Demon House by Mia Monroe is a quick mildly entertaining Holiday read. Itās a short story with no real drama and , nothing thatās going to ask anything of a reader more then a casual connection to the characters.
Thereās some nice elements, and the witch character has real promise but Monroe doesnāt go into any depth of detail in character layering or foundation that would elevate Demon House above the uninspired or just another passable paranormal story.
Issues (Spoilers ahead fyi)
š¹Demon Zeno is sad. He must stay inside the house for breaking demon rules. His prior relationship could have been mined for real depth of character and foundation. Was it? Nope. We get pieces. Nothing on the person. Or them together.
š¹Demon sad. So human ghost hunter thinks letās have sex asap because, you know. Sexy Demon sad.SMH.
š¹instant love- no depth. No relationship. I wuv you. Letās have more sex.
š¹ problems solved instantly. While thereās no wands there might as well have been.
So basically. While it is a paranormal romance, thereās ways to bring depth to the characters and layering to any foundation a author is trying to create. Didnāt happen here imo.
If you donāt care, just want to zip through a story, and put it down. This just might be your story.
This house has BDE all over it. That is one bigā¦ Demon.
Bash:
One night in the most haunted house in the country could be our ticket to fame and fortune. As a group of paranormal investigators, this could be our big break. If the hauntings are real, Peaches, Chaos, and I are expecting to be terrified and catch all of it on video for our fledgling channel.
When the rumors prove to be true, and I come face to face with the resident demon, all bets are off. Turns out, demons have feelings too, and this one is possessive, touchy, and huh, kind of hot. Did I mention he has bigā¦ horns?
To make it through this night in one piece, I have to do what I can to keep him happy. Looks like our viewers are going to get way more than they signed up for, but hey, gotta do what you gotta do.
Now the only question is, when the sun comes up, will I want to walk away and will the demon let me.
Demon House is an MM paranormal romance featuring a horny demon with a taste for mortals, a paranormal investigator in over his head, a haunted house that lives up to the rumors, and enough heat to make Hades jealous. It is a standalone novella.
Best Love is a previously published short story (Heart2Heart Anthology, old title The Tattoo Artist and the Writer) thatās been reworked, along with a epilogue.
Itās new title, Best Love, is absolutely fitting for the love story of writer Noah Sutton and tattoo artist Sage Higgins. Best friends and soul mates since Sageās mother and his brothers moved next door to Noah and his single mother at age seven, theyāve been inseparable except for certain college years and Sageās time spent traveling.
A Valentineās Day blind date arranged by a app goes wrong and they end up together, going on the dates they would have taken their dates on.
One of Lily Mortonās many gifts is the ability to write a relationship that feels emotionally entwined. One grounded in years together spent in getting to know each other so deeply that the stage where the reader comes in upon them feels rich in shared history and lives spent in a bond thatās become deeply part of each man.
Morton can accomplish this skill of writing a multidimensional relationship and beautifully defined characters in a short length of page space. Some richly crafted scenes, accompanied by dialogue that enlivens both the characters yet heightens whatever emotions the authorās narrative has in store for them (and the reader). All done precisely but with a true palette of a word artist.
In a short time, we know these men intimately. We know their history together and the feelings theyāve hidden from each other.
And we care immediately for them and the relationship.
Then Morton takes all of us on a journey to HEA.
If youāre not familiar with this author, then you might not realize youāre about to visit some fascinating locations and find out some intriguing elements about whatever place the couple ends up strolling around.
*cracks knuckles, readies Google fu*
It never ever comes across as a travelogue but is seamlessly folded into Noah and Sageās journey to love and happiness.
Here we both climb up the Minsterās Tower tour in York (a real tour) for a breathtaking sight of all of York below. Then itās off to Staithes for Captain Cook, artists, and the incredible Painted Illusion Trail.
But thatās all secondary, to the depth of the changes that this long relationship is undergoing as the men slowly open up as they spend all this time together showing the other things about themselves.
