Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

2 stars

The Light Beneath the Dark: Motorcycle Club MM romance (Dark River Stone Collective Book 1) by JP Sayle: New Release Review

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Lincoln Stone is President of the Dark Angels motorcycle club, and he’s been accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Will this finally be his downfall?

Lincoln lives a life that straddles the fine line between right and wrong. Now he stands accused of a crime that could see him losing everything he holds close and breaking a promise to the one person who loved him unconditionally, his sister.

That is, until Mason.

Mason Davenport believes in the law and what it stands for. When his father asks him to take on Lincoln’s case, he learns some things are not as clear cut as they seem. Can he see beneath the exterior Lincoln hides behind to help him battle for his freedom and keep what he treasures most? Or will those who are conspiring against Lincoln win?

The Light Beneath the Dark is a standalone MM gay romance, with a sassy little girl that can offer one man freedom and another what he never realized he wanted, a daughter.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

JP Sayle is a new to me author, although she has quite a back list of books she has written. I’ve seen her around on social media and I absolutely loved the cover of this book. Between the cover and the title, I thought I would be getting angsty goodness. I was wrong.

This is another case of “could have been”. But just way too much was wrong for me. Let’s start with the crime the main character, Linc, is accused of. In this day and age, having a main character accused of rape- as revenge pretty much- is incredibly tone deaf. There are many other crimes he could have been set up for without it being rape.

Next is Linc’s niece/daughter. I honestly don’t know if he officially adopted her or is just her guardian. His sister died in childbirth. Which is the first chapter of the book before a time jump. Not for nothing, but describing the birthing mother as being bloody kind of gives everyone a big hint that something is wrong. But the nurse and doula think it’s no big deal. Yanno, until she dies. Ok, so back to the little girl River. Adorable, precocious, of course. But on my good the way she spoke. I actually had to stop and look up the author to see if she had children. She does! But ok, she lives in the UK. So what is she using as her model of the way American children speak? I thought it was just River, but she meets another child and he speaks the same way! “I’s River, what’s your name?” Honestly, I was waiting for her to say “I don’t know nothin about birthin no babies!” Because that is what she sounded like. And at the same time, she makes statements that are WAY too mature for a child of five. Reading her dialogue (and there is quite a bit) was painful.

Moving on. The rape case gets taken care of quickly but we still have half a book to go. The second plot is about a possible coup in the motorcycle club that Linc is president of. It was so weak. Ugh. What a waste.

There were other things- Linc and his sister living in the motorcycle club after their mother died. They were children. Thirteen and eight. And no one from social services came? School? They had no one to take care of them? Who paid the bills? Bought them food and clothes? And then Linc was able to become a business owner as an adult? There were just so many plot holes.

Linc and Mason together weren’t enough to save this book. Mason said he was a vers, but mostly topped, but sure, he was fine to be Linc’s “bitch”. No. Just no no no.

I normally have no issues when an author from one country writes a story set in another country. But do your research.

2 Pieces of Eye Candy 

Truth in the Wind by Diana Waters: New Release Review

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Sometimes the truth can be the hardest thing to find—especially when it comes from within.

Despite the recent loss of his parents, Ash Woodhart is content living with his siblings, deep in the southern countryside of his family’s domain. Ren, an aloof boy with no home and no family, is an intrusion forced on Ash by his eldest brother. Ash dislikes Ren on sight, but as the years pass and the two come to understand each other, his feelings for Ren gradually morph into something more. However, Ren shows no sign of reciprocating those feelings—and as Ash’s recklessness leads him into danger, the truth may come too late.

Book Title: Truth in the Wind

Author: Diana Waters

Publisher: eXtasy Books

Cover Artist: Martine Jardin

Book Release Date: August 7, 2020

Pairing: MM

Genre/s: Fantasy

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length: 32 000 words / 101 pages

The book is part of a series, but is designed to be read as a standalone piece as well – while a few previous book details are alluded to, no prior knowledge of the series is necessary to enjoy the story as a whole.

