4 stars

Blind Warrior (The Weavers Circle Book 3) by Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliot: RDB, Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

November 23, 2020 by Denise

Grey Ackles

The Soul Weaver feels useless.

A burden endangering his brothers.

The last battle with the pestilents cost Grey his sight and powers.

Now he’s dependent on his vision rehabilitation therapist Cort to learn how to function on a daily basis.

But as he grows closer to Cort, Grey is left wanting his powers back for a new reason—how will he ever know if the man he’s falling for is actually his soul mate?

Cort Newton

There is some really weird stuff going on at that house.

Spell books, guns, and a giraffe in the backyard?

But no matter how strange it gets, Cort is not going to leave the grumpy writer.

Adjusting to sudden blindness is hard for everyone, but Grey clearly has deeper reason for needing his vision back at any cost. Cort just wished Grey would confide in him.

Even with Grey’s secrets, Cort has never been drawn to a man like he is with Grey and he will do anything to keep this man safe.

Blind Warrior is the third book in the Weavers Circle series. It includes fast-paced action, running through Savannah, secrets, shapeshifting, brainwashed assassins, a gorilla, sexy times, fun with water, insecurity, three crazy old ladies, and magic!

Title: Blind Warrior

Series: The Weavers Circle #3

Author: Jocelynn Drake & Rinda Elliott

Publisher: Drake & Elliott Publishing LLC

Release Date: November 20, 2020

Heat Level: 4 – Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 98k

Genre: Romance, Fantasy

Goodreads

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Grey reluctantly got out of the vehicle and felt his way to the warm hood. “Gotta be a lot of glass bottles in there for me to knock over,” he warned as Lucien placed a hand on his biceps.

“We’ll steer you in the right direction.” Lucien pressed on his arm as they started walking. “You need the exercise.”

“Makes more sense for me to wait in the—” he broke off when a horrid smell hit his nose. It was like rotting meat left out on a hot summer day. “Shit, pestilents,” he hissed. Fear gripped his heart, his lungs freezing in his chest. How the hell was he supposed to protect himself?

Pestilents were these…humanoid creatures…from another realm who were trying to kill him and his brother Weavers. Their world was dying, and they wanted to leech energy off this one to save their own. Grey and the other Weavers had been tasked to stop them, using magic they’d gained from three goddesses. Insane. All of it sounded absolutely insane, but it was now his life.

One positive was that they were easy to spot, thanks to their awful stink. They rotted slowly in this world because they didn’t belong.

“I just smelled them, too,” Lucien grumbled under his breath.

“Can you see them?” Grey asked.

“They have to be in the store. Do pestilents drink alcohol?” Baer’s voice was moving away from Grey, possibly toward the Jeep.

“How the hell would we know?” Lucien led Grey back, too. Doors opened around him and he reached out with his left hand, coming into contact with the familiar durable fabric covering the rear bench seat in Baer’s Jeep.

“That’s it? We’re going to run?” Grey slid inside the vehicle, inwardly fuming. They were running to protect him.

“You expect us to just attack them in broad daylight in a wine shop?” Baer’s voice came from the driver’s side this time. “I can’t believe they’re rallying forces this fast. We had a three-month break last time.”

“There is obviously more than one set out there, or they wouldn’t have been chasing us over the United States.” Grey grabbed the front seats and pulled himself forward to lean between them as Lucien got into the passenger side. “I don’t think we should just leave them.”

Lucien cleared his throat. “I see only one at the counter now.”

“Doesn’t mean there aren’t more in the back,” Baer countered.

“Why don’t you go in there and lure him out?” Lucien suggested. “See that field behind those trees? We could fight it there.”

Grey saw nothing, but he didn’t bother to point that out. All he knew was, he felt wrong running and leaving any pestilents free to attack them later. Or even an innocent human who just happened to get in their way. If there were only a few, Baer and Lucien would be able to easily take care of them on their own. “I think that’s a good idea. But you should both go inside, just in case there are more than one.”

