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Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

Marley Valentine

Unloved (The Unlucky Ones) by Marley Valentine: Quick Review

February 22, 2024 by Denise

From USA Today bestselling author Marley Valentine comes an all new emotional, hurt/comfort, polyamorous romance.

We longed. We lost. We loved. Desperately.

I thought I had my life all figured out. But after a college football accident leaves me deaf, I was learning how to live all over again.

I expected the anger, the frustration, and the struggle to readjust, but what I didn’t expect to happen amongst the chaos, was to fall in love.

Especially not with two men.

Rough-edged puzzle pieces, Rhys, Samuel, and I were nothing but aching memories, painful realities, and hidden scars.

We were products of our pasts, abandoned and unloved, messy and complicated. Individually we had baggage; together we had mountains to climb.

But when the three of us were tangled up in one another, spilling secrets in the dark, hearts beating in sync, nothing else mattered but them.

We needed to break the cycle, because they deserved love… And who knows, maybe I finally did too.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

I am such a complete sucker for angst. Add in friends to lovers, bi awakening, a throuple AND a deaf main character? It’s like catnip. And the story didn’t disappoint.

I didn’t read book 1 so everything was new to me. There seems to be quite a bit of overlap of stories with book 1 and 2, but really it’s fine if you haven’t read book 1. But you know I am going back for it!

Lennox becomes deaf without warning. He grew up in the foster system and had no idea that this was a genetic possibility. Until he took a hard hit in football and never heard again.

You could feel his fear. Fear, being overwhelmed, feeling excluded, anxiety, depression. All completely new feelings to a college football player. His best friend Samuel is there for him every step of the way. Especially since his brother took off after a bad break up. He does have a close friend group who went through foster care with him and they all rally around Lennox during this huge change.

On the outskirts is Rhys. Fresh out of rehab for the millionth time. He wants to stay sober. His sponsor is one of Lennox’s foster siblings. And Rhys has a deaf sister so he knows ASL. Sounds like the starts aligned, right?

Wrong. Samuel is still exploring being bi. Being bi with his best friend. Who is now deaf. And Rhys who is struggling to stay sober, helping Lennox learn sign language and falling for both men. And Lennox, learning how to navigate life while deaf, trying to repair his relationship with his brother, exploring a romantic and sexual relationship with his best friend AND his feelings for Rhys. It’s a lot.

And yet all of these things unfold with sensitivity and realness. No shortcuts were taken on their road to heeling and self discovery.

I adored these men together. They were absolutely made for each other.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Filed Under: Book Review, New Release Review, Quick Reviews, TCO Reviewer: Erin Tagged With: 4.5 stars, book, Book Reviews, gay, lgbtq, m/m romance, Marley Valentine, mmmromance, mmromance, new release, review, romance

Ache by Marley Valentine: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, and Release Day Review * 2

June 22, 2021 by Denise

I couldn’t tell you when I fell in love with Gael Herrera, but I wish I knew how to make it stop.

Falling in love with a straight man is a rookie mistake. But falling in love with my soon-to-be-married-to-a-woman best friend is nothing but heartache.

Through all the years, and all the men I’ve fooled around with, he’s always been at the back of my mind. An unrequited crush I wish I could shake. A dream that was never going to come true.

When I whisk him off to a surprise bachelor party weekend in Vegas, I surrender to the idea that this is an opportunity for me to finally let go of my feelings for him and say goodbye.

But after a heated exchange and an even hotter kiss, everything I thought I knew about our friendship changed.

Maybe I had it wrong. Maybe, after all this time, we were more than best friends. Maybe, just maybe, he felt it too.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

Confidently, she places her hand on her hip, not caring that every inch of her is on display. “I don’t need you to touch me because you feel bad, Gael.”

“That’s not what I’m doing,” I protest.

She leisurely reaches for a nearby towel and wraps it around her body. “Is this about Frankie?”

God, I hated hearing that man’s name. “Why are we talking about Frankie?”

“Because every time he comes up, you turn into”—she gestures her hand up and down my body—“this.”

“I just don’t like him for Jordan,” I exclaim.

“They have sex Gael, it’s hardly a marriage proposal.”

“He said he would bring him over in the new year. That’s more than just sex.”

She shakes her head at me. “He said that because you seem to turn into an over protective, ornery father every time he mentions people he’s with.”

