Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

TCO Reviewer: Deanna

Love Happens Anyway by RJ Scott: Audio Book Review

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Derek is facing yet another Christmas where his life feels out of control. He has a new career that doesn’t feel like his, and parents who would just love to see him settled down. All he needs is a temporary buffer for the parties he has to attend, and for his parents to leave him alone. Enter, Luke.

Luke is twenty-thousand dollars short for the renovations on Halligans; his family’s bar in New York’s Financial District. A favor for a buddy has him agreeing to play the part of boyfriend to a guy with more money than sense.

But when the spirit of Christmas works its magic on the two men, and they begin to fall for each other, Derek runs scared, and Luke needs space.

It doesn’t matter what obstacles you throw in the way of love, or how much you run in the other direction, because, when you’re least expecting it, whether you want it or not, love happens anyway.

Audible

Amazon

Great Holiday Listen!

Super cute story about a down on his luck ex-fireman that hires himself out to his friends escort service to come up with the funds to remodel and re-open his family bar and a super stressed Ad Exec who has himself caught in a snare with a little made up story about a boyfriend that his parents have insisted they meet. Both are in a pickle but maybe together they can both find a happy every after.

Love this one. The characters are well developed, especially for a holiday novella. The story is entertaining without too much drama or over the top sugar.

What can I say about Sean Crisden? He is one of my favorite narrators. He has a way of bringing a story to life with his smooth rich voice.

4 Pieces of Eye Candy

Closer by F.E. Feeley Jr.: Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review, and Giveaway

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Maplewood, Vermont is a picturesque town filled with unique shops, unique homes, and a quaint familiarity all centered around a lake with an unusual history.

Legends, old as well as Urban, float around like the mist that hovers above the lake at break of dawn.

But they’re just stories, right?

Hayden Moore’s life was destroyed when his husband, Malcolm, was murdered. Giving up his job as an assistant district attorney in Boston, Hayden moved to the little burg of Maplewood to recover.

A new life.

A fresh start.

However, something underneath the water is stirring. Something rotten. A deadly secret wakes underneath the black waters of Lake Veronica so disturbing it haunts the nightmares of the local residents.

It’s coming closer…

Length: 117,000 words

CLOSER

F.E. FEELEY, JR.

GAY FICTION/GHOSTS/SUPERNATURAL

RELEASE DATE: 03.01.18

Cover Designer:  Roe Horvat

 

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Smashwords

B & N

iBooks

Beaten Track Publishing

 

He knocked hard on the door, hoping at least, not to have made a wasted trip out here. His agreement with Hayden was to work quickly to finish the bedrooms for his guests who would be coming in this evening. He promised to throw in a little extra for Tommy’s trouble, money that Tommy really didn’t need, but he really wanted a chance to work on this old house. He had plenty of money, but he wasn’t rich by any stretch of the imagination, however, he lived modestly and put money away in the event something happened that kept him from working. Besides, that buzzing in his head had plagued him most of the evening prior, a buzzing accompanied by the face of the man who owned this house.

He had given that some thought, after failed attempts to quash it down. His inability to do so made him especially grouchy. He paced the floors of his house last night, looking at the telephone. It hadn’t been late, and he was thinking of offering to make dinner for the both of them.

No one came to answer the door. So, he raised his hand and pounded on the glass pane harder this time. His car was here. Finally, he heard stumbling around. Heard Hayden bang into something and curse. Tommy snickered. The door flung open and there stood a disheveled and unshaven Hayden. His eyes were wide, and his hair stood up on end.

“S-s-sorry. Come on in,”he stammered, blinking back the light.

Tommy grinned a bit. The buzzing in his head turned into a full-out hum; he was happy to see Hayden.

Hayden was surprised he had slept through his alarm, and he was a bit horrified at the thought of the way he looked. He stood back and let Tommy walk in. The large man entered the house and immediately headed for the kitchen. Hayden followed.

