Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

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Hard Ride: A Gay Cowboy Romance (Clean Slate Ranch Book 5) by A.M. Arthur: New Release Review

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Five Weddings and a Fake Boyfriend

City slicker Derrick Massey has always had a thing for cowboys. So a roll in the hay with Kendall “Slater” Stamos during a rustic weekend wedding is more than A-OK. But when Slater’s forced to hang up his saddle for the season, Derrick surprises even himself with his proposition: be my fake boyfriend and get my family off my back about finding a permanent partner.

Though unexpected, the arrangement is a win-win. Derrick gets a plus-one for a slew of summer weddings and Slater gets a place to stay while he recuperates…with lots of casual fun in between. Which is just how the sexy cowboy likes it: casual. Yet it’s obvious the chemistry between them is anything but.

With the countdown to their “breakup” on, the more time the two men spend together. And the more it becomes clear that what they have could be real, if only they let it be.

This book is approximately 83,000 words

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

Amazon

Giddy up! We are getting back in the saddle at Clean Slate Ranch!

We met Derrick way back in book one as the brother of the groom in the wedding party that brought Wes to Mack. Poor Derrick. Hooking up in all the wrong places or getting turned down flat. So when he finds himself on the ranch again and can’t sleep, he runs into Slater working out at in the garage. And then they work out together. *wink wink* And then they part ways having agreed to a one time thing.

Fast forward a bit and circumstances have brought the two men together again. And they make a mutually beneficial arrangement. A place to stay for one guy, 5 wedding dates for the other. Simple right?

Fake boyfriends can get tricky. Sometimes they either hate each first or don’t know each other at all. But these guys get along and at least are fairly acquainted with each other.

It actually plays out really well. There is little to no awkward between the guys as they establish their fake relationship. They just kind of go with it. And being that Derrick’s brother at least knew of Slater, he is totally accepting of it.

There was a fun cast of characters in this one. Getting off the ranch for almost the entire story opened the world up. My old home town was even mentioned-which is kind of rare based on the fact that it is a good sized city.

I loved the neighbors Dex and Morgan. The friendship that developed between Dex and Slater was seamless. That was a bit of a pun. You’ll get it when you read it.

Slater has his secret(s) which eventually come to light. But Derrick is just Derrick. He is a good guy without being gullible or naive.

OF COURSE I want to know more about the upstairs neighbors George and Orry. I’m sure I sniffed a spin off there somewhere.

I really enjoyed this ride, a little off the beaten path, but she reins it in.

I’M SORRY! I’m just feeling punny. Go read it so I don’t pun you more.

4 Pieces of Eye Candy

Cancer Ships Aquarius by Anyta Sunday: Blog Tour and New Release Review

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Prepare to dip your toe into the biggest adventure of your life, Cancer. There’s romance in the air, and it smells deliciously salty.

Dumped by the fifth girl in two years and abandoned by his best friends, Reid Glover is alone and in need of a home.

Desperate, he interviews to become a live-in manny aboard widowed Sullivan Bell’s yacht, the Aquarian.

The job? Not to look after thirteen-year-old Joanna. No, this child-mastermind needs Reid to befriend her dad, urge him to participate more in family life, encourage him to date, oh, and become his closest confidant and help him unleash his bottled emotions.

No pressure.

At least he’s not entirely out of his depth.

Okay, so he may have a slight aversion to the ocean. And possibly attract more than his fair share of misadventure.

But he is a pro at crying.

Watch out, Sullivan. Reid is on his way with a family-sized carton of tissues. He will help Sullivan through his fears. Will help him find love again.

Will absolutely not fall for him in the process . . .

Caution, Cancer, how long will you fool yourself?

Title: Cancer Ships Aquarius

Author: Anyta Sunday

Series: Signs of Love #5

Release Date: February 17, 2020

 Subgenre: Contemporary m/m romance

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Their gazes snagged, and Reid’s knees wobbled.

Sullivan pulled him into the main room beside the bed. Through a crack in the curtains, dim light seeped in from the light-spangled city below. Sullivan stood, and Reid heard every shift of his clothes, felt the heat of Sullivan’s body, smelled the scent of vanilla soap and under it Sullivan.

