Category: M/M Contemporary Fiction

Review: Playing for Keeps (Miami Piranhas #1) by Beth Bolden

Rating: 4.5 🌈

Beth Bolden’s new book, Playing for Keeps, is the first in her new Miami Piranhas series about a fake Miami, Florida NFL football team that’s scrambling to come together. New coach and coach teams. And a slew of incoming new players to mesh with the ones already there.

One of those new players is one of the NFL’s legendary players, Sebastian Howard. Howard’s reign as one of the NFL’s outstanding corners is coming to an end as age has caught up with him.

But his agent and the coaches at the Piranhas have gotten him to Miami to talk about playing there.

But there’s a catch. He needs to play safety.

Beau Dawson, assistant coach and son to legendary head Coach Asa Dawson, sees a bright future ahead with the struggling Piranhas. But it includes convincing Howard, a brilliant player, to switch positions.

Playing for Keeps has multiple storylines. All important and all balanced beautifully to maintain our connections to each character, their evolving relationship, and to the team that’s trying to find an identity.

It’s also about family dynamics, juggling how they determine one’s journey in life, and the manner in which each still goes forward.

It’s a lot to pack in but Bolden does so without making this feel dense or heavy.

It was only at the very beginning where Sebastian Howard’s complaining veered towards non-stop whining that it almost lost me. Yes, I got that he was the GOAT at corner. But after a while I wanted his agent to give him a reality smack.

Luckily, it and Sebastian turned a corner and things smoothed out , sort of. Bolden’s run at a struggling NFL team feels believable. Down two, they aren’t functioning as a team. Having several of the people looking at answers feels about right.

The dynamics and talks among players on the queer spectrum? Also real. Putting out the pros and cons, the issues they’ve faced and those to come seems about right. As is the question about coming out while continuing to play. That’s a pertinent question that’s on the mind of many a closeted queer athlete because of toxic environments they play in.

While this is a low angst romance, it’s not without its drama and obstacles that each person raises to the possibility of a relationship. I liked how each man handled it in turn.

The romance between Sebastian and Beau is sexy, believable, and makes for great reading.

Bolden gets the football elements right, from exciting action on the field to tense drama inside the team. Great stuff.

I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment. Until then, I’m highly recommending Playing for Keeps (Piranhas #1) by Beth Bolden.

Happy Reading!

Miami Piranhas series:

Playing for Keeps #1

https://www.goodreads.com › showPlaying for Keeps (Miami Piranhas #1) by Beth Bolden – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Sebastian Howard is the best damn cornerback in the NFL.

Or at least he was.

Age and injuries have taken a toll, and while most people have written him off, Sebastian isn’t ready to acknowledge that at only thirty-two, he’s already in the twilight of his career.

He signs with the Miami Piranhas intending to prove everyone wrong.

Only to realize that the head coach’s son, out-and-proud Beau Dawson, doesn’t believe he can.

Beau is infuriating but brilliant, and when he offers to help him on the field, Sebastian wants to say yes, but there’s one thing stopping him: the unexpected, inconvenient, and all-consuming crush he doesn’t want to have on Beau.

But Beau isn’t interested in playing it safe, with football or with anything else, and soon they’re embroiled in a hot—and secret—affair that would finish Sebastian’s career if Coach Dawson found out.

As Sebastian falls harder for Beau, he begins to realize that actually the worst thing in the world isn’t getting benched, but losing the man he loves.

Review: Wicked Flame (Chicago Heat #2) by Ella Frank

Rating: 4.5 🌈

Wicked Flame, the second half of the Chicago Heat series, literally picks up almost a sentence after the end of Wicked Heat. The flow between the two books is close to seamless, making it ideal for a binge read.

As the relationship progresses between Ryan and Jameson, so does the deeply buried emotional issues become even more apparent. Ones Jameson realizes he needs to look at and deal with in order to move forward.

The elements are heavy ones. And Frank takes care when having her characters move through these sensitive areas with realistic feelings and believable behavior. When Jameson finally has that all important discussion with his sister about her addiction, it’s done for the right reasons and at the right time.

And all the scenes with Ryan’s family and the competitive curling? Warm-hearted fun that you could see contributing as a new element in Jameson’s life. Acceptance and joy.

Everything here, emotionally, kept moving the men forward. It’s sexy, wonderful, beautiful, and romantic.

Especially that last scene. Be still my heart!

Treat yourself to a fabulous two book series! Chicago Heat’s Wicked Heat and this, Wicked Flame!

