Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

Cate Ashwood

Close to Home (Sawyer’s Ferry #4) by Cate Ashwood: Release Day Review

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Witt:
I excelled at two things: systems engineering and going completely unnoticed.
The engineering took work and determination. The invisibility came naturally. Until one day, the wrong person noticed me. Battered and broken, I fled, escaping to Sawyer’s Ferry and the only friends I’d ever had.
Now, I just needed to figure out what I was going to do next.

Mason:
Life was good.
I had a great job, good friends, and a family who loved me. Even my roommate was decent. At least he was until he let his nudist brother come to visit. The opportunity to house-sit and help an injured friend couldn’t have come at a better time.
All I’d needed was to avoid an awkward situation for a few days, but I got more than I bargained for when my entire uncomplicated life flipped upside down. The last thing I’d been looking for was love, but it wasn’t until Witt that I realized just how much I’d been missing out on.

Title: Close to Home

Series: Sawyer’s Ferry: Book 4

Author: Cate Ashwood

Release Date: May 31st, 2019

Genre: Contemporary m/m romance

Length: ~50,000 words

Cover Artist: Cate Ashwood

Goodreads

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

We’re back in Sawyer’s Ferry!

I was really looking forward to this one, with Mason (who works with Barrett at the brewery), and Witt, who is friends with Logan and Jackson.

We jump into the story right after Witt is viciously attacked in his bed and fleeing to get as far away from the place and the person who did it, as quickly as he can. It takes us a little bit to find out who did it and the why is still unknown, although I guess some people are just terrible people and don’t need an excuse to be that way…. but he ends up blacking out while waiting in his car to board the ferry to Sawyer’s Ferry. He’s luckily found by friends and taken to the hospital where Logan and Jackson step in to take him home with them until he gets better.

Playing hockey with Jackson, he confides in his team captain, Mason on what happened with Witt, and having met him before and having a little crush on him, Mason wanted badly to make sure that Witt was okay.

I loved how sweet and patient Mason was, and how much he cared about people, most especially Witt. When Jackson and Logan have to go out of town and then have a scheduled trip planned that’ll take them away from the healing Witt for a few weeks, they’re worried about leaving Witt alone, until Mason volunteers to stay with him and look after him until he starts feeling better. The situations at his own house, though kind of funny and kind of horrible, means he’s jumping at the chance to do it. Not only because he wants to spend more time with Witt, but also because he just doesn’t want to be around the nudists that are related to his roommate. I can’t say I blame them, that whole side story there irritated me. How rude.

Through it all though, while the men get to know each other and learn to trust each other, they’re also falling for each other. Mason wants to take care of Witt and protect him; he’s never far from Mason’s mind and he does everything he can to take things slow for Witt.

Witt has always lived his life for someone else; doing what he could to make someone else happy… so having someone like Mason in his life, who puts him first and cares about him so much, and just wants to make him happy… is exactly what he needed. Teaching him how to defend himself and showing him that it’s okay to be his own person and do what he wants for himself for a change, it was exactly what Witt needed. I loved it. They complimented each other so well, it didn’t feel like the insta-love, co-dependent thing that it could’ve been because of the situation. It felt real and authentic and genuine, and it was all just so sweet.

I loved the friends they all had and seeing everyone from the town. I liked that
Mason had this huge accepting family, and I would’ve liked to have seen them get to meet Witt because if anyone needed a big accepting family, it was Witt… so that kinda sucked, but meh, that may be me just being selfish and wanting more.

I also liked the man responsible for hurting Witt, didn’t get away with. I hate hate hate reading a story and the bad people just get away with being evil, vile people.
Though I’d have liked some petty karmic justice, painful and equally as evil as the hate he put out there… but I was happy he got what he did, plus a broken arm LOL so, good enough for me!

I’m really excited to see who’s next. I hope this series goes a long way, and maybe Brody’s next? Fingers crossed. Loved these two together and can’t wait to see more of them in future stories.

4 Pieces of Eye Candy

Copper Creek by Cate Ashwood: Exclusive Excerpt, Release Day Review and Giveaway

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Frankie:
My life sucks.
After spending a year jobless and on the edge of becoming homeless, I’d officially reached a level of desperation that, even if I wasn’t completely broke, retail therapy couldn’t fix.
While Sawyer’s Ferry, Alaska, is the last place on earth I’d ever want to visit, when my best friend, Holden, begs me to fly out and plan his wedding, I can’t say no. What I didn’t expect was to stumble into the administrative chaos at Copper Creek Brewing—or its too-hot-to-be-legal owner.
Clearly the man needs my help, and I’m willing to go above and beyond.
Way beyond.