“I’m sorry. I had a rough night. Can I make you some coffee?”He was stunned again by the sheer size of the man before him and found his eyes wandering down to his butt. He had a great pair of buns in the jeans that he wore. He got an even better view as Tommy leaned down to set his bag on the floor next to the countertop. He turned to answer Hayden’s questions, and Hayden’s eyes snapped up to meet his.

“I woke you up. How about you sit down there at the table and I make it?”Tommy suggested. He grabbed the coffee pot and walked over to the sink, filling it up with water.

Hayden obediently sat down at the table. His thoughts were sleep filled and he still felt a bit disoriented. He looked out into the gray morning and sighed, feeling like the weather fit his mood perfectly. He turned his head when he heard water pouring into the coffeemaker. He watched Tommy empty the old coffee grounds into the trash can on the wall and walk back over to the counter where he heaped large spoonfuls—six by Hayden’s count—into the coffeemaker and then clicked it closed and turned the pot on. Hayden smiled a little; it was a long time since someone had made him coffee.

Tommy looked up from what he was doing. “What?”

“Oh, nothing. I was just…daydreaming,”Hayden said, a little embarrassed from having been caught staring.

I thought the synopsis sounded intriguing and I hadn’t read anything like it before so I thought I would give it a try. Wow! I’m so glad I did. While the book is long and full of a ton of extraneous detail with so many characters I almost needed a chart, every character and detail help to mold the story. After just a few chapters I was hooked.

The author gives you enough detail and backstory so that you know the characters, you can recognize them and relate to them. The story was creative and unlike anything I have read before.

F.E.Feeley Jr is a poet and the author of six published works – four full-length novels, two short stories featured in anthologies, and a poetry book.

Married to the love of his life, John, he came to the writing world about four years ago where he fell in love, again, with the written word.

Amazon Author: https://amzn.to/2SjcylO

Twitter: @fefeeleyjr

Website: www.fefeeleyjr.com

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

YouTube: https://bit.ly/2PcsG6J

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6806438.F_E_Feeley_Jr_

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Lone Wolf by Anna Martin: Blog Tour, Release Day Review and Giveaway

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Jackson Lewis  isn’t a typical werewolf. He isolates himself in a small town outside Spokane and dedicates himself to making his business—Lone Wolf Brewery—a success. If it leaves him little time for romance, he’s okay with that. His soul mate could be out there somewhere, but he isn’t actively looking.

So he’s in for quite the shock when he literally bumps into his soul mate—Leo Gallagher—an adorable, nerdy, vibrant music therapist who’s Jackson’s polar opposite.

But he’s human. And a man.

Jackson is straight—or at least he’s always assumed so. Though he can’t deny his attraction to Leo, it’s a lot for both of them to deal with.

While Jackson and Leo figure out what their future might hold, they face prejudice from both the human and werewolf communities—including a group of fanatics willing to kill to show humans and werewolves don’t belong together.

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

I didn’t love this story, but I didn’t hate it either. The storyline is promising but I think it could use a little development. I was left wanting more when the story ended.

Jackson loves a solitary life. He owns a brewery and lives on the outskirts of town alone. As a werewolf he is surprised when he runs into his mate and he turns out to be a human male.

Leo is a human and a musical therapist. He’s openly gay and a little concerned that his mate is struggling with his sexuality and the fact that he’s human. He hopes giving Jackson time will help him come to terms with the life fate has handed him.

The story was interesting, but I don’t feel like Jackson’s struggle with his sexuality and his human mate were resolved as well as they could be. One second it was a struggle and the next he was ok with it. It wasn’t very realistic.

The characters were relatable and interesting. I could easily see a second book with Jackson’s brother or Leo’s roommate. The story just needs so beefing up.

3 pieces of eye candy

Anna Martin is from a picturesque seaside village in the southwest of England and now lives in the Bristol, a city that embraces her love for the arts. After spending most of her childhood making up stories, she studied English literature at university before attempting to turn her hand as a professional writer.