Both wonderful romances you’re sure to enjoy!

Chicago Heat:

🔹Wicked Heat #1

🔹Wicked Flame #2

https://www.goodreads.com › showChicago Heat #2 – Wicked Flame – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Jameson
Life is hard. I learned that at an early age growing up on the South Side of Chicago. I accepted it, even came to expect it. With a sister who was a constant source of worry, and a track record of losing anyone even remotely close to me, trouble seemed to follow me no matter where I turned.

Some people were born lucky. I was just born.

That’s what I used to believe, anyway, until GQ. The gorgeous guy in the fancy clothes who for some reason decided to look twice at me. He gave me a place to call my own, a space to feel safe, and he made me believe in the impossible—that love was more than just a four-letter word.

Ryan
Life is unexpected. I learned that just recently when I walked into a bar on the South Side and found the love of my life—Jameson Clarke.

He’s everything I’ve always wanted, and yet somehow even better than I imagined. He’s brave, brash, protective of those he loves, and under all that bravado is a vulnerability that calls to my very soul.

Jameson’s a storm cloud, but he thinks I’m the sun. If that’s true, then I’m determined to break through the shadows of his past and steal his heart the way he’s stolen mine.

Wicked Flame is book two in Ryan Carrigan & Jameson Clarke’s story and should be read after Wicked Heat.

Review: Puck Drills & Quick Thrill (CU Hockey #5) by Eden Findlay and Saxon James

Rating: 4.5 🌈

I looked for this story after reading these authors’ new series , Puckboy. There ,some events and secondary characters that were referenced in Egotistical Puckboy , drew from this story.

Westly Dalton , who was the NHL player roommate and bestie of D-man Ezra Palaszczuk, is the man who left his career to raise his younger siblings after the death of his parents. Ezra makes an appearance here. Something that’s mentioned in his book.

So with all these crossovers, I needed West’s story. And his romance with math Professor Jasper Eckstein, who also pops up in the Puckboy novels.

Puck Drills & Quick Thrills is the fifth and last book in the CU Hockey series but I didn’t find my lack of reading any of the prior novels a issue.

Probably because the main characters aren’t college students but people who’ve had that experience and now are on campus to teach . For West, he’s back as an assistant Hockey Coach. And Jasper’s an unpopular math professor.

Eden Findlay and Saxon James make both characters very believable, both in their careers and in their current personal situations. For West, the painful reality of losing his dream of playing NHL hockey, of returning home to essentially shoulder the stressful responsibilities of a parent for five kids of various ages still in mourning. Ones he’s unprepared for. That’s realistically conveyed here as West feels overwhelmed, drowning in emotional issues, and a college age brother who resents him.

The personalities are just so well crafted.

Add to that volatile mixture is a Professor who dislikes athletes (with good reasons).

Jasper Eckstein is a man who’s history is full of instances of bullying, including one so horrific that it left permanent damage.

The culprits? Athletes.

This story is as much about letting go of the past, self acceptance, assumptions, as it is about two men so clearly in need of one another to find a way out of their past to a new future and family.

I really enjoyed the dynamics at play here. The barriers each man raised, the fear, and the courage it took for them to go forward.

The younger brother remains a bit of a hockey playing jerk. But as I expect him to show up in the Puckboy series, he’ll probably redeem himself there.

I’m highly recommending Puck Drills & Quick Thrill (CU Hockey #5) by Eden Findlay and Saxon James. It works as a integral part of both the CU Hockey series and Puckboy series. Or as a standalone.

I’m not going to read the others just yet. Too many on my TBR pile. But hockey romances! I’ll get to them. Because these authors write terrific characters, creating great stories, and leave me satisfied with the ending.

As Arnold would say “I’ll be back”.

I’ve put the list of the series below.

CU Hockey

🔹Power Plays #1

🔹Face Offs #2

🔹Goal Lines #3

🔹Line Mates #4

🔹Puck Drills & Quick Thrills #5

https://www.goodreads.com › showCU Hockey #5 – Puck Drills & Quick Thrills – Goodreads

WESTLY

The fall from NHL superstar to domestic disaster was swift and painful. When I became the legal guardian of my five younger siblings, I had no idea what I was doing.

One year later, I’m still lost.

Coaching CU’s hockey team might be the only thing I’m excelling at. But when our star forward is failing math, I have to do what it takes to keep him on the team. Even if it’s going head-to-head with Jasper Eckstein.