The story does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Amazon US

Amazon UK

I need to kick off my review by saying the review request stated that this book could be read as a standalone with no prior knowledge of the series.

They are wrong. I didn’t read the rest of the series and I’m hoping the questions could be explained by doing so, but as the other book blurbs refer to different characters I don’t suppose so. I’m going to have to base my review on this book alone.

This is fantasy. A wealthy family that live away from the city. There was a war that happened ten years prior but no indication of any sort of immediate danger.

Which is why I never understood why one of our characters at ten years old when the story starts, is given a bodyguard. (A twelve year old) The older brother explains he is really a “companion” but Ash is never allowed to go anywhere without Ren, and Ren seems to have some sort of sixth sense meaning Ash can never shake him (Also never explained.)

We are never told why Ash’s twin brother and younger sister don’t merit their own bodyguards, or who or why the older brother thinks Ash needs one but no one else does.

The family seem to have an ability to control weather – namely the wind. Ash only ever manages an occasional gust and is even given special tutors to help him master this, but no one ever says why. The ability is never used in the book except to half destroy a room by accident, and as a reader I was left wondering why it was ever mentioned in the first place.

Ash eventually falls in love with Ren at which point I pretty much gave up. Ren gets blamed for an injury to Ash, and Ash despite never being given any reason to think he can’t tell the truth, let’s Ren take the blame then wallows in pity for a few weeks until Ren comes back.

This could have been so good. A little external conflict, a lot more word building, and some good beta readers to ask these sort of questions would make a promising storyline.

2 pieces of eye candy

Author’s Social Media Links:

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall: New Release Review

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Wanted:
One (fake) boyfriend
Practically perfect in every way

Luc O’Donnell is tangentially—and reluctantly—famous. His rock star parents split when he was young, and the father he’s never met spent the next twenty years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad’s making a comeback, Luc’s back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything.

To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice, normal relationship…and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He’s a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and he’s never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words: perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately apart from being gay, single, and really, really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust has settled. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened.

But the thing about fake-dating is that it can feel a lot like real-dating. And that’s when you get used to someone. Start falling for them. Don’t ever want to let them go.

Amazon

I’ve read a few of Alexis Hall’s books. Gritty, angsty, well written stories. So when this came up, it definitely seemed out of the norm, but hey- branch out, right?

Oh boy. Nope. Go back. Go back to gritty and angsty.

We have Luc. Son of two 80’s rock stars, although his father walked out when Luc was 3 and he hasn’t seen him since. This has turned Luc into a bitter person. And apparently a giant jerk and something happened in his young adulthood that led to him being black listed and the only job he could get was as a fundraiser for an obscure charity to save dung beetles. I don’t know how a disgraced, blacklisted person gets a job leading a fundraising charge. But whatever.

Because of whatever happened in the past, he is plagued by paparazzi catching him at inopportune times and making it look way worse than it is. The latest shot caught him tripping outside of a club, but made it out that he was wasted and passed out in the gutter. People start pulling their donations because he is unsavory. So to try to save his reputation, and the donations to the charity, he decides to get a fake boyfriend to last just through the big fundraising ball.

Enter Oliver. Friend of a friend whom he has met previously. The mutual friend had been trying to get them together because “you are the only 2 gay men I know!”. Ya, not the type of friend I would want to have. In fact, all of Luc’s friends kind of seemed like jerks. They basically tell Luc all the time what a loser and jerk HE is, but they are still friends with him. And he is all “oh, thank you for still being friends with me even though I am a jerk and loser.”

So the fake boyfriend thing is set up. And even though of course no one is supposed to know they are fake boyfriends, so many people do. The two complete idiots that Luc works for. No seriously, IDIOTS. And who talks that way? “Right so old girl”. Really? The way he spoke (and his fiance, who may or may not be his fiance because they are TOO STUPID to remember if they are engaged or not) was a stereotypical mockery of uptight British people.