“And leave you help-er…alone out here?” Baer snapped. He cursed softly. “Sorry, Grey.”

But he was fucking helpless, and he knew it. Before losing his sight, his powers hadn’t done a lot when it came to fighting, but he’d been able to shoot a gun, use a knife. He wasn’t bad in a fight. And he’d been able to serve as a lookout, offer cover for his brothers. Now, he didn’t even have that.

Of course, his powers were tied to his sight, so he couldn’t use those. All he got were the occasional broken thoughts and emotions from others. His ability to see auras had been nipped in the bud. As was his ability to see into people’s souls, to read their past, motives, desires, and thoughts. He didn’t know if he could still manipulate people, hadn’t even tried.

“I’m going in,” Baer announced. “I’ll lure him into the field and shift into something fierce. We’ll dispatch this asshole, grab our booze, and go home.”

I have been eagerly awaiting this book! This is book 3. It is not a stand alone, you absolutely have to read books 1 and 2 as it is a continuing story. That being said, spoiler from book 2 coming. Although the title kind of gives it away.

Grey, the Soul Weaver, introvert, mind reader, goes blind after the last big battle with the pestilents. And even though Dane, the healer, can help with everything else, he cannot restore Grey’s sight. Without his sight, Grey has no powers. Without powers, Grey can’t help the other Weavers in the war against the pestilents. Oh, that was the cliff hanger for book 2 and why I couldn’t wait for book 3.

We pick up pretty much right where we left off. A week or two has passed, Grey has been to a doctor who couldn’t do anything except offer the number of a vision rehabilitation specialist so that he can learn to manage his life better.

There were some funny scenes when they were all trying to keep the whole Weaver thing from Colt- the VRS. “Was that a giraffe?” BAHAHA! They tried, but keeping the secret was next to impossible.

And so they brothers continue on, trying to figure out a way to beat the pestilents for good, while trying to come up with a healing spell to get Grey his sight back, and Grey and Cort slowly falling for each other.

Even with a story taking place almost solely at one house, with the same people always interacting and the two main characters thrust together because of necessity, there is still some really sweet and romantic scenes. And Grey does know how to use his words to woo Cort. And woo he does.

There is a bit of drama when Grey hears one of Clay’s thoughts. Working through that was tough for them.

Oh wait! I forgot we also got another Weaver! This time it is the Water Weaver. (PS- I love the diversity of the characters. Out of 7 there are two black men and one Asian man.) He isn’t freaked out at all and takes to it like a duck to water. Whomp whomp. Sorry, had to.

There are battles and invaders and spells and shifters and everything that makes this series so fun, intriguing and readable.

I loved it and can’t wait for book 4. Luckily there was no cliff hanger on this one.

4 pieces of eye candy

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

Website | Facebook | Twitter | eMail

http://drakeandelliott.com/

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

https://twitter.com/DrakeandElliott

drakeandelliott@gmail.com

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Teach Me Tonight (LA Teachers Book 1) by Natasha Washington: New Release Review

November 2, 2020 by Denise

Kim Junseo owns a Korean fusion restaurant he built from the ground up, and he keeps himself busy running it and taking care of his 5-year-old daughter, Hee-Young. Though on the surface he seems successful and happy, he’s also lonely – and terrified of relationships, since his marriage to his ex-husband Noah ended in disaster three years ago.

When Junseo comes to Nic Moretti’s classroom to throw Hee-Young a birthday party, sparks fly. Nic thinks Junseo is impossibly handsome, funny and sweet. Junseo’s drawn to Nic’s goofy, gentle spirit and thinks he’s beautiful. Junseo doesn’t even think twice about volunteering to teach Nic’s class about food and cooking. One thing leads to another, and soon they’re bonding over kimchi fried rice at Junseo’s restaurant and salami and cheese sandwiches at the Getty Villa as the heat builds between them.