One minute I’m confronting the notorious hockey-hating professor, and the next I’m agreeing to be his date to his twenty-year high school reunion.

I don’t know how that happened.


JASPER

My rules are simple. I don’t give extra credit. Ever. No matter how entitled jocks think they are, I refuse to give them special treatment.

It’s not because I hate them. It’s not because a hockey player broke my nose in high school.

It’s fair.

But when Westly Dalton bursts into my office like a hurricane, all my principles fly out the window.

Suddenly I’m giving extra credit.

And I have a date to my reunion.

After one explosive night together, I want more, but his home life is a mess, and I don’t want to get in the way. If all we can have is quick thrills, I’m okay with that.

It’s not like I could ever fall for a jock.

Review: Last Gasp (Kip O’Connor Mystery #1) by S.C. Wynne

Rating: 3.5🌈

I’m a fan of the cozy mystery so I was interested when I saw this series by author S.C. Wynne.

It has all the elements one expects of the cozy mystery. Small town , Pearl Bay, where everyone knows everybody. Main character, Kip O’Connor, who’s lived there his entire life. And has a semi-unusual job, in this case a dog walking and animal day care business. With chatty employees who have a pipeline to the town’s gossip!

And a small town/village police chief who’s the would be romantic interest. Here it’s Police Chief Merrick Dawson, best friend of Kip’s older brother.

There’s a lot of history between Kip and Merrick, none of it pleasant as Kip was bullied by his brother and friends as a child. Something they’ve never apologized for.

I enjoyed the author’s characters and plots. It’s right along the lines of a cozy with several mysteries happening at once. And like any main character in this type of mystery,Kip, at one point, goes off to investigate on his own.

Unlike other novels where the plots and details are more gritty and the investigations are tightly realistic (and my expectations higher), the holes both in the exposition as well as in the small town police work just sort of blend together.

I think what bothers me most about the dynamics here between Kip and Merrick is the lack of communication. Merrick has known Kip all their lives. Merrick and Kip’s older brother played “pranks” on the much younger brother that to the present have caused emotional harm. Neither older man has ever apologized but expected Kip to “get over it”.

Even towards the end, after an explanation, there’s not a real connection or understanding of the harm that bullying causes.

Thats not a relationship or character that’s relatable for me.

The mysteries also had little complexity. While some might think that’s not a issue with a cozy, I’ve read many a cozy mysteries that layered their mysteries with greater depth and I’m missing that here.

The book ends with a promise of a friendship. And two more books in the trilogy.

I’ll probably save the rest for late summer reading.

If light cozy mystery with no romance is the thing for you, pick up Last Gasp (Kip O’Connor Mystery #1) by S.C. Wynne.

Kip O’Connor Mysteries :

🔹Last Gasp #1

🔹Last Date #2

🔹Last Chance #3

https://www.goodreads.com › showLast Gasp (Kip O’Connor M/M Mystery, #1) by S.C. Wynne | Goodreads

Cozy gay mystery romance.

Kip O’Connor lives a simple life in the little seaside town of Pearl Bay. Unless it’s tourist season, things tend to be pretty peaceful. There is, however, one never ending source of irritation in the form of Police Chief Merrick Dawson.

Merrick is Kip’s older brother’s BFF, and nothing seems to bring Merrick more joy than nagging Kip about silly things. You’d think a Police Chief would have more important things to do than lecture Kip on parking tickets and picking up pet waste, but somehow Merrick always finds the time.

Kip decides to take an art class at the local community college, and he’s annoyed to find Merrick has also enrolled in the course. The instructor takes a shine to Kip, and soon they become friends outside of class. Merrick warns Kip of the dangers of blurring those lines and befriending his teacher, but Kip is flattered by the attention.

When his art teacher is found stabbed through the forehead with a palette knife, Kip is determined to figure out who killed his new friend. Merrick naturally thinks Kip getting involved in the investigation is a horrible idea, but when has Kip ever listened to that irksome, pig-headed Merrick Dawson?

This is book one in my brand new Kip O’Connor M/M Cozy Mystery series. Each book has a cozy feel to it and there is a strong romantic (slow burn) story-line in each book. No on page steam but some mild violence. I hope you enjoy reading this series as much as I enjoy writing it.

Review: Mountains That Move (Kings of Airlie #2) by Casey Cox

Rating: 4.5 🌈

Mountains That Move (Kings of Airlie #2) by Casey Cox is another excellent book in this series about a incredibly damaged family of kitesurfing champions known as the Kings of Airlie. The title is true as is the little known adrenaline rush of a sport.