His father? God, that was so far from the truth. Nothing I felt about him was familial. Not in a long time and even less so lately.

Lately, I was fucking jealous, and Elena knew it. Every part of me knew she did, but she wasn’t going to call me out. Because she was hiding from the truth just as much as I was.

“Sorry,” I say, because honesty isn’t really an option right now. “I can’t help but feel protective over him. Ever since—”

“I know,” Elena says, nothing but understanding in her voice. “Ever since he got kicked out of his home, you’ve felt the need to protect him. I get it. You’re the same with me,” she adds with a soft smile. “You’re like that with everyone you love. And we love you for it, but you need to let this disdain for Frankie go and let Jordan live his life. If it turns to shit, you’ll be there for him, because that’s what good friends do.”

Every word she said pricked at my heart in pain, leaving little holes as reminders that this was so much more than being worried and protective of your friend. It was a lifetime of hurt, longing, lust, and confusion. And it was wrong.

The only other book I have read by Marley Valentine is Without You, which if you know me I rarely read anything that says “angsty”, but I absolutely loved that book. (Go grab it if you haven’t read it!) It broke my heart about six different ways, and then put it all back together again. So, I definitely went into this book expecting something quite similar. Anyway, since I hadn’t been burned with the angst on Without You, I figured I had to try this. I was not disappointed.

There is a piece in this book that the author calls “an unconventional triangle”, which **small spoiler** may cause some people to be overly cautious about reading it. Don’t, please! It is usually a piece that I don’t want to read either, but the author did it very well. Honestly, the author made it very real life. Life is about choices, day to day, week to week, year over year. And in this case, the heart had made its choice years before.

It was obvious from the first chapter how in love these two MC’s were with each other. They just were not bright enough to figure out that they other one was also in love with them, despite everyone around them realizing it.

They go to Vegas, and realize that they’ve hid it from each other all these years, etc. The first half of the book is almost entirely based in Vegas, and sets up the second half of the book very well.

The MC’s were best friends before they were lovers. However, they were also family. Jordan found family in Gael, as well as with the entire Herrera family, and it was just wonderful to see how much they loved him back, no matter what. Each person in that family was there for everyone else, at all times. What a joy to read.

I cried…multiple times…reading this book, something I genuinely try to avoid. However, with this author I have done it more than once, and it’s likely I will do it again. And I’m here for it. 🙂

A big recommend, without question. Take on the Ache, but, I promise, you’ll get to your HEA.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Apparently this was a short that was included in a previous anthology. It has since been re-edited with 50,000 words added.

We’ve seen this- best friends, gay falls for straight, long drawn out angst, straight goes gay for you, happily ever after. It’s a bit that-but definitely more.

The more involves Gael’s family taking him in as their own when his parents throw him out at 17 for being gay. More is watching your best friend get engaged to a woman. More is finding out your straight best friend wants you just as badly.

I really loved that most of this book took place over a weekend in Vegas. The back story between Jordan and Gael is explained at appropriate times to move the story alone without bogging us down with their entire relationship since they were teenagers. It moved fast without sacrificing story and it had SO. MANY. FEELS. Family feels, romantic feels, friends feels, love feels. Sigh.

No one was a jerk, no one was the bad guy, no one needed to be redeemed. Just an awesome friends to lovers story that was really well done.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Living in Sydney, Australia with her family, Marley Valentine is a USA Today bestselling author and a former social worker who uses her past experiences to write real life, emotional and heartfelt contemporary romance.

She enjoys mixing it up with both M/F and M/M Romance incorporating all forms of life, lust and love as her characters embark on their journey to their happily ever after.

When she’s not busy writing her own stories, she spends most of her time immersed in the words of her favourite authors.

Marley enjoys interacting with her readers so please feel free to reach out to her via Facebook, Instagram, email and/or subscribe to her newsletter.