Reid licked his lip, trembling at what they were about to do. Waiting for it to happen.

Sullivan pinched Reid’s tie and drew if off him slowly, keeping the knot in place.

“Sullivan?” Reid watched Sullivan set the tie carefully on the bed beside their pillows. “This is my first time with a man.”

Sullivan plucked gently at his buttons. His words tickled over Reid’s nose. “I bet you’re wondering what I will do with you. How it will feel.”

Yes. “I need you to take my breath away.”

 

Reid, freshly dumped with the same ol’ line he’s been hearing his whole life, “it’s not you, it’s me”. Even from his own dad when he left, he’d long since read between those lines and figured out they meant the exact opposite. The common denominator was him afterall… So, finding himself broken up with and homeless, save for sleeping on the floor of his friends place, he needed the manny job he was applying for the same day as his broken heart. That’s when he meets Johanna, the daughter he’s interviewing to be looked after. Only, she’s almost 14 and Reid is only there because she talked her widowed father into needing a nanny as a guise to find him a new love.

It’s been 3 years since Sullivan’s husband passed away and though he’s an excellent father, he’s running from the hurt of losing the love of his life and dragging his daughter with him while he researches and invents great things! Sounds great, and a lot of fun, unless you’re a teenage girl who wants a place to call home so she can make friends and like boys, especially the one at the marina who lives a few docks down. She’s the mastermind here and she’s honest with Reid from the start and Reid, being the caring heart that he is, along with really needing the job, he’s determined to help this family.

He isn’t prepared for the gorgeous Sullivan to naysay him at every turn and genuinely not want him there. He’s isn’t prepared for liking him and his daughter so much and falling for them the more he gets to know him. And it’s funny and sweet and I completely fell in love with Reid and Johanna, especially. Unfortunately, Sullivan wasn’t prepared for Reid at all and wasn’t ready to move on from his husband. This is why I don’t care for widowed romances because it’s so hard to have a one true love when you’ve already had one. I know, I know, it’s not realistic, and of course Sullivan deserved a second love, but I felt like it was at the suffering of Reid…..he deserved more. Especially at the end… I HATED that Sullivan used those words on him “it’s not you, it’s me” knowing how painful they were to Reid. I hate that even after that, Sullivan wasn’t the one who chased after Reid and showed him that he did love him, but instead, it was Reid chasing Sullivan AGAIN and showing him that he loved him. Reid asks at one point, do I put others happiness and needs before my own? And the best friend said, you already know the answer to that… well, of course, he did… and he deserved for someone to put him first for a change and Sullivan didn’t do that.

I was literally floating through this whole book, loving every single second of it. I ugly cried and then felt so let down by that at the end. I wanted so badly for Reid to know, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was wanted and loved. He deserved that, didn’t he? He shouldn’t have had to work so hard for it. And don’t get me wrong, it ended beautifully, and I loved the two of them together, I just wish it didn’t feel so one sided at times. My stomach literally sank and it felt empty and I wanted Sullivan to show him that he was worthy after a lifetime feeling anything but.

Other than that, it’s an entertaining and sweet read with lots of giggles, plenty of tears and of course, horoscopes of love. I adored every book in this series and this one was no different. I can’t wait to see who’s next.

4 pieces of eye candy

A bit about me, Anyta Sunday: I’m a big, BIG fan of slow-burn romances. I love to read and write stories with characters who slowly fall in love.

Some of my favorite tropes to read and write are: Enemies to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Clueless Guys, Bisexual, Pansexual, Demisexual, Oblivious MCs, Everyone (Else) Can See It, Slow Burn, Love Has No Boundaries.

I write a variety of stories, Contemporary MM Romances with a good dollop of angst, Contemporary lighthearted MM Romances, and even a splash of fantasy.

My books have been translated into German, Italian, French, Spanish, and Thai.

