TCO Reviewer: Erin

A Dashwood Of Sense And Sensibility (Love, Austen Book 6) by Antya Sunday: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

December 17, 2021 by Denise

Two Dashwood brothers. Two dashing romances.

Sensible, reasonable, responsible.

Dad has died and left Noah Dashwood his debts. After selling the family home, he and his brother are couchsurfing. The number one new priority? Finding them a new place to live. He has a list of cheap rentals, and he has no problem if sexy and lovely Wade Ferrars wants to help him choose the best option. Wade. He is everything a guy could dream of. He even makes Noah . . . believe in romance.
Except . . .
Why does he go hot and cold at an instant?
What is he hiding?

Clueless, energetic, spontaneous.

Oh God. This is a disaster. No money, no home, no man . . . Zach Dashwood should really, like, get a steady paying job. Help his brother out. Ohhh, maybe he could find something at Ask Austen Studios?
This guy with terrible tie-taste is really something. Working on a Sunday, poor thing. Okay, they should hang out, maybe he’ll put in a good word with the boss—
Oh, he is the boss.
Well that’s . . .
To say thanks, Zach will totally find this “Brandon” the girlfriend of his dreams!

Two very different brothers. Both in for a surprise.

A modern gay retelling of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

Zach climbed hurriedly into the Tin Man onesie.

He charged out to the kitchen, flinging out his arms in frustration. “Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

True in, like, all the important senses.

Brandy looked up over the onions he was chopping at the kitchen island. He’d changed into a fresh pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and he was . . . laughing.

Zach doubled down on a glare. This energy was easier to manage. Much better than whatever had taken him hostage before. “Why couldn’t you have lent me your clothes?”

“My pants would fall off you.”

“Then I could’ve swum in your pullover.”

“I’ve seen what you do to pullovers, tucking them over your knees, stretching them into weird shapes.”

“I never—”

“You did it to my jacket in the car just now.”

“So you put me in the Tin Man?”

Brandy continued chopping and murmured, “And his wish came true.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind. Turn on some music. Or your guitar is on the sofa. Noah will be here in a few minutes. He went to check the local, in case you missed me telling you that, too.”

“I totally heard that.” He totally hadn’t.

Brandy smiled, like he knew the truth.

But not that truth, right? Like, he wasn’t giving off extra-spicy I have feelings for you pheromones or anything?

He lifted his guitar into his lap and played. He was humming the words, but his focus was on Brandy.

Who was preparing lunch.

Brandy was always looking out for him. Feeding him, driving him around, questioning his taste in music, relenting because Zach was right of course. Hell, the bach was supposed to be a weekend retreat, and he’d made it his home. Had he stayed at his place in town even once? No. Because even when he’d considered it, he’d sensed Zach needed him and driven the winding bays to get back.

He was . . . he was generous, caring, funny, hard-working, protective . . .

Zach stopped strumming and burrowed into the onesie.

He yearned to ask all the questions, find out all the unknowns he could. He wanted to know everything, but his voice cracked on the first syllable. He shut his mouth and dropped his head back uselessly.

What was he supposed to do now? Ignore this? Try to convince Brandy that he was worth a try? Subtly, of course. He wouldn’t want to spring anything on the guy. But why would Brandy even want to try? He was too young. Immature. Hopelessly naïve.

“You’re fretting about something,” Brandy said.

“Ahahaha.”

Smooth, Zachary. Real smooth.

He cleared his throat, pitching his voice deeper than usual. The fuck was that about? “The thing is, I just don’t care about Jack.”

Brandy stopped chopping, but he didn’t look over.

“I thought I would. I tried. But . . . I’m more sorry for your ex. And I hate her.” For ever having you, for never loving you. For still having you.

“You don’t hate her. Your voice is . . . I hope you’re not coming down with something.”

Zach hugged his knees and thumped his head on them. He needed to get rid of this stupid awareness. Stop overthinking things. He’d make himself sick. Look, he was already shivering.

“You really don’t care about Jack?”

Zach snapped his head up. Had that question sounded too quiet? A little . . . imploring?

His heart lurched like it wanted to drag him across the room. He wanted to read Brandy’s face. And, you know, devour all the fairy dust he could while he was there.

He groaned.

