth love. That is, until Avery….

Avery was Kevin’s best friend and honorary uncle to Eli and Jakes kids. If you haven’t read their story yet… go back and do it; not only because you’ll be caught up on who these people are, but their story is just as amazing.
Avery wanted what Jake and Eli has… having never quite felt good enough for his own family,(and you’ll realize why when you read about them, they’re terrible… at least most of them are)… he loved being apart of the family that made up of all the guys in Eli and Jake’s group…. and that included Ryder.

Not getting off the right foot the first couple of times they met… Avery was charmed by Ryder but wanted more than he knew Ryder was willing to give…. and though Ryder liked Avery and wanted him in the worst way… he didn’t think he was capable of any sort of relationship that Avery deserved…. however, when Ryders elderly neighbor passes away and the little boy that lived with her goes missing…. the two team up to not only find him but do what they can to make sure he has everything he needs to feel safe and loved.

I adored these two and their relationship with the little boy, Chris. Chris was so scared of being sent away and all he wanted was someone to see him and have him matter. His grandma did the best she could, but she was gone now and he had nobody…. well, so he thought… Avery wasn’t going down without a fight and even though Ryder would’ve sworn that he wasn’t role model material or father material…. everything he did was to protect Chris and do what he could for him…. Seeing Avery doing the same thing softened him up, but it wasn’t without bumps in the road and late night confessions that set him back a bit… but they got there in the end…

I loved how real Ryder’s problems weren’t magically fixed just because he found love and let love find him. He was still working on himself and on what he wanted his future to be, even at the end of the book. When someone goes through such trauma, it doesn’t get fixed just like that…. and I liked how Avery pushed just enough and then helped guide Ryder to healing… and i loved that Ryder wanted to heal and had two people worth healing for, if he couldn’t find it in himself to heal for him… though I do think that he got there in the end.

The whole story was just heartbreaking and beautiful and such a great addition to the already amazing series. I cannot wait to see what’s in store for Parker… and I hope it’s intense! I also can’t wait to see more from the rest of the guys, more weddings perhap??!! Fingers crossed!
All the stars for me on this one! All of them!

I have been an artist from a very young age. From drawing cartoon characters and evolving into portraits, making jewelry, photography, and now writing. I have an amazing support system in my family and friends and couldn’t be more grateful.

I live in central New Jersey, love summers at the Jersey Shore, rock music, wine, sexy men, and laughing a lot with my amazing friends and family. Sunday dinners at my parents’ house are crazy, hysterical and you can count on a movie quote…or ten…being thrown out. Insults between siblings is how we show our love for each other!

When I’m not creating, you can find me reading books from my favorite authors. I’m a hopeless romantic, starving for passionate characters and always craving that happy ending, whether in reading or in writing my own books.

https://linktr.ee/JQbooks

A Rhythm You Feel (The Rock Gods: East Coast Label Book 1) by Ann Lister: New Release Review

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Blade: As the lead singer of Hard Core, I’ve been taught several key life lessons. Unfortunately, I’ve also ignored many of them in the last twenty minutes alone, which is why I’m now being chased by a horde of crazed fans.

But my worst misjudgment today? Going outside in public without security or a backup plan. Screaming fans come with the job and the fame is as much of a blessing as it is a curse, but I still couldn’t imagine doing any other line of work.

Music owns me and I am happy to be her bitch.

Nico: I knew who he was as soon as he burst through the front door of my store and I was absolutely starstruck and speechless. Yes, me with my own hardened attitude and jaded outlook on life had lost the ability to talk in the presence of Blade.

I’m an ex-con. I paid my debt to society, and I have my own brand of scars to show from the time I spent behind bars. My life’s regrets stain my soul as much as the ink of my tattoos color my skin. Solace for me came with ownership of a bookstore. It was a peaceful place to work until a certain rockstar blew in from the street like a Category 5 hurricane.

Hurricane Blade was about to make landfall and I wasn’t sure I’d survive the storm.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Yep. Ann Lister is back.

I was a fan of her Rock Gods series, although it kind of dragged on a bit. I wasn’t a fan of the Guarding the Gods series. But this new series- so far so good!