Best Love is a short story that manages to feel as though youāre taking a long journey with a couple youāve known for a long time.
Itās moving, heartwarming, and so rewarding.
Itās one Iām highly recommending.
Plus Google those trips and be prepared to want to visit there yourself. Just as I do.
Noah and Sage have been best friends since they were seven when Sage climbed over the wall between their childhood homes. They know everything about each other apart from one small thing. Noah is hopelessly in love with Sage and doesn’t ever intend to tell him.
However, fate has other plans. A dating website with a glitch in its system leads Sage to challenge Noah. Two days in which they will show each other their best dates. What could possibly go wrong?
At the end of these two days will the men discover that the best love comes with someone who really knows you, or will they fall back into being just good friends?
I really like this authorās other stories but this is a real miss on so many levels. Frankly Iām astonished.
This was a almost DNF for me. Only the fact that I always hope for a turn for the better keeps me from stopping at my real āIām done ā point in each book this happens at.
Here it was at about 62% when the Goddess Aphrodite appeared, smug , and making all sorts of declarations about the situation the incompetent summoner has entwined the poor Princely Elf and himself in.
It came at a poor place in the narrative. After a series of tasks the idiot Summoner has forced the elf to accomplish, getting him hurt in the process.
It starts with student Lochlann Wilde, someone whoās less than studious nature has caused him to be one the the collegeās oldest students and one whoās so far behind in his levels that he hasnāt earned his Crest.
The story goes on about how fabulous a summoner his father is and what enormous stress it is to live up to that. But you know what? Loch hasnāt memorized his spells, hasnāt put in the work.
So nope. No connection here. And Noor is going with the golden, gorgeous, lazy boy main character first person point of view. So you automatically must forgive his faults and sloppy behavior, because golden boy. This smacks regrettably close to a Gary Stu.
Itās a little bit much.
He decides to summon a eidolon without knowing what heās summoning. Instead of a animal to be his familiar he summons a actual person, a being. A elf.
Which then becomes his basic captive/slave. Unable to fight back or return home due to the summoning. Instead of breaking the spell like a reasonable, rational human would when confronted with having a living sentient being accidentally enslaved, Loch takes advantage and decides heās going to get his Crest and extra credits at College by treating the Elf like a specimen/slave/forced eidolon. As well as telling the College itās their chance to see what a elf is all about.
Right.
So. This whole storyline has a definite bad taste to it.
If you flip the characters. Say have the Fae be the one to enslave the summoner/student by accident, then immediately, the Elf is always dark or evil because they have taken away consent. Itās entrapment. All sorts of flags.
But here, itās supposed to be ok, because itās a human. He has needs.
And donāt get me started on the sexual aspect that starts on Lochās part almost immediately. That on top of the non consensual aspect of this story that gets overlooked is mind boggling.
So no. The Fae isnāt some cute pet to be treated as something to be ātamedā. Another narrative theme that is tired and is sorely overdue to be retired.
Along with the entire story.
So done.
Iām extremely disappointed with so many old, distasteful, or poorly executed elements and characters here.
ā¦ Main Character thatās selfish, lazy, and vain.
ā¦ That another race needs to be ātamedā
ā¦ That another sentient being can be enslaved and thatās fine by both a MC, a college, and apparently a Goddess.
ā¦ Old themes and thoughts on racism and sex. Especially when one has the power over another.
Iām definitely not continuing further. Itās doesnāt matter how itās resolved because excuses are made for all of the above.
For me, those are things that shouldnāt be excused.
Any of these things sound appealing, maybe none of this will bother you, then investigate the story for yourself.
He captured a fae prince. But can he capture his heart?
Lochlann Wilde walks in the shadow of his father, a legendary summoner who commanded mythical beasts in battle. But Locke isn’t legendary. Heās barely a summoner, never passing his academyās trial of the elements.
And then he accidentally summons a fae prince with a beautiful body and a bad attitude.
