Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

3 stars

Hard Sell (Jade Harbour Capital Book 1) by Hudson Lin: New Release Review

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One night wasn’t enough.

Danny Ip walks into every boardroom with a plan. His plan for struggling tech company WesTec is to acquire it, shut it down, and squeeze the last remaining revenue out of it for his Jade Harbour Capital portfolio. But he didn’t expect his best friend’s younger brother—the hottest one-night stand he ever had—to be there.

Tobin Lok has always thought the world of Danny. He’s funny, warm, attractive—and totally out of Tobin’s league. Now, pitted against Danny at work, Tobin might finally get a chance to prove he’s more than just Wei’s little brother.

It takes a lot to get under Danny’s skin, but Tobin is all grown up in a way Danny can’t ignore. Now, with a promising patent on the line and the stakes higher than ever, all he can think about is getting Tobin back into his bed—and into his life for good.

If only explaining their relationship to Wei could be so easy…

Amazon

Carina Press

I was really looking forward to this book. There isn’t a lot of representation from other cultures, beyond white middle America in this genre, and especially people of Asian descent, in Canada. So, this seemed a great push towards that direction. Also, that cover was just fantastic!

However, the story itself fell just a bit flat for me. I had a tough time connecting with the characters.

I felt that Tobin, as independent as he wanted to be, treated his family as if they were abusive, or difficult. It seemed that in his culture there was to be a closeness that he just couldn’t allow himself to feel. He wouldn’t take their calls, seemed to complain about it, refused his parents’ money for college, but not for any solid reason. Just that he wanted to be independent.

Meanwhile, Danny who was falling out of love with his job and lying to his best friend, again, really for no reason. He seemed to just be burned out, and unsure how to handle it. However, he really seemed to love his best friend and his family, the children (even helping to put them to bed, etc)…which again really made me not understand the reason to lie in the first place. It could have been a cultural thing that I did not understand. Then add in Tobin’s resentfulness, and I was confounded by these MC’s.

I did like the dynamic between Tobin and Danny, as they got to know each other again, and in different circumstances than their past had presented. I do hope to read more from this author though, as I believe this book, and likely future books will continue to enhance a cultural understanding, with a bit of romance thrown in for additional enjoyment.

3 pieces of eye candy

Seeing Red by E. L. Esch: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

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What would you do if you lost five years of freedom? If everything you’d ever known was torn away from you, all because the one person you counted on to save you didn’t come through?

This is the cruel reality for Gabriel “Red” Thatcher, convicted at age nineteen for the murder of his father. Now twenty-five and eight months out of prison, Red has nothing to his name and no one to help him through the horrifying memories of his past.

​Then he meets Silo Winters, a man so much like him yet so different that it drives Red crazy. How could someone who went through the same trauma he did in prison still look at life so cheerfully? And though Silo tries to show Red that life after hardship isn’t bleak and meaningless, Red finds it difficult after all he’s been through to let anyone in.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

The smells of the park hit me hard and fast as we rounded the bend a few blocks from Berkley and started down the dirt road that led to the main gate. Overused fry oil met my nose first. Ribbon-cut fries were Mila and Arty’s favorite.

“We’d get a whole big basket of them every time we came here and eat them as we walked,” I told Silo. “Joe always had to get a separate order for himself because he was the only one who liked his fries with vinegar. Mila, Arty, and I preferred them plain.”

Among the fries, I caught a whiff of fried dough and smiled. Silo probably liked the dough nice and sweet, slathered in strawberry preserve and powdered sugar. I imagined sitting on a park bench, eating some with him. Some jam would dribble down the corners of his lips. He’d let me lick it off, and nobody around us would give a shit because everyone knew we were only having fun. That was my favorite part of amusement parks—the air of tranquil companionship that existed between everyone, no matter their race, religion, orientation, or beliefs.

We could see the royal-purple painted archway of the park’s entrance now, accented with gold letters that read, Tenley Carnival, July 7th – September 7th.