OH! And Luc’s father shows up out of the blue because he has cancer. And Luc’s mother encourages him to get to know his father so he tries. But then it turns out his father is the same wanker he always was. And Luc’s mother was all “Ya, I figured. So sorry” (My eyes were bugging out at this point)

Oliver’s friends were EVEN WORSE than Luc’s friends. He is obviously the “token gay” because it is good to have a gay in your circle. They were horrid!

Oliver’s parents and brother were equally horrid! No wonder the man feels unlovable.

Now onto the fake relationship that of course turns real. It was pretty cute. I liked how there was no kissing, but touching, etc were negotiated. They were obviously both crushing on each other but didn’t say anything because of their own personal demons. And it seems that Oliver’s demons were worse because he instigated the inevitable break up.

Cue a scene so OBVIOUSLY taken from Notting Hill it was embarrassing. Luc and all of his friends pile into the ONE vehicle owned among them all to drive 5 hours (FIVE HOURS!?) to where Oliver is supposed to be. With them telling Luc how stupid he was the whole time. And then the scene with the front desk clerk at a hotel not giving them any information. And come on!

Can you tell I did not like this book? I seriously did not like this book. Everyone says Luc is a jerk, but really he isn’t and everyone around him is. Oliver thinks he is unlovable because of who he is, but really it is because of the way he is treated. The only side character that didn’t piss me off was Luc’s mother’s best friend Judy.

I’ve read other reviews. I know I am the complete opposite of most of them. Guess what? Don’t care.

2 pieces of eye candy

 

Hard Earned Cash (Cold Hard Cash 2) by K.L. Hiers: Blog Tour, Book Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

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When you belong to a man like Boss Cold, you take what he gives you. Jimmy Poe has known that since he first offered himself to the feared mob boss in payment of a debt, yet over the past year he has gotten to see a very different side of Cold. A side that made Jimmy fall in love.

But their love will be put to the test when Cold is arrested. Can the bond between them endure even as the dark shadows of Cold’s past come to light and Jimmy’s life is put at risk as well?

Publisher’s Note: Hard Earned Cash is a sequel to Cold Hard Cash. It includes spankings and rough, intense sexual scenes. If such material offends you, please don’t buy this book.

Book Title: Hard Earned Cash (Cold Hard Cash 2)

Author: K.L. Hiers

Publisher: Stormy Night Publications

Release Date: June 26, 2020

Genre/s: Contemporary M/M Romance, BDSM, Mafia

Trope/s: May/December, Kink, Getting Away With Murder, Fake Marriage

Themes: Revenge, Trust, Bad Guy Very Good At Being Bad

Heat Rating:  5 flames

Length: 112 000 words/ 385 pages

Amazon US – Kindle Unlimited

Amazon UK – Kindle Unlimited

Jimmy Poe was absolutely trembling in the back of the limousine, staring anxiously out the window up at Westchester Prison. His foot was tapping, fingers twitching, and his teeth were working at his lower lip with a carnivorous ferocity.

“Jimmy,” Boss Cold said softly, a cool hand pressing against his leg and squeezing. “Calm down.”

Eyes fluttering, Jimmy nodded frantically, but he still continued to fidget.

“Breathe for me,” Cold said more firmly, his thumb slowly stroking Jimmy’s inner thigh. He squeezed his leg again. “Now.”

Taking a few deep breaths, Jimmy’s pulse began to descend. Cold’s voice was beautiful and strong, and there was a very distinct purr that it took on when he gave orders. It worked its way directly into Jimmy’s brain, and he was powerless to resist.

Boss Cold, also known as Roderick Legrand, the mob ruler of Strassen Springs, was not a man who tolerated any amount of disobedience in any aspect of his life. From his criminal empire to the bedroom, his word was law.

It was the foundation of their relationship, and it gave Jimmy purpose and confidence, and it was a love like no other.

“I know you’re excited,” Cold said soothingly, “but you’ll put yourself in a fit if you don’t calm yourself.”

“There’s a part of me that still thinks this is all a dream,” Jimmy gushed, looking back out the window to the prison where his father had been trapped for so many years.

Today was the day David Poe was finally being freed.