What’s missing from the description is the information I believe certain readers should know prior to picking up this story. It has elements of self harm, a main character’s history of childhood sexual abuse, and other issues that may act as triggers.

It’s realistically described while occurring off page, and the character’s actions and dark emotional state to his decades of trauma are believable and devastating.

Troy King is a haunted, broken man. He’s half of the POV here. One of King family of kitesurfing champions, he’s the second oldest but has bourn the worst of everything his damning family dynamics has created. In silence.

The other perspective, except for one odd section at the end, is Kaide Thompson. Security, former love, long time friend, the man Troy loves and sends away time after time.

Kaide is a window into their past and gives us needed insight into Troy’s actions, wildly swinging emotional state. It makes their dynamics relatable when Troy is heavily into denial. Kaide is layered, and believable. But he’s always going to be not as powerful a personality next to the heart of the story which is broken Troy.

Added onto their highly unstable relations, there’s the increase in threats that pushes the issues as security/client. It also brings up a multitude of past events, eventually.

Cox was fantastic when working on the tormented Troy, his relationship with Kaide , and his family. This story is so full of pain, brutality , lies, all set against the high adrenaline sport of kitesurfing. Cox’s scenes of flying over the waters, and executing those jumps are thrilling.

Honestly, YouTube Kings of Airlie championships for some amazing footage.

The last fourth of the novel is packed with quickly mounting plot lines. Another POV is thrown in unexpectedly, carrying with it a huge amount of information about the family, and specific characters.

It’s who’s this? You’re doing what? They did what? Who’s all these people? What’s all this history? What’s going on? Why is this even being thrown in here? Really? You want me to believe that?

I’m starting to blink with narrative overload here. Because holes start to appear, and I’m asking myself why it’s all necessary to have this density now.

There’s another development that involves the villain, then one of our heroes that frankly makes zero sense.

And it all ends on a cliffhanger.

I’m sort of astonished.

This is a terrific book. It really didn’t need embellishments. Or whatever all that is at the end.

The story of one man’s devastating childhood and his ability to admit and ask for help. That’s beyond everything.

Cox had me at that. That’s why it’s gets the rating. That mess at the end almost had me dropping it.

So I’ll continue along because while it gave some sort of resolution to Troy , there’s still that cliffhanger.

Kings of Airlie Trilogy:

✓ Oceans that Swim #1

✓ Mountains that Move #2

Skies That Burn #3- release TBD

https://www.goodreads.com › showmountains that move (Kings of Airlie #2) by Casey Cox – Goodreads

Synopsis:

This season, I’ve got a lot to defend…

He’s known as ‘the angry one,’ the middle brother with a chip the size of an asteroid on his shoulders. Trouble seems to follow Troy King wherever he goes. What no one realizes is that Troy’s broody, angsty exterior masks a lifetime of pain, torment, and trauma––and a long-held secret that threatens to tear his already dysfunctional family even further apart.

The only place Troy feels in control is in the water, and this year, he’s determined to win his third world championship title. But that dream gets disrupted by a series of anonymous, online death threats. What’s even worse is that the person called in to protect him is the only man who brings him undone: Kaide Thompson.

Kaide’s mission is simple––keep Troy safe. But Kaide and Troy share a seven-year history. One that takes complicated and messy to a whole other level. Their chemistry is electrifying; their attraction undeniable; their dynamic as magnetic and destructive as ever. But they’ve been down this road before… Twice… And it always ends the same way.

Despite Troy doing everything he can to push him away, Kaide isn’t backing down this time. He’s prepared to do whatever it takes to not only keep Troy safe, but also help him find a way to deal with his pain. Even if it means he’ll have to walk away from the only man he’s ever loved.

To achieve his dream, Troy needs to double down and focus on winning the championship. But with his life in danger, the season spinning out of control, his family more dysfunctional than ever, and a lifetime of secrets simmering just below the surface, will Kaide be there for him when the horrific truth finally comes out?

Kings of Airlie is an exhilarating, action-packed MM romance sports trilogy about love, brotherhood and resilience––with a powerful message that dreams don’t die, they just sometimes change.

Each book in the series has a new love story with a happily ever after. With continuing family and competition plots, the books do need to be read in order.

Review: Temporary Partner (Valor and Doyle #1) by Nicky James

Rating: 4.75 🌈

Temporary Partner by Nicky James is an excellent law enforcement mystery that’s has elements of a romance to it. It’s the first of a two part series, Valor and Doyle, featuring Ontario detectives from different departments, often units that see each other as departmental rivals.