Sylvain is fiery and ferocious, stronger than anything Locke has ever encountered. And hotter, too. But time is running out. Locke must tame the princeās wild heart. If he fails his trial, heāll lose his inheritance and ruin his family’s name.
Without Sylvain, Locke could lose his chance to become a true summonerā¦ along with his shot at true love.
Prince of Flowers is a contemporary fantasy romance with an HFN ending. Can a snarky summoner and a fickle fae prince endure mythical creatures, meddling goddesses, the fury of the elements, and each other? Only one way to find out. If you like sorcery, spice, and everything nice, youāve come to the right place. Start the Wild Hearts series today.
The Last Nanny in Manhattan, the first in the Nannies of New York series by K. Sterling, is a snappy, sexy, sweet contemporary romance by a author thatās new to me.
I enjoyed this journey immensely. Itās got age gap, wickedly intelligent 6 year old triplets , a widower whoās overwhelmed by work but most by a sense of failure when it comes to fatherhood and parenting. And , importantly, a gay, effervescent, highly competent Mary Poppins of a nanny in need of a family to fix and fall in love with.
It helps that Fin the irrepressible, remarkable nanny has a thing for gorgeous SavageFenty underwear as well as the ability to bring the chaos the demon triplets have caused to a heartwarming close through understanding, and love.
Finley Marshall comes with an entire faction of fantastic people to support him and to act as main characters in the succeeding novels. Thereās Reid, Finās oldest brother. Reilly, his best friend. Pennsylvania aka Penn the Gandalf of nannies. And more. The LGBTGIA nanny network of New York and the solid basis for this series. Each one a highly intelligent, and star of the nanny network of the Manhattan wealthy clientele.
What a fabulous start!
Walker Cameron III is the other side. He brings his amazing bisexual sister who Iām hoping we see a great deal more of. Plus his butler, who slowly unbends to Fin, his unusual style of doing things and welcomes Fin into the household. But itās really about Walker. And his dysfunctional relationship to his children. Walker is a tightly wrapped bundle of pain, stress, mourning, and fear.
Sterling does an excellent job in making these characters and their relationships with all the people around them clear, layered with history and emotional, and relatable.
Walker maybe wealthy but heās a father whoās inability to connect with his girls is hurting them all. Heās lost his way and the reader hurts for all four of them even as we might be snickering at the ingenious damage the triplets are inflicting on the household.
Watching Fin come in, assess the situation, amidst the turmoil and incoming weapons the children hurl, is amazing. So is the journey the girls and Walker start on back to being a family and normalcy. With one special addition.
Itās got obstacles of course, some drama, but thereās a HEA at the end that so wonderful and heartwarming.
Nannies of New York Book series:
ā The Last Nanny in Manhattan #1
ā¦ Giles Ashby Needs A Nanny #2 – January 26, 2023
Walker Cameron III might be one of the most feared men in Manhattan, but heās no match for his six-year-old triplets. After exhausting all other options, Finley Marshall is the grumpy widower’s last hope.
Luckily for the Camerons, Fin is a master of chaos and can calm even the most beastly of children. But Fin soon learns that the girls arenāt the problem; itās their father. Still grieving and easily overwhelmed, Walker leaves the servants to cope with his little hellions. Fin wants to prove heās the best nanny in the city and that his older brother, Reid, should start his own agency. Is Fin willing to risk life and limb to do it, though?
Afraid to lose the most competent caregiver to ever cross his threshold, Walker agrees to an unusual set of terms. Heāll give the girls more of his time and practice better parenting with Fin as his guide. But Walker finds himself with a new and unexpected problem. For the first time in years, heās having very improper thoughts and canāt stop thinking about Fin. Can he keep his feelings to himself or will Walker fall for the last nanny in Manhattan willing to take on the cursed Camerons?
*The paperback edition will include additional illustrations by Jayla, a short story featuring the Camerons, recipes from the book, and a soundtrack!