He had been wrongly convicted for the murder of Jimmy’s mother nineteen years ago, and Cold had recently discovered that the killer was a traitorous member of his own gang. Justice was brutally served as the result of meticulous planning that not only granted David’s freedom, but also destroyed Cold’s enemies and left him completely untouchable.

“It’s very real,” Cold promised, patting his knee.

“Thank you,” Jimmy beamed happily. “Thank you for everything.” He leaned forward, trying to steal a kiss.

Cold caught his jaw before he could, smirking faintly as he looked over Jimmy’s lips. He hummed, pretending to consider whether or not he was going to allow it.

“Please, sir?” Jimmy pleaded playfully.

Cold growled softly at the ‘sir’, pressing a heated kiss against Jimmy’s mouth. “You wicked thing,” he snarled. “Teasing me right before I’m going to meet your father.”

“You’ll have to punish me later,” Jimmy chuckled.

“Careful,” Cold warned him, his thumb gently stroking over his chin, “or it’ll be a punishment you may not enjoy.”

Heat prickled beneath Jimmy’s collar as he asked, “Mmm, your belt?”

“Keep pushing me and you’ll find out,” Cold warned.

Jimmy knew he could only tease Cold so much before he got truly aggravated with him.

Although that did come with its own unique set of pleasures, he wanted his boyfriend in a good mood to meet his father.

“I’ll behave,” Jimmy said, smiling when Cold kissed him again. He sat back in his seat, eyes focused out the window once more for any sign of his father.

“Perhaps you should have come alone,” Cold mused.

“Why? Never met anyone’s parents before?”

“No,” was the flat reply.

“Are you nervous?” Jimmy teased, delighted by the idea.

“You really want the belt tonight, don’t you?” Cold scowled. “I do not get nervous.”

Jimmy grinned and resisted the urge to giggle. He wasn’t about to argue, gasping excitedly when he saw the gates of the prison finally open and his father step outside. “He’s here! He’s really here!”

Jerry was already opening the door of the limo, Jimmy tumbling out and breaking into a dead run to greet his father.

“Hey, slugger!” David exclaimed, dropping his bag to embrace his son. He squeezed him tight and pressed tearful kisses into his hair.

Jimmy’s own eyes were stinging with tears as he hugged his father as hard as he could. He was absolutely thrilled to be holding his father as a free man.

“My boy,” David said, his voice cracking from so much emotion. “Thank you. Thank you for never giving up on me. I love you so much, kiddo.”

“I love you, too!” Jimmy exclaimed with a big grin. “Oh, my God. You’re here. You’re really free, and, and, and my God. No more inch of glass, no more phone calls, you’re really here!”

“Damn right,” David chuckled warmly, kissing his son’s forehead and giving him one last big hug. He nodded towards the limo, teasing, “I think your boyfriend is waiting for us.”


When this came up as a book to review, I thought, why not? I generally like BDSM books, it was a new to me author, let’s give it a shot. They also sent book 1 because that really has to be read first as it is a continuing story. I read book 1. After that I wasn’t really looking forward to book 2.

Review to book 1 here

We pick up right where we left off, pretty much. This time, they are trying to pin another murder on Boss Cold, but this time they have a body and a ton of evidence. Including DNA. Don’t worry though. The mafia kingpin has it all taken care of.

Jimmy is still needy. Maury (the loan shark/family friend) is still a god awful stereotype. The goons still goon. The sister acts like this is all normal “Isn’t it great being a mafia boyfriend!?”

Like I said, Boss Cold has a plan. Part of that plan is to have a wedding. Even though he forged papers and signatures so that he and Jimmy are already married so he can’t testify against him. Because that’s normal. And he totally blows Jimmy off when he gets upset about it. Yes, he treats Jimmy really well with material things, but omg he treats him like a child.

So now add in a wedding planner, who is kind of sketchy.

Sorry, this is just as much- if not more- of a convoluted mess as the first book. You can’t even suspend belief on this one because it is all completely unbelievable.

