Lane Hayes continues her Out of series for couple Gabe and Derek post college with two lovely, sweet short stories.
We meet again Hayesā great characters, in tightly plotted storylines filled with romance and hope for their dreams, individually and as a couple.
We follow them through each manās future plans, one for a restaurant and one for an Olympic spot, then to a wonderful romantic conclusion.
Both compliment each other and leave the reader happy and satisfied for the couple and with the stories.
What a lovely way to spend a couple of hours.
Lighthearted, humorous, romantic and sweet. I loved it and recommend both. And Hayes Out of series. Check them all out.
Synopsis:Out for the Holidays
A Dream Come Trueā¦
Derek-
This is it! Iām finally opening my own bistro. Iāve spent the last two years getting ready for this moment. I canāt decide if the holidays are the perfect time to begin a new venture, but Iām excited. It would be nice if my family were on board too.
Gabe-
I play water polo. I donāt know anything about the restaurant business, but I want to make sure Derekās grand opening goes according to plan. Iāll rally our friends, send out invites, and yeahā¦Iāll even deal with his mother. Heās my number one person and Iāll do whatever it takes to be sure weāre out for the holidays.
Out for the Holidays is a low-angst MM romance featuring Derek and Gabe from Out in the Deepā¦and a host of friends from the Out in College books!
Out for Gold
Chance of a Lifetimeā¦
Gabe-
Winning a spot on the Olympic water polo team is my lifelong goal and guess what?…I made it! Of course, nothing goes smoothly. This is a bad time for a shoulder injury and an even worse time for my dad to show up out of the blue. I might be doomed.
Derek-
Family isnāt easy. Trust me, I know. But in my experience, ignoring obvious issues only makes them more challenging in the long run. I canāt solve Gabeās problems with his dad, but Iāll help if I can. Win or lose, my man is going out for gold.
Out of Gold is a low-angst MM romance featuring Derek and Gabe from Out in the Deep in a full-circle quest for the ultimate prizeā¦love.
*OUT FOR THE HOLIDAYS was originally featured in the holiday collection, Gifts for the Season. Since the anthology is no longer available, I wanted to publish it on my own and add new content. OUT FOR GOLD is a brand-new novella that really brings the whole story full-circle. Both shorts feature Derek and Gabe from Out in the Deep.
I just adore this series! After all, how often Is it that I get a 18 book series written by multiple authors that shows no signs of stopping, remains energetic and fresh from couple to couple, plot to plot, and has given me new authors to follow!
Exciting, right?
The main elements remain the bar/bookstore thatās Vino and Veritas, the beautiful town of Burlington, Vermont, the surrounding areas such as smaller villages, farms and woods. From that great foundation, we continually meet and/or revisit the many citizens (established and newly arrived) that intertwine their lives and loves.
Unforgettableās couple is comprised of two men weāve met before.
Thereās Oz Walker, one of the staff at Vino side of V&V. Heās been mentioned fairly often in the other stories. Doesnāt matter the authors, many of these couples and characters make appearances throughput the entire series.
So yes, we superficially know Oz and now get to meet the man in-depth as well as his family. All of them and they rock!
Reeve Hale, temporally āpassing throughā Burlington for the summer is roommates with one of my fav people. Thatās the effervescent Davey Murphy from Undone #17, here busy, supportive and looking for love. While itās great to get a peak at āShowgirlā, the oh so delightful , duty minded adorable Reeve is a real great addicting character.
Add a marvelous fake boyfriend trope between these two and you have a story that just takes off and soars on a flight of romance, sexy romps, some angst, and a ton of heartwarming moments.
Just a heads over heels love fest that you will find so much fun to read. Well written, dialogue that feels real and hits the heart, and yes, filled with outstanding characters, both new and from the other series books.
Oz Walker and Reeve Hale are a great couple and make for a entertaining joyful romance. Add this one to your TBR pile. I definitely recommend it.
See the synopsis and entire series list below as well as the buying link from Goodreads.
Synopsis: One night with Reeve Hale wasnāt enough. I knew it when I kissed him, I knew it when I slept with him, and I was certain of it when I walked out of his motel room the very next day.