Then Junseo’s abusive ex-husband Noah re-appears in his life, claiming good intentions, but Nic’s afraid that Noah’s going to try to worm his way back into Junseo’s life and hurt him. Junseo, struggling to deal with old demons he thought he’d buried, pushes Nic away. With Nic and Junseo’s relationship on the rocks and Noah refusing to keep his distance, Junseo feels like his whole carefully constructed world is crumbling around him. He has to decide which is more important: keeping up his perfect façade, or keeping the man who has so sweetly captured his heart.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Well, this was a lovely surprise. A new to me author- but still a new author as this is only her second book- but I am a sucker for books that feature restaurant workers.

Junseo is a single dad who owns a Korean fusion restaurant in LA. His daughter goes to a private school and never stops talking about her teacher Mr Nic. Turns out that Mr Nic enjoys being a kindergarten teacher, but longs to be a professional musician. When they meet, sparks fly between them.

Both men are wary based on their pasts, as well as the little girl one is a father to and the other is a teacher to. But once they get a moment alone, holy hotness.

I really loved that both men were nice guys. No one was a jerk that had to learn to love. Sure, they both had erected walls around their hearts, but really, those walls crumbled pretty easily. There could have been a lot of angst, and there was a little of it, but they really seemed to look on the bright side of things, even if they didn’t know they were doing that.

Nic’s circle of friends were funny and added to the story as opposed to being just filler. His mother and his sister are also featured through email and calls and the Philly in them shone through. From talking about the secrets of making gravy to his mother mailing him tomatoes from Jersey. Yes, these things happen in real life. When I lived in CA, my family would mail me tomatoes from NJ.

Junseo seemed to really only have his best friend and his mother in his life. Well, and his daughter. HIs mother was a very central piece of his life though, teaching him to cook when he was younger and helping him care for his daughter now while he worked.

Junseo and Nic were really perfect together. They were sweet and romantic and really hot. The way Nic loved Hee-Young as well was so evident. She was never treated as an extra who had to be worked around.

There were a few silly things that bugged me. But, you know I am a picky reader. So, I don’t think I will even mention them because they didn’t detract from the story at all.

Very well written, likable characters, a cute AND hot love story. And since this is book 1- there are more to come! I will definitely snatch up book 2 when it comes out.

4 Pieces of Eye Candy

Liars (Licking Thicket Book 2) by Lucy Lennox & May Archer: Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

October 29, 2020 by Denise

Parrish Partridge’s True Facts:

There’s nothing hotter than a tall, gruff, bewildered, tattooed mountain of a man cuddling a sweet, orphaned baby, so you can tell yourself that you’ll resist him…

But that’s a lie.

And when that man asks you to do him a favor and pretend to be his very temporary, very fake fiance to help him get custody of that adorable baby, you can pretend you know better than to say yes…

But that’s a lie, too.

And when you actually get to know your kind, strong, pullet-loving prince of a fiance, and all his crazy, lovable, meddling neighbors, you can tell yourself you’re not really falling for Diesel Church and the town of Licking Thicket…

But that might be the biggest lie of all.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

“This is really pretty, actually.”

I followed his gaze as he looked around at the honeyed wood paneling I’d installed on the walls and ceiling in the kitchen and the living area just beyond it. Despite baby crap everywhere, my home was clean and bright. It may have been small and really run-down on the outside, but I’d been working hard to fix up the inside myself, and I was proud of it.

“Thank you,” I said gruffly, turning away to look for enough space in the fridge to fit his chicken dish. I didn’t have much in the way of food right now, so it was mostly an excuse not to have to meet his eyes after throwing him under the bus like I had.

“So… this is chicken pot pie with bacon-and-cheddar biscuits. I forgot to write down the reheating instructions. Do you have a pen and piece of paper?”

I glanced up at him from the door of the fridge. That was it? He wasn’t going to ask me what kind of crack I was smoking and why I’d claimed him as mine before we’d even officially met?

