Category: Contemporary fiction

A Stella Review : Cowboy Seeks Husband by Leta Blake and Indra Vaughn

RATING 4 out of 5 stars

Walker Reed’s Louisiana cattle ranch is in debt after costly repairs from hurricane damage. To get the money, his family schemes to make Walker the star of a new bachelor reality series: Queer Seeks Spouse.. How hard can it be to fake interest in a dozen handsome men for a few weeks in exchange for enough money to solve all of his problems?

Roan Carmichael never got his Masters degree after his mother was diagnosed with cancer. With medical bills piling up, and a costly experimental treatment available, Roan signs on to be a suitor on Queer Seeks Spouse. While he hates having to leave his sick mother long enough to win the cash for her treatment, he’s willing to do whatever it takes.

Can two men who are just in it for the money fake their way into real and lasting love? Cowboy Seeks Husband, the latest book by Vespertine authors Leta Blake and Indra Vaughn, features a cowboy, a hipster, opposites attract, steamy scenes, and heart tugging moments that will leave you wanting more.

As soon as I saw Leta Blake and Indra Vaughn were going to release a book together, I knew it was going to be awesome and I wasn’t disappointed. They both can write so good and together they were spectacular. Not once I was lost with the reading, I was so deep into the story, I finished Cowboy Seeks Husband too soon. The plot they wrote was interesting and funny, they delivered a well done novel, with its up and down moments.

I adored both Roan and Walker, for different reasons they caught my heart. The way they were devoted to their families, how hard they worked for their needs and then they were so brave to fight for what they want, even if being part of the  Queer Seeks Spouse reality show wasn’t at all what they had in minds. Nonetheless, the attraction and chemistry between them, urged Roan and Walker to know each other better and ignore some of the tv show rules.

There were some great second characters too, starting with the other contenders, and then the main characters’ parents, all of them so caring and sweet. I laugh a lot, I shed a couple of things when the unavoidable happened, and later I was delighted to see how happy the MCs were.

The only reason why I’m not giving the novel an higher rating is that, although I liked the book a lot, I didn’t feel totally satisfied with how much I got of Roan and Walker time together, I needed more, I think I would have preferred to know a little more about them after the HEA.

That said, I truly hope to get more about them or the other characters I met.

The cover art by Dar Albert is awesome, I so love the style, the colors, the font. It’s so cute!

Sales Links:   Amazon

BOOK DETAILS

Kindle Edition, 283 pages

Published February 26th 2019 by Leta Blake Books

ASIN B07P91T73L

Edition Language English

An Alisa Review: Perilous Hearts (Deviant Hearts #3) by A.E. Ryecart

Rating:  3 stars out of 5

 

You can lock your door, but can you lock your heart?

 

Finding the courage to end his relationship with his manipulative and vicious boyfriend, Jamie Wheeler turns to his close friend Ed Corrigan to help him get his life back on track.

 

Jamie and Ed have been inseparable for years, and all it would take is a small step to cross the divide from friends to lovers.

 

It would be the biggest mistake they could make.

 

Jamie seeks the security of a settled long-term relationship, but Ed vows never to put his heart on the line again after a devastating betrayal. Anything beyond friendship is a risk, and could break them forever.

 

As Jamie’s vindictive ex causes trouble from the side-lines, a face from the past makes an unwelcome return. Jamie’s life isn’t getting back on track, it’s coming off the rails, as a series of seemingly random events lead to only one of two conclusions: either somebody’s playing a dark and sinister game, or Jamie’s losing his mind.

 

Tensions rise and danger approaches, drawing Jamie and Ed closer than ever. But time is running out as they race to discover not only what is happening, and why, but also what they truly mean to each other.

 

Maybe if I had read this with some time in between the last book I would have liked it more but reading them close together just highlighted how much alike the stories are right down to the problems coming from two or three sides and the big confrontation happening very close to the end of the story.  I mean the evil ex causing problems can get old and it’s what happened in the last two books.

 

Jamie is a sweetheart though has not made great choices for boyfriends and while deep down he wants Ed, he is sure he knows how that would go.  Ed was hurt badly by his first serious boyfriend and since then has refused to even contemplate more than one night with someone.  They have both stayed best friends since university even if there is something deeper there.