And convulsed with a shiver; this one only half to do with the man watching him across the room. He grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and snuggled into it. The back of his throat stung a little. The soup would help there. And Noah might make some of that ginger tea and honey he was so good at.

Wrapping the blanket tighter around him, he frowned. “Something wrong?” Brandy asked.

“It’s been almost twenty minutes.” He glanced out the rain-lashed window. “Where’s Noah?”

I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed this whole series. Modern day retelling of classics- most I had read before, but it honestly doesn’t matter if you did or didn’t. They are excellent reads.

And the final one (sobs) give us TWO romances. Swoon.

One of the things that I loved about this particular book is that there are two kind of big things that are not made a big deal of. I don’t want to spoil anything. But both of those things could have been used as big plot points and they aren’t. As such, they are totally normalized and I really loved that. Two separate characters, by the way.

We have brothers Noah and Zachary who are houseless after their father died and they had to sell their family home to pay debts. Noah seems to be the responsible one, making sure they have a place to stay, that bills are paid, etc. Zachary is the brother that trusts that Noah will take care of everything. I don’t think he takes advantage of that at all, it’s just their dynamic.

Zach is the one who finds them a place to live- a very nice place in fact. Although it takes a while for him to realize who it is who is letting them stay on the cottage behind his house. Zach is also done with the one night stand scene and wants to fall in love. So when he meets a guy at the pub, he basically decides that this is the guy he will fall in love with. Very throw back to the days of Sense and Sensibility. But he doesn’t seem to notice what is right in front of his face.

Noah has had a crush on his former best friend’s brother since they were teens. But now they are adults and they are playing the flirting game hard. Wade is very hot and cold and it takes a bit to find out why.

The perspective switches between the two brothers, which is nice as the story runs concurrently and you can focus on one brother while still getting the story of the other.

This was very swoony, very slow burn, but also so satisfying. The writing is poetic at times that makes you just want to sink in to the story and devour the pages.

I absolutely recommend this entire series.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

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

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

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

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

Contact: http://www.anytasunday.com/about-anyta/
Sign up for Anyta’s newsletter and receive a free e-book:
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Contact Anyta:
Join my Facebook group to chat all things Slow Burn Romance:
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You can also find me here: www.anytasunday.com

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The Cuckoo’s Call by Lily Morton: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

December 13, 2021 by Denise

Can a summer romance last forever?

Wren Roberts thought he’d found his fairy tale when he met Mateo Rossi on holiday in Majorca. The wealthy and successful older man swept him off his feet, and before he knew it, he’d thrown caution to the wind and was living in Mateo’s waterside apartment in Venice. It’s a far cry from his harsh upbringing and crummy flat in London.

But as the summer turns to autumn, cracks begin to show. Mateo’s family aren’t welcoming, and there doesn’t seem to be a place for Wren in Mateo’s world. He could have coped with all of that, but Mateo himself seems like a different person away from the sunshine island.

Should Wren have been more cautious in riding off into the sunset when he wasn’t sure what lay over the horizon?

From bestselling author Lily Morton comes a romance about two men who find that sometimes happily ever after doesn’t end there.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

I walk into the room and whistle. “Wow.”

Mateo sniffs disapprovingly. “This is the superior room?”

“Hmm. It’s quite poky, isn’t it? A bit like a prison cell with a nice view.” He glares at me, and I spread my hands. “What? You wanted me to point out the problems.”

He takes off his baseball cap and throws it on one of the beds. Will we be sleeping in here tonight? The beds are very close together. Somehow, I don’t think Mateo figured on that when he thought up this plan.

He puts his hands on his hips and looks intently around the room. He somehow manages to be dignified even with that atrocity of a T-shirt. I shake my head. Even in those cheap clothes, he’s hot. The tight T-shirt clings to his muscled torso and highlights the bulge of his biceps while the colour, which would be terrible on me, makes his olive skin glow. Even the shorts accentuate the tight fleshy curve of his buttocks.

He breaks the spell by moving over to the bed and lifting the mattress.

“Whoa,” I say. “What are you doing?”

He grins wickedly. “An old tip given to me by a hotel inspector. Lift the mattress and check for dust and dirt on the frame and springs. It shows whether it has been turned recently.”

“Aren’t hotel inspectors supposed to be secretive?”

He winks. “Not when they’re naked.”

I shake my head and move to his side. “Ugh. Look at that dust.”