“Uh, sure. Lemme see…” I rooted around in the nearby junk drawer until I found a sticky-note pad and half-chewed pencil. “Sorry,” I muttered.

He took it delicately between two fingers and began to write the instructions in tidy penmanship before placing the sticky note onto the tinfoil.

“There. I hope you like it. I know it’s not much, but… I wanted to apologize for the way I snapped at you the other day, and Uncle Beau says no one’s ever gone wrong with an apology casserole.” He blinked rapidly and began looking everywhere but at me. “Which is probably not true. I kind of wonder if anyone’s accidentally poisoned someone with one, you know? Like, God forbid, at a funeral or a wake? What if they’d accidentally used old mayo or bad eggs or…” He blinked up at me and blushed as red as his old beater car out front. “Maybe that’s inappropriate. I promise I used all fresh ingredients in yours.”

He was adorably flustered, and I wanted to kiss his fool face off right there in the middle of my kitchen.

“It’s alright. I’m sure it’ll be fine,” I managed. I wasn’t about to tell him I was a vegetarian. I didn’t tell most people anyway, but I for damned sure wasn’t telling a man who’d gone out of his way to bring me a bacon-and-chicken casserole thing.

We stared at each other for a beat before he pulled the dish off the counter and shoved it at me. “Fridge is best. And, um… I probably have to go now.”

I took the dish and turned to throw it in the fridge, but when I turned back around, he was already halfway across the room waving goodbye over his shoulder and thanking me for my generosity in supplying him with writing implements. He reached the door and pulled it open, only to realize it was the coat closet. “Oh.”

I slapped my hand over my mouth as he turned in a few confused circles and tried a different door. That one was to my bedroom. He let out a little squeaky noise of alarm and slammed the door closed again. The sound shot like a crack through the small house, waking the baby he probably hadn’t noticed asleep in the portable crib on the far side of my bed. Suddenly, Marigold’s angry shrieks rang out around us.

The look of horror on Parrish’s face was almost comical. “Oh my God, my apology casserole visit is going to need an apology casserole,” he whispered in shock. “This is unprecedented.”

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, so the opportunity to read Parrish and Diesel’s story, was a “gimme”. These two authors write very well together, and bring the funny.

I laughed out loud several times. The fall festival??? HILARIOUS!

“Now everyone knows Johnsons are big fans of the Lickin.'” Amos rolled his eyes. “That ain’t no secret. Big Red Johnson goes crazy at Lickin’ time. And don’t get me wrong. Nutters like the Lickin’ too, But you might say bobbing is what Nutters do best.”

Just dying laughing. However, I also cried at some of it (you’ll know when you get there…it’s a nose blowing time).

Overall though, these two men…they definitely needed a class on communication. Liars was an apt name for this book. They had a really hard time telling the truth and actually talking to each other, not just about their needs and wants, but about things as simple as Diesel not eating chicken casserole because he was vegetarian.

The two MC’s really stood well together in the face of the challenge of raising one infant, and it was so endearing. Where Diesel had some challenges at being a sudden father, Parrish was able to step in, help, and teach Diesel some of what he needed to know.

Another fun, sexy (HAWT!), and endearing book by these two authors who know how to do small town romance right. 🙂

4 pieces of eye candy

After enjoying creative writing as a child, Lucy didn’t write her first novel until she was over 40 years old. Her debut novel, Borrowing Blue, was published in the autumn of 2016. Lucy has an English Literature degree from Vanderbilt University, but that doesn’t hold a candle to the years and years of staying up all night reading tantalizing novels on her own. She has three children, plays tennis, and hates folding laundry. While her husband is no shmoopy romance hero, he is very good at math, cooks a mean lasagne, has gorgeous eyes, looks hot in his business clothes, and makes her laugh every single day.

Lucy hopes you enjoy sexy heroes as much as she does. Happy reading!

