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Dreamspinner Press Exclusive Guest Post: Andrew Grey, RWA Centennial Award Winner

September 7, 2017 by Denise

**Once again, Dreamspinner Press is stopping by TCO to give us a little update on some of the awesome things happening over there! Check it out, and yes, there is a giveaway too!

Writing is hard work but writing more than 100 books is astounding. But that’s exactly what Andrew Grey has accomplished. In July Andrew was awarded the Romance Writers of America’s Centennial Award for writing more than 100 romances. Andrew is the first male author and first author of gay romance to receive the RWA Centennial Award. You can read an interview with Andrew here.

If you’re an avid Andrew Grey reader, or new to his titles, you will fall in love with his Forever Yours series while it’s on sale at Amazon and the Dreamspinner Press store: eBook one, Can’t Live Without You, a reunion romance between a now-famous actor and his high school boyfriend, is 99 cents; eBook two, Never Let You Go is available tomorrow and features a soldier returning home who must battle secrets to re-establish a relationship with his boyfriend.

Andrew Grey’s unique blend of sweet and sexy will have you happy that his catalogue includes more than 100 titles for you to read!

Congrats to Andrew on this huge achievement!

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Say Yes by J.R. Gray: Blog Tour, Exclusive Author Guest Post, Excerpt and Giveaway

July 30, 2017 by Denise

James failed.
He tried to be what they wanted.
He tried to deny it.
He tried to be a good Catholic boy…but it’s become too much.
He craves pain, submission.
He’s denied himself far too long, and it’s eating him alive.

Charles thrives off the exchange of power. He knows the world revolves around control. It’s given and taken like currency, in business and in pleasure. He won’t get attached, though, or so he tells himself, until James turns his world upside down. He’s defiant and snarky, but Charles can taste the submission on him.

Charles holds the key to his salvation but James has to Say Yes.

Title: Say Yes

Author: J.R. Gray

Publisher: Self

Release Date (Ebook & Print): July 24

Note: Say Yes was originally published in an alternative form by Omni Lit Publishing on December 1, 2015.

Length (word count): 35K words, 126 pages

Subgenre: Contemporary M/M BDSM

Amazon US – Kindle Unlimited

Amazon UK

Amazon CA

Last December I got the email no author wants to receive, my publisher was closing. I won’t get into details, or go on an angry rant about them, one side of this has to have some class right? Or so I’m going to keep telling myself as I contain my rage. Mostly kidding, I’m happy to have my rights back. When I first started publishing, self publishing scared me. It was this big unknown of making a ton of decisions without much

guidance. After publishing quite a few books, I’ve found I prefer to have all the control I can. I am not at all saying I don’t love working with a publisher as well. I have a wonderful publisher who is a dream to work with and allows me the control I want.

But here I was with the rights back to a book that had been out a year. I knew what I had to do, new cover, paperbacks, add content, work with my amazing publicist to get the book visible, but one of the issues in putting all this work into an old release is time vs potential earning. Every cost has to be weighed and debated based on how well I think Say Yes can find a new audience or bring back the original audience with new content.

I think the hardest part of rereleasing is getting people to pay attention. There are so many new releases every single day in queer romance a book has to stand out again to make readers stop. I’m excited about this rerelease.

“It’s a good thing I never lose.” He turned away, with astute arrogance which couldn’t be faked. It took years of Upper East Side inbreeding to obtain the level of innate sophistication, above even the level of wealth James had been raised with.
“Maybe this will be the first time,” even as James said the words he wanted to swallow them back.
“I don’t think so.” Charles’s voice was almost sing-songy.
“Cocky dick,” James muttered under his breath, not loud enough for Charles to hear him, or so he thought.

“I think you need a little bit of this dick.” He kept getting further away, and James felt like he was losing him.
“Come back here.”
“Well since you asked so nicely.” He flashed him a wink and stalked in close, like the last twenty minutes hadn’t happened. He lifted a hand and placed it at the base of James’ neck.
“Not here.” James glanced around. No one was looking, but they were still so exposed, which seemed an absurd idea considering where they were, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it—yet.
Yet? Where had that idea come from? James was reeling. He’d never even given in to the temptation of fucking a man, and now he was considering submitting to one in public. He must have lost his damn mind.
Charles fisted a hand in his shirt. “Tell me where?”
The look in his eyes made his knees weak. “Who’s the dominant here?”
Charles tightened his grip on James’ throat. The pressure wasn’t suffocating, but arousing, owning—possessive even. He’d never felt so turned on in his life. The next morning he’d expect to find bruises.
“I want you, and I’m going to have you.” Charles’ voice had dropped so low, James could barely hear it.

