Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

TCO Reviewer: Erin

Role Model (Game Changers Book 5) by Rachel Reid: Quick Review

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The highly anticipated fifth novel in Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series sees a grumpy professional hockey player meet his match in an out-and-proud social media manager…

The hits just keep coming for Troy Barrett. Traded to the worst team in the league would be bad enough, but coming on the heels of a messy breakup and a recent scandal… Troy just wants to play hockey and be left alone. He doesn’t want to be in the news anymore, and he definitely doesn’t want to “work on his online presence” with the team’s peppy social media manager.

Harris Drover can tell standoffish Troy isn’t happy about the trade—anyone could tell, frankly, as he doesn’t exactly hide it well—but Harris doesn’t give up on people easily. Even when he’s developing a crush he’s sure is one-sided. And when he sees Troy’s smile finally crack through his grumpy exterior, well… That’s a man Harris couldn’t turn his back on if he wanted to.

Suddenly, Troy’s move to the new team feels like an opportunity—for Troy to embrace his true self, and for both men to surrender to their growing attraction. But indulging in each other behind closed doors is one thing, and for Troy, being in a public relationship with Harris will mean facing off with his fears, once and for all.

Amazon

Harlequin/Carina Press

Game Changers

Book 1: Game Changer
Book 2: Heated Rivalry
Book 3: Tough Guy
Book 4: Common Goal

The Long Game (Game Changers Book 6) preorder

I’ve really enjoyed all of these books in this series. But this one is definitely among my favorites.

We have Troy, former BFF to the league’s bad boy Dallas Kent. Former because after allegations of sexual assault came out against Dallas, Troy believed the women. And called him out on it, during practice, which was recorded and shared. And it a male dominated sport, they always protect the men. So Troy is immediately ostracized and then traded. To the league’s worst team.

Troy’s new team is the complete opposite of his former team. The guys are fun, they hang out with each other, there isn’t toxic masculinity running rampant, the coaching is different and they have Ilya Rosanov. It’s just impossible not to love Ilya. And having him play a decent role in this book was perfect. He didn’t take over at all. This was still very much Troy’s story. But Ilya was a familiar face among a team we don’t know yet.

Included in this totally opposite team is Harris, the social media manager who is out and proud. And Troy is shocked to learn that zero people on the team care. They all love Harris and treat him as part of the team. So when deeply in the closet new guy Troy meets Harris, he is immediately drawn to him.

But Troy was bff with Dallas Kent. They guy who threw slurs around constantly. Who was the big tough guy. Who made fun of other players for whatever weakness they could find. And now Troy needs to prove to everyone- including himself- that he isn’t really that guy.

I love that Harris was wary of Troy, but still gave him a chance. He didn’t make demands at all and let troy discover who he was in his own time. Troy ended up opening up so much with Harris- and a not so gentle nudge from Ilya- that he was unrecognizable from the guy he was when he played for Toronto.

This was a great addition to the series and I look forward to the next (last? sobs!) book.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Finley Embraces Heart And Home (Love, Austen Book 4) by Anyta Sunday: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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MUM is the love of his life.
Until he meets his STEP-BROTHER.

For years it’s been just Finley and Mum. Now she’s getting married, and they’re moving into a flash mansion and his step-dad is lording it over him. He’s clearly a homophobe, and doesn’t want him rubbing off (so to speak) on his son.

Like that would ever happen.

Even if Ethan and his dad don’t look anything alike.

Even if Ethan and his dad don’t act anything alike.

Even if . . .

This can’t happen. They’re whānau now, family, there are boundaries.

Secret. Forbidden. Irresistible.
A reimagining of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park.

***
TAGS:
Heart-throbbing slow burn, a bit of pretty prose, Ethan is his step-brother, Finley wasn’t supposed to see him naked, step-dad is a homophobe, Finley has naughty thoughts, Austen might roll over in her grave, secrets and confessions under sparkly stars, mutual pining, the world is unfair, pining-pining-and-more-pining, Finley turns naughty thoughts to actions, so what there are rules?, maybe they shouldn’t have done that, jealousy is an ugly green beast, Austen might like this now, forgetting is impossible, more impossible is choosing between heart and home.