He lets the mattress fall, wiping his hands on his shorts. “The mattresses are supposed to be turned every month.”

“I bet Julio Iglesias was in the charts the last time that happened here.”

He crouches and peers under the bed. “There is a condom wrapper under here,” he says in disgust.

“Open or sealed?” He raises an eyebrow and I shrug. “Well, it changes things. Open is bad housekeeping. Sealed is helpful.”

“It changes nothing.” He stands up and runs his finger over the top of a picture. He turns his finger toward me, showing that it’s covered in dust. “Housekeeping isn’t doing their job.”

“You remind me of an old foster carer I stayed with,” I say idly, opening the drawer of the bedside table. I remove a copy of Fifty Shades of Grey and offer it to him. “Don’t hotels usually provide the Gideon Bible? I’m not sure whether this is an improvement or not.”

“Why?”

“Well, it’s not the best read out there.” I grin. “I remember reading this. It took bloody ages to get a copy from the library. I wanted to know whether I was suited for BDSM. I decided in the end that I could cope with the odd smacked bum, but I wasn’t that keen on being told what to do. I mean, I might have been able to obey a handsome billionaire, but it didn’t quite work with Trevor from Wapping, who was telling me to go to Tesco for him to buy his beer.”

There’s a long pause, and his lip twitches. “No, I mean, why do I remind you of a foster carer?”

I look at him and burst into laughter. “Sorry,” I say when I’ve recovered. “This couple I lived with for a few months used to get us all out of bed at five in the morning and make us clean the house.”

I’m startled to see a look of rage on his face.

“How old were you?” he asks.

“About ten, I think.”

“That’s fucking terrible.”

I shrug. “I’ve had worse, and at least I know how to use a hoover attachment. I’m sure it’ll come in useful sometime.” I look around the room. “I could be in for a position with your housekeeping team with my superior cleaning knowledge. I’d probably be management material straightaway.”

Another win by Lily Morton. Should I be shocked? No. She never disappoints.

I hate to call him poor, but… how about a living paycheck to paycheck kind of guy, Wren is on vacation with his wealthy friend who ends up ditching him. Through a series of kismet like events, he ends up getting hired for a week by the owner of a chain of hotels to help him figure out what is wrong with each one. And it is almost always prejudice. Prejudice against people who aren’t well off. Or don’t look or act well off. Which is 100% a real thing so it was nice to see it addressed so thoroughly in a book.

They naturally have chemistry, even with their almost 20 year age difference and their difference in tax brackets. But Wren never expects a thing from Mateo and Mateo never treats Wren any differently than people with money. And after the week is over, Mateo invites Wren back to Venice for a month.

Then we REALLY see how awful people with money can be, save a few.

I loved Wren because although he was an orphan, zero family, very few friends, a dead end job and an apartment he shares, he is just a happy person. He doesn’t let much get him down. He doesn’t lament or dwell or stew. He just carries on.

Mateo is like two different people. Except when he is with Wren. Seeing his worlds collide and his eyes open makes for great story telling.

I, of course, adored Mateo’s grandfather and I really hope side character A gets together with side character B in the next book. As as Ms. Morton is wont to do, there is a very loose thread connecting Wren to a character in a previous book. That is also always fun.

Mateo is very romantic throughout, even though he refuses to fall in love. And Wren is smitten. They are very sexy and sweet together and the romance is swoony without being over the top.

I also enjoyed starting at the end (nearly) and going back to the beginning. I don’t usually like that in books but it was very well done.

Lily Morton fans, this is a must read. And if you’re new to her work, do yourself a favor. Jump in.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Lily writes contemporary romance novels, and specialises in hot love stories with a good dose of humour.

Lily lives in sunny England with her husband and two children, all of whom claim that they haven’t had a proper conversation with her since she bought her first Kindle.

She has spent her life with her head full of daydreams and decided one day to just sit down and start writing about them. In the process she discovered that she actually loved writing, because how else could she get to spend her time with hot, funny men!

She loves chocolate and Baileys and the best of all creations – chocolate Baileys! Her lifetime’s ambition is to have a bath in peace without being shouted by one of her family.

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The Best Gift by Eli Easton: New Release Review

December 6, 2021 by Denise

THE BEST GIFT – by Eli Easton
With help from a Christmas miracle, two bruised hearts find joy again.

