Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

TCO Reviewer: Erin

Ruler of the Waves : Love At Lake Clyde, Book 3 by Aidan Ainslie: RB, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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Tyler: All I ever wanted was to be a good doctor and serve the community I had grown up in. And I wanted a loving husband to share my dream of a house with a picket fence, two children and a dog. Was that so much to ask of life? Why was it so difficult to find that man?

Rickie: All I ever wanted was the freedom to sail the oceans, taste salt on my lips and feel sea spray on my face. So when Tyler Matthews offers me the chance of a week’s sailing at Nantucket, I agree to go with him. The only snag – we have to convince his snooty friends that we are boyfriends. How difficult can that be? Tyler is a good friend, I know him. Surely we can pull this off.
The only danger I did not foresee was that all my dreams could be derailed if my heart became entangled with the cute doctor Tyler Matthews who is rooted to the soil like a giant sequoia.

Can love find a way to bridge the ocean-sized chasm between two men who do not appear to be destined for each other?

Read the latest book in the Love at Lake Clyde series. A delicious fake boyfriend romance with many unexpected twists and turns.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Rickie

We boarded the plane and luxuriated in the space and comfort of first class. Free champagne even before take-off. Man, I could get used to this. We settled in. That is, I put in my earbuds and chose music on my phone while Tyler sterilized the area around his seat with a sanitary wipe. Then he took out the emergency safety card from the seat pocket and studied it. I think it was the first time in my life I’d seen someone actually read one of those cards. He leaned toward me and pointed at the exit signs three rows in front of us. It was on the tip of my tongue to say, Yes Tyler, I can read. I’m pretty good with four-letter words. But I didn’t say anything. He was so earnest and so damn cute and innocent. I guess that’s what happened if you grew up without two older brothers who mocked you mercilessly if ever you did something remotely dumb.

Just before take-off, I was about to put my jacket in the overhead bin when the stewardess – a gorgeous brunette with a ready smile – reached for it and said, “You wouldn’t want that to get creased, sir. Let me hang it up for you.” Her colleague, a handsome dark-haired guy with a neatly clipped beard, was busy serving champagne. He turned and said to me, “I love your shirt. I’ll come by later so you can tell me where I can get one of those.”

I was wearing one of the T-shirts that Mandy, our local tattoo artist, had designed for the Master of the Wild challenge. It featured two stallions on their hind legs with their necks entwined. I’d never been able to figure out whether they were fighting or embracing each other. Mandy was coy about it, saying everyone was free to interpret the intricate, tattoo-like design as they pleased. The slogan under the stallions read, Go Wild in Clydesdale.

 Tyler was bemused and whispered, “How do you do it? You must have special pheromones that intoxicate everyone who comes near you.”

“Is it working on you?” I quipped.

He punched me on the shoulder and rolled his eyes again, “You’re obnoxious when you’re grouchy and you’re even more insufferable when you’re in a good mood.”

I was beginning to enjoy his eyerolls almost as much as his smiles.

First time author for me. And probably the last.

I didn’t read the previous books, but you don’t need to. It works as a stand alone.

After reading for a bit I had to go and look up the author. Who says they live in Northern California. But so much of the language used was British. And formal. And not even close to how Californians would talk. And I don’t mean surfer slang at all. I mean, a lot more casual. You aren’t going to hear “Fancy something to eat?” from a local.

Honestly, the characters were just either unlikable or wet rags. Rickie has a chip on his shoulder because he is on probation for a crime he didn’t commit. (BTW, no way was someone getting probation for that), his brother and boss was nasty to him, Tyler is a limp noodle who everyone walks all over and his friends are awful.

The plot mostly worked, but still. A bit much and a bit coincidental. I know it’s fiction. I still want it to be a little believable. There was just no connection between characters for me. The realest connection was between Tyler and his dad.

This is one of those cases where it could have been so much better with a good beta read or 4. A good editor, etc.