May is an M/M author who lives in Boston. She spends her days raising three incredibly sarcastic children, finding inventive ways to drive her husband crazy, planning beach vacations, avoiding the gym, reading M/M romance, and occasionally writing it. She also writes MF romance as Maisy Archer.

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Feel the Fire: A Firefighter Reunion Romance (Hotshots Book 3) by Annabeth Albert: New Release Review

October 28, 2020 by Denise

The third installment of Annabeth Albert’s Hotshots series—the emotions and intensity of Chicago Fire with the raw, natural elements of Man vs. Wild.

When their career paths bring two high school sweethearts together again, the forest isn’t the only thing ablaze…

Fire behavior specialist Luis Riviera goes where his job takes him. But when he’s assigned to an arson investigation in Central Oregon—the place he left his broken heart twenty years ago—he’s afraid of being burned all over again.

Tucker Ryland had planned to join his first love, Luis, in LA after high school graduation, but life got in the way. Now a fire management expert and a divorced father of teen twins, Tucker’s thrown for a loop when he finds himself working side by side with his Luis, now all grown up and more intriguing than ever.

Though consumed by a grueling fire season and family responsibilities, the two men discover their bond has never truly broken. Tentative kisses turn to passionate nights. But smoking sheets aside, old hurts and new truths stand in the way of this time being the start of forever.

Danger lurks everywhere for Central Oregon’s fire crews, but the biggest risk of all might be losing their hearts. Don’t miss the Hotshots series from Annabeth Albert: High Heat, Burn Zone and Feel the Fire.

Amazon

Yep, I think this one is definitely my favorite of the series so far. For several reasons.

Long lost love and reconnection. Tucker and Luis were best friends in high school. And then they started to become more. Until Luis’ father was transferred to California for his job. Being teenagers in love, they had a plan to stick it out until they graduated high school, then reunite and be together. But the cruel world got in the way.

Fast forward many years- 18? 19? and Luis is sent back to the town he lived in with Tucker to help out with an arson investigation their fire service is doing. Surprise! Tucker works there.

Grown men who have each done a lot of living since they last saw each other. Tucker married, had twins and divorced. The twins are now 17 (and pretty funny characters in the story) and he is best friends with his ex wife. Hey, it happens!

Luis was injured as a firefighter so he is no longer on the front lines. He also lost a long term boyfriend. Neither Luis or Tucker are ready for something. Silly boys.

So, the guys acknowledged from the start that it would probably go nowhere since they lived over 1000 miles apart. I really enjoyed the fact that Tucker’s ex wife was his best friend and a big part of his life. AND she wasn’t like so many of the ex wives I read that are stupidly involved with their ex husband’s love life. I mean, she was nosy. But that was a given.

Tucker also took the time to discover exactly what his sexuality was to him.

When they were together, they were adorable. They were like teenagers, discovering each other, flirting, touching, doing little things. It was really so sweet. They listened to each other, they still put their jobs (and the twins) first, etc.

And then came the plot point that I knew was coming. BUT! I was very pleasantly surprised. That is all I will say about that.

Two guys, acting like grown ups, doing the non exciting part of firefighting, but acting like teenagers together. Very swoony.

4 Pieces of Eye Candy

The Engineer (Magic & Steam, Book 1) by C.S. Poe: Audiobook Review

October 26, 2020 by Denise

1881—Special Agent Gillian Hamilton is a magic caster with the Federal Bureau of Magic and Steam. He’s sent to Shallow Grave, Arizona, to arrest a madman engineer known as Tinkerer, who’s responsible for blowing up half of Baltimore. Gillian has handled some of the worst criminals in the Bureau’s history, so this assignment shouldn’t be a problem. But even he’s taken aback by a run-in with the country’s most infamous outlaw, Gunner the Deadly.