Finley Embraces Heart And Home

Love, Austen (Book 4)

By Anyta Sunday

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

Emerett Has Never Been In Love (Love, Austen Book 1)

Cameron Wants To Be A Hero (Love, Austen Book 2)

Bennet, Pride Before The Fall (Love, Austen Book 3)

Ethan slips to my side, perfectly pressed in his spotless uniform, face free from the shadows of a cap. His hand moves to my bag and I feel the shudder of the zip. “It was open,”’ he says, and I know immediately he’s seen my test, pinned behind my smaller math textbook, the red-circled Achieved at the top right-hand corner.

I can’t look at him. My insides heave up my throat and the pressure stings my eyes.

“Um. See you at home, then.” I pound down the last of the path and emerge onto the parking lot. I’m halfway across when Ethan catches up and snags my hand.

His fingers wrap insistently around mine and our eyes catch. He tugs me toward his car and urges me inside.

“You’ll get in trouble,” I say as he slides into the driver’s seat.

Ethan stares out the window, then grabs his seatbelt, drawing it slowly across his chest. “I’ll be careful.”

Book 4 of the Love, Austen series where each book is a reimagining of a literary classic. This is the first one that I hadn’t read the original or seen any of the no fewer than 3 adaptations. No matter really. You don’t need to know the original at all. Nor do you need to have read the first three books.

The synopsis makes it sound like you get to know Finley and his mother before she gets married. But really you don’t. It starts almost immediately from his mother and her new fiance Tom announcing that they were engaged and would be moving to Tom’s mansion “Manfield”. Tom also has a son just a year older than Finley so he gets a brother, STEP brother, in the deal as well.

The entire book spans almost 10 years I think. From them as 15-16 year olds to nearly graduating college. So to say it is a slow burn is putting it mildly. The sexual tension is there from just about the beginning. But it doesn’t really read as sexual tension- more like 2 teen boys crushing hard on each other but trying to ignore it. But over time they become closer and closer, but never crossing the imaginary line.

What isn’t a help is Ethan’s father might be homophobic. Or at least have very clearly defined roles that people should fit in to. And his son shouldn’t play dress up when babysitting the neighbors, nor should he want to be an early education teacher as it won’t make him enough money.

We watch the boys grow close, support each other, help each other, become big brothers, finish school and have a gap year each- separately. Have other relationships, go to college and move out. But they are steadfast in their devotion to each other.

There’s a bit at the end with Tom (Ethan’s father, Finley’s step father) that had me in tears.

And I LOVE that not only is one of the characters Maori, but Finley’s mother strives to keep that culture alive in her children.

This one is will absolutely tug at your heart strings.

4 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:
http://www.anytasunday.com/newsletter-free-e-book/

Contact Anyta:
Join my Facebook group to chat all things Slow Burn Romance:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SlowBurnSundays/

You can also find me here:
 www.anytasunday.com

For information about new releases and freebies, follow me on BookBub:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/anyta-sunday a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tangled Warriors by Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott: RB, Excerpt and New Release Review

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Lucien Cummings

The pestilents are trying to kill him.

He’s pretty sure the Water Weaver wants to kill him as well.

But after two months of fighting an attraction for a man who couldn’t possibly be his mate, Lucien cracks when he’s pulled into an impulsive threesome with Calder and a sexy man they picked up in a bar.

That night was earth shattering.

And now he needs to figure out how to keep both men safe and his.

Calder Saito

Calder doesn’t want to fight his attraction for the Fire Weaver any longer, but they can’t really be soul mates, right?

And what about Gio? The sexy man gives him such a feeling of completeness and peace.

Could one man really have two soul mates?

Gio Russo

Can’t he just have them both?

Tangled Warriors is the fourth book in the Weavers Circle series. This MMM paranormal romance includes fast-paced action, running through Savannah, secrets, shapeshifting, kidnapping, deadly Girl Scouts, sexy times, insecurity, three crazy old ladies, soul mates, and magic!

Title:  Tangled Warriors

Series: Weavers Circle #4

Author: Jocelynn Drake & Rinda Elliott

Publisher: Drake & Elliott Publishing LLC

Release Date: September 24, 2021

Heat Level: 4 – Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 85k

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Thriller/Suspense

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

“Shots!” Gio suddenly proclaimed. “I think we could all use a round of shots. What do you say?” He looked up at Lucien and smiled. “Join me in a round of shots. Break the ice.”

“Nothing feels icy to me,” Lucien murmured, while the fingers on Calder’s waist tightened.

He suddenly felt bad. He was intruding like an annoying little brother. Yes, his intention had been to stop Lucien from hitting on this guy, but now that he was standing there, he felt how wrong it was. What Lucien did and who he slept with was none of his business. He was supposed to be working on getting rid of the bad blood between him and Lucien, not making matters worse.