Quaid Valor is a Detective with the MPU, that’s missing persons. He’s following the career path of his recently retired father, a decorated detective from the same unit. The tight-knit Valor family of two is a knot of familial love, ingrained police laws and regulations, and a sadness that’s explained as the storylines enlarge.

Quaid himself is full of complications, lonely, burdened, consumed by job and family. He’s undeniably an incredible character.

Aslan Doyle is his counterpart. A excellent detective but in Homicides. Both men queer and out at work but Aslan’s ,bi , very casual outlook on sexuality as opposed to Quaid’s , who’s gay, ongoing issues with his ex make them diametrically opposed. Especially when Aslan’s attitude carries over into work.

They’ve worked together before, successfully professionally. Privately? That harder.

But a shortage of personal , a heartbreaking case with a tight time frame to close it, and a order from their superiors brings them together.

James creates a truly puzzling, heartbreaking case. That of a stolen infant, then proceeds to build a huge investigation around it, with a ticking clock. There’s superb and tedious leg work, lines of questioning that appears to have no results, more data to analyze, small victories that fade, and a fantastic, mesmerizing relationship that’s trying to establish itself between two prickly, damaged men who have trust issues.

The POV alternate’s between Quaid and Aslan, often as the men despair, feel they have it, only to realize, they need another direction. It all feels raw, anxious, heartbreaking, and painful.

Even the ending, when it arrives, is not without, some realistic elements, that have you really looking at everything that’s happened here. There’s no HFN even. But there’s a solution to this case. It’s solved.

It’s up to the reader as to how you think about it.

As to Aslan and Quaid? Book 2 , Elusive Relations, is due out July 25, 2022.

I’m eagerly awaiting their return and the new case that will surely bring them back together again.

This is a wonderful story. If you love mysteries, law enforcement tales, with the promise of a romance, grab this right up.

Outstanding characters, fantastic storylines, and a realistic ending.

Love it.

Valor and Doyle:

🔹Department Rivals: A Valor and Doyle Prequel #0.5

🔹Temporary Partner #1

🔹Elusive Relations #2

https://www.goodreads.com › showTemporary Partner (Valor and Doyle Mysteries, #1) by Nicky James – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Can two rivals work together to solve a case?

When an infant is taken from his carriage in broad daylight, missing persons detective, Quaid Valor, must race against the clock to find the child and bring him safely home to his family. Unfortunately, Quaid’s partner isn’t available, and his team is spread thin. Begrudgingly, Quaid must accept the help from his rival, homicide detective Aslan Doyle, if he wants to get the job done.


Aslan is Quaid’s opposite in every way. He’s bold, outspoken, arrogant, and the office playboy. And much to Quaid’s chagrin, Aslan seems to have set his sights on Quaid as his next conquest.


Quaid doesn’t have time to deal with Aslan’s flirty behavior when he’s trying to solve a case and juggle his cheating ex’s incessant interruptions.
It doesn’t matter how attractive Aslan is or the undeniable chemistry they seem to have. Getting involved with Aslan would be a huge mistake.
But as tension with the case builds, Quaid keeps forgetting he’s supposed to hate this new partner. Maybe Aslan is exactly the kind of distraction he needs.
Temporarily at least.
Right?

**Temporary Partner is the first in the Valor and Doyle Mysteries. Please view any trigger warnings by using the Look Inside feature**

Review: Royal Lines (Boston Rebels #4) by R.J. Scott and V.L. Locey

Rating: 4.5 🌈

As a book I really ended up looking at it at two different ways once I completed it.

First let’s talk about Royal Lines as a contemporary romance. As a love story, it soars. The men are throughly seated in their prospective cultures and personal histories.

Marquis Miller is completely grounded in his Detroit family and city. His father and uncle, the Miller twin brothers , now in bad health, have worked their entire lives to bring their families, their business into the international company it is now and Marquis is it’s expected heir to head it after hockey. However, this is all about Marquis’ appreciation for his family and the City, black history, and his awareness of his family’s company abilities in promoting diversity. Marquis is a great character. Charismatic with depth.

Prince Kaleb, young son to a Royal family in mourning , is also well defined. He’s also grounded by a family in turmoil, a recent death of a not so loved Royal consort, necessary Royal marriages, unnecessary marriages, media intrusion, a moldering castle, and a Queen mother who’s in need of a son to handle everything as the heir seems unwilling or unable to do so at the moment. A family overwhelmed by circumstances yet always in the public eye. There’s no way not to feel for him. And when both men collide over a construction bid to replace the broken plumbing in said castle? You feel the sparks down to your toes!