2.5 pieces of eye candy

Aiden Ainslie lives in the Diablo foothills, east of San Francisco. He grew up in various small towns and loves to draw on that small-town feel for his romances: the sense of community but also the petty grievances, intrigue and rivalries. “An author has to draw on personal experience to create authentic stories.”

According to Aiden, setting and mood are critical parts of a romantic story, hence he is always taking pictures of romantic settings to be used in future novels. Check them out on his website www.aidenainslie.com

When Aiden is not writing or listening to audiobooks, he likes to cycle and hike. During those solitary pursuits, he dreams up the characters and plots for his MM Romance novels. He also enjoys zipping around town on his motor scooter, drinking coffee at the local coffee shops, and watching people to get inspiration for his writing.

Connect with Aiden:
https://aidenainslie.com/
https://www.facebook.com/aiden.ainslie
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Pictures of You (’90s Coming of Age Book 1) by Leta Blake: New Release Review

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Peter Mandel is an 18-year-old private school senior who’s passionate about photography and bent on keeping his attractions secret. Enter Adam Algedi, a charming, worldly guy who doesn’t do labels, but does want to do Peter.

Swept away on a journey of first love and intimate discovery, Peter hopes for a future where he won’t have to hide his truth. But as the web of lies he and Adam are weaving grows relentlessly tangled, can Peter find the confidence to do the right thing? Or will his crush on Daniel, a college acquaintance, put him on a different path?

Join Peter in the first book of this critically acclaimed trilogy as he struggles to love and be loved and to grow into a man worthy of his own respect.

Leta Blake’s ’90s Coming of Age series is a must-read for fans of New Adult Romance and coming-of-age fiction.

This series by Leta Blake is an M/M New Adult Coming-of-Age Romance set in the early 1990s.

This is a rerelease and I had never read it before so I honestly don’t know if it was edited to add or remove anything. Just a head’s up if it sounds familiar to some of you.

Cue feeling super old. I’ve heard this series called historical. Historical. Sigh. The characters graduated high school two years after me. So yes, the story starts in 1990. And I loved that. So many things- movies, shows, etc, that are set in the 80’s or 90’s are SO over the top stereotypical. It was refreshing to read something that really represented that time.

On to the story. It’s a rollercoaster ride. 18 year old kids still in the closet because it was 1990. Unless you lived it, you don’t know. Looking back at my own high school life, there wasn’t a single out student. Now I need at least both hands to count who came out as gay just from my graduating class.

Sorry, focusing now. We have nerdy Peter starting a new private school for his senior year because of bullying at his previous school. He quickly meets the 2 other new seniors- Adam and Sarah. Diplomat brats who finally get to finish their high school career in one school. Adam is gorgeous and charming and nice and befriends Peter immediately. Even though Peter can’t understand why. Sarah is a sullen teen who is just cranky.

They start hanging out, Peter just waiting for Adam to realize he isn’t cool. But Adam isn’t like that. He isn’t the typical American teen who tries to be cool and popular and hang out with the cool and popular. They quickly become “best friends” and then more. Adam, the more experienced, is really patient with Peter. Even holding off on doing some things that Peter wanted. Obviously Sarah figures it out and tries to stop them constantly. Because she has seen what their father will do if he thinks his son is gay.

Once school starts, the more intricate the lies become. Even though they all hang as a group, Peter is often whispered about as gay. Enter Leslie, Adam’s now girlfriend. But he still wants to be with Peter. In secret. And Peter puts up with it. Now, at 50+ I would yell at my kindle that he deserves better. But to him, an 18 year old, not out but definitely gay nerdy kid who takes pictures….he wasn’t giving Adam up.

This story was really emotional. The hiding, the sneaking around, lying to friends and family, meeting and befriending a drag queen and her husband, it was a page turner. My heart broke for Peter every time Adam was with Leslie. And Peter just watched,

And Leslie really liked Peter as a friend. Which made the secret so much worse. Because she was a genuinely nice person. I think she guessed early on that Peter was gay, but never said anything. She had no idea about Adam though.