Barrett:
I am screwed.
Six months after my assistant up and quit, I’m not any closer to finding a replacement, and things at the brewery are starting to fall apart.
And then in walks Frankie. He’s not the typical guy you’d find in these parts, and he brings with him a world of confusion. Because as much as I need his help, I can’t seem to keep my eyes—or hands—off him.
He’s supposed to be getting my life in order, but instead there’s a chance he could turn everything upside down.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Straight ahead, I could see miles and miles of open ocean. Islands dotted the distance between me and the blue horizon. Seagulls, the shit-hawks of the sea, had always seemed mangy and diseased back in New York, scamming french fries off tourists and scavenging garbage cans for scraps. But here, they were graceful and elegant as they glided through the air, riding the gusts of wind coming up from the cliffs below.

“Pretty spectacular, huh?” Barrett said.

“It’s amazing.” I closed my eyes and held on to the railing as the salt-crusted breeze kissed my face. I inhaled, pulling the scent of the sea deep into my lungs and holding it there, like it might heal all the broken parts of me.

I opened my eyes to find Barrett watching me so intensely I was breathless all over again.

He stepped closer, crowding me against the railing. I had the open ocean at my back and a wall of man at my front. I swallowed hard, my brain scrambling to make sense of the situation.

Barrett lifted his hand, brushing one of my curls to the side, his fingers lingering to twist the hair loosely around his knuckle. I stood, struck dumb as he combed his fingers through my hair. The sensation of it sparked shivers down my spine, and when he tightened his grip, tugging my head back to look at him, I whimpered.

In that moment, Barrett owned me, and even if he hadn’t had such a tight hold on me, I couldn’t have moved. I might never move again.

He leaned in closer.

“Barrett,” I whispered.

“Hmm.”

“I have to tell you something.”

“What’s that?” His voice made me tremble.

“I don’t think you’re straight.”

He slowly lifted one eyebrow. “Frankie?” he whispered.

“Hmm.”

“Shut up.”

The air between us sizzled with tension as he tightened his grip and leaned forward and gently nudged my nose with his. I tilted my head, begging him to kiss me. My whole body was lit up, every cell aware of him. I’d never been so desperate for anything.

He brushed his lips against mine, not a kiss, just a simple touch, and I was going insane. He chuckled softly, his breath ghosting against my mouth I wanted to kick him or scream. He was torturing me, and I hated it, but at the same time, I didn’t want it to stop.

Finally, when I was right on the precipice of dying in his arms, he closed the last of the space and kissed me.

For real.

The slow-playing Barrett of a moment before was gone, and left in his place was a man who knew how to kiss, who took what he wanted. It was consuming and dizzying and so fucking good my knees almost gave out.

Between the course scrape of his beard against my skin, the tight grip of his hands on me, and the demandingness of his mouth on mine, I was fucking putty in his hands.

He spun me, pressing me against the rough brick, his hand braced on the window frame. I slid my hands into his hair, holding on to him, drawing out the kiss like it was the only thing tethering me to earth.

I am so in love with this series, and we finally get Frankie!

If you don’t remember Frankie, I urge you to go back and read Gage and Holden’s story, as he’s Holden’s bestie from New York. He’s crazy, in-your-face and unapologetic about who he is and I love that so much about him. So, after losing his job when Holden’s dad’s company went under, he’s been staying with his cousin Gia, who just told him she’s pregnant again, and their already small apartment was about to get smaller…. So, he needed to find someplace else to go…. Enter Holden with a great idea… Come to Sawyers Ferry and plan his wedding !!!

He grumbled about it, sure, but how can you not fall in love with the place. I knew he would. I’m not sure if this is a real place… but if it’s not, I want to wish it real and go visit all these hot guys and their family-like community. So, in all his grumbling about being their glory, he stumbles upon brewery owner, Barrett.

Barrett is firmly in the closet with both doors closed and married to his work. Broody and gorgeous, I hoped for someone amazing for him, and getting to know him, I would not have pegged Frankie to be his type, but I think that’s why they work so well with me. They’re complete opposites.