The first in a new series, The Cowboy Contract (Foster Ranch Book 1) by B.A. Tortuga is another in this authorās lovely cozy cowboy contemporary romances.
This one sets itself apart in that itās low angst with little to no high drama but instead relies almost solely on the real , relatable characters and elements of foster care and the issues children have when adapting into their new environment.
It does start off with the premise of contract husband but that is quickly discarded when the foster children come into play and their needs as well as troubled history takes center stage.
As it should.
Former bull riders, star Ryder Vittor who was forced into retirement by a broken neck, and , Kase McDaniel, whoās major wreck crushed so many bones in his body, that retiring was never in doubt, are a perfect pairing.
As superbly crafted by Tortuga, they are so familiar with each other, so in sync and comfortable with their actions and thoughts itās as though theyāve been together for a longer time period. Which they have as bull riders on the circuit. Extremely realistic and easy.
She makes these men absolutely believable in every way, from their speech to their relationship and how they relate to those around them.
That includes the marvelous lesbian married grandmothers who raised Ryder and help run both the ranch and rodeo enterprises. Strong, impactful women and wonderful characters .
However, your heart will truly belong to the four foster children that comes into the lives of everyone who lives on the Chiara ranch. Thatās a orphaned family of four. Charlie, a sixteen-year-old girl. Elijah, an eleven-year-old boy, Dani, eight-year-old girl, and tiny Nell, a two-year-old baby girl.
They arrive with a heartbreaking history, separate issues and sets of challenges, and personalities to endear themselves to the family at the ranch and readers alike.
Of course, thereās animals like adorable dogs, goats, and horses too.
This is one sweet, moving, heartwarming romance. You will want to just curl up and sink into this group of characters and children as they work their way into becoming a family .
Itās a marvelous journey and one you wonāt want to miss.
I highly recommend it. And wonder what the next story in this series will bring.
Ryder Vittor has almost everything he could ever want. He was a successful bull rider, he runs a rodeo company and a ranch for his family, and he’s right where he wants to be. Until his grandmother issues him an ultimatum. Now he has to get married and have kids if he wants to keep the life he loves, but he can’t exactly produce a man and a baby out of thin air, can he? So he sets out to hire a husband in order to get what he needs.
Kase McDaniel is at the end of his rope. His bull riding career has ended in a bad crash, his family doesn’t want him back, and he has nowhere to go. When Ryder offers to let him come stay at Ryder’s New Mexico ranch, he’s grateful, but he’s stunned when he finds out Ryder intends to make a contract with a stranger to marry him and raise kids with him. Kase has been in love with Ryder for years, so why shouldn’t he put in for the job?
Neither one of them has any idea what they’re setting in motion when they tie the knot, and soon they’re overrun with foster kids, rodeo family, and more. Can Kase and Ryder find something real in all the chaos, or will they be parting ways when the contract ends?
The second installment of A.J. Sherwoodās 6 part series, How I Stole The Princessās White Knight and Turned Him To Villainy: Miracle 2, gives us a little more insight into our main characters and enlarges our cast with three wonderful new personalities.
Devante Salvino, First Knight of Goodwine, or Devan has been sent off by the evil Princess to the Hunterās Woods for a dangerous,suicidal quest as punishment. The bodies have been piling up there and Devan has been tasked with finding and killing the culprit(s). By himself and his trusty stallion, Dan.
It goes immediately seriously wrong as the Princess anticipated.
Sherwood does a great job with the scary creature at the heart of the woods and the attack on Devan.
Our slow burn, adorable romance is still proceeding at a snailās pace between Devan and Tan the Black Sorcerer , one of the three most feared sorcerers known.
The other two? We get to meet them here. Because, of course, they are Tanās brother and sister. Two more characters that are just incredibly entertaining. Especially sister Fa,The Black Sorcereress of Crila. She gets a crush of her own.
Then thereās Brother Niran the Necromancer, sorcerer of Sol whoās very interested in peoples spines and has a bunch of semi smart skeletons who come with him.