Connect with Marley:
Website: https://www.marleyvbooks.com
Newsletter: https://bit.ly/MarleyVNL
Audio Newsletter: https://bit.ly/MarleyVAudio
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2VuYfg8
Instagram: http://bit.ly/MVBooksIG
Twitter: http://bit.ly/MarleyTwitter
BookBub: http://bit.ly/MVBookBub
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Un7EdJ
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/MVGoodreads

Filed Under: Blog Tour, Book Excerpt, Book Review, New Release Book Blast, New Release Review, Quick Reviews, Release Day Review, TCO Exclusives Tagged With: author, blog tour, Blog Tours, book, Book Excerpts, Book Reviews, excerpt, exclusive, gay, lgbtq, m/m romance, Marley Valentine, mmromance, new release, review, romance

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We are two chicks who love books (m/m romance with an HEA) and enjoy our eye candy. http://twochickso

Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye Candy

3 days ago

Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye Candy
✨Let’s celebrate! It’s release day for BLUEBIRD by @brookeblaine1! Grab it in KU!#OneClickNow✨U.S. amzn.to/4cdwvGI✨Worldwid mybook.to/BluebirdebookWhy you need to #ONECLICK this book…🔥Amnesia🔥Golden Retriever🔥Tattooed MC🔥Paramedic🔥Ugly Cry🔥Someone to Watch Over Me🔥Forgotten Past🔥Biawakening🔥Strangers to Lovers🔥Hurt/Comfort🔥ProtectorEvery morning, I stop at the same gas station for coffee before my shift. Same routine. Same quiet moment before the sirens start.And the same beautiful stranger.We see each other almost every day—two men passing in the early hours, never speaking. Until one morning, we finally do.Reid is kind, easy to talk to, and someone who would never be interested in me, at least not in the way I want him to.Then the call comes in.A wreck in town. One patient critical.It’s Reid.I save his life—but the accident steals ten years of his memories.Reid doesn’t remember his past, his job, or the man he was before the crash. The only thing that feels familiar to him… is me.He trusts me. Leans on me. And as he begins discovering who he is again—he falls for me.But loving a man who doesn’t remember his life means living in fear of the moment he does.Because when his memories return, I might lose him all over again.Previously published as The Unforgettable Duet.#newbookalert #brookeblaine #amnesiaromance The Author Agency ... See MoreSee Less

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Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye Candy

3 days ago

Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye Candy
✨Did you see?✨THE RESILIENCE OF STARS by @xarakenley is available NOW! Grab it in KU! #OneClickHerea.co/d/9r5W6ZWWhy you need to #ONECLICK this book…🔥MM Romance🔥Age Gap🔥Porn Star Veteran x Newbie🔥Friends(ish) to Lovers 🔥Unconventional Workplace Romance🔥Soulmates🔥Hurt/Comfort🔥Fast Burn Spice, Slow Burn Love🔥StandaloneI'm pretty sure I'm having a midlife crisis.I started my career in adult entertainment at eighteen, and now, at almost forty, I'm realizing my days in front of the camera are numbered. It's the only reason I agreed to a collab with a guy who's brand new to the industry...and fifteen years younger than me.I've been doing this a long time, and I've worked with a lot of guys, but I didn't expect the actual ray of sunshine that turned up on my doorstep. Riley is everything I'm not: young, self-assured, green. I've always been alone, because it's easy to avoid hurt if there's no one around to disappoint you. But one collab with Riley has me wanting to open up my life to him...and maybe even my heart.The Resilience of Stars is a fast burn spice, slow burn love MM romance between two unconventional coworkers with a guaranteed happily ever after.#newbookalert #xarakenley #mmromance The Author Agency ... See MoreSee Less

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Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye Candy

3 days ago

Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye Candy
✨Did you see?✨DIRTY LITTLE SECRET by @rileyhartwrites is available NOW! Grab it in KU! #OneClickNowgeni.us/DirtyLittleSecretHart Why you need to #ONECLICK this book…🔥BDSM🔥Secret Relationship 🔥Student/Professor 🔥Age Gap (28/40)🔥Younger Dom/Older sub 🔥Opposites Attract 🔥Custody of surprise siblings JamesI’m forty years old, a tenured professor with investments, property, and a 401k. But what I crave is to submit. To hand over control to Colton. We met on an app. His needs matched mine. It was only supposed to be once, then twice. No commitment, so I don’t feel bad cutting contact. Then my world implodes when I get custody of siblings I didn’t know I have. Everything would have been fine, I would have survived on my own, if not for Sir, my hookup, walking through the doors of my classroom. He’s over a decade younger than me, and now I’m his professor, yet Sir is giving me schedules I need and caretaking from a distance. I know I should stay away, but I can’t. No matter what he gives me, I want more. Colton I’m twenty-eight years old, starting my first semester as a transfer student at a local university, finally following my dreams. And then I see him, the sub I haven’t stopped thinking about, the one who comes undone for me in ways I’ve never experienced before. He makes all my Dominant instincts flare to life. I’ve always loved caretaking, but James makes me need it on a bone-deep level. It’s not long before he’s on his knees for me again, surrendering in ways we both crave. He’s forbidden, my professor, my good boy, and I’m his Sir…his dirty little secret. But it’s not enough. I want it all from him, if only he’ll let me have it. #rileyhart #newbookalert #kindleunlimited The Author Agency ... See MoreSee Less