While volunteering to help Barrett get his office into shape in the few months he’ll be in town, the chemistry between the two is intense, but with Barrett so deep in the closet and Frankie being born already out of it… I was afraid that Frankie was going to get hurt. Little did I know, when Barrett stopped avoiding his feelings for Frankie, he pulled out all the stops in wooing him and showing him how he felt. He was romantic and sweet and not at all the broody guy we thought we knew. With Frankie, he was open to learn who he was and what he liked, and all the while, they were developing deep feelings for each other, it was cute to watch, but sad because you knew there was a deadline on their time together.

It was rocky, that’s for sure… there were some parts that broke my heart for both of them, because it was so obvious that they belonged together…. But like every part of this series, even the heartbreak is worth it in the end. Barrett doesn’t go down without a fight…. I loved him all the more for what he did and how he did it, and I cannot wait to see what’s next for these guys, as well as everyone else we’ve met and have yet to meet.

What an awesome addition to an amazing series…

FAVORITE LINE:

“I have some deliveries to make in Juneau, and I thought you might like to come along. Get out of the confines of this town for a few days. See more of Alaska than the Sawyer’s Ferry town square.”
“Count me in.”
“I’ll pick you up at six tomorrow morning,”
“I changed my mind. Bring me back something nice.”

5 Pieces of Eye Candy

Leave a comment on the post. Congratulate Cate on her new release, let her know your thoughts on the excerpt, etc, and you could win something from her extensive backlist!

Alaska (Sawyer’s Ferry Book 1) by Cate Ashwood: Quick Review

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Nobody says no to a Prescott.

Not even one of their own.

Holden:
Living up to expectations had never been easy, but when I went after something, I got it. Success. Money. Victory. I was standing on the doorstep to having it all. There was only one thing standing in my way.

Gage:
Power and prosperity are overrated. Especially when they come at a price. When enough became enough, I walked away. Nothing had ever tempted me to look back, until one day the past showed up in my back yard.

I’m not so sure I can walk away a second time.

Title: Alaska

Series: Sawyer’s Ferry

Release Date: April 26th, 2018

Author: Cate Ashwood

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Length: Novel

Cover Artist: Cate Ashwood

Goodreads Link

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

 

I have to admit, I was a little bit adamant in the beginning, after reading how Holden’s dad treated him.
I could literally write an entire monologue about how awful this man is, but in no way would I do him justice… He’s that terrible and you will hate him. Be prepared for that.

Holden Prescott is a skilled surgeon with his own department and lab to study chemical trials and everything he thinks he’s ever wanted. Only problem is, his dad – the older, other Dr. Prescott is holding his strings because he was financially helpful making sure Holden got to where he is thus far….
So, when the older Dr. Prescott wants the partner he sold out to come back and work for him, he does what he does best and threatens to take everything Holden has unless he brings him back to New York to work.
Sending him to Sawyer’s Ferry, Alaska is his only shot to get Gage to come back and if he doesn’t, his whole life is ruined. No job, no money, no home, nothing…. Yep, that’s how evil his father is. Did I mention how badly I hated him?

Gage was happy to leave New York two years ago when his mentor and partner got money hungry and sold out…
Finding a home in the tiny town of Sawyer’s Ferry, he liked the small community and having his best friend close… even if the two of them were 2 of the only few surgeons at the small hospital they ran. So, imagine his surprise when the younger, gorgeous Prescott shows up unannounced because he’d ignored the older Dr’s attempts to contact him.

It’s a little rocky at first, what with Holden having everything riding on him getting Gage to come back and Gage not wanting anything to do with anything that has to do with either Dr. Prescott’s or their business.
What neither man was expecting was their instant attraction to one another and the way they made each other feel.
Their chemistry was immediate, and I loved it. No matter how hard the both of them knew it couldn’t be anything, except maybe a night or two of fun… it was fun to watch them go back and forth, learning about each other and going from enemies to bone buddies, to friends, to in a relationship, to being in love.

Gage is sweeter than I expected him to be, and Holden is charming and nothing like his father. They were perfect for each other, and I loved their back and forth as well as their steamy times…. which were indeed, really hot.
When an emergency situation has Holden staying in town longer than he planned, he not only falls in love with the temporary job and the charming little town…. but he falls in love with Gage too… And it…. is…. SWEET!