This love story is stumbling hot! Marquis and Kaleb trying not to have an affair, discussing faulty pipes, and all they want is to bounce into the nearest Royal bed! Incendiary!

There’s various subplots about the other Royal siblings, also emotional messes, that get nicely tied up.

While this is a lust/love at first sight, it absolutely works. You buy into it completely because the way these characters are crafted, their personalities, you can totally see it happening.

As a love story, including the HEA ending? It’s a 5!

Now to the other part. Is this a hockey story? Um , in my opinion, no.

With the exception of a charity game that’s basically there to bring in Dunny for the next book, hockey isn’t here at all.

Boston isn’t mentioned. The team the Rebels are non existent except as a line where Marquis says he finished out his contract in the Epilogue. Nothing.

Marquis mentions that he’s a player for the team once. That’s the extent of it.

I’m sort of perplexed about a series called Boston Rebels when the last several books the team’s a ghost. And the story is more about what happens to players or ex players after they’ve left the team.

When you think about such wonderful series as Harrisburg Railers or Arizona Raptors or even the Owatonna U Hockey series, Cayuga Cougars series, those are absolutely about the team, ice on ice action, team dynamics, as well as players and their lives.

Here in this series, Boston Rebels barely exists. It serves only loosely as a something to tie these men together. Not a solid framework.

This pattern looks to continue with Dunny in the next story. Unfortunately it he’s seems he will have a life changing event. Read no hockey. Or , as I’m guessing, no Rebels.

So not sure why the team even continues to be even a element here.

These stories are excellent on their own. They can certainly be standalone novels. As a love story it’s amazing.

As a hockey romance? Not so much as that’s the element that’s almost totally missing.

I’m definitely recommending it. Loved the characters and the story.

The rest was just me wondering about the series. Take it for what it’s worth.

Boston Rebels:

🔹Top Shelf #1

🔹Back Check #2

🔹Snowed #3

🔹Royal Lines #4

🔹Blade – August 2022

https://www.goodreads.com › showRoyal Lines (Boston Rebels #4) by R.J. Scott – Goodreads

Synopsis:

They’re setting fire to the sheets, but a romance between an out and proud hockey star and a closeted playboy prince could end up burning them both.

Marquis Miller might be one of the NHL’s best players, single, wealthy, and open about his sexuality, but he knows his future lies in taking over the reins of the family’s multimillion-dollar company after retirement. Jumping on the family jet, he heads to Europe, tasked with schmoozing a prince into accepting his company’s bid on a significant castle renovation. Assuming he’d be faced with a dusty old monarch well into his dotage, Marquis is stunned to find out that Kaleb is a young, sophisticated, beautiful man with an impressive work ethic, to-die-for eyes, and a certain flair that captures Marquis’s attention.

Dragging the royal palace into the twenty-first century is one battle after another for the King’s youngest son. Juggling renovations, his royal duties, and attempting to reverse his former playboy prince reputation is impossible when no one seems to want to give Kaleb a chance. His chaotic life takes yet another turn when an American hockey player arrives at the castle to discuss a renovation project. Marquis is the antithesis of Kaleb’s newly minted, responsible outlook on life, a jock, a player, willing to take chances. Although the forbidden sex is hot, Kaleb is not ready to turn on his family responsibilities for a pretty smile and a smart mouth.

For both men, family is everything, and romance will always come in second until they open their hearts to love.

Review: Sweet to the Core (Lighthouse Bay #3) by Amy Aislin

Rating: 4.25🌈

Amy Aislin’s Lighthouse Bay is one of those lovely contemporary romance series that’s continues to resonate with me. It’s the gorgeous setting of Lighthouse Bay, with its small town community, with its variety of people, from it’s Mayor to it’s Main Street of stores ,who’s owners we’ve gotten to know well through the novels.

We’ve loved the town’s heartwarming displays at the Christmas season and watched, as they planned, built, and then marched down Main Street for the parades! Aislin has made us feel a part of these people and their community.

We’re there as they work through their personal issues, cry out and get support and love when facing a health crisis, and when they decide to trust and find true love again.

These are gentle, emotionally adult novels where the people are remarkable in their love for their town, friends and family, and the often slow to romances.