This book ends with them graduating high school, Adam and Sarah going to Italy to spend the summer with their parents and the rest of the friend group kind of splintering.

I don’t know that I’ve read a romance that was between 18 year olds that was just so well told.

I can’t wait to read more.

(Book 1 of 3 of a continuing story)

4.5 pieces of eye candy

This Will Hurt by Cara Dee: Release Blitz, Excerpt and Release Day Review

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Standalone Part I of II Angst Awakening Friends to Lovers Single Dad Slow Burn
Maybe the heart needs to break before one can put together the pieces correctly. This is Jake and Roe’s story.

I used to think leaving the Marines and moving to LA was the defining moment that changed my life. I was gonna become a documentary filmmaker and see the world through my camera. Then I met Roe Finlay.

Never in a million years could I have imagined…well, everything we went through. I sucked at expressing how I felt—which was emotionally stunted most of the time—but Roe seemed to get me. I became…dependent. Attached. Not in a sexual way or anything—I wasn’t gay. Far from it. Or bisexual like Roe, for that matter. No, this was different. I just wanted to be close to him. He made me laugh like no other. We were a fantastic team. We lived together. Worked together. He was my best friend.

He was everything. He was my defining moment.

Until he decided to commit to his f—to his girlfriend.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

Just go home, you fucking moron. You don’t belong in LA.

I made my way across campus, feeling more out of place every time I left class.

I was leaving behind a good career in the Marines for…random classes at Santa Monica College. Learn videography in twelve weeks. Study the art of documentary filmmaking in one semester. Then I thought about why I’d left the service. How sick I was of seeing death through my lens. Combat photography had been such a fucking fluke anyway. I was infantry. I was more at home on the front lines in Afghanistan than… But no. No. No, I was here because I couldn’t stand the war anymore. I didn’t wanna see another dead soldier, hear another explosion, witness another crying child surrounded by blood and debris.

I went to the coffee shop on the corner of the street where Nikki worked. She had the car, and we’d go home together once she was off her shift.

I ordered a coffee and found an empty table by one of the windows.

Sounded pretty good, though, didn’t it? Go home with my girlfriend at the end of the day… Except, it was her car, her apartment, and my savings were almost gone. By next month, I’d have to take that bartending job in West Hollywood where the tips were so good.

By then, I’d be twenty-seven.

I retrieved my pen from the inner pocket of my jacket, and I opened the notebook.

Final project. Final project, final project, final project. I needed content. I understood filming. Documenting. But coming up with my own content for a fucking college class’s final project? I was doomed.

“There you are! Fuck, I thought I lost you, man.”

I furrowed my brow and glanced toward the man’s voice—that belonged to someone I definitely didn’t know. But he was coming toward my table, and he was staring right at me.

No, wait. I recognized him. He was in my class, wasn’t he? Out here, I had developed a radar for East Coast people, and he had a New York accent. Otherwise, not much about him stood out. Average height, dark hair, fairly fit, on the lanky side, probably a bit younger than me.

He sat down in front of me, out of breath, and removed his messenger bag. “Look, I’m just gonna come out and say it. I have two hundred bucks, I’m living in my truck, and I have one network connection that I desperately wanna use. He told me to send him my final project—see if he could make some calls—but as has become painfully clear in this class, videography isn’t my thing. I understand fuck-all about goddamn HDV, SxS, and the difference between standard definition and hi-def.” He leaned forward. “Dude, y’all were talking about memory cards, and I thought we were discussing a fucking festival in Austin.”

 That…was SXSW. South by Southwest.

 “Anyway—in short, I have an idea,” he went on. “There is an artistic approach to it, but I’ll admit, it’s more of a come-hither for networks, something I think will sell. To get a foot in the door. But I need a partner, and I’ve watched you in class. You know your way around the equipment and the editing software. When the professor asks his dumb, insane questions, you actually know the answers.”

Was this how he talked to people he’d never met before? I didn’t even know his name.