Who isn’t a sucker for a rock star book? Basically we all are. What made this one a little different is that they weren’t an up and coming group. They also weren’t on tour. The entire book was the band in one place and working in the recording studio.

Blade (ok, he explained his name, but still. That whole bad ass stage name thing is so 80’s) is the lead singer of Hard Core. Typical rock star lead singer. Writes the brilliant lyrics, has an ego the size of Mt Everest, etc.

Nico is unique. A total book worm who inherited his father’s independent book store, but also a recovering addict and convicted felon. He certainly didn’t fit into any trope mold. And I liked it.

Blade and Nico become inseparable. Nico inspires Blade to write so truly filthy, but awesome song lyrics. There is a lot of sex (of course). They can’t keep there hands off each other. But that happens in new relationships. And it is kind of cute when it is this bad ass rock star who just wants to be with his new boyfriend.

We get a revisit with a lot of the guys from The Rock Gods series, which was cool, but also kind of unnecessary. Their names in passing would have sufficed because I feel like this series can stand up on it’s own without relying on the other series to hold it up.

3.5 Pieces of Candy

Paint It Black (Beneath the Stain Book 2) by Amy Lane: Exclusive Guest Post and Release Day Review

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A Beneath the Stain Novel

Everybody thinks Mackey Sanders’s Outbreak Monkey is the last coming of Rock ’n’ Roll Jesus, but Cheever Sanders can’t wait to make a name for himself where nobody expects him to fill his famous brothers’ shoes. He’s tired of living in their shadow.

Blake Manning has been one of Outbreak Monkey’s lead guitarists for ten years. He got this gig on luck and love, not talent. So hearing that Cheever is blowing through Outbreak Monkey’s hard-earned money in an epic stretch of partying pisses him off.

Blake shows up at Cheever’s nonstop orgy to enforce some rules, but instead of a jaded punk, he finds a lost boy as talented at painting as Mackey is at song-making, and terrified to let anybody see the real him. Childhood abuse and a suicide attempt left Cheever on the edge of survival—a place Blake knows all too well.

Both men have to make peace with being second banana in the public eye. Can they find the magic of coming absolute first with each other?

Title: Paint It Black
Series: Beneath the Stain: Book 2
Author: Amy Lane
Release Date: August 13, 2019
Category: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Pages: 322

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

And the Children Shall Lead Us By Amy Lane

So I admit it—this story has nothing to do with the actual plot of the book I’m pimping but it might make you laugh, and that’s good too.

When I wrote Beneath the Stain, I chose all of the chapter titles from classic rock songs—I had a browser open to Rolling Stone’s top 500 rock and roll songs for about two months, and boy, did I fall down some rabbit holes. For Paint it Black, I figured since it was a smaller story than Beneath the Stain, I would only focus on one artist for the chapter titles, to maybe help me narrow my focus. The title was one of the Rolling Stone’s most iconic hits, so I went with the Stones.

So for a month and a half, all my family heard–in the car, at my desk, when I was doing the dishes—was the Rolling Stones. In particular, “Paint it Black.”

My son, ZoomBoy, was particularly enthralled. “What is this music, Mother? How might I get me some of that on my Spotify account?”

And suddenly it wasn’t just me, it was both of us. And for a little while, I thought that was fine. I had my family with me, right? I mean, he learned to whistle so he could whistle the riff! That was awesome!

And then, one night, after I’d finished the book and had moved on to the next Fish, his father and I were sitting, watching television, and I heard… well, I wasn’t sure.

“Mate—hit pause!”

We frowned at each other.

“What is that?” he asked.

“It’s ZoomBoy—does he need anything?” I said.

“Forget does he need anything—is he sacrificing small animals and singing an unholy hymn?”

I listened for another moment. “Mmmaybe…”

Both of us listened again. “What in the furry hell?”

“Do you think we’re safe in our sleep?” I asked.

Mate laughed uncomfortably. “Sure. I’ll be sure to wake you if he comes after us with a knife.”

