Category: 5 star Rating

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Honeymoon For One by Keira Andrews

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Amazing! Kiera Andrews brings home another hit and strikes it out of the ballpark.

The day before his wedding, Ethan comes home early to surprise his fiancé before they head out to their bachelor party. Though he’s not looking forward to the crowds because he’s hard of hearing, going deaf at an early age due to a genetic anomaly, he’s a bit distracted when he first walks in. But what and who he finds in his bed is exactly what you’d imagine. His fiancé and his best friend have been carrying on for several years and the proposition his fiancé makes nearly floors him.

Gutted, and with no immediate family left and now no best friend either, Ethan makes the decision to go to Australia alone. Intended to be his honeymoon trip, a visit to Australia is something his mother always wanted, and he chose the destination in part to honor her, so why not go alone? Better than staying in big, noisy New York City, where he’s not happy anyway and half the time can’t hear what anyone is saying due to the cacophony of sound echoing from building to building.

Clay Kelly drives bus tours on Australia’s East Coast. Living in Sydney with his adult daughter, the 46-year-old divorced father of two is pretty happy with life as it is, though he never does much more than work and watch cricket—his all-time favorite sport. When a hard of hearing young man joins the tour alone, Clay decides to befriend him—especially after he overhears the man explaining that he’s alone because his wedding was called off. He figures the least he can do is help by doing as the young man asks: speak slowly while facing him so that he can understand what’s being said. So many others talk too fast or put their hands in front of their face or turn slightly away. The author makes this point really well by adding mumble, mumble to the dialogue when in Ethan’s POV so we can appreciate how difficult it is for him to hear.

The author also takes time with this subject, educating without preaching, and she develops Ethan into such a loveable character that I just wanted to take this sweet young man under my wing and show him he’s not alone.  Fortunately, that’s what Clay does. He’s never been with a man, though he had a brush with neighborhood homophobia toward a nice young man in his childhood and suspected he might have felt an attraction before the boy was run out of the area. But he’s most definitely drawn to Ethan and decides to act on his attraction, despite the fact he has to tell his kids, his ex-wife, and his parents. 

This story has all the elements I love: age gap, man over forty, first time with a man, a sweet MC (or two), ordinary—yet complex—people doing extraordinary things like falling in love with someone who lives half a world away. Just lovely and I highly recommend it.

The cover by Dar Albert is perfect for this story and features a young man sunbathing at the beach and another walking past behind him. The colors of the sky and ocean are bright blue and the title in hot pink. I think I might have picked this up for the cover alone, but the contents are definitely a solid win.

Sales Links:  Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 286 pages
Published September 27th 2018 by KA Books
ISBN139781988260372
Edition Language English

An Ashlez Review: The Story of Us by Barbara Elsborg

Rating:  5 stars out of 5
 

The Story of Us is a new adult contemporary romance. It deals with family and social issues, violence and cruelty towards children, sexual situations though not sexual abuse, and has dark elements and suspense. The events and locations are a mixture of real and fictional. The characters are fictional.
 
“Are you okay?
The first words Zed says to Caspian, and the first time someone has cared about the answer. On a hot summer’s day, the lives of two boys are changed forever. A rebel and a risk taker, Caspian doesn’t give a damn for the consequences. Studious and obedient, Zed is the good boy who is never good enough.
 
The two couldn’t be more different, but there’s one thing they share, a need to belong to someone who understands them, someone who cares. Their friendship goes deeper than either can possibly imagine. They’re young, in love, and planning their future when an act of betrayal tears them apart.
 
Fate has dealt its hand. Seasons pass. Zed’s words follow Caspian through pain, fear and into the darkest of places. Friendships last a lifetime, even when the world conspires to crush them. But this is more than friendship. This is love and they’re not going to let it slip through their fingers.
 
This Is Our Story is a tale of love and survival, and the triumph of good over evil against the odds.
 
It’s a long story – 158,000 words that takes place over ten summers.
 
This book is very heavily focused on religion from the get-go, Muslim, I was fascinated honestly, reading about it was no hard feat, though I’m sure it’s not going to be the book for everyone just based on the religion aspect alone.  It’s throughout the whole book but not prominent focus after the first bit.
 
I found Zed to be quite a boy, he starts off scared and with a hard home life – studying – trying to deal with the religion aspect, the character evolution is just astounding
 
I thought Caspian was a confident boy who gets in a lot of trouble, for all that I think he’s a good kid, just wanting to find his own path in life and deal with the hand fate dealt.
 
This book was amazingly written and sucked me in from the start – there were hard times and good times and times you just wanted to cry for them. I didn’t want to put it down.  This book will stick with me for a while.
 
I liked the secondary characters, the evolution of everyone over the course of such a long time – each storyline and each outcome was well thought out and worked so well I can’t even!
 
A definite must read!!!!!
Cover:  Cover fit well, it was sweet and innocent and a picture of things
Sales Links:  Amazon link to come
Book Details:
ebook, 353 pages
Expected publication: November 1st 2018 by self-published
Edition Language English

A BeeJay Review: Escaping Solitude (Escape Trilogy #2) by Sara Dobie Bauer

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

This book continues the exciting adventures of Andrew, an ancient vampire, and his beloved, Edmund, a human sailor who was stranded on the island where Andrew was sent for solitary confinement in Escaping Exile.