When not staying up all night writing, J.R. Gray can be found at the gym where it’s half assumed he is a permanent resident to fulfill his self-inflicted masochism. A dominant and a pilot, Gray finds it hard to be in the passenger seat of any car. He frequently interrupts real life, including normal sleep patterns and conversations, to jot down notes or plot bunnies. Commas are the bane of his existence even though it’s been fully acknowledged they are necessary, they continue to baffle and bewilder. If Gray wasn’t writing…well, that’s not possible. The buildup of untold stories would haunt Gray into an early grave, insanity or both. The idea of haunting has always appealed to him. J.R. Gray is genderqueer and prefers he/him pronouns.

Rafflecopter Code for Giveaway of 3 ecopies of SAY YES:

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Fire and Fog by Andrew Grey: Release Day Review with Giveaway

July 10, 2017 by Denise

Carlisle police officer Dwayne knows what Robin is doing the moment he lays eyes on the young man at Bronco’s club. But he doesn’t know that, like him, Robin also comes from a family who cast him out for being gay, or that he’s still lugging around the pain of that rejection. Robin leaves the club, and soon after Dwayne decides to as well—and is close by when things between Robin and his client turn violent.

When Dwayne finds out Robin is the victim of a scam that lost him his apartment, he can’t leave Robin to fend for himself on the streets. Despite Dwayne’s offer of help and even opening up his home, it’s hard for Robin to trust anything good. The friendship between them grows, and just as the two men start warming up to each other, Robin’s sister passes away, naming Robin to care for her son. Worse yet, their pasts creep back in to tear down the family and sense of belonging both of them long for.

Will their fledgling romance dissipate like fog in the sun before it has a chance to burn bright?

Title: Fire and Fog
Series: Carlisle Cops: Book Six
Author: Andrew Grey
Release Date: July 11, 2017
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 200

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

Kobo Books

First, I love this series, so when I saw it was up for review… I had to have it!

In this one, we see all the guys from previous books, especially Red, as he’s Dewayne’s partner. I love that. Dewayne, is kind of new to Carlisle and is new to the police force there. After leaving his home town for unknown reasons (we find out eventually), he’s relieved that his sexuality won’t be a problem like it was before. Tired of going home to an empty apartment, he goes to the next town to a gay club to check things out… that’s where he meets Robin…

He and Robin didn’t have a great first meeting, Robin was doing what he needed to do to get by and it got him into a little bit of trouble… not because Dewayne is a cop, but because people just can’t be trusted…luckily, Dewayne was there to help him out… helping him out led to feeding him and that led to taking him home for a place to crash when things went from bad to worse for Robin. Of course, they were attracted to each other, but Dewayne giving him a place to stay and Robin not having anything in his life that didn’t come with a price (good or bad, but mostly bad), they were hesitant to act on anything.

I love the dynamic between these two, they’re such different people at different times in their lives, but yet they have so much in common and it’s heartbreaking. Parents that turn their back on their children is a touchy subject to me…not because it’s happened to me, personally but because I’m a parent to two boys and I can’t in my life think of a scenario where I”d turn my back on them…not ever. Not if they killed the pope or murdered a small villiage….I gave them life and they give me purpose… how do you turn your back on them for something as ridiculously simple as who they chose to love? I cannot understand. Although I will say, what I suspected the whole time, was kind of true….I did not see the twist, so well done, Mr. Grey!

I loved seeing Robin, despite his shortcomings and confusing time in his life, get a hand up from Terry. He didn’t judge what he learned of Robin during his interview, and that showed how much Terry had grown as a person as well. I mean, if you read their story, you know that that’s true anyway, but it was nice seeing it in deeper levels when you’re invested in each story and knew the kind of person Terry was in the beginning… Not that he was a bad person, he never was.. I loved him, but he was a bit judgemental and more than a little shallow. Red is good for him and I loved seeing them both in this one.