Author website: http://www.anytasunday.com/

Author newsletter signup: http://www.anytasunday.com/newsletter-free-e-book/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SlowBurnSundays/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/anytasunday

Instagram: https://instagram.com/anytasunday

BookBub: https://bookbub.com/authors/anyta-sunday

Slow Dances Under an Orange Moon (Colors of Love Book 4) by V.L. Locey: Blog Tour, New Release Review and Giveaway

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Can the love they once shared be saved or has the pain of the past eclipsed it?

It’s been twenty years since Kye McLeod left the quaint little mountain town of Spruce Lake, Maine to play professional hockey. He’s had his share of ups and downs, but his choice to hit the big city and not look back has paid off handsomely. The future hall-of-famer is now ready to retire and come out of that dark closet he’s been sequestered in since his first secretive kiss with Davy Aguirre in high school. Now that he’s heading home to keep an eye on his feisty grandfather, there might be the chance to rekindle the flame between him and Davy.

Kye quickly learns that the boy he left behind isn’t the man he’s now knocking heads with. He always imagined grown-up Davy—who now insists on being called David—would be beyond the pain that Kye’s youthful blunder caused him, but now he’s not so sure. When the wildlife conservation officer squares off with the ex-hockey captain their connection is incendiary, and there are more than just fireworks. However, winning back the man he walked away from may not be as easy as he thought…

Cover Design: Designs By Sloan

Amazon

Book #1 – Lost In Indigo – Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book #2 – Touch Of A Yellow Sun – Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book #3 – The Good Green Earth – Amazon US | Amazon UK

Kye has had a good career. After leaving his tiny town to go on to the NHL, he lived it up the best he could while keeping his sexuality a secret. Small price to pay for fame and the love of the game, right? But now he’s retired and his grandpa is getting up there in age and he needs to come back and make sure he’s okay.

Sounds good, right? And while he’s home, he might as well pick up the love of his life that he left 20 years ago when they were both teenagers and start back where they left off, eh? That’s honestly what he expected to happen. I can honestly say that Kye was not my favorite of any guys in this series. His ego and lightheartedness was too much, so much in fact that he honestly couldn’t see what the big deal was after leaving his teenage boyfriend/best friend and not calling or coming to visit or even send him a letter for 20 years and now that he’s back, he’s confused as to why game warden Davy is upset. Why he doesn’t trust him? Why doesn’t he just jump back into bed with him, when at first, that’s really all he’s offering… I just didn’t understand Kye at all.

Now, don’t get me wrong, he kiiiiiind of grows on me a little bit somewhere around the middle, when he stops making a joke of everything and gets serious about winning Davy back, but it just didn’t feel genuine to me until the end.

And the way they just jumped back into not only bed together but the relationship, it was just like…. Really? The man up and left you for 20 years!!! I dunno.. I’m glad it worked out for them in the end, but I wasn’t feeling this one as much as I did the others in this series. They can all be read as a standalone because the only correlation between them all is hockey stars and Arn, their agent.

I was happy that when Kye decided to up and come out after 20 years like it was no big thing, that his family and most of the townspeople were supportive. I’m glad that the bad guys didn’t get away with being bad guys, if you read any of my reviews, ever, you’ll know I hate not getting karmic justice and although they weren’t scalped alive and thrown into a deep dark hole, they do get their traps shut, legally, so there is that. There are really cute geese with weird names, an ornery granddad and plenty of steamy nights between these two second chancers… alls well that ended well, I was happy they worked it out in the end, even if it did take me a while to get there.

3.5 pieces of eye candy from me on this one.

V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, Torchwood and Dr. Who, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a pair of geese, far too many chickens, and two steers.

When not writing spicy romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in one hand and a steamy romance novel in the other.

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Pros & Cons of Vengeance and Pros & Cons of Deception by A.E. Wasp: Audiobook Tour and Reviews

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There’s nothing like being blackmailed by a dead man to really bring a group of cons together. And what a group we are: a hacker, a thief, a con artist, a thug, and a Federal agent with an axe to grind. The deal is simple, we do the jobs and Charlie’s lawyer wipes the slate clean for each of us, one at a time.

Since job number one calls for some muscle, it looks like I’m up first. I’m Steele Alvarez, ex-Special Forces Close Protection Specialist (aka, a bodyguard for some not so nice guys).

