Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

review

Crossed Hearts (Arrowood) by JR Gray: New Release Review

by

Small towns thrive on gossip, and as the owner of the local bar I consider myself keeper of those secrets. The bar is like a confessional, a place to unload. My sanctuary where my secrets stay hidden and the focus is never on me.

I keep my world orderly. None of the bad touching the good. Little dividers allow me to live with myself, which isn’t easy in Arrowood.

It worked until my one lapse in judgement showed up to bite me in the ass.

My best friend’s arrogant, moody, and persistent little brother who just won’t take no for an answer. I’ve never wanted and hated someone so much in my life. He’s determined to pull my secrets out of me—I’m determined to resist him.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Much like the previous two books in the series, I feel like we don’t get to really KNOW the characters. The story was fine, but there just was no depth.

Adam, the middle and grouchy brother who runs the bar is the focus this time. Hilarious that he is a total grump to his family, often to his friends, keeps a tally of “friend points” AND bans people from his bar for a myriad of reasons- yet he is described as the nicest guy. Mmmkay

Because he is mad at his other two brothers, he has been crashing at his best friend’s house. Until best friend’s brother shows up. And he and Adam have a very brief past. So Adam is mean to him. SHOCK.

Both of these guys have issues. But they can’t keep their hands off of each other. And they think they will keep it a secret. Riiiiigggghhhhhhhhtttttttt

Adam does seem to reconcile with his brothers, so that is nice.

But there was a lot of head scratchers in here. It’s the Colorado mountains in winter. So stopping for a wank while hiking is a good idea? As is having sex. Naked. Outside.

Time makes no sense either. I don’t know if it is days, weeks or months that have passed. And OH MY GOD Adam’s parents. They were cute and eccentric in the first two books. In this book they are just flat out crazy.

OH! And Cory (Sage’s brother, Adam’s bff) was born with a different name. Which Sage uses occasionally and no one ever mentions it!

This story could have been so much more than it was. Adam was grouchy, I would have SLAPPED Sage across the face the way he spoke to Adam’s parents and it was lacking emotion.

3 pieces of eye candy

Charisma Check by Charlie Novak: Quick Review

by

Hatred is complicated, clothing is simple—Edward doesn’t need a man, and he certainly doesn’t need cosplayer and tattoo artist, Izzy Montes, AKA The Masked Gentleman, Edward’s ultimate nemesis.

Edward and Izzy have been antagonising each other for over three years. Their rivalry is fierce, and Edward is determined to keep Izzy at arm’s length. Which would be all well and good… if they weren’t engaging in a secret, heated hook-ups.

Forced to appear together at a film premier in LA, Edward is determined to get in and out with minimal damage to his reputation… and his heart. But Izzy Montes proves to be a complication Edward couldn’t have predicted. Biting, funny, and charming in equal measure, he’s the one man Edward needs to loathe.

He’s also the one man Edward can’t get out of his mind.

Not that Izzy plans on letting him.

Charisma Check is a 80,000-word contemporary MM romance featuring comic conventions, snark, many costume changes, and only one bed. It is book two in the Roll for Love series and should be read as part of the series.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Okay, so I was really hoping for Izzy’s story with this one so I was pleased we were going to have another nerdy storyline. I don’t understand cosplay or any of the things they roleplay and I don’t understand ninety percent of the nerd speak, but I really enjoyed the first one so I couldn’t wait for this one.

Izzy felt different to me in this one and maybe because we were seeing such a different side to him.

I will say that their banter seemed very immature and it really really threw me off at times. I mean, the overly using curse words just seemed so forced to sound cool or something and their comebacks to each other was so juvenile, I had to actually stop and try to find how old these two were. I swear, other than the cussing, it sounds just like my teenagers arguing.

Apart from that, these two are pretty well known in the cosplay comic-con universe and were kind of important in terms of doing it well enough to pass for whoever they’re roleplaying about, so much so that they’re both asked to be red carpet cosplayers for movie premiers and stuff.

Of course, they both agree, though both of them think twice about it because they know they’ll be working with each other and despite hooking up every time they’re within arms reach of one another, they spend the rest of the time talking about hating each other and actively showing that they hate each other in immature ways…. Which we covered already……and they were both just so stubborn that I just wanted to shake them.

However, what happens when two people who “hate” each other but don’t really hate each other are forced to be in the same proximity to one another for an extended period of time? Of course, their real feelings come out and it’s impossible to deny that these two are actually crazy about each other.(As much as they don’t want to be.)