Now, before anybody sends sage to burn, or an exorcist to my address, I want you all to look up the lyrics to “Paint it Black.” Dark stuff, right? Painting shit black? Serial killer fantasies? Now imagine that song being sung by a tone-deaf fifteen-year-old in the shower, echoing through three rooms in a small house.

Yup. Scared the shit out of us.

And then ZoomBoy came out of the bathroom, still humming, and Mate and I met eyes again—and started laughing our asses off.

“I blame you,” Mate said.

“Go ahead—I’m still having nightmares about satanic cults and live sacrifice!”

“That’s fine—you can always write another genre,” he told me, and then hit play, and we went back to our regularly scheduled programming.

But that song has stuck with us. Right now? As I was writing this? I turned on the song, for old time’s sake.

When the song ended, ZoomBoy was still whistling along.

It sticks with you—as I hope Blake and Cheever will stick with you too. I know those boys ripped my heart out in the good way, and not in the live sacrifice way. But they put it back in again, and that’s why it’s romance instead of horror.

We’ll save the horror for ZoomBoy.

Before we go any further, two things.

1. Read the first book Beneath the Stain. Rock stars and angst galore. And you have to read book 1 to really understand book 2

2. These books are a committment. Book 1 is over 650 pages. This book is 500 pages. Just giving you a heads up.

Moving on to the review, let’s assume you’ve read book 1, mmkay?

Approximately 10 years has passed between books. Our boys are old, wiser, still sober, husbands and fathers. Mackey and Grant have gotten married and he still manages the band. And now the focus is on Cheever, the youngest Sanders brother. too young to join the band at the time, he focused on art. He is about to graduate college, but a harsh review of his art makes him snap and he sets out to destroy himself.

Blake, always feeling like the outsider in the band and Cheever, the outsider with the brothers bond and bond quickly. Together they work to not only validate each other but also to validate their places in the band, in the house and in the family.

Ugh they poor boys are so damaged. And they held most of that damage inside for 10 years. While I am not surprised it took Cheever that long to snap, I am surprised that Blake held it in so long.

Throughout the book we see not only Cheever and Blake fall in love, but Cheever accept the love of his brothers again. He was so closed off he had no idea how much they wanted him in their lives. It was sweet but also really sad.

I do think that Cheever and Blake were a bit codependant with each other. Especially Cheever. Not for nothin, I don’t care how rich you are, they aren’t going to let someone who isn’t in treatment spend the night with you in rehab.

I really loved seeing the band, Grant and the wives so settled into their lives. They were grown ups! Ok, the wives did kind of really fulfill gender stereotypes that wasn’t totally necessary. Sorry, boys. Kick in and help in the kitchen a little more.

Yes, I am a picky bitch. Sue me.

I still really enjoyed this book. Not as much as the first, but so worth the read.

4 Pieces of Candy

Amy Lane lives in a crumbling crapmansion with a couple of growing children, a passel of furbabies, and a bemused spouse. She’s been nominated for a RITA twice, has won honorable mention for an Indiefab, and has a couple of Rainbow Awards to her name. She also has too damned much yarn, a penchant for action-adventure movies, and a need to know that somewhere in all the pain is a story of Wuv, Twu Wuv, which she continues to believe in to this day! She writes fantasy, urban fantasy, and gay romance–and if you accidentally make eye contact, she’ll bore you to tears with why those three genres go together. She’ll also tell you that sacrifices, large and small, are worth the urge to write.
Beneath the Stain Free Extras: https://claims.prolificworks.com/free/YeFYLUdH

Digging Deep by Jay Hogan: Blog Tour, New Release Review * 2

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A Digging Deep Story

Drake Park has a complicated life. As a gay male midwife, he’s used to raising eyebrows. Add Crohn’s disease and things get interesting—or not, considering the sad state of his love life. Experience has taught Drake that most men are fair-weather sailors when it comes to handling his condition—gone for dust when things get rough. Staying healthy is a full-time job without adding in any heartbreak, so a little loneliness is a small price to pay. If he says it often enough he might even believe it. One thing for sure, the cop who arrested him isn’t about to change that.