So when the shy, gorgeous man is introduced as our newest employee at Vino and Veritas, I canāt help but conjure up all the ridiculous ways to convince him to repeat that unforgettable night. Like asking him to be my fake boyfriend at my sisterās upcoming wedding.
Only, I didnāt expect him to say yes.
Playing pretend shouldnāt feel this real. Especially when Reeve is planning on leaving Vermont after the summer.
We agreed to one night. We negotiated a fake relationship. But Iām the one who broke our terms. I wasnāt supposed to fall in love and he was never supposed to be so unforgettable
I have been looking forward to this book and series since itās origin story, A Brush of Blue, in her Colors of Love series. Itās there that we met Landon Reese, goalie/hockey player and his future husband, bandleader Montrell Pittman. And at the end they are facing a great future together, full of new journeys, including one that sees both at Landonās large spread in Wyoming, the Prairie Smoke Ranch.
It was such an amazing story and that couple was so fascinating and diverse that I couldnāt wait to see how their lives continued and what happened nextā¦.on that ranch.
We get that here, although not as much as I had hoped to see of Landon and Martell. Here, we run across Landon most often as the carryover character. He owns the ranch after all. Of the complex , musical cross dressing Martell, we catch just glimpses.
No the focus of this novel is the Prairie Smoke ranch foreman, Nate Pearson and Dr. Bishop Haney, associate professor of Paleontology at UWW. Itās their love story, with heavy overlay plot lines of theft, bigotry, feuding ranches, rustling and more.
And that mixture of elements and storylines is both a blessing and , well not a curse then definitely a frustrating point, reader and review wise, about this novel.
Writing a series, authors can format their stories in various ways. Thereās a main foundation or universe, here itās the Prairie Smoke Ranch and itās location near the Tetons as well as surrounding communities, town and Native tribes.
Locey has established a great setting and niche community here. We have the larger towns and citizens referenced and secondary characters from there who make appearances.Thereās the smaller found family the author is slowly creating at the ranch itself thatās a combination of owners, ranch hands, and support staff. New people already situated or are soon to arrive within this group are those whoās relationships will be launched in the forthcoming books.
As I said, this series looks to follow the pattern of individual romances emerging from the ranch family that is growing before us on the page instead of following through on the couple already presented.
From foundation universe and main couple romance, then a author can layer on more themes or plots that get threaded through the narrative to further tie books and series together.
For me this has always been a somewhat tricky format to balance and have each tale remain satisfying in and of itself while moving the series objectives forward.
As a reader, I want to come to the end of each novel I read and feel happy (if itās that sort of fiction) as well as satisfied that some if not most of the plot lines raised have been concluded , even if itās not the arc storyline . Thatās more so the case because itās a anticipated smaller percentage in novels from a series because yes, you allow for a certain number of storylines to carryover into the next novel. I still emotionally need closure on something! Please donāt leave me with more questions then answers or spending hours wondering why I didnāt even connect 100 percent to our couple. More on that.
When that happens. Even if thereās no real cliffhanger (something I abhor in a series), having multiple major elements left dangling at the end , well frustrating is a nice way to put it. Then I start to look at every aspect of the story with askance.
That includes what seems to be a happy, loving main couple . Here after some thought, even their romance here feels just as unfinished as everything else. Definitely a HFN book. An air of uncertainty hangs ever present over all elements.
For me that perfectly frames out how Dawnās Desire reads and comes across at the end. I done nothing but think about this story and why I just felt unsettled and yup, frustrated by the end.
Letās tackle the romance first of all.
Itās very well written, especially when creating and defining the men who become lovers in this HFN story.
Nate has a tragic history which is easy to emphasize with and feel a part of this manās life story. I connected with Nate. And even now he stands out so clearly in my head. I know this man.
Bishop, all energized, nerdy yet capable, messy man bun and long limbs, is equally amazing and relatable. From his California great looks to his positive outlook, Bishop feels as real as Nate.
Their chemistry is off the charts hot and I can even believe they love each other at the end.