Apart from being physically dependent on her laptop, Anna is enthusiastic about writing and producing local grassroots theater (especially at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where she can be found every summer), going to visit friends in other countries, and reading anything thatís put under her nose.

Anna claims her entire career is due to the love, support, prereading, and creative ass kicking provided by her best friend Jennifer. Jennifer refuses to accept responsibility for anything Anna has written.

https://www.annamartin-fiction.com/

http://www.facebook.com/annamartinfiction

http://www.pinterest.com/annamartinficti/

http://instagram.com/missannamartin

http://www.twitter.com/missannamartin

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October 9 – Joyfully Jay, OMG Reads, Valerie Ullmer, Urban Smoothie Read, Archaeolibrarian, The Blogger Girls, BooksLaidBareBoys, Two Chicks Obsessed, MM Midnight Cafe, Lelyana’s Reviews, Xtreme Delusions, October 11 – The Novel Approach, October 12 – Momma Says: To Read Or Not To Read, Bonkers About Books, Megan’s Media Melange, Cupcakes & Bookshelves, Mikku-chan, October 15 – Diverse Reader, October 16 – Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Making It Happen, MM Good Book Reviews, October 17 – Gay Book Reviews, October 18 – Book Lovers 4Ever, Drops of Ink, October 19 – Love Bytes, October 20 – Mirrigold, Bayou Book Junkie, Lillian Francis, Nerdy Dirty & Flirty, Wicked Faerie’s Tales & Reviews, Book Review By Virginia Lee

Twisted and Tied by Mary Calmes: Release Day Review * 2

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Deputy US Marshal Miro Jones finally has everything he ever wanted. He’s head-over-heels in love and married to the man of his dreams, his partner Ian Doyle, he’s doing well at work, and all his friends are in good places as well. Things are all tied up nicely… until they’re not.

Change has never been easy for Miro, and when situations at work force the team he’s come to depend on to break apart, and, worst of all, when his and Ian’s individual strengths put them on two separate paths, he’s pretty certain everything just went up in smoke. But before he can even worry about the future, his past comes for a visit, shaking his world up even more. It’s hard to tell what road he should truly be on, but as he learns some paths are forged and others are discovered, it might be that where he’s going is the right course after all. If he can navigate all the twists and turns, he and Ian might just get their happily ever after.

Title: Twisted and Tied
Series: Marshals: Book Four
Author: Mary Calmes
Release Date: March 13, 2018
Category: Contemporary
Pages: TBD (Novel)

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

Sigh…Ian and Miro…and a good amount of Sam Kage, which I will never ever complain about.

In this one, I started off a little disappointed because the guys were married and we didn’t get to see this big elaborate wedding that I felt like Miro would’ve wanted…. But I shouldn’t have worried, I know better than to doubt this author… everything was perfect, and when you read it, you’ll totally get it.

There’s a lot going on, as there usually is in this particular series, but it’s all art of seeing these two grow, not only as a couple, but also as characters. Things kind of get thrown up in the air, when Sam Kage shakes things up a little bit regarding his team and their new roles. It creates some tension between Miro and Ian, and I could see where they were both coming from, so it was hard for me to pick a side! Not that you have to, but….well, you’ll see.

What I loved about this one, is that in the other books in this series.. I felt like Miro was the strong one…. Not physically, that’s not what I mean… But he was confident and so sure about everything and he knew who he was and was okay with that. He didn’t struggle like Ian did, so I felt like Miro was the one with the reigns the majority of the time, keeping Ian together, reassuring him and being there for him in the ways that only Miro could. And in this one, we see Miro depending on Ian a little bit more, and Ian being the one that needed to do the reassuring. I mean, even in last books with all the Hartley and all that Miro had gone through with him… being kidnaped and tortured and all that, Miro was still the one that kept it together so Ian would be okay. Not that it was ever a problem, because, that’s just how their relationship worked… but in this one, it was nice to see the shoe on the other foot.