 

I understood Ed’s protectiveness in regard to Jamie but it was mostly him hiding how he actually feels about him and while he stands by him through thick and thin it was pretty clear to everyone but them.  Jamie wants to be independent but it’s hard to push away the one rock in your life.  The story was well written and I hated to see Jamie getting more and more frustrated with what was happening and not knowing what it was happening.  You could see how helpless Ed felt while wanting to protect Jamie but not knowing where the threat was actually coming from.

 

The cover art is a nice picture of Jamie and is similar in style to the others in the series.

 

Sales Link: Amazon

 

Book Details:

ebook, 342 pages

Published: March 8, 2019 by AE Ryecart

Edition Language: English

Series: Deviant Hearts #3

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Wicked Games (Queen City Rogues #2) by Aimee Nicole Walker

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Ryder Jameson and Lucien Clarke have a long and complicated love-hate past. Ryder works to conserve art and Lucien apparently steals art. When I saw these characters make a brief appearance in book one, Broken Halos, I read it first, but perhaps I shouldn’t have. Unfortunately, that story set the stage for my dislike of Ryder Jameson, the museum conservationist who is wrongly accused of the theft of artifacts at the last few museums where he’s worked. The fact is that those thefts are chiefly attributed to the man who Ryder fell for—and who happens to feel that way about him too—but Ryder always gets blamed.

Ryder wasn’t an endearing character in the first half of this book. Angry and miserable about another theft from another museum where he works, he totally blames the man he first knew as Sebastian, and has now come to find out is Lucien Clarke. A bout of angry sex with Lucien did nothing to raise Ryder in my esteem, but the author took the men much further into their current and past relationships, the childhoods that made them who they are, the men who loved and left them, and finally, finally, I saw a Ryder I could like.

Lucien was ostensibly a suave, debonair, man-of-the-word art thief—at least, that was his role. But in reality, he was a sweet man forced into the world of art theft and trying his best to find a good outcome for everyone. He apparently really cares for Ryder and we see how his story plays out in the second half. But what put me off him early in the story was his love ’em and leave ’em attitude toward Ryder. And his reactions to situations felt incongruous with his outward persona. He was a bit too “damsel in distress” at some points in the story, and I found it difficult to embrace him as a good character.

The story is outlandish and most certainly barely believable, but it’s fast-paced and interesting and by the end I felt compelled to keep turning pages so that I could see who lives and who loves by the time we reach an epilogue. Readers who enjoy lots of sex scenes, including angry sex, and those who enjoy an underlying plot of danger with their handsome, sexy men will likely really enjoy this story. 

As I said, it took me a while to warm up to the characters but when I did I really enjoyed the rest of the book. Granted I wouldn’t believe the story could actually happen, but it is definitely entertaining and kept me on my toes so I do recommend it to readers who like a sexy action adventure MM romance.

The cover by Jay Aheer is what attracted me to this book as it features two muscular, apparently naked, tattooed men curled around each other in a loving embrace. However, as I got into the story I realized that neither MC is remotely like the men on the cover so I was disappointed.

Sales Links:  Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 243 pages
Published March 11th 2019 by Chasing Rainbows Press LLC
Series Queen City Rogues #2

A MelanieM Review: Arctic Sun (Frozen Hearts #1) by Annabeth Albert

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

 

Everything’s bigger in Alaska, especially the HEAs. Annabeth Albert kicks off the brand-new Frozen Hearts series with Arctic Sun, an opposites-attract romance between a rugged outdoorsman and a smoking hot former male model.

He’s built a quiet life for himself in Alaska. But it doesn’t stand a chance against the unrelenting pull of a man who’s everything he shouldn’t want.

Ex-military mountain man Griffin Barrett likes his solitude. It keeps him from falling back into old habits. Bad habits. He’s fought too hard for his sobriety to lose control now. However, his gig as a wildlife guide presents a new kind of temptation in superhot supermodel River Vale. Nothing the Alaskan wilderness has to offer has ever called to Griffin so badly. And that can only lead to trouble…

River has his own methods for coping. Chasing adventure means always moving forward. Nobody’s ever made him want to stand still—until Griffin. The rugged bush pilot is the very best kind of distraction, but the emotions he stirs up in River feel anything but casual, and he’s in no position to stay put.

With temptation lurking in close quarters, keeping even a shred of distance is a challenge neither’s willing to meet. And the closer Griffin gets to River, the easier it is to ignore every last reason he should run.