They are now back in New Orleans in the 19th century and are a committed couple, but they have to deal with the coven of vampires Andrew once called friends. Michelle, the coven leader who banished Andrew to the island, and then rescued him when his punishment was complete, has befriended them. She points them to the necessary research when Edmund reveals he wants to spend eternity with Andrew. Since research is right up Edmund’s alley, he spends hours and days in Michelle’s extensive library trying to piece together enough information to locate an Elder, the only creature capable of turning Edmund. None have been seen for centuries, but Edmund persists in his research and believes he knows where to look—even though the area is underwater.

Deciding to combine the ocean search with a trip to England to visit his ailing mother, they set out with Michelle on her ship, but an accident turns all their plans upside down and makes the race to find the Elder a matter of life and death.

I love these characters! Sara Dobie Bauer has created a unique twist on vampires at the same time as giving us impossibly wonderful men, or vampires, as the case may be. The adventure is exciting, the pace fast, and the ending—oh my! Let’s just say it’s fortunate that book three will be available in a few months. This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. In fact, this series is one of the best I’ve read in a long time. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys vampires, MM romance, and a bit of 19th century in their stories.

The cover by Natasha Snow is stunning and perfect for the story. Similar to the first book, a male torso is superimposed over the primary picture, and in this one the main subject is a 19th century ship at sea.

Sales Links:  NineStar Press | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 111 pages
Expected publication: October 29th 2018 by NineStar Press
ISBN139781949909036
Edition Language English

A Free Dreamer Review: Adder and Willow (The Rowan Harbor Cycle #6) by Sam Burns

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Fletcher Lane has a problem. His boyfriend’s parents are coming for a visit, and they want to meet up. He’s ready to commit, so what happens if his prospective in-laws don’t like him? And how is he supposed to keep Rowan Harbor’s unique nature a secret when he might be the worst liar ever born?

To make matters worse, when he finds and helps two strangers stuck on the road, it leads him to a new threat: the man who’s been terrorizing the town has set events into motion that endanger more than just Rowan Harbor. Can Fletcher and his friends stop him before there’s nothing but a smoking crater where the Oregon coastline used to be?

In case you’re wondering, no, “Adder and Willow” is not a standalone. You have to start with book one to fully understand and enjoy all the other books in the series.

So far, Sean and Jesse were my favourite couple of the series. But after this book, Fletcher and Conner are definitely giving them a run for their money. They’re so wonderful together and I really love their dynamic. And Fletecher’s fox form is so adorable.

Their first book ended with them just starting to date and “Adder and Willow” starts with them as an established couple of a few months. I can see how some people might be disappointed by that but personally, I really like established couples. And there’s still a lot of serious relationship building happening. Meeting the parents is always an important turning point and there were also a few other things happening with serious impact on their relationship.

We get a lot of Fantasy action this time around and I absolutely loved it. I was so hooked, I just couldn’t put the book down and finished it in two sittings. It would have been one, if I hadn’t started reading so late at night. And we get to see more of Oak, so yay! I won’t go into any more details to avoid spoilers. Just know that you’re in for one hell of a ride this time around.

There’s quite a bit of character development happening as well. Fletcher has some serious growing and changing to do and by the end, he’s well on the way to overcoming his troubles. Conner is such a wonderful boyfriend and together, they’re absolutely perfect.

Honestly, “Adder and Willow” is easily my favourite book of the entire series so far. It felt like a whole new level of worldbuilding happened and we get a pretty detailed look into how magic works in this universe. I like how this series doesn’t just focus on the couples but also keeps showing us glimpses into the lives of the other residents.

So, yeah, this was awesome. If you liked the fantasy elements in the previous books, you’ll love “Adder and Willow”.

The cover by Melanie Farlow is pretty awful. It looks horribly fake and just really doesn’t fit the awesome story at all. I don’t think there are any mountains around Rowan Harbor to actually go hiking in, like the cover seems to imply.

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book details:

Kindle Edition,155 pages

Published October 11th 2018

The Rowan Harbor Cycle Series

Book #1 – Blackbird in the Reeds – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #2 – Wolf and the Holly – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #3 – Fox and Birch – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #4 – Hawk In The Rowan – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #5 – Stag and the Ashe – Amazon US | Amazon UK

 

A Lucy New Release Review: Harmonious Hearts 2018 Young Authors Challenge Anthology

Rating:  5 stars out of 5

Harmonious Hearts 2018 – Stories from the Young Author Challenge
Authors: A. Aduma, Arbour Ames, Nick Anthony, M. Caldeira, Kat Freydl, Sonali Gattani, B.K. Hayes, Mattye Johnson, Daniel Okulov, Chloe Smith, Chelsea Winters

Diversity is our strength, and now more than ever, the voices of young LGBTQIA authors need to be heard. Harmony Ink is proud to showcase the next generation of talented writers in our fifth annual Harmonious Hearts anthology. These authors, all between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one, are the winners of our Young Author Challenge and represent the future voices of our community. We are honored to showcase these writers, their experiences, visions, and the glimpses into their hearts in these pages. Join them on their journey and help us celebrate their courage, their love, and their unique ways of seeing the world.