Speaking of Hartley…he’s back. Of course he is, that’s no secret… and while I know I’m probably a minority in this, for all the terrible things he’s done… I still found it hard to hate him in this one. Who I did hate though, was Miró’s coven sisters husband…You will too, and I wasn’t expecting that…and I don’t know how relevant it is to the story, because it was kinda just thrown in there, but…. Ugh, didn’t like that…

But, back to Hartley… I felt like Miro got some closure there, which I was relieved about. He also rooves that its true what he’s always said, nobody knows Harley like Miro and it gets proven several times in this page turner.

Side note, I was really worried about Cabot and Drake in the last one, and if you read my reviews at all, I made it very clear as to why, and I am leased to say that Im so happy with the way all that turned out…And I’m over the moon with the way Ian and Miro turned out.

I want to gush, and I’m probably uber vague and annoying because of it, but if you’ve been waiting for this book like I have, and you’re anxious to know what happens.. I promise, it’s well worth the wait, and you’re going to fall in love with these guys all over again. It’s impossible not to!!!

No surprise here, but this one was 5 very deserved pieces of eye candy from me!

So…. this is the first book in a spin-off series of A Matter of Time. I thought I couldn’t love anyone as much as I do Jory Harcourte and then Mary Calmes threw Miro Jones at me. It was love at first sight.

Sam Kage has been promoted from US Marshall to Supervisory Deputy in charge of his own team. Miro Jones and Ian Doyle have been partners for 3 years. Miro has been in love with his partner for every bit of those three years assuming his affections will never be returned because Ian is terminally straight.

Ian Doyle is as tough as they come, an Army Ranger and badass US Marshall. He never plays by the rules but knows without a doubt that Miro will always have his back. Ian has always treated Miro more like a boyfriend than a best friend or partner, just minus the sex. When Miro is hurt in the line of duty while Ian is off playing Army Ranger it causes him to rethink his position.

Just when Ian and Miro start to focus on a future together a tough witness relocation assignment has them wondering if they’ll survive long enough to see happily ever after.

I don’t know where to begin. The story was so entertaining, the plot and attention to detail was amazing. The characters were all well developed and so relatable, even the secondary characters.

Ian and Miro, what can I say. They made my top ten favorite couples of all time list. Ian is so tough on the outside but so caring with Miro at the same time. Miro has a great sense of humor and the internal dialogue was hysterical.

This series is definitely going to be reread often. If you haven’t read it yet give it a shot. You won’t be disappointed.

5 pieces of eye candy

Daddy, Daddy, and Me by Sean Michael: Exclusive Guest Post and Release Day Review

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When Jeff agreed to be the sperm donor to his best friend Beth, he never expected a tragedy to leave his newborn and three-year-old motherless. Beth’s loss has totally thrown his life into chaos: his lover has left him, his house isn’t anywhere near childproof, and his boss feels the restaurant has been patient enough with Jeff’s time off.

Donny has always known he wanted to work with kids, and he just finished his degree in early childhood education. He didn’t count on the prejudice he’d face as not only a male nanny, but a gay one at that. Job-hunting has been frustrating to say the least, so when he knocks on Jeff’s door and is greeted by the sounds of things breaking and a pair of screaming children, he thinks maybe he can begin this particular interview with a trial by fire.

Becoming the nanny to Jeff’s children might be a dream come true for Danny and exactly what Jeff needs, but are either of them ready to really be a family?

Title: Daddy, Daddy, and Me
Author: Sean Michael
Release Date: February 23, 2018
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 162

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

 

Thank you to Two Chicks Obsessed for hosting me today.

As Daddy, Daddy and Me features a couple of kids, I thought I’d share my top five favorite kids’ books growing up. I read all the following multiple times as a kid. And yes, I adored series because that meant I got to stay in the world I loved.

 

Top Five Favourite Kid’s books

  1. Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. My copies of these were dog-eared. It was fascinating reading about this little girl who grew up a long time ago.