The author did such a thorough, great job in giving both men not only a layered history but each has an emotional richness to them. Nate speaks hauntingly and with deep conviction of his connection to the wide spaces of Wyoming and his almost sacred bonding to the land. As he spoke at times during the story of his need and emotional ties there , it was so moving and natural.
Bishop too has equally meaningful layers to him. Not surprisingly, these strong ties run from his joy and passion for paleontology . But on the same level as Nateās great need and love for the land surrounding the Tetons is Bishop ās innermost connection to the ocean, itās waters , smells, and sounds that speak to Bishop of his heart. Itās a immense part of his soul, one that he says feels empty when heās away from it. Yes, I understood Bishop too on a visceral level.
Sooooā¦ anyone seeing a potential issue here for a HEA? Because yes, Bishop is a associate professor at UWW, thatās a both a field that calls for major time spent on digs (wherever they may be found) but he likes the city and his oceans.
This may be a case where these men are so well crafted as to feel real. We understand their inner emotions and can then see past a simple relationship whereas love here being everything. For me instead of focusing on their HFN status, all I could think of is this relationship has a real time limit realistically speaking. That sometimes love isnāt enough.
While realistic, probably not the tone Locey was going for in this romance.
The story doesnāt address my concerns about the romance feeling like a summer ranch fling however much they declared their love.
Add that to the fact that none of the other storylines (entertaining and suspenseful major threads) come to any fruition . Each one is left to continue through to the next book. Not one is resolved.
I got to the end of Dawnās Desire feeling as though Iād read the first half of a book where the rest of it was missing.
Iām sure more information about each mystery and plot will be featured in book 2 in this series. However, that story doesnāt center around Bishop and Nate but another couple entirely.
And unlike Landon and Martell who communicated and worked , in that novel, how the complications from each manās job would fit into their newly domesticated lifestyle, here between Nate and Bishop we get nothing. Just a declaration of love.
Just not very satisfying, at least for me.
So finally, Dawnās Desire does a great job in setting up the foundation and conflicts going forward in the series. It does nothing to resolve any thread just a setup and move forward.
It does give us a age gap, layered realistic quick romance between Nate and Bishop, running from lust to love. We understand and come to love each man, easy to do as theyāre intelligent, funny, poignant, and sexy.
But is this a romance built or written in a way that feels lasting? Not so much. More like Nateās first step out of emotional hibernation than a HEA. And I could see Bishop, at another dig, thinking about Nate as the one thing he left behind. That feels believable.
Will the upcoming stories change them and my general feelings about this couple? Remains to be seen. Along with the conclusions to some of the mysteries started here.
Iāll be waiting anxiously for the next novel to see what it brings.
Stronghold is a sweet, heartwarming romance. A second chance at love tale, we watch a reunion between chef Judson and maple sugarer Skyler after being best friends growing up then driven apart for a decade. One , Skyler who remained in Burlington to help with his familyās dairy farm. The other , Judson, fleeing Vermont for Paris and culinary school.
Alternating POV (standard for the series) guide us into complete understanding of each man and their complicated relationships, painful pasts, and tenuous plans for the future. I quickly grew to love them both.
Ashley characters are engaging, layered, and easy to connect to. The families that also are closely connected are equally charming and realistic. And the interplay between each man and their mothers seem so spot on that you feel as though you could be sitting on stool in the kitchen along side them as they chat. Plus all that maple syrup and recipes to drool over.
As with all the stories, characters and couples youāve gotten to know and adore make appearances here, from slight mentions to full secondary character status. It takes a village to build this series and you really feel like you know these people and Burlington itself. Go Moo U!
Yes thereās some angst on the low end of the meter, and a lovely ending. What a terrific new installment!
I love a great series. Thereās nothing better then to read one story, fall in love with the setting, people, atmosphereā¦.everything and then see you donāt have to stop at book one.
If the literary gods and goddesses are watching over you, the series will be lengthy and one that keeps building on the foundation and layers of the stories before.
Vino and Veritas is that series. Written by multiple authors, starting with Annabeth Albert, each sweet, heartwarming romance has added more texture and richness as well as characters to an already amazing central element.
That would be Vino (the all inclusive bar) and Veritas (the connecting/neighbor bookstore).