After learning what the job is — taking down a seemingly untouchable senator with a penchant for beating up young male prostitutes — I’m in. No questions. A bullet ought to do the trick.

Then I met Senator Harlan’s latest victim: Breck Pfeiffer, the gorgeous hooker with a heart of gold and the soul of a fighter. One look at him and I’m gone. That kid laid me out harder than any punch ever did. I’ll do anything to protect Breck, even kill for him. But Breck doesn’t want the senator dead, he wants vengeance.

If we’re going to find a way to bring down the slimebag and get the blackest mark on my record erased, I’m going to need all the help I can get.

Like it or not, we’re all in this together.

BOOK 1

Book Title: Pros & Cons of Vengeance

Author: A. E. Wasp

Publisher: Tantor

Narrator: Tor Thom & Alexandre Steele

Release Date: April 2019

Genre: M/M Romantic suspense/romantic comedy

Trope/s:  Bodyguard. Leverage meets Charlie’s Angels but more gay

Themes: Vengeance

Heat Rating:  4 flames

Length: 8 hours 54 minutes

It is a standalone story.

Add on Goodreads

Audible US

Audible UK

Amazon US

Amazon UK

This is a new series to me. I’ve grabbed a couple of A.E. Wasp’s books, but I’m pretty sure they are in my TBR pile (although I will be digging through to find what I have!) What a great concept this series is! A bit of Charlie’s Angels but more gay (and with way more technology). 🙂 And the first book starts off with a bit of a bang.

This book is a bit more insta-love than I’ve read in a long while, but these two were definitely good contrasts for each other. Steele was all about protecting, and Breck definitely needed some additional protection as the entire group tried to work through Charlie’s first assignment for them. And wow, these assignments are no small feat. Taking someone down like the Senator they were working to demolish needed an entire team. I loved how these men all worked together to destroy this common enemy, despite them not having met previous to Charlie’s funeral.

I was not a huge fan of the narration of this book. I might have been okay (although I don’t know for sure) if there had only been one narrator. However, with two narrators, it pulled me out of the book in two different ways. One of the narrators, I just didn’t really like his voice a lot. And that happens of course, in every day life. I can usually get through that with audiobooks. In addition, though, one of the MC’s, (and I really only noticed it when it was one of the MC’s, and only when he was “speaking”). The two narrators’ voice for that MC were so different it was really confusing for me. Again, that happens. However, one voice was very deep, almost scratchy, while with the other narrator is was much higher pitched. I really struggled with the narration.

Definitely looking forward to the next story (see below) and seeing what Wesley has in store for Danny. 🙂

In the end…

Story: 3.5 pieces of eye candy

Narration: 2.5 pieces of eye candy

There’s nothing like being blackmailed by a dead man to really bring a group of cons together. The deal is simple, we do the jobs and Charlie’s lawyer wipes the slate clean for each of us, one at a time.

Job number two lands right in my lap. I’m Bond. Wesley Bond. (I can’t resist saying it that way. Blame my dad, if you can find him.) You could call me a hacker. I redistribute wealth – moving it from rich slimebags to poorer but infinitely more deserving people – and make a tidy profit as I do. My mission, should I choose to accept it, is to bring down some modern-day slave traders.

With the life of the one person in this world I love on the line, I can’t afford any screw-ups or distractions. Unfortunately, my biggest distraction is my biggest asset – Danny Monroe. Danny is a leftover complication from our first job. He’s a smart, funny, gorgeous ex-prostitute, who can’t seem to keep his clothes on. I can’t seem to keep my mouth shut around him. But I need a fake boyfriend, and Danny is the only option.

We don’t know who the bad guy is; we have no idea how to prove anything. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to need all the help I can get. Like it or not, we’re all in this together.

Book Title: Pros & Cons of Deception

Author: A. E. Wasp

Publisher: Tantor

Narrator: Tor Thom & Alexandre Steele

Release Date: June 2019

Genre: M/M Romantic suspense/romantic comedy

Trope/s:  Fake boyfriends. Leverage meets Charlie’s Angels but more gay

Themes: Justice

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 8  hours 13 minutes

It is a standalone story but it helps to read the first one.