I guessed if you were desperate enough and living out of your car, you cut to the chase faster.

That might very well be me in the near future.

So if he had an idea…

I extended my hand. “I’m Jake.”

He gave me a puzzled look, before he seemed to remember he’d just jumped into the conversation with no preamble. Then he flashed a dimpled grin and shook my hand.

“Roe. It’s Monroe, but everyone calls me Roe.”

This book. This book reminded me of why I love Cara Dee’s writing. Not gonna lie, the past couple in The Game series were meh. But this one. This book. Stand alone (there’s a familial connection, but none play a part), with best friends, unrequited love, repressed homophobia, bi awakening, just a little bit of everything. Oh. And it’s vanilla. With a capital V.

Roe and Jake. They are the kind of best friends that are so obviously soul mates. (FTR, to me, soul mates don’t have to be romantic or sexual partners). They met in their mid 20’s and just…connected.

They lived together, worked together, supported each other and dreamed together.

Jake has a child with a former girlfriend and I ADORE the representation of 2 people co-parenting in a healthy way without hating each other. And Jake loves being a dad. It’s so great. And Roe just rolls with it. Like, ok cool, this kid will live with us part time. And call me Uncle Roe.

They go from broke to semi-famous. From documentary film-makers to podcasters, producers and hosts.

It’s a ride for sure. And it culminates at Jake’s 30th birthday party.

AND NOW I HAVE TO WAIT FOR BOOK 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sigh. Ok. But I need it. NEED. IT.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Half Baked Plan (Love in No Man’s Land) by Becca Jackson: New Release Review

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Lucas
Fire took out my business, my apartment and almost my life a few weeks back, and now I’m living in my best friend’s house while I rebuild, and he travels the world. He found his perfect match and now It’s time I found mine.

After years on my own, I want a family, but I have zero hope in finding my match while I’m still completely crushing on the hottest builder in the world, and to make matters worse, he’s now my roommate.

I thought sharing a house with Carter would help me get over him. I’d see why he’s never had a boyfriend, or anyone worth bringing around town. I’d discover all of his faults up close and squash the perfect god-like image I’ve cemented in my mind all these years.

Problem is, no matter what annoying habits I jot down on my list, the more time I spend with him the more I’m convinced Carter is everything I will ever need. Now I just have to figure out a way to tell him.

Carter

With Michael traveling the world, it’s just Lucas and me in his house while we rebuild the café, bakery, and apartment. I’m happy for Michael. I really am, but seeing another friend get their happy beginning shines a light again on the fact that I might never get mine.

I’m sick of being everyone’s best friend, yet no one’s boyfriend. I want my happy beginning too. I want someone to pick me. To want me. To love me.

So I do what any single guy would do, I sign up for speed dating. Blind dates suck but I’m never going to find the one if I don’t start putting myself out there.

The problem is, the more time I spend living with Lucas the more I realize, I don’t want any of these random hookups. I want the sweetest guy I’ve ever met. The one who bakes me cookies to make me smile. So now I have to figure out a way to show him I can be an awesome boyfriend. I can be his happy beginning if he will just give me a chance out of the friend zone.

This is book 2 in the series. I didn’t get to read book 1 yet because of time constraints, but I think I definitely will. I don’t think anything is lost starting here though.

Lucas and Carter are roommates, sort of. Lucas is staying in his friend’s house because his bakery and apartment above burned down. Carter has a second entrance that sounds like it’s an apartment at times, but I’m not sure. Anyway, they are friends but kind of new-ish friends. (This is where book 1 would come in handy I am sure.) Lucas has been crushing on Carter for a while, but Carter is just coming to the realization that he likes Lucas. Ah, men. Sometimes you have to smack them in the face with the feelings to get them to open up.

We get the cliched “I don’t want to ruin our friendship…” thing and everyone BUT them seeing their feelings written all over their faces. Plus Carter is the contractor in charge of rebuilding Lucas’ bakery and apartment.