“Oh it’s a carnival, not an amusement park,” Silo chided me.

“There’s a difference?”

“Uh, yeah.” Silo tossed his head, gesturing to the dates on the sign. “Carnivals travel; amusement parks are permanent fixtures.”

“Well, excuse me, Mr. Park Aficionado.” I shoved him through the gate, spurred on by the sheer sight of the crowd and the smiles on people’s faces. Funny, I’d thought I’d be afraid of crowds after prison. I certainly hated prying eyes, but here I felt like none of what’d happened in the past mattered. No one knew me here, either the real, inner me that mattered, or the outer, shallower me that didn’t. It felt good, almost homey—to simply be another stranger among strangers.

We grabbed some fried dough by the main gate to eat as we walked. Silo gave me plenty of trouble about paying for his, but I ignored him. He couldn’t have been too caught up in the whole money situation, though, because the next minute he was laughing and clapping at a band of street performers pulling colored ribbons out of their ears. I wanted to point out how there had to be a logical explanation behind the trick, but I didn’t want to spoil Silo’s fun.

“Hey, Red?” Silo stopped beside a bench and sat down. We’d have to share it with a woman and her baby, but neither of us seemed to mind. “You don’t think this is silly at our age?”

“You’re saying that to me?”

Silo chuckled. “I know. This just doesn’t seem like your type of scene.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“That you’re a bit of a hardass.” Silo popped the last of his fried dough into his mouth and grinned.

“You just don’t know me well enough.” I sat down beside him. “Besides…” I looked off across the dirt pathway and watched the people there. A young man stood holding the hand of a woman who I assumed was his girlfriend, watching as a carny in a clown costume formed a pink balloon animal. They looked about nineteen, maybe twenty, smiling and holding each other’s hands, occasionally kissing without a care in the world. “Besides,” I repeated, “I lost out on my time to do things like this.”

Silo said nothing for a long time as he looked down at his hands folded in his lap. Then, “Hardass.”

“Hah, I guess so.” I looked around again, catching sight of the Ferris wheel.

“You want to ride it, don’t you?” Silo intercepted my thoughts.

I cursed that perceptive gaze of his. “Mila and I used to when we were little. Well, when I could persuade her it wasn’t going to break and roll away, and even then she’d only sit with Joe. I guess I’m feeling nostalgic.”

“You miss your little sister.”

How could I not? We’d been so close when we were little, and now we hardly knew each other. Hell, she didn’t even seem to want to know me now.

“I can’t believe how big she’s gotten.” I felt Silo’s hand on my knee. The woman beside us smiled softly at me when I caught her looking at us. I smiled back, feeling the genuine warmth in her gaze. She didn’t care about my past like Mila did. She—a stranger—could smile at me with kindness, where my own sister could only smile cautiously and in fear.

“Well, let’s have her over. Invite her. I’ll make dinner.”

“Silo, why are you trying so hard for me?” Was it just because I was letting him stay at the apartment? What made this man try so hard to make me happy?

“Because it’s important to you. Need I another reason?” Silo hopped to his feet and held out his hand to help me up. “Come on. Let’s go ride the Ferris wheel.”

I love angst. I love broken characters. I love when they find redemption. And while I didn’t love this book, I still enjoyed it.

One of the things I enjoyed is that it was different. TWO men recently out of prison trying to find their way in the world again. Trying to find jobs. Trying to just live their lives. Unexpectedly coming together as friends to start, sharing a small apartment in the not so great part of town.

The guys navigate this post prison world together. Silo is a pretty optimistic guy for having served time and his father not letting him move home. It is his light that helps bring Red out of the dark.

I had a couple issues with the book, but I can’t really talk about them without giving up possible spoilers. But my issues are often not anyone else’s issues in a book. Why am I like this? GAH!

I think this author only has 2 books out right now. And while the book wasn’t perfect, I can see the potential for the author to just get better at storytelling.