The talented young writers who contributed to this book should be proud.  While all the stories are tied together by the LGBTQIA theme, they are all unique and approach their subjects differently.  They are definitely not all light-hearted and fluffy and a couple of them made me so angry or sad.

Just a Phase by M. Calderia Taking that big step of admitting who you like can be scary but it’s a little easier when you have a no-nonsense best friend supporting you. While Meg tries to pass off her attraction to girls as “Just a phase, huh?” Emme is having none of it, giving Meg courage.  I was happy that she got her brave on.

The Language Unspoken by Chelsea Winters Cody struggles with asthma, being tossed out by his homophobic mother and trying to do too much.  “But Cody had almost lost everything to get where he was after he came out and his mother cut ties with him, and he wasn’t going to give it up for the world.”  He has two awesome friends in his roommate, Alex, and his best friend, Ellie.  He works at a flower shop and is immediately taken with a beautiful stranger who comes to order flowers.   He believes he has too much baggage and “…I’m not really, like the choice most people would make or anything…”  He’s more than he thinks and I was glad someone else noticed. 

A Boy Like Edgar by Nick Anthony Gabe is an art student who has the technique perfected but doesn’t have the passion, the spark, that makes a true artist.  “My work was heavy and precise, with dark, moody palettes, and obviously showing a lot of skill.  I wasn’t like some of my counterparts, full of energy and color, making strokes with abandon and whimsy.  That had been bred out of me.”   It isn’t until he meet Edgar, a fellow art student, that he starts to realize what all that color and energy can come to mean and that was lovely to read.

Of College and Lost Dogs by Mattye Johnson A sweet story of a new beginning at college and the making of new friends.  Learning to sign to be able to communicate with them has an added bonus. 

2:00 AM by Sonali Gattani  This was one of the stories that took my heart and stomped on it.  Told completely by texts to his best friend, Kara, this is so bittersweet and seriously made me cry. It is the mark of a gifted author that through the tears I was able to see the hope even as I was so angry with Kara’s parents.  I am usually not one for sad or angsty stories but this was one of my favorites because it was so real.  Well done.

143 by Chloe Smith A little bit of paranormal in this tale of Penelope, her dad and the aunt that no one talked about.  I liked how Penelope was honest with her dad, not only about her sexuality but about how he made her feel growing up. “While he was there physically, I never felt he was there for me, not really…”   That made a difference and Aunt Catherine was there in spirit for her.  I loved the meaning of 143 and the Twitter conversations.  Love is worth it.

Dev’s Law by A. Aduma Facing the wrath of your father for being honest about yourself isn’t easy but it’s softened when you have someone by your side.  That’s what Dev wants to be for Law when he is caught with gay porn by his dad.  The only thing more embarrassing would be how T came out to his family.  While this could have been heavy, it wasn’t and I appreciated that.  And let’s talk about Dev’s mother, who is now my spirit animal. “She didn’t even shy away from talking about anal sex, like the prepping and all that, importance of lube and enemas…”  With both Dev and Law, no less.  Go mom! Another favorite.

The Head That Wears a Crown by Kat Freydl All I can say is, everyone, and I mean everyone, should have a brother like Cal but especially those who have a father like theirs.  Charlie is dealing with so much and their father is a homophobic televangelist that leaves them to fend for themselves but Cal is there for Charlie, always.   I can’t even say how much I admired them.  “You’re just Charlie….You’re just.  You are.  You’re immune to semantics.”  Loved.

The Train Station by B.K. Hayes Whoo, a sad one where I was so worried about what was going to happen.  As you figure out what is up with the train station, I wanted her to understand what this would mean.  I don’t want to give anything away but I did want to know what happened to Aleja.  The ending was such a relief.

Subtle by Daniel Okulov My total favorite of the anthology, a lesson in how you treat people, how you judge people and most importantly, that you can change those things.  Matty has autism and while his big brother, Justin, starts out very selfish and I was rolling my eyes at him but the new babysitter, Dakota, helped him be better.  Dakota understands what it’s like for people to not get you and that made a difference.  Loved this one.

Someone Else’s Star by Arbour Ames This one was just too sad for me. Or maybe it just made me too angry, that Kelly promised to always be there for Fletcher but broke that promise without warning.  The message from Blue just made me madder.  Kelly seemed to be this amazing person and then lost my respect. 

Cover art by Paul Richmond shows the back of a person standing in front of a rainbow colored graffiti wall.  I thought this fit the feel of the book, as the stories were all different yet linked by the rainbow.

Sales Links:  Dreamspinner Press  |  Amazon

Book Details:

eBook,Paperback, 234 pages
Published October 1st 2018 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1641081449 (ISBN13: 9781641081443)
Edition LanguageEnglish