Arctic Sun is another successful contemporary romance from Annabeth Albert, one of my go to authors. This wonderful story manages to combine the breathtaking scenery and isolated landscape of Alaska with the romance between two  complicated, wounded men, highly different on the surface and yet so alike deep underneath.

With the state of Alaska as a third main character as well as a location, Albert also deals with some serious subject matter, also through her two main men.  While it’s obvious from the start that each man is struggling with some demon or demons, what they are exactly is a slower reveal.  The exact nature of what each man is battling is hinted at and given away in the synopsis so I don’t mind spelling it out here.  For Griffin Barrett, it’s sobriety and gambling.  For River, a eating disorder and a toxic way of life.  And neither one has exactly finished dealing with their addictions in a way that’s helping them move forward.  One is hiding and one is running.

Both away from themselves until they find each other in Alaska.  And Annabeth Albert brings us intimately into their journey and the larger than life wonder that is Alaska.

I loved the use of the photography group as a format for bringing Griffin out of his typical hermit like state and the other participants were great characters.  It let the model River slowly ease away to the real person underneath and I enjoyed that journey as much as Griffin.  And all the sights they took in. The locations and the beauty of Alaska is described in depth as is the joys of travels by aircraft of all sizes and type.  What I did think was underplayed was the long arctic nights and extreme cold as well as the distance between people and small towns. But that’s perhaps for another story as this is but the first in a series.

The complications, angst, and rediscovery here is saved for River and Griffin.  It’s one tough journey and a very rewarding one.  I loved the men and the HFN they received at the end.  It was realistic and heartwarming.  And I’m ready for more.

An Annabeth Albert story is a cause for joy.  The people are so real, the books so well written, that you just fall into them fully, connecting with the romance and their lives.    I highly recommend all her series and this story.  Pick them and this up and get started today.

Cover art is gorgeous with the seaplane and the mountains in the backdrop.

Buy now:
Harlequin: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781488051258_arctic-sun.html
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Frozen-Hearts-Annabeth-Albert/dp/1335006885/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/arctic-sun-annabeth-albert/1129705419
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/arctic-sun/id1438313132
kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/arctic-sun-1
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Annabeth_Albert_Arctic_Sun?id=G55zDwAAQBAJ
Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Arctic-Sun-Audiobook/1488206201

 

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 1st edition, 384 pages
Published April 1st 2019 by Carina Press
ASINB07J3C79NH
Edition Language English
Series Frozen Hearts #1

Publisher’s Note: Arctic Sun deals with topics some readers may find difficult, including sobriety and eating disorders

Frozen Hearts Series

Arctic Sun

Arctic Wild  cpming June 3rd

A Stella Review: Copper Creek (Sawyer’s Ferry #3) by Cate Ashwood

RATING 5 out of 5 stars

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

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

Cate Ashwood delivered another great book, I have to say I couldn’t wait for Frankie story, I knew it would have been awesome as he is. I was a big fan of him, he is a fabolous friend, a character always positive, open and ready to help, even when he is deep in problems and he can’t see some light shining in his future. Sometimes we really just need to wait and be brave and all the good can happen, in love and work, as it happens to Frankie.

I fell so easily into Barrett and Frankie lives. It was so clear from the beginning how much they were into each other. Although Barrett has never been attracted to a man in the past, although Frankie is in Sawyer’s Ferry only for planning his best friend’s wedding, still something important is beginning and it will change them. One thing I appreciate a lot about Barrett was how easily he accepted his love with another man, sure there were some initial doubts, but at end he easily saw how deep were this feeling for Frankie and tried to fix their relationship.

As everything Cate writes, Copper Creek was a lovely story, I liked everything about it, I was able to meet Holden and Gage again and see how happy they were, still the ending was the better part, so sweet and romantic, it was simple to fall in love with these men all over again.

I feel to recommend the whole Sawyer’s Ferry series, it’s very well done and you won’t be disappointed.

The cover art by Cate Ashwood is clean and simple, it follows the style of the other covers in the series, I like it.

Sales Link:  Amazon

BOOK DETAILS

Kindle Edition, 213 pages

Published March 25th 2019

ASIN B07PZF68J4

Edition Language English

Sawyer’s Ferry Series

Alaska

Laguna

Bishop Ridge

Whisky Christmas 2.5

Copper Creek