3 pieces of eye candy

I could copy-paste my biography from other websites, but that’s boring so instead here’s some fun facts about me:

​- I own 2 crested geckos and an axolotl. What’s an axolotl? You know Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon? His design is based off one. Basically it looks like a cross between a tadpole and a wingless dragon. And they’re dumb. Very dumb. But cute!

– I have an unhealthy obsession with video games. I am an avid PC gamer, and can be found up most nights on World of Warcraft. I’m the first to admit I have a problem. For the Alliance!

​- I could probably drop a fourth of my body-weight if I stopped drinking soda, but I won’t. I’m letting myself have this one.

​- If I had a quarter for every time I swore, I’d probably be able to retire.

​- I don’t know how I started writing M/M Romance, but if I had to blame anyone it’d be my best friend for getting me hooked on Yaoi in high school. You know who your are; you did this.

Connect with Eryn:
Website: https://www.eleschbooks.com
Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/author.elesch
Facebook Group Signup – https://www.facebook.com/groups/elesch
Instagram Follow – https://www.instagram.com/e_l_esch/
Bookbub Follow – https://www.bookbub.com/profile/e-l-esch
Goodreads Follow – https://www.goodreads.com/e-l-esc
Amazon Follow –  https://amazon.com/author/elesch
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To Light a Fire (Speak Its Name Book 1) by Kristian Parker: RB, Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

by

Frank never thought he would find love…until he met his friend’s servant.

It’s 1922 and Frank Harris has finished his exams at Cambridge. He had planned on going home to his parents’ Midlands shop until his friend Charlie Fitzwilliam issues a surprise invitation to stay at his family’s stately home.

Frank has nursed a secret attraction to Charlie since their first meeting and can’t resist a chance to spend time with him, but once there, it’s Tanner, a manservant, with whom he instantly falls in lust.

Charlie tries to force a local girl on Frank, and although Frank knows he should keep up appearances, it’s Tanner who sets a fire in him.

To Frank’s astonishment, Tanner is attracted to him too, and their mutual passion kindles, then burns strong. Only, their feelings must remain a secret—discovery would mean the ruin of them both.

But how long can love that blazes this bright be hidden?

To Light a Fire by Kristian Parker

Book 1 in the Speak Its Name series

General Release Date: 25th May 2021

Word Count: 19,038

Book Length: NOVELLA

Pages: 82

Genres: EROTIC ROMANCE, GAY, GLBTQI, HISTORICAL

Amazon

First For Romance

Goodreads

Cambridge, 1922

“Come on, Harris. Don’t be a chump. You can read your precious architecture books at my place. I don’t know why you’re bothering, anyway—we’ve done the blasted exams.”

So spoke Charlie Fitzwilliam the third…or maybe the fourth, standing there in all his glory. As usual, the rest of his gang flanked him and glared at me. It didn’t do to say no to Charlie. I had been in awe of him for four years at Cambridge.

The polar opposite to me, he could make a boy feel awkward just by entering a room. Blond, muscular and his parents owned most of one of the bigger counties just outside London. I, on the other hand, had dark hair, could have been described as a little on the skinny side and certainly didn’t come from the right side of the tracks.

“Go on, Harris,” said one of his henchmen. They followed him everywhere, doing his dirty work and hoping against hope some of that Fitzwilliam magic would rub off on them. “Charlie will be bored if you don’t.”

“Why don’t you go and entertain him then?” I said gruffly.

It had been made clear when we started at university that I would be the lackey of the group and it didn’t do to let me forget it. Charlie’s lot were Harrow boys for whom Cambridge had been a natural next step. My place had been paid for by my parents saving hard and me getting the best marks possible at school.

My parents had several shops in Leicester, the middle of England, where I’d grown up and nothing ever happened. When I’d come to Cambridge, I’d been an awkward eighteen-year-old who had no idea how to use the right cutlery or which wine went with fish. Charlie had taken me under his wing, the others had been jealous and so my runt-of-the-litter position had become firmly cemented.