2 pieces of eye candy

K.L. Hiers is an embalmer, restorative artist, and queer writer. Licensed in both funeral directing and funeral service, she’s been working in the death industry for nearly a decade. Her first love was always telling stories, and she has been writing for over twenty years, penning her very first book at just eight years old. Publishers generally do not accept manuscripts in Hello Kitty notebooks, however, but she never gave up.

Following the success of her first novel, Cold Hard Cash, she now enjoys writing professionally, focusing on spinning tales of sultry passion, exotic worlds, and emotional journeys. She loves attending horror movie conventions and indulging in cosplay of her favorite characters. She lives in Zebulon, NC, with her husband and their six children, three of whom have paws and one who sometimes thinks he does.

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Love on the Hudson by KD Fisher: RDB, Excerpt and Release Day Review

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Art historian David Webster left his childhood home of Saugerties, New York ten years ago and hasn’t looked back. Intelligent, successful, and proud of his sexuality, David has built a comfortable, if lonely, life in Chicago. But when he learns his father has suffered a debilitating stroke, he decides to leave his prestigious museum job and move home to care for his dad. Until now David has never questioned his devotion to academic and professional success. Suddenly he’s forced to confront and reevaluate his desires, chief among them, his former best friend Nick.

Nick Patras has spent his entire life trying to be the perfect Greek son. From devoting himself to football, to forgoing an athletic scholarship to work at his family’s diner, to denying his sexuality and getting married to his high school sweetheart, Nick got used to putting his family’s dreams ahead of his own. The facade shattered, however, when Nick divorced his wife and left the family business to follow his dream of starting an organic farm. Finally content with the life he’s built for himself, Nick is still haunted by the mistake that ended his friendship with David a decade earlier.

When David and Nick reunite their old feelings are undeniable, but can David trust Nick with his heart a second time around? As David embarks on a new career as an artist, he must decide whether or not Nick fits into this composition.

Amazon

NineStar Press

Smashword

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

I step onto the salt-white sidewalk and into a stream of traffic noise. Rush hour commuters pour their anger into their car horns, laying on them for what feels like minutes at a time. The familiar scents of bus exhaust, cigarette smoke, and the caramel-sweet fragrance of roasted nuts from the stand on the corner overpower the rich steam rising from the to-go cup of coffee in my hands. It’s cold. I know March in Chicago is always cold, really still winter, but the bite of the wind makes me edgy. I find myself constantly checking the weather forecast the moment I wake up, hoping I can stow away my heavy, unattractive coat for the season.

I rush toward the museum, knowing I’ll be early for my meeting but hurrying nonetheless. As I walk, I mentally go over the presentation I’d practiced endlessly the night before. We can work with Chicago Public Schools to widen the reach of the museum and diversify visitorship. I’ve already talked to the assistant superintendent, and she loved the idea, saying the partnership would help supplement the arts programs that got cut a few years ago when the state couldn’t agree on a budget. I’m lost in thought, half hoping I’m not practicing my talking points aloud, when I realize I’m already standing at the bottom of the lion-flanked steps of the museum. It bothers me that I do this—zone out and navigate the streets on autopilot. I chastise myself for taking the aesthetics of the city for granted. On any given day I pass the spaceship-like hulking form of the Thompson Center without batting an eye. I breeze by major public artworks by Picasso and Miró. I whisk past Burnham and Sullivan buildings with my eyes trained on the ground.

When I first moved to Chicago for undergrad, I was fascinated by the city. Everything was vibrant and engaging, unlike Saugerties, the small town where I’d grown up. Every chance I had I hopped on the bus, pretentious leather sketchbook in hand, and went north from my school’s South Side campus to the center of the city. I took silly architecture boat tours filled with tourists who largely tuned out the information pouring from the scratchy PA system as the boat chugged through the dingy river. Spending hours on Google Maps, I planned walking tours of Oak Park for myself, enjoying the lull of the suburban streets as I basked in the gorgeous lines and thoughtful details of the Frank Lloyd Wright houses.