I will say that there is a cute little side story about Lucas trying to recreate a recipe from his grandmother?, sorry memory failing. It’s either grandmother or aunt. But I think grandmother.

Of course they end up figuring their feelings out and we get a well deserved HEA after a very slow burn.

Unless this is a pen name for another author, for a second book, this is pretty good. There was a couple small issues. Lucas is a baker who seems to only make brownies and cookies. He also isn’t awake before the sun is up to start baking for the day like every other professional baker. And milk. Who puts milk IN a brownie or cookie recipe? Ok, maybe you do. I never have. And there are too many days between Christmas eve and Christmas. I said what I said.

All of that being said, I still think it is a cute book and I will read book 1 and probably book 3. I’m hoping this author grows and just gets better because the potential is there.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Bring Me Home: A Dad’s Best Friend Small Town MM Romance (Safe Harbor Book 1) by Annabeth Albert: Release Day Review

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Help!

I’ve inherited my aunt’s historic house in small-town Oregon, and I need to fix it up and sell it fast before I move on to my big-city dreams. I’m one of the navy’s best investigators, but twenty years of living in base housing means DIY isn’t part of my extensive skill set.

Luckily, my best friend has the solution: his twenty-three-year-old son. Knox recently graduated from college, needs a room for the summer, and comes with a giant cat and years of remodeling experience.

Not only is Knox all grown up and hot as sin, but I recognize him. He’s the bossy, bearded guy I shared the hottest kiss of my life with. No way can my buddy find out I’ve got it bad for his son. But with all the stripping, hammering, and drilling, my defenses crumble one dance break at a time.

As our sexy secret summer fling continues, Knox also proves himself handy at fixing my grumpy mood and wounded heart. Now I can’t imagine a future without him. I can solve any problem the navy throws at me, but I have no clue what to do about loving Knox or the damage this could do to my decades-long friendship.

Can we build a forever together, or are we destined to go our separate ways?

BRING ME HOME is a small-town Dad’s-best-friend MM romance. It features a forty-something grumpy former naval investigator, a much younger ray of sunshine, a matchmaking cat, sexy times in unusual locations, enough heat to burn the neighborhood, and a warm fuzzy hug’s worth of found-family feels. Dual point-of-view and big fluffy HEA guaranteed!

BRING ME HOME launches the brand-new Safe Harbor series from acclaimed author Annabeth Albert. Knox, Monroe, and the rest of Safe Harbor, Oregon, welcome readers to a historic town with a tight friend group, memorable secondary characters, quirky businesses, and long-held secrets. Each book stands alone with a fresh couple, but the background mystery of the town’s secrets ties the series together.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

So I just melted into a puddle of goo. I blame Annabeth Albert. I’ve read every single one of her books and enjoyed them all. Navy SEALS, firefighters, security experts, you name it. But for some reason I feel like this one is starting a series that will be closest to her heart. Maybe I’m wrong. But it felt like it.

Small town Oregon, guys with 20 year friendships, their adult sons *wink wink* and a dilapidated house. How can you not love a town called Safe Harbor?

Monroe had previously only spent about a year and a half in Safe Harbor, living with his great aunt so he could finish high school while his Navy father was stationed in Guam. He created life long friendships there before he, himself joined the Navy. But now he is retired and owner of the old Victorian he lived in with his aunt.

Chance brought him together with Knox, chance also separated them before they could even exchange real names. (Oh thank you Ms Albert for not using nicknames throughout the book!) Until, surprise! Knox is actually the 23 year old son of his best friend from high school. Who he is still friends with. Sticky wicket there.

Knox ends up being volunteered by his father to move in with Monroe (!) to help him rehab the house to get it ready to sell. I’m sure you can see where this is going.

They fight the attraction until they give in. And while Monroe really doesn’t want to hide, being that he lived through DADT, he caves because it’s just for the summer.