I kind of figured that Holden’s dad was up to something, after being so desperate to get Gage back after he’d bought him out two years previous… but it was a little twist when we got to why.
I liked that Holden got closure and a tiny little piece of karmic justice… but I’m petty in a way that I wish he’d have done more damage, and his father would’ve gotten it rubbed in his face that not only did he land on his feet, but that he was actually happy, doing well and WITH Gage. That would’ve been fun to see…
And then if he could’ve just beat him up or something equally as painful…. that would’ve been nice to see too…
But, ya know… it was more realistic the author’s way, I reckon LOL Not everyone is all about Angry Vengence Life, like me haha

I also loved the secondary characters, both Frankie who Holden’s best friend and Logan who was Gage’s….
I loved the townspeople and the guys’ co-workers.

And I loved, loved, loved the ending! I cannot wait to see more of these two and I really hope something great happens with Logan and Frankie…. even if it’s not together.
This was an excellent start to what I hope will be an even sweeter series.

5 pieces of eye candy from me!

All He Ever Needed by Cate Ashwood: New Release Review

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Some secrets are too heavy to hold on to forever.

For Ethan, pretending has become second nature. After all, he’s spent the last decade pretending to be straight, pretending to be happy, and pretending he isn’t desperately in love with his best friend. But in a single moment of raw honesty, all those lies come crashing down around him and he’s left wondering what to do next.

When Jase learns his best friend is going through a breakup, his first instinct is to come to Ethan’s rescue, and he knows just the thing to help. The cabin where they spent summers as kids is sitting vacant, and a week there is the perfect remedy to start healing a broken heart.

In the seclusion of the mountains, long-buried fears and emotions take their friendship into unexplored territory that will either bring them closer together… or tear everything apart.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

What an emotional, loving, sexy story. I love Cate Ashwood’s writing, and this book was no exception. It had so many raw moments, but so many sweet and loving moments. These two men loved each other, not just as lovers, but as best friends.

Being best friends with a guy for more than two decades forged a kind of love I’d never experienced anywhere else. We were closer than brothers, and now that he was hurting, I’d do whatever I could to take care of him.”

It was obvious how much Jase was willing to risk to help Ethan through what was such a devastating time. He didn’t question it, he literally picked up Ethan, packed the car and drove away with him for a week. Giving him time to heal, time to tell him exactly what happened, and then time to figure out that what they really needed was each other, as lovers, and as the most important person in each other’s lives.

It created such a touching dynamic for Ethan to be as devastated as he was, knowing that part of it was that he knew without a doubt (as did Allison) that he was gay, had been hiding it, and was in love with his best friend. At the same time, Jase’s only concern was picking up the pieces, and making Ethan whole again. It was obvious that their devotion to each other had been melded over many years, and yet, the final piece remained stubbornly out of reach for both of them.

This book had so much heart, and so much caring, not just for the two MC’s, but also for the other important people in these two men’s lives…including their ex’s. I loved that! No one walked away from this story without their own version of a happy ending (and speaking of which…oh my, there were some seriously HOT sexy times!), and that made this reader very happy.

Highly recommended! 4.5 pieces of eye candy

When the Devil Wants In by Cate Ashwood & J.H. Knight: Release Day Review

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John Turner has been living a lie most of his life. Growing up in the rural Georgia town of Magnolia Ridge, he’s only ever let one person truly know him: his best friend, Chloe. To the rest of the world, they’re the perfect couple, but just between them, she’s helping John hide in plain sight.

Matt Kinsley, a cop from San Francisco, moves to town looking for a slower pace and to reconnect with his Southern roots. Starting over in Magnolia Ridge means taking a step into the closet, but Matt finds that with John for company, he doesn’t mind so much.

As the two start to explore a possible relationship, a horrific murder rips the town apart but brings John and Matt together in ways neither could’ve imagined. Matt must decide where his loyalties lie while John resists the urge to run again. Together, they have to discover who the real devil is before another life is destroyed.