Again I’m lost in thought because I’m now enveloped in the quiet of my office, coffee still in hand, coat and scarf still on, but seated behind my desk. Shaking my head, I set my coffee down and busy myself with the tasks of a Monday morning. Check my voicemail, start my computer, glance at the Post-it-covered Stendig calendar tacked to my wall. As I’m about to reread my notes for the thousandth time since I woke up, my desk phone rings and the small light for the main museum reception line blinks red.

I pick it up on the second ring, running my fingers through my hair as I speak. “This is David Webster.” I always lower my voice when fielding an unexpected call. Although I tell myself it’s to sound professional, I’m a bit self-conscious about the soft, lilting cadence of my words.

A timid female voice responds. “Uh, hi, Mr. Webster? I have a call for you from a, uh, hospital. The nurse said she tried your cell but…” The woman’s voice trails off, growing somewhat hoarse.

“Oh, sure. Okay. You can go ahead and put her through.” The tremble in my voice does not surprise me. My heart races and my fingers shake as I reach for my bag to retrieve my cell phone.

“Mr. Webster?” My name is tinged with the upstate New York accent of my youth.

“Speaking,” I squeak out. “What’s going on?” I know it’s something with my dad. Or fuck, could it be Anna? There’s a sickening swooping sensation in my stomach. Did something happen to Nick? Unbidden, his intense gray gaze appears in my mind’s eye. I shake my head to clear the thought. No one would call me about him.

“You’re listed as next of kin for Dr. Richard Webster. You are his son, correct?”

“Yeah. Yes. Is he okay?” I hold down the button on the side to start up my phone. I always keep it off between the hours of midnight and seven to preserve my sanity and mitigate my technology addiction. It had been my New Year’s resolution. Clearly this is not a good choice when your elderly father who lives alone hundreds of miles away is hospitalized.

“Yes, sir. Your father’s condition is stable. We were unable to reach you on your primary contact number. He suffered an ischemic stroke. We have him on tPA and he’s resting in the ICU. We’ll keep him for a few nights for monitoring and scans. Then we can start talking about rehab. A…” She pauses and I hear a few mouse clicks over the phone. “James Webster is with him now.”

Jimmy must have called me. Quickly I unlock my phone to see a barrage of texts and missed calls from my uncle’s number, as well as three voicemails from an 845 area code, very likely the hospital’s number. I scan through Jimmy’s increasingly panicked then calm texts without responding to the nurse.

“Mr. Webster?” she asks, a note of irritation creeping into her voice.

I tear my eyes away from my phone screen. My hands clench white and my arms are suddenly insanely heavy. My torso is hollow. “Yes. Sorry. I’m in Chicago. Like, I live in Chicago so I need to fly up. But he’s okay, right?”

Line two rings on my desk phone—startling me—and I know it means the superintendent has arrived. My head spins and I lean forward, scrunching into myself and trying to resist the urge to collapse even though I’m sitting. A few moments later I have wrapped up my conversation with the nurse and managed to write down the relevant information on the back of a deli receipt on my desk. I’m about to return one of Jimmy’s dozen calls when Marc blusters into my office, eyes wild.

“Uh, David?” his voice is shrill, and it’s one of the first times I have ever seen him look so irritated.

“I know. She’s here, right?”

“Yes!” he hisses, running his slender fingers through his perfectly messy dark hair. I notice he’s even wearing a tie today. A nice touch for the meeting, I think, and I smile to myself.

“My dad had a stroke,” I say softly. Repeating the information I was told makes my stomach twist sharply and a wave of nausea rolls over me.

The irritation drains from Marc’s face and he quickly crosses over to my desk. “Shit. David, when? Why didn’t you call me?” His groomed eyebrows are raised, earnest.

“I just got the call here… You know, my phone was off.”

Marc groans. “You and your stupid phone thing. I knew it was going to be a problem someday.” He claps a hand over his mouth. “And I’m nagging you right after you found out your dad’s sick.” He paces my small office, from the wall plastered with my calendar and some framed landscapes to the window overlooking Millennium Park. “Okay. Okay. Okay. Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll take care of the meeting. Call, well normally I would say call me…but Vic can handle booking you a flight to New York. You should be able to take leave for this.” He runs his fingers over his lips, leaning back against the window. I know his mind is vibrating at its highest frequency. “Lane and Nisa and I can handle everything for a few days or whatever you need. Go, David.”