I also loved seeing Donald and Alex… when Robin’s sister passes and he gains custody of his nephew (which is in the blurb, so don’t shun me for giving that away), Donald has really come a long way from where we met him in his book. We also see some turmoil between Red and Terry, but that gets worked out too, in the best way.

I loved seeing Robin grow, he was really, in a bad way in the beginning, but with the help of Dewayne, he really comes into himself and transforms in the most realistic way. I loved that. Nothing seemed forced or hurried… Dewayne was amazing and understanding and patient and helpful… Robin has so many esteem issues that stem from such a crappy upbringing after losing his father and gaining a terrible stepfather so soon…. Then he got kicked out and got taken advantage of and then lost his sister…of course, he’s waiting for the other shoe to drop… it always does!

Sigh… I could go on and on about this series. I really could. It’s another fantastic addition to an already amazing series. I love them all so much for so many different reasons, but this one had me tearing up a couple times and it warmed my heart at other times. I just loved the chemistry between these two guys and the family they set on making together. Like I said, I saw the twist coming, I knew to a point that what I saw coming, was coming… but then it tossed me on my butt and I was like, whaaaaaaat? I love when that happens!

Great story, great storyline, fantastic character development and such amazing story telling. I loved every second, even when I didn’t. If you haven’t, you need to catch up and read the rest of this series… if you have, then don’t pass this one up… you’ll love it!

5 well deserved stars from me.

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Love and Other Hot Beverages by Laurie Loft: Blog Tour, Exclusive Guest Post and Giveaway

July 7, 2017 by Denise

After a rough breakup, Todd Addison wants time alone to grieve. While still dreaming of winning back his ex’s love, he moves across the country and finds work with a construction company. The last thing he needs is the cute office boy developing a crush on him, especially since he’s back in the closet.

Sebastián Nye can’t help feeling sorry for the obviously brokenhearted Todd. Though rebuffed repeatedly, Sebby chisels away at Todd’s resistance, determined to help him forget—a task potentially beyond anyone’s capabilities. He never meant to fall for the poor guy, but he does. Hard.

Desperate to hold on to Todd, Sebby hatches a sneaky plot guaranteed to end Todd’s heartbreak—if Todd doesn’t bail and ruin everything. Just when things can’t get more complicated, Todd’s ex wants him back. And Sebby’s abusive ex is just waiting to catch Sebby alone. Todd and Sebby must decide what’s worth fighting for, what’s worth sacrifice, and what’s worth compromise, or their relationship will begin and end with a broken heart.

Amazon

Riptide Books

I’m Laurie Loft, author of Love and Other Hot Beverages. Welcome to my blog tour, and thanks for being here! I’m excited to give out super cool prizes to two people who make thoughtful comments to any of my blog posts: one French press (an item which features prominently in my novel), and a $15.00 Starbucks gift card. Either way, you’ll enjoy plenty of hot beverages!

There’ll be seven posts in which I’ll discuss my book as well as unrelated items. Comment, and we can get to know each other a little better.

THE COVER FOR LOVE AND OTHER HOT BEVERAGES

Have you ever bought a book with a stupid cover? I have! So, yeah, we judge books by their covers, but sometimes we look past them.

Have you ever bought a book based solely on the cover? I have! And been disappointed? Mainly if the cover is misleading.

My cover is spot-on. Sweet, romantic, unsure. Notice the hands aren’t grasping each other. The fingers aren’t knitted together. It’s as if one hand has just reached to touch the other, and the other hasn’t yet responded. Or isn’t going to!

Coffee is a recurring motif in my book, and my cover shows a barista-crafted heart. But the heart is subtly…broken. Hm. What could that mean?

My characters’ path is not only rocky, it’s ankle-twisting. Two very different people with different philosophies of life—how do they mesh? What do they compromise? Whatever they do, at least there’s lots of coffee!

Here are five things that surprised me about my cover:

1. They asked for my ideas.

I was always told that authors have no say regarding their covers–that publishers create covers based on their greater experience with the market, and the author is presented with the cover as a fait accomplit.