“None for me,” Calder said softly. “I’ll grab the drinks and get out of your way.”

Gio surprised him by cupping the side of his face with a warm calloused hand. “Oh no, sweetness. We don’t want you going anywhere. You’ve got to stay.” Gio looked over Calder’s shoulder at Lucien. “We want him to stay, right?”

Calder tensed, waiting for the rejection, but Lucien shocked him even more by pulling him in tighter so that he could feel Lucien’s groin against the small of his back. Those long fingers slipped down from his waist to caress his hip bone, sending the most delicious tingles all over his body. “Stay. Have a shot with us,” Lucian pressed. His voice was warm and so very tempting. Calder couldn’t remember ever hearing Lucien talk to him like that. He wanted to live in that voice. Just curl up in it like a warm, handmade quilt.

Releasing him, Gio turned to the bartender as she delivered Lucien’s and Calder’s mix of drinks and ordered a round of shots. Calder didn’t hear what he’d ordered exactly because Gio had also slotted himself better against Calder, causing his brain to short out. He was now in the one place he’d never thought he’d be—a Gio-Lucien sammich. Even with all their clothes on, it was now his favorite kind of sandwich. He would happily eat it every day for the rest of his life.

Calder was too tongue-tied to manage words. He nodded. At least he thought he nodded. He must have done something, because Gio’s smile grew wider. A second hand landed on his hip right where Lucien’s

The shots arrived, and Gio slid one over to Lucien before physically placing one in Calder’s hand as if he knew that his brain wasn’t in control of his body any longer. He watched as Gio clicked his shot glass on Lucien’s and then Calder’s. Tipping his head back, he sent the amber liquid down his long, sexy throat. Calder did the same without a thought. The burn was enough to wake him out of his stupor.

Sucking in a harsh breath, he coughed several times while slamming his shot glass on the bar. Gio grabbed his hand again and shoved a drink into it. Without thinking, Calder sipped it, relieved that it was his gin and tonic. The addition of more alcohol to his system probably wasn’t the smartest, but at least it had gotten rid of his coughing.

When he could breathe, he took a deep drink and set the glass on the bar to find Gio smiling at him while Lucien’s hand continued to dig possessively into his hip.

You okay?” Lucien inquired. For once, the question didn’t sound spiteful or mean. There was genuine concern in his tone.

Calder managed a small nod and Gio laughed.

Of course he’s okay. What are you drinking, sweetness?” Before Calder could answer, Gio leaned in and licked his bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth for a second, then releasing it with a wet pop. “Mmm…gin and tonic. Not bad.”

Calder barely heard the words. It was just a rush of blood past his ears as it raced to his steadily hardening dick.

As Gio moved away, he reached past Calder and pulled Lucien close. “And what are you drinking?” Calder watched as Gio licked his way into Lucien’s slack, welcoming mouth. He didn’t know what turned him on more—actually kissing Gio or watching Gio kiss Lucien. It defied all logic, but it was clear that his libido had zero interest in logic. He only wanted to know all the wonderful things Gio could do with his mouth.

Gio released Lucien and licked his own lips slowly. His dark eyes had turned black as his pupils dilated with desire. “I can tell this is going to be a fun night already. I suggest we head to my place so we can get more comfortable and less likely to be arrested.”

We? Calder croaked out.

If you’ve been reading these books, I am sure you suspected Lucian and Calder having a connection. I mean the water weaver and the fire weaver had to be connected. What we didn’t know was that they weren’t complete as a couple. Then they met Gio.

So two guys who sniped at each other constantly were suddenly in bed together. With Gio literally and figuratively in between them. Cozy.

They figured one and done, right? Gotta love the whole “just have sex and get it out of your systems”. Does that ever work? Nope. Then Gio shows up at their house because he is the antique furniture restoration specialist that was hired. Oh boy sexual tension is a cracklin!

But Gio is immediately brought in on what is going on when the house is attacked and magic is revealed. Lucian and Calder don’t want Gio’s memory erased. Gio doesn’t want his memory erased. Grey knows that they are soul mates so he is against it as well.

Even though Gio has been burned by a triad before, he does come around kind of quickly to the idea of a soulmate trio. Especially when they need help locating the final weaver.