Okay… this one took me a couple of days and I’m still undecided about it. I love love love when writers write characters that mean something to them or stories that are so close to the heart. I have a hard time trying to review them because I know how hard it is to not only put something so personal out there but to have someone criticize it, it sucks!

In saying that, I have to be honest because these two made me SO MAD and I didn’t feel like I could get over it, even a few days later. So… David left his home in New York to follow his passion in art, in Chicago… that tripped me up because being from a tiny Midwest town, I dunno why you’d leave New York, to a small town in Ohio to pursue anything other than crop farming, but okay… he did it and he’s made quite a life for himself, he’s got good friends, a job he likes and has had a couple of decent relationships, though none to write home about. When he finds out that his dad has had a stroke and is alive but not able to be alone, he of course, doesn’t hesitate to go back to New York to be there for him.

Now, he hasn’t been home in ten years because he was running from his childhood best friend/unrequited love, who was his neighbor/popular kid in highschool with a bigoted Greek family and he swore, even though he slept with David and had a secret fling with him, wasn’t gay, so he hurt David’s feelings and David ran. Coming back home was going to be hard, because David never forgot him or how he felt about him, before and after he crushed his heart.

Nick tried to be straight, he really did. He knew that his family wouldn’t accept him, his dad and brother especially and he was not wrong. Problem is, they were terrible people anyway, so he wasn’t going to miss much without them… maybe even seem a little lighter getting them out of his life, but I understood, to a point…. Family is family and all, you don’t ever wanna lose them if you can help it. He treated his best friend like crap though, back then and when he moves back to town to take care of his sick dad. Nick wasted no time going to David when he heard he was back in town. And nevermind having hurt him so bad that David literally lived with a chip on his shoulder and was telling himself the whole time that if he saw Nick, he wouldn’t give him the time of day.

Literally, there was no groveling, there was an apology or two in conversation, but all that heartbreak and life adjusted because he was hurt so badly by Nick, was all forgotten the second he saw Nick again. And you’d think that since Nick had come to terms with being gay and his failed marriage and all the shame and regret of hurting David so badly would change him over those ten years right? Nope… they decide to be boyfriends, but it’s AGAIN in secret, just like before. Literally, nothing changed. I wanted to punch them both so bad!!!

They did have some great friends though, they both had lesbian besties who get together, because of course, and then there’s David’s New York friend who towards the end meets Nick’s cousin, so I’ll assume they’ll be featured in book 2, but… other than these two jumping in where they left off as teenagers, before Nick hurt David so bad, things are great…. Until they get seen by someone who knows the bigot brother of Nick.

His parents are awful, even the half attempt of his mom at the end that felt way too little, way too late. I mean, a year and a half later? Are you serious? And all is forgiven with her all the sudden? No thanks.

I thought David was incredibly selfish when his art deal started taking off via Instagram and the way he treated Nick was ridiculous, especially when you know ….. you know why Nick had reservations about you drinking alone in the city without him, staying with your ex and ignoring his phone calls the whole weekend…. Plus, when bad things happen, like your mom blowing you off and shunning you or you getting bad news, don’t you want to call your boyfriend? Nope, David left the state and was unreachable and Nick just filled him in when he got back and then freaked out and broke up with him, even though he said he didn’t…. but that whole thing was selfish and overly dramatic, I actually felt incredibly sorry for Nick. Then you don’t even tell him your sorry but Nick comes to apologize in person, yet again, for being genuinely concerned if not a little bit jealous, sure, but, he was raped all those years ago and had a valid reason for freaking out. But, I digress… it was totally him who needed to apologize after all that, and in person because you weren’t answering his calls or texts…. (heeeeavy sarcasm here).