 

  1. The Hobbit by JJR Tokien – I read the Lord of the Rings books in my early teens, but this book in my childhood and it helped form my lifelong love of fantasy/sci-fi

 

  1. Z is for Zachariah by Robert C O’Brien – I remember taking this one out of the library (more than once.) If The Hobbit turned me onto fantasy, this book turned me onto post-apocalyptic fiction.

 

  1. Anne Of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery Anne taught me that it was good to use my imagination and that being ‘normal’ and ‘just like everyone else’ were not the be all and end all.

 

  1. Famous Five series by Enid Blyton – I was first introduced to these at the English bookstore in Heidelberg and loved them beyond reason. We would go back every week and get a new one until I had them all 21 of them. Then I re-read them.

There were many more of course, we started going to the library as early as I can remember and my mother stuck a book in my crib to keep me company in the mornings from six months on, but those are five that stick out in my mind.

 

Sean Michael

Smut fixes everything

This one is such a sweet read with really cute kids and an awesome Uncle/manny love story.

Jeff agrees to be a sperm donor for his best friend in the world, thinking he could be a totally awesome uncle and nothing else. Until tragedy strikes and he is left raising two little people who miss their mom while trying prove life goes on without a best friend and now an absentee boyfriend.

Donny has recently graduated with a degree in early childhood education but is having a tough time finding a job. Once people find out he’s gay they can’t get rid of him fast enough. Praying this next interview is his last, Donny is surprised to find Jeff might need him just as much as Donny needs this job.

Trial by fire doesn’t even begin to cover it. Jeff is in way over his head, overworked and running on no sleep doesn’t help when dealing with grieving kids. Donny steps in to help and Jeff can see a noticeable difference in the kids in such a short time. It seems Donny has been good for all of them. Jeff just needs to stop the inappropriate thoughts he’s having about Donny before he scares him right out of their lives. Little does he know, Donny is fighting his own attraction.

When Jeff’s ex returns to cause trouble for the new couple, Jeff and Donny will need to decide if they’re stronger together or apart and what’s best for their little family.

The story is really entertaining , but I love that all the drama in the story revolves around outside characters. Donny and Jeff are pretty chill, letting the love evolve naturally. It felt so real, never forced. The was they come together as a family is so beautiful.

If ever I have wanted to throat punch a character Jeff’s ex would be number one on that list. What a tool! But his resurfacing just proves how blind a person can be and what they thought was love was just mere lust because true love makes everything else dull.

Great read. I couldn’t put it down.

4 pieces of eye candy

Best-selling author Sean Michael is a maple leaf–loving Canadian who spends hours hiding out in used book stores. With far more ideas than time, Sean keeps several documents open at all times. From romance to fantasy, paranormal and sci-fi, Sean is limited only by the need for sleep—and the periodic Beaver Tail.

Sean fantasizes about one day retiring on a secluded island populated entirely by horseshoe crabs after inventing a brain-to-computer dictation system. Until then, Sean will continue to write the old-fashioned way.

Sean Michael on the web:

WEBSITE: http://www.seanmichaelwrites.com

BLOG: http://seanmichaelwrites.blogspot.ca

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelWrites/

TWITTER: seanmichael09

INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/seanmichaelpics/

Rebel by Rhys Ford: Double Release Day Review

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The hardest thing a rebel can do isn’t standing up for something—it’s standing up for himself.

Life takes delight in stabbing Gus Scott in the back when he least expects it. After Gus spends years running from his past, present, and the dismal future every social worker predicted for him, karma delivers the one thing Gus could never—would never—turn his back on: a son from a one-night stand he’d had after a devastating breakup a few years ago.

Returning to San Francisco and to 415 Ink, his family’s tattoo shop, gave him the perfect shelter to battle his personal demons and get himself together… until the firefighter who’d broken him walked back into Gus’s life.