From that great center has sprung book after book with diverse characters (dairy farmers, bloggers, former hockey players, chefs, you name it) with their personal issues, often challenging family dynamics, and fascinating albeit stumbling journeys to love and HEA.
I mean look at that list of authors! I have put the full list of books to date (18 of them and growing) at the end of this review. Feel free to use it as a personal check list.
And because the books are written by a variety of authors this series always feels fresh and exciting. Plus if youāre unfamiliar with some of these authors, what a great way to discover someone new.
I have been reading them all in the order listed below because once I found the first book, Featherbed, then I just couldnāt stop. Like eating chocolates, one naturally leads to the next snd then the nextā¦..
Havenāt found one yet that isnāt a true delight and great read.
Check this and all the ones out for yourself. I absolutely recommend eqch and every one.
A second chance at love? Or a second chance to ruin everything?
When Skyler spots the new bartender at Vino and Veritas, his body responds before the guy even turns around. But when he does, it takes only a heartbeat for recognition to set in and for sparks to fly. Judsonās been gone for ten years, but heās the man Skyler never forgot. Or forgave.
The last place Judson wants to be is back home in Burlington, living with family. Not so long ago he was a world-class chef with the lifestyle to prove it. Now heās serving drinks and flying under the radar until he can get the hell out again. But when his childhood best friend reenters his life, looking finer than any entree at a five-star restaurant, he wonders if itās time to update his menu of life choices.
Working through past wounds with Skyler wonāt be easy, though, especially with family obligations–and the occasional dairy cow–interfering. When their loyalty is tested, will their newly built stronghold be sturdy enough to withstand the storm?
Stronghold is a sweet and sexy Vino & Veritas romance with some creative use of maple syrup.
Vino and Veritas series:
šµFeatherbed (Vino and Veritas 1) by Annabeth Albert
I really liked this story. For one, Bordenās series about the LA Riptide NFL team is marvelous and any new installment is exciting.
Two, Bolden brings into her Riptide universe, characters and couples from her other terrific series (Kitchen Gods , Kitchen Wars, and Food Truck Warriors). These couples are intertwined with each otherās stories and seeing them again here is a total pleasure.
Third and best reason? Bolden loves and knows the sport of pro football, every angle and aspect. From the Sports announcers/broadcasters like Terry Bradshaw , sitting crafty and country in his booth, to draft day to the locker room dynamics, itās all here.
Thatās understood immediately as we dive into the opening scene and mindset of defense end Spencer Evans. The Stars opponent has the ball and now itās up to the defense to stop them. Heās in the zoneā¦gameās onā¦heās mentally focused as the field and action unfolds before and around him. We are THERE with him, seeing it all and waiting for him to act.
What an awesome way to jump into the story and character.
From that scene Bolden takes the reader and her characters on a moving emotional journey of self growth, acceptance and love. But not before putting them and us through some real turmoil.
Thatās perfect and realistic when you have as tightly wrapped a person as Spencer and as deeply self protective as Alec Mitchell, the gay Sports super agent whoās had feelings for Spencer since the msn was first drafted. Each man has rejected, then been rejected over the course of a decades long complicated relationship. Spencer choosing to be drafted and then play for a decade for a team so toxic (the fictional LA Stars) that heās buried who he is so deep he no longer knows who he is. And Alec Mitchell has watched knowing the man Spencer was.Tough dynamics through a decade of complex emotions.
The journey for both men restarts afterSpencer decides to changeā¦everything.
Itās a moving read. Spencer, with the help of not only Alec but the surprise support of those heās hurt in the past, decides to tear down the walls he built, and find himself again.
We see the maneuvering to get trades done, team dynamics (both great and ugly), while feeling intimately part of this new path Spencer is taking along with Alec.
Great stuff. I was totally in the game as they say, with him all the way.
The romance? Just as complicated and rewarding. I love this couple. The chemistry is hot.
The story comes so close to perfect. But it contains one element that always makes the reader wonder and yes, something I find irritating. Probably because itās so correctable.
I call it the āmissing main animal character ā element. I canāt tell you how often Iāve seen this happen and it takes me right out of the narrative because Iām too busy wondering where the hell Soarky, Fluffy or what have you went.