Gunner is also stalking Shallow Grave in search of Tinkerer, who will stop at nothing to take control of the town’s silver mines. Neither Gillian nor Gunner are willing to let Tinkerer hurt more innocent people, so they agree to a very temporary partnership.

If facing illegal magic, Gatling gun contraptions, and a wild engineer in America’s frontier wasn’t enough trouble for a city boy, Gillian must also come to terms with the reality that he’s rather fond of his partner. But even if they live through this adventure, Gillian fears there’s no chance for love between a special agent and outlaw.

Based on the short story, “Gunner the Deadly.” Entirely revised, newly expanded, and Book One in the exciting new steampunk series, Magic & Steam.

Audible

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I’m slow at audiobooks, even ones that are only 2.5 hours long. But I enjoy them so much. (I wish I could focus on them, while doing other things like working, but sadly, often I can’t). This one took me a little while to listen to simply because I was finishing another, but I loved the book when I read it so much that I knew I had to listen when given the opportunity.

This is a prelude to how these two guys get together, and begin their adventures, and honestly, it’s super cool. Steampunk can be anything you want it to be. So, the author has so many historical references and language, it’s obvious how much research goes into her books (and if you follow her online you know that is the truth). However, then there are all kinds of magical things that very obviously are not from that time, but just make it that much more enjoyable. The descriptions of the train, and all it could do…just fun, loads of fun.

However, the MC’s, they had to feel their way around each other (hahaha literally and figuratively) due to the historical time period, but finally finding what they needed in each other. Yes, there is a small cliffhanger, but this isn’t surprising simply because we know there is a book 2 coming, The Gangster (Magic & Steam Book 2) (preorder it!) where we get to see exactly what is in store for their impending romance.

This narrator was new to me, Declan Winters. His narration was succinct and appropriate for the time period of the book. I liked his narration, and enunciation, but felt like I needed more energy. That being said, it could very well have been his interpretation of the character of Gillian, who himself was a very serious character.

I’m looking forward to more of Special Agent Gillian Hamilton and Gunner the Deadly, in both visual and audio formats.

Story: 4 pieces of eye candy

Narration: 3.5 pieces of eye candy

Bully King: An MM Bully Romance by Andi Jaxon: Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

October 19, 2020 by Denise

I’m the pastor’s son.
He’s the star quarterback for a small Kentucky high school.
While the town worships him, I pray for God to take my life.
He makes my life a living hell by making me his victim.
This perverse game we play could end us both.
How can something that feels so right be so wrong?
The price if the truth is discovered is death, but I can’t stop.
Neither can he.
No one can know.
Can I risk it?
Is Roman King worth dying for?

*This story is an m/m bully romance including dubious consent, assault, talk of suicide and is intended for readers 18+. Please proceed with caution.*

Title: Bully King

Author: Andi Jaxon

Release: October 15, 2020

Genre: M/M Bully Romance

Goodreads

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

“Jonah.” My name is growled.

Roman grabs my shirt when I spin around and pulls me into a classroom with no lights on. Did he not hear the sermon? We can’t be caught together. Expecting to hit the wall, I stumble into the gloomy room with Roman shutting the door behind me.

“What are you doing in here?”

He doesn’t answer me, just grips my shirt again and pushes me against the wall where we won’t be seen by anyone walking past the door and he’s pressed against me. His lips are harsh and demanding against mine. He’s pissed off, but I’m too hurt by my father’s words to be angry yet. It’ll come, but right now, my heart is heavy and broken.

Gripping his face, I kiss him back just as hard, frantic for his touch. My tongue duels with his and my teeth latch onto his lip. He growls, the rumble of it vibrating my chest. He’s pressed against me, mouth to thigh, and hard as steel. Blood pumps through my veins, filling my cock at his closeness.

He reaches for my pants, and I break our kiss.

“Roman,” I pant, my hands reaching for his wrists.

“Why do you come here?”

His question catches me off-guard. He’s still crowding me against the wall, his deep blue eyes searching my face for something, but it’s hard to think with him this close to me.