Thereās more of course. Another lovely character on Devanās side, Wells, his best friend. A monster to quell, a relationship to move slowly a bit along, and a new joint quest at the end that will advance them and the series further.
Itās a short, splendid affair. Entertaining, a bit scary, with flooffy purring cats, a maze, and really slow burn romance and fabulous characters.
Canāt wait for Miracle 3. Bring it on!
Iād give you all a list but basically it says Miracle 1 to 6.
Iām highly recommending them all. No surprise. I find them exceedingly entertaining.
āāā-
Unless itās noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.
Tavia Larkās Perilous Courts became a new favorite based solely on its first book, Prince and Assassin. That story had a depth of layering to its storylines that began with Whisper, a infamous Hound of the Kennel. Thatās a group of highly prized assassins owned by blood curse , since they bought or stolen at a young age, by a Blood mage. Their fees afforded only by the richest of men or rulers.
His background and that of some of the other Hounds provided a pathos and dimension to Whisper and the story that gave both his mission and romance a heft narratively speaking and made the novel sing with promise.
Prince in Disguise moves from Prince Julien to the youngest of the three princes of the Kingdom of Silaise. Thatās Prince Bellamy. Heās had a problematic history, having been kidnapped by his biological father when younger, and prone to headaches brought on by magic. Heās been away and now been sent for due to illness among his mothers. That we knew from the first story.
We get a reminder of his history and recap here, which is good because Bellamy wasnāt a big element in that story.
I throughly enjoyed this book. While lacking the depth and layers of the first novel, the sheer chemistry between the two main characters and the addition of a blinkmink as well as dragons more than compensates for it.
Itās a rousing grand tale!
Bellamy is completely different from Julien. Lark is able to bring us a young man whoās illnesses and trouble in adolescence has made his mothers and older brothers overprotective and solicitous to the point heās rarely alone . Until a weather related accident and a curious pet insures that he is.
Bellamy goes from scared, naive, unprepared Prince to a determined, self aware, brave individual in love. And we buy into it because weāve been there for the growth.
The same goes for Rakos Tem, dragonrider of House Dire. I canāt go into particulars because his situation is central to so many storylines but who he is, the development of their relationship, and his personality is just as remarkable.
Plus didnāt I say there were dragons?
My only issue here is that the dragons, their true nature and bond with their riders isnāt fully explored here as I would have expected or hoped for. Especially for such a exciting and popular element.
The dragon fights are plenty great though!
There are a few weak story threads that could be tighter and I hope that their potential will be used in another story.
Prince in Disguise (Perilous Courts #2) by Tavia Lark has much to recommend it. A couple with fantastic chemistry, a blinkmink, dragons, and the potential for more to come. Plus we got to see Whisper and Julien again.
Next is Audricās story and Bellamy falling in love has put him in a bit of a bind.
I canāt wait to see what happens.
So far , itās been a great journey. One Iām highly recommending! Read them in the order they are written.
Iām still hoping Lark will give us more on the Hounds of the Kennel. They have never left me for a second.
Perilous Courts:
ā Prince and Assassin #1 (Prince Julien and Whisper )
ā Prince in Disguise #2 – (Prince Bellamy and Rakos)
ā¦ Prince and Pawn #3 – Jan 30, 2033 (Prince Audric and Corin)
Rakos isnāt really a farmer. Bellamy definitely isnāt a minstrel.
Sheltered, sickly Prince Bellamy dreams of adventureābut not like this. Captured in enemy territory, his royal identity will get him killed. When his dangerously attractive fellow prisoner asks who he is, Bellamy claims to be a minstrel.
Except he canāt carry a tune to save his life. He panicked, okay?
Rakos was a dragonrider until betrayal landed him in chains. Now, he knows two things for certain: he canāt trust anyone, and he wants his dragon back. When the fragile minstrel asks who he is, Rakos claims heās a farmer. When Bellamy begs for help reaching the border, Rakos refuses.