In this case, itās a one-eyes black cat called Ignatius or Iggy for short. He belongs to Spencer. How that came about and their adorable relationship is a fairly big part of the story. Iggy acts as a fulcrum for a specific meeting. He also is used to show Spencerās vulnerability and ability to change. So yes, Iggyās a big deal.
However, the last , important, third of the story? No Iggy. Not even a mention of someone taking care of him, introducing him to Alecā¦nada. Iggy disappears.
Now I understand that the author has goals, narrative stages she wants to tell and/or hit as the storylines start to come together and the book heads toward The End. However, at least IMO, better to either never have such a animal character in the first place, use another device to accomplish the same meeting, then to create (extremely well btw) and then dump said animals.
Itās noticed. And in my case bothers me enough every time I see it to deduct rating points. š¤¦š¼āāļø. Just no.
So yes, great story, wonderful characters and romance. Missing cat.
Maybe Iggy will find a home in the next book. Which I will surely read because I do love the Riptide team and itās players.
Unfamiliar with the inter workings of pro ball? Donāt worry because youāre going to feel like a football veteran after reading this, as well as her other books. Enjoy!
There are 3 terrific books in this series, I recommend them all.
Synopsis: Spencerās deep in the Red Zone and itās time to even the score.
Nine years ago Spencer Evans became the first player out of the closet to be drafted into the NFL. Everyone believed he had aspirations to change the world but all Spencer ever wanted to do was play football for a team that accepted him wholeheartedly. But they never would, and Spencer began to conceal all the parts that made him different.
When a terrible injury forces him to re-evaluate his life and his choices, he realizes thereās only one man who can help him.
The very first gay sports agent, Alec Mitchell has given his life and his career to making queer athletesā dreams come true. He canāt help but think of Spencer as the one who got awayāprofessionally and personally.
Alec thought heād buried his desperate longing for Spencer ages ago but it turns out it was just lying dormant, waiting for the right spark. When he begs Alec to take him on as a client, everything theyāve been burying for years surfaces once again.
With Alecās help, Spencer can change everything about his life heās come to hate. An extraordinary futureāand an undeniably extraordinary manāare waiting for him. The play has been called. All he has to do is catch the ball and score
If youāre looking for something sweet, light hearted, filled with laughter and love, then grab up Operation Meet Cute, the first book in KM Neuholdās new Operation HEA series.
Adorable Harlow , his parents ugly divorce haunting him, decides the way to HEA and his true love is through a movie āmeet cuteā moment. And heās been busy staging his own for yearsā¦.to no avail.
Teddy, his neighbor upstairs, has been watching Harlowās search go unrewarded for 4 years, the same amount of time Teddy has been Harlowās best friend. Only his heart wants more.
This best friends to lovers story is funny, engaging, full of great lines and captivating characters. Alternative POV work beautifully to move both the storylines and romance forward.
By the time weāve reached the ending, both the couple and reader are satisfied and ready for the next step.
What can I say? What a outstanding story! And not the least of which because every element comes across as a fully adult intelligent relationship thatās being explored, grown, and in the end, committed to.
Hallelujah
Rainbow Cove is a terrific series, heartwarming, rainbow, and yes, kinky.
Hope on the Rocks delivers up the story of bartender/co owner of Rainbow Tavern, Adam Ringerās, path to a very beautiful and somewhat kinky HEA.
His partner to be? Dr Quinn Strauss, the townās GP whoās current heartbreak leads him to Adamās bar, a load of cocktails and a drunken confession about his secret desire for a Daddy.
Which just so happens to fit beautifully in with Adamās need to be a Daddy, especially to the appealing man before him so in need of being taken care of.
What follows is first an agreement for a summer friends with benefits arrangement, no ties, to help Quinn explore fully his sexual/emotional desire for a Daddy.
As with the previous story. Lumber Jacked, which explored rope kink, beautifully so, Hope on the Rocks focuses its men and their burgeoning relationship around their mutual desire/need for Daddy kink. Albert expertly uses her characters and their relationship to explain exactly what this type of kink means and how it fits into a committed partnership.