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Audible US

Audible UK

Amazon US

Amazon UK

This story, for whatever reason, resonated with me more than book 1, even the narrators.

I enjoyed this one a bit more, and laughed at a lot more of the dialogue. “Big Daddy”, the tiny little shorts, and all the quick comebacks were all very well done. The group seemed to coalesce a little more with their second case in.

Wesley and Danny were really sweet together, once Wesley got past his hangup with Danny’s age. And everyone allowing Danny to do something besides work on his tan, was great. He wanted to be useful for more than eye candy, although that ended up being some of what he did anyway, and that worked out well.

The narration was not as rough to me this time. It seemed to be less of a jump around for me on this book, and I enjoyed that more.

This series is starting to really come along, and I am looking forward to then next book in the series.

Story: 3.5 pieces of eye candy

Narration: 3 pieces of eye candy

A dreamer and an idealist, Amy writes about people finding connection in a world that can seem lonely and magic in a world that can seem all too mundane. She invites readers into her characters’ lives and worlds when they are their most vulnerable, their most human, living with the same hopes and fears we all have. An avid traveler who has lived in big cities and small towns in four different continents, Amy has found that time and distance are no barriers to love. She invites her readers to reach out and share how her characters have touched their lives or how the found families they have gathered around them have shaped their worlds.

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Twitter: @AmyWasp  |  Newsletter Sign-up  |  Instagram: @amywasp

Stay Lucky by Leta Blake: New Release Review * 2

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A second chance to build the family of their dreams…

Dr. Grant Anderson long ago gave up on a relationship with Leo Garner. After all Leo left him for a movie star, and who can compete with that? But now, Leo’s back with his adorable, genius daughter in tow, leaving Grant consumed by three important questions:

1)Did Leo come home without the movie star because he’s looking for a fresh start?
2)Does he want a do-over with Grant too?
3)Why else would Leo be hanging around Grant’s hospital so much anyway?

The attraction between Grant and Leo is undeniable, and soon their affection reignites as well. But will their luck hold out through health scares and family drama so they can find their happy ending at last?

*This book is a single dad, opposites attract, second chance, hurt/comfort, medical romance by Smoky Mountain Dreams author Leta Blake, featuring over 60,000 words of an emotional, moving m/m romance with a happy ending you’ll love!

*Originally published in 2018 under the same title using the pen-name, Halsey Harlow.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

This was cute, a bit silly, but a smiling feel good second chance story with a kid that is way too smart for her own good. Even with a main character that was kind of hard to like, unless he was interacting with said smart kid.

Remember the show “House. MD”? And the main character was such a grouchy jerk that you wondered how anyone was friends with him? Ya, that. Grant was NOT a likable person. I wondered how his best friend, Alec, put up with him. Ugh.

He definitely got better once the romancing with Leo started. But seriously, the whole surgeon who makes nurses cry is just boring.

I thought it was a big second chance love story thing, but really they had only been on a few dates years ago before Leo was swept off of his feet by his ex boyfriend, leaving Grant in the dust. (there’s also a time line issue but probably no one will notice expect me)

So when Leo comes back, sick and with a daughter in tow, Grant does everything to make everyone hate him. Sorry, but eye roll.

They did, obviously, get back together. But we didn’t even really get the romance of it. More of a whole “huh, I guess we have been dating for the last month” kind of thing.

A bit too saccharine sweet for me, a bit too eye rolling, just a bit too schmoopy.

3 pieces of eye candy

Okay, so, I’m not a fan of movie stars and celebrities and rock stars… the whole rich and unattainable just isn’t for me, so I was apprehensive about this one when I read that Leo had up and left his high school boyfriend to live the high life with his ex, who’s a movie star and never looked back. I am, however, a sucker for a cute kid and a hot dad, so I overlooked my apprehension and jumped in with this one.