There is a GREAT scene with the three of them, Gio’s entire family and pestilents that was awesome. The big Italian family is so familiar to me and what I grew up around that they way they reacted to everything was pretty believable.

This book wasn’t nearly as nail biting as the others, but it was really fun and enjoyable. I’m not really looking forward to the next book because I assume it will be the last. Better be epic is all I’m saying.

4 pieces of eye candy

Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott have teamed up to combine their evil genius to create intense gay romantic suspense stories that have car chases, shoot outs, explosions, scorching hot love scenes, and tender, tear-jerking moments. Their first joint books are in the Unbreakable Bonds series.

Author Links

Website: http://drakeandelliott.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrakeandElliott

Email: drakeandelliott@gmail.com

On Board (Painted Bay #2) by Jay Hogan: RB, Excerpt, and New Release Review

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Love on the deep blue…

Leroy Madden is in trouble. Big, handsome, Fox Carmody trouble.

Leroy has buried his attraction to the enigmatic fisherman in irritation and pointless bickering, keeping Fox at a safe distance. But with the troublesome man now living in Leroy’s house, it’s becoming impossible for Leroy to keep his true feelings hidden, or the fact that Leroy isn’t so straight, after all.

Leroy hungers for something different between them. He wants more. But Leroy’s business is struggling, his newly mended relationship with his brother is at risk, Fox doesn’t plan to stay, and their mothers are lovers.

Regardless of what Leroy’s heart so desperately wants, his entire world is at stake, and nothing about a relationship with Fox Carmody was ever going to be easy.

Title: On Board

Series: Painted Bay #2

Author: Jay Hogan

Genre: MM Romance

Tropes: Bisexual Awakening | Forced Proximity | Enemies to lovers | Hurt/comfort |Humour

Release date: September 23, 2021

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

I stole a sideways glance to where Fox lounged in the passenger seat of my Hilux, his interested gaze soaking up the countryside. The worst of the Monday morning traffic was behind us and the driving was easy, not that you’d know it by my white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel.

Sister Sledge streamed through the speakers, Fox’s fingers tapping away on one thickly muscled thigh wrapped in tight stonewashed denim. A fashionable rip mocked me from just above the knee, revealing the faintest glimpse of tanned skin and short dark hair, not that I was looking.

Yeah, right. I was soaking that shit up like sugar in hot coffee.

The universe was definitely fucking with me. Well, that and my mother who’d arrived for Sunday lunch with a surprisingly edible peach cobbler and what she called the ‘best idea ever’ for me to give Fox a lift into Whangarei the next day since I was already going. He wanted to check out some boats, but his car was still waiting on parts.

Fucking wonderful. Why he couldn’t wait for his own vehicle to be fixed wasn’t a question I was prepared to ask based on my mother’s I-dare-you look. I’d caved and agreed.

I could’ve killed her. And by the constipated look on Fox’s face at her suggestion, I was pretty sure he felt the same. It had been a long, long weekend and entirely my own damn fault. Other than forced interaction at work, rugby training, and Sunday lunch, I’d avoided Fox at all costs, and he’d been good enough to play along and pretend he hadn’t noticed, other than a notable drop in temperature whenever he looked my way. I could hardly blame him for that. If only he knew that my epic arseholery stemmed from lust and not disgust.

And the Academy Award for epically fucking yourself goes to . . . yeah. Enough said.

Note to self: don’t get tipsy around the guy. Without the benefit of way too many beers, we wouldn’t have talked and got all chummy on the deck, and I wouldn’t have realised that I maybe, actually liked the bastard, not just wanted to kiss him, or touch him, or have him touch me, or . . . goddammit, wait for the drum roll—fuck me.

I swallowed hard. Me fucking him would, of course, be marginally more acceptable to my brain, but who was I kidding? I’d spent the entire weekend thinking, fantasising, googling, watching, and yep, definitely him fucking me. Good God, the sooner he was out of my house the better. Still, it sounded like it wouldn’t take much to get him to shift back down south, so I could only hope.

“You okay, Leroy?”

My gaze jerked his way. “Fine. I’m absolutely fine,” I lied, because no, I didn’t want to go there, or talk about it, or think about it, or do anything other than bury it as unsuccessfully as I’d done for the last five days, make that a year—my, doesn’t time fly—because I’m chickenshit as all hell and my life is a fucking shitshow of irony.

Why now?

Why him?

Why . . . this?