I dunno… I loved the premise of this story. I loved them when they were together but the before, some during and after was just… No. It didn’t work for me. I thought
David deserved better at first and then I needed Nick to have better. If I had to describe David in one word, it would just be selfish. He never got over that either.
Sure, he loves Nick, but, he was just so selfish to me in the little things he did or said, I didn’t like him until the epilogue a year and a half later and that’s cuz I knew they were getting a happy ending and I didn’t have to read about his career or his selfish feelings anymore.

I hate that I feel this way too, because I hate harshing on people’s mellow…. But this one just did not work for me and I don’t think I’ll be reading the second one, if there even is one, but I’m staying Team Nick. I hated he never got closure from his awful family either, he lost so much. It just made me sad.

2 Pieces of Eye Candy 

KD Fisher is a queer New England-based writer of authentic, heartfelt LGBTQ+ narratives. KD grew up all over the United States, bouncing from North Carolina to Hawaiʻi to Illinois, and finally settling in Maine where she spends far too much time at the beach.

When KD isn’t writing, she can usually be found hiking with her overly enthusiastic dog, obsessing over plants, or cooking elaborate meals. She loves classic country, perfectly ripe tomatoes, and falling asleep in the sun.

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Elias by Erin E. Keller: New Release Review

by

Detective Thomas Doyle has been living a lonely, compartmentalized life ever since the death of his life partner, Aiden. He vowed never to let anybody get close to him again — the pain of losing a loved one is too much to bear. Despite his vow, Thomas is lonely, and has a number of one-night stands, sexual encounters with unnamed men he doesn’t care to remember.

Elias Byrne knows the pain of abuse and rejection intimately. Unable to escape the clutches of his older brother, Elias dreams of someone to love, and of being loved in return. He admires Thomas from afar, but the detective never pays him any notice. In a desperate attempt to get closer to him, Elias steals his wallet, then gives it back the next day.

Before he knows it, a strong attraction develops between them. Elias intrigues Thomas, but he resists his growing feelings because he doesn’t want to get hurt again. When Thomas rescues Elias from his abusive brother, will he also rescue them both from the loneliness that threatens to consume them? Can Elias conquer the detective’s hardened heart and find the love he always longed for? Or will Thomas stubbornly refuse to give himself another chance?

Amazon

Alright, so, I’m a sucker for the wounded bird syndrome.

When I saw that this one involved a hot widowed cop and a young kid with a violent past and a really tough life living with his older abusive brother….I was like, yes…I need it!

Somehow along the way though, it missed the mark for me. I’m not sure, but I think that maybe it was translated from a different language, so the dialogue was a little bit off to me, and for two grown adults, they argued and ran away from each other like children.

Now, Thomas had lost his partner a couple of years before, leaving him widowed and alone. There was something about a bed and breakfast in there, but it only gets mentioned in the beginning and then the end… then, we meet Elias, who’s been living with his abusive brother since their parents died a couple years apart from each other.

The brother Liam was abusive, sold drugs and essentially pimped his baby brother out, but Elias just went along with it all, because he wanted to please him. Literally, he says that so often, that’s the reason why he lets his brother prostitute him and beat him up.

When Thomas and Elias meet, it’s because Elias followed him home after confessing he’d been “watching” him for a long time and wanted Thomas to notice him…. I’m sorry… what? He jokes that it’s stalkerish… but dude…. IT IS! And Thomas is so mean to him…cause Elias, anytime he says or does something that Thomas doesn’t like…. He literally runs away…. Literally…. Think, Pheobe from friends, running in the park with Rachael… that’s what it reminds me of every time he “runs” away. Could you even imagine how embarrassing that would be?

Anyway… after Thomas spends most of the time telling him that he doesn’t want him and then going back after him, and Elias running away and then getting himself hurt… they eventully work it all out and Thomas tells him that he loves him. Thomas mentions the bed and breakfast, and then it’s over.

I know I’m not painting it in the best light and if you’re like me, and like the wounded bird syndrome like I do… maybe give it a chance… but don’t say you weren’t warned. It does end happily though, so, there is that.

2 pieces of eye candy from me