Charlie had more money than he would ever know what to do with. University was just a diversion, a chance to drink heavily, romance often and generally live a crazy life. The dire state of the economy didn’t come anywhere near him, happening only to other people.

An invitation to go to his house in the country could not be refused, and I found myself tempted by some time alone with him. Besides, I couldn’t apply in earnest to architectural partnerships until I knew my marks for my degree. We had sat our final exam last week and could only wait until August, when we would graduate.

I had planned to go home and help in the shops, but I would only be taking hours from our workers who needed them more than me.

“Just think of it. You can dig around my father’s books to your heart’s content.” Charlie clapped his arm around me, causing me to blush. He knew he had his fish on the line, and a grin creased the sides of my face.

“Fine. A week, no more.”

Charlie held up his hands. “A week is all I want from you. Mummy has demanded my presence in bloody Portugal after that. I’ll be dragged around endless vineyards in search of the perfect grapes for the perfect port. Oh, well done, old man. I hate being stuck in that house on my own. It’s just so boring.”

Having made the decision, I told my parents, and they were fine with it. They wanted me to get as much out of life as possible. Me having the chance to hobnob with a load of posh people would be a talking point for my mother for the rest of the year. God help her customers. They would soon be sick of hearing it.

With a heavy heart, I packed away my books, to send them home to my parents. I would never stand in this bedroom again. I had been lucky to get a set of rooms to myself—most of the other undergraduates shared. I would miss this tiny bit of independence. It might be cliché, but I had arrived a boy and was leaving a man. Charlie and his cronies were still like boys and probably always would be.

I had never gone in for the carousing life. Charlie had a reputation for smuggling girls from the local town into our halls. More than once he had persuaded me to let him use my room for a bit of privacy. As usual he had a henchman, or two, standing guard, and I would find a corner and retreat into my books. It amazed me why Charlie and his gang bothered with me at all. I must have been so boring to them, but Charlie had somehow bonded with me. On his own, when he wasn’t being an insufferable show-off, he could be quite good fun. We were both studying architectural history together. Charlie didn’t know his Christopher Wren from his Antoni Gaudi, and we’d spent many a late night sorting out his essays. In reality, I would write them for him, but I used to live for those nights. Charlie generally sat on the window ledge smoking and chatting while I scribbled away. The public image of Charlie could be hard to get past, but when he did let a person in, a decent chap lay beneath..

This is a short novella, with a HFN type ending, which makes sense since this was an historical novella.

Since this was told from Frank’s POV, we don’t learn a lot about Tanner and his issues, but we do learn that Frank is trying to make his way without following in his father’s footsteps, but as an architect. When Frank goes home after their time in Cambridge is up, with a friend, he meets Tanner, who lights his fire in more than one way. 🙂

The struggle, as they come to know each other, is to keep it hidden. I won’t say what happens, but someone is given quite a scare. lol

This is a sweet, sexy book, that brings joy for how far the world has come, and hope for how far the world still has to go.

3 pieces of eye candy

Kristian Parker

I have written for as long as I could write. In fact, before, when I would dictate to my auntie. I love to read, and I love to create worlds and characters.

I live in the English countryside. When I’m not writing, I like to get out there and think through the next scenario I’m going to throw my characters into.

Inspiration can be found anywhere, on a train, in a restaurant or in an office. I am always in search of the next character to find love in one of my stories. In a world of apps and online dating, it is important to remember love can be found when you least expect it.

Follow Kristian on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/kparkerwriter

Enter and get a FREE romance book from the author!

Kristian Parker’s To Light a Fire Giveaway – https://upvir.al/114964/lp114964

ENTER HERE AND GET A FREE EBOOK FROM THE AUTHOR! Notice: This competition ends on 8th June 2021 at 5pm GMT. Competition hosted by Totally Entwined Group.

Guardian Gabe: The Lonely Heroes Series, Book Two by Sam E. Kraemer: Quick Review

by

Gabriele Torrente

“Mr. Torrente? You need to come down here.”