Greg Cabot is the third generation to run Cabot’s Christmas Wonderland and tree farm in rural Vermont. But this year will be his last. Since the death of his son, Sam, in Afghanistan, Greg no longer has the heart to run a business based on holiday cheer. When he picks up a hitchhiking soldier on a snowy night, he finds the help he needs to get his farm through the holidays—and maybe much more.

Sergeant Robbie Sparks doesn’t have much to be thankful for this holiday season. Badly wounded in Afghanistan, he’s spent most of the past year in recovery and was discharged after ten years of service. When fate lands him at Cabot’s tree farm, he feels like he’s fallen into a snow globe reality. Friendly people, gorgeous trees, lots of Christmas kitsch… and Greg Cabot.

Greg believes he’s too heartbroken for romance, but those we love never truly leave us. A little nudge from heaven may help build a bridge for these two men trying to heal. If only they are willing to take that first step.

This stand-alone, long novella is a small town, Christmas cornucopia, May-December, hurt/comfort , military romance stuffed full of family and holiday feels.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

This one breaks your heart, but puts it back together again with pine needles and hot cocoa.

Greg’s broken heart is palpable. His only son was killed in action and after this season he is selling the 3 generation Christmas tree farm. But he is still kind enough to pick up a hitch hiker and offer him a bed for the night. But Robbie makes himself useful and is quickly hired for the season.

Those two broken men lived and worked together, acting awkwardly, until Robbie made a move. Then the classic “while you are here” scenario.

Both of these men just pulled on my heart strings. Robbie is still recovering physically but can’t seem to recover mentally. Greg tries to help, but he doesn’t know the whole story. Robbie doesn’t even know the whole story because he can’t remember.

Oh my god did I cry toward the end of this book. Let it be known that you will need tissues while reading. But it is so worth it in the end.

This was a beautiful story of love, forgiving yourself and Christmas magic.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Breath of Life (Godstone Saga Book 2) by Jocelynn Drake: New Release Review

December 6, 2021 by Denise

Caelan wants his throne back.

The bargain has been struck, and it’s time to return home.

But the situation is worse in Erya than he previously suspected. Betrayal runs deep in the streets of Stormbreak, and finding people he can trust will be treacherous.

He has no choice, though. He’s fighting for his birthright, and maybe even a little revenge if he can get it.

Will the gods come between him and the crown?

Or worse, him and Drayce?

Breath of Life is the second book in the six-book Godstone Saga fantasy series and is not a standalone. The story contains explosions, gods with secret plans, hidden romance, a prince set on revenge, magic, and lots of delicious angst.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

You must read book 1. No way around it. So if you haven’t, stop here.

Ok, book 2 picks up right after book 1. The foursome of Prince (King) Caelan, Drayce, Rayne and Eno are headed back home with some reinforcements from Prince Shey and after Caelan went all God of Storms on the fleet of ships attacking.

Once they return home, they find unexpected allies and unexpected rivals. We also learn more about Eno and Rayne, their backgrounds and families.

War is ugly and this shows the complexities of it, adding in a monarchy or two and some gods and goddesses.

Again, this isn’t much of a romance, but it isn’t meant to be. I fully expect to get happily ever afters at series end, but for now those relationships are secondary at best.

I am quite enjoying this much more than I thought, thanks to the writing and world building of Jocelynn Drake. She is quickly becoming one of my top ten authors as I have really enjoyed everything of hers I have read so far.

And I can’t wait for book 3!

4.5 pieces of eye candy

New Year Not You by Edie Montreux: New Release Review

December 5, 2021 by Denise

Last year, law student Brady Madison’s binge drinking left him naked, unconscious, and in trouble with the law. Now 350 days sober and with only two weeks to serve the last twelve hours of community service, Brady’s faced with another difficult choice: take an offer from the jerk who took the incriminating pics or spend the remaining hours in jail.

Tate Quinn’s snap judgment in Brady’s hotel room on New Year’s Eve ruined any chance he had of hooking up with Brady. Worse, his parents refuse to pay for another semester of grad school until he makes his mom’s New Year’s charity event a success.

Tate needs a volunteer to help him herd the cats, er, kids, at the New Year’s Eve afternoon party, and Brady has always been good with kids. Can they put aside their past anger and shame for six hours, or will these potential lovers turned enemies resolve to remain enemies in the new year?