Caleb Ashton does not have a complicated life. A senior detective with the Whangarei Police Department, he likes his job and is good at it. He works hard and plays hard, happy to enjoy as many men as he can while he’s still young enough—or at least he was. These days he feels adrift for the first time in his life, and the only thing sparking his interest—a certain prickly young midwife.

But can Drake find enough faith to risk opening his heart again? And does Caleb have what it takes to cope with the challenges Drake’s condition presents?

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

This book will take you on a journey about a young man living with Chron’s disease and a playboy cop who thinks he may have found “the one.” Drake will need to decide if he can open his heart again or if the fear of rejection is too much to overcome and Caleb needs to decide if he can be by Drake’s side for the long haul or if he’ll run at the first sign of trouble.

As someone that doesn’t have Chron’s disease I can’t speak to the validity of Drake’s story. However, the disease and symptoms were well researched and presented in a way that didn’t read as a clinical encyclopedia. The characters were well developed and the story flowed so organically. The supporting cast of characters were just as charming and engaging as the main characters. I would love to see more of Carmen in a future book.

4 pieces of eye candy

This is a first for me with this author, and I saw the length of this book and was a little wary about it. It’s hard to hold my attention, but I love love love realistic reads about real-life problems and relationship hurdles. In this one, we meet Drake, who has Chron’s disease. Now, I’m not going to lie… I don’t know much about the disease, other than the generic, basic info you can look up, but it seemed to be Drake’s entire life. He literally can’t make one decision about anything without factoring in how it’s going to affect his day-to-day living with the disease.

An emergency trip to the bathroom is common, and when he has to go… it has to be
NOW… so when he enters a restricted area of a building during a protest, of course, he gets questioned by the police. His attitude was probably the reason why he was taken in… had he calmly explained, …. But then that would’ve been boring, eh? So, that’s where he meets Caleb… a detective on parole at the building during said protest.

Caleb is made to seem like a jerk, but the dude was just doing his job. If you look at how cops work here in the states, right or wrong, they wouldn’t have had as much patience as Caleb did with Drake. He tries to understand his predicament, but again, the man was just doing his job. Not only was Drake on a watch list because of the protest, he also ignored (because he had to) a direct order, several times and then gave the cop attitude for doing what he had to.

That seems to be the general goings-on in the whole book. Caleb, though not one for relationships and having never had a serious one, ever… seems to like Drake and his snarky comebacks and flair for dramatics. He tries several times to even get that first date, and I’ve gotta be honest… I dunno if I’d have bothered. I understand, at least a little bit, having been described in detail about what Chron’s does to one’s body and how living with it affects not only the person who has it but everyone else, especially a partner… but my goodness…. How many times can you tell someone no and to go away before they’re just like.. okay, see ya!
Infinity, it would seem, if you’re Caleb…

I couldn’t handle the push and pull… like, Drake pushed him away and then got upset when he went away…not even just once, but throughout the whole book. I felt for him, I really did… this story gives you a really clear picture of the disease and I couldn’t imagine it. My heart broke for him in so many ways… but romantically. I just wanted to punch him. I know he’s been hurt before in large part because his partner of two years couldn’t handle the complications of the disease, but, Jared wasn’t Caleb and he tried and tried and tried to show you that he was all in….

I also didn’t care for such meddlesome friends. Believe me, I have the most in your face, nosiest, well-meaning but annoying friends, but each of their friends were just obnoxious to me.

Annnnnnyway….it ends sweet and I’m a sucker for a happy ending, so I can’t be too hard on it, despite what it may look like. I actually fell for Caleb a bit, because the man truly had patience of a Saint and didn’t often let Drake get away with pushing him away before letting him have it right back… but, still… I’m exhausted. I need a nap now lol

3 stars from me

Heart Unbroken by Andrew Grey: Exclusive Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

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Car restorer Dean Milford knows how to make damaged things beautiful again. Only, after a bad breakup, he loses sight of who he is, playing the field and distracting himself with any man he comes across. But now there’s only one guy who really matters to him. And maybe with his latest restoration job—a vintage Cobra—he’ll get the chance to let him know.

Losing his sight wasn’t the worst thing to happen to Lee Studer—losing his independence was. It’s taken a while, but he’s finally found his place in the world—in a garage. Funny enough, his acute hearing allows him to pinpoint engine problems just by listening. And even better, he’s going to have a chance to help his long-time crush, Dean, rebuild his fantasy car.

As the restoration comes together, so do Lee and Dean, building a friendship that quickly turns into so much more. But before they can think about a future together, they have to deal with the past. Only that turns out to be more dangerous than either one ever dreamed….

Title: Heart Unbroken
Series: Hearts Entwined: Book 4
Author: Andrew Grey
Release Date: August 6, 2019
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 192

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

Lee  and Scott were done with the Cadillac. Scott was just moving the car out of the bay  when a hand touched Lee’s shoulder. Lee tensed until he smelled Dean. “You two do amazing work.”

“I hear the problems, and he sees them. I know my way around most engines, and he guides me. I wouldn’t be able to do this job without him.” Lee was well aware that Scott would be a great mechanic whether he was there or not. He was grateful that Scott worked with him, and he hoped he was helping Scott more than he was slowing him down.

“Trevor and I have come to an agreement. I’ve been restoring cars for the last decade out of my home garage, but I can’t keep my head above water. So he and I are going to partner together.”

“Down at the old Sears place? Trevor has been looking into that lately, and he always seems to be able to find the right fit for his ideas.”

“Yeah, exactly. And he said you and Scott might be interested in working with me. I do a lot of the body work—that’s my specialty—but I need experienced people to rebuild the engines and things like that. I can do it, but I’m better at other parts of the process.”

“I can talk with Brent and Scott.” Lee was excited about the possibilities. He’d heard one of the guys mention that Dean had just come across a Cobra he intended to restore. Lee’s hands itched to spend some time with that engine.

“Please do that. We’d all be working for Trevor, so things wouldn’t really be that different. But you’d have the chance to work on classic cars for a change, bringing them back from the dead.” Excitement filled Dean’s voice, and it was catching.

Lee nodded as his nose filled with the richness of Dean’s cologne , even over the garage’s exhaust fumes and grease. “Okay. I’ll think about it,” Lee said, wishing he had more questions, if only so he could get Dean to stay and talk with him a little while longer.

Where to start….

First.. love the cover!

Okay, so in this one, if you’ve read the first two in this series, you should remember
Dean, who is best friends with Trevor and Brent. He’s a bit of a player and still stuck in the bachelor life, even though his friends are both loved up and living their own lives… he seems a bit bitter about it, and to be honest, he was hit and miss with me in the other books, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like him… even at the beginning of this one, I didn’t really… but it all changed when he met Lee…

Lee works with Trevor at the garage, he’s the ears in the duo of him and Scott, who is deaf. A blind and deaf mechanic? I know… it’s hard to wrap your head around, but they seem to make it work and they’re both good at it…. Plus they have very supportive friends, whom I love.

Because Dean is a restorer of old classic cars and Trevor owns his own garage, he offers Dean a partnership of sorts to work for him but still do his own thing… which Dean appreciates because he was barely keeping his head above water financially as it was. A bonus was getting to work with Lee, who he had his eye on for a while but never did anything about because a bad breakup had him playing the field and not interested in getting hurt again, and Lee was a bit younger than him as well….which showed, a lot in my opinion.

Dean seemed kind of jerky until he caught Lee’s attention too. I liked watching them get to know one another and watching them both kind of navigate something new. Dean because he was opening himself up for something more than random hookups and Lee just getting to experience a normal type relationship with a normal guy… not that his impairment was abnormal, but it was just the way he felt. I can understand how hard it would be feel normal when everyone treated you with kid gloves…

And that brings me to the few things that I didn’t like…. There was the stereotypical overbearing mother… which I get… I’m a mother of two teenagers and sometimes I still treat them like they’re 10…. And they let me, why? Cuz I’m their mom and sometimes you just gotta humor your mom…but my goodness, Lee’s mom was too much….every conversation with her, literally every single one was him telling her that he’s not a kid… that he wants to be independent… that he cares about Dean, because yes, she was even a jerk to Dean…” what are your intentions with my son”, and “I think you need to break up with him”… like, really?? … I understand her concern, but it was too much, though she did redeem herself by the end I guess.. was still very stereotypical.