I loved getting to see Jay and Leo again, I really liked them, and I liked how low-angst this one was. I’m not sure if I believed these two as a couple, although I did enjoy each of them letting their guards down and slowly open up to each other. It was a rough road with these two, but they got there in the end.

It was a sweet ending too. I’m excited to see who’s next!

3.5 pieces of eye candy

The Beautiful Things Shoppe (Seasons of New Hope Book 2) by Philip William Stover: New Release Review

by

Their collections may clash but their hearts are a perfect match.

Moving to eclectic New Hope, Pennsylvania, and running The Beautiful Things Shoppe is a dream come true for elegant and reserved fine arts dealer Prescott J. Henderson. He never agreed to share the space with Danny Roman, an easygoing extrovert who collects retro toys and colorful knickknacks.

And yet here they are, trapped together in the quaint shop as they scramble to open in time for New Hope’s charming Winter Festival.

Danny has spent years leading with his heart instead of his head. The Beautiful Things Shoppe is his chance to ground himself and build something permanent and joyful. The last thing he needs is an uptight snob who doesn’t appreciate his whimsy occupying half his shop.

It’s only when two of New Hope’s historic landmarks—each as different as Danny and Prescott—are threatened that a tentative alliance forms. And with it, the first blush of romance. Suddenly, running The Beautiful Things Shoppe together doesn’t seem so bad…until Danny’s secret threatens to ruin it all.

Seasons of New Hope
Book 1: The Hideaway Inn
Book 2: The Beautiful Things Shoppe

Amazon

Carina Press

I’ll start by saying, I didn’t read the first book, but it definitely was a stand-alone…although after reading this book, and seeing a bit about the MC’s from book 1, I definitely can see going back and reading the first in the series.

This book is an enemies to lovers story, with forced proximity. However, they quickly learn that they have more in common than they expect, and it’s adorable! I loved how the owner of the building set them up without their knowledge, and they kept falling into that trap.

Prescott and Danny, on the surface, were quite the opposites. One really into antiques from the late 19th century, the other into anything kitschy and fun (he described it as things that made him happy), yet both really just wanting to share their love of their items with other people. It didn’t take them long to find a common purpose that brought them together.

The secrets that they held I thought were probably a little too small to be of the level of concern that was portrayed. Meanwhile, Prescott’s ex was everything you don’t want to see in an ex, out for what worked best for him and how he could make that happen.

This was an enjoyable book that brought two opposites together to find their other half.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Philip William Stover splits his time between Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and New York City. He has an MFA in writing and is a clinical professor at New York University.

As a freelance journalist, his essays and reviews have appeared in Newsday, the Forward, the Tony Awards, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Houston Chronicle, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and other national publications. For many years he ghosted for an international best-selling women’s fiction author. He has published multiple middle-grade novels for Simon & Schuster and was the American Theater critic for About.com.

He grew up tearing the covers off the romance novels he devoured so he wouldn’t get teased at school. Now he enjoys traveling the world with his husband of over twenty years and would never consider defacing any of the books he loves.

He can be found on social media as Philip William Stover.

Natural Twenty by Charlie Novak: Quick Review

by

Plants are easier than people—that’s Leo’s rule of thumb. After all, nobody really wants a man who looks like he belongs in a biker gang but would rather spend his time buried in books and flowers. It’s just easier to be single. Until he meets the owner of the new book shop.

Jacob Morris knows two things: he’s really attracted to the man who runs the local flower shop, and he doesn’t date. Not when he’s still healing from a bad breakup, has a new business to run, game nights to organise, workshops to host, and a website to build.

When friendship blooms into something more, Leo and Jay must decide whether to roll the dice and take a chance on love or keep forging ahead on their quests alone. Will their roll yield a one or a perfect, natural twenty?

Natural Twenty is an 80,000-word contemporary MM romance featuring Dungeons & Dragons, secret flower language bouquets, a spoilt Staffy (or two), and a best friend who is basically a gothic prince. It is book one in the Roll for Love series and can be read as a standalone

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

So, okay, I have a thing for big beefy tattooed guys who you think can squish you into little bits if you were to find them in a dark alley somewhere, but are actually romantic softies that wouldn’t hurt a fly. Well, we get that in Leo.
He’s big and intimidating and can be awkward when it comes to socializing and being around people, but he has a big ol soft heart and it’s impossible not to completely fall in love with him from the beginning. Owning a flower shop, he tends to stay behind the scenes when he can, but when a new bookshop opens up down the block, his employee Emily encourages him to take some flowers to the new owners to welcome them to the hood and congratulate them on their grand opening. That’s where he meets Edward and Jay.