My receptionist isn’t one to make demands, so I hurry down the stairs to see what all the fuss is about. Little did I know, the moment I walk down those stairs, my life is going to change in ways I can’t begin to fathom.

The boy and girl seated in the lobby come as a surprise, but the man bursting through the front door moments later has me nearly swallowing my tongue. He’s beautiful, funny, and infuriating. He says he’s a dancer with a job lined up on a cruise ship, but he’s crazy if he thinks I’ll admit to being the father of these two adorable kids I’ve never seen before in my life. His name is Dexter Carrington.

What the hell is happening to my once serene life?

Dexter Carrington

A call from my mother informs me that she has my niece and nephew for the summer because my sister, a mediocre hair stylist from Jersey City, has decided to take a job that requires her to travel.

The unexpected call a few weeks later telling me my mother passed away is devastating, and a social worker says my niece and nephew will have to go into foster care, which only compounds my problems. I’m able to work out a deal to take the kids until my sister is found or their father is identified. Should be easy since I have a photo of him, right?

The handsome man I meet claims to be a wedding photographer, but when I catch the flash of a gun holster while he’s kneeling down to talk to my niece and nephew—who he looks nothing like—I have the impression there’s a lot more to him than he’s letting on. He’s unlike any man I’ve ever met, and his name is Gabriele Torrente.

What the hell is happening to my once dull and peaceful life?

This book is approximately 103,000 words in length, and doesn’t end on a cliffhanger. It is the second book in the series entitled, “The Lonely Heroes Series.”

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Okay, so I’m coming in on book 2 and didn’t read book one, but I hear of children and a single dad and I have to give it a shot, right? Hot dads, they’re kinda my thing… In saying that, I’ve got to say, I did not care for Gabe one bit and he never really redeemed himself for me. He was high handed and judgmental and there were a couple of times that I wanted to smack both him and Dexter for the way they treated the kids and each other… Gabe was very hot and cold, in my opinion and I understand that he was thrust into this situation that he wasn’t ready for and never planned for, but still.. sometimes it just didn’t sit right for me. I really felt for the kids and they were just adorable and sweet throughout the whole thing.

Now, when Dexter’s mom dies, he get saddled with his sisters kids and a work obligation means he can’t take them with him, so it’s either find their mother, who is who knows where, (she was a homophobic witch and I didn’t care at all if she was ever found)….or the kids’ dad, who they believe is Gabe. I will say that I did love how protective Gabe is with anyone he cares about and try as he may to not get roped in, he did….and he did care for the kids, and pretty quickly, for Dexter too. They had good chemistry most of the time, but when it wasn’t, it just really wasn.t

There is also so many people to remember, extended family and whatnot and so much going on. I feel like this could’ve been stretched for two or even three books and it would’ve been a more enjoyable read but everything was just so packed in and it was one thing after another and just when you thought things were going to be okay, something else gets thrown in and upends everything and it was just exhausting LOL I’m not a big fan of angst, I don’t feel like I’m emotionally stable enough to handle a whole lot, even with fictional people, but it definitely had me flippin pages almost faster than I could read them. If you like that sort of thing and fast-paced, action from beginning to end kind of reads, you’ll likely really like this one. It felt like it could’ve been a movie… though if it was, there’s no way it would’ve gotten everything in one movie. It was a lot.

The ending was cute and I was happy for the kids, who were my favorite part of the whole story, but I would’ve liked to have seen Gabe redeem himself a little more… I just never warmed up to him. He had amazing qualities, like he was very protective and his alpha-like personality would’ve been hot, if he wasn’t so high handed and cold… but, all was well that ended well. I’m happy the kids were happy.

3 pieces of eye candy

Black Moon By Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes: Blog Tour, Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

by

An apple a day won’t keep this doctor away.