I will say, that Grant is a big pill to swallow. He is not likable in the beginning and his condescending attitude leaves very little to be desired… seeing the guy he could’ve fallen for all those years ago and who had a big hand in turning him into the pompous p*ick he that he turned into, seeing him back in town and chronically ill, well, that was a kick in the gut that made his sour attitude and lack of charm all the more appealing. Especially to Leo himself and Grant’s best friend Alec (who I wouldn’t mind reading about. I need to look into that)

Now, in saying all that…. Grant tries hard to not get close to Leo again, still stinging from the last time he left, it seems like the universe (and Alec) is determined to throw these two back together at all costs. See, Leo is sick and having to do dialysis three times a week at the hospital where Grant is a broody surgeon that everyone scurries away from. He’s charmed by the outspoken Lucky, who is Leo’s daughter and she’s taken with him and his inability to sugar coat. She trusts him and I adored their relationship with one another.

Dr. Grant will grow on you, I promise you. He’s brazen and outspoken and brutally, brutally honest, but he falls for Leo and Lucky so hard. It’s hard, especially with a meddling Memaw, a junkie sister who keeps letting them down and an ex that doesn’t try to be drama, but just is….(though the story isn’t any love triangle stuff, I hate that and he doesn’t make trouble in that way, which I’m glad about because I’m the least angsty person around.)

Overall though, watching Dr. Grant have a change of heart and do anything he can to protect his people… it’s well worth the read. I adored his relationship with Leo separately from how I adored it with Lucky, but I equally loved them all together…. Especially when you realize why Grant is the way he turned out to be and knowing that Lucky and Leo thawed that cold and lifeless heart of his.

5 pieces of eye candy

Find Me: An Omegaverse Story (Finding Free Book 4) by A.M. Arthur: New Release Review

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Layne Higgs grew up with a clear plan for his future: find his bondmate, mate during heat, and raise a family with the same love and devotion his parents showered on him. Until two years ago, he never anticipated that future would be with his best friend-now-boyfriend Peyton, and Layne has never been happier. Then an unexpected, impossible pregnancy obliterates everything Layne knows about himself as an omega.

Peyton Tovey has lived his entire life on borrowed time and that time is running out. With a baby on the way, Peyton agrees to participate in a risky gene therapy trial to save his life and give him the future he wants with Layne and their son. But the cost of the trial is more than anyone anticipates, and to have their happy future, Peyton and Layne will both have to find their way back to each other—or lose everything.

FIND ME is the fourth book in the “Finding Free” omegaverse series, which is a spin-off of the fan-favorite “Breaking Free” series. This is an original universe featuring mpreg, A/B/O dynamics, heats, knotting and an alpha-dominated society that is starting to see advances in omega rights. Content warnings for dark themes apply. Please see interior book blurb for an additional, spoilery warning.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Oh man I have been waiting for this story. So yes, you really need to read the other books. Since book 6 of the previous series, Feel, I have been waiting for this story. In Feel, Peyton was a child newly diagnosed with a disease that would likely kill him by the time he was 25. And then Demir, a beta still a teenager himself, decided that he would become a doctor to go into research for the specific purpose of curing the disease so Peyton wouldn’t die.

For several books, Peyton and his disease have been in the background. Often mentioned, but never the main focus of the story. This spin off series dealing with the children of the men in the first book focuses more on not only Peyton and his disease, but his best friend Layne. And then we watch their relationship morph in the previous book. And now. NOW! FINALLY! Not only the love story of Peyton and Layne, but also that horrible third wheel, Donal Syndrome.

Think you’re going to get a tidy little wrap up of this story? HA! You don’t know this author very well.

There were so many gasps, tears and smiles. My heart broke over and over again. Things I never expected to happen. I mean, there were parts that my mouth was just hanging open.

We do, ultimately, get to witness the happily ever after, with a few adjustments.

My only real critique is that there are SO many characters, the author takes the time to explain who they are and how they fit and any important plot points regarding them we need to know. So yes, this makes it easier for people who haven’t read all of the books or don’t remember everything, but it gets a bit tedious. Those paragraphs are easy enough to skim over though.

This was, by far, my favorite of this spin off series. I feel like through it all Peyton and Layne were the central couple before they were even a couple. Everyone was rooting for them. And we got our pay off.

4 Pieces of Eye Candy