Now, Edward, I will say, I was smitten with. I hope he gets his own story next, but Jay completely took Leos breath away and they bonded instantly over books and cosplay and dungeons and dragons. I will admit that I had to skim over all those bits, I haven’t a clue what any of that is, but it was cute to see how excited they all were over it.

The two of them, as well as Edward and Emily and her husband, they all become friends, having bi-weekly I think it was, game nights and stuff… I adored these secondary characters as well, so the fit so well in the stories, I could see where each guy needed them around. With their budding friendship though, it was impossible to not feel the connection between the two, though neither of them were ready for a relationship or to jump into anything. I was glad to see them take it slow, but I definitely wanted to shake them both a couple of times, Jay especially when he tried to push Leo away. He more than sweetly made up for it, but I was rooting for them from the very start.

Because Leo felt awkward and Jay was still healing from a toxic relationship where his ex cheated with his best friend and never even apologized for it, I could understand his hesitation. Being betrayed like that sometimes never heals, but Leo was patient and understanding and sighhh, he was just perfect.

I don’t want to give too much of the story away, I’ve been told recently that I do that and people straight come for me, so I’ll just say…. if you like a slow burn, with friends to lovers, good friends and cute puppy… you will adore this story. I know I did!
I really wanted that ex to get a peek at Jay and Leo and know what he lost and how happy he is without him, but I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next!

4 Pieces of eye candy

Breakaway by Kindle Alexander: New Release Review

by

Greer Lockhart set out to save the world from itself when he organized his first beach cleanup at the age of twelve. Now, as a uber-successful venture capitalist for eco-friendly startups, he doesn’t let anything get in the way of his goals—whether personal or professional. When a new fitness app schedules a site-wide cycle race, Greer’s competitive side won’t let him back down. Not even when his undivided attention turns to the one racer he can’t beat: Biker101.

Dallas Reigns learned a long time ago to keep his head low and his focus forward. He gives his all to a business he started with his brothers, BikeBro. But he worries his all might not be enough if they can’t gain traction before their financial ship sinks. A chance meeting with a hard-hitting venture capitalist is just what they need. Until his resistance is tested when the striking blond man shows interest in more than just his company, challenging all Dallas’s etched-in-stone boundaries.

When the illusion of Dallas’s life threatens to crumble under the weight of his own desire, can he find a way to fortify his iron will, or will Greer help him breakaway from the restraints of his past?

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

I am about to incur the wrath of Kindle Alexander fans. I get it. She has a cult following and can do no wrong. But oh this book is wrong. It seriously needs help. There will be a spoiler of sorts below, but I will warn you.

We start out with 3 brothers working on a product that brings training into your house. Like Peloton. But of course not Peloton. Youngest brother does all of the computer stuff because he is the stereotypical introvert nerd surrounded by computers. The middle brother is the trainer. He leads I don’t even know how many classes a day. And the older brother is just a jerk. I don’t know what he does except belittle his brothers.

A good portion of the beginning of the book was all about BikeBro (Peloton). It was boring.

And we meet Greer. A money guy who is all about green energy, saving the planet, etc etc. Except he uses k cups. Little details like that make me crazy. Greer is connected to another trainer who is Dallas’s (middle brother) best friend from childhood. And when Greer goes out one night and meets up with his friend, Dallas is there and drunk. And the best friend points out a million times that Dallas isn’t gay.

“Everyone is a little gay” says Greer who doesn’t like labels. Blinkblink

**Spoilery ahead**

So they hook up, then Dallas freaks out, then the Big Misunderstanding, then back together.

THEN AN 8 MONTH TIME JUMP!

Greer and Dallas worked together a lot but were able to keep their relationship secret for 8 months? From Dallas’s brothers? From Greer’s sister? And we don’t get any of that story?

And then, boom, proposal. Which leads to a very anticlimactic showdown between Dallas and his homophobic father and then separately between Dallas and his homophobic jerk face brother.

I’m sorry, but this book was lacking. A lot. There was story that they didn’t need to have, story that was missing, angst that was glossed over, angst that was unnecessary, and the first 8 months of a relationship we didn’t witness.