But Riptide Publishing not only asked what I had in mind, they sent me a 4-page questionnaire asking for details regarding the mood and tone, preferred color scheme, characters’ physical descriptions and personality traits, and more.

2. I was given a choice of cover artists.

Riptide gave me the chance to review the work of six artists and to list them in the order of my preference. They could not promise that my first choice would end up doing the work, but, in my case, my wish came true.

3. The artist used my ideas.

When I was presented with drafts for my book cover, I was stunned to see how close they came to what I had imagined! I mean, wow, they not only asked, they listened. The talented artist took my suggestions and ran with them.

4. They presented me with three beautiful cover drafts.

The artist, L.C. Chase, actually asked me which one I liked! Not only that, the artist asked if there were any changes I’d like to see, or if I wanted something totally different. I certainly was not expecting that level of involvement in my cover treatment.

Two of the drafts had the same picture but different fonts. They even asked which font treatment I liked better.

I replied with my preferences and some suggestions for tweaks, and, would you believe, my suggestions were promptly put into play? Sheesh, me with NO publishing experience kind of directing a highly experienced and talented artist? Whoah.

5. There is a thing called a “cover reveal.”

Mine occurred on the Heroes and Heartbreakers website. I was asked not to share my cover, other than with family and a few close friends, until this reveal went live. Was that hard to keep a lid on!

Would I change anything about my cover? The skin tones. Both the hands are too light. Todd works all day in the sun, so he’s got a pretty good tan. And Sebby is half Hispanic, so there’s that.

So that’s LAOHB’s cover. It doesn’t feature a hot, bare-chested, hip-bone-baring stud. I wonder if that will lose me a few sales. But I love my cover. It’s what was in my heart.

And it pops.

What’s your opinion? Does it catch your eye? Make you curious? Turn you on, or put you off?

Laurie Loft lives in Iowa, endeavoring to write stories to give you that rush. Her husband, cat, and dogs kindly tolerate this odd activity. Her first M/M novel came about because of a minor character in a straight romance who just took over and demanded his own book. Laurie enjoys NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and other forms of writerly torture. She finds inspiration in her NaNo friends and her fellow Riptide authors. When not writing or working at her mysterious day job, she can often be found screaming at tangled cross stitch threads.

Connect with Laurie:

To celebrate the release of Love and Other Hot Beverages, one lucky winner will receive a $15 Starbucks gift card and a French press from Laurie! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on July 8, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Losing My Religion by A.S. Tucker: Cover Reveal, Excerpt and Giveaway

July 6, 2017 by Denise

Title: Losing My Religion

Author: A.S. Tucker

Genre: M/M Romance

Release Date: July 27, 2017

Jaden Barker is a good boy.

For as long as he can remember, he’s been preparing for the day he’ll be called as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He’s ready. He’s more than willing. And he can’t wait to spend the next two years serving the Lord and his church. But when a new proclamation from the church is announced, it leaves him questioning everything.

Quinn Owens is trouble with a capital T.

An aspiring actor living in the bowels of Los Angeles, he’s fought long and hard to get where he is, and he’s not willing to give it up for anything. Working for a homophobic boss presents quite a challenge when you’re a gay man, but Quinn knows losing this job means losing his dream.

Jaden is lost and confused.

Quinn won’t let anything stand in his way.

But when Jaden finds himself living downstairs from the enticing Quinn, neither are prepared for what happens next.

Will Jaden be able to resist Quinn’s charms and remain a devoted Mormon missionary? Or will he fall, finding himself face to face with losing his religion?

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Prologue

Our living room smells like a high school locker room. You know the smell I’m talking about. That oniony stink teen boys get when it’s been too long since they’ve showered, and they still haven’t quite discovered the magic of deodorant.

It’s a smell I’m all-too familiar with, my high school career having only come to an end this past year. It’s going to take a lot longer than ten months to wipe the horrors I saw and smelled in the boys’ locker room out of my brain.

Even as I sit on the barstool in the center of the room, visions of Roosevelt High come flashing to my mind, and I half-expect to see Jeff come strolling through the door, twisted wet towel in hand, just waiting for the perfect moment to snap it against an unsuspecting victim’s bare ass.