“Why wouldn’t I? I’m a son of God.”

Confusion leaves me open for his next assault. Roman’s lips crush mine, taking no prisoners. This kiss is hard, demanding, brutal. It’s exactly what I need. The pain, the desperation.

I kiss him back just as hard, biting at his lips, sucking on his tongue, ravaging his mouth. My dick aches in my pants, hard, desperate for attention. Roman’s body moves against me, his dick just as hard behind his zipper.

Reaching down, he grabs my leg and pulls it around his hip to get a better angle. His thick cock sliding against mine has my eyes rolling back into my head and he swallows my moan.

My hands grip his shirt, pushing him away from me, forcing him to let go of my lips. We stand there for a long minute, panting, not saying anything.

“We can’t do this here.” I’m finally able to get the words out.

Roman smirks that damn look that says, “I can do whatever the fuck I want.” His hands cup my ass, forcing me to grind against him. My eyes close and a groan rumbles from my throat.

“Stop,” I pant. “We can’t do this here. Not in the House of God. It’s sacrosanct. It’s wrong.”

“Does it feel good, Jonah?” Roman lips brush against my ear. “My dick against yours?”

“Yes,” I hiss through clenched teeth, pleasure overriding the common sense part of my brain.

“Does it feel right? Me touching you like this?” His teeth nip at the skin of my neck. “Huh? Does this feel perverted? Does this feel like something you can just stop wanting?”

Roman’s hand moves to the front of my pants once again, his palm pushing and stroking against my dick through my pants. My hips buck against him on instinct, wanting more.

His lips drop to mine again, shutting down all logical thought. My hands move to his hair, pulling on the gold locks he wears so proudly.

Okay… I hope you’re ready for this…

Page 1, I’m flat out, ugly crying, like….body-wracking, soul shattering sobs. Think Farrah from Teen Mom, but like… worse, cuz I’m not on camera but in my room, feeling this kids’ words to God like I’d heard them before. Wanna know why? Because I have. This story hit me in ways that I was not prepared for and I want to tell you all the reasons, but I’ll spare you the pages of sob story for me and just tell you how I related to this so hardcore.

First, I was raised in a Pentecostal church with these very same rules and all the hate that accompanies them. My mom, though not as crazy as Jonah’s dad, were so similar. My heart broke for him and his home life because imagine…. Imagine that life. A kid, scared in his own home, pretending to be something he’s not and warring with himself because he wants so badly to change. To be normal. How heartbreaking, right? Then, starting highschool in a new town, the Bible Belt, where I live, he’s got to hide from everyone there as well, on top of being targeted by the most popular, untouchable highschool bully… The harassing that goes on here, is disgusting, and it made me sick a time or two at what he went through at the hands of them. Especially, Roman, the beautiful one that makes it all worse and better at the same time.

In the beginning… I did not believe that there was a single thing that Roman could do to redeem himself and all the ways in which he tormented Jonah. He wasn’t just a bully, he was downright criminal about it more than once. I hated him. I hated him so much!

And don’t get me wrong, I understand that a tough home life is kind of a staple for bullies, right? It doesn’t give you a free pass to be so angry that you assault people. Torture people… and I hated the way that he treated Jonah, and I hated the way Jonah took it because he felt like he deserved it in some way. He also really liked it, but that’s just an aside lol There were lots of reasons to hate Roman King.

Fortuntately, and I don’t even know when it started happening because nothing really changed in the way that Roman treated Jonah, but something changed in Roman. There is a triggering part in a locker room and I wish someone would’ve warned me about that, not that I get triggered by much at all, but I almost found it unforgivable. I’m still kind of warring with that. I don’t think it’ll be something I forget for a while.