Until he canāt resist how much Bellamy needs him.
Stormy nights and deadly masquerades forge Rakos and Bellamyās unlikely partnership into something more. Something exhilarating. Rakos treats Bellamy like a person, not a weak, untouchable prince, even as he protects him.
But Rakosās enemies are circling in, and that very protection might be Bellamyās undoing.
Prince in Disguise is a high fantasy gay romance, with double secret identities, Only One Bed, and a teleporting ferret. The Perilous Courts series is best read in order, but each book follows a different prince and his Happily Ever After.
āāā-
Unless itās noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.
The Magi Accounts is a dark, brutal urban fantasy series. Itās a ugly universe of constant warfare between aliens coming through a human made rift and world governments trying to prevail against them using any and all mean possible.
For an unrecognizable US government, itās meant that theyāve been treating the magi (magical human beings) like slaves, war fodder, and war tools. And worse. Subjecting them to the most horrific abuse, housed in breeding compounds, tagged and collared, little more than test subjects.
Several of our most beloved characters are magi and we go through some gut wrenching, horrific events with them in these books , including attempts of sexual assault and actual torture that brings home their dire situation in this dark universe.
Believe in the trigger warnings here.
Next on the low species list as regarded by the US government is shifters. While also in need of them as soldiers in shifter/magi teams against the powerful aliens arriving through the rift, the US government treats them barely better then the magi. They are tagged but have a hard won autonomy the magi could never hope for.
Notaro has built a remarkable tale of pain, horror and heartbreaking relationships amidst a war that only seems to be escalating, as a new enemy, made up of humans and witches comes for both the aliens and the shifter/magi population.
I fell in love with the growing found family that started with the bonded dyad magi pair, Madeo and Jude, together since early childhood. Traumatized, abused, sent to war as children as weapons, they trusted, with excellent reason, no one but themselves.
Now they are not only a part of Cosmo Ono-Naiās pride, but Madeo is blood-bonded to Cosmo and his Alpha mate. So much change, almost more than either magi can emotionally handle after their abusive past.
Notaroās stories have been building on the complicated bonds within the Ono-Nai pride and its success with helping the characters grow into a different person who sees perhaps a future with a relationship and a hope they never anticipated.
Thatās a glimpse of lightness through the darkness we finally get to see here but not before some new horrors are visited upon the teams and characters as they fight against the Red Cloak conspiracy and new aliens , even dangers from within.
This is an exciting, suspenseful, dark series. Itās full of haunting moments and characters that stay with you. And each new story manages to bring an expansion on every level. From the series arc themes of slavery, species bigotry, child sexual assault, PTSD, loss and itās ramifications, and so much more to the incredible growth the characters are able to demonstrate, emotionally and magically.
I always look forward to the next book. With great anticipation and a bit of fear. Because with each bit of hope we and the characters are allowed, it always comes at enormous personal cost.
Onward to the next story and this outstanding series step forward.
Iām highly recommending it and this. Read them in the order they are written for character development and plot.
The Magi Accounts:
š¹The Scars That Bind Us #1
š¹The Shackles That Hold Us #2
š¹A Date To Impress Him #2.5
š¹A Purpose That Restores Us #3
š¹A Holiday to Sustain Us: A Magi Accounts Holiday – Dec 20, 2022
š¹An Embrace To Hearten Me: The Magic Accounts 3.5 – 8//2023
š¹A Ruse To Unchain Us: The Magi Accounts # 4 – Aug 29, 2033
Dark witches here, bloody witches there, evil witches everywhere.
At home, my life is amazing, thanks to my boyfriend, Cosmo Ono-Nai, and his wonderful family that Iāve become a part of. Iām happier than Iāve ever been in my life.
But work is a different story.
All anyoneās talking about is the Red Cloth this, the Red Cloth that. I canāt escape them, and all I really want is to find someplace the witches canāt reach, take my familyāmy prideāthere, and hide them away from the world.