Linden Grove has always known that he’s not destined to be the next pack alpha. That position belonged to his brother Aspen—but then Aspen left the pack to join the military. When the unthinkable happens and the pack is left rudderless, someone has to step up and take care of it. Can a doctor go from “do no harm” to defending his own with his teeth and claws?

Colt Doherty is used to a certain kind of life. Glittering, picturesque, and . . . empty. As the youngest child of the country’s only werewolf senator, Colt has grown up in the spotlight, and he’s all too used to knot-headed alphas taking credit for the work of others, especially omegas like himself. When his editor sends him to write a story on the Grove pack, though, he finds something completely unexpected: Linden Grove in his unpolished perfection, as shiny and unexpectedly sweet as the apples his pack are known for.

A Grove pack omega has been kidnapped, and someone has to step up. The pack needs Linden to fill his father’s shoes, but no wolf can stand on his own. To save the day, sheltered Colt has to drop the politics and become the action hero he never thought an omega could be.

Black Moon is an 90k word standalone novel featuring one fiery journalist, one doctor with an obsession for hand knit sweaters, and the sweetest apple pies on the whole eastern seaboard, all bundled up in a non-mpreg A/B/O universe.

Title: Black Moon (Wolf Moon Rising, Book 1)
Authors: Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

If you’ve never driven the side roads off Virginia highways, let me tell you, you’re missing out on a whole bunch of fields. Hours and hours of trees and farmland. Endless, mundane hours.

Before I even got to Grovetown, I lost patience with the audiobook I’d been listening to, slammed it off, and turned on an old Blink-182 album, shouting along with lyrics worn familiar by a youth spent pissed the fuck off.

Finally—fucking finally—I wound my Prius up hilly roads, passing what looked to be an apple orchard with a sign out front that said, “Grove Apple Grove.”

Right, the Grove pack had been founded around an orchard, wolves rushing in from the coast back in ye olden times and settling where they could grow fruit plentifully.

Sounded kind of nice, all those sweet apples. A whole pack’s hopes and dreams growing deep with tree roots in soil.

Hey! Maybe apples were the key to overcoming the Condition. An apple a day and all that shit. You never know, but I was already looking forward to heirloom apples and cider donuts.

Whatever the case, I was surprised by how much I liked the sound of a pack with a place to belong. There was, of course, a pack in DC. Dad was alpha, but we were spread out through the whole district, and everybody had drives and intentions outside of the good of the pack. There wasn’t much communal about it, just, if two wolves had a problem, if an alpha got out of hand, Dad was expected to delegate someone to handle it.

That was the kind of pack I was used to, not the kind who looked after each other, settled in close to their neighbors, and worked together.

As idyllic as it sounded, it was just a nice thought. Like the drive through the countryside, there was no damn way that kind of life wouldn’t bore the ever-loving shit out of me the second I was done writing about the Grove pack’s weird traditions and backward habits.

I really, really wanted to like this book. I love all of Sam Burns’ other books.

What I really enjoyed about this book:

  • The world building was excellent

  • The detail really brought you into the story

  • The editing was excellent

What I didn’t enjoy about this book:

  • It was so boring… (I am an avid reader and it took me all day to get through this book)

  • The romance was lackluster there was absolutely no chemistry

  • The story was too long (it lagged)

  • The conflict was resolved so quickly

  • The action was talked about, but not shown

Honestly the story had a lot of potential. If they showed more than talked about the action or the kidnapping or the rescue I would have given the book 5 stars. I think the reason that it lags was because there was too much internal monologue rather than actual speaking. Which in turn, caused the MC’s to have no chemistry. Sam Burns is still one of my one click authors but this book just really didn’t do it for me.

3 pieces of eye candy

Sam is an author of LGBTQIA+ fiction, mostly light-hearted fantasy romances. Most of her books include a little violence, a fair amount of swearing, and maybe a sex scene or two. Or four.

She is a full-time writer who lives in the Midwest with her husband and cat. Someday, she plans to be a full-time writer who lives near the ocean with her husband, cat.