Often a balm to the heart with the gentle love stories, the men here in Sweet to the Core, Dev Stone of Dev’s Bakery, and Clark Ricci, wildlife biologist, with a little ghostly intervention, get their own story and HEA. It’s that favorite friends to lovers trope.

Dev and Clark have been a part of the previous books as everyone is connected through friendship and family relationships. Dev has had an enduring crush on his older cousin’s best friend for decades. Now in his thirties, Dev has no reason to expect their friendship to change anytime soon.

A two person POV, we have a front seat to the resigned state of Dev’s affections for Clark, the dreams he’s letting go of, and the way he’s pushing himself at the Bakery. Dev is a believable young man who’s falling into a pattern he soon won’t know how to get out of.

Clark Ricci, is a man who loves his job, but with his friends settling down, starts to get the uneasy feeling he’s missing something.

It takes his father’s very real, financial issues to launch a change for all of them. With some ghostly assistance that points the way to the Annual Sweet to the Core Apple baking contest.

Aislin’s beautifully layered characters, a community with its shops in all stages of financial growth, and a group of citizens that have come to feel like family, full of believable life situations, relationships that require communication and emotional depth, and lots of love, fill Sweet to the Core .

It’s a terrific way for this trilogy to end, however much I’d like it to continue. Or at least end on another Christmas novel.

I’m highly recommending this and all the books of Lighthouse Bay. They are lovely, heartwarming contemporary romances.

And this cover is lovely too.

Lighthouse Bay:

🔹Christmas Lane #1

🔹Gingerbread Mistletoe #2

🔹Sweet to the Core #3

https://www.goodreads.com › showSweet to the Core (Lighthouse Bay #3) by Amy Aislin – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Dev has pined for his cousin’s best friend for years, but no matter how hard he wishes, Clark sees him as nothing but a friend. And it’s as a friend that Clark comes to him for help.

Clark’s father is on the brink of losing his house and the fastest way to make a quick buck is to win the $10,000 prize in the inaugural Sweet to the Core apple baking contest. Only problem? He’s never baked anything that hasn’t come out of a box.

But Dev has. As a baker, he’s Clark’s best chance.

For the first time, Dev has something Clark wants. Only problem? Dev needs the prize for himself. The only thing he wants—besides Clark—is to buy the local lighthouse where he last spent time with his parents before they died.

Working together means opening a lot more than a barrel of apples, though. They may have found the recipe to love.

But will Dev have to give up the only connection he has left to his parents in order to have it? Or will Clark let his father down? They can’t both have everything.

Review: Roped In (Lone Star #2) by Jodi Payne and B.A. Tortuga

Rating: 4.5🌈

Jodi Payne and B.A. Tortuga’s Lone Star series is back with a second chance at love story between former young sweethearts who meet up ages later just when the timing might be right for them to get their HEA.

A longer story, Roped In has the necessary history and time that allows businessman, Jude Sharpe , to reconnect with his former love, rodeo champion , Rope Canutt, just as he’s getting ready to retire.

Jude, a widower and single father to 7-year old Silas, is a man who loves his son, enjoys his job, but is missing that love he shared with his husband who died of cancer. Jude is a well-rounded character, easy to recognize, and connect with. A good man and great father.

And Silas is a utter joy to meet and read about. Especially as he changes, committing totally to the ranch and life in Texas. His goats, his chickens. Adorable.

Rope Canutt is not one of those rodeo cowboys who’s dreading retirement. Instead, Rope has listened to his body, all the injuries and steel plate in his head, and recognized that it’s time to get out while at the top. It’s his last tour for his sponsors and to finish in the money.

It’s a portrait of a smart man , seasoned by years on the tour and the pain of old injuries. It’s a great character and he meshed well with his old flame , Jude.

The walks in the neighborhood in NYC, the visits in the kitchen. It’s a real pleasure watching the men get reacquainted with each other’s lives, seeing the sparks fly, and Rope start to love Silas.

The dramatic moments here are more about instances that happen in daily life. The huge decisions those that couples make when they decide they will make a future together.

The story, the romance, the family, they are all very realistic and wonderful.

It’s a perfect ending. And those that have come to love these cozy romances as well as readers who love contemporary love stories will throughly enjoy this.

I’m highly recommending it.

Lone Star series:

🔹Tending Tyler #1

🔹Roped In #2

Buy the Book: Amazon

Synopsis:

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but sometimes distance makes people drift apart.