Also, things kept happening at work and when the guys went out to the club… elaborate things that you’d expect in a superhero movie with over the top villains … I knew exactly who was causing problems though I didn’t guess how they were related, I was annoyed when nobody seemed to know who was behind it all when it was so glaringly obvious.

Lastly…. Lee can smell illness? Is that a superpower? Someone walks up and asks to talk to Dean and he’s like…. Hepatitis or HIV? … I can smell it.
That whole part had me like…. Whaaaaat?

Overall though, I love this author’s stories and I love the way in which he uses impairments and real life problems with life and love. I like the complex situations and realistic views and solutions in handling things. I like the little embarrassing moments that some author’s skip over and I love the happily ever after’s that we get in this series. I was glad to see Dean get his happy and I loved the way he loved Lee.

It was a sweet read and I hope the series continues.

4 pieces of eye candy

Andrew grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works in information systems for a large corporation.

Andrew’s hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing)  He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Author Links

Amazon Author Page

Barnes and Noble Page

Dreamspinner Press

Facebook

Facebook Group All the Way with Andrew Grey

Goodreads

Twitter @andrewgreybooks

Website

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Team Luker by Nell Iris: RDB, Release Day Review and Giveaway

by

What if this is the last time we lie like this?
Uncertainty is keeping Ellery Luker awake at night and robbing him of his appetite. It’s been five days since the love of his life and partner of twenty-five years, Jools, went to the doctor. Five days since the biopsy. Five days of going crazy with worry and what ifs?
What if Jools suffer from the same disease that stole Ellery’s mother when he was just eleven?
What if all Ellery’s worst fears come true?
What if…?

Length: 5,500 words approx.

Amazon

JMS Books

This story had all the fixin’s to emotionally ruin my life. Luckily, it didn’t… but it did make me cry.

Jools and Ellery have been together since college, when Jools would see Ellery in the library and take his breath away. Now, twenty-five years later, they were still just as in love now as they were all those years ago… so what would Ellery do if something happened to his beloved Jools?

Having lost his mother to cancer when he was eleven, the thought of losing his husband to the same thing had him losing sleep and unable to eat out of worry. He’d lay awake at nights watching his husband, scared to death that it could be the last time….

Dramatic? Maybe… but I understood it, because I’m the worrier in our family, and if anything were to happen to my husband, I just don’t think I’d survive it. I don’t know how people go on living after losing their other half. It’s a great fear of mine, so it hit me in a way I wasn’t expecting for such a short read that packed a lifetime of love with these two.

Lying in bed together, Jools can feel Ellery’s worry, so to get him to relax, he starts telling him the story of how they met… it was so very sweet, and seemed to help.
But the next day Ellery had work and it was the day the find out if the biopsy was something to be worried about or not.

I won’t spoil the ending, but you should definitely give this one a read. It’s short and sweet and leaves you reminded to hug your loved ones a little tighter… you never know what could happen.

5 Pieces of Candy

Nell Iris is a romantic at heart who believes everyone deserves a happy ending. She’s a bona fide bookworm (learned to read long before she started school), wouldn’t dream of going anywhere without something to read (not even the ladies’ room), loves music (and singing along but, let’s face it, she’s no Celine Dion), and is a real Star Trek nerd (“Make it so”). She loves words, poetry, wine, and Sudoku, and absolutely adores elephants!

Nell believes passionately in equality for all regardless of race, gender, or sexuality, and wants to make the world a better, less hateful, place.

Nell is a forty-something bisexual Swedish woman, married to the love of her life, and a proud mama of a grown daughter. She left the Scandinavian cold and darkness for warmer and sunnier Malaysia a few years ago, and now spends her days writing, surfing the Internet, enjoying the heat, and eating good food. One day she decided to chase her lifelong dream of being a writer, sat down in front of her laptop, and wrote a story about two men falling in love.

Nell Iris writes gay romance, prefers sweet over angst, and wants to write diverse and different characters.

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