Bisexual. I’d even practised saying it in front of the mirror, barely able to spit the word out as it sat huge and sour on my tongue. It wasn’t that I hated the man-on-man part, because I was clearly on board with that in so very many, many Fox-shaped, lickable ways. It was more that the admission held an extremely unflattering mirror up to the jerk hypocrite that I’d been, and very likely still was, my entire life.

Whoever said sexuality was a choice, I needed that fucker’s address and a suitably sized cactus to shove where the sun don’t shine.

My head had been buried so far in the sand for so long that I had grit coming out my arse, and that shit had to stop. After my appalling behaviour in the kitchen, I’d sulked and pondered long and hard over the weekend and gotten more than my money’s worth from my broadband provider. It all came with an uncomfortable realisation. The infatuation I had with Fox wasn’t going anywhere, and that meant either making myself and everyone around me miserable or pulling it into the light and stop running. How had I completely missed this rather critical aspect of my nature?

And then it occurred to me, maybe I hadn’t. I had the pieces, but nothing or no one had caused them to fall into place, until Fox.

After reading book 1, Off Balance (On Board can be read as a stand alone if you choose), I couldn’t wait for book 2. I had a feeling it would be Leroy but I wondered how the author was going to redeem this anti social, completely grumpy, formerly a homophobe. It was a journey and I loved it.

Leroy was definitely redeemed. Learning more about him, about his childhood of living in his younger brother’s shadow, of suddenly giving up his dreams to take over the family business, of being utterly lonely made me teary at times and want to hug him. But it wasn’t instant at all. There were plenty of times I wanted to smack him.

Fox is also kind of a mess. Deciding how to start his live over while nursing a broken heart. Sharing a house with prickly Leroy. Missing his home, but not sure if he wants to go back. At least he has his dog.

Leroy and Fox danced around each other for a year of random meetings at their mothers’ house. Even though Leroy was straight, right? So now, under the same roof and ultimately working together, the sexual tension was through the roof.

Leroy is probably the most stubborn character I ever met. But being a stubborn person, I recognized so much. Knowing you are being a jerk, but sticking with it. Refusing to back down even though you want to. Getting caught being nice so then being extra grumpy to make up for it. It was just so real to have him slowly peel back the layers of who he is meant to be. He even takes the time to self reflect on his life to see if he missed signs.

Fox is pretty much an open book. Well, an open wound. But he is drawn to Leroy and even though he “doesn’t want a relationship yet”, he is that guy that needs to be in a relationship.

There was a lot of story in this book. Not just Fox and Leroy, but the farm Leroy works but his mother owns, Leroy and his brother Judah still working on their relationship, a bully from the past needing help, Fox’s ex causing trouble. It wasn’t just filled with sex to make it a longer book. There was a really engaging story that was well rounded and I was never bored.

As I said, this can be read as a stand alone, but I recommend the first, Off Balance, as well.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Heart, humour and keeping it real.

Jay is a 2020 Lambda Literary Award Finalist in Gay Romance and her book Off Balance was the 2021 New Zealand Romance Book of the Year.

She is a New Zealand author writing mm romance and romantic suspense, primarily set in New Zealand. She writes character driven romances with lots of humour, a good dose of reality and a splash of angst. She’s travelled extensively, lived in many countries, and in a past life she was a critical care nurse, nurse educator and counsellor. Jay is owned by a huge Maine Coon cat and a gorgeous Cocker Spaniel

Find Jay in all the places: https://jayhoganauthor.contactin.bio/

Sailor Proof: An LGBTQ Romance (Shore Leave Book 1) by Annabeth Albert: New Release Review *2

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The sexy Navy chief and his best friend’s adorkable little brother…

It’s petty, but Naval Chief Derrick Fox wishes he could exact a little revenge on his ex by showing off a rebound fling. His submarine is due to return to its Bremerton, Washington, home base soon and Derrick knows all too well there won’t be anyone waiting with a big, showy welcome.

Enter one ill-advised plan…

Arthur Euler is the guy you go to in a pinch—he’s excellent at out-of-the-box solutions. It’s what the genius music-slash-computer nerd is known for. So when he finds out Derrick needs a favor, he’s happy to help. He can muster the sort of welcome a Naval Chief deserves, no problem at all.

Except it is a problem. A very big problem.

When Arthur’s homecoming welcome is a little too convincing, when a video of their gangplank smooch goes enormously viral, they’re caught between a dock and a hard place. Neither of them ever expected a temporary fake relationship to look—or feel—so real. And Arthur certainly never considered he’d be fighting for a very much not-fake forever with a military man.

Carina Adores is home to highly romantic contemporary love stories where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters. Discover a new Carina Adores book every month!

Amazon

Harlequin/Carina Press

When Annabeth Albert writes a military romance (or let’s face it…all her books) you need to plan to read it, and maybe even read it in one sitting. Yes, to both of these for this reader. 🙂

There’s a lot of fun in this book, fake homecoming kiss, and a weeklong family reunion that allows Arthur to finally break away from the little kids table. But some serious issues as well, because family almost always can make things that may not have been an issue otherwise feel like the weight of the world. On top of it, Arthur’s brother, Derrick’s buddy, doesn’t make it any easier.

Seeing how Derrick stood up for Arthur, and his passion, while still doing the little things to help him, so sweet. Even as Arthur states multiple times that he would never date a military man, having seen the issues with his parents, he can’t help the feelings. These two start out as a fake romance, but quickly start to respect and like each other, before it goes any further.

Albert’s ability to take real life difficulties, infuse romantic gestures and sweetness, all while bringing the heat, is something few other authors can manage. I enjoy each and every moment of it.

One thing that I appreciated was Arthur having an important conversation with his mother, finding out what it really meant to be a military spouse from her perspective. It brought it back to a real world issue that military families must have to deal with every day.

These two were sweet and fluffy (also, Arthur’s BFF was bad ass!), but still heartfelt and sexy. Everything I love about Albert’s books. 🙂

4.5 pieces of eye candy

I have a thing for military men that Annabeth Albert writes. I don’t know why, but I just love them. And this is the start of a brand new series! Yay!

You like tropes? Which is your favorite? Because this book has a bunch, but at the same time it feels a bit fresher. We’ve got fake boyfriend, best friend’s brother, forced proximity and virgin. Whew.

What starts out as a fake welcome home kiss to make an ex jealous, to then being fake boyfriends at a weeklong family reunion, Derrick and Arthur are adorable. Arthur being Derrick’s best friend’s little brother. But, yanno, they are just faking it right?

Until Derrick sticks up for Arthur who is a musician in a family of military men. Arthur already had a crush on Derrick, but then Derrick starts to have a crush on Arthur.

Most of the book is spent at the weeklong family reunion. Where they really get to know each other and start falling for each other. It was sweet and a bit romantic (finding Arthur good coffee….swoon) and definitely sexy.

After the reunion, life gets in the way a bit, but at the same time it’s a true test for them.

I really liked this story, although it did take me a little bit to become invested in them as a couple. Partly because there was almost no background story on either of them. We just jumped right in to the homecoming and pretend boyfriend welcome home kiss. But once I was in, I was in and I devoured their story.

There’s very little angst at all, but there is some…stress shall we say. It isn’t over the top fluffy either. Just a good story that I could actually see happening in real life. I guess that’s what I like about Ms Albert’s books- they are very “real life” to me.

4 pieces of eye candy

Jonty’s Halloween (Unfinished Business) by Barbara Elsborg: New Release Review

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Jonty and Devan’s Big Adventure travelling around the world is cut short when Devan’s mother falls ill, and they have to fly home. Leaving Jonty to his own devices is never a good idea and before Devan can say no, Jonty has talked his way into hosting a Halloween extravaganza at The Dunes Hotel.

Family and friends are roped in to help and perform on the evening, but someone has it in for Jonty, who ends up getting a fright he hadn’t expected.

Join Jonty and his friends and family in a Halloween extravaganza with a surprise ending!

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

I’ve loved Jonty from the beginning. He was goofy and fun and had no filter. And I hate to say this, but it is time for him to chill out a bit.

Honestly, it feels like this book should have been a novelette or novella, but added a bunch of Jonty being ridiculous to fill it in to make a full length book.

I except Jonty to be silly. Especially when he is uncomfortable. But it was just WAY over the top for me. The way he spoke to and about Devan was borderline hurtful (IN MY OPINION!!!) and was just to get laughs. He is never, ever serious. His insecurity was a bit much as well.

While it was fun to revisit a bunch of characters, especially Tay and Ink, and the whole Halloween party itself was fun, the drama with the manager was silly and it is just time for Jonty to grow up a bit. Tone it down, feel more comfortable with himself and his relationship. He can still be playful and fun without always being the center of attention at the expense of Devan and others.

3 pieces of eye candy