So they strip wallpaper, and each other while pretending to just be friends. But they really do become friends, and more, as they get to know each other. Monroe quickly realizes that Knox is a grown ass man, not a kid like everyone seems to think.

Knox 100% had my heart. He was that guy. The one who would, and did, do everything for everyone. But no one seemed to think of him or his feelings. Except Monroe. Having him just get the validation that he was an adult, he could make his own choices, he could do what he wanted, from Monroe was everything.

We get some fun characters. Knox’s bosses- Frank and Leon. Coffee shop owner, Sam. High school friend and current college professor Holden. And a brief glimpse of former resident and completely broken human, Worth. And a fabulous cat named Wallace.

There’s also a murder mystery that Monroe and Holden are working on. A cold case that never seemed quite right. It was not solved in this book and I am assuming we will wait until book 3 for a resolution. I can do that. I can wait. I CAN WAIT. Kidding, kidding.

If you couldn’t tell, I really loved the book. The characters, their nuances and dare I say, their maturity. Too many times I am seeing these guys revert to their dumb teenager selves. But not here.

Read it. Fall in love with Knox, Monroe, Wallace and Safe Harbor.

Can I have book 2 now?

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Finding Mr Fabulous by Con Riley: Release Day Review

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Featuring a duke-to-be with a problem and a thief who could be his solution. Expect fake dates and fiery first-time love in this standalone contemporary MM romance set in London and Cornwall.

Rex Heligan might be known as Mr. Fabulous in the bedroom, but he doesn’t want a boyfriend. In truth, he doesn’t have time between his London banker lifestyle and the Cornish dukedom he’ll inherit. What he needs is someone to watch over his grandfather while he’s away on business.

Rex’s shortlist of caretakers shouldn’t include a thief he once caught stealing, but Devesh Singh-Smith is more than a cat burglar.

Much more.

He’s the only one-night stand Rex hasn’t forgotten.

Rex convinces his grandfather that Devesh is the first boyfriend he’s ever wanted to bring home to their castle where their sizzling spark rekindles. He doesn’t expect the explosiveness of their connection. He also doesn’t expect Devesh to steal his heart by sharing secrets or to leave before their fake relationship is over.

There’s only one way for Rex to steal his heart back.

He’ll have to catch his thief twice and share his own secrets with him, even if it costs Rex his dukedom.

Finding Mr. Fabulous is set in Con Riley’s extended Cornish romance world. New readers can start right here and expect a story rich in heartstring-tugging emotion, and to swoon over a guaranteed HEA, while previous readers might enjoy glimpsing a few old friends.

CW: Past bereavement.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

One of the things I really love about Con Riley‘s books are the interconnection. Even if it isn’t until the very end that we see it connected to a previous book or series. And even though this is a stand alone (I assume, at least for now) we get very satisfying visits with previous characters. And it isn’t forced at all. Completely seamless, fit into the story and were part of the story without taking it over.

Pretty sure the only thing I maybe didn’t like about this book was the title. Only because it seems too flippant for such a great story.

We met Dev back in the book Charles. We also met Rex before, but the memory eludes me. Rex does have a past with Charles, so I assume it was also in that book. They remain very good friends though. Because how can you not love Charles?

You haven’t read Charles? GASP! Go now! Read it!

Honestly, you don’t have to read it in order to be on top of this story.

A ruse after a lie brings Rex and Dev together. As well as the promise of going through the attics on the island. Although Rex is 100% sure nothing in their possession was stolen at any time.

What develops is Dev having an amazing relationship with Rex’s grandfather while Dev and Rex begin to fall for each other through text and phone calls. So what then had a definitive end date now maybe….doesn’t?

There’s a lot to the story. Rex’s parents, one he barely knew before they died, the other a painful memory of their death. Which leaves Rex to inherit the title of Duke when his grandfather passes. There are no other Heligans. The surname will die with Rex one day.

You can’t help but love these guys. Including Pops. I even shed a few tears. And let me tell you- READ THE EPILOGUE! OMG! Seriously.

4.5 pieces of eye candy