But I canāt. Iāll do everything in my power to protect them, and everyone else, from the building threat. Thereās this dread building in my chest about whatās to come, and I have a feeling the Red Cloth is planning something big. I only wish I knew what so I could keep Cos, Jude, and the rest of our family safe.
A Purpose That Restores Us is a 118K novel and the third book in the MM urban fantasy series, The Magi Accounts. Itās recommended to read the series in order because it has an ongoing storyline, but there is NO cliffhanger.
*Intended for adults only. Please read the trigger warnings at the beginning of this novel.
āāā-
Unless itās noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.
Counterpoint by J.E. Birk is such an excellent story. Itās the second in a new round of books about the Vino & Veritas bookstore and bar located in Burlington, Vermont. And a whole new look at the wonderful collection of characters and couples that appear in many of the novels.
Honestly, each story now feels like a homecoming if youāve become as connected to these people, their lives, this small town, from the bar and bookstore to Moo U, as I am.
Our two main characters here have known each other and been close friends for a while , along with Jamie , until a argument Aaron had with his dad about the farm fractured the family, sending Aaron off to Harvard and a isolation that remained until recently (Booklover).
Now Aaron is back, to intern for the summer, at one of the local law offices in Burlington. But Aaron has secrets and isnāt happy with himself or at ease with his family and friends.
Jeremy Everett is on the run from reality. Heās running from phone calls, his family, his mother, his future. And heās using his playboy image to do it. Until his mother cuts off his funds. And forces him to get a job. In the law office where Aaron is working for the summer.
Birk has created a deeply moving and emotionally satisfying story about love and family. About the types of stress and damage parental expectations can place upon a child as well as many faces of love that a child often cannot recognize because of unbearable situations.
So much painful truths here.
If youāre someone who has a relative or close friend with Alzheimerās , then this will hit deep. All the denial, the spectrum of emotions that the family uses to deal with the loved one whoās lost to this insidious disease. The pain they inflict on each other . Itās so real, heartbreaking, and believable.
Not just Alzheimerās but a fatherās fears and hopes for a family farm that built and then , targeted a son until all he felt he had to be was perfect. We get to feel and hear from Aaronās internal dialogue and discussions how damaging that childhood has been. Even after a reconciliation, the wounds are still open and Aaron isnāt recovering.
Birk has given us two seemingly different men on the outside but in the center, they are suffering from the trauma their past history and their struggles with the pain their families have caused.
How they overcome it, especially when working together with a certain event in their own personal history still bringing up stumbles, is funny, heartfelt, vulnerable, and just plain a heartwarming story.
I adore this couple, their friends and the future ahead of them. Iām sure we will see them again.
Iām highly recommending Counterpoint, as well as Booklover if you havenāt read that too.
Get caught up and join into this series!
In Vino Veritas series 2:
ā Wildfire #1 – Garrett Leigh
ā Counterpoint #2 – JE Birk
ā¦ Unmanageable #3 – Leslie McAdam
ā¦ Underdog #4 – LA Witt
ā¦ Wonderland #5 – Rachel Ember
ā¦ Dauntless #6 – Victoria DeNault
The first series:
Vino and Veritas #1:
šµFeatherbed (Vino and Veritas 1) by Annabeth Albert
Iām considered the biggest playboy in Burlington, Vermont. The party boy. The guy who lives in the moment and makes decisions with no thought for the future. But people donāt know my past. They donāt know why I make the choices I do. Even my best friend doesnāt know the truth about me. Actually, there are a lot of things he doesnāt knowā¦like the fact that I had a one night stand with his brother last year.
Did I mean to hook up with Aaron? Um, no. Mistakes were made, okay? But unlike most of my mistakes, this one has lasting consequences. Aaron works at the law firm where circumstances are forcing me to be their errand boy. Now we see each other every day. Aaronās such a nervous wreck he keeps tripping over the copy machine. Iām surprised he hasnāt ended up in traction yet.