Butt. I mean, butt.

Cussing was never allowed when I was growing up. But, now that this has arrived, I need to be more diligent about watching my language.

Because cussing will not be tolerated where I’m going.

I look down at the white envelope in my hands, my fingers trembling ever-so slightly, as I read over my name and address printed on the front.

Elder Jaden Barker.

Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? Perfect missionary name. Exactly like my parents envisioned.

Flipping the envelope over, I gently finger the flap, watching the pristine paper slide against my skin. How ironic would it be if the one thing that’s supposed to be the biggest blessing in my life thus far sliced through my flesh, red drops of blood seeping through my pores and marring the lily-white paper beneath?

Wouldn’t be the first time the church cut you, a familiar voice in the back of my mind utters.

Yes, but they’ve always been there to stitch you back up. You just need to have faith, his ever-present counterpart retorts.

I know what you’re thinking. This dude is crazy. I’m not. I don’t actually hear voices. They’re only little versions of my subconscious—punks who like to rear up and cause problems in my life at the most inopportune times. Ever since I turned in my mission papers, they seem to have taken permanent residence in my head—like those old cartoons I used to watch, the ones with an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. The church would refer to them as the Holy Ghost and Satan.

Or, as I like to call them, Jiminy and Jafar. Growing up, I had a thing for Disney.

Shrugging off their unwelcome intrusion, I turn my attention back to the task at hand, the all-too-familiar pang of nervousness welling deep within my gut. My stomach has been in knots all afternoon.

My family has been expecting this any day now. As soon as I pulled it out of the mailbox and saw the distinct logo in the top-left corner, I was tempted to rip into it right there, near the gutter, needing the torment of where I’d be spending the next two years of my life to end.

My mother, of course, had different plans. The moment she realized I’d received it, she plucked it from my fingers, whisking it away into the kitchen and telling me we had to wait for my father to get home from work. Then, like the good little housewife she is, she set about making a scrumptious chicken noodle soup. My grandmother’s recipe and her mother’s before that. Also, my favorite meal on the planet.

That brings us to the reason I’m now sitting on a kitchen stool in the middle of the living room with three smiling faces shining back at me from the sofa, the normally delicious smell of the soup now making me nauseous and forcing me to think of sweaty teenagers.

I’ve been preparing for this day for as long as I can remember. Since I was just a kid, I knew my life was leading to this very moment. And, after years of singing songs in primary and learning lesson after lesson in priesthood meetings, it’s finally here.

I’m going to be a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I’m ready for this.

I’ve been groomed for this.

I’m going to share the truth with the people of wherever this letter sends me.

My fingers tremble as I tear into the envelope, my family sitting across from me on the edge of the couch. My mother’s hand flies to her mouth as she watches the stark white paper slide from its temporary shelter. I know, within a week, it will be framed and hanging proudly in the hallway, right next to my brother, Taylor’s, mission call.

“Dear Brother Barker,” I read aloud, my voice shaky as my heart hammers against my chest.

My dad leans forward, wringing his hands in anticipation, while my mother leans her face into his shoulder as she stifles a sob. To an outsider, it might appear my parents are nervous, as if the thought of sending their nineteen-year-old son out into the world with minimal contact for two years were a terrifying idea they weren’t entirely on board with.

Unfortunately, that isn’t the case at all. My parents are waiting with bated breath, their anticipation for me to leave eclipsed only by the joy they feel about me going in the first place. Not because they don’t love me, but because doing the Lord’s work is far more important.

“You are hereby called to serve as a missionary at…” My words trail off, my eyes scanning the page until the bold words leap out at me. “California Los Angeles Mission.”

I must have said the words aloud because, within seconds I’m enveloped in my mother’s arms. My dad moves to join her, his broad arms circling the two of us as he whispers how happy he is for me. My little sister, Jenny, clears her throat behind me, and my mother swings her arm wide to pull her into the hug with us.

“I’m so, so proud of you, Jaden. You’re going to receive so many blessings because of this. And you’ll bless so many people in return,” my mother says as she squeezes me tight.