Connect with Sam:
www.burnswrites.com
facebook.com/sam.burns.52459
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FlickerFoxBooks
goodreads.com/author/show/16897949.Sam_Burns
amazon.com/Sam-Burns/e/B07123MZ62
instagram.com/samburnswrites
Sam@burnswrites.com

Connect with Waverly:
fawkeswrites.com
waverly@fawkeswrites.com
facebook.com/w.m.fawkes
https://www.goodreads.com/wmfawkes
twitter.com/FawkesWrites
instagram.com/w.m.fawkes

To celebrate Sam & Waverly’s new release, we are giving you 1 of 3 chances to win an e-copy of Black Moon!

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Garden of Cupid (Love’s Bloom) By Elizabeth Hollows: New Release Review and Giveaway

by

Will doesn’t want a relationship. Blain isn’t looking for a boyfriend. But with an old lady playing Cupid, how can they ignore a chance at love?

Will Brewer is a shy artist living with only his cat for company. He’s not good with people and even worse with relationships. He isn’t looking for a boyfriend. He just wants to paint. In fact, he would happily be living the life of a hermit if his eighty-year-old neighbor, Mrs. O’Grady, wasn’t constantly roping him into tasks around her house.

And he isn’t the only one she’s preying on.

The new and gorgeous mechanic Blain Stewart has just moved in next door. Where Will feels like an awkward fool around Blain, the mechanic finds him adorable.

Blain has just ended a bad long-term relationship with a high-maintenance man who didn’t understand him. He feels like he’s starting all over again and he’s hesitant for his fresh start to include the talented and charming Will.

But when Mrs. O’Grady asks them to plant some flowers in her garden, the tension between them skyrockets.

They both think friendship would be safer than a new romance. But when attraction, connection and an enthusiastic old lady are pushing them together, can they resist?

Amazon

Pride Publishing

Goodreads

This novella is part of the Love’s Bloom collection by Pride Publishing, focused around spring time, and this one hit that right on the head. The main characters are conned (in the sweetest way possible) into planting the flower garden of a sweet little old lady who was doing her best to play Cupid, and it worked. These main characters fell in love immediately.

I did love the characters, and for a novella, we got great background on both of them. The reader learned a lot about their lives, both past and present. Both were sweet, caring men, who really wanted to be themselves, and ended up finding their loves. The characteristics that made it difficult to find their right person, were part of what drew them to the other man.

And of course, their Cupid was slightly diabolical, and awesome. She was determined to get these two men together, and did it as sweetly and nonchalantly as possible.

My biggest issue with this story, although you have to give grace to the fact that it is a novella was that this was super insta-love. The MC’s both didn’t want to have a relationship, didn’t want to date, etc. Yet, had a date within a few hours, and basically were at “I love you” the following day. A bit quick for me.

All in all, though, cute and sweet.

3 pieces of eye candy

Elizabeth Hollows is an Australian writer of LGBT love stories specializing in homosexual or lesbian romance.

Her preferred genres are fantasy, science fiction and contemporary/modern.

She has been writing since she was twelve, but has spent the last few years writing romance stories and discovering a passion for LGBT romance.

When Elizabeth is not writing she embroiders, reads and plots her next novel. She is a fan of the winter months and always has a book in her handbag and a cup of tea nearby.

You can find Elizabeth at her website here – https://www.elizabethsromances.com/

https://www.firstforromance.com/index.phproute=product/author/info&author_id=11740

Enter to win a fabulous gift package and get a First For Romance Gift Card!

Love’s Bloom Giveaway – https://upvir.al/113008/lp113008

THE LOVE’S BLOOM AUTHORS ARE GIVING AWAY THIS FABULOUS PRIZE TO ONE LUCKY WINNER. ENTER HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A LOVELY GIFT PACKAGE AND GET A FIRST FOR ROMANCE GIFT CARD! Notice: This competition ends on 20TH April 2021 at 5pm GMT. Competition hosted by Totally Entwined Group.