Release Date: January 30, 2018
Word Count: 90,000 words
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Genre: Contemporary m/m romance with some suspense elements
Cover Artist: Cate Ashwood

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

Kobo Books

 

California native, Matt is in for a culture shock when he moves from the big city of San Francisco into a tiny backwoods town in Georgia. In a place where everybody knows you AND your Mama .it takes a bit of getting used to…especially how backwoods some of them seem. There were a couple, *who I suspect, and hope will come out in the next book, and I hope its Santiago that blows him wide out in the open!!* But, anyway…I did not like the use of the word Fag and nobody calling anyone out on it, but that was really the only problem I had with the whole book…

So, now that Matt was in town, he decided one night to take a drive, too hot to stay in his apartment, he didn’t plan on going a couple towns away, or having a random hookup with the only guy hes felt attracted to in while…Having the guy run out on him afterwards wasn’t something he was used to. Still…they had a connection and were left wanting more for them…Or I was at least!

Wouldn’t ya know it…Small world and all that, the hookup must’ve had the same idea, because a week later, with his partner, he runs into the guy he hadn’t been able to keep off his mind. Only one problem…he had a fiancé! A woman fiancé…

But, of course, not everything is as it seems.. not for any of them. Matt wasn’t out at work and who could blame him, especially with that A hole, Jay…. I wasn’t fond of him and I never warmed up to him…tho I do suspect he’s the one Santiago was talking about…Fingers crossed…Santiago is Matt’s old partner from the force in San Fran…but, still very much apart of his life.

Now, things get a little muddy because everyone, including Johns family thinks hes been with his bestie Chloe for the last decade and since neither of them dispel the rumors, neither of them say otherwise. Its just easier for everyone…Until something happens to Chloe and everyone seems to blame John…

Well, not everyone…I was kind of upset by that too…How everyone had known him his entire life and yet, some didn’t believe his innocence or nonability to do something like that. He loved Chloe, she was his best friend….more than that really, they were all each other had. Sure, they both had family, but not ones that knew them heart and soul like they did about each other. I loved their relationship and I was gutted by what happened and how and who did it…Cuz I gotta be honest, who I swore done it the whole time was nowhere near accurate… I love that. It kept me on my toes, that’s for sure! It was a page turner for sure!

One thing though, Matt never lost faith in John and eventually, John gave in and stopped running from Matt…Well, and everything else really as well. There were a few unanswered questions that I would’ve liked the answer to, but I’m really hoping for another story after this one and maybe that’ll shed some light on a few things.

Other than that though, it was a fantastic, suspenseful story and I really, really enjoyed it!

4 pieces of eye candy from me

Textual Relations by Cate Ashwood: Quick Review

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Evolutionary psychology professor Henry Hathaway is ready to spend his birthday the same way he does every year: a good teeth cleaning followed by lunch with his brother. But when he receives a wrong-number text confirming the details of a date, he does what any considerate person would—he goes to meet them and explain why they’ve been stood up.

Asher Wescott hadn’t expected his blind date to go well, because when do they ever? Henry shows up instead, and things are suddenly looking up. Socially awkward and attached to his routines, Henry is nevertheless one of the most charming and kind men Asher has met in a long time.

Too bad he’s not Henry’s type.

An accidental date, an impulsive kiss, and a few conflicted feelings later, can Asher get Henry to see the world—and him—in a different light?

Release Date: August 10th, 2017

Title: Textual Relations
Author: Cate Ashwood
Publisher: Cate Ashwood
Genre: Contemporary m/m romance (GFY)
Length: Novella – 32,500 words
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35668308-textual-relations

Amazon-Kindle Unlimited

This is a super sweet, quick read. But it doesn’t skimp on the hotness factor either!

A wrong number, total opposites and someone discovering they weren’t as straight as they thought. This could have been a very formulaic romance. But it was really well written.

Often times a shorter book doesn’t have character development and relies quite heavily on sex scenes to move through the story. And while there are sex scenes- both characters were really great. Henry is completely “adorkable”  and Ash is a bit of a wild child. They complement each other really well. This definitely wasn’t a forced opposites attract story.

Ash teaches Henry to go off script sometimes. To have adventures- big or small. Once Henry realizes that taking a risk brought him to Ash, he understands that letting go of structure sometimes is fine. And Henry does the same for Ash- shows him that sometimes structure is good.

I chuckled with Henry researching his newfound attraction to men (or at least Ash) as completely scientific. It just made perfect sense to him.

It was the perfect palate cleanser after reading a big heavy novel and gearing up for another.

Definitely give this a read. I will absolutely add this author to my list of books to look for.

4 pieces of eye candy