Rope Canutt has announced his retirement from bull riding and is making the most of his final year on the circuit, riding the big shows and resting in between so he can finish the season on a high note. He isn’t sure what’s next for him. He has no plan yet and nowhere to go, especially since his family sold their ranch a few years back.

Jude Sharpe remembers Rope fondly from their younger days in Austin. Mostly he remembers how hot the rodeo cowboy was and how much fun they had hooking up every time their paths crossed. That was a long time ago, and Jude’s been married and lost his husband to cancer in the years since they’ve seen each other. Now he’s raising a son alone.

When bull riding comes to New York City, Jude’s consulting firm uses their private box to entertain clients from Houston, and Jude brings his son Silas along to see the show. Rope is riding and Jude hopes to introduce Silas to a real bull rider. They’ve each lived a whole lifetime apart, and Jude and Rope aren’t sure how much they have in common anymore. So will they be drawn to each other when their paths cross again?

The books in this series are standalones and can be read in any order.

Review: Tending Tyler (Lone Star #1) by Jodi Payne and B.A. Tortuga

Rating: 4🌈

Tending Tyler is another of Jodi Payne and B.A. Tortuga’s incredibly sweet contemporary cozy cowboy romances. The beginning of the Lone Star series , that’s Texas, ranches, and cowboys, with the addition of cute kids.

Truly you can’t go wrong with those elements and these writers.

Payne and Tortuga have the local lingua and food of the heart down pat, as well as the expected community musts (WallyWorld anyone). Their affection and cellular knowledge of the people and regional landscape add such a richness to this and each story that you know immediately who authored them.

There’s other aspects too. The instant love factor that needs a firm grounding to make us believe in it and the relationship. As well as the ability to write children, of multiple age groups, realistically.

The character of Tyler McKeehan, a NYC bartender who’s had a lifetime of loss and just undergone another heartbreaking one, is a portrait of lonely vulnerability and stasis.

The recent death of his best friend has him moving in place, from the flow at the gay bar he works at to the overtime that fills his schedule. The tragedy behind Will’s death is part of the storyline I feel was underutilized by the authors.

It’s a connection shared by the other main character, rancher Matthew Whitehead. The cowboy had come to NYC for the book fair and ends up with not only boxes of books, but meeting Tyler with whom he shares an immediate bond.

And more , as his sister underwent much the same devastating loss.

With such a strong, emotional topic to help bind the men together, I’m not sure why this thread was dropped altogether. For me, it would have been a deeper journey , full of familial ties, a shared history, and growth.

Instead, for dramatic impact, we had another less developed idea. One that came, hit, then was just as quickly resolved, without much explanation or background.

A shame, because the romance. The welcoming of Tyler by the girls into ranch life, however, overwhelming, was lovely and adorable. Tyler and Matt worked without too much effort as a delightful couple that readers of contemporary romance, and lovers of cowboys, will slide into.

Payne and Tortuga bring along a cast of other fabulous characters to support the love story of Tyler and Matt. These people always make each book so much stronger.

I’m recommending Tending Tyler (Lone Star #1) by Jodi Payne and B.A. Tortuga . Another captivating cozy cowboy romance from these wonderful authors!

Lone Star series:

🔹Tending Tyler #1

🔹Roped In #2

https://www.goodreads.com › showTending Tyler (Lone Star #1) by Jodi Payne – Goodreads

Synopsis:

Bartender Tyler McKeehan feels like his whole life is on hold. All he does is work and sleep because he doesn’t know how to move on with his day to day after the shocking loss of his best friend. When he meets Matt at Les’s Bar where he works in New York, though, he thinks he might have found someone who can nudge him out of his rut. The cowboy seems to live on fast forward, but at the same time this kind, generous man makes Tyler feel wanted and safe.

Ranch owner Matthew Whitehead is just in New York for a visit. But when he runs into Tyler at Les’s Bar, he knows right away that Tyler is special. Matt’s family thinks he makes snap decisions, and they worry about him, but he knows what he wants, and even after just a few days he’s willing to fight to keep Tyler in his life. When Matt has to head back to Texas, he asks Tyler to come visit him and meet his kids. Soon.

Tyler doesn’t know if he can pick up and go to Texas, but he misses Matt’s affection and calming presence, so when life gets overwhelming, he makes the call. Between Matt’s huge, boisterous family, his children, his busy ranch, and the vast differences between New York City and Texas, Tyler wonders every day if he should go back to his old life. Matt is determined to keep Tyler right where he is, but can they overcome the odds against them and make a new life together?