So, living in a small southern town with the Lord on your back, I can understand how scary it was for these kids an I hurt for them. Also relatable because my own kid came out just a couple of years ago with the very same fears about the rest of his family. Those same prayers, asking to be struck down if he couldn’t be made normal… for God to change him or change his family that would cast him out. As he cried to me the night he was outed in middle school, begging me to let him leave at 13. Over my dead body, right? I said that I’d take the brunt of whatever fallout and I’d keep his secret and tell anyone whenever he was ready. When he was, I laid out our conditions and we were set to cut out any and all who had a negative word to say about my boy or his “situation”…. Even one word. I almost dared it.

That’s the way a parent is supposed to react when their baby has a secret that feels like it’s weighing down their soul. You take that burden because that’s literally what you signed on for. It’s your job.

I also hated all the parents… Jonah and Roman’s moms for being so weak that they couldn’t/didn’t put their babies first. What kind of mother does that make you? No mother at all, I’ll say it right now. Their dads, both of them, garbage. I won’t give either of them another word. I’m glad at least one of them got the karmic justice they deserved.

What I loved though, was Jonah’s little sister and biggest champion, Mary. I loved best friend Taylor and his mom Krystal. (I hope we see more of Taylor in what I hope will be future stories of not only these two, but also him)… I loved the school friend, Anna, and despite the emotional roller coaster that was this story, I absolutely fell in love with Roman and his possessiveness , though I still think he borders criminal and definitely needs some couseling for his need to hurt people to feel in control…. You can’t help but love him though, because he loves Jonah in the only way that he knows how, and he loves him in a way that’s kinda skewed, but that’s honest and raw and sometimes hurts… and to me, that’s the best kind. I don’t think that anyone could love Jonah more than Roman, and I think the same is true for Roman.

What a crazy, angsty, tear-jerking, terrible, yet amazing read. I really, really, really hope this isn’t it for them. It feels like their story is just beginning. 4 stars from me! I need more!

4 pieces of eye candy

This is a new to me author. I chose to read this, honestly, because of the grief the author got by using the same title as another (MF traditional romance) book. It just wasn’t cool.

Well…uhm…ya. This book was not for me. It starts off with a really long prayer by one of the main characters, Jonah. His father is a preacher and they just moved to Kentucky from Washington state. At first it doesn’t seem like his father is one of the “fire and brimstone” kind of preachers. He started off pretty normal I thought. Until the Sunday sermon about GAYS and their inherent evil. EEK!

He is also being bullied at school by the football team. Total cliche. The head bully is the golden boy football quarterback. And once we got to know Roman more, you see why he is the way he is. Alcoholic, abusive father who used to be in the NFL. Bullied at home, so he bullies at school. But he is drawn to Jonah, which is confusing for him. Or not. He has bedded most of the girls in his high school apparently, so when Jonah and his sister arrive, he immediately goes for her. But there’s still Jonah.

As expected, they start hooking up. But Roman is horrible to Jonah. Treats him like utter crap. He is all about appearances at school so he “has” to treat him like crap there. But he revels in causing Jonah pain. Sorry, 17/18 years old is a bit too young to be messing around with S/M especially since neither of them ackowledge it as such. And Jonah doesn’t like it. But he is so desperate for acceptance, that he takes it. And rough sex like that between teenagers was a little cringy.

Roman says it is because of the town’s history with gays and how they are treated. So when Roman’s best friend is caught kissing a boy, he helps him get out of the immediate situation, but then beats the shit out of him the next day in front of the school.

It was all too much. Roman was never redeemed, in my opinion. Jonah never stood up for himself. I honestly understand that these things still happen in 2020 in the US and elsewhere. But the main characters should have some sort of public redemption. He beats up his best friend and nothing?

I hated Roman. I disliked Jonah. Their parents are all awful in different ways. The only likable character was Jonah’s sister, Mary

Sarcastic and snarky, I love to laugh and read dark fucked up shit. I write about tortured pasts and hot sex, a happily ever after that has to be worked for. My stories tend to be a little dark but with some comic relief, typically in the form of sarcasm.

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