Far from any sort of sex tutelage into Daddy role play, we get a sexy, moving, and meaningful story, full of adult communication on each otherās needs, expectations, and secret desires. Safety and trust, patience and love. All seen and experienced by Quinn and Adam as their summer and relationship deepens.
What barriers there are to overcome are ones that are equally realistic and ones I appreciate as they affected their dynamic. Demands by family, fears generated by past history, even work schedulesā¦..all that rings so true.
The men are so sympathetic and engaging, both separately and as a couple that I read this story from start to finish without stopping. Thatās a true measure for me of how much I love a book and how fully Iām involved in that universe and couple.
Here? It was 100 percent, I was all in and didnāt want to leave them and Rainbow Cove behind at the end.
I have no idea how many more stories the author intends to write in this series but hereās hoping that Rainbow Coveās future is bright, as shiny and wonderful as this story and all those before it.
Tara Lainās stories always leave me with warm, happy feelings. I certainly adore the characters she introduces her readers to in her books and series. And her storylines are well plotted and end satisfactory.
So it was with real anticipation that I started her Fuzzy Love series . The central character being a Papillon, huge bat earned tiny ball of high intelligence and energy. Yep, Iām all in immediately as I love books with animals as main or largely secondary characters.
Can I say right now I absolutely love Bat? Thatās Batshit Crazy, the Queen of the Universe, yes, sheās amazing.
The rest of the universe and main couple, Em, the vet and the defense attorney, Finn Morgenstern, are so engaging and heartwarming that they not only deserve Bat but clearly each other and a HEA.
This story is full of suspense, action, character growth, romance, and dog on criminal adventures. Itās fast paced and so much fun.
I was fully involved with everyone and their relationships, and their HEA.
That includes the delightful glimpses we get of the people in the next books who inhabit Emās sitting room .
Iām absolutely recommending this book and the series. The cover is on point. Look at that dog! The coloring exactly and the attitude! Pure sass! And the butterfly ears the breed is named for. Love it.
Reviewers And Dog Lover/owners note: Like tv series and movies, a book can make a breed so irresistible that it makes people want one for themselves, without exactly checking out if that breed is right for you and your lifestyle.
Tara Lain does a responsible job here in noting aspects of the Papillon breed that make it not for everyone. They are highly energetic and intelligent. They are territorial, and yes barkā¦..a lot. Alarm barking, hey look whatās passing by, whatās that sound barking. Itās part of the breed and she had her characters mention that repeatedly, albeit fondly and sometimes with exasperation.
They do outstanding as agility dogs because they need an outlet for that intelligence and energy. Donāt confuse this breed with that of a lap dog. Uh no. š
Want to explore more ? YouTube Papillon in agility and Papillon dog facts. They are a fantastic breedā¦.for the right people.
This story has such amazing energy! And Iām not just talking about that great title.
From the start I fell in love with the plot, characters, and settings for Prancing of a Papillon.
It was effortless to fall so throughly into the lives and relationships of the people here.
From the sad, vulnerable moment we meet Jericho Jones , with his motherās Cairn terrier, Killer, and , of course, Batshit. Heās on a blind date and itās awful. Jericho is sweet and gentle and introverted. The exact opposite of what his huge āExterminator ā exterior projects. That sets up an immediate conflict between what the men he meets assumes heās going to be and the withdrawing āold maid ā he considers himself. That chasm in expectations leads once more to disaster.
And a broken-hearted harshly rejected Jericho.
Fear not! Because this man and romance has a super Papillon on his side!
Bringing back Batās owners from Passions of a Papillon, Finn and Em, our gentle hearted first grade teacher Jericho proceeds to get involved in the wildly entertaining business of the professional dog show world. A former Best in Show and Champion in her former life, Bat has been missed on the circuit and whoās better to accompany Bat on her return as her handler then Jericho! But he needs training.
Enter Ichiko the trainer/handler for well known Papillon breeder and downright gorgeous Brees Apollonia., Rodolfo , his Champion Papillon in tow. Soon thereās romance, mystery, suspense, and fabulous dogs prancing their hearts out in show rings to cheers from the crowd. Thereās even another wonderful secondary character, Kathy ā¦ new owner/handler of Papillon White Trash, to join in on the action..