He and I are opposites in almost every way. Heās got a GPA higher than Mount Mansfield, and Iām barely going to graduate college. He grocery shops with a spreadsheet, and Iāve got YOLO tattooed on my body. But Aaron sees things in me that no one else does, and I see things in him he doesnāt see in himself. Before I know it, weāre sharing late-night office picnics, evenings out at the bar, and long, hot afternoons on my boat. Iām having the best summer of my life, but thereās no way this can end well. My bff will kill me if he ever finds out how thoroughly Iāve corrupted his brotherā¦
Counterpoint is an opposites-attract forbidden romance featuring an incense-filled law firm, meddling friends, and angst and humor in (mostly) equal parts. It stars Jeremy Everett and Aaron Morin, who first appeared in the Vino and Veritas story Booklover, but Counterpoint is a standalone novel.
Declared, second in the Star Marked Warriors series, is better then the first book. While that one had to establish the universe the authors needed for their series, it also included a couple and romance that I found hard to connect with. Plus just some issues with the plot overall.
What I liked here was the gamer/geek in finding himself in Space aspect. Wesley was a gamer/IT geek working on farming games while hoping one day to be able to produce his own. He finds, through his own wishes to be somewhere else, as one of the kidnapees aboard a blue alien ship headed out to the stars!
Does Wes have āMad electronic skillsā? Yes! Do we get to hear Wes say things like āMake it soā on a alien bridge in alien captain chair? Why yes.
Already this book is much more fun. Not believable but a ton more fun.
He also connects with the one blue alien/human hybrid who smiles a lot and well likes his personality too.
Wes and Jax make a great couple. Not sure about the authorās choice of Jax having to proclaim himself the offspring of Zul the Proeliator over and over. Surely a nerd like Wes would have blurted out something like whereās the Temple of Gozer or does that make you the Gatekeeper?
Cause honestly, donāt these authors know about Ghostbusters? SMH
But anyway, thereās a exciting adventure ahead for both. A mission they become embroiled in , as anyone familiar with sci-fi (as Wes himself takes notice) . Itās entertaining and they make a terrific couple.
It ends on a happy note and , while again, still not a believable story, more a comic relief romance in space.
Enjoyable if you take it at that and leave your expectations for anything fresh and exciting at the first page.
An alien warrior, a kidnapped mate, and a traitor waiting to take everything from them bothā¦
Wesley: Iāve always loved space. Give me Star Trek over Lord of the Rings any day. Since I was a kid, all Iāve wanted is to explore the great beyond, to boldly go and all that jazz. And with my feet firmly stuck on Earth, the way I reach for the stars is through developing video games. The biggest issue there? Well, I canāt keep a job beyond one project.
But all that staring at the night sky finally gets me somewhere when a tractor beam drops down from the sky in the Appalachian mountains and drags me up into an incredible spaceship full of big, scary, delicious-looking alien warriors. Iāve always fantasized about seeing the universe, but the realityāa handsy, grinning warriorāis so much more than I bargained for.
Jax: I have a problemāI am the son of Zul the Proeliator, greatest Thorzi warrior, and I have had no chance to honor my legacy on the battlefield. When our people were dying out, they took human mates and produced a generation of hybrid children. But the hybrid sons of the planet Thorzan are protected, privileged, and wasted. All my life, I have been companion and protector to Prince Kaelum instead of a proper warrior.
And now my enemies have come to believe that a younger generation of spoiled hybrids makes Thorzan ripe for invasion. When attack comes, itās closer to home than expected, and I may be forced to choose between duty and protecting the beautiful man whose bright mind has caught my heart.
By popular cowriting duo Sam Burns & W.M. Fawkes, Declared is an M/M SciFi alien romance with a hybrid warrior trying to prove his worth, a lost human looking for stable ground, and battles that will prove sometimes, the only thing a warrior can do when tested is survive.
āāā-
Unless itās noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by the reviewer.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 