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Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye Candy

3 days ago

Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye Candy
✨Did you see?✨THE ULTIMATE SAVE by @felicestevens is available NOW! Grab it in KU! #OneClickNowgeni.us/TheUltimateSaveWhy you need to #ONECLICK this book…🏒MM Hockey: goalie & the news anchor📰Enemies to Lovers🏒Hurt/comfort📰Slow burn🏒The chaos agent and the stuffed shirt📰Circle of friends🏒Hate to want you📰Secrets and liesDenisI’m the best goalie in the league.Just ask me.Yes, I have an ego the size of NYC. Maybe that’s why I’ve crashed and burned all my relationships. Love, like a hockey game, is a competition. And once I win, I’m ready for the next game, the next man.Until I meet him. Sterling Forest. The arrogant, obnoxious news anchor who calls hockey players thugs on ice. He tempts me…intrigues me. Makes me want to kiss that scowl off his lips. I want him to burn for me.Instead Sterling is the one to set my heart on fire.SterlingI know nothing about hockey, and I’m happy to keep it that way. I’ve apologized for my remarks, but the insufferable Denis Bouvier isn’t satisfied. I even do the unthinkable and attend a hockey game. Okay, maybe it is more than brute force. But I can’t tell him he’s right.Now he’s everywhere I go, and I hate that he fascinates me. I can’t escape his larger-than-life presence, and that sexy French accent. The more I push him away, the closer he pulls me in.And I’m afraid to admit I don’t want to let him go.We’ve spent years running away from broken families and broken promises. But when life explodes around us, we’re running toward each other. And now that the unthinkable has happened, we need to find trust in each other and what our hearts are saying: love is the one thing that ultimately can save us.🏒Start with The Ultimate Goal, available in KU, now: getbook.at/UltimateGoal #newbookalert #felicestevens #mmromance The Author Agency ... See MoreSee Less

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Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye Candy

3 days ago

Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye Candy
✨Did you see?✨STICK AROUND by @authoremlindsey is available NOW! Grab it in KU! #OneClickNowmybook.to/lafstickaround Why you need to #ONECLICK this book…🔥Enemies to Lovers🔥Found Family🔥Hockey bro banter🔥Age-Gap🔥Enemies with Benefits🔥Disability Rep🔥Praise Kink🔥Hurt/Comfort🔥MM Romance"Would you slap a teammate for twenty-five grand?""Uh, yeah. There are a few I'd slap for free. Just point me in the right direction."Problem number one: My personal life is falling apart.Problem number two: My public life is also on thin freaking ice.Problem number three: The ridiculously hot NHL D-man with the inability to remove his head from his ass has decided I’m his number one target.And that last one is a bit of an issue since his idea of targeting me is to have absurdly hot hate-hookups with me in the locker room. Which I don’t necessarily mind…Except there’s one tiny snag in his plan: I don’t like guys.Or, well, I didn’t think I liked guys.But when Alexio Zeki drops to his knees and, uh, gets to business, I realize my very narrow view of my own sexuality needs some adjustment.And that’s ironic coming from a blind man.Admitting I’m bisexual is the easy part.Admitting I’m kind of, sort of, ridiculously into the man I claimed to hate is something else entirely. But the more he insists that I’m worth keeping, the more I start wanting to believe him.Stick Around is the first book in the Punk as Puck spin-off series, Legends and Fury. It’s a high heat, enemies to lovers rom-com with a snarky NHL goalie who has a lot of big opinions and doesn’t care if they’re unsolicited, a PPHL goalie with a mountain of problems and no way to reach the top, locker room hookups, praise, swoony romance, a low-stakes bi-awakening, hockey bro banter, tons of chirping, and the swooniest happily ever after.#newbookalert #emlindsey #mmromance The Author Agency ... See MoreSee Less

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