Prancing of a Papillon! You got that right! If youāve ever seen Westminster or Crufts Dog Show then youāve seen this breed. All high energy, enormous butterfly ears at attention, the brightest eyes totally focused on the job and handler. Ah but put them down and let them start around the ring? Magic! Those tiny legs pumping , flying up high, prancing as fancy as anything imaginable, head held like royalty. And barking to let everyone know they are THERE! Always to the huge enjoyment of the people watching. YouTube it.
Tara Lain has captured this perfectly. The flow of communication between dog and handler. The judging and the various owners/ handlers. Itās quite the show and not just in the ring.
In fact everything about this story is just so fine. The characters that pour themselves into your heart ,
(Jericho Jones I truly adore), the many layered plot, the venue. The romance which swung from fragile to sexy to perfection ā¦..woof!
And yes, the humor, bravery, and cheers for Bat and all the dogs involved.
Yes, this turned out to be my favorite after all.
Thatās hard in a series I loved this much. Grab them all up and find your own.
A note about that outstanding cover! Yup thatās both Jericho and Brees to perfection. But the best? That Batshit Crazy is accurately pictured as fawn Papillon. Thatās the brown and white coloring. Rodolfo is black and white , similar to the dog pictured on the other covers. Just one more reason this is the Best in Show!
Reviewers And Dog Lover/owners note: Like tv series and movies, a book can make a breed so irresistible that it makes people want one for themselves, without exactly checking out if that breed is right for you and your lifestyle.
Tara Lain does a responsible job here in noting aspects of the Papillon breed that make it not for everyone. They are highly energetic and intelligent. They are territorial, and yes barkā¦..a lot. Alarm barking, hey look whatās passing by, whatās that sound barking. Itās part of the breed and she had her characters mention that repeatedly, albeit fondly and sometimes with exasperation.
They do outstanding as agility dogs because they need an outlet for that intelligence and energy. Donāt confuse this breed with that of a lap dog. Uh no. š
Want to explore more ? YouTube Papillon in agility and Papillon dog facts. They are a fantastic breedā¦.for the right people.
Thereās no literary voice like BA Tortugaās . As I read one of her stories, the richness of the regional dialect that rolls out from the mouths of her characters rings with such authenticity that I can still hear those words and sentences even now.
Itās not just a muttered āsweet baby Jesusā or a āall you allā. Nor is it all the many local dishes eaten, barbecue grilled ( btw Iām definitely taking up the pickled mustard seed tyvm), or even the Tex mex delicious drool worthy food her characters devour, nope, itās more. Itās small town Texas itself, the good, the heartwarming, and yes, the ugly. BA Tortuga knows the land and itās people on a truly cellular level and is able to take that knowledge and love and pour it into her books.
I always feel as though I honestly know these people, these flawed human beings she writes so well. Here itās Jericho and his children, a rancher neighbor of Baileyās. Sheās got a stalker and called her brother Anderson back in California for help. A brother bullied as a youth in school there in that small Texas town and now reborn as Logic, a highly successful tv robotics Star, writer, and robot builder. The renewal of acquaintance sparking more, being in town pulling up old memories.
Both the sister and Jericho have children and again, these kids are so well written. Perfect for their ages, each voice memorable and funny, engaging and sweet. When Travis meets his hero Logic for the first time and thinks heās being punked? Perfection!
I could read that and enjoy their relationship over and over.
In fact all the interplay between the families just draws you into this incredible dynamic and makes you want to be a huge part of it as well.
Thereās drama, hurt/comfort elements. But also for me thereās that great ending..
Iāve really debated with myself over how much to say here about it. Because at one point I thought BA was going to go a certain way with it ( shame on me, should have known better) because hey, isnāt that what happens with romances like this.
I know I know. Wet noodle time. Trust in the Tortuga.
So yep, fantastic endingā¦.. ok I wanted more but I say that about all her stories. Canāt stop now. Thatās because I never want them to end. Sue me.
But this one? Itās so special. One of my favorites out of so many of hers. Read it and I think youāll agree.l
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 