New Year Not You is a 63k-word enemies to lovers M/M romance between a recovering alcoholic and a recovering man-child. This novel has an AA sponsor moonlighting as a DJ, a cold war between two moms, and two dudes who are not looking for true love (but find it anyway).

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

This was a new to me author, but I liked the premise so I decided to jump in. Not bad. Definitely not great, but not bad.

Brady and Tate have been acquaintances since they were children in the same church. But because they went to different high schools- public versus private- they didn’t really travel in the same circles. But in college they are at the same party (we’ll get back to this) and Tate agrees to be Brady’s date to his parent’s New Year’s Eve party. Until a misunderstanding upends Brady’s life and he tells Tate to never speak to him again.

Nearly a year later they cross paths again. And the rest of the story is them finding their way back to each other through forgiveness. Forgiving each other and themselves. And while I found that story very sweet and I liked that it wasn’t instantaneous, there were just a lot of things that hampered it along the way for me.

There are a couple of smaller things that bugged me-overflowing shower? cracked marble? to bigger things- taking the Bar exam while still in law school. BEING in law school and studying for the Bar while doing community service hours. And OMG the New Year’s Rockin’ Afternoon party Tate throws at the library for 500 kids. FIVE HUNDRED KIDS? Come on. And Brady had been drinking and getting drunk at his party’s HUGE party since he was 15 and no one noticed or said anything?

I’m also a bit confused about the so called rivalry between Tate and Brady’s moms. It was really weird.

I definitely enjoyed Tate’s little sister and Brady’s sponsor. They definitely added to the story dynamic. I wanted more of the sponsor though. More of Brady struggling with sobriety.

So it was kind of cute, but some things were just too much for me to let go.

3 pieces of eye candy

Edie Montreux is demisexual and an ally for all aspects of the LGBTQ+ rainbow. She loves her husband, Queen, dogs, and video games. Edie works full-time to support her LGBTQ-fiction writing habit, but still finds time to walk the dogs and protect imaginary worlds from fantasy creatures.

You can find her online at https://ediemontreux.com. If you want to know more about Edie’s upcoming projects, join her newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/t7b1x6.

Christmas Wish List (Hartbridge Christmas Series Book 2) by N.R. Walker: New Release Review

November 29, 2021 by Denise

In need of work and a change of scenery, Aussie ex-pat Jayden Turner agrees to a short-term chef position at a Bed and Breakfast over the Christmas holidays. After all, how hard could it be in a small town in the mountains of Montana? What he finds is a grand old house in a beautiful town, and his new boss is gorgeous, gay, and single.

After his divorce, Carter “Cass” Campion bought his great-aunt’s rundown country manor in his home town, and he’s determined to get it ready for the busy holiday period. Recently out as gay, he’s been focused solely on his business and hasn’t had time for a man. Not that many gay men come through Hartbridge . . .

As his new clients arrive, and being away from his two kids, celebrating Christmas is the last thing on Cass’s mind. But his new chef has other ideas. And if there’s one thing on his Christmas Wish List this year, Jayden can make it come true.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

I loved last year’s Tic-Tac-Mistletoe and was very happy to hear that there would be a second Christmas book in the same adorable town.

Jayden is supposed to work at a B&B in Hartbridge for a week. That is the first week, which includes Christmas, that Cass will have his B&B open. Simple dimple, right? HA!

Jayden is immediately enamored with the town. It’s pretty much a Hallmark movie come to life. And the story of Jayden and Cass is a Hallmark movie in book form.

Jayden is out, proud and confident. Cass is newly out, divorced and pretty scared. They are perfect for each other.

Jayden and Hamish (from book 1) immediately connect as they are both Australian ex-pats. Jayden even makes Hamish realize he was being silly in holding a grudge against Cass.

Jayden and Cass just work together as a couple. They balance each other out so well. And I think that this may be the first time I have ever read in a book when one main character has children and the other main character wonders what kind of father he is. It was just a nice touch, I thought.

This story is a perfect Christmas treat. So sweet, schmoopy and Christmasy

4.5 pieces of eye candy

N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance. She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn’t have it any other way.

She is many things: a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who live in her head, who don’t let her sleep at night unless she gives them life with words.

She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things… but likes it even more when they fall in love.

She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.

She’s been writing ever since…

For more about N.R. Walker you can find her at: