Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

TCO Reviewer: Erin

Covet Thy Neighbor (Tucker Springs Book 4) by LA Witt: Release Day Review

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Welcome to Tucker Springs, Colorado, where sparks fly when opposites attract—but are some obstacles too great to overcome?

When tattoo artist Seth Wheeler meets his new neighbor, it’s like a revelation. Darren Romero is everything Seth wants in a man: hot, clever, single, and interested. For a minute he seems perfect. Then Darren drops the bomb: he moved to Tucker Springs to be a pastor at the New Light Church.

As a gay man whose parents threw him out, Seth has a strict policy of keeping believers at arm’s length for self-preservation. But Darren’s perseverance and the chemistry bubbling between them steadily wear down his defenses.

In a small town like Tucker Springs, Seth can’t avoid Darren—or how much he wants him. Which means he needs to decide what’s more important: protecting himself, or his feelings for his neighbor.

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

Another book I’ve read before but forgot. And it is a re-edited rerelease, so even if I did remember, some things changed.

I’m a little leary of books that have religion in them. That is my own personal prejudice. But because of that, I really felt for Seth, an atheist with a pretty deep hatred for organized religion. So of course his new across the hall neighbor is a super hot, gay, minister.

I have to say that the back and forth with the 2 guys was very respectful of each other’s views. And really, that was kind of the point of the whole thing. That they don’t have to agree to then still have a relationship. I still say a hardcore atheist and a minister is an odd combo that I don’t see lasting, but hey. This is fiction.

This was one of those quick “beach reads” as I call them. Nothing too deep or angsty. Not a ton of plot, a lot of hot sex and at least a happy for now ending.

3.5 Pieces of Eye Candy

 

Impacted! (Bay Area Professionals Book 1) Mickie B Ashling: New Release Review

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On his way home from vacation, Scott Gregory, a closeted sub, hooks up with the gorgeous Red, a flamboyant Dom, for a thrilling one-off at a BDSM bar. They part ways after a satisfying scene… but meet again when Robin Kennedy—Red—arrives at his new job as a dental hygienist and discovers one of his two bosses is Scott.

Robin and Scott embark on a journey of exploration into their kinkier sides and discover they’re more than compatible—they’re a perfect match. But keeping employer/employee and Dom/sub separate at the office presents difficulties, and to make matters even more complicated, the owner of the dental practice is an acknowledged homophobe.

They fall in love, but Robin chafes at all the secrecy, refusing to live in the shadows. Scott isn’t as brave; he’s desperate to protect his job and his future. Will they be able to find some middle ground… or will their entire relationship fall apart because of fear?

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

This is a re-edited rerelease of a 10 year old book. Ya, it should have been edited more. So much was just so unbelievable and eye rolling.

Scott is at the end of a month long vacation (3 months into a new job? who does that?) and wants to go out with a bang. He is a sub that hasn’t been satisfied. But when he goes to a club, it is the bartender he wants. He waits until his shift is over to hook up. In the parking lot. In the back seat of a car. What? Two grown ass men having kinky sex in the back seat of a BMW? Sorry, dumb. And there is not mention of tight quarters or awkward movements, nothing. Like they had all the room in the world.

Scott’s “best friend” who he hasn’t talked to in a year wants a job. Boom, hired. Then we get her whole back story which is totally irrelevant.

Scott goes back to work to come face to face with the Dom he has sex with in the back of his car.

Scott and Robin (AKA “Red”) have to stay in the closet at work because of a homophobic owner. In San Francisco.

I could go on, but I will save you. I’m sorry, but this book was just not good.

2 Pieces of Eye Candy

Forever Moore: A Gay Fairy Tale (Forbidden Love book 2) by Christina Lee & Riley Hart: New Release Review

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With his raven hair and snow-white skin, Lord Ansil Eirwin draws unwanted attention wherever he goes. After his father’s untimely death, Ansil is set to become Duke of Ravenswood on his next birthday. The gallant and timid lord would never dream of shirking responsibility, so he subverts his desires in order to please his mother and new stepfather, Reginald.

Orien Moore, known as the Huntsman, lives on the fringes and has forsaken close bonds with anyone, even the misfits he has taken in. When Orien is called upon by his brother, Reginald, to kill the pampered future duke, it is the perfect opportunity to seek revenge against his power-hungry brother. Orien formulates a plan to use Reginald’s vicious request to his advantage by kidnapping Ansil and holding him hostage until he can fulfill his birthright.

Soon Orien realizes that Ansil is nothing like he’d expected. Kind and joyful, Ansil enchants Orien and his ragtag group. And Ansil, in turn, cannot help but be curious about the gruff huntsman as Orien’s vulnerabilities are exposed. Their mutual interest transforms into affection, followed by overwhelming desire. But they are living on borrowed time.

With Reginald seeking power in Ravenswood, they have no way of knowing what will transpire once Orien returns Ansil to his proper place in society. The only certainty is that the odds are stacked against them. Will the young lord and his huntsman ever have the chance to experience the happily ever after they’ve found in each other’s arms?

***PLEASE NOTE: FOREVER MOORE is a romantic fairy tale—minus the magic—that features one reluctant lord, one brooding huntsman, and plenty of angsty, forbidden love. It’s loosely based on a treasured fairy tale in a make-believe setting that isn’t part of any specific time period and doesn’t play by any traditional rules.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

These two authors are generally automatic one click buys for me. But to be honest, when the first “gay fairy tale” by them came out, I wasn’t so sure. I mean, it just looked so…cute. Too cute. So I put it on the back burner of ‘if I have nothing to read’. Then I won an audio copy of it and listened to it in my car. And loved it so much I went and one clicked the book and read it. And loved it. So ya, I was all in for this book.

This installment is a play on Snow White and the Huntsman. Although there are also seven other characters. A couple of them were obvious- Grumpy, Sneezy, Doc…but the others not so much. But it was still fun. I’ve never seen or read Snow White and the Huntsman, but I assume that the general story line is similar. But maybe not. Doesn’t matter.

Orien, the Huntsman, is an innate caregiver. But it doesn’t outwardly seem that way. But if you are his enemy, watch out. So when the chance comes to knock his brother off of his pedestal AND save a young Duke to be, he jumps at the chance.

Ansil is scared out of his mind to have been kidnapped, but when he finds out that he isn’t to be killed and no ransom to be paid, he relaxes a bit. He befriends Doc, and then when Doc passes out, he yells for help instead of running away. That earns Orien’s trust some.

This is a slow, slow burn book. But it was totally worth it and meant to be that way. Neither man had been with another man- although Ansil fantasized about it. So once they finally kiss, they take their time learning about each other and how to please another man. Orien is so sweet with Ansil you can’t help but smile. This big, scary, gruff man turns into a pile of mush when Ansil is around.

I just love how this story unfolded- not only Ansil and Orien coming together, but also Ansil bringing the whole household of people together as a family.

And because of that, the authors made me cry. GAH! I am totally down for the super angsty cry. I was not expecting the sweet, emotional cry.

No spoilers, but the ending was very satisfying. One more nod to the original Snow White and a happily ever after. Because what is a fairy tale without a happily ever after?

4 Pieces of Eye Candy

The Doctor’s Secret by Heidi Cullinan: Release Day Review

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The brilliant but brooding new doctor encounters Copper Point’s sunny nurse-next-door… and nothing can stand in the way of this romance.

Dr. Hong-Wei Wu has come to Copper Point, Wisconsin, after the pressures of a high-powered residency burned him out of his career before he started. Ashamed of letting his family down after all they’ve done for him, he plans to live a quiet life as a simple surgeon in this tiny northern town. His plans, however, don’t include his outgoing, kind, and attractive surgical nurse, Simon Lane.

Simon wasn’t ready for the new surgeon to be a handsome charmer who keeps asking him for help getting settled and who woos him with amazing Taiwanese dishes. There’s no question—Dr. Wu is flirting with him, and Simon is flirting back. The problem is, St. Ann’s has a strict no-dating policy between staff, which means their romance is off the table… unless they bend the rules.

But a romance that keeps them—literally—in the closet can’t lead to happy ever after. Simon doesn’t want to stay a secret, and Hong-Wei doesn’t want to keep himself removed from life, not anymore. To secure their happiness, they’ll have to change the administration’s mind. But what other secrets will they uncover along the way, about Copper Point… and about each other?

Title: The Doctor’s Secret
Series: Copper Point Medical: Book 1
Author: Heidi Cullinan
Release Date: April 23, 2019
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 250

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

There were just so many things to like about this book. Doctor and nurse. Secret relationship. Great friendships. Small town. K-Pop and Asian dramas. There was so much and all of it was fun, sexy, hot, interesting and just a really good read that kept me engaged throughout.

Dr Hong-Wei (Jack) Wu is starting his career over, almost as soon as it began, in tiny Copper Point, WI. Quite a change from the urban Texas town he mostly grew up in. After moving there from Taiwan at 10 years old. He is a blend of Americanized and traditional Asian. He feels guilty for not living up to his potential at a highly rated hospital, but the pressure was too much.

Simon is a surgical nurse tasked with picking up the new permanent surgeon from the airport. He had no idea that the doctor would basically be his fantasy man come to life. But the hospital has a fairly new and very strict no fraternization policy. Of which he is reminded constantly.

But Jack is determined and methodical. He wants to slowly court, flirt with and win Jack over. It is so sweet. He takes his time. Really getting to know not only Jack, but his best friends and roommates (who are also doctors at the hospital).

There was so much to this story that kept it moving along. Jack befriending the old Chinese couple who own the one Chinese restaurant in town (and so sweet when he calls then auntie and uncle!), fill in doctors with attitudes, church meetings, fund raisers, a sting quartet waiting to happen. And yet none of it seemed like filler. Just a full life for those living in the story.

Even with the clandestine meetings, subtle touches when there were people around, it never got super angsty at all. The biggest angst is with the Human Resources manager. There is a story there I am dying to hear.

I stayed up past my bed time to finish this book and it was totally worth it. I feel like I am not giving a great story the justice it deserves.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Under His Protection by LaQuette: Exclusive Guest Post & Excerpt and Release Day Review

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TCO is very excited to have LaQuette here today, talking about her new Dreamspinner Press release, Under His Protection. In her guest post, she talks about that one moment…where you fall in love in that instant. Check it out!

They can escape their enemies, but not the desire between them.

Prosecutor Camden Warren is on the fast track to professional nirvana. With his charm, his sharp legal mind, and his father as chief judge in the highest court in NY, he can’t fail. Nothing can derail his rise to the top… until an attempt on his life forces him to accept the help of a man he walked out on five years ago.

Wounded in the line of duty, Lieutenant Elijah Stephenson wants to ride his new desk job until retirement—not take a glorified babysitting gig with more risk than it’s worth… especially not protecting the entitled lawyer who disappeared after the best sex of their lives.

The threat against Camden’s life is real, but their passion for each other might prove the greatest danger they’ve yet to face.

Title: Under His Protection
Author: LaQuette
Release Date: April 16, 2019
Category: Contemporary, Dreamspun Desires
Pages: 250

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

 

Hello, I’m LaQuette, and I’m so happy to be here at Two Chicks Obsessed.  Sending a huge shout-out to Denise for inviting me to chat for a bit.

As both a romance author and reader, I’m always looking at life events through a romance lens.  It’s a quirky habit of mine, but it also makes it so much fun to live in my head.

When writing my latest release, Under His Protection, I was thinking of how sometimes a single experience with a certain person can have an enormous impact on our future lives.  Hence, when crafting Elijah and Camden’s story, I wondered if one night with the right person could lead to forever.

Love at first sight is something we all laugh at.  It’s improbable if not impossible, and no one can build a future on today’s whim.

Although I don’t know how wise it is to jump in with both feet so to speak, I do believe that all it takes is an instant for hearts to connect.  Camden and Elijah are the perfect example of that.  They met once, had an amazing encounter, and five years later when their paths crossed again, they still couldn’t forget that one night.

Perhaps the idea of wagering your future on a whim seems ridiculous.  But, if there is magic in the world, I believe it’s love. How great would the world be if we all stopped for a second to embrace the magic of love the way romance novel characters do?  It might not be realistic, but it sure is an amazing thought to have.

Check out the excerpt below to see how the sparks still fly between Camden and Elijah when they meet for the first time five years after their initial encounter.

Camden turned around at the call of his name. His gaze followed the familiar sound until he was staring into eyes he hadn’t seen for five years.

Still tall, with long locs still hanging just below his shoulders, and a trimmed goatee. Skin still the same color as smooth, tanned oak. Camden’s eyes continued to travel down a broad chest and shoulders that made his fingers itch to caress them. Arms still wide with carved muscle, and a lean waist that tapered down into a thin vee made Camden swallow to push the dry knot blocking his airway free.

He forced his eyes closed as his gaze fell on the metal belt buckle sitting at the bottom of this walking memory’s waist. If he continued his perusal, if he kept remembering the fire that burned through him with every touch and taste of his tormentor’s body parts, this encounter was liable to turn into something very different from a police matter.

“Elijah?”

Camden shook his head, uncertain why he’d said the man’s name as if it were a question. This was Elijah Stephenson. Hard, beautiful, and so sexy he made Camden’s mouth water.

“You remember my name? I’m impressed,” Elijah added.

Remember? Camden laughed at that. Who in the hell could forget a real-life walking sex dream? If big, muscular men with an imposing presence were your cup of tea, Elijah Stephenson was a person you wouldn’t soon forget.

Camden was no slouch. His bulk remained tight with a personalized fitness plan that kept his muscle shirts filled and his jeans fitted. But Elijah didn’t need a gym plan or a personal trainer. His physique and power came from things like running down criminals on the street and lifting cinder blocks or some such real-world thing Camden would never engage in. He didn’t care to get his own hands soiled, but a man who liked to play in the grit of life was always Camden’s weakness.

Camden blinked his eyes again, flipped the switch in his head that turned on his prosecutor’s facade. Hands on his waist, shoulders pushed back, and eyes narrowed at his target. Camden stepped toward Elijah, refusing to let his memories or the delicious sight Elijah made shake his fortitude.

“Why are you here, Elijah? How are you involved with my case?”

“I’m your assigned babysitter, Counselor.”

Camden caught the faint hint of amusement in Elijah’s voice, and his mood soured. To keep his calm, he dismissed Elijah with a cold glare and turned to the captain at his side. “Not a possibility. Get someone else,” he demanded.

“Mr. Warren,” Captain Searlington began. If the deep breath she’d taken just before she said his name was any sign, she wasn’t all that thrilled with Camden now.

Camden sighed and pressed his fingers firmly against his temple. If he were the man his father raised him to be, he’d be throwing his weight around right now, making demands of everyone in the room. But after how poorly Camden behaved five years ago, treating Elijah like a discarded one-off, he found it difficult to muster up his practiced asshole tendencies.

“Mr. Warren, Lieutenant Stephenson has an impressive career record. He is the best at what he does.”

Camden ran a frantic hand through his raven locks. “And what does Lieutenant Stephenson do?”

“He has a nose for sniffing out the bad guys. He’s the best tactical mind I’ve seen in our house in a long time. He also has a protective streak for simpletons who find themselves in situations they can’t get out of. And when he’s called on to protect someone who can’t defend themselves, he locks like a Pit and doesn’t let go until either he or the threat is destroyed.”

Camden’s shoulders rose with every breath he drew in through his flared nostrils. Did she call him a simpleton? Did she reprimand him without so much as raising her voice?

“So,” Captain Searlington continued, “are there other officers I can assign this case? Yes. But if you want to live through this experience, I’d suggest Lieutenant Stephenson is the man for the job.”

Not gonna lie. It was the cover that sucked me in. I mean. Did you see it? Because damn.

Camden and Elijah are a second chance love story. I guess my biggest issue was that really they had one date, one night before Camden ghosted. So ya, there was chemistry and attraction and everything. But I wish there was more than a one time thing between them to spark back up five years later.

Still, I really enjoyed this story.

Camden is prosecuting the leaders of a cult who want him dead. Because they think that will stop the trial I guess? So Elijah, a lieutenant in the police force coming back from medical leave after almost dying in a bust gone wrong is tasked with keeping him safe for a week. Elijah was hoping to sit at a desk and work cyber crimes but he can’t say no to this job and the one that got away.

The hide out in Elijah’s house outside the city thinking they will have peace and quiet. Except Elijah forgot he invited his family for a long weekend. What could have been awkward was really just kind of fun. Mom wasn’t too over bearing, Dad wasn’t too scary, brother wasn’t too annoying. It was just a family enjoying themselves and hanging out. And Camden and Elijah rediscovering each other.