Her arms drop suddenly, and she pulls away from me, her eyes shining, as she says, “I need to go call Taylor. He was so sad he couldn’t be here today. Poor little Maddy has another ear infection, and they didn’t want to ruin your special day with a crying infant. But he made me promise to call as soon as we knew where you were going. So, if you’ll excuse me, I have a few phone calls to make.”

She practically dances out of the room, my dad close on her heels as he reminds her of a few other people who need to hear the good news.

Left alone with only my little sister, I glance down at Jenny, her ten-year-old face beaming up at me.

“I can’t wait until I’m old enough to go on a mission! Are you excited?” Her squeaky voice breaks on the last word.

I smile at her, nodding my head in the most self-assured way I can manage.

This should be the most exciting day of my life. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for, and every detail of this day has gone exactly according to plan. My mom’s happy tears, my dad’s joyous words. Heck, I don’t even have to learn another language at the training center. It’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of.

So, why does it feel like I’m living a lie?

A military brat growing up, A.S. Tucker now resides in Utah with her loving husband. When not writing, you’ll find her reading, binge watching Netflix, or drinking wine. Her three favorite things are animals, coffee, and Harry Potter, not necessarily in that order. She is the author of three other novels, published under a different pen name. She loves hearing from her readers, so please drop her a line!

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Unsettled by Zach Jenkins: Quick Review

June 22, 2017 by Denise

He’s a cop who looks like a cowboy and I just have to see his gun.

I’ve refused second dates for years because I’m too much of a mess to hope for any relationship to work out. After one wild, impulsive, and let’s face it, pleasantly filling night with James, I’m ready to throw all of that out the window.

Men are for drinking buddies and dirty jokes… and now, so much more.

Evan is the first man I’ve ever slept with. If I get my way, he’ll be the one I’m with forever. I’m not sure how I’ll tell the other guys at the police station, but I’ve got bigger problems to worry about.

Someone is attacking people on The Strip in August, GA, and they are working way too close to the club where Evan is a DJ. I’ve got to catch whoever is responsible so that I can protect Evan, the man who taught me everything about love.

Unsettled is a steamy, standalone, first time with a man, romantic thriller novel with no cliffhangers.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

The prequel to the book is out on insta-freebie, if you want to grab it.

Where to start….

Okay, first, the epilogue really confused me… I kinda got it, after a little bit, but I was wondering why and when it would come into relevance. James is a cop, a beat cop, actually… just figuring out that he’s not so straight when he goes to a gay club and see’s Trey…. you’re probably not gonna like him, I didn’t from the very beginning, even though Evan seemed to.

Evan is a DJ at the club who has a not so great run-in with James at first, but knows who he is, because he’s his neighbor. That opens the door for something to happen between them, which seeed to happen at warp speed. Like, one night together, Evan was set on it being a one nighter and then BAM… relationship without even talking about it.

Now, people are dying left and right, people from around the club, meaning gay people, but some how, even being on the force… James seemed really out of the loop about… Seems like he would’ve been better informed, especially being that it’s somewhere he hung out with his boyfriend and they all knew and then at work, they all knew… especially his best friend O’Brien.. who I was mad that I liked in the beginning because from the first time he “chased two perps down the alley” …. that he wasn’t to be trusted either. It all seemed a bit predictable and I hated that it too so long for it to be known… Though I still don’t know what the motives were and I’m aggravated that nothing happened to Trey… nobody even busted him in his mouth for being so mouthy.. we couldn’t at least get that kind of karmic justice? He just kinda disappeared…. I didn’t like that.

Other than that, I really liked Evan and James together. It was cute and corny and I liked the way they were together. I liked the mechanic friends, I wish we would’ve seen more of them… I liked that James’ family was so supportive, though I hated that Evans wasn’t. I’m not sure if I’d ready anymore in this series…. I have a thing about bad guys getting away with being terrible and although one gets caught in this one, nothing is explained and I didn’t get any closure…. sigh….
I also found myself liking Rick, kind of… which also aggravated me lol I hope, if he’s mentioned in other books he gets himself together for his son.
Alls well that ends well for Evan and James though… I was happy about that. Good for them 🙂

Overall, 3 pieces of eye candy from me!