2.5 Pieces of Eye Candy

Schooling the Jock (Nerds Vs Jocks, Book 1) by Eli Easton & Tara Lain: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

by

Only an unfair universe makes a guy who’s that gorgeous so damned obnoxious.

A-hoe!
Poindexter!
Snarky, superbrain Dobbs and snooty football star Jesse stare at each other from their rival frat houses on opposites sides of the street — and opposite sides of everything else.

Alpha Lambda Alpha and Sigma Mu Tau have been sworn enemies for decades. Then one disastrous prank proves to be the last straw, and the college dean blows his cork!

Work together or lose both your houses.

Question – -How can Dobbs win his coveted Quiz Bowl championship with when he’s forced to put a dumb jock on his team?
Answer — Lots of personal schooling.

But when personal becomes very personal, Jesse risks causing his overtaxed family one more huge worry and the running back starts running.

Will Dobbs give up on the shocked jock, or show him that the answer to the big question is, Yes?

SCHOOLING THE JOCK is an enemies-to-lovers, opposites attract, campus romance – with one hell of a lightning round.

Title: Schooling the Jock

Series: Nerds Vs Jocks, Book 1

Authors: Eli Easton & Tara Lain

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodread

BookBub

After lunch, Jesse’s mom said she’d clean up if Jesse watched Eli, so the three of us went out to the barn with the family dog, who I’d learned was named Mack, at our heels. Bella, the brown cow, wasn’t in the barn, but she was out in the pasture. When Jesse called her, she lazily ambled toward the fence. Eli stood on the lower fence railing and held out a baby carrot. The cow walked up and took it with an alarmingly huge gray tongue. Eli clapped his hands and petted her head.

“Look, Dobbs!” Eli said. “She’s real.”

“She certainly is,” I agreed. “She has pretty eyes.”

Eli didn’t say anything.

“And shapely legs. For a cow.”

I glanced at Jesse who rolled his eyes but smiled.

“She’s the prettiest cow in the world,” Eli pronounced.

“Well, she needs a crown then, don’t you think?”

Eli looked at me like I was nuts. I glanced around. I spotted a holly bush by the barn and went over. I took out my handy-dandy pocketknife and cut some branches. I bent them to form a circle and wove the ends together to make it stay.

When I presented it to Eli, he grinned. “This isn’t a crown! A crown is gold.”

“Au contraire, little dude. A crown can be made of all sorts of things. This is a cow crown.”

Eli placed it on Bella’s head, looping it over one ear. Bella looked unimpressed. She tr

ied to nose Eli’s hand, looking for more carrots. Finding none, she started walking along the fence, eating grass. The holly circle dangled.

Eli followed her along the fence line, chattering to her. Jesse and I stayed where we were and watched.

“Thanks for, you know, being nice to Eli.”

I gave him a don’t-be-weird look. “Despite what you might have heard, I reserve my venom for grown men.”

“Ah. That explains it. And here I thought you might have a kernel of decency.”

“Nope. Although, I can’t be mean to you today either. Not after you fed me sloppy joes and, uh, helped your mom at lunch.” My cheeks heated. That was such a lame thing to say even if I’d been thinking it. I tried to make up for the compliment. “You guys have a whole routine. You should take it on the road.”

He shrugged. “We’ve all learned how to get things done as efficiently as possible, I guess.”

And yet, you’re at Madison. “Bet she misses you when you’re gone.”

Jesse’s face tightened. “I got offered a good football scholarship to Madison, so it made sense. And my mom wanted me to go.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Really? You’re not that intolerable.”

He rolled his eyes. “I think she wanted me to get away from it for a few years. To be more independent.” He made a face. “Not that it’s bad, Eli and Micah. It’s just…”

“Challenging?”

He shrugged. “More like all-consuming. The first five years were really rough, especially since my folks were trying to get a diagnosis so they even had a clue what to do. But they’ve come a long way. Eli especially.”

“Yeah, I noticed Eli’s really affectionate with you. That’s great. I thought autistic people didn’t like to be touched.”

Jesse nodded. “None of us can touch Micah. Eli’s like that with most people. Even my mom and I can’t touch him sometimes. But, when he’s in the mood, he lets me. I think he missed me. And you were there. Like, he was maybe feeling a little jealous or insecure? And he’s upset because Micah’s in the hospital.”