For Rey Montenegro, tattoo artist Gus Scott was an elusive brass ring, a glittering prize he hadn’t the strength or flexibility to hold on to. Severing his relationship with the mercurial tattoo artist hurt, but Gus hadn’t wanted the kind of domestic life Rey craved, leaving Rey with an aching chasm in his soul.

When Gus’s life and world starts to unravel, Rey helps him pick up the pieces, and Gus wonders if that forever Rey wants is more than just a dream.

Title: Rebel
Series: 415 Ink
Author: Rhys Ford
Release Date: December 29, 2017
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 220

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

 

I wanted to love this book. And there were parts that I did, but….

As an avid m/m reader this was actually the first Rhys Ford book I’ve read. I liked the blurb, second chance love, set in one of my favorite cities, so I jumped in. But I was a bit disappointed.

Gus is part of a rag tag family of brothers. Some related by blood, others by circumstance. After running away to try and find himself after a bad break up, he returns to San Francisco and the brothers he left behind. And the man who broke his heart.

Being that this is the first of a series there is a lot of getting to know all of the various characters. Sadly, I didn’t feel like any one character was really fleshed out. Even Gus and Rey, the main characters of this book felt incomplete. And while Rey was the more likeable guy, Gus was broken and didn’t seem to want to put the pieces back together.

As for the group of guys, his one “brother” Mason seems to really be a bit of a jerk when it comes to Gus. They treated each other horribly- and not in the brotherly way, in my opinion. There were parts of the book where I was just shocked that two guys who considered themselves brothers, lived together for years, but treated each other with such animosity. The oldest “brother” Bear is the typical curmudgeon with a soft side, Ivo- Gus’ half brother- was my favorite of the bunch and I actually look forward to his book. Luke rounds out the five and he intrigued me as well. He went down a different path than the other four but still is one of them.

To complicate Gus and Rey finding love again is the love child that Gus didn’t know he had. And while I understand that he had a crappy childhood and wanted to do better for his son, he is very repetitious with “I can’t think about me, only my son”. A man needs to have a life.

But like I said, there were parts that I did like. I am all for a good angsty book. I love families that are made and not born. And the story arc was decent, but it was just overdone. Too much descriptors in different parts, relationships that didn’t seem genuine and circumstances that seemed a bit over the top.

I am going to take it all with a grain of salt that this was the first in the series and there are a lot of characters to get to know and a world to build. I will definitely read the next (especially if it is about Ivo), and hope for the best.

3 pieces of eye candy


Second chance romance, tattoo artists, and a group of (mostly) non-blood-brothers that have formed their own family? Gimme.

Rey and Gus were crazy about each other but broke up 3 years ago. Gus didn’t seem to want to settle down, and Rey didn’t tell him that that’s what he wanted. Gus skipped town right after, but now he’s back and ready to get serious about his life. Rey wants a second chance, but Gus has a new set of baggage with him: he just learned that his post-breakup one-night stand produced a son.

Gus has had a tough life and I totally feel for him. He had a horrible family trauma as a child, lived through the foster care system and now has a small band of brothers who are also foster care survivors. I love people forging their own family, made of members who’ve chosen each other. Rey had a more stable childhood and he’s now a firefighter. He has seen the happy family and wants that for himself, but Gus is wary of that life.

I have to say it took me a little bit to get into this book. Sometimes the writing sort of confused me and it took me a while to understand who all the “brothers” were and how they met. But eventually I did get into this and liked it. Gus’ past trauma just hurts my heart. Rey has had a more stable upbringing and I want him to be just what Gus needs in his life. Gus wants to be the dad he didn’t have to his own son, and seeing him try is very sweet. These two are clearly still in love with each other, I hate seeing them apart!

Gus’ brothers are all pretty different and I expect there will be further books for each of them. This is the first book I’ve read by Rhys Ford, and while the writing sort of weirded me out initially, I will definitely read more from her.

3 pieces of eye candy