There was a few things that were just far too convenient- a house Elijah bought with a shell company (plus what cop can afford a house in Westchester AND an apartment in Brooklyn?), a garage apartment at his house that is unoccupied, etc.

The chemistry between the men was undeniable. And she can write a sex scene like no one’s business. They flowed though, the scenes weren’t forced at all.

The entire book only took place over the course of a week but it wasn’t rushed at all. Elijah’s family added to the story instead of getting in the way and the ending wrap up was well done without being contrived.

Won’t be my last story by this author, that’s for sure.

3.75 pieces of eye candy

LaQuette is the 2016 Golden Apple Award Author of the year winner. She writes bold & sexy tales for diverse characters who are confident in their right to appear on the page. Represented by Latoya C. Smith of LCS Literary Agency.  Visit her at LaQuette.com and LaQuette@LaQuette.com

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Jude by Garrett Leigh: Blog Tour, New Release Review and Giveaway

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Isha has spent the last year watching his BFF get his happily-ever-after. He’s proud of Dom, but…it hurts to see him so free while Isha’s love life is still on lockdown. Only Isha’s ex-wife knows the secret that he’s kept caged for so long—that he’s queer too, and he’s lonely.

Jude’s too chained to his work to notice what he’s missing by being terminally single, but a new face in the village soon catches his attention. City boy Isha is gorgeous, and when he starts to haunt Jude’s reptile shop as well as the hook-up app on his phone, he’s a welcome distraction from Jude’s business problems.

For a control freak like Isha, letting Jude under his skin is an existential meltdown, but Jude’s not in the market to be anyone’s queer crisis, not when he’s facing troubles of his own. Unlocking their lives could push both men apart forever, but it might be a risk worth taking if sharing is the key to their happy future.

Length: 60,000 words approx.

Cover Design: Garrett Leigh @ Black Jazz Design

Amazon US

Amazon UK

 

Lucky – Amazon US | Amazon UK 

Cash – Amazon US | Amazon UK

This author is growing on me more and more. It took me a while to find them, but I read everything I come across. And they just keep getting better. Even though this isn’t listed as part of a series, it is obviously book 3, although it can very easily be read as a stand alone. Which I did. Although, when time allows, I will go back to read the first two.

I also want to read the other two because I feel like there is some back story for Isha that I didn’t get in this book. Like why he left his high profiled career to move into this next stage of life doing something completely different.

One of the things I really enjoy is the diversity in the books. People are described, of course, but then it never really seems to be an issue. No one is clutching their pearls that a white guy and a middle eastern guy are together. They just are.

I wish Isha hadn’t been closeted. I mean, I kind of get it. But at the same time he is friends with all of these out people. It just kind of broke my heart that he felt the need to hide.

And Jude- Jude needs to be with someone who is out. He is totally that guy who wants the whole shebang. The partner, the pda in public, cooking dinner together. And he deserves it.

There was good flow in the story- even with Isha kind of being a jerk. Not a jerk, but dude come on. Open up a bit. Even his kids play a decent role in the story and aren’t just cute filler.

And even Jude worked in and owned an exotic pet shop, talk of spiders was kept to a minimum. Snakes and geckos were much more prominent.

And I learn a lot of British slang! It cracks me up when I have to put my kindle down to google a word or a phrase. But I love it too. I like when books aren’t “American-washed”. If a story takes place in England, use that vernacular.

This was a good story with a slightly older main character, a main character with a disability, kids, friends, ex wives and creatures kept in cages.

4 pieces of eye candy

Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British writer and book designer, currently working for Dreamspinner Press, Loose Id, Riptide Publishing, and Fox Love Press.

Garrett’s debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and her polyamorous novel, Misfits was a finalist in the 2016 LAMBDA awards.

When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible, all the while shouting at her menagerie of children and animals and attempting to tame her unruly and wonderful FOX.

Garrett is also an award winning cover artist, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com, and co-owns the specialist stock site moonstockphotography.com with renowned LGBTQA+ photographer Dan Burgess.

Website: http://www.garrettleigh.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Garrett_Leigh

 

 

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