That all might be true, but I knew what I saw. “Grammy Dobbs always said, the eyes speak louder than words. Eli looks at you like you’re his hero. He loves you a lot.”

Jesse’s face softened. “Yeah. I don’t know. It’s kind of a brother thing.”

“A brother thing?”

“Eli and Micah are in their own world. Micah’s non-verbal, so Eli talks for him. I guess, as their older brother, I’m sort of on the fringes of that bubble too.”

Jesse’s tone made that sound like a special thing. And I wasn’t sure what to feel about that, or this farm, or this family. He looked so ridiculously handsome standing there with the red barn behind him, the snow under his boots, and that sheepskin-lined corduroy farm jacket, hair mussed by the wind, pink cheeks, eyes bright. Like, if he were a calendar model, I’d leave it on that page for perpetuity. And he was looking at me in a way Jesse Knox had never looked at me before. His face was open and his eyes warm. Hot even? He stared at me. And I stared back. His gaze flickered to my lips.

A frisson of lust shot down my body, lighting me on fire. I suddenly had a bone-deep urge to kiss him. I coughed, shocked at myself. I mean, I was only human, and Jesse was…Jesse. But I was getting way out over my feet here. Thinking of him that way was extremely unwise.

“So! I hear there are chickens,” I said to lighten the mood.

Jesse waggled his eyebrows. “There are. Real live ones.”

“Oh, my God. This is practically a safari!” I shouted.

Jesse laughed.

This was a fun story of two guys who are seemingly complete opposites. Two frat houses who aren’t really rivals since one is a jock house and the other is a nerd house, but being that they are across the street from each other, they play pranks on each other. Until one prank got a little out of hand and the dean comes down hard on them. The jock house has a competitive flag football team and the nerd house has a quiz bowl team. And they each have to send two people to the other teams.

This story focuses on the 2 jocks sent over to compete on the quiz bowl team. Dobbs (a nickname from his last name. Seriously- why do guys always do that?) is the quiz bowl team captain and he takes his position and his team VERY seriously. And when Dobbs and Jesse, the jock, end up stuck with each other for a weekend, expectations start to fall away.

Of course Jesse is in the closet. But he doesn’t even try to fake it with girls. He is committed to football because of his scholarship, and his college program because he is all about being a nurse. But you know the jock is going to fall for the nerd. And the nerd is going to figure out that the jock is pretty smart and a giant softie.

I loved how the entire story really involved a lot of different characters from both houses, as well as Jesse’s family. It made the whole story more believable.

One of the things that bugged me was the 2 frat guys who were responsible for the final prank never got any repercussions from their house. I understand how the dean was punishing everyone, but you would think that those two guys would face disciplinary actions.

And there were two sides to the punishment from the dean. But the flag football story will be in book 2.

If you enjoy college stories, opposites attract, etc, you will enjoy this story. Low angst and mostly fun.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Coming from a background in computer game design, Eli has written over 35 books in m/m romance since 2013. The Mating of Michael (2014) and A Second Harvest (2016) both won The William Neale Award for Best Gay Contemporary Romance, and Eli’s books have won many awards from the Goodreads M/M Romance Group’s Reader’s Choice Awards. She is best known for her Christmas romances, the Howl at the Moon series of rom coms featuring dog shifters, and her Sex in Seattle series, which revolves around a sex clinic in Seattle.

Connect with Eli:
www.elieaston.com
Facebook: Eli Easton
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/164054884188096
Twitter: @elieaston

Tara Lain believes in happy ever afters – and magic. Same thing. In fact, she says, she doesn’t believe, she knows. Tara shares this passion in her stories that star her unique, charismatic heroes and adventurous heroines. Quarterbacks and cops, werewolves and witches, blue collar or billionaires, Tara’s characters, readers say, love deeply, resolve seemingly insurmountable differences, and ultimately live their lives authentically. After many years living in southern California, Tara, her soulmate honey and her soulmate dog decided they wanted less cars and more trees, prompting a move to Ashland, Oregon where Tara’s creating new stories and loving living in a small town with big culture. Tara loves animals of all kinds (even snakes), diversity, open minds, coconut crunch ice cream from Zoeys, and her readers.

She has around 57 books published or scheduled for publication.

Connect with Tara:
Website: https://taralain.com/
Facebook Reader’s Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/255111391312743
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taralain/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/taralain
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taralainauthor/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/tara-lain

a Rafflecopter giveaway